"Randall, is it hot in the desert?"
"Yes."
"Randall, is the desert all sand?"
"Yes, yes."
"Randall..."
"..."
On deck, Randall lay comfortably in a lounge chair, enjoying the sea breeze.
Christa chattered excitedly beside him.
But someone soon interrupted this heartwarming scene.
"Randall, it's been a while since we sparred. What do you say?"
A booming voice rang out, followed by a "friendly" face.
"No thanks!"
Randall showed Aequus no courtesy whatsoever.
Why would I want to fight a big brute like you?
Isn't spending time with my Christa much better?!
"Come on! Randall, you're the Navy's hope for the future! How can you laze around like this and neglect your training?"
Aequus looked utterly distraught, as though Randall had committed some terrible sin.
Randall, however, found his performance thoroughly unconvincing. That anguished expression looked more like he wanted to murder someone.
He sneered and said,
"Heh. Do you really think fighting you would count as training for me?"
Aequus looked as though he had a toothache.
Yet he couldn't argue!
The truth was, with Randall's current strength, even if he stood perfectly still and let Aequus do whatever he wanted, Aequus probably wouldn't be able to get through his defenses!
The pain was like the other man knowing exactly how much he had to offer, while he had no idea how deep the other man went!
It hurt his pride so damn much!
"...Then, then just think of it as playing around! That'll train your control over your strength down to the finest detail.
"Think about it. With your strength, wouldn't it be amazing if you gave me a beating and I came out completely unhurt?
"That would definitely help you get stronger, too!"
Aequus really racked his brains for a chance to get beaten up.
It wasn't