Chapter 10: Oath

The battle ended with me as the winner. However, the day had not ended there at that moment, after the morning time, we had 4 more fights, until the day was over.

 Once it got dark, Riochiro was lying on his stomach, almost finished from today's intense training, I was in his room drinking water and changing my clothes.

 Once I approached him, without even turning to look at me he said:

—Are you leaving already?

 For some reason at that very moment I felt like sitting on top of him to annoy him, so I just dropped my butt on top of his sword.

—AY! AY! AY! Why are you doing that?!

 The white-haired boy groaned in pain while I just rubbed on his back, looking for the most comfortable spot for my butt to sit on.

 Grandpa's note: Rikka, as soon as I go to the mansion we should have another talk, you, me and your father. That thing you did besides being improper deserves to be punished.

 Rikka's note: Eh?! but why?!

—For nothing—I said in a mocking tone—I just felt like it.

—Do you see my chair face?!

 -Come on, calm down, I'm doing it as a token of affection, you just imagine that I'm really hurt and you have to calm me down.

—But I'm the one who's really hurt!

—How rude! I'm bruised too! Look!

 Riochiro started to move on the floor like a fish out of water and then, causing me to stagger sharply sideways. But he suddenly flipped over, making me fall to my left side-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 [This note was found under Rikka's desk, on a piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from somewhere].

 Out of shock, I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the blinding sound of my body falling to the floor and the pain of the impact. But to my surprise none of that happened.

 On the contrary, it seemed as if my fall had been cushioned by something soft yet hard. I opened my eyes slowly, to see that I was lying on top of Riochiro's chest.

 While he was moaning in pain that someone had unexpectedly fallen on his chest, I was simply paralyzed by what was, at the time, my current situation.

 Riochiro looked down to meet my gaze face to face, once he was aware of his situation, he was silent and surprised at the same time.

 Silence broached between us for a few moments until Riochiro decided to break it with a slightly exalted tone in his voice and a look of concern.

—Your face is red! Do you have a fever," he said as he put his hand on my forehead and the other one touching my neck to measure my temperature.

 I gasped at his touch, while my cheeks turned redder because of the situation, surely worsening Riochiro's concern in the process.

 Although from one moment to the next, he took his hands off me and with a serene expression began to speak again.

—You don't seem to have a fever, that's a relief. Although...

 His gaze became heavy and sad, he put his outstretched hand next to my face and with his thumb he began to gently caress a bruise on my cheek.

 My heart skipped a beat, making me completely paralyzed and my face turned redder and redder. Riochiro continued talking without caring about my reaction.

—They really did have bruises; I hadn't noticed them until just now...— He fell silent for a moment before adding, —Sorry.

For my part, being on his chest while he caressed my cheek felt like being in the embrace of both a father and a mother. Warmth enveloped me under his soft and calm gaze.

My heart soon stopped racing, and my body surrendered to the heat radiating from Riochiro's. I simply relaxed and softened my tense muscles.

—Don't worry about it,— I added. —Although at first, I wasn't on board with this because I thought it was crazy, it was after seeing all your efforts that I realized what we are doing is entirely necessary. In fact, I'm the one who should apologize. I refused because I didn't believe you would achieve it... I underestimated you. So, I owe you an apology.

Riochiro looked at me, puzzled.

—Well,— he said, —to be honest, I did think this was crazy, what we were doing. But you know, I didn't have another choice.

He fell silent for a moment, placing his arms behind his head to use them as a pillow.

—As you told me, teacher: In this world, you either grow strong, or you get devoured like a piece of meat. Unfortunately, I've experienced the latter before I could be the former.

—So, what will you do now that you know you can't be as strong as you wished?

—Simply move forward my way.— He paused thoughtfully before continuing, —If I can't be like you or old Ryuugamine, I have only one option, and I've already taken it. I'll grow as strong as you, but if I can't be the same, then I'll do it my way.

I stayed silent for a while, thinking about what to say, but suddenly Riochiro started talking.

—Maybe we should stop this...

Startled by his brief statement, I jumped off his chest. What he said didn't make any sense. At first, he seemed determined not to give up, but suddenly, after telling me all those words of determination, he just surrenders. His statement needed clarification.

So, once I recovered from the surprise, I asked:

—How?

—You know, you and I.

—I'm still twice as confused...

—I've noticed that lately, you've been looking at me differently, Teacher Rikka...

Hearing that made my heart skip a beat again, as if the world around me froze in front of me. A massive wave of questions swept through my mind, but among all those doubts, one resonated louder than the others:

—Could he have realized that I'm-?!

—Eyes of pity.

My mind cleared instantly.

—When you saw me this morning, you looked me up and down, then looked away, and afterward, you showed an expression of sadness. It was the same as when you saw my hands; you reacted the same way...

For some reason, a deep sense of relief suddenly washed over me, and my posture relaxed again. My shoulders lowered with the sigh of relief that escaped my lips almost unconsciously.

—If seeing the wounds you caused is affecting you, maybe we should lea—

Riochiro instantly stopped talking when I placed my index finger on his lips. With a gentle touch and a serene look, I told him:

—Don't worry about it. Either way, I promised you, didn't I?

Riochiro gave me a look of understanding, his lips curving softly upwards, letting his charming, casual smile reappear once more.

Quickly, I removed both my finger and my gaze from his face, looking elsewhere to avoid seeing such a scene. The mountain of emotions from this day had undoubtedly affected my poker face to a significant extent.

If I didn't want to show my blushing face in front of Riochiro again, it was better to keep looking elsewhere.

So, while trying to distract my mind with other things, I spoke to Riochiro.

—That was our oath, wasn't it?

Riochiro was silent for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh into the air.

Bewildered, I returned my gaze to the irritating boy who was laughing at that precise moment with a fiery glare.

But he didn't seem to notice me. He was simply leaning back, still laughing in a way that I found almost irritating and, in my opinion, punishable.

Although that was just my perspective, anyone looking at us from the outside would notice the warmth in the sound produced by Riochiro's soft voice.

Once he finished laughing, tears almost falling from his eyes, he extended his pinky finger toward me and, with a wide, satisfied smile, said:

—Yes, that was our agreement.

I stood there for a moment, looking at his pinky, then shifted my gaze to his face. Noticing my lack of reaction, he gave his hand a slight shake.

—Pinky promise, Rikka. It's what I used to do with my sister when we made a promise.

Confused, I simply stared at him with reluctance while asking myself:

"Is this really how such a serious promise should be sealed?"

For Riochiro, it probably was. So, I simply extended my hand, raising my pinky, and intertwined it with his. Together, we sealed a deal we had made two years ago.

The promise to turn him into a superhuman.

After that, the sunset started to fade, and naturally, the sky began to darken. Night was approaching, so I had to get back to the mansion as quickly as possible.

I was already dusting myself off while Riochiro was picking up his shirt to head into his room for a shower. He wasn't going to train anymore today, so he went to bathe early.

But before I could walk away into the long corridors of the labyrinth, he called out to me from the entrance of his room, causing me to turn toward him.

—Teacher Rikka, is there anyone among the mansion workers who can copy powers?

I didn't even ask what for; I just nodded at him, leaving Riochiro behind.

Tomorrow, I would bring a Lecter with me so that Riochiro could train with them.

Fortunately for Riochiro, I know someone very close and also very accessible for his request.