It was already 6:30 PM on June 13, 2021. Shin was asleep for approximately 7 hours.
During those hours, every 30 minutes, Ayase would always check on Shin to discern his Aura Production and his health status. She was sure that he was just worn out and stressed.
Knowing that Shin was still not awake, Ayase prepared her dinner and left half a portion for Shin. He missed lunch, and dinner was coming close. He hadn't eaten anything yet, so he must be twice as hungry as normal.
Ayase sat on the kotatsu, which was near where Shin was lying down, to eat while watching over him.
-----
It was 6:40 PM. The Sun had already set completely. Ayase had finished eating her dinner. Also, she had washed her used utensils.
Ayase was observing him non-stop. Amid her observation, she noticed that Shin's eyelids were slightly moving, but he was still in his slumber. The chances of him being awakened were higher.
"I'll avenge y'all." Shin was sleep talking. His whole upper body was constantly shivering. Maybe it was because of the dream that he was having.
Ayase saw it all happen. She put his head on her lap. She was tapping his arms as she caressed his head continuously. In a soft voice, she whispered, "It's okay. I'm here for you. Wake up and let all of your heavy feelings out as you become free from them."
It was quite shocking but Shin actually calmed down. The shivering he was experiencing had stopped.
A few seconds later, Shin gradually opened his eyes, waking up on a beautiful lady's lap. He felt as if he was hallucinating that the lady, Ayase, had wings on her back. "Are you the angel, who will help me to go to Heaven?"
Ayase couldn't help but giggle. "Your words really flatter me. Anyway, you're alive, dumbhead!" She flicked Shin's forehead.
Shin got up from the futon. He rubbed his eyes and he widely opened them. "What happened? Did I rest for too long? What time is it right now?" He dragged himself to the nearby kotatsu.
Ayase stood up and headed towards the kitchen. She looked back at Shin as she prepared his dinner. "You rested for at least 7 hours. You even skipped lunch. It is now evening, so I made dinner for the both of us. I had already eaten my portion because you were fast asleep. I'll just stay close to you as you eat by yourself."
On the kotatsu, Ayase served the food-filled plate to Shin. She sat near him, positioning her head on her two closed fists.
Shin had no problem being watched by Ayase, who he had a crush on.
-----
Shin had finished eating the dish. Ayase was currently washing his dishes in the kitchen area.
Their surroundings were kind of quiet, so Ayase had no choice but to start a conversation whilst soaking. "Next time, be careful when you're using your Aura. Remember the consequences of almost draining your Aura Storage to the max."
Shin was glaring blankly at the dojo's ceiling. "Roger that." He glanced at Ayase. "Now that we are on the topic, how did you generate so many illusions and sorcery, but it looked like your Aura Storage wasn't even depleted?"
Ayase was now washing out the dishes. "Honestly... My stacked auras in my Aura Storage... Were left at roughly 29%."
Presently, Ayase was rinsing them. "In your situation, you were left by at least 2% stacked auras. It was quite understandable since you used the King Clutch 'Tails of Limit' many more times than it was supposed to be used."
Ayase was now done washing the set of used dishes. In the dish rack, she arranged them properly. She strolled around the kitchen and turned off its light.
Ayase sat beside Shin's spot, close to the kotatsu, facing him directly. "Now, we know our basic weaknesses that I had inferred during our..." She said, "Training" as she did an air quote.
"In terms of the capacity of our Aura Storage, I'm superior in that category." Ayase put her right hand on her chest, expressing how proud she was. "On the other side, I can't say the same thing for my brute strength. You're clearly better in that aspect."
Shin patted Ayase's head. "Your massive Aura Storage and Stacked Auras, it was meant for you. Since you went through some hellish training, comprised by your former sorcery teachers, you deserve all of those." Ayase was surprised by the sudden pat, but she was pleased by it anyway.
In the midst of her delight, Ayase brought out an unusual question. "Wait, how did you know something like that?" She was pleasant yet intense.
After hearing her serious question, Shin kept his composure. But deep inside, he was really nervous about it. "Don't mind it at all. It was just on my mind." He got off with a smile.
There's no person who can resist the smile of their loved ones. Ayase chuckled and said, "If you say so, then it's alright." Ayase smiled back at him.
Shin's smile broke off as he yawned. He put himself on the right side of the futon. With the thick blanket, he covered himself and faced his body on the right.
"I forgot to tell you this. But, I would like to say that you're accepted as my trainee. I already formulated our training procedures. Those will probably last for about 2 months." He closed his eyes.
A stimulation of prickling sensation suddenly developed on Shin's exposed back, making his eyes widen again. He immediately turned his head to glimpse behind him. It was Ayase, curling up right beside him.
"You said it yourself that I can sleep wherever I want, didn't you? I decided that I want to sleep here beside you." Ayase grinned. The futon was quite big, so they weren't experiencing any problem with space. They had their own pillow and blanket.
"I have no problem with that. Just don't do any sudden movements that can tickle me. My back is one of my weaknesses." Shin turned his head back to the right side.
"My formulated training that I had mentioned earlier will be brought off. You and I will surely become stronger after that 2 months of training. We will cover each other's imperfections and break our existing limits. I'm just trying to say that you should sleep well tonight for tomorrow." Shin, once again, closed his eyes. "Good night!"
Ayase giggled as she turned her body to Shin's left side of the futon, making their backs face one another. "Just so you know, I'm fine, just staying by your side, always. Good night!" Ayase closed her eyes.
It was their first time, sleeping together.
It was very nice.
( Author's note: If you're thinking something bad, go to hwrnii jail. They're still not in that kind of relationship. Give them some development first, dang! )
~~~~~
2 months had passed since June 13, which was Shin and Ayase's first meeting. Today was August 13, 2021, already.
During those months, they tried gaining their yearned improvements of themselves. Their dual training was built up to train these two different aspects: Martial Arts of Shin and Sorcery of Ayase.
In Shin's overall training, they covered the entire Skill-Related Fitness Components: Agility, Balance, Coordination, Speed, Power, and Reaction Time. He added a twist, which was the Way of the Masameru.
In the other training segment, Ayase taught him some of her knowledge regarding strengthening Aura-Related Components like broadening one's Aura Storage.
The 2 months were not enough for them to surpass their ideal expectations, but their old selves were excelled. They've improved a lot after those hardships, so it was all worth it.
They still didn't have the resolve to be official girlfriend and boyfriend. Their relationship was only like a mutual understanding, but they became closer than ever regardless. One of the proof was they fought sometimes over small and big issues.
They had finished their 2-month training. Ayase can now leave as their primary motive was done, but she chose to be with Shin more.
-----
Shin and Ayase were sitting on the floor of the dojo's main entrance, watching the trees in front of them as the leaves swayed whenever the wind blew.
Suddenly, a brown piece of paper flew into Shin's face. The paper's impact had a similar impression of being slapped in the face.
Of course, seeing stuff on the face of someone will make you feel as if you wanted to laugh. Ayase laughed at him.
Shin took the paper away from his face. It had something written on it as some black texts were kind of see-through on its back.
"We would like you to join our annual 'SEP Municipal Selection Tournament'. It will be held in Zanzan City. The selection will last for 5 days, each for the 5 Distinct Cities, starting from August 15 to August 19.
—The citizens living in the following 5 Distinct Cities of Southeast Portion: Chirume, Daini, Zanzan, Yontzy, and Quego can join this selection tournament. It has no age limit and doesn't require any entry fee.
—This will be a great chance to fight other people that come with a great prize, which will depend on your performance place in the said tournament.
—The top 3 contestants will automatically be regarded as a representative of their respective city for the next stage 'SEP Main Provincial Tournament', which still has an undecided date.
—Once again, we would like you to join us in our annual 'SEP Municipal Selection Tournament'. Every participant counts. Declare to the world that you are one of the strongest!"
Shin mumbled the message in the paper, which turned out to be a promotional poster/flyer.
"Hey, hey. Why don't we go and spectate this upcoming tournament? If you would like to, we can even join," Ayase passionately asked.
"I guess we can go out there for a change of pace. We didn't even leave outside of Chirume due to our training. We only set out of the dojo to buy essential groceries for our daily lives. We were still inside the reach of Chirume though." Shin cackled with his eyes closed.
He slowly opened his eyes again.
"It will be fun to go on a journey and see some interesting people outside of the city."