Hermes caught wind of this turn of fortune,

so he flew down to the earth to deliver more luck.

Asuhi prepared himself for another turnabout. As Kyoma dodged the lasting remnants of his attack, he fired up the telescope once more, and relished in the beams of starlight that shot out of it in perfect lines. Their bright and iridescent light was still so beautiful, and Asuhi caught himself distracted by their appearance.

It was the first mistake of many he would make. The second was the fact that he unintentionally undermined Kyoma's abilities, because he assumed that—with a second attack following closely from his previous one—the artist would be unable to rebound with the same initial aggression he had before. Kuzuryu disproved that idea in full, as he shot out more paint bullets to collide with oncoming stars. The two forces met in one, and caused a large explosion to resonate on the battlefield.

Asuhi tried to block out the dirt and wind that was rushing past him, but wasn't strong enough to fully withstand the aftermath of the explosion as he felt himself tumble backwards onto the ground. His telescope was still standing, fortunately, and he moved with every intention to return to his place behind it. His fingers itched for the sensation of the button being pressed, and he longed for the feeling of his attacks coming forth at full throttle once more.

The third mistake he made was the one where he assumed that the fight would just go easily from that point on. Kyoma huffed indignantly, and glanced at the paints which floated freely at his side. Their colorful and infinite properties gave him lots of room for experimentation and creativity. Because while certain colors had special effects in battle (red paint marked explosions, for example), he could stack the effects on top of each other, and even blend colors together to make new effects, too. His was a power with lots of room for creativity and growth, even if he as a person reached his maximum level of personal growth to begin with.

The thoughts You're doing the best you can do and you'll never get better rang inside his head, with an incessant worry that caused him to act just a bit more angrily than usual. He combined some of his green with the majority of the blues, as well as a touch of black and gray that turned the new color into something bright yet easy on the eyes. He smiled at his creation, and shot a decisive bullet in Asuhi's direction.

The boy was barely stumbling up to get back to his telescope when the paint bullet shot out. It hit him square on the chest, and he yelped pathetically from the force of it all. While the impact itself didn't hurt, it was just the initial shock of the force that scared him. The paint of metallic blue exploded against him effortlessly, and puffs of similarly-colored smoke appeared around him, as well.

Asuhi blinked, and wondered why the world was suddenly so fuzzy. He felt a yawn climb up his throat, but he failed to suppress it as it escaped his mouth in cute puffs. His body suddenly felt heavy, and he swayed unknowingly as he staggered even farther from the telescope than he was before. Half of him accepted this new grogginess, while the other half desperately tried to keep awake and reverse whatever spell Kyoma cast on him. He reached up to rub at his eyes, finding that doing so did not lessen the wavering look the scenery before him had taken on.

Imizu felt like he was standing on the deck of a rocking boat, or that he had gotten on a roller coaster without knowing it. He couldn't tell where the flatness of the earth once, and even when he stayed in place he felt the sleepiness creep into his body and mind like ice.

"W-What is this…?" he asked quietly. "This is—"

"—You're getting tired, huh?" Kyoma wondered aloud. He wasn't running or struggling to dodge attacks like before. He simply walked up to Asuhi without any fear of getting attacked. His remaining crystals bobbed slowly around him as he moved. "That's what you get for underestimating me, though."

"I w-wasn't trying to do that on purpose,, though…"

"I know, but you're paying the price for it anyway."

Imizu gasped, and stared up at Kuzuryu who was now less than five feet away from him. He was so, so tall, and the height never failed to astound the shorter boy. He just looked up helplessly, as his body felt leaden and unable to move even under the terrifying intensity that the other just naturally exuded. He couldn't even think to dash back towards his telescope, that which was too far away to be useful. He wasn't fast enough, anyway, but he silently wished he was Yuto or Eruna right now. Either of the two would be running circles around Kuzuryu in this situation, instead.

He felt like couldn't think, yet his mind was cluttered all at once. He tried not to think why that was as the world seemed to unravel before him.

"To be honest, I was just messin' with colors again, but I'm glad I ended up making something useful." He didn't leer at the other this time, instead keeping his gaze even as he reached out slowly. "It'll wear off soon, so don't worry."

Even though Kuzuryu is the one to say not worry, isn't he also worried about me since he brought it up? These thoughts reverberated inside his head, and it took every ounce of waking strength he had left to silence them. No, you're not thinking straight at all right now. Don't assume weird things like that.

"This dramatic way of fighting and stuff isn't my style, but it's not a bad method, either." His words fell out fluidly in a low voice, that which was barely above a murmur. But because he was so close, Asuhi could make out the words perfectly without misunderstanding. He also didn't misunderstand the sound of one of his crystals shattering, probably because Kyoma reached out and squeezed it to bits in his hand.

Asuhi gulped. The end was near.

"You should really think about what to do when someone gets too close to you in battle," Kyoma advised. His tone was so soft that Asuhi thought he might have been replaced by someone else. Someone that was kinder, gentler, and nicer than Kyoma actually was. His words sounded foreign on Asuhi's ears. "Like right now, I'm barely crushing these things with my hands but you're not really able to stop me, huh?"

"T-That's 'cause you made me sleepy," Asuhi whined drowsily. He tried not to wince when he heard a second crystal shatter, or when he felt the shards lightly dust his shoulders. "No fair," he mused.

"Actually, this is very fair. As long as someone doesn't get hurt, anything goes, right?" The third crystal remained in tact for some reason, and Kyoma paused as his hand hovered near Asuhi's head. "I don't think I've ever won this quickly, actually."

His heart sunk at that realization. Too many strange things were happening for him to be fixated on that alone, however. Asuhi was too honest right now, but so was Kyoma. He wondered if the artist was always like this when he was about to win, or if he got worked up into talking because of Asuhi's inexperience. Either way, the younger boy took this as a means to learn his lesson for real. He made the mistake of underestimating Kyoma, that was for sure, but he would not make the same mistake twice.

Feeling invigorated all of a sudden—and realizing that the paint's effects must have mostly worn out by now—Asuhi gasped loudly. The sound caught Kyoma off guard, who looked down at the other with a clear expression of concern. Things like did something happen that wasn't supposed to or did he get hurt somehow seemed to silently escape his mouth, although his lips didn't move in the slightest. But Asuhi felt flattered by the obvious worry on his part nonetheless, which was why he smiled as he moved.

He ducked out from under Kyoma's arm, and ignored his shouting protests. Then he snaked around, and did something he thought he would never be capable of doing.

He reached up with his hand, and took hold of one of the floating crystals he found near his opponent's head.

Then he crushed it between his fingers. The feeling was completely painless, contrary to his initial belief, and he liked the way that the shards fell from his fingers like feathers from a plume. They drifted down to the ground, littering the grass below them and dusting the top of Kyoma's shoulder. He whipped around at once, and met Asuhi's half-euphoric and half-shocked gaze with his own.

Fire and water were present in their eyes as they collided again, and two heartbeats went at a faster speed than before. There was something about that opia—something about that eye contact which was so invasive and personal all at once, yet not at all unpleasant. There was something to be said about the way that hot and cold gazes mingled into one lukewarm sentiment, or how opposing forces came together in one neutral entity.

There was something lovely about this situation, and if Asuhi didn't know better he would have blushed. He restrained himself, though, and sighed out with defeat as Kyoma reached out and punched the remaining crystal he had to bits above his head. The star fragments drifted down like snow, and once they fell to the ground, the magical barriers surrounding them had disappeared.

There was a long silence between them, and they both stared at each other as they were covered in various places on their body with paint. Kyoma looked more colorful than a canvas, and he felt twice as inspirational, too. On the other hand, Asuhi's chest was coated with metallic blue paint, and bits of black and yellow hues (from the flash bomb and sound explosives earlier) were stuck to his hair and his back. They just looked at each other quietly for a few moments, before the older of the two broke that peace with a cutting armament that was his voice.

"Good work today," he praised humbly. "You're not bad, Imizu."

"Good work today," he repeated back to him. "A-And you were amazing, Kuzuryu! I-I was never a match for you at all…"

"Don't be an idiot," Kyoma snapped, feeling a twinge of guilt as he watched Asuhi recoil from the sudden aggression in his voice. "You almost beat me, too. So stop saying stuff like that, got it? If I hear another thing like 'I never stood a chance' or whatever, then I'm gonna get really pissed off!"

"Eek!" Asuhi squeaked. "O-Okay, sorry, it's just a habit of mine...but thank you, Kuzuryu, for saying that I was good enough to almost beat you. I was out of options so I just did the first thing I thought of. I-I'm not as good in battle if I don't have my telescope…"

"That's why we're training, right?" He pointed this out in a firm voice, unflinching in his resolve. "It's no good if you're always stuck doing the same thing, so that's why I even bothered with the simulation battle to begin with."

"Right," Asuhi agreed. "Yes, it makes sense now. T-Thanks again, Kuzuryu."

"Stop thanking me, I didn't do much at all," Kyoma said in an exasperated voice. "Either way, let's head back now. You'd better get cleaned up before someone accuses me of messing around with you."

Asuhi turned red at the idea of it, or the idea of anyone talking about him being with Kyoma in general. Even if he wasn't adverse to the possibility of hanging out with the other, just the mere thought of being together was enough to send him into a strange frenzy. He stared down at the tops of his shoes nervously, folding in on himself once more as he tried to pretend that everything was right in the world, and that the heart beating so quickly in his chest was because of the adrenaline-filled battle—not because of the unintentional, flustering words of the upperclassman before him.

It wasn't because of that feeling he had ever since he pulled his beautiful and damaged figure out of the rain, although that memory was sure to stick with him for some time. He buried it with the rest of his secrets, and nodded feverishly at the other with a renewed semblance of confidence in his gaze.

"Yes," he cheered. "Let's go back!"

...

Sometime after cleaning up, Imizu and Kuzuryu encountered each other again. They exchanged phone numbers to better keep in touch, and Imizu tried to act like he wasn't completely anxious as he did so. He was unused to being so social all the time, even if it was only with just one other person. His usual company consisted of the stars above, and so for the past day and a half to have gone by so quickly with someone else was elating but frightening all at once.

Asuhi stared down at his phone screen, as if he were trying to decipher the strange language that sat there. A series of numbers blinked up at him, as well as a contact name that was simply written as "Kuzuryu" without his first name following. But the older student himself was the one to input his information, so the younger figured that he could change it later without worry.

As his mind fixed itself to stray from its path again, Kyoma spoke up. "This will be all from me today. If you want, we can meet up tomorrow."

"Sure," Asuhi said. "Maybe after class? U-Um…"

"What is it?" Kyoma asked. "You look like you wanna say something."

"Well, I know that you usually skip class, Kuzuryu, but I was hoping that maybe you wouldn't skip tomorrow's class. I-It's not good to be absent so often, and you'll miss out on all the points they give out for showing up…"

The artist went silent, and scratched at the star on his cheek thoughtfully. Finally, after a moment or so, he talked.

"I have plenty of points tallied up that I don't need to go to class. 'Sides, there isn't much that they'll teach me that I don't already know."

"Still, it'd give me peace of mind, more than anything."

"We'll see," Kyoma said. "I'm not making any promises."

"You don't have to!" Asuhi reassured. "Thank you for listening to my weird request. And thanks for training with me, it really helped a lot. I'll see you tomorrow, Kuzuryu!"

"...I'll see you."

Asuhi nodded, and adjusted the straps around his shoulder before he took himself—and his telescope—back to his room. He turned his back on Kyoma, and he felt safe as the other's crimson gaze was not to be seen. He had such an inquisitive look, after all, and the intensity that his eyes sometimes had was every bit overwhelming as it felt. But it wasn't such a bad feeling after all, Asuhi decided. And for the short time he had gotten used to seeing them, he found himself thinking that he liked the way that Kyoma's eyes were. He liked seeing that introspection in the darker flecks of his irises—he liked seeing the gears of his mind turn like clockwork all at once.

Asuhi liked Kyoma a little bit, once he got past the initial gruffness that the other fronted. And if they were going to be partners in a doubles tournament, then they would have even more time to get used to each other, and more time to make something of their relationship. They could form it into a full-fledged friendship, even, and Asuhi would be one step closer to achieving his long dream of becoming a strong, bright person.

Just like the stars above, Asuhi would be another step closer to perfection.

...

It was three o'clock in the morning. Asuhi was seated on the rooftop of the dormitory, telescope in hand and eyes aimed towards the heavens. The skies were clear, and so a multitude of stars could be seen from his angle. He sighed contentedly at their appearance, basking in their dim glow coupled with the moonlight.

For a moment, Asuhi was alone to his own thoughts. But then his phone vibrated, the sound of which shattered the peaceful illusion he indulged himself in. With a tiny groan, Asuhi reached over to his backpack, unzipped the main compartment, and pulled out his phone. The bright screen illuminated with a touch of his fingers, and he recoiled as he lowered the settings to something more tolerable for three in the morning.

It was a text he received. The conversation read:

Kuzuryu: Hey, you still up?

Imizu: yes, and so are you it seems

Kuzuryu: Couldn't sleep so I got bored. Wyd?

Imizu paused here, the acronym that Kuzuryu used was not so familiar in his mind. He remembered Akama using it some time ago, and it finally registered in his mind what the other was trying to say. With a quietly embarrassed huff, he typed up his reply.

Imizu: hanging out with the stars they're very happy tonight (*´▽`*)

Kyoma: you talk to the stars?

Imizu: yeah i do. is that weird?

Kyoma: yeah but it's not a bad thing. Tell the stars that I said hi.

Imizu: haha, ok! Will do ( ´ ▽ ` )

Their conversation stopped there for a time, and the next half and hour passed by uneventfully as Asuhi continued gazing at the stars. He rubbed at his tired eyes, and pondered over whether or not he should head down to bed. Just as he considered reaching out for his telescope to put it away, his phone buzzed with another text.

Asuhi opened it, thinking that it was just Kyoma yelling at him to get some sleep. Instead, there was a series of several words strung together, that which seemed so much sweeter and nicer than anything Asuhi had ever experienced before. He reread them over and over again, just so he could glean their meaning in a new way each time.

Kyoma: and tell them they've got nothing on you.

He couldn't possibly respond to that. And Kyoma probably didn't expect him to, because there was no other text on his end that indicated he was waiting for a response. Rather, the night grew eerily quiet again, and Asuhi braced himself as he anticipated a follow-up text that would serve as some sort of explanation.

Instead, the void of quiet enveloped him, leaving him slightly embarrassed and disoriented in the middle of the night. All he could do was stare at his phone, and wonder what had gotten into Kyoma for him to send something as silly (and affectionate) as that.

He supposed he could ask him in the morning, and if not, then he had all the time in the world to talk to him again. With that resolve in his chest, Asuhi packed up his telescope, and started heading back towards his dorm room.

A tiny spark lit up in his chest, and his eyes were cast downward as his face flushed with a light shade of pink. All of these feelings sparked from something small, but scintillating—something tiny but joyful, all the same. Kyoma's text single handedly had done him in, with little to no protest on Asuhi's end. A shallow sigh escaped his lips as he walked.

He thought grimly to himself.

Well, there goes any chance for a peaceful sleep tonight…

The humans accepted Hermes' givings in full,

and lived lives full of happiness.