Sorry guys, I stumbled upon a writer's block for about a week or so. I have little skill in visualizing fights so it might not be that interesting. I've been trying to practice more with my fight scenes, so please with bear with me.

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“Looks like you passed too.” Colin said when they both approached the desk.

“Yea, I was watching you and was so impressed by your strength.”

“Same here, you are pretty quick on your feet. Was that what you were working on the past month?”

“Yea.” Hiro replied with a smile before handing his pendant to the staff.

“Number 7. May I have your name?” The staff asked.

“Hiro.” Hiro answered, “How are we going to get matched up?”

Without batting an eye, the staff member said, “There are numbers inscribed on every pendant. Once we receive the pendant, we record the number and write up the match listings according to the number. So right now, you are contestant 7, which is located in the A block.”

‘I see. It’s pretty simple now that I think about it. There are 16 pendants, thus 16 contestants and they are listed across a tournament tree.’

After finishing up with the staff, Hiro turned towards Colin who was also finishing up.

“What number did you get?” Hiro asked.

“15. Looks like we’re not in the same block.” Colin smiled. He didn’t want to fight Hiro if possible, since he knew that Hiro won’t have any chance of beating him.

“I’ll see you in the finals then Colin.” Hiro smugly said, oblivious to the difference in skills.

“Yea… Ah Hiro, I have to go do something…So I’ll see you later.” Colin quickly said after he looked around.

“Sure, I’ll just go wait.”

Leaving Hiro, Colin quickly disappeared into the crowd of adventurers that were gloomily leaving the field.

“Fu~.” Hiro breathed out.

[Tenga did you find out who was it that casted that lightning spell?]

[It was Lena. Though I must say, she is quite skilled.] Tenga replied with an interested tone.

[Thought so…What do you mean skilled?]

Tenga chuckled a bit before replying, [Though it’s only a level 2 spell, she hid the influx of magic as she casted it. In other words, only expert mages would be able to trace the spell back to her, which is not an easy task.]

[Oh I see…] Hiro pondered, [What do you think my chances of coming out first are?]

[0%] Tenga replied, without a hint of insecurity.

[What?!] Hiro asked, shocked by how sure Tenga was.

[The blood-red knight is too powerful, in terms of strength the knight is over 100 times stronger than you.] Tenga paused to let it soak in before continuing, [To be able to withstand the blows of those adventurers’ takes considerable strength and fortitude.]

[Do you know who is under the armor?] Hiro ask curiously.

[No I do not, I can’t sense anything. I think there’s an enchantment on that armor, preventing magic from influencing it. You should just surrender now, there’s no chance of you ever breaking through that armor.]

[No. Didn’t you hear what the S-Rank Romulus say? I just have to prove myself, winning first place doesn’t guarantee discipleship.]

[Tch! You should just be quiet and practice magic, it’s way more convenient that way.] Tenga retorted, [Plus aren’t you forgetting something?]

[No I haven’t, I’m doing this all in order to be strong enough to protect myself. Also, don’t worry, my ultimate goal is to release you from the soulstone. However, how am I going to help you if I’m not strong enough to protect myself?]

[Don’t forget as mages, we can create miracles. As long as our life energy exists, nothing can stop us.] Tenga said with a passion.

[But do you think that magic is something easy to learn?] Hiro questioned.

[That…No...No, it’s not…] Tenga answered. Tenga’s magic, labelled as ancient magic, requires profound knowledge and wisdom. Something that comes with age and practice and something that Hiro doesn’t have. If Hiro were to diligently practice Tenga’s ancient magic, it would still take decades to barely scratch the surface of ancient magic.

[See? Ancient magic would be my last resort, right now I need something that is quickly attainable.]

[I see your point. However, do not neglect my teachings do you hear?]

[Alright. Do you think there’s a way I could be the armored knight?]

[Hm…] Tenga began to brainstorm, [There are ways that I, myself, could use. However, if it’s you, there’s no way. You’re best chance to beat the knight is to knock him out of the ring.] Tenga said as Hiro watch the mages forming a ring in the middle of the field.

[Brute strength is out of the question. If the knight could wear that heavy armor, there’s no way I could push him out…]

[Forget about it, just worry about your first match.] Tenga brushed the problem away.

Hiro looked at the match ups listed on the overhead screen. On it was a match tree with two blocks, A and B. Each block had 8 participants.

“Phew, both Colin and that mysterious knight are both in the B block.” Hiro felt relieved after seeing that main issue getting pushed onto Colin. “My first match…”

Hiro looked across the listing and saw his name listed in the 7th spot. Right next to his names was: ‘The Demon Sword Warrior’.

“What’s with this childish name?” Hiro thought back to his past, when he used to play pretend with Lena. There was a time when he used to give himself strange names like ‘The Demon Sword Warrior’, thinking of his past, Hiro couldn’t help but blush slightly from embarrassment.

[Great name, don’t you think?] Tenga scoffed out.

[Shut up, and quit reading my thoughts.]

[Fine fine.] Tenga said as his presence disappeared from Hiro’s mind.

---

[Ladies and Gentlemen! The first match of the D-Rank Division tournament is underway! Up on the projected screen is the list of contestants that have made it past the preliminaries! Since this is the D-Rank Division and they are quite new, their portraits have not been taken yet, so please excuse the lack of pictures!]

There were some booing from the crowd as the commentator apologizes.

[Now comes our first match! Kairn and Lolis!]

The crowd began to cheer as the names were called out. Hiro was quietly seated with the other contestants in the D-Rank Fighter’s Hall as he watched two people get up. The two contestants that just had their names called.

‘Woah!’ Hiro exclaimed silently when he saw a giant barbaric guy stand up. On the man’s back was a giant two bladed war axe. The man had muscles bulging and was lightly clothed, revealing most of his chest and arms. The only defense the giant man had was the wrist guards and shin guards, which looked like it was forged from steel.

“This must be Kairn, he looks are fierce and dangerous as his name don’t you think?” Hiro hears the man next to him say.

‘!!!’ Hiro’s eyes widen in shock after seeing the next contestant. Was it even a contestant? Looking at the little girl with short green hair, Hiro couldn’t help but feel sorry. She was dressed in a loose green dress, with a small satchel by her side. If anything, the little girl looked more like an herbalist apprentice than an adventurer. Only seeing her back, Hiro could imagine what kind of expression the girl had on her face as she walked out into the stage.

Once on the stone ring that was 25x25 meters, the barbarian looked at the little girl with disdain.

“What is a kid like you doing in this tournament? Are you even weaned off your momma’s milk yet?” He mocked.

“We’ll find out soon.” She replied with a cold voice that did not match her size.

Looking through the projected screen that was located in the hall, Hiro couldn’t help but shiver. The little girl was quite cute, though she looked like she was 8 years old, her eyes showed much maturity within them.

[You know the rules contestants! Killing or permanently crippling the other opponent is banned, aside from that anything goes! Wait for the signal to begin!]

There was lots of cheering and booing. Many wanted to see the huge barbarian destroy the little girl, while many others wanted the little girl to surrender and forfeit the match. They didn’t want to see the barbarian massacre the little girl, since it looked obvious who was stronger.

*Beep!* A buzzer sounded.

*Fwip!* The barbarian took out the huge war axe from his back and brandished it. The sharp edges were apparent on the axe.

“It’s best to give up little kid!” The barbarian screamed out as she made a straight charge at the girl that was a few dozen meters away.

The little girl stood still while slowly reaching into her satchel.

‘Run away Lolis!’ Hiro thought.

“Hahaha! Die!” The barbarian screamed as he reared back his axe for a horizontal slash, while the defenseless kid in front of him took out something from her satchel.

*Foom*

A green dust cloud was released during the barbarians swing.

“*Cough* *Cough* What did you do brat?!” He screamed as he waved away the smoke. The little girl was a few meters away and smiling gleefully.

“Did you like my present?” Her cold voice sounded out.

By this time, the coughing from the huge man became more rugged. Hiro stared in surprise, the barbarian was slowly hunching over and vomiting as the coughing continued.

“What *Cough* did you *Cough* do!” He managed to scream out.

“That’s my special poison. I call it Kairn’s surprise.” The little girl giggled, “What kind of name is Lolis? Haha!”

[Eh?]

‘Eh?’

“””EHHH!!!”””

All around the Colosseum shouts of surprise and confusion rang.

[What is this?! Ladies and Gentlemen! The girl is not Lolis but Kairn! What a turn around!]

“I’m not a girl!” The boy screamed out.

“””Eh?!!”””

“Uuu~” The little boy looked like he was going to cry.

“*Cough* Give! *Cough*” Lolis signaled that he gave up.

Quickly, the medics rushed onto the stage and carried off the disabled man. Screams of cheer and wonder rang from the crowd as the triumphant boy walked back. Within the waiting room, the rest of the contestants silently stared as the little kid sat back down with a plop.

‘Using poison…That’s dishonorable.’ Hiro was disgusted at the thought of poison, no honorable adventurer would resort to something only assassins and killers would use.

[Honor does not save lives Hiro. Would you let a wounded tiger go back into the mountains?] Tenga began to lecture.

[So you expect me to kill everyone I fight?]

[No, just look at Kairn, looking at his confidence, I assume he has many more deadly poisons on his body. What he used on that man, Lolis, I can only assume is the boy being lenient. My point, Hiro, is that you shouldn’t say something is incorrect just because it goes against your views. In this world, you would meet many different kinds of people, some who you will not get along with and others that you would risk your life to protect. When that time comes, having an open mind will help you greatly, understand?]

[… I’ll try…] Hiro hesitantly agreed. Though he hated being lectured, he understood that Tenga wanted what was best for him.

While Hiro was listening to Tenga, the next two adventurers went out onto the field. Unlike the first match, this one was less exciting. After a few grunts and clanging, a victor was decided; the swordsman barely won with a luck strike to the upper arm at the last moment.

[Now for our third match of the day Ladies and Gentlemen! Let’s welcome Hulton and Seith!]

Standing up silently, the two warriors looked at each other and quickly entered the stage. After the last incident with the names, the adventurers decided to call out their names before they began their match. The man known as Hulton was a large man who wielded a large sword similar to Colin. Though, in Hulton’s hands the sword looked like an average sized sword. The other man, Seith, held out two short daggers, both of which were one-sided blades. He was the opposite of the large Hulton, Seith had a lithe and agile body. If not for Seith’s slightly bent nose and a scar that ran across his cheek, many would consider him a handsome man.

*Beep!*

The signal that signified the start of the match sounded.

As soon as the two contestants heard the sound, they poised ready for action. The man known as Hulton readied his blade in a slanted position, ready to respond to anything Seith was going to do. Seith on the other hand, began circling to his left. Seith had deduced that Hulton was right-handed and planned to circle around to Hulton’s right side to make it tougher to swing the large sword.

Noticing Seith’s intentions, Hulton gripped his sword even tighter and also rotated to keep Seith to his front. However, that was a mistake, as soon as his feet began to move, Seith dashed in while brandishing his two daggers. The distance that was between them were only 5 meters at that point, just barely enough time for Hulton to react and swing his sword. Unlike Colin, who was freely swinging a sword similar in size, Hulton had to use both hands to swing his sword.

Seith had already predicted that panic swing from Hulton, to be exact, that was what Seith planned to do. Stopping just out of reach of the long blade, Seith staggered for a half-step to dodge the blade and dashed in. With the longsword’s length, Hulton was at a disadvantage once Seith closed in. Cursing to himself, Hulton quickly made an attempt to kick away the agile fighter.

*Thwack!*

Hulton managed to kick away one arm, but the other made contact with his chain vest. Grunting, Hulton quickly swung his longsword again to create some room.

Surprised by the hidden chain vest underneath, Seith was unprepared for Hulton’s retaliating swing and barely managed to block it at the last second with the dagger from the arm that Hulton kicked earlier. Hulton’s swing didn’t have much force behind it, but against the bruised arm, it was a terrifying blow. Knocking the dagger out of Seith’s left hand and leaving a deep cut on his forearm.

In that exchange only a few seconds passed, and both contestants were already greatly hurt. One had a disabled arm, while the other had internal bruising and at least a broken rib. Both of their offensive abilities were cut in half. Seith could only utilize one dagger, while Hulton had trouble swinging his sword, due to his left rib cage. Seith was bleeding from his left forearm, while Hulton’s broken rib was pressing against his lung. It was now a battle of endurance, whoever lasted the longest would win.

Seith, not knowing how terrible Hulton’s situation was, panicked. Though he knew Hulton was hurt, he wasn’t sure how badly; Hulton was trying hard not to show any weakness in front of the other contestant. Thinking that he wasn’t in a good situation, Seith quickly began to dance around the large fighter once more.

Hulton was trying hard to conserve his energy, now that he had difficulty breathing, he must not recklessly waste his energy. Since they were both damaged on their left side, the trick of circling around wasn’t a good strategy anymore. Hulton knew that if he persevered, he would win; Seith was running around with a bleeding wound, tiring himself even faster.

Seeing no opening from Hulton, Seith grimaced, he could feel himself slowly tiring and his blood was dripping from his weakened left arm. It was time to use his trump card, rearing back, Seith furiously threw the dagger on his right hand.

Stunned by the sudden action, Hulton raised his left gauntlet to deflect the dagger aimed at his chest. Seeing the opening, Seith quickly accessed his spatial inventory (once again renamed, used to be called ‘spatial storage’) and took out another dagger similar to the one he threw. Dashing in, Seith once again aimed at the same left rib cage that he had struck earlier.

Using the spatial inventory for offense was a well-known trick for any veteran adventurer, Hulton who was new to this, didn’t know about this trick. As soon as he had deflected the dagger, he quickly tried once more to kick away Seith’s right arm. This was a terrible mistake, kicking forward with his right leg, Hulton had shifted all his weight on the left side. The left side was already bruised and weakened, with a broken rib and adding all his weight on top of it, a huge surge of pain erupted on Hulton’s left rib cage.

Before Seith’s dagger even made contact, Hulton’s left knee buckled and he fell backwards. The broken rib that was pressing against his lung from earlier had now punctured it and causing immense pain.

“I-I concede!” The large man yelled as soon as he was able to, quickly after he fainted from the pain and started going into shock.

[Ladies and Gentlemen! Adventurer Seith, with his precise strike to the opponents ribs win’s with an amazing turn-around!]

The crowd, not understanding a thing, all assumed that Hulton had the advantage. Hulton was twice Seith’s size and after their first exchange looked like he was unhurt. Seeing Seith’s wound, they thought that Seith was surely going to lose. That’s why the crowd roared to life after seeing the absurd turn-around.

Standing there, a bit pale, Seith quickly went to the medical tent and got his deep cut healed. The medical team had also brought the large man back and was quietly healing him.

Watching from the waiting room, Hiro had quietly studied Seith’s fighting style. Hiro was eager to face off against Seith, just from watching the match, Hiro had learned many things. Things like the spatial inventory trick, and exploiting the enemies’ weakness with their stronger hand. How much more could he learn, if he were to face off with such a person?

However, that was something he would think about later. Now it was finally his turn to walk onto the stage. This was going to be his first time in a competition match, and also his first time wielding a sword. In all honesty, Hiro wasn’t too confident with his nonexistent swordsmanship. The only advantage Hiro had was his abilities that he cultivated in the space room and ancient magic. Both of which were never tried out in a real match. His ancient magic had nearly killed him before and thinking back on it, Hiro was hesitant to use it for something as trivial as a competition, especially when he had never used it in battle.

[Ladies and Gentlemen! For our fourth match of the day, I present you: Hiro and ‘The Demon Sword Warrior!’ What kind of name is that?!]

The crowd began to giggle, of course with that many people giggling, it was more of a full-blown roar of laughter.

Hiro looked around for his opponent, who also at the same time stood up. The person had a dark blue cloak on with black sheath poking out from his left side. The hood was drawn up and aside from the relatively youthful face, nothing could be studied from the youth.

Looking at the person’s face, Hiro could see that ‘The Demon Sword Warrior’ was around the same age as him. After a single glance, the red faced youth quickly turned and entered the stage. Hiro, with a concerned gaze, soon followed. Hiro’s whole body was trembling, he wasn’t sure if it was from nervousness or anticipation, maybe even both.

Standing 10 meters from each other, the youth finally pulled down his hood to reveal his face.

“”“Kyaa!!!”””

Stunned by the loud screams, Hiro jumped and looked around curiously.

“Oh my god! He’s so handsome!”

“Please let me have your child!”

“The black-haired one isn’t half bad either!”

“I want them both!”

Hiro could distinctly hear a few voices that were coming out from the crowd. Hearing that, Hiro turned back to the youth to study the youth more closely.

‘!!!’

Now that he looked closer, he could see a beauty. The perfectly white skin was spotless, with no blemish anywhere on the youth’s face. His cheeks were slightly blushing, leaving a reddish ting on his cheeks and making him look even more stunning. The pink and pouty lips were acting as if they want to be bitten and teased. The angry furrowed eyebrows and glaring deep-sea blue eyes were drawing in everyone’s attention. The perfect nose, if there was such a thing was slightly pinkish from the blush. The youth had shoulder length hair that was cutely tied at one side and loose at the other.

“You’re a woman?” Hiro thoughtlessly let out.

“Hwah?!” The youth jumped back with both arms raised. “Of course not! Do you think a woman would have hands like these?!” The youth quickly held out his hands.

Both the palms were spotless, not a single callus in sight. If anything, this made Hiro even surer that the person in front of him was a woman. Trying not to get dragged into his opponents pace, Hiro quickly agreed and continued on with the match. They both quickly introduced themselves after a few more cheering from the ladies and giggles from the crowd the match was underway.

*Beep!*

Hiro, not buying a sheath for his Bonesteel Blade, quickly took out the sword from his spatial inventory. While ‘The Demon Sword Warrior’ (TDSW) unsheathed his pure black sword from his side. The sword does seem to live up to his name. The sword emitted an ominous aura and seemed to absorb all kinds of light, it looked as if a demon really could’ve possessed the sword.

Gulping, Hiro stood on the balls of his feet and prepared for any sudden attacks. Copying the pose that Hulton took early, Hiro sheepishly angled his sword in a slanted posture, he didn’t know what the point was, but since a warrior did it, it must be good right?

“Yah!” The feminine scream escaped from TDSW’s mouth as he sluggishly charged in. Surprised by the reckless charge, Hiro jumped back a few paces. TDSW wasn’t fast, compared to Hiro, TDSW looked as if he was walking.

‘…’

Hiro was disappointed, he could tell that TDSW was also an absolute amateur with no skills in swordsmanship. Hell, even physically, TDSW’s physical strength is weaker than a man. Even the crowd was astonished at the pitiful display just now. TDSW had charged with the Demon Sword overhead, ready to chop down. TDSW even had his eyes closed as he charged and even when he chopped down at where Hiro was previously at, his eyes were closed.

“Wah!” Unbalanced by the weight of the Demon Sword as he chopped down, TDSW tripped over and nearly landed on his own sword.

“… Are you okay?” Hiro asked after staring at the pitiful person that was blushing.

“Y-yes thank y— I mean die!” He screamed and charged back in.

Seeing that slow charge, Hiro let out a sigh. After his experiences with the bear, the charge from TDSW seemed trivial and easy to dodge. What made it even easier was that TDSW was closing his eyes whenever he came close to Hiro; it was as if TDSW wasn’t used to a man at all.

Sidestepping the charge, Hiro lightly stuck out his foot and tripped the unaware youth.

*Thunk!*

Falling face first with the sword dropped, TDSW started sobbing.

“EH~?!”

“*Hic* How could you do that to a lady— person! I mean person?! Don’t you know that a person’s face is their treasure?!” He quickly corrected himself.

“Err…” Hiro scratched his cheek, by now he figured out that TDSW really was a girl with no combat experience. What’s more, she was even weaker than most girls her age. “Miss, can you just surrender? I really don’t want to hurt you if I can…”

As soon as Hiro said ‘Miss’, TDSW’s eyes widened. “I’m a man! You’ll pay for that!” She screamed and ran for her sword.

Seeing that he had somehow angered TDSW, Hiro once again prepared to fight. This time, he wasn’t going to dodge, he’ll just show how weak TDSW was to make her admit defeat.

TDSW charged headlong towards Hiro, this time, when she neared she didn’t close her eyes. The anger was apparent within those deep blue eyes. Once she was close enough and started chopping down with her sword, Hiro brought his own to meet hers.

*Clang!*

As soon as both blades met, her sword was knocked out of her weak grip and flew away. Hiro on the other hand, was stunned by the shock of how easy it was to use the Bonesteel Blade.

“There!” He said, as he pointed his sword at the weaponless girl in front of him. He felt a bit of disappointment, because he didn’t learn much at all in this match, this won’t prepare him for his match with Seith.

“If only Ellen would let me use magic…” TDSW mumbled as she raised her hands in defeat.

“Huh?” Hiro managed to catch the word ‘magic’, although not the rest.

“Nothing, you win. For now.” She growled out as she stormed off the stage.

‘He’s a total amateur.’ Seith thought after observing Hiro’s match. ‘I can exploit the openings in his stance, he’s no threat. Now the real problem is, how am I going to defeat that kid named Kairn…’ Seith had already overlooked Hiro, deeming the youth as an easy win for himself.

Hiro got off the stage and went back into the waiting room. Once inside, he could see dozens of pairs of eyes looking back at him with contempt. The adventurers within the room were skilled fighters, though not the best, they knew how to fight. Just from seeing Hiro’s form and the look of disappointment on his face after he knocked away TDSW’s sword, they assumed he was too prideful. He was a total amateur that looked like he was acting cocky, in actuality, Hiro was disappointed with how unprepared he was for the tournament.

‘What’s with all these stares?’ Hiro asked himself as he sat down in the corner. He began to think up strategies to counter Seith. Seith was an agility attacker, meaning the man utilizes his superior movement to control the fight. The only way Hiro could counter that was to have a solid defense, something that he doesn’t have or to slow down his opponent.

[Tenga why can’t you teach me elemental spells? If I know ice magic, won’t I be able to slow down Seith?] Hiro casually asked.

[Hiro, learning elemental magic is much more difficult than simple spells like [Reisa], you would have to study and have some understanding of the true meaning of the element. Many mages of my time had to use a medium to cast elemental spells. Such as using an earth-attribute crystal as a medium to convert their life energy into the earth-attribute. There are other ways, such as establishing a contract with a spirit, but those are very dangerous. Spirits are quite cunning and would always look for a loophole in the contracts.]

[Hm…How does someone gain understanding in an element?] Hiro was determined to learn elemental magic, even though he couldn’t do it at the moment, he wanted to know. He didn’t want to go around carrying around staves embedded with magic crystals, so his only other options was to gain some understanding of the elements, or make a contract with a spirit.

[It’s simple really, the first step to gaining some insight from an element is to live near it.]

[Live near it?] Hiro asked with a puzzled look on his face.

[Yes. For example, blacksmiths, who work with metal and fire for a living, would know more about the essence of fire than let’s say a fisherman. The same could be said vice versa. Though I say more, it’s all relative, they could only comprehend a small portion of the essences of elements, which is barely the tip of the iceberg.]

[I see…Then…Can you use elemental magic?] Hiro asked, he was wondering how Tenga knew so much about the topic.

[Yes. Though I’ve gain a small foothold on this type of magic, I can’t say I’m good enough to teach it. Besides, insights on the essence of elements cannot be taught. One must learn it with their souls and not their minds.]

[…It making less sense the more you tell me…] Hiro said as he scratched his head.

[Don’t worry, you will understand once you gain some insights.]

[So what are my chances of beating Seith?]

[Hm…30%. Though I’m being generous.]

[That low?] Hiro asked with a look of disappointment.

[Yes. Let’s face it, you are a total amateur with no skill in using the sword. If you use your bow, maybe you’ll have a higher chance.]

[I can’t use a bow, the whole point of this competition is to show my potential as a warrior. What kind of warrior would use a bow?] Hiro complained.

[A smart one.] Tenga snapped back, [In the middle of the battlefield, a flexible mind is better than not. He who does not adapt to the situation will not survive. What I’m trying to say is, you should not always see things a certain way, it’s better to view things from all angles. If you don’t have any skill in using a sword, why would you put yourself at a disadvantage by using one?]

[…] Hiro kept quiet while Tenga was lecturing him. The lectures had become a common occurrence and Hiro had learned to silently listen and take them to heart. [Then what do you think I should do?]

[You’ve learned that move from that eccentric didn’t you?] Tenga hinted.

‘That’s right…’ Hiro thought, with the [Shunpo] skill, Seith would’ve be able to touch him at all. However, how was a movement skill going to defeat a person?

‘Tenga said to look at things from all angles…’ Hiro began hatching a plan using the [Shunpo] as the basis. After a couple moments…

“That’s it.” Hiro said out loud, drawing many people’s attention. The look of excitement was plastered all over Hiro’s face.

‘Be careful where you walk Seith.’ Hiro silently warned as a hint of a smirk appeared on his face.