Tyche took pity on the humans after the incident,

and granted them the gift of fortune.

"W-What?" Asuhi stuttered. "You'll be what?"

"You need to get your damned ears cleaned," Kyoma barked. "I said that I'm gonna be your partner. Why do you look so surprised?"

Why are you so calm about this? Asuhi thought to himself, too afraid to make his curiosities come to life. He just stared at Kyoma, and tried to find reason and meaning within his blood-red eyes. He looked and looked, but he found nothing but unshakable conviction and great annoyance.

Asuhi gulped as his body started closing in on himself. It was a habit more than anything, and there was something familiar about the way he lowered his gaze, and bore holes into the ground with his teal-eyed stare. He fiddled with his thumbs, and stuttered over himself with great hesitation.

"I just don't understand why you would want to partner with me. I m-mean, if this is somehow your way of paying me back for last night, you don't have to go through so much trouble. The Doubles Tournament is sort of intensive, a-and not that—"

"—I know that," Kyoma cut in. "I know I don't have to pay you back with this, or at all. I know how things in life work, Imizu." There was a harsh bite to his words, but something about the forlorn look in Kyoma's eyes helped to offset that negativity. He studied the shorter boy carefully, with no veritable expression on his face except for a great intensity that burned like fire.

If Asuhi was looking up at Kyoma like he should have been, then he would have withered in place from the sheer determination coming from his blood-red eyes. But his gaze stayed affixed on the ground, and he was spared the incessant flames that were Kyoma's eyes. "T-Then you really want to be my partner?" The truth escaped his lips in disbelieving strings, although there was the tiniest hint of amusement hidden in the back of his throat.

He really couldn't believe that anyone would want to partner up with him. Sure, he placed high during the Rookie Tournament, but he was ultimately defeated by Otone Fujishiro, so it went to show that he wasn't all that good. Being at Kyoma's side was ten times more nerve-wracking than the entirety of the Rookie Tournament had been, and Asuhi hated himself for thinking that way. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't help that his insides churned to ash, or that his breath got caught between his throat and mouth in awkward wheezes.

He whimpered. "Are you sure about this?"

"...Do you think I'm lying?" Kyoma asked this neutrally, but there was no way to hide the accusatory tones that laid underneath the formality of it all. There was no way to lessen the narrowing of his eyes, either. "I'm not joking, Imizu. I am getting tired of repeating myself, though."

"S-Sorry! I don't mean to say that you're lying, or anything like that. I just can't believe it," he admitted while shifting weight from one foot to the other. Then he brought his gaze up to meet the other's in slow but hesitant movements.

Kyoma looked good from this angle, too. He was also much closer than Asuhi expected him to be, and the fact that he usually towered over him was more pronounced than usual since Asuhi was seated on a bench while Kyoma stood tall. A tiny shadow was cast as a result, but it didn't bother Asuhi in the slightest as he let the shade come over him in pleasant waves.

The artist huffed, and scratched at one of his cheeks—right in the center of the trademark star that was painted on his skin.

This confused the younger boy, because he was sure that Kyoma was paint-free after having been caught in last night's rain storm. He was with him for a good length of time, but they did separate from each other after leaving the nurse's office earlier in the day. Maybe he reapplied the usual look to himself in that time they were apart. This amused Asuhi for some reason, and he tried to fight the smile that wanted to cross his face as a result.

"Well, you'd better believe it," Kyoma said. "I don't usually go outta my way to do this kind of thing, so…"

"Right…" Asuhi trailed off, then realized it was getting increasingly awkward to remained seated as he was. Noticing this social misstep, he flailed as he tried to stand to his feet. The little space between himself and Kyoma was quite restrictive, and Asuhi expected himself to fall back on the bench as a failure for maintaining his balance.

Luckily for him, Kyoma seemed just a bit more quicker at understanding what he wanted, so he quickly stood back in order to give the other boy some space. He moved with uncertainty—and together with his telescope in tow—it amused Kyoma to think that the telescope weighed the same amount as its owner, and that Asuhi's weak frame would crumble beneath its force.

The younger boy still held steady, though, which amused the older boy to greater lengths. This feeling was so rare for him, and he didn't care to obscure it like he did with most other things. Instead, he let the emotions show, as his lips curled up to form the tiniest of smirks, that which—coupled with his generally disheveled look and indignant gaze—only helped to make him look more like the delinquent that Eruna had accused him of being once before.

Asuhi didn't mind this sudden turn in attitude, although he found himself flustered to see the other smile for once. It was an unusual smile, however, and far different from the ones that people normally made. Yet it was satisfying to see all the same, and Asuhi desperately hoped that the redness on his face wasn't too noticeable as he coughed into his hand—pretending he that he didn't witness the act at all, despite catching it in its entirety.

He stammered over himself. "T-Thank you, Kuzuryuu. Ah, we should probably g-get the forms signed and everything."

"Sure," he replied. He also gave a nonchalant shrug which didn't do much to offset his obvious concern in the matter. "I think the sign up table's over that way. Come on, then."

Kyoma started melting into the crowd, and Asuhi squeaked as he scrambled over his feet to keep up with him. Every first year student was in the building, apparently, together with a large group of second and third year students that would serve as their respective partners. The sound of overlapping voices and incessant laughter was harsh on the ears, and Asuhi would have covered his own if he wasn't already clutching so tightly onto the straps of his telescope. He was so glad that Kyoma was leading the way, otherwise he might have stood there like a fool as the energy of the other students enveloped him in full—leaving him dry and drained as he let himself get shoved back and forth by more eager hands than his.

No, the sight of Kuzuryuu's back standing tall as a shield in front of Imizu was a relief. It also made him self-conscious, however, as he realized just how short and feeble he looked in comparison to the bigger, stronger male in front of him. Although the school jacket sloughed off Kuzuryuu's shoulders in a lazy manner, it did nothing to hide the obvious formidability in his shoulders and back. It did nothing to mask his healthy appearance, just as it did nothing to besmirch his good looks. In fact, if Kyoma just (literally) cleaned up his act, then he would become one of those male heartthrobs that everyone pines over.

If he wasn't so terribly harsh and volatile, then he might have been extremely popular with the other students. He would have a natural light around him, one that stemmed from honest smiles and kind eyes. He would be like Eruna Ichinomiya in a way, as the two of them would have been energetic stars in the universe of Mikagura, such that they would attract others with their nature and beauty.

If Kyoma was just different somehow, then he could have been everything that Asuhi lacked and more.

These thoughts circulated through the smaller boy's mind endlessly, and it made him realize that Kyoma's actions and words as of late lacked their typical bitterness. It was strange, because Asuhi was sure that Kyoma hated him ever since he accidentally bumped into him on the first day of the new school year. He was sure that the taunting nickname "Girly Rookie" would get stuck on him like glue, and he would have to endure the same bullying that he had received for years on end prior to attending Mikagura.

He was so sure of everything, yet all the certainties came crashing down like bricks in a broken tower, as Kyoma continually and effortlessly kept surprising Asuhi in nearly every way possible. He first surprised him with his weakness and vulnerability, that which was evident from the night out in the storm, when Kyoma was bruised beyond recognition and his eyes glowed with a wild hunger and desperation. What he thirsted for, Asuhi didn't know. But there was something deep and personal within him that night, and Asuhi felt slightly uncomfortable to know that he had seen the older student in such a way.

The next surprise came when Kyoma didn't immediately revert to his unsociable and inconsolable self the morning after. Where Asuhi expected him to go back to being stubborn and hurtful as always, Kyoma had been exactly the opposite as he acted politely enough to the point where he asked for Asuhi's help, and he had been weak enough to stumble along the hallways with only Asuhi's meager strength as his guide. Even as the nurse asked humiliating questions to them, Kyoma answered with a sort of sincerity that not even Asuhi could anticipate.

The latest surprise was, of course, Kyoma's suggestion that he become Asuhi's partner in the Doubles Tournament. While Asuhi had some natural talent in battle to call his own, Kyoma was surely in another league—high above him together with the stars which he so adored. He had only ever seen the artist in battle once, but it was all he needed to know in order to realize something.

Kyoma was strong. He was terrifyingly, easily, stupidly strong. While his power was limited in only the way that his could use it, his offensive and volatile tactics on the battlefield were nothing to sneeze at. He always came at the opponents with full force, but in a way that made sure they would never get hurt. No, it was obvious that pain was the last thing that Kyoma wanted (and it was the last thing that would be tolerated at the academy, because battles were strictly prohibited from getting violent at all) and the way he focused on blinding his opponents with flash bombs or catching them off guard with loud sounds was evidence of it. He only used the explosive paints once in a while, and even then he aimed for the territory around the opponent, rather than aiming for the opponent themselves.

It was hard to miss hitting someone that was so close to you, so Asuhi knew that Kyoma was cautious on purpose. Yes, the third-year was surprisingly adept, considerate, and strong—such that Asuhi couldn't imagine why he would want to team up with his weakness, in contrast. If they were going to be partners in a long road of battles, then Asuhi didn't want Kyoma to carry him the entire time. He didn't want their team's efforts to be one-sided, even if the painter was obviously leagues stronger than him.

He wanted to help. He wanted to make a difference.

He realized that he genuinely liked the idea of being Kyoma's partner, so when the two of them finally arrived at the sign up table, they didn't hesitate in filling in the empty boxes with their names. They didn't hesitate in giving out their signatures, and passing back-and-forth pleasantries with the students in charge of the whole process. By the time it was done, Asuhi's head was spinning and the noise around him increased tenfold. Kyoma lead him silently outside of the cafeteria, to more open spaces where the heated crowd of students wouldn't be there to impede him any further.

As they found a private place to talk, Kyoma continued to surprise Asuhi.

"So, let's start training from now on."

"Eh? Really?"

"Well, yeah. We might as well get a head start since classes are canceled today." Kyoma shrugged at this knowledge, and Asuhi pretended not to know that it was obvious that Kyoma skipped classes regardless of the situation. "Besides, there's no point in worrying about anyone else if we're not solid ourselves."

"I guess you have a point," Asuhi said. "Alright, so it'll be a simulation battle between the two of us? I-I think I'll be okay with that!"

"Good." Kyoma nearly smiled, and as if on cue, his crystals started appearing around him. They were colorful cube-shaped objects like dice, and Asuhi watched them roll over themselves in the air just to see if they had numbers on their faces or not. When he found no such thing, he barely realized that his own crystals had materialized in the air, as well.

Asuhi's crystals were star-shaped, poignant, and pretty as they hovered in the air around him. While they were normally a unique sight to see, the only person that could actually view them in this moment was Kyoma himself. This simulation battle was unofficial, and as such it had no referee or spectators outside of anyone that might have stumbled across them in their training session. But Asuhi was fine with this, he preferred having little interference from outsiders, anyway.

He stood a good distance away from Kyoma, and watched as colorful magical barriers surrounded them all at once. He knew that this stunning visual display was the academy's doing, and the barriers were the boundary lines for their battlefield. At the time, they occupied one of the makeshift training grounds just outside of the cafeteria. There was wide grass growing over vast stretches of land, and there was plenty of room for them to make a mess of things during battle.

Which—judging from the way that Kyoma's palette turned and by the way that the paint splattered—would be very messy. Speckles of orange and red were dripping down off the sides, and Asuhi watched them with a fixated gaze as he waited for the signal to start their simulation battle. Even if it wasn't a real battle that could be held accountable against him, he didn't like thinking about the possibilities that lied in the fact that he would be up against Kyoma's unpredictable palette bullets.

He stomached the anxiety that threatened to grow larger, and did his best to look as self-assured as possible. "I'm ready, Kuzuryuu."

"Alright."

The first paint bullet shot out. Asuhi swiftly jumped to the side, barely dodging it by a hair. His crystals seemed unfractured somehow, and he counted that as a success. What he didn't count on, however, was how fast Kyoma would attack a second time. As soon as he tried to get back to his telescope (which was mounted only a few short inches away from him), he felt another paint bullet whiz by his head.

This time, the paint did just more than aim at his crystals. He heard a loud noise, and within seconds there was a cloud of smoke obscuring his vision. The black smog was all he could see, and he hid behind his telescope out of fear. He clutched his ears to block out the deafening noise as worried thoughts invaded his head.

Did Kuzuryuu combine the flash smoke with a sound bomb? I know he can mix colors and effects, but this is too much…

Kyoma really was strong, and he wasn't kidding when he said that if Asuhi couldn't handle him, then he definitely had no business worrying about their future opponents. Even so, it was frightening and relieving all at once to see the artist's talent like this. It was frightening because it made Asuhi blanch at the thought of really fighting Kyoma, where points and club reputation would be on the line, but also because he didn't want to know the other's true strength. It was relieving because it meant that their opponents in the upcoming tournament would have a hard time keeping up with them, especially with Kyoma in the mix. That much was certain, at least.

As Asuhi mulled this over, he realized that Kyoma didn't attack again for some time. A good minute or so passed and Imizu opened one eye to inspect the damage. He saw that the smoke was clearing already, and he could make out the faint outline of Kyoma's body in the distance. He seemed unmoving, although his brush and palette were clearly spinning behind him. The repetitive sound of paint spraying against the ground below them was heard, and Asuhi involuntarily flinched at the noise.

However, that was when he also understood what Kyoma's intentions were. He was purposefully letting Asuhi recollect himself, and he was intentionally giving him enough time to formulate a plan. If it weren't for the fact that this was a simulation battle—and that it was merely practice in every aspect—then Asuhi would have definitely lost by now. But because it was just a trial, and because no real stakes were involved, then even Kyoma could afford to be a little lackluster in his movements.

He almost sighed when he called out: "Hey, don't tell me I accidentally put you to sleep, instead!"

"Y-You can do that, too?" Asuhi wondered incredulously, voice barely audible over the dying rings of the flash bomb. "Don't count me out yet!"

As soon as he said that, he pressed the button on his telescope. Stars and beams shot out in technicolor rays, aligning themselves into a perfect formation before shooting straight at Kyoma. Through the lasting remnants of the smoke, Asuhi could see the whole scene unfold before him. He saw his stars shooting out like lasers, their bright and ethereal light both distracting yet pleasing to the eye. He saw multi-colored splashes of paint spread across the grass and dirt, and he saw a half-worried look appear on Kyoma's blank face.

While Asuhi didn't like to get overly eager at the sight of a win, he was sure that at least one of Kyoma's crystals would shatter underneath his retaliatory touch. One of those cubes would break to pieces and become nothing more than iridescent dust before them. And yet, nothing of that sort happened.

Kyoma's palette flew out from behind him, and spun around rapidly as it deflected the oncoming attack. Asuhi's stars flew off dejectedly from the surface, fading away into the air as their attack had completely failed.

Asuhi felt his stomach turn itself into knots, and his fingers failed to move properly. He hadn't expected the attack to be thwarted so easily, just as he hadn't expected Kyoma's power to be so well balanced. Aside from his devastatingly offensive attacks, he had a good amount of defense since his palette automatically tried to block any projectiles that got in the way. The only thing holding him back was his limit as a human, and how well he could aim and estimate the distance between himself and the opponent.

He was the exact opposite of Asuhi in some respects, who had to be stationary with his power, but still had less offensive output damage as a whole. He was not nearly defensive enough, either, and if an enemy got too close to him, he would be done for.

It reminded him of his simulation battle with Yuto all that time ago, and how he had ended the battle within two minutes because he had gotten close enough to crush all of Asuhi's crystals at once. The defeat was quick and momentary, but it stung all the same. Asuhi felt the embarrassment and shame run hot through his veins again, and he bit down on his lip to quell the indignation that stirred there.

He really didn't learn anything from that time, did he? He wondered about himself, and if he would be adequate enough to defeat anyone, let alone Kuzuryuu. Imizu forced himself to stay focused on the battle, and thought long and hard about what to do with his next move. It wouldn't be long before Kuzuryuu got bored enough that he would stop stalling, and when that happened it would only take a few well-placed bullets to do him in and end the battle swiftly.

I won't let that happen! Imizu thought to himself. A-At least not without trying to stop him, first!

With a sudden new resolve burning inside of him, Asuhi nodded and pressed the button on his telescope again. He gave it another press shortly thereafter, and a third push after that. The rapid-fire succession of his movements forced his telescope to shoot out more stars than it could, but instead of overloading itself it simply fired them all out at once.

Kyoma didn't say anything, but the shock was evident enough on his face that he didn't have to. Several streamlines of starlight came barreling down at him, and his palette was not enough of a shield to block them out at once. While he certainly wasn't talented with speedy movements like Eruna or Yuuto were, he had enough sense of agility that he tumbled out of the way, and ducked down beneath the offensive rays as he tried to dodge the worst of it.

His paint showered the ground with every step he took, and the bullets activated their effects in tandem. It left large puffs of smoke and smaller explosions in his wake. Kyoma's half of the field had become drenched in colorful liquids, and covered in various paints. The chaotic noise of it all confused Asuhi, but he did his best to keep his gaze even as he observed the results of his actions.

A smile laced through his lips as he watched one of his opponent's dice-shaped crystals shatter completely, becoming nothing more than kaleidoscopic shards and bits on the ground. They were scattered and crushed beneath Kyoma's feet, and he didn't bother to filter himself when he let out an angry curse from underneath his breath.

Asuhi felt inspired to keep going, and realized that he might even be stronger than he first thought himself to be. He nodded to himself all the while, taking in these precious seconds of time where Kyoma was too concerned with the stars to notice him, and reigning in his anxious heart once more to prepare for another counterattack. As his fingers hovered over the button on his telescope, Asuhi thought proudly to himself.

One crystal down, he cheered inwardly. Two more to go!

The humans rejoiced in their newly found salvation,

and spent the days and nights away riding on rivers of gold.