Unlike what he wanted things to go like, Magatsu went to Dedalus' dojo after being congratulated a bit more. He would only be able to participate in the training sections tomorrow.

This time, he didn't run. Instead, he walked like a normal person.

After a few minutes, he got there and shared the news with his master, who was instructing some students with their training.

Surprisingly, Shinda was also taking part in the training. He, naturally, also heard the story, as well as some other, older students.

– You just finished my old man's training – Shinda says with a smirk. – and was already accepted by another dojo? Damn, Mag. If you keep going like this I'll have to actually take my training seriously.

– If that's the case I think I'll try even harder. – Magatsu says while flexing his right arm. Shinda tries to punch him, but he catches it with his left hand.

– Try harder.

– Anyway. – D. says. – I'm more impressed that you got scored so high by Aliodi of all people.

Magatsu does a confused face with the compliment.

– What do you mean by that?

– He used to be notorious for always ranking newcomers as rookies or amateurs at best for having incredibly high standards. The only person that was ranked "above average" was Edgar when he was still under his tutelage.

– Guess all old people soften up with age, huh? – Shinda comments with a shrug. He immediately gains a lightning speed karate chop from his father on the head. – Ouch!

– Not all old people. Now back to your training. – Dedalus then looks to Magatsu. – And you are welcome to come here whenever you want, but I don't have anything else to teach you in terms of skill. It'll be for the best if you find your own way of training. Perhaps Aliodi could teach you something interesting.

After that, Magatsu bows lightly and walks back home.

After another handful of minutes, he gets back home. As soon as he steps in his yard, he is suddenly attacked by Sasha, who jumps from the other side of her fence with her training sword in hands.

Magatsu barely has time to dodge as he wasn't expecting it, but she doesn't give him time to breathe as she does an upward diagonal strike, then a spinning one, Magatsu barely has time to backstep it.

Using the opportunity, she strikes his legs with her wooden sword, causing him to fall, and pins him down with its tip against his chest.

– What's up with people greeting me with attempts to hospitalize me? – Magatsu sarcastically asks with a grin.

– Good afternoon too. – Sasha says as she helps him up with a hand. She then rests her sword in her shoulder while adjusting her hair with her free hand and a head swing – You should work your reflexes out.

– Yeah, right. What was that for, anyway? – Magatsu crosses his arms. She shrugs.

– Just seeing if you haven't been slacking off with your training. – He half-closes his eyes, one more than the other, while tilting his head a little. She snorts with the expression.

– Sure. Wanna come in?

– Why not? – She says while accompanying him.

Once Magatsu tries to open the door, he notices it's locked. After unlocking it, he greets his mother as usual, but she doesn't answer. Sasha leaves her sword next to the exit in a corner.

– Looks like she isn't home. – He points out. – Wanna eat something?

After getting her a sandwich he made, they spend the next two hours or so in his room while talking and doing random stuff with Magatsu's computer.

They both enjoyed the time they spent together, even if it was something they were already used to.

Somewhere outside of Mashifu

– So, how are things doing back in that boring city? – A man asks another from behind a white wooden door.

– Nothing worth mentioning. – The other man answers. – The most interesting thing that happened these days was my son getting in trouble for being the pest he is. Seems like a teen taught him a lesson for picking on Disarm's kid.

– Aliodi? Did that kid have a death wish? You really should learn how to be a parent, Santurn.

– Like you had the right to say anything in this regard, Astarosa. – The man says with a rather annoyed voice tone. – Last time I checked, you weren't a very good father yourself.

– Shut it. – Astarosa barks back. – I guess I'll pay 'em a surprise visit. Yes, this should be interesting.

– Aliodi won't enjoy seeing you. – Santurn says, to which Astarosa disdainfully reacts.

– As if I cared. Anywho. – The door half-opens, but before anyone comes out Astarosa's voice can be heard again. – I'll be going. Time to pay my son a visit.

Back at Mashifu

After Agatha came back, Sasha excused herself home.

– Where were you? – Magatsu asks his mother, who was wearing a long, fancy fitting red dress and make-up. Spotlight for the word fancy, considering that they didn't have the cash to spend on things like that.

– I met a close friend of mine. – She answers while taking off her purple, round earrings. – Why do you ask?

– All of that for just a friend? – He looks to her from top to bottom with his arms crossed. She does a confused face.

– I like to be well-dressed, and you'll be too once you find someone you find pleasure in calling "a close friend".

– If you say so. – He shrugs while hiding a thought he didn't want to think about, not right now at least.

– If you're going somewhere, lock the door. – Agatha says while walking to her room to get changed. He hums and goes to his room to work out for the next two hours.

Once finished, Magatsu was shirtless, with (also black) shorts, bare-footed, and sweating.

Unlike normal people, he didn't use equipment to work out, instead, only his body and what he had inside his room to help him.

After checking the time, 5:12 PM, he went to have a shower. A rather short shower later, he puts his normal clothes back on and goes for a walk before calling it a day.

When he walks by his mother's room, he hears her giggling to someone else's voice, a male one. Magatsu raises an eyebrow to why would she invite someone there instead of meeting that person herself, but decides to stop peeking to avoid getting in trouble.

Once out, he is startled by a tap on the shoulder. Immediately twirling his head to see the hand's owner, he sees Sasha smiling kindly at him.

He found her green eyes incredibly hard to not look at. They fitted her wild hair in a unique way he couldn't explain.

– Were you waiting for me? – He asks her, to which she friendly punches his arm.

– You wish. I was doing a little something when I saw you coming out. Doing anything interesting?

– I'll just have a walk before calling it a day. – He answers while walking again, she right behind him.

– I'm free right now. Mind if I follow you around like a parrot? – She jokingly asks while chuckling to herself. He laughs while answering.

– If it's you, not at all. Just make sure to bring your wallet. I'm not paying for your expenses.

He waits under a tree on the sidewalk as she goes back home and grabs her purple wallet.

After that, they go to the Park where a bunch of people, mostly students already outside of school, are having their own fair share of fun.

The park itself is rather simple with a lot of grass surrounding a cobblestone road, some trees and benches scattered everywhere and the food stands making them company. It was a sunny day with some harmless clouds here and there as the sun was setting.

Once he buys her some ice cream (she convinced him to let her spare her cash, somehow), they take a seat on the grass, under a tree, and enjoy the moment.

After about a minute, Magatsu tries to chit-chat.

– Why are you so short again? – The question is so blunt it takes Sasha a second longer to properly react. She then punches him in the arm, but a bit harder than usual.

– I would be careful when choosing my words if I was you, Mag. – She says as he rubs his arm with a faked pained smile.

She moves her hair around with her hand and a head swing before answering him.

– First: I can reach your elbow, so I'm not that short. Second: I can't control my genetics. I was born like this, you idiot. – She pokes his head while saying that part. He can't help but laugh, making her chuckle as well.

– Well then – He asks something else. – , what about your hair?

– That's easy. – She moves her hand across her hair while answering. – My parents always wanted me to be, on the surface, a pretty little princess for everyone to admire. Since I don't like them that much, I took a more radical approach and let my hair grow as much as I could. I then tinted it white and added a little charm with the blue tip. – While saying that last part, she holds her hair with her free hand.

She, luckily, didn't see Magatsu staring at it with wide-open eyes for a second too long. To him, they were so cool.

– Speaking of which. – Magatsu points something out after taking a bite from his ice cream. – I never heard you speak much of your family other than some not so cool stuff. What's the big deal?

She looks at him, wondering if she should reveal this much, but shrugs the thought away. He was a close friend, and there were no secrets between them. She takes a bite of her own ice cream before answering.

– They're... Something, I guess. My family is quite a big deal in what they do, and money isn't something they'll be running out of anytime soon, but that's where the interesting stuff about them dies out. My father is just some other generic tycoon while my mom milks him in every way she can ever since they were married. My siblings followed her footsteps and live with what my father give them. – She points to herself with her thumb while smiling proudly. – But not me, oh no sir! I wanted to be something else, something better. Then, I made a deal with them to let me live on my own after I was 14.

– Is that why I never saw Mrs. Ashley in your house anymore? – Magatsu interrupts her with a question, to which she nods with a hum and another bite from her ice cream. – You could have told me that earlier instead of just leaving me in the dark. I liked her.

– You never asked. How should I know? – She sounds offended, but it's more than obvious it's faked. – Either way. One of my cousins, from that day on, became my "supervisor". Every so often, he would come to see if I was doing what I was supposed to, mainly my sword practice. Too bad for him, the next visit will be the last.

– Because you're making 18 in a month or so? – She nods with a proud, satisfied smile.

– About time. Never gonna have to hear from them again, unless something happens. But like hell I would ask any of them, especially my father, for anything. I'll die before that day comes.

Magatsu didn't pick it up, but in Sasha's voice there was resentment and genuine anger, even if only some of it.

She was good at hiding her emotions.

After their ice cream ends, they tell themselves some lame jokes until Sasha asks him something he didn't see coming.

– Hey, Mag. Mind if I rest on you?

Caught off guard, it takes him an extra second to answer.

– Uh... Sure. That would be... nice. – He nearly whispers that last part as she wiggles around, dragging herself closer to him as she rests over his shoulder.

She could see with the corner of her eye that he was blushing while constantly looking at her. The reaction she was looking for.

– Tell me something. – She says. – Do you like me?

He looks to her, no longer blushing, while considering which words to use.

– I really like you, like a lot. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about you for no apparent reason... – He stops for a moment. – I hope that didn't sound cheesy or weird.

She chuckles before looking to the distance, to where she sees a couple, much like them, sitting on a bench and kissing.

Deep down, she wanted that to be them. Naturally, she wouldn't say that out loud.

Little did she know that was exactly the same thought Magatsu had about them.