Kawakami Park, Grass Park Section.
05:28 AM.
--
"Mou!" Wanko cried out in vexation, pounding my chest with both of her fists, "Yonpachi-kun, you stupid jerk! I thought something terrible happened to you, you know! You were bleeding profusely from your nose, mouth, and ears too! I was really, really worried, you know! Uuuuuhhh—waaa!!!"
"There, there..." I pulled her into a hug, stroking the back of her head in a comforting manner, "I'm sorry, okay? I'll make sure to be more careful not to make a mistake like that again."
Back then, while I was too absorbed into reading all the notifications from the System, I didn't even notice that I've been carried like a fragile princess by Wanko toward the place where I can take a rest on peacefully which is this place, the empty bench in the Grass Park section near the Fountain Plaza of Kawakami Park.
We are currently taking a short break from our previous exercises on Wanko's insistence. She then begins to question me about what exactly just happened to me back then. Still in daze, I hastily made an excuse on the spot saying I underwent some kind of training to control my inner Ki, but I slightly messed up and somehow failed to properly regulate the flow of my energy through the pathways which then caused the internal damage to my body in the process thus the bleeding.
Thankfully, Wanko is a good and naïve girl in nature. So she easily believed in my story without questioning me any further, though she began to freak out when she heard that to how close I am to lose my future as a martial artist.
According to Wanko, an accident like this tends to be a very scary experience for a martial artist no matter how experienced they are. There are multiple records of people accidentally damaged their dantians, a very important focal points for martial artist, when they failed to regulate all the energy that flows through the pathways after all. And such a case will always be resulted in the death of their career as a martial artist.
That's why Wanko is so worried about me right now. She is afraid that I might become the victim of such accident.
"Uuh... Are you really feeling sorry right now?" She asked weakly, pushing her forehead lightly onto my chest.
"Yes, I am. I'm deeply reflecting on my action right now."
Wanko sniffed and slowly loosened her grips on my shirts before pulling herself out of the hug to look at me straight in the eye, "I... will believe you for now."
My eyes softened when I heard that. "Thank you." I smiled gently in response, reaching my hand out to pet her head.
She instinctively leaned into my touch and let out a sound similar to a dog's rumbles, enjoying the ministrations I gave with her eyes closed in bliss. But she then suddenly opens her eyelids as her amber eyes locked into my brown ones, anxiousness seeping out of her body, "But, are you really sure that your body is fine now, Yonpachi-kun?"
I huffed at her question, my hand move to flick the red tip of her nose in an endearing manner, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure of it. I'm really fine now. More importantly, I'm sorry that we had to stop our first joint exercise so abruptly like this."
"Muu!" Wanko's cheeks puffed up with air all of a sudden, her eyes squinted in a sharp glare as she grabs both sides of my face in vice grips to make sure I can look at her straight into her beautiful and fiery amber eyes once again, "Who cares about that right now!? You were badly hurt, Yonpachi-kun! Normally I would be the one who always get scolded from pushing my body too much in training, but you are as guilty as I am right now! So make sure to reflect on your actions more!"
"Yweesh, mwa'am!" I replied in haste, slurring my words while my face still trapped in her vice grasp.
Wanko nodded her head twice in satisfaction after hearing the answer as she finally let my face free from her grasp, "So, how about we go back now? I'm still feeling slightly uneasy right now, knowing that something might go wrong with your body if we let them unchecked. We can visit Grandpa and ask him—"
"Wanko!" I uncharacteristically raised my voice, startling her as she unconsciously shut her mouth in surprise, "It's not that serious, alright? My inner Ki have already stabled by now and this is my body we're talking about, I know them the best. Nothing will happen, okay? Just relax."
"But..."
"Look." I cut her off, a weary sigh coming out of my mouth, "I understand that you were doing this because you are worried about me. I appreciated that. But, you of all people should've known already that there will be no gains without pain when it comes to martial art, right? I have to do this much if I really want to improve myself so I can catch up to you guys. Just like you, I too want to get stronger. And if I have to take all the risk and endure this much pain, then so be it."
Wanko's body unwillingly flinched when she saw the look I had on my face. She subconsciously turned her head away from me, biting her lower lip as her shoulders slightly tremble in discomfort. It took quite a while for her to finally concedes, her expression slackened and the tension on her body deflated as a wry smile slowly formed on her face, "You are... right. I'm definitely being quite nosy right now when I should've known myself since I was pretty much the same as you... Uuh, I'm sorry, Yonpachi-kun."
A girl who can be as understanding as her is something I really adore.
"Okay, let's stop being mopey around each other like this." I clapped my hands, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere between us, "There's no need for us apologizing to each other again and again like this right now. So, let's just forget about it, 'aight?"
Wanko looks troubled for a moment as if she was about to say something to protest but relented in the end, so she can only nods her head in response while giving me the smile I love so much at this point, "Okay."
"Good!" I grinned happily at that.
From there we are basking in a comfortable silence under the warmth light of rising sun hidden by the pink foliage. I used this quiet moment between us to test the System's new feature on Wanko.
'Observe.'
--
Name: Kawakami Kazuko
Title: Courageous Red Doggo
Potential: B+
Fighting Strength: A-
Trust: 70%
Affection: 60%
Hate: 0%
--
So this is how Observes works, huh.
But still to think that this girl has surpassed her own potential and become this strong on her own with nothing but effort and stubbornness is simply amazing. That shows how all of her hard work in the past wasn't for nothing at all. She's truly the definition of the genius of hard work.
She's really amazing, alright.
"Eh?" Wanko's voice brought me out of my musings.
Ah, I see. I think I just said that out loud if the atomic blush spreading across her face right now was any indication at all.
"Wh-where that's coming from, Yonpachi-kun?"
I hummed idly to her question, enjoying the sight of her squirming in embarrassment before shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly, "Nothing, really. I was thinking about how amazing you really are for reaching this level of strength with nothing but effort and hard work. It makes me really respect and admire you a lot."
"Eh—uhm... Hehe, i-is that so?" Wanko shyly twiddled her thumbs, looking everywhere but me.
Seeing her reaction, I can't help but roll my eyes in amusement as a smirk slowly formed on my face, "Yes, indeed. Not only strong, but you are also cute, beautiful, cool, adorable, cute, dependable, clever, awesome with Naginata, very acrobatic, very cute, had irresistible legs and cute butts, and bla bla bla..."
Wanko's whole face turned red and redder each time I listed off every good thing about her which overwhelmed her until she finally explodes in embarrassment, flailing her arms wildly with her eyes spiraling around while doing so, "Waaa, please stop, Yonpachi-kun!"
Indulging in her request, I shut my mouth with my right hand move to cover it. A pregnant silence then slowly engulfed us leaving only a whistling sound coming out of Wanko's steaming head, but the silence don't really last long when a snort slipping out of my mouth just now. So like a broken faucet, I just let all out without holding back, laughing my ass out while clutching my stomach while doing so.
It took quite a moment for Wanko to finally understand that I was teasing her all this time by now. Her face scrunches up in annoyance with a cute glare presented on her pouty face, "Mou! Stop laughing, Yonpachi-kun!"
"Ah~ Sorry, sorry..." I replied between chuckles before exhaling a breathy sigh to calm myself down, "Fiuuh~ That was funny."
"No, it's not!" Wanko harrumphed in childish manner as she lightheartedly smacks my shoulder.
"Just so you know, I mean everything I've said." I smiled as I hunched forward from my seat, resting my cheek on top of my palm.
Wanko's eyes slowly widened up in size before once again a red hue painted on her cheeks. She seemingly lost in her own world for a moment, mumbling incoherently to herself as she twiddled with her thumbs but as if hit by an epiphany, she suddenly closes her mouth, looking awkward for some reason before looking at me with a rueful smile formed on her lips, "I think you are the one who are amazing, Yonpachi-kun... I mean, you defeated me in a duel after all."
I stared at her face, blatantly scrutinizing her for saying that before I shake it off my mind and let out a disconsolate sigh, "Let's be real here, I was lucky back then. If not for the advantages I had over you in that duel, I wouldn't even stand a chance against you, you know."
"But it doesn't change the fact that you have defeated me." Wanko retorted quietly as she brings her knees to her chest, hugging them closely in comfort, "It's true that the result might change if I'm not in any disadvantageous situation like back then, but saying that now would be nothing but a lame excuse, no? And there's also the fact that it's only take a couple of weeks for you to get this strong. That's more impressive to me, you know. Hehe, you are the only one who really amazing here, Yonpachi-kun."
Despite all the smiles and giggles, I can't help but noticed something about her right now. How small she looks at the moment, so fragile and frail. I can see emotions swirled behind those cloudy amber orbs, threateningly close to burst out any moment until she closes her eyes with a forlorn sigh coming out of her slightly dry creamy pink lips.
"Are you feeling sad about it?" I can't help but ask.
"Maybe...?" She replied unsurely as a small, wry smile formed on her lips. She looks down at her shoes as she wiggles her toes nervously before looking at me once again, "But it's true that I'm happy that you are getting stronger, you know! That's mean all of your effort is finally paying off, so I'm really-really happy for you! It's just..."
"There are these incomprehensible feelings deep inside of your heart that make you feel uncomfortable about it." I chimed in, glancing at her with a knowing look.
Wanko for her part looks perplexed for a second before nodding her head vehemently in confirmation, "Th-that's right! I don't really know what it is, but I don't like it... It makes me feel like a bad person for some reason..."
The moment I heard what she just said, my head unceremoniously slipped out of my palm as I can't help but barked a laugh once again, catching her off guard in the process. She then moves to slap my trembling arm with her cheeks puffed up with air and eyes glaring angrily at me.
"Mou! Why are you always like this, Yonpachi-kun!? Stop laughing at me!"
"Sorry, sorry! I just can't help it, alright!" I raised my hands, mocking a guard stance, "It's your fault for saying funny things like that!"
"What funny things?" She suddenly stops her punching hand in midair, scrunching her nose in confusion.
I heaved a bit, trying to control my breath from laughing too much before I release a shaky, deep breath, "Hyaahh~ Because this is the first time I ever heard someone feel bad from being jealous!"
"Jealous...?" Her eyes widened slightly. She moves her hand to touch the middle part of her chest in contemplation, "Am I feeling jealous toward you right now?"
I frowned at the unusual question but still proceed to answer her with a nod, "I believe so."
"I see..." She mumbled idly to herself with closed eyes, "So this is what jealousy feels like..."
Alright, that doesn't sound right to me.
"Hey, Wanko." I cleared my throat to catch her attention, "When you look at Momo-senpai getting stronger and stronger each day, what's your thought on that?"
Wanko doesn't seem like she really understand the meaning behind my question as she simply answers them like it was the right thing to say, "As expected of her."
Hmm. My lips pursed at that with my eyebrows knitted together, frowning at her, "What about the monks from Kawakami Temple?"
She tilted her head curiously at me, trying to understand my intention with all these questions I threw before she hummed to herself, "They are very talented people and gifted with a good physical body compared to mine, and they also work hard too on top of that! So it's pretty normal for them to easily get stronger than me."
Geh. "Shiina?"
"Hm... Miyako doesn't really train herself that much lately." Wanko tapped her chin a couple of times in contemplation before cracking a small smile, "But since she is a rare prodigy when it comes to archery, isn't it normal for her to be stronger than me?"
Ugh. "... What about other people from other classes?"
Wanko once again tilted her head at me, the curiosity and confusion started getting over her by now. But in the end she still answers the question without a much thought as if there's nothing wrong with it, "I mean, most of the students in Kawakami Academy are more talented than me. Specifically those students from Class S, or any people involved in sports club like Kendo and stuffs. I've seen how much effort they put in their training, how much they push their limits in order to accomplish their personal goal. That's just really amazing to me! I wish I could be like them too, you know! Participating in such competitive tournaments and compete with stronger people from another schools! That's the reason why I always work hard! It's so I can catch up to all of those awesome people. I don't want to be left behind after all!"
"What about me?"
"Like I said earlier, I'm happy to see how stronger you get these days, Yonpachi-kun. Compared to other people, I think you are the most talented one, second only to Onee-sama of course. Whenever I see you improved so much, it makes me feel like I was watching Onee-sama all over again. I believe it won't be that long for you to surpass me at this point!"
Okay, this is bad. She subconsciously accepted the fact that people around her are far superior to her right now. That is a clear sign of self-inferiority complex if I ever see one.
I know that she has a lot of insecurities regarding herself, but goddamn I don't know it was this bad. I really need to change that mentality of hers somehow before it becomes bigger problem for her in the future.
Of course I know that this kind of thing won't be easily resolved in just one night. It might take months or even years for her to break free from such issue considering the fact that she'd been deal with it for years now. So the least I can do for her is to help her a bit by bit from now on to the point where she can overcome that negative mindset of hers with her own power.
"Hey, Wanko." I called her pet name with a serious expression plastered over my face, causing the auburn-haired girl to reflexively straighten her body when she noticed my expression, "Listen to me, alright?"
She can only slowly nods her head in response, feeling lost at what's happening right now.
"You are amazing." I emphasized, not missing the subtle flinch on her body, "You might think otherwise, but I know. I've witnessed it! All the pain, sweat, and blood you've been through to improve yourself all those years, I've seen it! So don't you dare said otherwise! You are amazing and strong person!"
"No, I-I'm not—"
"Yes! Yes, you are, Kawakami Kazuko! I will say it again and again if I have to. You are strong just like the others, Kazuko. So stop selling yourself short like this!"
Her body completely went stiff and her eyes are as wide as saucers upon hearing my words. Looking closely at her face, I found myself attracted to her amber eyes. There are some emotions swirled within those amber orbs I couldn't pick out, all because they are overshadowed by the most apparent ones such as disbelief, joy, and hope.
When I saw that, my body moved on its own to comfort her, pulling her into my arms and secure her fragile figure with a gentle hug. She jerked from a sudden contact, seemingly not ready for my touch as her shoulders begin to tremble in agitation. It took quite a while, but eventually her body stops trembling as she slowly melted in my arms, starting to feel comfortable and safe yet still lost in her jumbled thoughts.
Second after, the sound of her sobbing entered my twitching ears. She lightly pushes her body deep into my arms, seeking for more warmth while her arms still rested on her sides having no sign of moving at all as if she was afraid that I would disappear if she hugs me back right now.
"Do... Do you really think I'm strong just like Onee-sama and Miyako?" Her voice was coming out as a small whimper, bleeding with so much insecurities and anxiousness. "Do... Do you really think—sniff—I can catch up to all of them if I try harder?"
"Yes! Of course you can!" I confirmed without any hesitation, stroking the back of her head in a slow, gentle manner. "You are very anxious and worry about that, I get it. It's a very human thing to do, so nothing's wrong with it. But what you should never do right now is to let those negative emotions win over your mind, your heart! Don't easily lose your confidence just because some silly thoughts flashed into your mind! Don't let it be the reason to hinder your goal and dream! And if by any chance you still find doing any of that to be difficult, then try to remember about what drives you to do all of this. Try to remember all the hardships you've been going through to reach this point. Try to remember the taste of satisfaction and joy whenever you successfully overcame all of the obstacles stands in your way. Try to remember everyone who had been there to support and encourage you to move forward! You seriously need to understand that you are not alone in this by now, Kawakami Kazuko!"
Wanko listened to my words with rapt attention as she found herself loss of words, but she understands enough that she doesn't have a say in this at this point. Everything I said was right, she knows that too. That's why she decided to listen to me without making a fuss right now.
"You need to start believe in yourself more, Kazuko. Stop doubting yourself!" I huffed, tightening my hug with a bit force this time in order to assure her that I won't go anywhere.
This action causes an electrical pleasure surging through Wanko's body. Her arms twitches for a moment before they subconsciously move around my torso, encircling it in a careful and hesitant manner as her fingers slowly clutches the fabric of my shirts tightly like a lifeline.
"And if you ever start to think that things aren't going your way anymore and you begin to feel like it hopeless, try to reach out and ask for help. Dependency is not a weakness. It is a sign of maturity. It's okay to become independent and try to solve things yourself, but you need to understand that you can't always solve everything yourself. Humanity was never a solitude creature. Only by supporting each other that humanity can rise to this level. So there's nothing wrong for you to depend on people around you, asking for their help whenever you need it. And if there is by any chance that you couldn't find a helping hand to reach out then make sure to reach mine! I'll always be there to help you whenever you need it. If you ever need to vent out your frustrations, I'm all ears. If you ever need to cry out your feelings, I can lend you my shoulder. If you ever feel like you about to lose your way, I can lend you my hand to lead you back on track. I will say it again. Dependency is not a weakness. You can always try to depend on others, on me, Kazuko. That's why I'm here for!"
And just like that Wanko buried her face deep into my chest, holding my body as tight as possible. Her tears bursting out like a broken dam and her wail was muffled by my shirts while my hands move to comfort her, rubbing her back in a circle motion.
While I really hate to have her crying like this, but I believe it's far better than letting her bottle her feelings once again like she always did. She doesn't need that lousy defense mechanism anymore because from now on, I'll make sure to let her know that I will always be here for her even in her most vulnerable moment like this.
Because I believe that's the reason why I am here in the first place.