Hitoshi finally cleared the Training Course and re-entered the main campus of the school.  Standing by the gateway that led to where he’d just come from, he quickly pocketed the food his professor had graciously given him and taking a breather.  Just being around Professor Moriko and her strictness was intimidating and caused him to heat up.  After that trek he’d gone through with her, he really needed to catch his breath before doing anything.  The life of a Warrior was definitely not an easy one, especially not when you’ve got the mindset of Hitoshi Hayama.

After a few moments, he began thinking of what he wanted to do.  He wasn’t really sure he wanted to go see Principal Ayuka yet.  He’d just gotten done with work for Moriko and the last thing he wanted was to charge into the school and run into even more work.  Free time was supposed to be there to use as he pleased, and he planned to have some relaxing fun around campus before any more work was thrown on him.  He smiled as he started to walk forward again, walking into the running path, heading towards the front of the main building. 

As he’d entered the running course, however, around the corner came that same green-haired girl from before.  She ran straight for him, not paying a lick of attention to where she was going.  Hitoshi yelped and leapt out of the way.  As he hit the ground, he saw her sneaker-clad foot stomping into the ground as she ran past.  He could almost feel the ground moving as her foot pounded into the ground, inches from his face, throwing a cloud of dust into his face.  He got chills as he coughed and got up, thinking about that bug’s-eye view look of her running.  It was bad enough seeing her running when he was standing.  He got a strange chill from seeing it from ground-level. 

After shrugging off the feeling, he moved away from the Running Path and used his gloves to wipe the dust and dirt from his face as he made his way towards the main building.  As he made it to where that tall, brick building stood, he looked around to see if there was anyone or anything of interest to him at the moment.  He was directly in front of the front of the building.  To his left, he could see the climbing rope they set on the building to help students with their endurance and climbing skills and that creepy Mohawk guy.  Hitoshi shook his head as he saw him, peeking in on the Mage girls’ dances, no doubt.

Not feeling like hanging around the campus creep, he walked forward, on the concrete path, past him, glad the guy hadn’t seen him. He took a good few minutes of slow-walking on the concrete path, looking at all of the bushes and shrubberies that were lining the walls of the campus.  The campus was also so well taken care of. It would really be a beautiful place, were he not associating the place with the classes and the work and the assignments.  If it weren’t a school that he attended, it would be a marvelous place to hang around.

As he was continuing his notice of the scenery, a feminine voice shouted towards him from just in front.  “Hitoshi!”  The young man’s head whipped towards the sound of the voice, immediately recognizing it.  That sort of voice and that tone of voice could only belong to one person in the entire world: Hiromi.  Just as he thought, ahead of him was that blonde, pig-tailed warrior herself.  She wore a proud look on her face as she approached Hitoshi and greeted him.  “Hey there, Hitoshi!  How have you been holding up lately, kiddo?”

Hitoshi’s eye winced for a moment at Hiromi’s speech.  That girl could really put a feeling in his gut at her little nickname for him.  Calling him ‘kiddo’ made him feel a little weird.  He frowned at her and tried to respond, inquiring about the name.  “Kiddo?  How have I been holding up?  What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hitoshi kept frowning as that girl got a painfully happy smile on her face at his reaction.  True, the girl was older than he was, but he never really cared for being called ‘kiddo’.  She approached him further and kept the conversation going, her eyes shut and her lips forming a smile.  “Now now, how long will it be until you finally get used to it?  I call all underclassmen ‘kiddo’, which includes you, little rookie.”

Hitoshi heard it again.  Kiddo.  Starting to think on his own, he decided he’d try to turn the conversation back at her, giving her a taste of her own medicine.  Bringing a smile to his own face, he jokingly began speaking back to her.  “Well, fine, then I think I’ll start calling you ‘old lady’ from now on.  How’s that sound, granny?”

Hitoshi’s plan had worked, briefly.  For a moment, Hiromi opened her eyes and her jaw dropped as she heard his own nicknames thrown back at her.  Before long, though, she got a stern look on her face and crossed her arms, the red armor covering her body shining in the sunlight.  “Enjoy that bravado of yours while you can.  You’re going to pay for that later on at the sparring court.”

Hitoshi listened to her, almost making it sound like a challenge.  Hiromi was a Warrior, just like he was, so the two of them sparring would be an even match, given what kind of classes and abilities they would be able to implement against one another.  He stood there for a moment, thinking of what to say.  Should he call her on it and act like he’d agree to a challenge, or just agree with her and say she’d kick his butt?  His own ego coming forward, he crossed his arms and replied.  “Oh, really?  We’re on, then!”

Once again, Hiromi was caught off-guard.  Her jaw dropped as she heard Hitoshi’s confident remark, starting to comment on his new behavior.  “Hitoshi’s standing up to a challenge with an upperclassman?  Wow, I guess there really is a first time for anything and everything!”

Hitoshi was still smiling, more on the inside than out, at her statements about him accepting her challenge.  Deep inside, he wasn’t thinking all about the sparring match, but more about being able to spend time with that blonde warrior.  She was a beauty, and for a chance to get closer to her, who wouldn’t stand up to a challenge like that?  After a moment of mental thoughts, he let his ego drag on further as he spoke to her again.

“You choose the time and place and I will surely be there.  Unless you’d rather back out, that is.  I wouldn’t blame you, seeing as how my awesomeness can be quite intimidating.”  Hitoshi wore a smug grin on his face, awaiting Hiromi’s next move.  Not backing down either, Hiromi let her own ego fly with his as she spoke back to him.  “Is that right?  Well, I think you’ll be eating those words, when I’m eating YOU for breakfast!  I have decided that, for you, I will not hold back!  Hmph!”

Hiromi then began to walk off, in as confident a pose as she could make.  Hitoshi, trying to keep his straight face, immediately started wincing again.  He walked off, towards the two small ponds in front of the main gates of the school, thinking about what he’d just done.  “I sure hope I don’t end up regretting that…”