Chapter 13: Sparing
The sun was glowing with life as clear skies slightly obstructed it's light.
Afternoon breeze and the smell of wet sand filled the scene.
Time 2:34 PM, a perfect time to be outside.
"Alright!! Bring it on!!!!!"
Haruki yelled taking a fighting stance!
"I'm putting everything I've got into this final attack!!!"
Hori as well took a fighting stance!
"haha,I think that's enough goofing around. let's get SERIOUS."
He seized their tomfoolery and went inside the inn to grab something.
"Brb"
He waved and went inside.
"Yes sir!"
Hori saluted.
I'm so glad Haruki-san is safe. I was very worried.
She remembered seeing Haruki this morning, looking as if nothing happened.
What exactly did he do yesterday....
Narrator - So we're finally training?
"Good morning narrator! tsk tsk tsk, you woke up even later today!"
Narrator - You fucking idiot! I don't sleep!! You only hear me when I say something!! you can't talk to me on your own first!! so you won't hear from me until I start the conversation!!!!
"Someone's cranky, did you wake up on the wrong side of bed?"
Hori said teasingly.
Narrator - **@°™&#&#&#&$()"!"¢©€®!!!!!!!!!!!
Haruki finally returned from their inn.
He brought out a robber mask that had two googly eyes placed on the eye holes.
"....what is that Haruki san?"
"It's a special mask that costs millions of yen, it's so rare and unique that I had to book it 3 years back!"
He's lying, he stole it about a year ago.
Haruki brought it closer to Hori.
She leaned in and took a smell.
sniff sniff
"It smells like fire,"
She rose up her face.
"Fire? uhhhh I ain't smelling nothing."
Haruki tried sniffing as well.
"Can't you smell it? it smells like strong fire."
Hori repeated her words with a strange look.
".... your being weird, I'mma just cut to the chase."
He dismissed her awkward behavior.
"The mask has a special 'ability' it hides your presence once worn."
Haruki spoke as if advertising.
"Really?! That sounds so cool!!"
Hori said with excitement like a kid.
"Yeah I use it when killing peopl-i mean, when filing... people's... taxes"
"Haruki what exactly is your means of income?"
Hori questioned leaning in.
"I mean you eat 3 times a day sooo shut the fuck up."
Haruki wore the mask after avoiding the question.
'What do you think?"
He asked Hori proudly.
....pfft~
hahahahahaha!!!!!
She bursted into laughter!
"You look so stupid Haruki-san!!! Oh my God my belly!!!"
She tried controlling her self from whatever she found so funny.
"Hey that's not nice! What's so funny?"
Haruki was confused while wearing the mask.
"haha oh, my apologies! you looked so funny I broke out of character."
She finally got a hold of her self and joked while cleaning her tears.
To imagine what Haruki looked like while wearing the mask, just think of a bank robber mask but with googly eyes instead of Holes where the eyes are meant to see through.
Since the beads in the eyes aren't fixed, they might end up looking at opposite directions.... making whoever's wearing it look.... stupid.
"I promise to take this seriously.'
Hori forced the words with a serious face while trying to hold back her laughter.
They both took their fighting stance.
"Okay, the point of this training is to improve your detection skills. Having high attack power is nice and all but if you can't sense a strong attack you might actually die if you don't block."
"kinda like how I knocked you out when we first met."
"Oh I remember that Haruki-san!we've really gotten close since then, and I'm proud to call you my friend!"
Haruki's fist was behind Hori's head.
"huh?"
She asked, just noticing Haruki was no longer in front of her.
"I've been standing here for about 3 seconds now. I literally just walked."
I didn't see him move!
"If I were a deranged sin 1 second would be enough to kill you"
"C'mon Hori, you've gotta be smart"
He said karate chopping her head.
Lectures had began.
"C'mon, do something~
"Oh,of course!"
Hori quickly turned and tried grappling Haruki.
Meanwhile Haruki was already at her back AGAIN!
"Hori you shouldn't think too much when fighting. Your still a noob so you might feel bad hitting someone"
"I mean, hitting someone is wrong Haruki-san"
"Shut up, I'm gonna tell you a secret for eliminating opponents quickly."
"Ice this fool"
Haruki spoke in English.
"Eh? English???"
Hori asked confused.
"Pretty cool huh? Try saying it"
"Ice this fool"
Hori spoke fluently.
Why is her English so good?
"Ahem! It's from this American action movie with black gangsters inside"
"Once I tell myself that, my body understands that I shouldn't hesitate in attacking, thinking of the fastest way to ice this fool"
"I don't get it"
Narrator - Me neither.
"God! What I'm trying to say is the only thing you should be thinking of during a fight, IS THE FIGHT!"
"Don't hesitate, this man, woman
Transgender, whatever they identify as, standing in front of you is currently your opponent!understood?!"
".... yes, I'm sorry for disappointing you."
Hori answered facing her side.
Is she... angry? maybe I was too harsh....
"Don't be sorry, I told you the mask is special, it means no normal person can sense me when it's worn."
"I guess I just expected too much since you've gotten 3 dark frames!!"
Haruki removed the mask and scratched his long hair.
"I'll just try attacking you normally."
"Okay!"
Hori took her fighting stance again.
"Here I come!"
Haruki began running towards Hori with near perfect form.
I shouldn't punch! I should just grab and pin him down-
Narrator - Heyyyyyyyyyoooo!!
Stop distracting me!!
Haruki maneuvered his way through Hori's legs and appeared at her back AGAIN!
"Just because you can now see and sense me doesn't mean you can legit stop me."
"So if I had a knife, you'd have been stabbed in the back"
"So why'd you just stand there?! Your meant to stop your opponent from an attack even if he's easily visible!"
"NEVER underestimate you hear me?!"
He lectured.
"It's all Narrators fault! I'll do better Haruki-san!"
"Wh—who's Narrator?!, ugh! we'll try again, but this time I'll actually hit you if I get contact with your blind spot.
gulp
"Okay here I come! Try grabbing and pinning me down!"
Okay, I can do this! Narrator shut up this time!
Narrator - hmph! Wish you couldn't hear me now huh?
Haruki began running towards Hori again!
Hear he comes!
Hori leaned in and grabbed his shirt around his waist tightly!
I did it-
Dark Frame
Haruki quickly forced his body to rotate around Hori, using his legs to hook her neck whilst facing her stomach.
His hand was perfectly set in front of her stomach,ready for a ONE-INCH-PUNCH.
"I'm going to punch you now. "
"Ah wai-
Bamm!
Haruki's fist sunk into Hori's gut, forcing her into the air.
The force was loud, similar to the kick Hori landed during their previous sparing.
Her stomach quickly got hot as her eyes widened from pain.
Such strength needed an explanation!
Hori could see the top of trees given they were in a forest, the breeze felt nice at such height.
She was about loosing consciousness until she thought.
....oh....I forgot
Hori remembered whilst in the air.
Blood escaped from her mouth and her consciousness slowly fading.
Haruki-san....is a sin....
She passed out before brazing for impact.
gasp!
She quickly woke up in a jolt.
"Oh, your awake!"
Haruki said looking down.
Her head was rested on his lap as he gently stroke her hair.
"Guess we're even now."
He said teasingly, Haruki was referring to when Hori scattered his head and also gave him a lap pillow.
Hori giggled after remembering.
She laid there thinking of what to do.
"....this is quite embarrassing, Haruki-san."
"Shhh."
He tapped her cheek.
"How long was I
unconscious?"
It was already evening.
They started training in the morning.
"About 7 hours...."
"Oh... that's long...."
They stayed still looking at the sun set completely.
Haruki muttered.
"I'm so sorry...."
"Huh?"
Hori turned her head to see Haruki about crying.
"I thought I killed you! you lost so much blood!!"
"Oh please don't cry Haruki-san!I'm alright! it doesn't hurt anymore!!"
Haruki was cleaning his eyes, trying to hide it but he was crying.
"It's because I haven't fought someone without going for the kill... I'm so sorry."
"I was so scared! I thought you died!!"
Hori hugged Haruki tightly and struck his head.
"Thank you for crying for me Haruki-san, you must have been so worried."
She slowly stroked his hair.
"Look! I'm alright! I told you I have fast metabolism, so I heal quickly too!"
Hori got up in tip-top shape.
Narrator - That's true though, you could've died from blood loss, guess you heal fast.
"...is that so?"
Haruki was calmed down as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yes! now let us continue the training!!"
She was pumped, forgetting that she almost just died.
"No way Hori! I'm not going to hit you again! your not a sin so you can't regenerate! I might actually kill you!!"
Haruki yelled in protest.
For some reason, he genuinely cared for Hori, compared to his other "friends" Haruki has actually remembered her name for 3 days now! that's a broken record to him.
"I appreciate your concern, but it's alright Haruki san! please continue training me!"
"NO! I'm not hitting you, listen I don't have any friends okay?! And your the only other kid I've lived with! so over my dead body will I EVER hurt you again!"
Hori was in shock, her heart racing from such powerful words from Haruki. Almost as if it were a confession of love.
Her face slowly turned red, she covered her mouth with one hand and held her chest tightly with the other hand. Her heart pounding at mach speeds!
The situation calmed down before Haruki added.
"Infact, I think we should just withdraw from the Sabbath Exams! It's way too dangerous!!"
Hori was about to speak but he cut her off.
"I'm sure we can find another way to meet your dad! Wait a minute, don't you have his phone number or something?!"
Hori didn't answer, leaving Haruki to assume she didn't know his number. Apparently it was not available for some stupid reason, and conveniently on the day she got missing.
"Besides, civilians have no clue what the Sabbath Exams are like! It could be hella dangerous! or just straight up messed up!"
Hori stood there in silence while Haruki was still spouting out reasons to withdraw from the Sabbath Exams.
She had already thought of every way of speaking with the Prime Minister.
But international recognition was the most logical. She simply needed a private meeting him,show him her robe which was a specific brand designed for their family. Then tell her father something only she would know.
Given he was a reasonable man, the proof would add up that she was truly his daughter.
"Haruki!"
She called his name with no formalities. A dead serious face.
Haruki immediately kept quiet because of the shock.
He never expected Hori to stop using honorifics!
"Please, LET ME SPEAK!"
Her words sounded boldly, polite yet strong.
Haruki kept shut after seeing Hori stare DIRECTLY into his eyes.
She reached for Haruki's hands and held them tightly.
"Its okay."
Her voice, quickly turned soft and reassuring, accompanied with natural smile on her face, making her tomboyish appearance look simply gorgeous.
"It happened only once."
She added. Still smiling with confidence, surprisingly not shy she was holding his two hands.
"But what if-
"Haruki!"
She said it again without honorifics!
Haruki's heart was racing at this point,who knew her saying his name had such a strong effect?
"I swear on my life, I promise not to die! I WILL PASS THE SABBATH EXAMS!"
Not a declaration of love, but of genuine resolve.
Hori was still staring deep into Haruki's eyes, backing up her message with looks alone.
Haruki was entranced by Hori.
Those eyes....
He blinked and continued.
I'm an assassin so I should know... she's not afraid....
What Haruki reasoned was the truth. Hori has set her goal, and will stop at nothing to achieve it.
They stood there for a while, the scene quiet but filled with tension.
Hori's face slowly turned red.
"I'm so sorry for suddenly grabbing your hands!!"
She apologized, suddenly 5 meters away.
"....Huh?"
Haruki was dumbfounded by such sudden change in attitude, she looked so cool just now but she ruined it.
"kyahhhhh!! And I was staring directly at your face! your beautiful, BEAUTIFUL
face!!"
She squealed like a teen in love as she covered her face from embarrassment.
"I even said your first name so casually!!"
She admitted all the embarrassing things that were going on in her head.
Narrator - Your weird.
Ahem!
She cleared her throat and returned to the topic.
"M—my point is! I will pass the exams, Haruki-san. Trust me, I'm going to make you proud!"
She returned to using honorifics.
sigh
He let out a slight chuckle and stretched out his hand in a fist bump.
"How about we make a promise!
We both pass the SABBATH EXAMS alive!"
Haruki spoke loudly, recreating Hori's earlier mood
"Understood!"
Hori bumped her fist sealing the promise!
Narrator - We'll see about that...
Haruki and Hori returned back sparing.
"Okay, here I come!"
He squatted
"Bring it on!"
She yelled, arms wide and confidence on her face.
Haruki rushed towards Hori!
Quickly! As he's about to go for my blind spot!!
Hori held his shirt again!
Bamm!
She pinned Haruki down with full force and locked his hands in place with her's!
She took a deep breath
I did it!
Hori was on top of Haruki as she pinned him on the floor, breathing heavily, the scene.... almost erotic....
"... you can get off now..."
He awkwardly said.
"Ah! Apologies Haruki-san!"
She yelled with embarrassment and let go of his shirt.
"Don't apologize, we're the opposite gender, so of course it'll get... heated."
"Please don't say it like that..."
Hori was flustered, perhaps her mind was more dirty than she thought.
"Anyways you learn fast! that was awesome!!"
"Thank you Haruki-san!"
She bowed to her sensei.
"Alright, let's repeat that some more, I'm gonna increase my speed as we go!"
"Understood!!"
They were in the mist of continuous grappling and pining. Once, twice, three times now!
Each with Haruki progressively increasing his speed. Hori was keeping up and tackling him
Narrator - .... wait a minute! this is just judo!
Judo?
She asked still grappling Haruki.
Narrator - Judo is a fighting style that concentrates on grappling and pinning your opponent without inflicting unnecessary harm.
Narrator - Honestly.... it's perfect for you, Hori.
Bamm!!
Hori pinned haruki down for the 5th time!
She was exhausted, tackling Haruki's speed wasn't an easy task.
She let go and finally sat down on the grass covered ground.
"haaaaaaah~ I'm so tired!"
Tired indeed, they've been going at it for about an hour now.
Haruki brought a bottle of cold water and a towel.
"Thank you"
She said sweetly, collected and drank the water. She also wiped off her sweat with the towel.
"Your doing great Hori!"
Haruki said with a smile whilst extending his hand with a fist bump.
"Awwn your so supportive Haruki-san! Thank you."
She bumped her fist with his.
Haruki sat close to Hori and said.
".... but on a serious note, I don't think you're hands are the only thing weird."
"What do you mean?"
She dropped the bottle of water.
"Remember that time with the pushups, you said you've never done one before. But soon after, you went overboard and did it one fingered, after doing it one handed!"
"... I'm a little bit confused, Haruki-san"
Hori didn't understand his point.
Haruki continued.
"Even today's grappling. You got the hang of it after the first time! It's almost as if, you can adapt or something."
"like.... constantly getting better the more you do something"
"Wow! That sounds so cool Haruki-san!"
She yelled in excitement, Hori was sounding like those characters she had read in novels, as if slightly super human.
"So your hands are tough, and you can adapt and progressively improve! Seriously, your awesome Hori!"
He said with a smile and ruffled her hair.
"... I'm nothing special Haruki-san, I won't even be here if not for you."
Hori honestly admitted, and it was infact true, if Haruki was a normal person, he would have reported Hori to the police, after finding her in his house.
But he didn't, this has resulted in such a wonderful relationship between the two, something Hori would have never had if not for wandering into this inn, their bond was growing stronger.
"I promise to find a way to repay you Haruki-san!"
"I swear! I'll make you happy!"
She spoke seriously.
"What is this, a proposal?
He bonked her head.
"I'm hella happy right now...I've got a friend"
He said with a shy voice Hori couldn't quite hear.
He grinned at her revealing his sharp canine's.
"....your so pretty, Haruki-san.
Hori admitted innocently, what she said was so true that she didn't even get embarrassed.
She just stared into his eyes, with her heart racing.
Ahem!
"Why don't we go inside, it's getting late."
Haruki awkwardly said while standing up, he had been getting more embarrassed around Hori another new thing he developed after meeting her.
The time was now 8 PM, the sun completely gone, the weather was getting chilly so they went inside.
"We'll work on stamina tomorrow. So be ready!"
He brought out their futon
"Yes!"
Hori answered.
---------
Somewhere in Japan; Shibuya.
The house was an extremely modern one, looking nothing like Japanese.
A male figure wearing tiny circular glasses, was going through a list on a computer.
He was dressed in a milk sweater and had curly brown hair.
".....hmmmm their a lot this year."
On the screen was written [Sabbath Exams participants- Japan 2022]
The slightly scrolled down the large figure.
....579.
He counted them all under 3 seconds.
That's about double of last year.
The name format was western styled, with first names coming before family names.
He was examining each and eventually saw Hori's name
"Hori Inori"
He said out loud.
Below it was written another name.
"Hobbie Jones"
...Hori Inori.... Kaori's been hella depressed ever since Inori's death.
He was referring to Inori Jiro, Hori's former name.
Perhaps this man and the 'Kaori' were accomplices to her father.
Such a shame....poor kid,she was so young.
He sighed and closed his laptop without switching it off.
The went to bed to rest.
A woman with dark purple hair in a nightgown was also sleeping.
He rolled over and pecked her forehead causing her to smile faintly. He dropped his glasses on a stool near the bed and closed his eyes.
Narrator - 7 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE SABBATH EXAMS.