Rajieru stirred awake, his head throbbing as a soft light flickered through the window and shined on his face, making him squint as he tried to piece together whatever fragments of memories he could salvage from the previous day. Pushing his body up, he slowly turned his head to the right, only to see Celosia sitting quietly beside him, her expression a mix of concern and relief.
"You're finally awake," she said gently, her voice breaking the silence.
Rajieru groaned, rubbing his forehead as he sat up. "What… happened? Where am I?"
"You're at my house," Celosia explained. "Kiyoshi brought you here after... well, after you attacked him."
Rajieru blinked, confused. "Attacked him?" As he said this, the memory of what happened came back—his jealousy, his confrontation, and the sudden loss of consciousness. After remembering everything, he sighed his eyes, looking at Celosia. "So who is that guy anyway? And why was he with you?"
Celosia sighed as she facepalmed. "His name is Kiyoshi. He's been staying with Ceng-tae; he's new to the village... And you misunderstood what you saw."
Rajieru's face flushed with embarrassment, to think he reacted without understanding anything. He rubbed the back of his neck, his bravado fading. "I thought… I don't know what I thought. I saw you two together, and I just lost it."
Celosia smiled softly. "You don't have to worry about him. He's just my friend." Pausing for a moment, her tone became firm. "Besides, you were the one who attacked him; he simply defended himself."
Frowning, he began to replay the scene in his mind. From what he remembered, it wasn't much of a fight; he was simply knocked out in the matter of seconds, which only helped to deepen his bruised pride. "He's stronger than he looks," he muttered under his breath.
"He is, but he didn't want to fight you. He was trying to avoid any conflict. Kiyoshi isn't one to cause trouble."
Letting out a long breath, Rajieru sank into the bed. "I acted like an idiot, didn't I?"
"Well, it wasn't your finest moment," Celosia teased, her tone attempting to lighten the weight of his guilt. "But it's over now. You can always make it right."
Rajieru stared at the ceiling, lost in thought for a moment. His jealousy towards Kiyoshi, while childish, had come from a deeper place-one he wasn't ready to admit, even to himself. His feelings towards Celosia were complicated, dancing somewhere between friendship and something more. Maybe seeing someone he never saw so close to her hurt him—someone who could potentially take his place.
After thinking for a while, he began to rub his face before looking at her with a halfhearted smirk. "Ok, I'll talk to him... but only because you asked."
"Good," Celosia replied, rising from her seat. "He's not a bad guy, Rajieru. Give him a chance."
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The sun shown down in the village casting a light warm hue as Kiyoshi walked through the village, his thoughts occupied by the thought of his training. With each passing day, he could feel himself getting more proficient, though he still had a long way to go. Though beneath it all, he still felt like he didn't belong.
For all the time he spent in the village, Kiyoshi still felt like an outsider looking in. With no memories to tether him to anyone or anything, the warmth he felt from others felt rather unfamiliar, and while Ceng-tae and Celosia had truly welcomed him, there was always a part of him that wondered—was this where he truly belonged?
As he made his way past the market, he spotted Celosia and Rajieru sitting by a bench, their heads bent towards each other. Kiyoshi hesitated, unsure if he should approach, but before he could turn away, Rajieru's voice rang out.
"Hey! Yoshi!"
Kiyoshi stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow. "Yoshi?"
Rajieru grinned, standing up from the bench. "Yeah, I figured if we're going to be friends, I should at least give you a nickname. You're Yoshi now."
Celosia rolled her eyes as she attempted to fight back her laughter. "Rajieru…"
Kiyoshi was rather confused; this had caught him off guard. What was with the sudden shift in tone? After everything that happened the day before, the last thing he expected was for Rajieru to be friendly—let alone give him a nickname.
"I guess I'll take it," Kiyoshi replied cautiously, rather unsure how else he should respond.
Rajieru walked over and placed a hand of Kiyoshi's shoulder. "Look, about yesterday-my bad. I acted like a jerk, and you didn't deserve that. I was just-well; I let my emotions get the better of me.
Kiyoshi glanced at Rajieru and Celosia; he could sense the sincerity behind Rajieru's words. "It's fine," Kiyoshi said. "No hard feelings."
Rajieru nodded as a small smile appeared in his face. "Good, because I'm not one to hold grudges either. Just don't get too close to Celosia again, or I might forget how to play nice," he said as he winked.
Celosia shit a warning look. "Rajieru…"
"I'm kidding!" He said, holding his hands up in lock surrender. "Mostly."
Kiyoshi let out a small laugh; he could feel the tension between them slowly dissolving. Despite the rocky start, it seemed that Rajieru wasn't as bad as he initially thought.
"So, what's next?" Kiyoshi asked, glancing at the pair.
"Well, I was going to help Rajieru get settled back in," Celosia replied, looking at Kiyoshi. "But you're welcome to join us if you want."
Hesitating for a moment, Kiyoshi began to consider her offer. The idea of spending time with them seemed like a good plan, though he did have training, he decided to skip out on it for today.
Sure," he said, with a nod. "Why not."
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The three wondered through the village together. Rajieru became his usual playful self, cracking jokes and teasing both Kiyoshi and Celosia. Though they had seemed to have some sort of rivalry, it was clear that the ill feeling from the day before had already started fading.
As they passed back through the market, Kiyoshi found himself watching Rajieru and Celosia interact. Despite the teasing, there was a genuine bond between them—one that clearly has been there for years, and although Kiyoshi may be an outsider to this friendship, he couldn't deny that it was comforting to be included, even in small ways.
By the time the sun had begun to set, the three had already made their way to a hill, overlooking the village. Kiyoshi stood close to the edge, taking in all of the beauty around him, as Rajieru came from behind. "You know, Yoshi, you're not half bad."
Kiyoshi glanced back at him with a slight smile. "Neither are you."
Rajieru laughed, shaking his head. "Don't get used to it though; I'm going to beat you one of these days."
Kiyoshi let out a chuckle. "We'll see about that."
And with that, a new chapter in their friendship has begun.
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