Kiyoshi turned and walked back. After two steps, he stopped again.
He looked back at Izumi, his face expressionless.
"You too."
Izumi froze for a moment.
The group fell silent for an instant, then someone failed to hold back a laugh.
A six-year-old kid had told a Genin, "You too."
[Awkwardness value +60]
What was wrong with giving her a little encouragement?
With an expressionless face, he turned and returned to the group.
"Senior Izumi is so gentle-"
"I want Senior Izumi to teach me too-"
Kiyoshi felt those gazes converge on him again.
The system panel flashed again.
[Awkwardness value +48]
Enough.
Kiyoshi did not join the free sparring session after class. Instead, he rested in the shade of a tree beside the training ground. He pulled open the collar of his training uniform and checked his arm. There was a red mark where Izumi had jarred him earlier, but it did not hurt.
He let go of his collar, leaned against the trunk, and closed his eyes.
He was still replaying their sparring match in his head. He could see every move Izumi made clearly, but he simply could not keep up.
His speed was enough, but his judgment lagged half a beat. Only after she moved did he realize where she was going, leaving his movements half a beat behind.
He had too little actual combat experience.
He opened his eyes and looked at the leaves overhead.
Just then, someone walked up to him.
He looked up to find Izumi standing before him with two bottles of water. She offered him one.
"Have some water."
He took the water, unscrewed the cap, and drank a mouthful.
"Thanks."
Izumi sat down beside him and took a sip of water too. Then she watched the students on the training ground and said, "You've improved quite a bit. Your movements weren't very fluid last time. They were much smoother today."
"I've been practicing."
"I know." Izumi turned to him with a smile. "I heard you often go to the Back Mountain. Someone saw you practicing Shuriken there by yourself."
Kiyoshi said nothing.
Izumi added, "They also said you gave that clearing a name."
Kiyoshi: "..."
"Bro Hao's Training Ground."
Kiyoshi was silent for three seconds.
Which jerk spread that around?
[Awkwardness value +36]
He kept his face expressionless and did not respond.
"Why are you training so hard?"
"To stay alive."
Izumi paused, then smiled without pressing him further.
After a while, she stood and brushed the dust off her pants.
"I can practice with you when I have time. I come back to the academy often anyway, so one more session won't hurt."
Kiyoshi looked up at her.
"No need."
"I'm not going out of my way to help you. I want to practice too." Izumi smiled. "Sparring with someone who takes it seriously is more interesting than hitting a wooden post alone."
Kiyoshi was silent for two seconds.
"All right."
Izumi smiled, then turned and left.
After school that afternoon, Kiyoshi went to the Back Mountain instead of heading straight home.
He wanted to test the Chakra Refinement Acceleration Card's effects in combat.
He reached the clearing, planted his feet, closed his eyes, and began refining chakra. Before, he had been able to "squeeze" chakra out of his body, gather it into a single stream, and then circulate it through his chakra pathways. Today was different. The moment he willed it, his chakra moved like a river, flowing on its own without any effort.
There was more of it than before, too.
He opened his eyes and looked at his hands.
After seven days, if I can maintain this efficiency every day, my total chakra reserves should increase by about twenty percent.
That was a considerable improvement.
He tried a few basic movements: kicks, straight punches, turns, and side kicks. During one kick, his center of gravity shifted off balance and he wobbled. He quickly steadied himself and stood straight again.
After every movement, he immediately refined chakra, feeling the changes within his body. The acceleration card's effect was obvious. His chakra recovered faster than usual, with almost no pause in between.
He stopped, thought for a moment, then tried the opening stance of the Jiahao Fist Technique. No one was around to see him. His form was precise, from the angle of his left foot sweeping outward to the height of his right hand swinging out.
His face expressionless, he finished the movement and pressed downward.
It actually didn't look that bad anymore.
He practiced for half an hour, worked up a sweat, and sat on a rock to rest.
The setting sun shone through gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground. He sat amid those patches, catching his breath, and felt the chakra within him still flowing slowly. It lasted much longer than before.
He raised his left hand and brought up the system panel.
[Awkwardness value: 1215 / 1000] [face value: 0 / 1600]
He had enough awkwardness value.
He stared at that row of numbers in silence for a few seconds.
I can do my third ten-pull from the Awkwardness Pool now.
But he did not draw immediately. He was on the Back Mountain, and it was almost dark. He would still have to go home afterward, so there was not enough time. Besides, the draws caused quite a commotion. The last time he drew from the Face Pool, the entire clearing had lit up. If someone saw it, it would be hard to explain.
He closed the panel, stood, and brushed the dust off himself.
I'll find somewhere deserted and draw tomorrow.
He turned and headed down the mountain.
The trip down was quick. He walked along the forest path, his footsteps rustling through the fallen leaves. Most of the sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving a stretch of orange-red light that shone on the treetops and dyed the leaves gold.
He left the Back Mountain and returned to the main road.
Cooking smoke rose from the houses along the road, and the smell of food drifted through the air. He sniffed. He really was hungry.
He quickened his pace toward home.
As he passed the mouth of an alley, he instinctively glanced up at the rooftop opposite.
No one was there.
But he kept feeling that someone was watching him.
His face expressionless, he kept walking without looking back.
When he got home, he opened the door, changed his shoes, and entered the kitchen.
The two adults in the household were on duty again, but Aunt Mikoto had cooked today and left the food on the table in an insulated container.
He opened the lid and looked inside. There was rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. He sat down and slowly finished it all. The fish was a little salty, so he drank a couple of extra mouthfuls of water.
After dinner, he washed the dishes, returned to his room, sat on the edge of his bed, and opened the system panel again.
Awkwardness value: 1215. Face value: 0.
He stared at the number beside awkwardness value for a few seconds.
Tomorrow, I'll find somewhere with fewer people and draw.
He closed the panel, lay down on his bed, and shut his eyes.
His mind was still on today's sparring match with Izumi, the effects of the Chakra Refinement Acceleration Card, and his third ten-pull from the Awkwardness Pool tomorrow.
Outside the window, the sky had already gone dark.
Before you continue