Rise and Fall

After another week, the fateful Sunday for the training duel between Ranma on one side and Kenichi and Miu on the other finally arrived.

The previous clashes had varied in outcomes and were never truly decisive, as the Masters had designed them mainly as training opportunities for all parties involved.

Since the last week of November, the day after the battle on the ship "Nereus," the Elder had established those training sessions for the students. At that time, before the month ended, there was only time for the match between Miu and Renka with Ranma.

From the following week, for three weeks, duels between students alternated every Saturday afternoon: Kenichi versus Miu, Kenichi versus Renka, and Miu versus Renka. In the fourth week, it was a 2-on-1 match.

Thus, by the end of April, it was already the sixth time handicap-style fights had taken place.

In November, Ranma had easily dealt with Miu and Renka, who, while strong individually, had no teamwork whatsoever. That was probably also one of the lowest points in the relationship between the two girls. Their synergy had improved by February but not significantly. Instinctively, they managed to put the opponent in trouble, forcing him to react instinctively to their attacks performed with such different styles, but not by truly coordinating.

By December, however, Kenichi and Renka already had better coordination than in the early days of their training, thanks in part to Ranma's suggestion to Renka to use Kokin and Hermit's trick—the Sei Ki pulses—to coordinate with each other. This collaboration improved further by March, when the two Sei fighters, now excellent partners (and even lovers for a few weeks), practically managed to stall Ranma as effectively as the two disciples of the Satsujinken had, though obviously without being able to land any decisive blows to defeat him.

Kenichi and Miu, who already by late January seemed to have returned to their usual relationship, had to work a bit to regain their former combat harmony. The reason was that they hadn't trained together for a long time due to new schedules, and even though their teamwork on the ship just two months earlier had proven formidable, coordinating to face a single strong opponent instead of many weaker ones posed significant challenges. These, however, seemed surmountable, and it was evident that they would do even better next time.
The April fight between the two Ryozanpaku disciples and Ranma would thus reveal the level of their evolution.

As for individual duels over the five months in which they had taken place, Miu had defeated Renka 3 times to 2 and Kenichi 4 times to 1, while Renka against Kenichi achieved a balanced result of 2 wins, 2 losses, and one draw.

On the one hand, it was undeniable that Kenichi hesitated to risk injuring the girls; on the other, he was developing an awareness that this ideal might hinder not only his own evolution but theirs as well.

For this reason, he was becoming more determined and starting to give it his all. The number of defeats mainly stemmed from the difference in experience.

The significant fact was that Kenichi's only victory against Miu was achieved in April: on that occasion, the disciple seemed particularly motivated…

As in other important occasions, all the Masters, along with Renka, Mousse, Kuno, and Ryoga, were seated on cushions under the porch.

Ranma, Miu, and Kenichi stood at the center of the lawn, fully focused.

As usual, it was Hayato who initiated the match.

"Begin!"

But they didn't immediately pounce on each other.

Kenichi and Miu began slowly walking in a circle around Ranma, guards up, a few meters apart.

The pigtailed boy had to keep an eye on both of them, moving slowly to follow their movements.

Good… even I can't decide whether to take the initiative or not—it might be a trap… but I think I'll wait for them to make the first move, just out of curiosity.

Indeed, the first move came quickly. Miu feinted a high attack, and Kenichi feinted low; then, simultaneously, they swapped positions.

Miu launched a sweeping kick with her long legs at Ranma's, while her partner leapt into the air to attack the boy with a flying knee strike to the face.

Ranma instinctively intercepted Kenichi's knee mid-air with both hands, but in doing so, he held his opponent suspended, allowing Kenichi to start pounding him with punches to his exposed head.

At the same time, Miu shifted position, sliding behind Ranma, who had his view blocked, struck the back of his knees with a kick, and began pounding his kidneys with punches.

The punches moved at super speed but hadn't yet landed.

Ranma had to act quickly.

With a swift motion, he lowered his arms, forcing Kenichi toward the ground to avoid a face strike, but left his head exposed, as his arms were occupied.

In reality, that was Miu's target.

Instead of hitting him with punches, she grabbed his torso, performed a somersault, positioning herself head-down above him, and rained down knee strikes from above toward his exposed face.

"Ooh, nice tactic, my granddaughter…" Hayato commented, stroking his beard.

"Whoa! They planned this far ahead? Kenichi wasn't the attacker; he was the bait!" Ryoga marveled. "It was a double feint!"

But just before the knees struck Ranma's head, he had a jolt, leapt upward, and hurled Kenichi like a dead weight into the air, causing him to intercept Miu's strike with his torso, serving as a human shield.

"Whoa! Ranma-san was ruthless!" Renka remarked.

"That was the only thing he could do in that situation," Sakaki dismissed. "He acted on instinct."

"Well, in a way, it's a testament to Kenichi and Miu's teamwork," Akisame observed. "They managed to put him in a tough spot."

Miu was shocked by the incident and landed on her feet as Kenichi crashed to the ground. Ranma had stepped back to regain distance.

"Kenichi! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry! I…"

"Ow, that hurts… I KNOW! Leave me alone, I'm fine…" the boy added, clutching his side and struggling to get up without accepting her outstretched hand.

This raised an eyebrow from almost everyone.

"Hey, Kenichi! Everything okay? Sorry, but I had no choice," Ranma asked.

"It'll take more than that!" declared the Strongest Disciple in History.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're already admitting you're in trouble because we've only just begun."

"Ohoh, you're finally showing some fangs too. That's a rare thing…"

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA!"

"Kenichi, can you keep going?"

"Don't worry, Miu; let's proceed with plan #2."

"Y-yes," the girl confirmed, a bit unsure.

Kenichi and Miu launched their attack. This time, instead of attacking from opposite directions, they were side by side. Moreover, Ranma realized they were executing the exact same moves!

Right punch, then left front kick, then left punch, then right knee strike.

Exactly the same! But it was much harder to block this way!

And in doing so, Ranma was inevitably exposed to the next attack!

Moreover, they began deliberately adding slight timing differences: first, one attacked more slowly and the other more quickly, then vice versa!

Thus, Ranma, who had come to expect simultaneous attacks, couldn't perfectly block them, and some blows got through his guard, forcing him to retreat.

Nice idea! But now it's my turn! There's no point staying on the defensive!

While charging, as he always did, his fists by his sides before unleashing the technique, Ranma announced his intention.

CHESTNUT ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE TECHNIQUE

Kenichi and Miu seemed to anticipate this reaction, so they had time to throw themselves to the ground—Kenichi to his left (Ranma's right) and Miu to her right (Ranma's left)—allowing their opponent's punches to strike the empty space where they had just been.

How? They dodged it? But how could they…?

"Heh, Ranma… What do you think? We've prepared for this time," Kenichi thought.

[ONE WEEK EARLIER.
"Ryoga, I… I need to ask you a favor. You've faced Ranma many times. Do you happen to have… any tips for me?"]

Ryoga said that Ranma often uses the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Technique when he's in trouble and that it's easy to tell when he's about to use it because of how he charges his fists. And it's true.

Swiftly, Kenichi and Miu changed their positions. Lying face down, they flipped onto their backs and lunged at Ranma's legs, trapping them in a scissor hold: Kenichi locked his right leg, and Miu his left.

Standing, Ranma couldn't move or reach them with his arms while they sat on the ground.

"APA! What a clever idea!"

"Yes, I must say they're showing excellent teamwork," Kensei confirmed.

Miu and Kenichi moved on to the next phase, which was to punch Ranma's sides—one on each side—from below.

Once again, the pigtailed boy found himself momentarily overwhelmed, but his reflexes saved him.

He suddenly crouched as low as possible, bending his knees (even though he couldn't move his legs), and covered his sides with his bent arms. This way, instead of hitting the area under his ribs, their punches struck his forearms.

"Not bad," Mousse admitted, "but he's still on the defensive."

Ranma realized he couldn't let them control the fight. He spread his arms toward his opponents and opened his hands.

Although he couldn't quite reach their faces—since they had leaned back, maintaining their grip on his legs—two spinning blue energy spheres began forming in Ranma's palms, making the duo break out in a cold sweat.

What? He wouldn't actually hit their faces with the Moko Takabisha, even if it's the weaker version! Ryoga exclaimed.

Momentarily stunned, Miu and Kenichi released their hold and leapt backward with somersaults.

With his legs freed, Ranma crouched down and slammed his energy spheres into the ground.

Small explosions of dirt erupted toward the pair, raising a cloud of dust that obscured the battlefield. All three fighters were hidden from the spectators' view.

Sakaki grinned like a wolf.

"Obviously, he didn't want to hit them… He used that technique as a distraction, like he did with me—to break free and make their job harder."

"Miu and Kenichi aimed to influence Ranma's reactions to trap him where they wanted," Akisame explained, "but it's a game both sides can play."

"So, now Ranma… wants… to take advantage of… the lack of… visibility?" Shigure asked.

Indeed, the dust cloud hadn't settled yet, but the spectators knew the fighters were within it.

Ranma moved in the darkness like a cat, and it was a nightmare not knowing where he would strike from.

"Damn it! I can't see a thing!" Kenichi complained.

Meanwhile, around them, swiish sounds signaled Ranma's rapid changes in position to avoid being detected.

"Focus, Kenichi! Use your other senses, not just your sight."

Ranma, however, began making feints to throw them off.

Miu dropped to all fours and started spinning in place, kicking in all directions using Silat techniques. Even if attacked, her opponent would inevitably get caught in her counterattacks.

Thus, Kenichi was the one struck—Ranma landed a kick to his back, sending him flying out of the dust cloud, which soon dissipated.

Ranma and Miu faced off.

"It's just the two of us now," he said challengingly, his tone full of confidence.

"Tsk! If you think I'm the same person I was eight months ago… or even three months ago… YOU'RE DEAD WRONG!"

And she lunged at him.

The two were identical. No matter what relationship they had, when it came to fighting, everything else was set aside. Only their pride as martial artists mattered.

This, aside from the fact that no one knew they were lovers—and they wanted to keep it that way.

For Miu, it was easy: she didn't want to be underestimated.

A flurry of fast, powerful, but highly calculated strikes rained down on Ranma. He blocked them all but had to work hard to keep up.
High kicks, punches, knee strikes, forearm blows—all delivered with perfect timing to leave him no respite and prevent counterattacks.

"You've improved… I'll give you that," he commented with a satisfied smirk.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

Ranma noticed Miu gradually increasing her pace as if she were enhancing herself with Ki during the fight.

She's learned to do something like that?

"But what if I switch to offense?"

Miu delivered a high kick, which Ranma blocked with his forearm while simultaneously striking her—without causing too much harm—with the palm of his right hand to her stomach.

However, he realized the girl had anticipated this move and struck his attacking arm with her left elbow, aiming to disable it.

Still, the shockwave from his palm strike sent her flying.

Ranma massaged his forearm slightly.

"Good idea, but it won't be enough."

"I'll do whatever it takes to win," she declared fiercely, standing back up, "even challenge you on your own turf."

She leapt toward him.

Ranma followed suit, and soon both exploded into a whirlwind of flying kicks against each other, remaining suspended in mid-air.

"Ooh, Miu is holding her own against him in aerial combat!" Renka marveled.

"Of course, it's only natural," Hayato declared. "Both the Furinji style and the Kuremisago techniques include numerous aerial maneuvers."

Still, my granddaughter can't win like this—but I believe she knows that. This must be part of a strategy…

Indeed, Kenichi, still grumpy, got back on his feet and prepared himself, bending his legs like a spring before launching upward with a kick.

KOROI NUKI!

What? Was this a trap too?

Miu stuck her tongue out at Ranma, teasing him.

She had remembered his warning months earlier that fighting mid-air exposes one to counterattacks from below.

To avoid Kenichi, who was rocketing toward him like a missile, Ranma did something simple: he stopped attacking Miu.

In this way, the magic of centrifugal force that allowed him to stay suspended in the air as long as he kept attacking ran out, and he fell to the ground like dead weight, while Kenichi sped past the spot where Ranma had just been.

All three landed on the ground on their feet.

The two young fighters were determined and began to run toward him.

At one point, Miu overlapped with Kenichi, covering him from Ranma's sight.

She then leaped into the air, bending her legs and keeping her feet together.

Kenichi lifted his leg and planted his foot against hers, then launched her forward like a missile with a kind of sideways kick.

Miu had her arms crossed in front of her face and hit Ranma squarely in the stomach. (Caught off guard by the strategy and her acceleration—and instinctively not wanting to strike her in the face, something Miu knew and exploited—Ranma bent forward.)

But the pigtailed boy suspected the strategy wasn't ending there.

He grabbed Miu by the arms and tossed her to the ground to his left to keep her from blocking his line of sight.

And it was the right move, because Kenichi was charging forward with an extended fist, his whole body twisting as he unleashed a punch.

MUBYOSHI!

Ranma spun halfway to the side, watching Kenichi's punch graze past him like slow motion, tearing only a small rip in his shirt.

That was close...

"I'm sorry, Kenichi, but this ends here."

Moving forward without hitting anything, the disciple was now fully extended, leaving him unable to defend against an attack from his right—where Ranma was. As Kenichi passed, Ranma raised his right forearm to strike him in the face.

"NO!"

Having recovered, Miu, behind Ranma, delivered a high kick to his right arm, forcing it upward and away from Kenichi's face. Kenichi continued past without taking any damage.

Then Miu struck Ranma with a left elbow to the back of his neck.

Kenichi saw an opening, crouched low to the ground, and delivered a backward heel kick to Ranma's stomach.

The pigtailed boy bent forward, and Miu performed a flipping leap, grabbing Ranma's head between her hands and flipping him forward, forcing him into a somersault and slamming him to the ground on his back.

Kenichi, on all fours, threw another kick, but Ranma blocked it, unable to stand up in the process. Meanwhile, Miu leaped again, spinning in mid-air, aiming to land on him like a spinning top.

FURINJI KOUHOU YOKU

But when she stopped spinning, like a ballerina, her heels only struck the pit she'd created in the ground.

Ranma was gone. She had missed him.

Instead, he stood five meters away, hands on his hips, grinning smugly. He was clapping his hands.

"I'm proud of you both," he declared, "but those are the last hits you'll land on me today. That's a promise."

"Miu..."

"Yes."

The two unleashed their Ki to its maximum power, their energies erupting.

Miu glowed with orange flames, while Kenichi radiated bluish light. His eyes seemed to pierce into the distance, tapping into the Ryusui Seikuken.

They're really impressive, thought Ryoga. Even though Ranma is enjoying watching their growth, it's undeniable that they have excellent teamwork.

Maybe I completely misjudged them. If they didn't get along, they couldn't collaborate this well...

The two young fighters charged at Ranma—Miu from his left and Kenichi from his right—and began to bombard him with attacks.

The boy with the pigtail had to use both arms and legs to simultaneously block them, moving subtly to keep both in his line of sight and prevent either from getting behind him.

"Ranma can handle both of them even when they're going all out," observed Mousse. "After all, the strength of someone who's faced Sakaki at 60% power couldn't be just this..."

But the situation wasn't that simple.

The Ryusui Seikuken had another feature: in that state, the user could look into their opponent's eyes and synchronize with their breathing to predict their movements.

But this had a side effect—it was almost like reading their mind.

And Kenichi didn't like what he saw in Ranma's mind.

Ranma was thinking that Miu's strength was...arousing him a little.

Unaware that his privacy had been invaded, the pigtailed boy had started gradually increasing his Ki to keep pace with his opponents, seemingly enjoying himself.

Miu was just a little stronger.

But Kenichi had better defense.

Together, they kept Ranma on the defensive, maneuvering him until Miu was behind him and Kenichi was in front.

"Clearly, their strategy is obvious," declared Renka. "They know Kenichi is better at defense, and Miu is stronger at offense.

And Ranma knows this. So earlier, they surprised him by doing the opposite—using Miu as a decoy so Kenichi could land a hit.

And now, at full power, they've returned to their basic tactic: Kenichi keeps him busy while Miu goes all-out to take him down.

Attacking from behind seems like a simple strategy, but it works—especially against a Master.

Even if Ranma can defend against blind spots with his Sixth Sense, Kenichi predicts his moves with the Ryusui Seikuken and directs his attacks to keep Ranma occupied, allowing Miu to strike at the inevitable openings.

They can do this!"

"Indeed, it's an excellent plan," Mousse admitted.

Did I miscalculate their level?

"Yes, our disciples are very skilled, but..." Hayato began.

"But if it were that easy," Akisame finished, "we'd have been wrong to proclaim Ranma a Master."

Ranma kept his eyes on Kenichi, who held his gaze with a smirking defiance.

The boy with the pigtail was struggling to block all the attacks but was having the time of his life. Yet he couldn't resist taunting his opponents—it was his specialty after all.

"Umpf, Kenichi, I didn't know the Ryusui Seikuken let you read your opponent's mind."

"And now you'll see that's what will lead to your defeat."

"Uhm...no, that's not true. I lied. I knew it all along."

"Huh?"

"And that's why it's such a hard technique to learn—at least for me. Maybe for someone like you, who's naturally more empathetic, it's easier."

"What...you're not saying that..."

The Elder taught it only to me. It's a sign of his trust. He didn't even teach it to his son, Saiga.

Miu prepared herself, leaping into the air to deliver a triple spinning kick at Ranma—one to his legs, one to his back, and one to his neck.

What happened next occurred in a fraction of a second.

He couldn't have taught you this technique.

She's mine.

You… can't take her away from me!

"Uhm…Ranma is executing one of his most dangerous tactics. The psychological attack," Kensei noted.

"And against…Kenichi, this…is…particularly…effective," concluded Shigure.

"You know, Kenichi, let me give you some advice," Ranma said sarcastically.

"It's a proverb: The strategist drowns in his own strategy. You're good at influencing my moves, but… didn't you think that by doing so… I'd also figure out what you're trying to do?"

WHAT?!

"For example, if you force me to block high, it's to make me keep my upper body upright… Miu's about to attack me in the back of the neck, right? Sometimes, you need to…"

As Miu delivered her spinning kick to the back of his neck, Ranma made an unexpected move: he lunged forward, headbutting Kenichi in the face and causing Miu's heel to cut through the air where he had just been a moment ago.

"…improvise!" concluded the pigtailed boy.

"What? That's… the kind of thing I'd do!" exclaimed Ryoga.

Simultaneously, Ranma blindly extended a leg backward and kicked Miu, who was still airborne, striking her squarely in the stomach and sending her flying in an arc of about ten meters. She crashed heavily onto the ground, visibly affected by the blow.

"Hmm… The boy has learned to use strategy against me," observed Sakaki, "and against them, who also use it, he's refining the art of improvisation—the complete opposite concept."

"Both are indeed useful tools for a skilled warrior," confirmed Hayato.

Kenichi was stunned, with blood trickling from his forehead, shaken by Miu's injuries.

"You… you hurt her!" he growled.

"What's the matter? Are you going to cry now?" Ranma retorted.

"Miu is my friend too, and I care about her, of course… but unlike you, I respect her as a warrior.

I know it would hurt her even more if I went easy on her just because she's a girl… even though I don't particularly like hitting women either. I thought you'd figured that out by now."

Oh, really? You care about her? You respect her more than I do?

You think you know her better?

Just because… just because…

The boy kept replaying that scene over and over in his mind.

"Kenichi is losing his composure," Akisame observed, raising an eyebrow.

"That's unusual for him—and counterproductive, as a Sei fighter."

"RANMAAAAAA!"

The Strongest Disciple in History charged forward.

His attacks were fueled by fury, but they lacked precision. Ranma blocked them all but seemed surprised by his friend's reaction.

"Whoa, calm down, Kenichi! I didn't mean to offend you! Keep your cool, or your Seikuken…"

"I DON'T WANT YOUR ADVICE!"

"Okay!"

Ranma delivered a front kick to Kenichi's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to double over in pain, clutching his abdomen with both arms.

"Brutal…" Renka reflected, sweat-dropping.

"You don't lose focus in a fight," Sakaki seemed to read her thoughts aloud.

But then, a wild fury reappeared from the opposite side of the field.

Miu launched herself forward at incredible speed and unleashed flying kicks at Ranma, which the pigtail boy quickly turned and blocked with his forearms.

Kenichi recovered.

"Kenichi, let's end this," the girl declared.

"Y-yeah," he said, standing back up.

In no time, they resumed attacking him together with a flurry of punches and kicks. But Ranma, drawing upon his own Sei Ki, blocked every blow, instantly turning from one direction to the other.

Something was off.

"Kenichi… he's not focused," noted Kuno. "He's way too intent on winning. Just like when he fought me the other day…"

Mousse furrowed his brow.

Kenichi's coordination had deteriorated noticeably.

During a series of high kicks from Miu aimed at Ranma, which the boy dodged rapidly, a couple of the kicks accidentally landed on Kenichi's face instead.

"Kenichi!"

"I'm fine!" he replied, trying to reinforce his point by throwing a low Thai kick aimed at sweeping Ranma's leg.

Ranma lifted his leg to evade it, but it was Miu, on the other side, who ended up getting struck on her supporting leg, causing her to crash painfully to the ground.

"Miu!"

"It's nothing, focus!" she said, and from the ground, she kicked upward with her other leg toward Ranma's side.

He avoided the attack by leaping and countered with an aerial kick aimed at Kenichi, who blocked it by crossing his forearms but was pushed back by the force of the blow.

Something's definitely wrong… Since when are Kenichi and Miu so poorly coordinated? And yet, just a moment ago… in fact, practically always…

Hayato wasn't the only one wondering.

Ranma landed on his feet, having gained some distance.

"Guys, are you okay?"

"DON'T INTERFERE!"

Miu darted forward and aimed both fists at Ranma's kidneys.

Everything's falling apart, and I don't understand why, but maybe I can still…

FURINJI AWASE TSUBUTE!

Ranma instinctively reached behind him to block, catching Miu's knuckles in his palms. But this left his torso exposed.

"KENICHI! NOW!"

The boy lunged forward with his most powerful punch, his entire body glowing with Sei Ki.

RYUSUI MUBYOSHI!

Ranma had only a fraction of a second. Trained to evade, and recognizing the technique as dangerous, he sidestepped. Once again, Kenichi narrowly missed him.

But he didn't miss what had been directly behind Ranma just moments earlier.

Miu took the Mubyoshi's full impact, the Sei Ki surging through her body like an electric shock.

Her eyes turned white for a brief moment.

And she collapsed, motionless, onto the ground.

For a long, agonizing moment, no one spoke.

Everyone's eyes became hollow, as if they couldn't process what they had just seen.

It was as though a deathly silence had fallen across the entire field.

Then the realization of the gravity of the situation, that it had truly happened, swept through everyone's minds simultaneously like an electric shock.

Masters and Disciples alike rushed forward as one, though at varying speeds, toward the field.

Ranma and Kenichi were paralyzed with horror—and the latter also with remorse. It took him a moment to fully grasp what had happened.

By the time he did, everyone had formed a circle around Miu, excluding the two of them. The exclusion stung Kenichi even more.

But it was Hayato, surprisingly lucid, who restored order.

"Move, MOVE! Let her breathe, damn it!"

Everyone obeyed as Kensei and Akisame lovingly examined the girl.

The wait was unbearable. Everyone stared down at the ground, darkness in their eyes.

Kenichi was overwhelmed, trembling with pain, remorse, and anger.

Tears welled in his eyes but refused to fall. He avoided everyone's gaze entirely.

Each person expressed their concern in their own way.

Ranma, however, felt an indefinable form of guilt himself.

Did I move without considering Miu was behind me? Was I too focused on the fight? Would I have done the same if someone else had been behind me instead…?

Of course, the dynamics of what had happened were complex.

"It's hard to truly pin the blame on anyone," Renka thought, worried about her friend but also pained to see the anguish on Kenichi's face.

"On one hand, Ranma moved without thinking about her.

On the other hand, Miu logically should have dodged too, but didn't.

And from another perspective, Kenichi miscalculated the timing of his attack, even though he knew Miu was right there. Really…"

"...it wasn't anyone's fault," Ryoga finished the thought unknowingly. "But they'll probably all feel like it was."

After a few minutes, Miu had recovered. She was awake and able to sit up.

"We can confirm that Miu-san is fine," Kensei announced. "She hasn't suffered any internal damage and won't have any lasting effects.

Fortunately, Kenichi's Ryusui Mubyoshi is designed to transmit Ki through an opponent's body to disrupt them. It doesn't have as severe an effect on someone who wasn't actively fighting back.

When she was struck, Miu completely relaxed, so Kenichi's Ki passed through her harmlessly, like an electrical current grounding itself.

She's fine. We've treated her, and I've performed acupuncture. Now she just needs rest and one of my potions."

"And, of course, some time off," Akisame added.

He then noticed the somber looks of everyone present. "If I may add one thing," he said, "it's pointless to sit here with those funereal expressions, wondering who to blame.

We all saw it—it was an accident, plain and simple, and accidents DO happen in training. No one is pointing fingers at anyone."

"But," he continued, looking more serious now, "each of you should reflect on one thing: when you fight, you must stay focused on what you're doing.

Otherwise, in a real-life situation, the consequences could be fatal… for your teammates or yourself."

Ranma still didn't seem entirely convinced.

He kept pondering how to apologize but reluctantly accepted Akisame's reasoning. Despite feeling remorseful, he stayed quiet.

He hadn't said anything to Kenichi, imagining how terrible he must have felt.

But now, when he glanced at his friend, he saw Kenichi collapse to his knees, crying uncontrollably.

In another situation, Ranma might have been angry, but he understood there was no point. What could he say to Kenichi that would hurt more than how he already felt?

Hayato knelt beside his granddaughter, holding her hand. "How are you feeling, my precious granddaughter?"

"I'm… fine, Grandpa. Really, I am," Miu assured him, more bewildered by what had happened than in pain or anger.

Then she turned her gaze with an odd calmness toward the two most important men in her life.

One looked heartbroken; the other was sobbing.

"Come here, you two," she said gently.

Both of them hesitated but obeyed slowly.

Ranma tried to start. "Miu, I—"

"Don't say anything, Ranma-san. You don't need to," she interrupted.

Then, turning to Kenichi with warmth, she added, "And you, Kenichi, please… I don't want to see you like this. I'm fine, I really am. It never crossed my mind to blame you for this accident."

"But I…" Ranma began.

"No, I should have…" Kenichi protested.

"I said CALM DOWN!" she commanded. "I understand. You're sorry, and it's very sweet, but I don't want you tormenting yourselves like this.

If anything, we all made mistakes. Actually, when you think about it, the one most at fault is probably me—I knew what was coming and should have dodged in time, but I didn't."

The two boys seemed just a little pacified.

Both their eyes flickered to the bluish bruise on her right shin.

Of course… she couldn't dodge because of the earlier accidental hit she took…

"But there's one thing I want to know, Kenichi-san," she added, putting an emphasis on "san" to show she wasn't demanding an apology, just genuinely seeking answers.

Kenichi finally looked up at her for the first time.

"Today… we started off great. But then, at some point, our teamwork fell apart. It was like we weren't in sync anymore. I want to understand why," she said.

Ryoga couldn't help but think, "So, I was right after all…"

Seeing the pain in Kenichi's expression, Miu hurried to add, "Not just for today. I'm worried. We're training to face Yami, together, like always.

If there are flaws in our teamwork, it could cost one of us our life someday.

So I want to know what happened—not to judge, but so we can improve.

Lately, you've seemed distant from me… cold, even. And I just don't understand why."

She finished the last part with a slight shiver, as if she feared she already knew the answer deep down.

Ranma's stomach tightened. He had a terrible feeling about this.

Kenichi's eyes widened, staring at the ground. Then he shut them tightly.

He looked deeply conflicted. His face cycled through every possible expression: shock, indecision, worry, fear, disbelief, doubt, hesitation, guilt, and resentment.

No one could understand what was tearing at him.

Suddenly, something strange happened: it was as if he couldn't hold it in anymore.

He placed a hand on his cheek and threw his head back, overcome by a nervous impulse.

He laughed.

Everyone was more shocked by his hysterical reaction than by the earlier accident. They looked at him as if he'd gone mad, a subtle unease creeping over them.

Even Miu's eyes went wide in disbelief.

When Kenichi finally stopped laughing, he lowered his head again, looking directly into Miu's face without a trace of embarrassment. His eyes held the emptiness of someone who had lost all hope and no longer cared.

He might as well spill everything.

"So… since when haven't we been getting along, Miu-SAN?" he asked, sarcastically emphasizing the "san," his tone full of bitterness. No one had ever heard him speak like this before.

"Since when have I been distant?"

"Oh, I don't know. Let's see… could it be… maybe…"

"…since you started SLEEPING WITH RANMA?!"

Author's Note

Boom, baby.

It never rains, but it pours.

Come on, you knew it.

You knew this HAD to happen, sooner or later.

But the consequences...oh, the consequences will end up be MUCH MORE SEVERE than you can think now

Things will get worse, before they get better