Oh God, Oh Shit, Oh Fuck, Oh No! [ft. Kyra]

*Sluuuuuuuuuuuuurp*

The refreshing sound of bubbling, acidic soda travelling down his throat. The sweetness sheltered behind the sour, lemon flavor. And the right leg jabbing up and down like a rabbit’s. Imai enjoyed his break on the bench at a random street near the Rune Knights’ HQ in Era, his day having been full of amazing events along with the Rune Knights’ Field Marshal herself. To think that he went on a patrol with her was blissful, but the day was long, and in this late afternoon with the sun’s sharp, orange glow, Imai could take a nap on the bench if he wasn’t so quick at recovering his energy.

What should he use the rest of today to do? He could be an ordinary man and go to a fancy restaurant, or he could entertain himself back at home in Ace of Spades. However, when you dealt with Imai, you had to consider the immorality and debauchery as well. He was young, only in his late 18 - soon to be 19, actually - and he was considering visiting the club that he found through the flyer he held in his hand. The flyer was a souvenir that he acquired from his patrol with Serilda Sinclair, and while she may or may not have noticed it being taken by him at that specific place at that specific time, it was all a part of his reckless and lusty plan.

Although, the club only opened at 7 pm. That meant that he had 2 and a half hour to kill… and he did so sitting on this bench while people just passed by him on the street, gazing deep into the flyer in his hand. He would hold it fairly close to his face, so that no one else would spot what he was ogling at…

WC: 306

With all the bullshit and beatings he usually went through back at the guild when dealing with either Mai or, well, any other woman there, he needed to unwind some when Kenna-nee was busy. Besides, what he used his spare time for was none of your business, so leave him alone! Since when was it a bad thing to like women, huh?! Who the fuck did you think that you were?!

Internally arguing at no one, Imai relished in the thought of visiting this bar - clearly, the mixture of alcohol - that he wouldn’t want to drink anyway - dancing and insomniac company would invite lots of questionable scenarios that his body vibrated thinking about. Maybe he would get lucky…

“PFFFFFT!”

From V-1’s perspective, Imai spewed out a geyser of soda pop from the confetti shot at him. Instinctively, he hid the flyer behind his back and tugged it into his pocket while gazing at the drone flying right in front of him. It greeted him by his name, Ooguma Uchuuken, and…

…

The pieces began falling together. Even Imai was sharp enough to realize what this drone was and… and…

“…” His right leg began to shake violently. He almost considered kicking the drone away and taking a run. “Y-Y-You’re…. y-you’re here…?” Shit, she was here, wasn’t she? Was the drone capturing footage of him? Hopefully, it didn’t see the flyer; this was shitty. A shitty situation. A crappy scenario. He didn’t want any of this.

If she was here… wait, why should he be afraid?

It had been 2 years or more. He had become the Ace of Sabertooth! He shouldn’t be afraid of anxious or embarrassed! He should… he should…

He should run for it, really.

Slowly, he snuck around the drone to try and get away from its field of vision, and the moment he managed to do so, he would plan to sprint away with the force of a hundred stallions.

WC: 327
TWC: 306 + 327 = 633

Wait, she was nearby?! Holy shit, he thought she was, like, in a hotel or something! He wasn’t ready! No, he had so much to say to her face, that darn bitch! How the fuck could she do this to him!? Was she following him all along?! How did she find him?! Fate, what the actual fuck?!

His back straightened and shivered by the call of his name with a voice like that. And as his terrified eyes moved to see her, it all passed through his mind like a gallery. The school, her snow-white hair, their date, the box, the laughter, the insults, the threats, the drop, his heart was at the bottom of the ocean.

“… K-K-K-K-K-K-“

Why was she so happy to see him, after everything she had put him through? Was she insulting him, even at this point? No fucking way would he take that! He was a wizard of Sabertooth and their honored Ace! He wouldn’t let himself be humiliated like that again, and not by the likes of her!!!

He took a deep breath and sharpened his look at her, stern and unforgiving.

“… What do you mean ‘how have you been’? Stop pretending anymore, Kyra, I’m not an idiot,” he spoke back to her with a toxic tone in his voice. He crossed his arms and continued: “Why are you here? Actually, scratch that-“ He remembered his position and brought it out, “I’m great, actually! More than great, I’m fucking amazing! No, really, don’t feel bad for getting me kicked out! Dropping the school in Shirotsume was the best thing that happened to me in my whole life!!!”

His thumb pointed at the mark of his headband, the proud logo of Sabertooth. His teeth sparkled as well, adding to the effect of a lion’s pride. “You’ve seen this mark before, right? Well, it might be a shocker for you, but I’m the Ace of Sabertooth! Yup, I’m not even lying! Really, I gotta thank you for fucking over my life 3 years ago; it really was a blessing in disguise!” He cleared his throat and felt so goddamn good right now, and as he was about to speak back to Kyra, he had his body aimed to the side in a posture of authority and pride while his eyes darted down on her chest. Damn it… she’s grown quite a lot these past three years. To think that he once dated her was… fuck…

“… *cough* So, what do you want? Aren’t you satisfied with ruining my school life; you wanna ruin my life as a successful mage too?”

WC: 436
TWC: 633 + 436 = 1069

… The fuck was she on about?

She was with the Rune Knights?! No, no! That couldn’t be! The face of fear made itself present on Imai, and the thought of her - the maneater who ratted him out - pursuing the same career as him, a career that he took pride in, was excruciating pain. To add salt into the wound, she sounded angry and betrayed for some reason, spitting back at him as if he had just left the school without a word and was blaming her for nothing. What the shit fuck was she talking about?

“W-What do you mean you have no idea?!” he asked in utter confusion, jabbing his hands to each side, “And, uh… hey, nice joining the Rune Knights, they’re actually pretty cool- wait, no, hold on! Why am I smiling?! YOU- w-wait… wait, hold on… wait, no, this makes no sense…”

Her eyes were locked onto his. She wasn’t lying, was she? By God, if she was lying… wait…

What was this heavy feeling in his chest? It felt terrible shouting at her, it really did. Also, what was with the red heatwave spreading on his face. Was he…?

N-No, stop that! Stop, Imai, you’re better than that!

“D-Don’t you remember the cardboard box you brought to class? You literally just left it out for all to see, my secret stash of very, very, very private belongings… and hey, what the hell! There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy interest in professional doujinshi, okay?!” he tried to remind her of, for maybe she was avoiding the topic for all he knew. “H-How would you feel if I one day just went up to the class and left a box filled with all of your private items?! How would you feel if people harassed you and bullied you every single day until you couldn’t take it anymore?! How would you feel it if your own, first date and crush would betray you li-“ He sharply cut himself off there, realizing what he had just let out of his mouth. His face whitened before sprawling out more waves of heat and blush, forcing him to turn around to hide his face with his hands.

“Has it… has it really been so long ago that you just forgot about it? What do you even mean by saying ‘goodbye’? it’s as if you didn’t even…” Click. “… The box, the cardboard box. I clearly remember you leaving it in class! Care to explain that?”

WC: 418
TWC: 1069 + 418 = 1487

…

They didn’t go on a date? What? He asked her out. He invited her to go eat. He even brought her to his home and introduced her to his parents. She even came up to his bedroom - right after he had cleaned it up and hid all the magazines away - although nothing happened there, unfortunately. And yet, wait, no! Even if nothing intimate came out of that, it still counted as a date, right? He could still say that she was his first date, right? He wasn’t completely dry in his pants, right?!?!?

He… he liked her. He asked out a girl that he really liked. Those words of hers, dismissing it as not even being a date to begin with just broke his heart. Tears began to form under his eyes, but he did his very best to hold them back - no fucking way could he cry in front of her like this, it would be too embarrassing and pathetic of him. He bit his lower lip to focus.

“… P-P-Project box? Well, she clearly lied to- oooooooooooh…” Yeah, it clicked for him too; the realization that cleared Kyra’s name and put both relief and awkwardness in Imai’s heart. Holy shit, he had been hating on her for three years FOR NO GODDAMN REASON! WHAT A FUCKING IDIOT, HE WAS!

Imai’s face looked confused but understanding at the same time. That bitch, Nozaki, or as he would call her - NoSucking - who always tried to cockblock him- I mean, prevent him from even talking to his crush had pulled the strings all along. He wouldn’t thank her for making a grand wizard out of him, no way in hell.

“… U-Uhm,” Imai hummed with a voice of worry looking at Kyra’s face. She looked even more hurt than him now. It was true that she and Nozaki were friends back in school, so maybe this was shocking to realize for her. She explained that she and NoSucking fell out the year after he left the school, and that she then tried to bully her instead. Imai’s face went back to one of fury, but it was not against Kyra at all. For all he knew, and for how clear his mind was at the moment - which wasn’t that much, bear that in mind - Nozaki deserved to get her butt kicked by a meteor kick from him.

At this point, Imai wasn’t sure whether to really take that into account and clear Kyra’s name from guilt. Was he willing to give her a second chance? Him, someone who had been clearly brain-hurt and heart-hurt by this over the span of three years only to hear that it was all a misunderstanding? Was he really ready to for-

His hands rested on her shoulders all of a sudden. They were gentle, trying to cheer her up and encourage her with the minimal pressure. His eyes were shut as he was thinking of what to say, and then they opened again, looking deep into Kyra’s sapphire-blue eyes. Oh, this was just like the first time he glared into those so many years ago, and it bubbled up a lot of pent-up admiration and love deep in his heart.

“… H-Hey, it’s alright! I think I just, y’know, misunderstood the whole ordeal… there’s no way such a cute, smart and beautiful girl like you would do something like that to begin with; I guess I just went on the boat from first glance at the whole scene like an amateur! Hey… y’know, sorry for not informing you or anything, but it’s been three years, girl! Three years! And look at you; you’ve changed so much, and uh, hey, so have I, not gonna lie!” A few flexes of his… mediocre biceps were shown before he assumed his previous position, “I was just being childish and held a grudge against you for no reason; I should be the one apologizing.” He finished it with one hand on her shoulder; her tender, smooth and enchanting shoulder, while silhouettes of a joyous, second-year Imai back at the school was almost identical to the face he had on right now.

WC: 700
TWC: 1487 + 700 = 2187

Ah, there it was. The sweet laughter that caused his heart to flutter and his face to brighten up in flames. It had been… so long since last time he made her laugh. Thinking about it, given the instances where they did speak with each other, worked with each other and made each other acquainted, she was easily the best childhood friend he had other than the two wankers who still went to the school. Maybe he should call them, make them enact vengeance upon Nozaki for him…

Having his hair ruffled by her was nostalgic, too. She was, perhaps, the gentlest girl to him after Itori and Kenna-nee. There was no reason why he shouldn’t have fallen in love with her to begin with… but clearly, perhaps she, maybe, didn’t harbor the same feelings for him? How can this make him even more of a virgin than before?

“Promise,” he replied nonetheless, locking his pinky finger around hers, “Next time I see her, I’ll meteor kick her butt so she won’t sit for a month, you bet!” It was a rash, over-the-top promise, but it was a promise nonetheless. He always exaggerated things like these.

“… Y’know,” he continued, rolling his eyes to the side in deep thought, “This is like a reunion of sorts, so… if you have the time, do ya want to, uh… go get something to eat or stuff? A soda pop or two? I just finished my mission, so I’m free for the rest of the day- oi, V-1, I’m trying my best here, stop judging me!” His eyes went teary once again when he looked at how V-1 was observing him; it really tore on his courage, what he lacked plenty of but was pulling heavily from at this moment.

Maybe, she was still down for a date. It was, y’know, just for old times’ sake… or…

WC: 314
TWC: 2187 + 314 = 2501

Aw, yes! She accepted his invitation! He couldn’t believe it; she actually wanted to go out and have something to eat with him like the good old days again! It was like a second da- oh…

Yeah, now knowing her side of the situation - the side being totally oblivious to his advances and the whole premise of them going on a real date - he felt a sharp pain in his heart despite her agreement. He was thrusting his fists in the air out of a sense of victory and happiness, but he froze up upon realizing that. Should he… should he, like, clarify to her and ask if this was going to be, like, a real date, or would that be too quick? He felt that it would be too quick to ask, and that it would probably make the rest of the day awkward between them… aww, it was such an awful feeling in his heart. It made him a little sad.

“… N-Nice! Just like the good old days,” he spoke up, hiding his pain behind his goofy, Ooguma-like smile. She explained afterwards that V-1 was updating its files on him, and it made him loosen up a little. As long as it got his good sides…

“Oh, really?! Sweet!” he replied in utter joy at the mention of multi-flavored soda pops. He was in need of a refill, so that was perfect timing for her to say that. “I’m starving as well, so let’s make a day out of it!” He was close to saying ‘date’ instead, but he managed to quickly say ‘day’ and avoid the ‘t’ sound in the end. Phew, his heart was pounding…

“… Actually, before we go, I wanted to…” he began speaking up, his heart speeding up as he poked his index fingers together, “Y’know, we… I mean, I thought we used to d-date back then, but I didn’t know what you thought. For a long time, I thought that y-you, like, uh, y’know… b-bwah, nevermind, I’m starving - show the way, Kyra!” He drowned himself out with words of encouragement and pointed at the thin, blank air to allow Kyra to lead them to the ramen and soda pop destination.

WC: 372
TWC: 2501 + 372 = 2873

Yip! A small yip escaped his lips when she rested her hands on his shoulders, somehow causing the effect of having her face closer to his. Oh boy, this was too much for him… he didn’t remember being this easy to sway! No, no, this heavy feeling needed to subside before it tore him apart…!

Basically, she asked him to calm down. Unlike those years back then, she made things more clear now and revealed so in a mature manner; they were old friends reunited that just wanted to learn about what each had been up to date. It wasn’t a date, which was… oof, sharp and painful, but it wasn’t a pity date either, which was a bit more soothing. It would be horrible if she went on a pity date with him; if there was one thing Imai hated, then it was the lack of consent… what a hypocrite, by the way.

I mean, he was kind of a dork back at school in Shirotsume. Back then, he carried no muscles, no overall physique - but he had stamina and tenacity already back then. It was mostly his stamina and temporal patience that allowed him to keep up to date with his homework, his studies and with his creativity running loose. Of course, being described as ‘all bravado’ was an oof moment itself. “Ow, what? I wasn’t all talk…” he mumbled in a childish sulk, continuing to hear her explain that they both had grown up now and probably had a lot to inform each other about.

Well, he was more than ready to fill her in on all the grand adventures he had been throughout his life as a Sabertooth Wizard. The fact that she was so interested in knowing more about him, even after all these years, was heartwarming to the absolute maximum.

“Umpf… yeah, yeah, sure! I bet on my balls- actually, scratch that, they’re too precious to me…” he mumbled with a following chuckle as he held his arm that was lightly punched on. It didn’t hurt, but it was… warm. He lightly punched her in the arm too, just so they were even. “Tch! That’s right! I have SOOOOOOOOO much to tell you! No, really, I’m not being sarcastic - kinda scary how much I’ve gotten used to all of my missions at this point - but, uh, where should I start, where should I start…” He cupped his chin in deep thought and concluded something. “Man, I wish I could introduce you to my guild right now, but most of them are busy at the time being. Now that I think about it… I met this other white-haired beauty who’s kind of like my older sister who took me in when I first joined the guild. She’s now the Guildmaster of Sabertooth - Kenna Terrynhain, if you’ve heard her name before. She was published in the Sorc. Mag. a few times, kind of a big deal if you ask me. Hehe, then again, I guess I’m kind of a big deal myself, eh?” His nose twitched in boyish pride at his remarks, while his stomach growled.

WC: 524
TWC: 2873 + 524 = 3397
Thread TWC: 5517

1x B-Rank Job WC Reached! 517 words in excess

Oh shit, maybe what he said about ‘being a big deal’ made Kyra feel unimportant. He had to reassure things here and now! “W-Wait, no, what I meant was- well, yes, but I’m also like a huge deal right now! Like, a ginormous, humongousolongous deal right now! Hehe!” he elaborated as he crossed his arms behind his head. It basically meant that he found her very attractive, and sure fucking yes he did. Her face was even cuter than back then, her snow-white hair shone in the late daylight, her eyes were deep and as sea-like as he remembered them, and she even grew a killer rack! Those were all plusses in Imai’s book, and many of those plusses led to him falling in love with her to begin with. The biggest factor, however, must’ve been her friendliness towards him back when most of the girls found him weird - none of them knew much about his, uh, ‘fondness’ for pretty girls, but they sure caught on to his often reckless and dumb habits, suspecting him to either suffer from too much candy or some kind of disease. He had shit luck back then, but Kyra made him forget all of that…

“Oh, that’s epic! V-1, you’re pretty schway, you know that?” Imai congratulated her and the drone that led her to graduate the earliest out of all graduates from their school, “I’m not really sure if I could graduate as early, but things often come easily… kinda scary to think about, as if karma is holding back all the bad karma for one, special day… urgh, no no no, forget that.” He shook his head and focused on her next words explaining her father’s overprotection of his daughter, which led to her only joining the Rune Knights when she turned eighteen. Yeah, her father was overprotective, alright… just the whole deal with inviting her to his home was a battle, tell ya that much.

“Cuffs…?” Imai questioned, dazing off and looking at the blank air, “… Heh, lew-losers gun’ hate those cuffs, I bet.” Man, he had to check himself a lot, lately.

They finally reached the restaurant, so Imai made it clear what he wanted: “Hot damn, it smells nice here! They sell curried beef ramen? Like, ramen with curried beef? Is that real?!” Imai’s eyes shone just by the mention of beef and ramen in the same sentence, “Gimme one of those, then! Curried beef ramen straight down my belly!” He pointed up in the air in succession.

WC: 421
TWC: 3818

Noice! Good to know that the restaurant wasn’t afraid to try new ideas out on the go - Imai had quite a mixture in mind for his meal - curried beef ramen with fish naruto, extra pepper and seaweed. It was just what his belly needed right now, so with that, he entered the restaurant along with Kyra - dear Kyra, oh beautiful and heartwarming Kyra, you would make any man’s heart beat right through their ribcage with those deep eyes, your smile, and that stunning figure that drove Imai fucking mad…

Smoothly, surprisingly, as they sat down and awaited their orders, the bridge that had gotten rusty over the years of separation was mended overtime. He even got to hand her an old piece of paper he had kept in his pocket all those years - it was very scribbled and convoluted at this point, having been in his pocket for 3 straight years, but they were potential upgrades and ideas for gadgets for V-1. Now, he could finally hand them to her… something he never thought he would have the chance to before.

He could almost see it with his very eyes… those scenes back in WW. His younger self, so full of ambition and excitement, always ready to impress his professors with the most convoluted and ridiculous inventions, more often in vain… as a matter of fact, the only item he kept from WW was the item he was actually going to present on that fateful day…

His all-in-one automatic crossbow, KT-113 Azurewrath. It was still hung up back at his bedroom right now… maybe, he should show it to her another day, but he did inform her about it. How he had spent an entire month trying to find a steel alloy that could be compressed into the thin thread that held the arrows in place, how he… how he wanted to show it. The crossbow was of ridiculous, high-tech extravagance! It had arrows that spawned energy barriers, barb bombs, grappling lines, multiple arrows in one shot and even an AP Drill arrow for penetrating Kevlar!

All that, he and his father built when he was just, what, a young teen? Geez, he would’ve blown everyone out of their minds, even Kyra… even Kyra…

Maybe she would’ve started to admire him if that had been the case… if that was, then maybe he would’ve had the courage to, y’know, ask her out for a second date- since the old Imai was still under the conviction that they had been on one. Hnng… stop thinking, Imai. Just stop, before tears pour out.

When he walked out of the restaurant again, he stood still. His face was… oddly calm. He looked up at the sky, almost giggling while trying to hold a tear back. Kyra was still inside the restaurant at that point, but silently, he whispered.

“… M-My feelings haven’t changed at all… fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…”

WC: 487
TWC: 4305
Thread TWC: 7233

New Total Since Last Job Reached: 2233

1x C-Rank Job WC Reached, 233 words in excess