THUNK!
The sound of two hard and strong pieces of wood hitting each other was heard within the shallow room.
The sounds echoed through the stable air, which was slightly electrified but not to the point of being noticable by normal humans.
Cutting through the air, with graceful and swift movements, a long wooden stick, with one side being more sharpened than the other, as if resembling a blunt wooden sword, was swung.
It collided with another wooden sword just like it, one in the same.
"Your technique is brilliant. You're clearly no ordinary woman." The male voice of our protagonist praised the female he was locked in friendly combat with.
Standing opposite to him, was Raiden Mei, her stance speaking clearly for her. She held a defensive stance rather than an offensive one, which was weird since Alex has yet to actually take an offensive approach.
Situated within the closed wooden walls of a rented dojo, the two talented combatants clashed with one another, but Alex was careful with his strength.
Knowing full well that Mei, despite her talent and potential, still remained a normal human as of yet; Alex did not wish to bring her any harm.
But of course, even though his weapon of choice isn't normally a katana, by no means was he bad at it. If anything, Alexander was quite talented in using a sword. Except, instead of blocking and slicing with grace and precision, his sword style involves more force and hacking.
His blade of choice was not nearly as long as a katana, but was much heavier and thicker.
Mei was surprised.
She even enquired whether he had trained earlier, to which he replied by saying he had some prior experience but not much. Unlike Mei, he didn't dedicate his life to hone his own blade.
This was not really a lie. He knew instinctively how to use his khadga, as if his body remembered it from somewhere.
"Thank you, Alex. I could say the same about you. You're technique is brilliant." Mei responded while throwing another attack, which was easily parried.
"So was this what you were after ?" She asked, her eyes slightly downcast.
That question of hers managed to irritate Alexander, who scoffed at her.
He then disappeared from her line of sight, before reappearing in front of her and smacking her. Mei could barely block this one. Alex then sweeped her feet off the ground and she fell on her back roughly.
Feeling pain, Mei winced a little and opened her eyes to look at the man that glared down at her.
"Don't spout such nonsense, Mei. You are my friend, nothing more. I don't need anything from you." His tone wasn't sweet or nice.
It wasn't a kind clarification. It was a firm correction.
"I am not after anything, Mei. I am already an expert at bladework. Also, I generally don't like using kendo sticks or katanas. They don't match my style well."
His foot stepped on the wooden sword and kicked it forward, making it slide across the wooden flooring until it was just out of her reach.
She looked down at her weapon, and then back up at Alexander, who just stared down at her with his peculiar crimson eyes.
"Pick it up." He said.
Firmness.
It remained strong in his voice. The firmness never left.
Mei noticed the change in him very easily. The firmness in his voice. The stoic face he wore. The calmness he instilled. The sharpness in his eyes. The experience they exuded. The relaxed yet tense state of his body. His fluid heartbeat. His stable breathing.
"Come on, Mei. Pick it up." He quickly reminded her, noticing her zoning out and calling out for her to bring her back to her senses.
"Right.." Mei slightly moved her head side to side, before slowly picking the wooden sword up and standing up with her trained legs.
It would be a lie if she said he wasn't fatigued. Her arms felt like jelly. Especially, her forearms and her triceps. The strength that followed after each strike from Alexander, even the blocked one's, was massive.
By normal human standards, he was taller, stronger, heavier and faster than her. He had a higher offense and greater upper body strength. And though his technique was lacking, it was by no means mediocre.
Then again, Alex already told her he's not good at Kendo. He's winning because he's overpowering her, not because he's more skilled.
Though not on the level of Mei in terms of sword technique, he was still not to be underestimated even in that regard. Today, he showed his great talent to learn. To adjust the external stimuli and act appropriately on it.
He also emphasized on his own strength, albeit involuntarily. He showed Mei that he was by no means a pushover.
It would certainly be a lie if Mei said she wasn't a little envious.
His adaptability and processing speed is too high to be considered normal.
This guy looked at Mei practice and was able to replicate her techniques, despite saying he had not experience with a katana before.
Yes, he had practice with blades, but not a katana. This was a first time experience for him, and he may soon try things out on a real katana one day.
Maybe.
"Come strike me."
Mei's eyes hardened, her gaze sharpening. Her breath became steady and her legs tensed up. She took a deep breath, and used the energy in her legs to move forward in a burst of speed, a small fluctuation of red appearing around her as she did this.
Of course, this energy fluctuation did not escape Alex's eyes and his gaze became just as focused.
He blocked the attack and they began trading blows, but Alex pushed Mei into going on the offensive, while he took up a more defensive position.
"Come on. Push harder. Don't leave any openings." He commanded while dodging an overhead slice and twirling in the ground, his feet sliding on the floor.
A hand raised, elbows out to hit the enemy in the face. Mei moved her head back to avoid getting elbowed, but forgot to take into account the wooden sword he was holding, which he extended right as his elbow passed.
Stretching his arm out, the wooden sword in his stick was extended and he lightly tapped the side of Mei's neck.
"And you're dead." He joked with a silly smile on his face.
Beads of sweat rolled from the side of Mei's head and she let out a tired breath. She then looked up at the talker male and smiled kindly.
Mei chose to forget the unclear sensations she felt while she was sparring with him just now.
The sensations of fear that sent tingles across her smooth skin, which made her feel uneasy. Her instincts screamed at her ana a voice buried deep within her also reacted violently.
As if trying to force it's way out, Mei felt a harsh throbbing sensation within her chest. It made her face tense up and her lips pursed. Her wanted to hold onto her chest and calm her heart, but did not want to make Alex worried.
If she reacted like that, he might assume he hurted her and carry a guilty conscience, which she wanted to avoid since she was completely fine.
But that gaze never made her feel any less uncomfortable.
When she was fighting him, she coincidentally stared into his shadow and her heart skipped a beat. To her, it even felt like it's stopped beating for a second or two.
His shadow was dark and black. It seemed bottomless. Like an abyss without any end to its darkness. Like it wanted to swallow her up. It sent chills across her body.
It also momentarily changed its... shape ? In a way, it looked less human. Mei, whenever she dueled with Alex, has noticed fluctuations of light. She noticed what appears to be... extra arms ? That is simply not possible, so Mei took the easiest explanation for this and assumed it was perhaps an afterimage. Or maybe her own brain was playing tricks on her.
Alex, being the ever-so observant person he was, immediately noticed the changes in Mei's expression, but failed to understand the reasons behind it.
Contrary to Mei's worries, Alex was confident he did not harm Mei, which is why he immediately ruled that possibility out and focused his gaze on her chest, momentarily.
He wasn't incapable of seeing the unimaginable amounts of concentrated honkai energy that pulsated inside her body. Though it remained dormant, he could still feel the power from it.
And for some weird reason, he could feel it reacting to something and it made him feel anxious.
Was it because of the stress ? Did he go too hard on her ?
Then...
He noticed her gaze and immediately calmed down, not wanting to alarm the gentle woman in any way of form. He'd known her enough to know what kind of person she was.
"Why don't we call it a day and take a relaxing walk in the park, Mei ?" He suggested, with a soft smile.
He had hoped a nice walk with a friend would be enough to calm Mei down. They'd even go to a restaurant for a meal later.
"That does sound nice. But don't you have to go to your school ?" Mei asked, feeling a little sullen at the fact that she wouldn't be able to properly hang out today.
Chiba Academy was an all-girls school, so she couldn't take Alex there with her and therefore, was alone for most of the day, except during breaks and after school.
She also felt a little bad because Alex spent whatever free time he got to spend time with her and keep her happy, which worked very well.
Although she enjoyed his company, she didn't want to distract him from his school work and ruin his possible future.
What she didn't know, was that Alex action didn't go to school to study as a student.
To this, Alex smiled warmly at her.
"That's fine Mei. Nothing will happen. Gosh, you're such a worrywart." He threw in a friendly jab at the end there.
"But I suppose you are right. I should leave now."
They met in secret between the day and today, had spent a long time together training. So the sun was already setting.
"How about coming with me and grabbing a bite. Let's have dinner together, Mei. It's already late, so we might as well." He offered, making her formerly sullen eyes light up.
She looked up at him and smiled. She cherished every possible moment she received and wanted to also spend more time with her new and only remaining friend.
"I'd love to. But I think we should go get a change of clothes first."
Alex nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes, you do that. Freshen up and dress nice. Let's meet at 8:15. I'll be outside your home to pick you up."