In truth, even someone as calm as Toge Inumaki had initially suspected a surprise attack when he saw Aikawa Kaze cough up blood and pass out. But because he had been facing the two of them, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
Aikawa Kaze's injuries were exactly where Maki had touched him. Add to that the fact that practically every kick of hers had left a "footprint," and the problem became pretty clear.
Reliable as ever, Toge Inumaki realized Maki hadn't noticed the problem with herself and immediately used Cursed Speech to stop them both, keeping his friend from getting hurt again.
Yet even Toge Inumaki couldn't have imagined that things would take an even stranger turn than he expected.
He could understand why Yuta Okkotsu's first thought upon turning around had been an enemy attack. After all, the scene certainly lent itself to misunderstanding. It was just that...
"Kaze actually got knocked out?! This enemy must be strong!"
Yuta Okkotsu thought that any enemy who hadn't even given Kaze a chance to heal himself with Reverse Cursed Technique had to be a tough opponent.
As his companions, they all knew that although he had to switch Heroic Spirits to use their abilities, Reverse Cursed Technique was a skill Aikawa Kaze had learned himself. He should have been able to use it in any state.
It never occurred to Yuta Okkotsu that Aikawa Kaze had passed out from pain before he could heal himself. As he scanned their surroundings warily, he reached out with one hand and instinctively used Reverse Cursed Technique on Aikawa Kaze.
That wasn't necessarily the wrong choice. If they really were facing a powerful enemy, restoring one of their strongest fighters as quickly as possible would have been an excellent strategy. However...
"Pfft-"
Aikawa Kaze opened