Chapter 3

He watched Maika being dragged away by Mannen, Hajime and Shin while Kei was training Himeno to use his powers

"Mai! Mai!" Shin said, reaching up to her and she picked him up, carrying him

"Baby" Mannen said

Ever since that night, there was a new bond between him and Maika. She didn't mention anything about the kiss but she always was there for him

"Oh! Sasame!" Mannen said and he smiled, coming out of his watching spot

"Hey" he said

"Okay then, that's enough for today" Kei said, separating from Himeno

"Thank you Kei" Himeno said

"Himeno-chan, Prèt with me the next time!" Hajime said

"No, me!" Mannen said

"Me" Shin said

"O-okay" Himeno sweat-dropped

"What about Mai-nee?" Shin asked

"Eh? Don't really want to, or need to" she replied

"Why?" Shin asked

"Shin!" Mannen said

"Saa" she said and walked off

"Really" Kei sighed

"Maika-chan doesn't really seem to like me. Just like Hayate" Himeno frowned

"Why do you think that?" Hajime asked

"Because they both don't want to Prèt with me. Maika-chan especially" she replied

"I know this might just be a guess, but I think Mai is doing this for you" he said

"For me? What do you mean?" Himeno asked and the young Knights looked at him curiously

"Mai is the only female Leafe Knight, so she understands how hard you are trying to master the use of our powers. Himeno, do you know what Mai is the Knight of?" He asked

"Eh? No" Himeno replied

"Mai never told Hime-nee" Mannen said

"Mai is the Knight of Thought, or rather, mind" he said

"Eh? What does that mean?" She asked

"Out of all the Knights, Mai's power is the hardest to master and she had trouble with it for awhile when she was born too. Her power basically means she can control anything with regards to the mind" he replied

"Maika's power requires double, no, maybe triple the concentration than the rest of ours" Kei said

"EH?" Himeno exclaimed

"To use her powers efficiently, you need a strong mind. Your thoughts, your desires, all of it has to be strong. Mai knows that and she knows that it'll put a strain on your mind since your mind is, at this moment, not strong enough. She can read the thoughts of everyone, even their souls'" he said

"Maika-chan has it so tough. I want to be friends with Maika-chan since she's the only female Knight" Himeno said softly and she smiled

"Do you want to Prèt with Mai?" He asked

"Hai" Himeno said

"Then if you want to Prèt with Mai, you have to get stronger, both mind and body. Maybe then, when you ask her, she'll Prèt with you" he smiled and Himeno was so determined he could see the fire around her and everyone sweat-dropped

"Yosh! I'll get stronger! Then Maika-chan will Prèt with me! All of you have to help me!" Himeno said

"Hai!" The three youngest said and then Himeno had a curious look

"Say, how do you know so much about Maika-chan? Maika-chan doesn't seem to hang out with anyone else but you seem close to her" Himeno said

"Mannen is much closer to her though. Mai is very protective of him mostly" he said and Mannen grinned

"Yup! Mai and I are the closest!" Mannen said

"Really? It doesn't seem like it" Himeno said

"Even though all the Leafe Knights fight together, there's something like a pair thing. Like where two Leafe Knights, in a way, complement each other. Hayate and I, Wind and Sound, just like the wind carries the sound, Kee and Go, Fire and Light, whereby when there is fire, there is light, Shin and Hajime whereby plants thrive on water and then Mannen and Maika, Ice and Mind, whereby both had a warmth that belied their powers. Maika who could hear the thoughts and the desires of the soul, calmed them and comforted them and Mannen whose power of ice contrasted with his warm, cheerful personality, were very close" he said

"Mai... She closes off her emotions because she feels the emotions of others and she carries their burden and so I'm cheerful enough for the both of us!" Mannen grinned and Kei patted his head

"Just like the Mannen before you" Kei said

"Then why doesn't Mannen hang out with Maika-chan?" Himeno asked and Mannen looked at her and shrugged

"I don't have to be with Maika all the time. Maika knows how much I care for her and I know how much she cares for me. Distance is nothing. We still fight well together" Mannen said and he saw the grown-up Mannen in his place

"Mannen sounds so grown up" Hajime said and Mannen frowned before giving Hajime a noogie

"There you have it" he said

"Who told you that?" Kei asked

"Mai. A long time ago" he smiled