Night Flower

Written: 12/13/2023

So, with chapter 15, we will delve more into the athletic aspect of the preparations for the sport's festival. This way, we can get both Kamuro and Azuma's interactions with Munfurawa. Oh yeah, and Ichinose as well, because she's awesome.

In terms of the overall festival, I do plan on actually starting it around chapter 17-18ish. Maybe a bit later as I do want to spend this time developing the characters and their overall interactions. I think doing this would give a sense of slice of life and realism you can get. Obviously some may just want to read the arcs, and that's fine.

However, if I stuck precisely to the arcs, I would just be somewhat copying, and I do want to create my own unique blend of this story. That is all. So without more stuff to say, here is chapter 15.

Chapter 15: Sports Festival Preparations Part 3 – Progress and Observations

"Be a free thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in." – Aristotle.

Third Person POV

Munfurawa groaned as he got up. He was thankful that the graze from Horikita's compass did not hurt as badly as it did. It was around three days after that incident, and while the two had reconciled somewhat, they ultimately focused on their own things.

Horikita spent most of her time leading within the cardio aspects of the assessments, so it wasn't like they could talk all that much. In class, they maintained a focus on their studies, while outside they were clearly occupied.

With that being said, Horikita did seem to always be waiting for Munfurawa to return to his dorm. Her door would always be open, like she was waiting for him to pass by.

It was strange, in Munfurawa's opinion, why Horikita was always waiting for him to return. Whenever he would, she would open her door, and they would have a little small talk before they went back into their own separate dorms. Munfurawa wondered if that was Horikita's way of just being communicative. He wasn't sure.

It wasn't just Horikita, Ibuki seemed to have been wanting to see him every time he ate. Especially for lunch, the two would eat together and find some small enjoyment in their conversations. Ibuki also wanted to see Munfurawa fight, much to the boy's meekness.

Right now, it has roughly been a week since their class had started preparing for the sport's festival. At the moment, Munfurawa had yet again made his way over to the gym. He had made this new schedule for himself, as he did want to participate in his martial arts club. He had discussed this with Horikita, Sudo, and Hirata and they nodded.

They did see him as one of the more athletic individuals in their class, even if he was holding back, and thus gave him a lighter tone regarding attending.

Still, Munufurawa had decided to still attend. It was here did he see someone he would meet quite a bit. This was around the time Class A used to the gym, and while they were hostile with other classes barging in on their actions, Munufurawa had stuck to his word, and thus could trust him somewhat.

Besides, he mostly kept to himself.

Mostly, as a certain individual from Class A always approached him: Masumi Kamuro.

Said girl, while giving a look that indicated she did not put up with idiocy, she was a relatively easy going individual. She greeted Munfurawa who nodded back.

"Munfurawa!" Kamuro then exclaimed, "Come with me and help with the machines!"

She then ran towards some nearby machines, which Munfurawa sighed, before following. Right now, she was making her way to the leg extension machines. Munfurawa looked on in intrigue. Why did she want him with her?

"Munfurawa-kun, can you please increase it when I say so?" Kamuro asked.

"Sure."

"Great! Thanks!" Kamuro thanked, before Munfurawa put on around 15 Ibs, which wasn't much.

Therefore, to no one's surprise, Kamuro had easily lifted it up as it wasn't that heavy. After around 10 reps, she stopped.

"Raise the weights a bit." Kamuro asked, and Munfurawa put it to 20 Ibs. Once again, she lifted her legs to commit to the next reps.

"Raise it!" Kamuro exclaimed, clearly wanting to continue.

She continued this process for quite some time, before she couldn't go any longer.

"R-Raise…" Kamuro still wanted to go, even after doing around 70 Ibs of leg extensions. It was very impressive to Munfurawa, for someone like Kamuro.

"I think you shouldn't push yourself anymore." Munfurawa pointed out. "You performed well."

Kamuro got off, her legs wobbling as she stabilized them, "Thanks, you do it now."

"Huh." Munfurawa didn't hear her right.

"You do it as well." Kamuro then proceeded to push Munfurawa onto the leg extension machines.

Munfurawa sighed as he got on, pondering about what was fine in terms of strength for this. He didn't want to go for the average, but he did was to be respectful in the eyes of Class A. Perhaps just over 80 Ibs would be fine, he wasn't sure.

He started with the easy reps, with Kamuro looking on, clearly intrigued.

"More." Munfurawa said after he finished his reps, until he kept going towards the 85 pounds mark. However, as he made it towards the number, he noticed the amount of people from Class A looking at him.

This made Munfurawa somewhat nervous, as he was now being pressured into going longer. He didn't want to seem weak, but he also didn't want to see average. But considering everyone in Class A was technically an athlete, it was a problem.

Thus, once he reached 90 Ibs, he was somewhat unsure now. His legs weren't giving out yet, and he could still go, but now he was being looked at by everyone. Probably to see a glimpse of their team they would be working with.

Munfurawa sighed, finishing the 90 Ibs reps. "More."

By this time, he was getting some gasps from the class, hearing some small whispers and commotions.

Still, Munfurawa kept going. It wasn't until he reached 100 Ibs did he start to hear the commotion the others were giving him.

Eventually, he stopped at 105 Ibs much to dismay of some. However, doing 105 Ibs in leg extensions was impressive for many. It was actually on the above average end for most of Class A.

Katsuragi looked on, "It seems Class D is taking this seriously…"

Munfurawa sighed, "I didn't want to try too hard since I have martial arts classes and I have to workout with my class."

Kamuro nodded, "That's fine, let's do some arm workouts now." She replied instead, dragging Munfurawa to another machine, hammer extensions, for triceps. Munfurawa sighed as he knew Kamuro wanted another sort of competition.

Likewise, Kamuro say down and put herself in position before she committed to her reps. She clearly did seem strong for an individual. However, considering she was in Class A, it also wasn't surprising or out of the ordinary. Thus, he continued with his own exercise, but he didn't lie if he found it more fun with a partner.

Eventually, it was his turn to pull some reps, and thus he did. He made sure to set it just above what Kamuro was capable of. He did not want to seem overly strong compared to Class A, just average.

It was a shame that performing average in Class A, was actually performing well on a broader level.

"Wow, you really are strong Munfurawa-kun." Kamuro commented, and the boy sighed.

"It's just because of my martial arts club." He stated, not wanting to make it seem like a big deal. Of course, everyone was curious by nature, and Kamuro did not let in at that explanation.

"Really? I feel martial arts doesn't really act as a muscle development sport." Kamuro commented.

"It is, more like swimming, it works everything rather than a specific area vigorously." Munfurawa explained, which wasn't a total lie. While he did specialize on his legs and lower body, his upper body wasn't a stark difference. It was also pretty muscular, which was why he said an all around sport.

"Hmm, fair enough, that is a fair assumption." Kamuro stated at last, before they went to one final machine. This particular machine was close to the rest, the abs crunch.

That was well known to the majority of individuals, considering abs is something that results in instant popularity. If you have abs, you will immediately gain a 200% increase in popularity, especially towards girls.

Munfurawa pondered, before he noticed Kamuro head onto the machine. Once again, everyone stared at Munfurawa, which he simply ignored, not making a big deal about it. He merely watched Kamuro perform some ab crunch, as she clearly got tired. It was something Munfurawa himself was unsure about doing. He didn't want to reveal too much, and therefore was debated the matter.

He failed to notice the slight abs building in Kamuro, whose shirt had gone up a bit with her reps

"Alright Munfurawa-kun! Go!" Kamuro exclaimed, a bit too loud which got the nearest individuals towards them to turn to Munfurawa.

Munfurawa slightly cursed at Kamuro's action right there before he sat down. Grabbing the handles, he began his own reps, making sure to not overperform to show off or anything. The last thing he needed right now, was any uproar within Class A because he was unintentionally showcasing too much.

It was a delicate balance he had to make sure he did not cross on both sides.

Eventually, all of Class A was now leaving, as Class D was probably going to come soon.

It was here did Munfurawa felt another tap to his shoulder. He turned around and saw Kamuro, looking at him.

"Yes, Kamuro?" He asked.

"Did you enjoy working out with me?" She asked, clearly with a tone of uncertainty.

Munfurawa thought about it, "Yeah, it was kind of fun."

He didn't think too much into it, just if it was different or not, which was true. Therefore, he just said what was on his mind with it being different. Sometimes change is good, after all.

Kamuro gave a small smile, before she nodded, "Alright, I'm going to check on Arisu, see you tomorrow, Munfurawa-kun!"

Munfurawa waved a goodbye back, ignoring the looks some from Class A were giving him, specifically Katsuragi, before they all went out.

Munfurawa sighed, as he began to enjoy the quietness of the gym, now that he was alone. Since he had mostly worked out his legs, he decided to focus on his arms and hands. No doubt would he be tired for his martial arts class. But then again, it took a lot to tire him out these days.

Thus, he closed his eyes, and enjoyed the brief silence he was getting.

Brief. For the first thing he was met with was the sounds of increasingly loud and fast paced footsteps, which meant someone was charging him.

He quickly opened his eyes and jumped off the seat he was on, hearing a crash before he turned around.

"Oww… Why did you move, Munfurawa-kun?" Azuma was half crying and half angry.

Munfurawa just looked down, and noticed Azuma was seriously in a compromising position. Sighing, he opened his hand to help Azuma up, not thinking too much.

To his surprise, she pushed all of her weight onto him, which made him retaliate with his own weight. Since Munfurawa was larger than Azuma, he overpowered Azuma. The problem was the sudden force he was exerting, which caused them both to fall on the gym floor, with Azuma on top of Munfurawa.

"What did we just walk into?" Hirata asked, and Azuma squeaked in surprise, covering her face in surprise.

Sudo, who was watching the entire thing laughed, clutching his abdomen, before Sakura and Horikita punched him lightly, making him stop. Horikita in particular looked angry at what she was seeing.

"Are you okay, Azuma?" Munfurawa asked, "Sorry I pulled too hard."

Azuma shook her head, "No it's fine, it put too much first." She exclaimed, clearly embarrassed.

Munfurawa sighed, before he noticed the lack of action. "Umm… Azuma?"

"Y-Yeah?" She asked stuttering now.

"Can I get up?" He then asked.

"What do you-" She was about to ask, before she looked down and realized she was on top of him.

With a yell, she quickly got up and Munfurawa followed suit shortly after.

"What happened?" One of the girls asked Azuma, who was shivering. The girl looked at Munfurawa and he sighed, knowing he had some explaining to do.

Regardless, that was overshadowed by Sudo, Horikita, and Hirata calling for another round of exercises. Once again, the plan was the focus on muscle development. They had done cardio every other day, but since the weekend had passed, they decided to start the week with the same thing they ended it with.

Thus, it was muscle development, which Munfurawa was fine with. He did need that more than cardio.

He went with Sudo, who playfully elbowed him, before he felt a sudden hard substance on his elbow.

"Bro, you got abs?" Sudo asked, and Munfurawa shrugged.

"Just the foundations so far." Munfurawa reassured and Sudo rubbed his elbow.

"Damn…" He mumbled, before he continued with his own workouts. Leading most of the group, he went on.

Despite the initial awkwardness they had caused, Azuma had gotten back to Munfurawa, sticking near him, despite the blush on her face as she remembered the small incident they had. The two began to work closely in terms of their overall exercises.

Similar to Kamuro, it seemed that Azuma had wanted to integrate Munfurawa into her own workouts as much as possible.

Sudo and Horikita noticed this, though with different expressions and reactions. Whereas Sudo's was more of pride, Horikita's was more of skepticism and jealousy.

Even Ayanokouji had included himself with Munfurawa, which he nodded to, before approaching him, much to Azuma's dismay.

"Hey, did you talk to Kushida about it?" Ayanokouji asked suddenly, and Munfurawa shook his head.

"No, I will probably use it when I deem it is most effective." Was all Munfurawa replied with. Ayanokouji took a sigh of relief, which made Munfurawa a bit confused.

"Is everything ok?" Munfurawa asked, and Ayanokouji nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just following everything, trying to not to accidentally reveal everything." Ayanokouji started, "If I start and I don't show improvements, it might seem a bit skeptical, right?"

Munfurawa nodded, "I hadn't thought of that, but yeah they might."

Ayanokouji sighed, "It seems that will be of some small concern for us."

Munfurawa agreed, "It seems so, however, I do plan on gauging the other classes and their capabilities."

"Is that so?" Ayanokouji asked.

Munfurawa nodded, "I already have some input from Class A, but they won't matter, so we will need to look at Class B and C."

Ayanokouji hummed, "Class C would probably be of our most concern."

Munfurawa, "I agree, that dictator running the class is too unpredictable sometimes, and taking precautions is a must around him. As for Class B, they will probably be more capable in the physical aspects. Therefore seeing them would be a priority."

Ayanokouji nodded, "Seems like you already have your stuff planned out."

Munfurawa hummed, "Honestly, I just made this all up. I have my martial arts tournament after, so this is a little break for me if anything."

"Well then, have fun looking at the other classes, I guess." Ayanokouji concluded.

Munfurawa nodded, "I will, and I'll let you know what we are dealing with."

As Munfurawa went out, ignoring the strange looks from Horikita and Sudo, he heard once again someone running towards him.

Sidestepping, he realized it was Azuma, who had once again tripped failing to stop herself effectively.

"Can you stop doing that?!" Azuma bellowed in comedic anger.

"It's not my fault you run at me like a leopard." Munfurawa commented.

Azuma got up and looked at Munfurawa with an angry expression before sighing.

"You are unbearable sometimes…" She mumbled. Munfurawa merely shrugged before he went on, before Azuma then asked.

"Wait, what exactly are you going to do?" She asked, realizing what was going on.

"I've going to check out the other classes' athletic capabilities." Munfurawa explained, and Azuma began to understand. They didn't look back to the rest of their class, which implied to Azuma that this was something Munufurawa had planned himself.

Then again, she did eavesdrop on him telling Ayanokouji he was going to do something, so that was something, theoretically.

"Since when do you go out of your way to do stuff like this?" Azuma asked.

Munfurawa had stopped, clearly confused himself as to why he had performed this action. "That's a good question."

Before he started walking, leaving Azuma confused as it did not answer her questions how she wanted. But she sighed, taking it as an, 'I don't know.'

"You planned to go alone…" Azuma then mumbled, and Munfurawa remained quiet, not really know if she was asking a question or if it was a rebuttal.

"Whatever, I'm following you." Azuma said finally, "I too am curious about the other classes and their capabilities."

Munfurawa nodded, "It'll be a good recon to gather information and advice on how to prepare properly."

"Hmm, I noticed you were personally helping those at the lower end of the physical score with their capabilities." Azuma then pointed out.

"Yeah, and…?" Munfurawa asked.

"I find it interesting how you decided to do that task, to get some of the more unathletic people in this class to actually perform alongside everyone." Azuma commented, "It's impressing."

Munfurawa shrugged, "I just teach them some simple techniques that can strengthen their core strength and endurance. I give them a recommended daily schedule that isn't too vigorous nor easy. When starting, always start with a pace you are comfortable with before you push yourself."

Azuma hummed, "Yeah, that is usually how you go." Before she grabbed Munfurawa's arm yet again. Once again, Munfurawa was shocked, but this time didn't say anything considering he had experienced this kind of action from her previously.

Eventually, they found the class they wanted to observe the most, which was Class B. They seemed to have occupied the track field. As for the other class, Class C, they were no where to be found. Looking up at the second floor of the school building, he noticed that Class C's room was still on with light, meaning that they were probably still occupying there.

Interested, Munfurawa thought, either they were not interested in watching them or they seriously were focusing on studies. However, knowing Ryūen, it was probably the first option.

"Munfurawa-kun!" A bubbly girl immediately made her way towards the individual. She noticed another girl with her arms around Munfurawa's arm, and her eyebrows rose. Honami Ichinose

"Oh my, who is this, Munfurawa-kun, your girlfriend?" She asked, which resulted in Azuma to blush madly, while Munfurawa looked at her in confusion.

"My girlfriend? What?" Munfurawa asked, turning to Azuma in confusion. "Did you tell people we're in a relationship?"

Azuma frantically squeaked, removing herself from Munfurawa before she exclaimed, "What?! NO! I didn't I-I'm mean n-not th-that I mi- I mean! GAH!" She was stuttering potentially, which made Ichinose laugh.

"Alright! I get it, I didn't meant to tease you." Ichinose said at last, after she managed to calm her laugh.

"What is your name by the way?" Ichinose asked the girl next to Munfurawa, who was still somewhat embarrassed at the whole thing.

She then attempted to slap Munfurawa, who just caught her hand, making her more embarrassed. "Why did I follow you here?!" She exclaimed at last, facepalming covering her face.

Munfurawa sighed, "She's Sana Azuma." He introduced his companion to Ichinose.

Ichinose gave a nice smile, "Hey Azuma! It's nice to meet you! How did you and Munfurawa meet?" She asked rather excitedly.

Azuma seemed to have calmed down now that the conversation had gone back to normal, mostly. "Oh! Yeah, we actually are in the martial arts club together, I challenged him to a fight because he refused to talk."

Munfurawa rolled is eyes, "I didn't want to, not refused."

"Same thing." Azuma countered, and Ichinose chuckled.

"You two are something else." Was all she said, before she calmed down, "Is there anything I can help you with?" She finally asked.

Munfurawa shrugged, "Nothing much exactly, just to see what sort of preparations you all are making regarding the sport's festival."

Ichinose smiled, "That's such a you thing to do Munfurawa, but what I am surprised was the companion you brought."

Munfurawa chuckled, "Well this little doggy refused to let me go alone, so she tagged along with me."

"I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE DOGGY!" Azuma bellowed, clearly pouting as what Munfurawa had just called her.

"Alright sheesh, she dragged me here." Munfurawa said instead, which made Azuma slap herself.

"You know what, yes, I was your dog who refused to let you go alone." Azuma mumbled, agreeing to that rather than the alternative.

As Munfurawa looked around, he noticed one individual. Sō Shibata, he seemed to be consistent in his racing. Which made sense, considering he was a member of the soccer team. Thus, running back and forth required the number of stamina. Still, he had a problem with that individual, mainly because of the family name.

Munfurawa made a mental note down for him, knowing he could pose a threat. In addition to Honami Ichinose, he already had two on his radar. As for Class C, he was sure Mio Ibuki was capable of an athletic individual. No doubt would ice girl want a rematch against her.

Munfurawa sighed, "It seems Class C and you all are not cooperating as much."

Ichinose made a sad face, "Yeah, that jerk refuses to accept help sometimes."

"I wouldn't call him a jerk, but yeah, that is how Ryūen operates. He seems to be underestimating us, but then again he is unpredictable and may be coming up with a strategy to bring us down." Munfurawa pondered, as he spoke of his thoughts.

"And what makes you say that?" Ichinose and Azuma asked.

"It's simple, Ayanokouji and I met him behind the cruise ship, and he openly called Class D a threat to him. There is no doubt that this event will pin an already competitive environment more so." Munfurawa explained.

It did make sense to them, as he was unpredictable, and thus had to be aware. Who knows, maybe Ryūen may bring their own team down just to gain extra class points? After all, Ryūen had a reason to backstab Class B for their own benefit.

Then again, if he was focusing on Class D, then he would let Class B stand by, until he finishes with his so called, rats in his house.

Munfurawa sighed, "I'm not worried, but rather curious as why Ryūen would seemingly show such disinterest, unless he already has something sinister planned."

"That is a high possibility…" Azuma added, and the two began to think in silence.

Ichinose looked at the two, wishing she could give more advice. "Well, it seems that Munfurawa-kun yourself has some form of knowledge for him. Is there anyone else you know?"

Munfurawa looked up with a thinking expression, "Katsuragi, definitely, perhaps he would be interesting to ask."

Azuma nodded in agreement, "Mhm."

They three then agreed in their observation. Munfurawa had looked around and noticed that while most of Class B was more athletic than Class D, it wasn't a large gap that they couldn't beat. It was possible to catch up to them, it just took a lot of dedication.

Munfurawa then clasped his hands, "I think that is enough observing for today, thank you for allowing us to do some peaking, Ichinose."

Ichinose smiled sweetly at Munfurawa, "No problem, I'm glad I could help."

She then grabbed Munfurawa's hand and shook it. The act catching the eyes of Azuma who did seem a bit jealous, but only briefly as she reminded herself it was just a handshake.

As the two left, they then realized something, well only Azuma.

"Oh yeah, club activities are in a bit." Azuma warned, and Munfurawa nodded, showing his uniform in his gym bag.

"Are we going to spar again?" Azuma asked, and Munfurawa nodded.

"Yeah, I do want to see how strong you got." He reiterated, and Azuma pouted.

"One of these days, I will beat you." She mentioned, clearly wanting that to be her goal.

"Keep practicing, and you eventually might." Munfurawa motivated Azuma.

Which worked, considering she began to run off. Munfurawa sighed as he made it a bit later, putting on his own uniform before warming up.

It was typical for many taekwondo members, or at least from his area, to warm up by doing jump ropes. It was something to get your body working, and thus to reduce to risk of cramps and the likes.

Munfurawa himself remembered the times when he had developed cramps as a child because he forgot to warm up and stretch his legs. It was something he emphasized now, considering cramps were the worst thing the body could do to yourself.

Well, besides having an organ in your body randomly burst, but he digressed.

He noticed some familiar individuals entering and greeting Munfurawa. Munfurawa waved back, but again was hesitant to speak to them. It was a matter of nervousness, he didn't really want to become overly popular, even if the methods he was using made him popular regardless.

Munfurawa sighed, as he realized that Azuma was once again challenging to a spar. It was something Munfurawa was accustomed to. It seemed that every day the two would spar, learning each other's techniques.

It seemed that today was no different, as Azuma wanted a match, regardless of already working out.

Once again, both participants clasped their hands together, and bowed, indicating respect and the commence of a sparring match. Once again, the crowd stopped to watch what was happening, as it was something they were used to.

Almost everyday, there would be a sparring match between two individuals, but Munfurawa and Azuma were regulars, always putting on shows. Whereas before Azuma had not stood much of a chance, as her skill was way lower than Munfurawa. Now, she actually held her own. She was able to block his attacks and actually fight back. In general, the spars' length of duration increased from just under a minute to around 5-7 minutes. But again, Munfurawa excelled in endurance and stamina, and thus could easily outpace Azuma in regard to a match length.

Therefore, Azuma knew she had to be the one to instigate the potential game ender. Munfurawa was able to let his enemy tire out before he fought back, whereas Azuma used an aggressive style.

They complimented each other, but also had their own weaknesses they could exploit.

With an aggressive, you are relying on a short length battle, whereas dodging and observing isn't the best as your patterns could be read.

But again, Munfurawa had counterattacks and unexpected combos he could use to remain unpredictable.

Eventually, they posed in their fighting stance, waiting for the other to strike.

Sticking with tradition, Azuma was the one to initiate the first blow, a lunge punch straight towards Munfurawa's torso. Munfurawa quickly blocked it with his hands, but was shocked to see her perform a roundhouse kick, attempting to hit Munfurawa.

"So that was a decoy?" Munfurawa thought, as Azuma struck him in his side, just below his ribcage. He was shocked that Azuma had managed to give the first blow, however the fight wasn't near over.

He utilized the close range to use his knee. He jabbed his knee right into Azuma's hips, which forced her to back up, before he pushed her away with a pushing motion kiss. Once he had kept the distance, he eye Azuma down, knowing he couldn't let her close the distance.

Once she started moving, Munfurawa acted himself. The movement caught Azuma by surprise, specifically by his use of his hands. Tilting himself, he proceeded used his leg to snap it out. Tilting slightly left, Munfurawa snapped his foot, performing a hook kick, which Azuma caught.

Munfurawa kept his momentum going, as he used he leaped towards her, breaking free of the grapple, before twisting his body to kick her side, using his free foot.

Azuma grunted, but kept herself going, using the short distance they were in to strike Munfurawa with a spear-handed thrust, in his middle area. Munfurawa's eyes widened before he grabbed her hands, pulling her to his side, finishing off with a crescent kick, which knocked her down.

Azuma fell to the ground due to the force, and Munfurawa looked down, noticing she wasn't moving.

Munfurawa sighed, assuming he had quickly beaten Azuma once again. However, that assumption was gone once he felt something take him off his feet. That was unexpected, however Munfurawa had quickly broken his fall, before he rolled to see what had happened.

To his surprise, Azuma was up, albeit a small bump on her forehead where he struck her.

Azuma was smiling, "Seems I finally got you down, even if it was a surprise attack." She remarked, feeling proud of herself. Of course, the battle wasn't done, and thus she kicked down where Munfurawa laid, with the boy rolling and shooting himself up, grabbing a thrusting kick from Azuma. This time he pushed her off of him to create some needed distance.

He looked over to Azuma and saw her panting. This plus the previous workouts were no doubt taking its toll on her, and he knew it was time to act.

Rushing towards Azuma, he pushed a kick out to hit her, which she blocked. Continuing his spinning, he committed to a backside hook kick, which once again struck her hand, though with the velocity it probably hurt.

Munfurawa wasn't done. He had to keep the pressure on her. He jumped additionally to gain some height on his kicks, performing a triple kick in one jump, which Azuma couldn't block. To Azuma's credit, she was blocking the attacks well, and sustaining the damage maturely. However, when Munfurawa began exerting pressure on her, it was usually when she had burnt herself out, therefore being unable to counter efficiently.

However, she did try, jabbing into Munfurawa's torso, which did little to stop his assault. If anything, that became a major mistake, as Munfurawa swerved underneath her punches, to land on of his own to her shoulder, which he hit. Using that brief period of shock, he utilized an underhook, following a grab to her elbow, clamping her wrist before tumbling with her across the floor, eventually leaving her in a compromised position.

Azuma tried as she could, but was unable to get up. Eventually she gave up and sighed, "What was that?" She asked, and Munfurawa sighed.

"Butterfly Sweep." Was all he said before he got up, after everyone knew the match was over.

Azuma sighed, and Munfurawa took notice of her sudden sadness. "I wouldn't necessarily be sad, you did get the first strike this time, you got some good ones on me."

Azuma smiled as she got up, before she fell back down. Munfurawa took notice of this, "Are you okay, Azuma?"

Azuma smiled sadly, "I think so, just my legs are…" She collapsed on the ground again.

Munfurawa clearly didn't believe her reassurances this time, considering she couldn't get up.

Sighing, Munfurawa helped her up, giving himself off for her to lean on.

"I'll take you to the nurse." Munfurawa stated as he helped Azuma towards the room. Once they made it, the nurse was confused.

"Sparring match, went too hard on her." Was all Munfurawa said, and the nurse sighed.

"I told you to be more casual when you two are sparring…" She mumbled, "You make up the majority of my clients…"

It was partially true. Because of how Munfurawa fights in their spar, sometimes Azuma does sustain some injuries from him being too rough. Despite the hesitance originally, Azuma shook the idea off, and just told Munfurawa to continue fighting how he is most comfortable with.

"It's fine, there is always a way to counter a fighting style. I'll eventually counter yours." Was all Azuma said before the nurse came back.

"Well she just has some bruises on her legs and hips. It will hurt for a bit but should heal." Was all the nurse stated before noticing something on Munfurawa.

"Dear, did you hurt yourself as well?" She asked Munfurawa, and the boy looked at his knuckles.

"Oh, that's from punching, I can wrap them up myself, thanks, though." Munfurawa replied.

The nurse sighed, "Alright you two, get some rest. I know the sport's festival is soon, but stop hurting each other like this…"

The two eventually left, with Azuma holding onto Munfurawa for support. They remained silent before Munfurawa spoke.

"Uh, sorry again for hurting you." He mumbled, feeling awkward about apologizing.

Azuma chuckled, "It's fine, we are found to hurt each other whenever we spar, it's a natural part of it."

Munfurawa nodded in response, it was true, and besides she wasn't hurt that much. Still, Munfurawa felt bad, as this is something he had been doing for quite some time.

As the two continued, they noticed the amount of students within the area.

"What is everyone doing around here?" Munfurawa asked, clearly confused at the presence of multiple students.

Azuma looked on, "You didn't know? Today were club activities. They started back officially today."

"Oh." Munfurawa responded as he observed the amount of students cooperating and communicating with each other.

He merely stared them down as he noticed two boys talking in ease among each other, which he took a keen interest on.

"Is that what it means to have friends?" He asked himself, clearly on an enigma.

He was somewhat confused with the whole ordeal but pushed himself through.

He then looked down at the purple-red bracelet he was wearing on his wrist. He began to have memories of the only person he could possibly think of as a friend. Hayashida Noriko. The only person who saw behind his loner persona and approached him with a compassionate attitude.

She was the only person who defended him from the harsh environments of the school they attended. The only person who openly hung out with him, despite others regarding his loner status and a creep.

She was the only person who saw something in him, behind the persona and wall he had build. She was there for him.

It was unfortunate that when she needed someone the most, he couldn't repay her. He had ultimately failed her. And her death was widespread and blamed on him. He became the scapegoat of the death of the only person he was close to.

Was that what a friend was? What exactly was a friend?

He remembered Horikita offering to be each other's friends. However, the only reason he accepted at the time, was because he had yet to garnish a strong understanding of what a friend actually was.

That sort of gave away how much of a loner Munfurawa really was. He had lacked connection and communication with anyone, mostly because he wasn't approached. What was he supposed to do?

The only friend he had ended up committing suicide. If he wasn't seen as cursed, then he didn't know what was. The whole school thought he was.

"Munfurawa?"

As he continued to ponder, he failed to notice the concerned look Azuma was giving him. She was clearly nervous and concerned due to the fact that Munfurawa had unexpectedly become frozen. It was an almost frozen-like state, as if he was turned into a statue.

"Munfurawa-kun? Are you there?" Azuma asked clearly trying to get him back to reality.

"Huh, oh…" Munfurawa's eyes became normal as he blinked at a normal pace, as he looked around, realizing where he was.

"Are you okay?" Azuma asked concerningly. He looked at her eyes to see the genuine concern she was giving him.

"Yeah, why?" Munfurawa asked, hoping he could put it behind him for now. He says for now, due to the fact that this was a question he had been pondering for a while now.

"You blanked out for a solid minute or two." Azuma pointed out, clearly not wanting to let this incident go without any interrogation.

Munfurawa sighed, "It's nothing too serious, just a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" Azuma pressed on, not realizing the uncomfortable feeling Munfurawa was developing.

"I told you, I was just thinking of something at a bad time." Munfurawa responded.

"And I asked you, what were you thinking?" Azuma asked, her face turning serious.

Munfurawa decided to just walk away, not wanting to ask that question.

"Hey wait!" Azuma exclaimed, as she tried to catch up to Munfurawa, only to fall due to her injuries.

Munfurawa sighed, "I'm sending you to your room, I think I'm done for the day."

Azuma reluctantly nodded, sad that she wasn't getting the answer she wanted.

"I don't want to force you to reveal anything to me, but I feel bad whenever a friend of mine is hurting." Azuma stated.

That sentence. The term friend. It was used again. What exactly was a friend, Munfurawa kept asking himself.

He sighed, knowing he had to focus on getting Azuma to her dorm. Her dorm was quite a bit away from his own, so he passed by his own dorm, before he opened Azuma's room, as he helped her on her bed.

"Will you be fine on your own?" Munfurawa asked.

"I think I will, I'm a tough girl after all." Azuma reassured Munfurawa, who nodded in response.

The two remained silent, which gave Munfurawa the time to ponder everything he saw and thought. The concept of friends, and how Azuma used it, the idea of easily communicating with others, and just the easiness alongside others.

How can people be so carefree around people they don't truly know? How can people just stick by them, if they will inevitably betray them when the situation gets dire? Is a friend a hypocrite?

Munfurawa didn't exactly know how to answer this. He looked down and was looking at the bracelet he got from that day. He had never given it back, as when he did, Noriko's parents tossed it right into his eye, refusing to take anything from what the called, 'their daughter's murderer.'

As a result, Munfurawa just took it for himself. It acted like a nice memento for him, as it made him feel that a part of Noriko was with him. He began to wonder, if she was able to see him, how would she react?

Was she truly a good friend? She seemed to have stuck around him even when the others were pressuring her not to. She defied those societal pressures, and went on her own path. For that, he saw the trueness in her. He didn't think for a second that Noriko was the kind of person to leave people in the dark when things went south.

For once, he thought he found someone who was nice to him. Even in her death, she remained an influencing figure in his life.

"What is that bracelet?" The voice of Azuma knocked Munfurawa out of his own world.

He quickly looked around, confused as to where he was, before he saw Azuma's figure on her bed.

He then realized that he had brought Azuma to her dorm after he had accidentally injured her during sparring yet again.

"Uhh, what did you ask? Sorry I kind of blanked out." Munfurawa asked.

"So you did blank out the last time." Azuma assumed, clearly from last time.

"No, it was this time only." Munfurawa reiterated.

Azuma sighed, "You are such a terrible liar, Munfurawa."

Munfurawa shrugged, "Sorry, but that's what you think."

"Whatever, what is that bracelet on your hand, it looks really nice."

Munfurawa looked back and began to remember the memories of perhaps the only consistently good figure in his life.

He sighed, "It's just a memento."

"Memento for what?" Azuma asked, wanting more information.

"It's a memento for someone I held dear to me, that's all." Munfurawa stated, hoping she would end it there.

"Someone you held dear to you?" She asked, and Munfurawa's hope had shattered.

"Yeah, she was a nice person to me, the only nice person to me…" He said in a solemn tone. It seemed that Azuma had finally gotten the message, judging from the tone Munfurawa had said it in.

"Oh…" Azuma said at last after some time, as she realized that this person must have passed on or something, that rendered Munfurawa to not see them anymore.

Munfurawa then got up, heading to the door to his own dorm.

"You can stay here for a bit, if you want?" Azuma mentioned, and Munfurawa sighed.

"I don't know, I don't want to seem intrusive." Munfurawa warned, and Azuma chuckled.

"It's fine, you are my friend after all." Azuma reassured Munfurawa, who once again was brought into a state of pondering at the term friend again.

He didn't want to confront her about this question, more from a matter of nervousness rather than wanting to answer it.

Therefore, he remained silent.

"I think I'm going to head out, now." Munfurawa said at last, "Get better for tomorrow, okay?"

Azuma nodded, clearly upset that he was leaving, but also understanding, "Aww, I see, well have a good rest of the day to you as well, I'll probably just remain in bed studying."

Munfurawa responded in kind, before he closed her door and went to his own dorm.

Immediately, he spotted Ayanokouji and Horikita conversing with each other.

Once again, the idea of friendship was something Munfurawa didn't really understand. Heck, he couldn't even tell if Horikita truly was a friend.

He knew for sure that even if he had a consistent connection with Ayanokouji, Munfurawa ultimately could not trust him. He was just too misleading and mysterious, like him.

As he made it to his room, he noticed Horikita turn to face him. "Well it seems you finally returned from your state of random disappearance."

Munfurawa shrugged, "I didn't disappear, your ice cloud gave me to opportunity to escape workouts."

Horikita clearly looked mad at that remark, "Just for that, I shall purposely increase the vigor of your workouts tomorrow."

Munfurawa shrugged, "Bring it on, ice girl, see if you can compete with me."

Horikita eyed him, "It's on."

It was clear to them that Horikita was on edge, for some unknown reason.

What Munfurawa wasn't aware of, he was the reason Horikita was upset.

"I will personally look over you tomorrow." Horikita emphasized, before she walked off, smiling to herself.

If Munfurawa could properly read minds, he would know that Horikita just said this so that she could spend more time with him. Not because she actually had any malicious intent.

It was impressive how little fright Munfurawa showed, but atlas, he was good at hiding his emotions. Not as good as Ayanokouji, but he was pretty damn good at that.

As a result, he just looked at Horikita's retreating figure, swaying before she went into her dorm, seeing a small smile on her face.

Munfurawa sighed, before Ayanokouji pointed out, "She seems unusually tough on you for some reason."

"I know, and I wonder why." Munfurawa responded.

"Perhaps it was skipping workouts today?" Ayanokouji mentioned.

Munfurawa shook his head, "I didn't skip for no reason, you know."

Ayanokouji then asked, "Then why did you skip, then?"

Munfurawa looked up, facing the window, "I was going for recon service, checking on the current status and capabilities of the other classes."

"I see, well did you find anything important?"

"Well, for starters, it seems that Class C isn't taking us seriously. However, knowing Ryūen, we should be cautious of him and his unpredictability. In addition, Mio Ibuki will be wanting a rematch with ice girl. As for others from Class C, and obvious is Albert Yamada, with his physical prowess being incredibly potent."

"That does make sense," Ayanokouji put a hand under his chin, "What about Class B?"

"Class B will probably be the more of a challenge for Class D. Specifically, Ichinose is a obvious contender. However, while watching them on the field, I noticed Sō Shibata was relatively skilled in the dashes. This is aided by his membership on the soccer team."

Ayanokouji nodded, "I will inform Horikita and Sudo about this, this will come in handy, even if Horikita will act like it's not."

"Thank you, Ayanokouji." Munfurawa thanked. The silent boy nodded, before he waved a bye.

"I will see you tomorrow." Ayanokouji stated, and Munfurawa waved back.

As Munfurawa went into his room, he looked back down on his wrist, seeing the purplish reddish bracelet he had gotten from Noriko. He sighed, as he slid down his dorm, as he pondered.

He kept thinking about the possibilities, of friends, with Azuma, Ayanokouji, this one somewhat hesitant, Ibuki, Kamuro, and even Ichinose. Horikita, who had literally asked if they could be each other's first friends, was an interesting case, was another case.

A small text from Horikita made him check his phone, and he read the text from her.

Ice Girl: Thank you.

A.N / Not much to say here actually. This was chapter 15. I will decide tomorrow if I will start the proceedings to the Sport's Festival, or do an improvement chapter.

As for this chapter, this was more for Kamuro, Azuma, and a bit of Ichinose fluff. Specifically Azuma. Overall, this is all I have to say. See you later for chapter 16.