Game 3 - Chapter 3

Chiken lay face down on the floor of the arena, slowly becoming aware again. Aware of himself, aware of the pain... aware he was dying. He put his hand to his side and croaked out, "Way of Binding 10... Restore." The flash of healing kidou was short-lived, though, before Byouko's claw tore into him again. He tried to put it out of his mind, but Byouko's attack was relentless. She rushed at him again, intending to finish him off. She struck.

Shik!

Chiken grit his teeth in pain. Byouko blinked.

He had stopped her claw with his bare hand, grasping the long center prong in his fist. Blood began pouring down his shaking arm. "Way of Binding 10, Restore," he said again. Another flash of cool white reiatsu, and then he pointed his hand at Byouko. "Way of Destruction 2: White Needle."

The needlelike shot of destructive energy drove Byouko back, giving Chiken time to catch his breath. He jumped to his feet and took a backwards leap, trying to put as much distance between himself and Byouko as he could. "Way of Binding 10, Restore!" More of his wounds disappeared from his body.

Not to be outdone, though, Byouko tore across the ring, closing the gap between herself and Chiken in seconds. She feinted to the right and then slashed her claw viciously across Chiken's chest.

"Way of Binding 10, Restore!" But no matter how many claw marks Byouko left in Chiken's body, it seemed as if he could heal himself even faster. She slashed at him again and again, drawing blood each time, but only received the back end of Myounahanashi to her stomach for the effort. She rolled away, but not without some moderate damage to her ribs.

She touched one hand to the ground and prepared for another attack. "Hyakk!" She suddenly dropped to her knees, spewing a fountain of blood from her mouth. The poison had been slowly eating away at her while Chiken managed to stall, and now she was almost in as bad of shape as he was. Under her hood, she glared at him. This fight had to end, and it had to end soon.


Turn 10:
Chiken cast RESTORE and healed 14 WOUNDS
Byouko made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 13 WOUNDS
Byouko takes 3 WOUNDS from poison

Turn 11:
Chiken cast RESTORE and healed 14 WOUNDS
Byouko made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 3 WOUNDS
Byouko takes 2 WOUNDS from poison

Turn 12:
Chiken cast WHITE NEEDLE for 1 WOUND
Byouko made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 0 WOUNDS
Byouko takes 6 WOUNDS from poison

Turn 13:
Chiken cast RESTORE and healed 16 WOUNDS
Byouko made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 19 WOUNDS
Byouko takes 3 WOUNDS from poison

Turn 14:
Chiken cast RESTORE and healed 16 WOUNDS
Byouko made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 5 WOUNDS
Byouko takes 1 WOUND from poison

Turn 15:
Chiken made a DEFENSIVE ATTACK for 6 WOUNDS
Byouko made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 3 WOUNDS
Byouko takes 4 WOUNDS from poison

Byouko's dad jumped to his feet, watching his daughter in action. "Yyyyes! Go Kitten Go! Win this fight for daddy!"

A sudden shot of worry sprung up, though, seeing Byouko on her hands and knees, coughing on the ground.

"Oh no!" he said. "SWEETIE!" he bellowed. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, SWEETIE?! IF YOU'VE GOT A HAIRBALL, HACK IT AT YOUR OPPONENT! LIKE I TAUGHT YOU!"

"Way of Binding 10: Restore." Chiken closed his eyes, feeling the soothing reiatsu flowing through his body. He could feel the rage deep within him, but overall, Chiken was at peace. He prepared to heal again. "Way of Binding 10: Re--"

"Way of Binding 1: Restrain," Byouko interrupted him, touching Chiken's right wrist. His eyes went wide as his arms wrenched behind him, locking behind his back.

Byouko coughed once. "I've... been neglecting my defense this entire battle, and you've barely been able to scratch me," she explained, blood dribbling from her mouth. "I'm wagering you don't have the strength to break that."

Chiken tugged and pulled and strained as hard as he could, but Byouko was right. His arms were totally immobilized.

Turn 16:
Chiken cast RESTORE and healed 10 HP (HP remaining: 16)
Byouko cast RESTRAIN
Chiken is stunned for 4 turns
Byouko took 3 WOUNDS from poison (HP remaining: 9)

"Now... hold still so I can finish this."

She drew her claw closer to him, aiming for his heart. Chiken's muscles strained with all their might. The rage was building inside him again. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth were bleeding.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr....rrrrrrrr...aaaaAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!"

Through sheer force of will, Chiken, despite his less-than-stellar physical strength, shattered through Byouko's kidou spell, bringing his arms apart in a primal scream just as Byouko drove her blades into Chiken's chest.

"Kuuuu--HYAKK!" Blood spurted from Chiken's mouth, and a look of defeat came over face, as the light faded from his eyes. Byouko slashed her claw out of Chiken's body in another bloody gush, and his form jerked once and then crashed unceremoniously face down to the ground. Byouko watched Chiken fall, and then turned away, making her way to the opposite side of the arena.

"N.... no..."

She turned back, stunned to see that her opponent was not only still conscious, but had struggled to one knee, despite how seriously wounded he was.

Turn 17
Chiken broke free from RESTRAIN!
Byouko made an ALL OUT ATTACK for 13 WOUNDS (HP remaining: 3)
Byouko took 6 WOUNDS from poison (HP remaining: 3)

Chiken closed his eyes and put his hand over his chest wound. Byouko cursed silently, regretting moving so far away from him.

"Way...," Chiken started.

She coughed up another mouthful of blood. She tried to find her footing for another rush attack, but her vision was getting blurry and the room was starting to spin.

"Of..."

Byouko shook the dizziness from her head. It was... so close. One more attack and the fight was hers.

"Binding..."

Her feet moved as fast as they could take her. She knew she wouldn't last another round. This fight had to end right now, with one decisive stroke. She pulled her elbow back, her claw ready to strike.

"Ten..."

She was inches away. Inches away from Chiken, and inches away from victory. A loud battlecry that sounded suspiciously like the yowl of a wildcat (though Byouko would vehemently insist otherwise) rose in her throat as she drove her weapon home.

"RESTORE!"

A flash of reiatsu. A flash of blood.

Neither combatant moved a muscle. The arena was silent.

Byouko pulled her claw out of Chiken's belly in another spray of blood. Chiken's body wobbled. And then Byouko gasped, clutching her chest, groaning. Another fountain of blood gurgled up from Byouko's throat. Desperately, she tried to aim her claw for another attack, but it was no use. She weakly grasped at Chiken's robe as the room went dark. She collapsed against him as he breathed heavily, his hand over the wound on his chest - healed just enough to resist Byouko's final attack.

"The winner, by knockout!" Tetsu cried out. "Chiken Kazenosei!"

The crowd erupted into wild applause.

Turn 18
Chiken cast RESTORE and healed 10 HP (HP remaining: 11)
Byouko made an ALL OUT ATTACK for 10 WOUNDS (HP remaining: 1)
Byouko took 4 WOUNDS from poison (HP remaining: 0)
Byouko has fallen UNCONSCIOUS!

Chiken smiled a bit - the vague, dopey look had fully returned to his face. That was fun, he thought. Now... time for a nap.

He collapsed on top of Byouko.

"Medics!" Tetsu called, but there was no need. Two teams of seven 4th Division member each had already swarmed the arena, casting kidou spells and spiriting Byouko and Chiken from the arena to the medical zone at ringside, where both of them were placed on beds to recover. They were both already conscious, and would be fully restored by the time Chiken needed to return to the ring for the main tournament.

"What a great fight, folks!" Tetsu announced. "Let's hear it for both our competitors!"

Another wild round of applause and cheering exploded from the crowd.

"And now!" he went on. "Time for our next preliminary match!" The spotlights spun around the arena.

"Would Maka Kasahara and Kazu Arikosu please come to the ring!"

Kasahara started to feel anxious at the start of Chiken's fight against Byouko. Impatience, worry, and nervousness stressed her to the point where she couldn't fully enjoy the battle in front of her. She gazed over to Kazu and stared at him for most of the fight. The brunette distractingly thought about what kind of fighter the bullheaded student was. He was large in stature and could be well adept in Kidou. On the other hand, he seemed more suited to be proficient in dealing physical damage and his bulky form also alluded that he'd be difficult to take down. She couldn't figure him out at all. Since Kasahara hasn't had a chance to watch Kazu fight at all, it was hard for her to gauge her opponent. The girl gave a silent huff and muttered under her breath. "Tough battle."

Thus far, Kasahara has been lucky enough not to fall in battle; she was due for a downfall soon. Taking her eyes off of Kazu, she glanced around the crowded area to the faces staring intently down at the current fight. If she fails to do well in the next fight, they'll be watching. Generals and honored members of society will witness her defeat. Kasahara wondered if 'he' was watching. She mentally scoffed at herself, adding to that idea that he might not even recognize her at all. It's been three years since that day; she couldn't blame him if he forgot the face of a certain scared little girl. Still, she made it this far and, with all the publicity, she hoped that maybe he'd be in the crowd somewhere to witness how that little girl turned into a skilled fighter. Well, she hoped she was seen as a skilled fighter.

She turned her attention away from the crowd and towards Takeshi. Practically sitting right in front of the ring, he'd have front row seats to the fight she could fail in. What would he think if she was defeated? Would she disappoint Takeshi? Would he even care? Kasahara deemed it hard to read Takeshi's thoughts and feelings although they were 'close'. Unlike Sakimoto and Rikiki, she was still unsure of the relationship between herself and blond boy. It was especially hard to comprehend it since they accidentally woke up naked next to each other. Her thoughts were interrupted by pulsating feeling coming from the weapon in her hands. It was as if it was trying to get her attention and get her to focus on the fight in front of her.

By the time she glanced down into the ring, the fight was nearly over. Both Byouko and Chiken were heavily gasping for air. Chiken was heavily wounded and could hardly stand up; by the looks of it, his blood decorated the ring's floor and stained both his and Byouko's clothes. Byouko, on the other hand, hardly had and scratches on her but looked seriously ill. Blood dribbled down the corner of her lips and her face was awfully pale. Was it an internal wound? Or perhaps it was poison that plagued her. Kyouryuketsu pulsed again at the sight of blood everywhere as if it was enjoying the scene and was eager to be in it. Kasahara held her weapon down with both her hands as it silently begged for her to be released.

As soon as the fight concluded with Chiken and Byouko piled ontop of one another, Kasahara stood up and entered the ring. She kept her Zanpakutou lowered with both hands. She waited for her opponent to come up but before the fight even started, she whispered quietly to her weapon. "I'm not releasing you.. ever. You're more trouble than you're worth."

Kazu approached, after escaping from his deep thoughts on the previous battle. He first bowed to General Yamamoto, then to the general area of the Captains, followed by the humans and referee. He finished up with a bow to each of the four winds, in his strange, Greek fashion, before standing before Miss Maka Kasahara. His bows were serious reflections of respect, and not ones that are commonly tossed away like a disposable greeting.

"Kasahara-san," Kazu bowed deeply before her in respect, more so than men commonly bow before women, "Please forgive an old deity for failing in producing his best against your excellent combat skills. It seems I've grown a bit feeble in this avatar body over the years and lax of practice. However, I wish you to know that I will give you what little I've regained in the little time time I've spent here at the Soul Society. I hope not to disappoint your expectations! I must state ahead of time, I will not release my Shikai. I hope you understand it is not because of you, but because of myself."

After exchanging pleasantries, Kazu drew his glistening sword, and prepared his battle stance, "I want you to know, I won't use anything but my sword in this battle. I already know all other forms of combat. So you don't have to worry about my horns!" he said with a wink, as he waited for the officiator to begin the battle.

Kasahara stared down at Kazu as he greeted her with a bow. As he spoke with the utmost respect for her, the brunette failed to interpret most of the words he elegantly wove. All she pulled from his little greeting was 'your excellent combat skills', 'I will not release my Shikai', and 'I won't use anything but my sword in this battle'. The tomboy simply gave a curt nod and said, "Sure."

She at least got the gist of what he was saying.

"Kasahara-san, please forgive an old deity for failing in producing his best against your excellent combat skills. It seems I've grown a bit feeble in this avatar body over the years and lax of practice. However, I wish you to know that I will give you what little I've regained in the little time time I've spent here at the Soul Society. I hope not to disappoint your expectations! I must state ahead of time, I will not release my Shikai. I hope you understand it is not because of you, but because of myself. I want you to know, I won't use anything but my sword in this battle. I already know all other forms of combat. So you don't have to worry about my horns!"

"Sure," Maka nodded back.

"Our two competitors, exchanging some words before the fight!" Tetsu announced. "Let's hope this match is as good as our last one!" He still floated just above the ring in his bubble of reiatsu. Tetsu raised his arm. "Competitors ready?"

Kazu and Maka had swords drawn and were facing each other.

"Begin!"

Kazu made the first move, dashing toward Maka with his sword aimed at her left shoulder. Maka easily parried this attack, and retaliated with a quick jab that Kazu easily dodged. He used the momentum from his dodge to turn into a spin and leapt into the air, bringing his sword down from overhead toward Maka's right side. All the elegance of Kazu's moves was completely lost on Maka, who just sidestepped the attack and jammed her sword unceremoniously into Kazu's thigh.

"Ouch!" yelled Kazu, landing on the ground as blood spilled from the wound. Kazu spun to his right, aiming for Maka's head, but she jumped back, making him miss again.

Skritch... Kazu's foot slipped slightly and he realized, to his dismay, that he had gotten a little too close to the edge of the ring. He looked up, seeing Maka rushing at him.

Clang! went Maka's sword against Kazu's with tremendous force, enough to make the large bull-man lose his footing and tumble out of the ring.

The crowd went silent. Compared to the last fight, this one went pretty fast.

"Hope you didn't blink, folks, because this fight is already over!" Tetsu announced. "And... the winner, by ring-out, is Maka Kasahara!"

Turn 1:
Maka made a DEFENSIVE ATTACK for 0 WOUNDS
Kazu made an AGGRESSIVE ATTACK for 0 WOUNDS

Turn 2:
Maka made a NORMAL ATTACK for 8 WOUNDS
Kazu made an AGGRESSIVE ATTACK for 0 WOUNDS

Turn 3:
Maka made a NORMAL ATTACK for 0 WOUNDS
Kazu made a NORMAL ATTACK for 0 WOUNDS
Kazu has fallen out of the ring!

"Would the next combatants please enter the ring! Rikiki Brown and Sarah Yadoumaru!"

"Kasahara-San, I humbly concede to your superior skills! It seems I have a long way to go before I can restore this old.... old body of mine." said with a humble bow. He then bows before the spectators in the same order as before.

"Would Maka Kasahara and Kazu Arikosu please come to the ring!"

Sarah watched Byouko collapse and got worried. As soon as she got taken from the ring, Sachi ran to her, but she was fine and Sarah smiled. "Hey, you did great," Sarah put her hand on Byouko's shoulder.

"Would the next combatants please enter the ring! Rikiki Brown and Sarah Yadoumaru!"

What? Already? Sarah was surprised to see that her bull-headed classmates fight was already over. That meant that eep... Sarah was up next. She swallowed hard and climbed into the ring, clutching her tiny zanpakuto in both hands. Sarah was glad to see that her opponent didn't look too mean, but even the girl with the purple hair and the orange hat dwarfed the tiny 4' 10" Sarah.

"Let's... have a good fight, ok?" Sarah closed her eyes and looked happy, trying not to look too nervous.

As the tournament began, Rikiki found it hard not to get got up in it. Chiken's fight was pretty epic, and, when the Byouko person fell first, Rikiki joined everyone else in cheering.

As the competitors switched, Rikiki took a glance of her own opponent. If not for the tiny Zanpakuto at her side, Rikiki would have been skeptical that she was even supposed to be here. She was... really small. And looked close to 8 years old. The appearence, the short little girl with a even more undersized sword, couldn't help but make Rikiki smile. Maybe she should just take it easy on the girl...

"Would the next combatants please enter the ring! Rikiki Brown and Sarah Yadoumaru!"

Hold it, what? Had last match even started? entering the ring, the girl, 'Sarah,' spoke first. "Let's... have a good fight, ok?" Sarah looked pretty happy about the whole affair.

"Ah, yeah, Alright!" Rikiki tried to keep enthusiasm about the fight.

"Ready?" Tetsu announced. "Begin!"

"Alright, here goes nothing!" Sarah unsheathed her little zanpakutou and held it high. "Glare! Meganemadou!" A tremendous flash of power enveloped the tiny sword, and it grew in length and changed shape into a long hand-held staff, like a wand. And at the end were... glasses? A pair of flashy gold glasses, making the whole weapon look something like a cross between a masquerade mask and a pair of opera glasses.

"Now!" yelled Sarah, charged with energy. "Taste my--!"

"Way of Binding 4, Crawling Rope!"

A stream of reiatsu blasted from Rikiki's hand and wrapped itself around the smaller girl's body, binding her arms to the side and dropping her to the floor. "Huh?" Sarah said, surprised. She struggled, but the bonds held tight. "I... can't move!"

Not one to waste an opportunity, Rikiki dashed forward. "Way of Destruction 4: White Lightning!" A charge of electricity surged from Rikiki's hand and blasted Sarah right in the face point-blank. She spun around and did it again. "Way of Destruction 4: White Lightning!" Sarah managed to flop away, though, just barely out of range of the spell.

The bonds holding Sarah's arms weakened, and she managed to snap them easily. "Alright!" she grinned. "Now it's time for--"

"Way of Binding 4, Crawing Rope!"

Another stream of reiatsu bound Sarah's body. "No!" She whined as she hit the floor. "Not again?! Come on, this isn't fair!"

Rikiki took a deep breath. Those spells took a lot out of her. "Way of Binding 10, Restore." As the reiatsu flowed through her, Rikiki took a moment to watch the little girl in front of her flopping around the arena like a fish. Those two White Lightnings hadn't done much damage - the girl probably had a very strong mind. "What to try next?" she thought.


Turn 1:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 3 turns
Sarah released Meganemadou!

Turn 2:
Rikiki cast WHITE LIGHTNING for 3 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 turns

Turn 3:
Rikiki cast WHITE LIGHTNING for 0 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 1 turn

Turn 4:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 turns

Turn 5:
Rikiki cast RESTORE and healed 4 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 1 turn

"Way of Binding 4, Crawling Rope!" Rikiki cast another Binding spell on Sarah, just before the last one expired.

Sarah sighed. "You can keep me wrapped up like this all you want, but it doesn't matter as long as you can't hurt..." Rikiki delivered a sliding kick, lifting Sarah's bound form up into the air. "...me?"

With all her might, Rikiki drew Uzumaki and delivered two fierce slashes at Sarah, sending her rolling away in a spray of blood.

"Okay, okay, okay," Sarah grinned nervously, wincing from the pain. "I get it, how about you--"

"Way of Binding 4, Crawling Rope!" This one wasn't as strong as her last spell, and it didn't serve to reinforce the binding at all. Rikiki's eyes shot open. She didn't have much time left until-- "Way of Binding 10, Restore!" Rikiki healed some of her wounds just as Sarah burst out of Rikiki's Crawling Rope spell.

"Alright, no more Miss Nice Lady!" Sarah said as fiercely as a little girl of barely 148 cm could. She removed her glasses and stared at Rikiki through the glasses on the end of Meganemadou instead.



Her eyes crackled with reiatsu. "Now I'm gonna get to blast you before you use another of those Binding spells!"

Turn 6:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 4 turns

Turn 7:
Rikiki made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 5 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 3 turns

Turn 8:
Rikiki made an AGGRESSIVE ATTACK for 1 WOUND
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 turns

Turn 9:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 1 turn

Turn 10:
Rikiki cast RESTORE and healed 2 WOUNDS
Sarah is no longer IMMOBILIZED

Kazu watches the fights intently from his spectator seats, as he quietly heals himself to full hit points over the course of the tournament.

The reiatsu energy crackled and swirled all around Sarah's tiny form. Her eyes glowed bright white through the lenses of Meganemadou, and Rikiki's stomach sank. Whatever the girl was about to do, it was going to hurt. A lot.

"Yah!" Sarah lifted her zanpakutou into the air, wielding it like a magic wand. "Way of Destruction 4! White Lightning!"

The jolt of electric kidou arced through Rikiki's body, blasting her off her feet and sending her bouncing and rolling across the arena floor.

"Now! Again!" Sarah spun the zanpakutou in a circle, twirling the massive energy at her disposal. "Way of Destructio--"

Rikiki shot out her hand. "Way of Binding 4! Crawling Rope!" Rikiki's spell wrapped around Sarah again, dissipating her tremendous reiatsu. Rikiki took a deep breath and waved her hand over herself, trying to heal some of the damage from that nasty lightning spell.

"Oh, come on!" snapped Sarah, floundering once more, helpless on the floor. "Isn't there anything you can do besides Crawling Rope?"

"Shut up!" growled Rikiki as she drove her sword deep into Sarah's shoulder, making the girl squeal in pain.

Suddenly, Rikiki's breath caught uncomfortably in her throat, and a sound like a heartbeat echoed through her ears.

You could always let me have a go at her, you know...

The temptation to release Uzumaki was there. It definitely was. With Uzumaki's power, Rikiki could win this fight easily... but...

No...

"Way of Binding 4, Crawling Rope!" Rikiki sealed Sarah's movements again with another spell, and then, "Way of Binding 10, Restore!" Another healing kidou. Rikiki lifted her sword. If she was going to win this fight, she'd do it her own way.

Turn 6:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 3 more turns
Sarah cast WHITE LIGHTNING for 12 WOUNDS

Turn 7:
Rikiki cast RESTORE and healed 4 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 more turns

Turn 8:
Rikiki made an ALL OUT ATTACK for 5 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 1 more turn

Turn 9:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 more turns

Turn 10:
Rikiki cast RESTORE and healed 6 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 1 more turn

Sarah Yadoumaru wrote:

Sarah watched Byouko collapse and got worried. As soon as she got taken from the ring, Sachi ran to her, but she was fine and Sarah smiled. "Hey, you did great," Sarah put her hand on Byouko's shoulder.

Byouko slowly floated back into consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open under the hood on her head, and she saw Sarah standing over her.

What... happened? Byouko wondered. The fight... did I win? She squinted upwards. She was out of the ring, a good distance, and there was another fight going on now. Probably not..., she sighed and shook her head. Where had all that rage come from? It'd been a long time since she'd been in a real fight like that... was the normal, calm, tranquil, apathetic Byouko harbouring a ticking time-bomb somewhere deep in her heart? It worried her.

She closed her eyes. Whatever the problem was... she could worry about it after some rest.

Matsuura tried his best to stifle a yawn, failing miserably as he let out a loud one, eliciting a glare from his upcoming opponent, before sniffling and rubbing his nose. He threw his arms behind his head, resting it in his palms as he watched the fights drag on.

The first one had garnered a bit of interest, after all it involved a new found friend of his go up against one of his fellow classmates, one he possibly knew even less about than Chiken. He had known Chiken was a strange one, but the fight only helped to intensity the mystery and his curiosity for the answer.

The second and third ones however had only helped to remind his brain that he had gotten no sleep. The second one was over in a flash, Kazu being pushed out of the ring after basically refusing to fight, a mildly annoying thing Matsuura noted after his apparent eagerness to step in on his and Rumiko's first duel. He made a mental note that he still had to pay the big cow back for that.

The third one seemed to be a boring kidou show involving mostly crawling rope.

What a dull performance. Unoriginal, boring and quite possibly the most pathetic thing I've seen a fighter attempt since...heh, no...even THAT wasn't as bad as this. Is this really what the world has come to? I mean I know they are starting to get desperate for students, but really? This?....And she's in the advanced class? Huh, I guess schoolwork can make up for a complete lack of talent in a fight. Guess she'll be going to 4th division then.

He leaned back in his chair, tipping the front two legs in the air slightly as he let his mind wander and brain start to doze. His brain had eventually tuned out enough to forget he was in a chair that was barely staying upright. He snapped awake as he felt himself falling backwards, clawing at the air as if some invisible rope could pull him back up before landing with a loud and solid THUD.

He rolled backwards and quickly got to his feet, acting as if nothing happened as he kicked the chair back up and plopped down in front of it.

Well now that I'm up, I may as well see if this match will get interesting for once...

Before he was instantly distracted by his previous curiosity, getting up from his seat, eliciting more glares as he shuffled over to where Chiken, taking his chair with him and plopping down next to the bed. He never took his eyes off the fight.

"So, that was a pretty interesting fighting method, stall tactics, but at least you mixed it up. This girl...Rikiki was it? No skill, no talent. Shame really. Anyways, how are you holding up? Of course knowing my luck you're prolly out cold, by the glares I'm getting from these 4th divisioners."

After all of his fighting, Chiken wanted nothing more than to 'nap' where he didn't have to do or think about anything. It was simply a void where he had to do nothing, and Chiken wanted that badly. Unfortunately, within hardly a minute or two, he was conscious again and quickly healed up. The switch from sudden nothingness to the sounds and sights of the arena made Chiken a little nauseous, and he barely managed to sit up without throwing up or blacking out again. He swayed for a second before catching his balance and the nausea ebbed away. He may have been fine physically, but he was currently going through a mental hell. Anything he thought of was only about what had happened and he couldn't stop thinking of it. He didn't want it to be true, he didn't want any of it, so he simply focused on the fights ongoing and he did his best to think of nothing, just simply watch.

It worked alright as Chiken simply had a blank mind as he watched the 'fight' between Maka and a giant bull man, but even the sight of the bull man didn't stimulate anything in Chiken. He was watching, but he wasn't letting himself process anything so he could avoid the thoughts from taking over. Right when their fight was done, the thoughts tried to come back up, but Chiken wouldn't let them. He simply continued to stare at the ring, which was then full again for Rikiki's fight. Even though it was slow going with the other girl pinned down, Chiken managed to do the same thing he had when Kasahara was in the ring and watched without understanding, without thinking.

It was still going well, until Chiken heard her soft, faint voice. "You can't keep ignoring me, you know. We need to talk." Her voice brought a flash of the fight back to Chiken, which caused him the grasp his head in unwanted pain. "Shut up." He muttered back, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. He didn't want it, not any of it and he didn't want to talk to her... but he knew. He knew that, deep down, he had to. "Please Chiken, we both know we have to talk and sort through this so that--" "Shut up." He interrupted, barely louder than the last time. "I know it hurts you, it hurts me too Chiken, but we need to talk." Her voice cracked a little as she said that. She was in as much pain as he was, if not more, but it was a different sort of pain. It wasn't a wrenching pain of seeing yourself do horrible things, but the sickening pain of heartbreak. "Just shut up!" Chiken shouted, and at the same time Sarah's white lightning boomed and covered up the shout. Chiken buried his head in his hands before falling back to lay down again on the medical bed.

But Chiken never hit the bed. Instead, he felt himself land in a moist field of grass. He knew what it was and where it was the second he landed, but that didn't stop his eyes from shooting open. Above him, there were dark clouds, and hardly any sunlight was able to shine through. He didn't even have to turn his head left or right to see the endless plains, he knew he was back in his mindscape. Right away, he let our a yell of pure annoyance and closed his eyes. The memories weren't trying to take him over, but Chiken still would've preferred to be back in the arena than a prisoner in his own mind.
After laying in the tall grass for a minute or two, Chiken slowly sat up. About 100 yards in front of himself was the lake, with Myounahanashi perched on the nearby rocks, which were submerged under more water than usual. She didn't do anything different other than flutter her many wings a little to stay balanced when he looked at her. Sighing, Chiken slowly stood up and trudged over to the lake's edge.

Chiken walked up next to Myounahanashi, who still did not stir or react to his presence. They both stood a while in silence, Chiken staring at the horizon so he didn't have to look anywhere else and Myounahanashi staring at the lake while she tried to figure out what to say. In the end, it was Chiken who broke the silence. "Myouna... what... what was all of that? All... all of those horrible feelings and the... horrible things that he, no... that I did?"
At first, the butterfly didn't stir or make any sound other than the quiet flap of her wings. After about fifteen seconds she spoke. "First, I need you to swim down to the bottom of your lake and look at that crack for me. When you come back up and tell me about how bad it is now, I will answer every question you have for me, I promise." Chiken frowned. She always was so cryptic and would never answer anything without him doing something else first, why couldn't she just tell him right away for once? Sighing, he nodded. He knew she wouldn't tell him more until he did what she asked, and she did promise to answer every question he had.

Without another thought on the matter, Chiken dove into the lake and swam straight down. It was odd, there seemed to be more fish and other memory pieces in the lake than last time, but Chiken shook his head to focus and continue down. Once he reached the bottom, he gasped. The crack was gone, and in its place was a big gaping hole. It was a weird hole though, not a clean cut circle but a jagged break that really had no shape. Chiken frowned in indecision, he wanted to see what was beyond the broken barrier, but he also wanted to go back up and get his answers. He was completely torn on what to do. If it had been any other time, Chiken would've swam past the barrier without a second thought, but... "I need those answers." He said aloud to himself, even though a large part of him wanted to go below. Still, he turned around and swam back towards the surface.

Once Chiken's head broke the surface, he expected Myounahanashi to ask him right away about the hole like the first time he saw the crack (he could always remember the events that happened here, in his mindscape), but instead she remained on her rock in silence. Chiken pulled himself out of the lake and walked up next to her, but she still didn't talk. After a few more seconds, Chiken broke the silence again. "The crack is gone but that's because the barrier was entirely broken." She didn't respond, so Chiken continued to explain it, waiting to be able to ask his questions. "It... looked like it was shattered in the middle, like that glass I broke a few days ago." Again, she didn't respond or stir. Chiken waited a few more seconds before he couldn't handle waiting any more and he blurted out angrily, "There, now you have to tell me everything!" This finally got a reaction from her. "Alright, I did promise to answer your question, shall I assume you want me to answer the question you asked before?" Chiken merely nodded and sat down on the ground, both excited and horrified to learn.

Myounahanashi took a deep breath before beginning. "Well, lets start with what happened to your mind and you, as you are right now, right here with me. Then, we'll get to what happened to the rest of you.

When you released your Shikai, it shattered the barrier in the lake. The barrier was there to protect you from... well... from bad stuff." "What bad stuff? I want to know everything Myouna, no leaving something out." Myouna sighed, but she had to stick to her promise. "Well... the bad stuff is..." She paused. She really didn't want to say it, she wanted to protect him from the truth but... she couldn't go back on her word, even if she tried. "You. You as you used to be." Chiken merely sat in stunned silence, unable to comprehend it. "What? I... I don't get it. How could it be... me?"
Myounahanashi shifted a little on her rock. He had just asked another question, and now she had to answer it... but it was the question she feared worst. There were other very painful truths that she would rather tell, it was one thing she had to keep secret until the time was right, but nothing was right anymore... ever since the seal cracked. And now, she had to reveal the thing she wanted least. "Chiken, when you were in the wilds for so long... you... you became feral. Those feelings that took over you and made you lose control? Those were your feelings, that was you falling back on your instinct to attack and to become enraged, which passed through the broken barrier that was installed into you to stop them." Chiken continued to say nothing as she talked, but some deep down part of himself already seemed to know this. It was something he never knew... yet he always knew it. That didn't make it any less painful to hear though.
"I... I had to save you, Chiken. I put you into that dark room so you wouldn't be devoured by your past, it would've swallowed you whole if I didn't. Unfortunately, it came with the price of you having to watch yourself do it, like you do when you are going through your memories. I'm sorry you had to see it, but it was the only way I could protect you." After that last comment, she stopped to look at him. He had tears rolling silently down his face. "I... I'm a monster, Myouna." He said this quietly, as if saying it loudly would make the monster come out. "Shh, don't say that. You aren't a monster, it wasn't even the you you are now." "No Myouna, I'm a monster! I... I wanted to tear that girl apart, to literally rip her to shreds!" His voice was escalating, ending with him almost shouting.

Myounahanashi then beat all of her wings together twice and took off from the rock to land on Chiken's head. She settled down quickly and touched her antenna to his forehead. Chiken didn't know how or why, but it soothed him and made him relax slightly. "Little one, that thing was not you. You are entirely different from it, all you share is a past. We can work on controlling it now that you know it's there, and it could never surface again. Would you like that?" During all of her speaking, Myounahanashi kept her antennas on Chiken's forehead, which continued to calm him down. After a few seconds, he quietly responded. "Yes, Myouna, I would."

Then, Chiken was laying down again, this time on the medical bed in the makeshift ringside hospital. He sat up slowly, a lot more at peace of himself than before. He was surprised to see his new friend, Matsuura, sitting next to him. Calmly, he greeted him. "Oh, hello! Have you fought yet? I think I was asleep and might've slept through it." He smiled sheepishly, he was mostly relaxed now that he knew and got to talk to Myounahanashi.

Matsuura let a smile flash across his face at Chiken's question and general cheeriness.

"Me? No, not yet. I fear I might end up falling asleep before it however. You seem to be doing well considering you were just in an intense fight." Matsuura finally tore his sight away from the fight to look at Chiken briefly.

He seems back to his old self... unlike in the fight. Intriguing.

"I wonder if any of the other fights can match yours, otherwise I fear they might have brought in the best fight of the preliminaries in too soon."

"Me? No, not yet. I fear I might end up falling asleep before it however. You seem to be doing well considering you were just in an intense fight."

Chiken smiled, he didn't miss his new friend's match, that's good. In fact, he looked up to see that he missed hardly any time at all, Rikiki was still fighting. Although, Matsu was wrong about that last comment, he may look fine but he still was very unsettled from all of the new information from Myounahanashi. A whole different side of him that used to be... a monster? That would take some getting used to. Chiken shook head a little to clear it before Matsu continued talking.

"I wonder if any of the other fights can match yours, otherwise I fear they might have brought in the best fight of the preliminaries in too soon."

This comment, however, didn't get Chiken to smile. In fact, he stiffened. He forgot about the whole arena watching him... seeing that monster come out. He had just been so focused on only the hooded girl that he forgot about the hundreds of people watching, even though he had even joined them in watching fights. Chiken swallowed before opening his mouth to talk. "Oh well, I'm sure your fight will be interesting... and uhh... I forget, who are you fighting again? I uhh... wasn't really paying attention during the picking." Once again, Chiken smiled sheepishly, but it wasn't as big as before or his usual smile as all he could think about was how everyone saw that... other him.

Igarashi had been sorely disappointed when he realized that he wasn't getting to fight first as he initially believed... Instead he was fighting last, and that irritated him a bit, specially since he now had a fight he was actually looking forward to. It didn't help when he saw Matsuura yawn soon after. Even now it appeared as if every action that guy made was meant to annoy Igarashi. Still, there's not much he could do right now as the other fights started, He would be able to get his share of fun later.

Watching the first fight develop, Igarashi's attention wasn't really focused on Chiken's peculiar behavior, but more in the opponent... and the fact that she had been able to release her shikai. This bugged Igarashi a bit, as far as he knew, class 3-B was supposed to be in a lower tier than them... and he wasn't sure if everyone in his class had the ability to use their shikai... even he hadn't released it yet... so why was she able to do so?

As that fight ended, Igarashi noticed how banged up chiken was... barely winning against her... probably because of the shikai. If she had been able to do so, would that mean... Igarashi glanced at the silver haired boy as the next fight began. Is he able to release his shikai as well...? Igarashi then glanced back at the arena to see who was fighting next... only to see Maka standing up as the winner against a bull-like person. That was disappointing... I guess that means not everyone in that class are as skilled then...

As next fight began, Igarashi was unable to feel another pang of discomfort as he saw that it was rikiki the one stepping up to the ring. He wanted her to win... but at the same time, he would feel as an hypocrite if he started cheering at her when he would be the one fighting her later. So he watched the fight unfold silently while he hoped that she would win... despite taking so long to do so. He wasn't able to focus completely on the fight however, because a certain conversation between two people began to reach his ears.

Matsuura Ryou wrote:

"...ghts can match yours, otherwise I fear they might have brought in the best fight of the preliminaries in too soon."

Igarashi twitched, there he was at it once again. Taunting Igarashi even when he wasn't exactly nearby. He then hoped the next fights would happen fast, he wanted his turn to arrive so he could shut up that irritating mouth that guy had. As it was though, he could only wait and listen, since that conversation had attracted his attention already.

Chiken Kazenosei wrote:

"Oh well, I'm sure your fight will be interesting... and uhh... I forget, who are you fighting again? I uhh... wasn't really paying attention during the picking."

Igarashi twitched again, even though he knew Chiken well enough to know he wasn't offending him directly, his comment annoyed him no less. Walking towards Chiken and Matsuura. Igarashi responded curtly to Chiken's question before Matsu could"Me. He's getting to fight me Chiken, so if he's asking for a more interesting match, he's getting it."

Matsuura stifled another yawn as Igarashi strolled over to him and Chiken.

"Ah, Redhead-kōhai." He stated, a frown crossing his face. "I'm afraid our match might not be as interesting as you hope. I'm just too tired to really bother, besides you're the first rank student of the advance class, surely I don't stand a chance if Chiken here could defeat the 2nd rank student of my class and I'm just the 3rd rank."

He yawned again, leaning back in his chair once more.

"Besides you should relax, you seem awfully riled up considering you're facing little ol' me. I figured you would be more confident. Guess I was mistaken."

He looked over at Chiken again, seemingly forgetting Igarashi was there.

"How do you think you'll fare in the tournament? Be lovely to see you go all the way. Then again I haven't seen how the rest of your class does, so who knows..."

"Me. He's getting to fight me Chiken, so if he's asking for a more interesting match, he's getting it."
Chiken looked up to see another of his friends there, Igarashi. Chiken smiled when he entered, but Matsu instead frowned and started talking about their upcoming match. Chiken mostly zoned out for their conversation, still thinking about the spectators; however, he paid enough attention to tune back into the conversation when his name was mentioned. His eyes opened wide when he heard his opponent was ranked second in the other class, as more of that fight came back to him, but not painfully. It was the end of the fight that he was seeing this time, him surviving her last blow, in full control of himself again. He and Myounahanashi managed to get control back from it once, and now they can stop it from taking over again... right? 'Right. Myouna said it never has to take control of me again.'

Chiken broke from his thoughts as he detected Matsu's movement as he turned to face Chiken.
"How do you think you'll fare in the tournament? Be lovely to see you go all the way. Then again I haven't seen how the rest of your class does, so who knows..."

Chiken blinked when he heard this. There was still more fighting to be done? Chiken would've been afraid of more fighting after already losing control once before, but he just... wasn't. He trusted Myounahanashi, he could be in control the whole time and not let that other him show. And as to answer Matsuura's question, "Oh well, Myouna says I can be in control of myself this time instead of the other me, so I think I'll do well." He smiled at his friends, really hoping that Myounahanashi was right and he could control it...

Igarashi just grunted, and then frowned at Matsuura's response at him, He couldn't say he wasn't really surprised at this point, but the kind of lip that guy was capable of was certainly annoying. Always putting a friendly and modest facade with his words, but Igarashi knew he said all that just to taunt him, specially after basically reffering to Igarashi as if he was of a lower rank than Matsuura . He was certainly good at that, but right now wasn't the time, and Igarashi knew he wasn't going to get anywhere responding to his lip, so he just kept silent for now, he would let his blade respond in kind later.

Igarashi then looked at chiken as Matsuura asked him about what he thought about the tournament. From the time he had been around Chiken, he knew he couldn't expect a very deep answer, but he wasn't expecting to hear what he said in response.

Quote :

"Oh well, Myouna says I can be in control of myself this time instead of the other me, so I think I'll do well."

Igarashi blinked, trying to make sense of what chiken had just said, but he just couldn't, Chiken had said some weird stuff before, but this? what did he meant with "other me"? Being distracted before, Igarashi hadn't really realize that chiken had acted very differently in the fight, so he couldn't tie those things together. "Other you? what are you talking about?"

"Other you? what are you talking about?"

If Chiken stiffened when Matsuura reminded him of the spectators, Igara's comment made him completely freeze. It was weird, Chiken was at peace with himself on the issue, but he didn't want others to know about it, and he couldn't tell why. It took him a few seconds to even say something. "Well, the other me... he's... bad and I lost control to him in the fight." Chiken said all of this very hesitantly, really preferring to not go into detail. "But, I'll fine when I fight so it's ok." He quickly added before giving an extremely fake smile to his friend.

Matsuura, although having apparently tuned the other two out to watch the fight he was most definitely listening to what was being said. He knew Chiken was a strange one from the moment he met him, much like Orihime. They both exhibited strange reiatsu's that piqued his curiosity, then again so had the tall guy in red, but Matsuura hadn't had a chance to meet him yet, but by the tension from those around him when he was present, it seemed he was to be feared more than approached for idle chatter.

He would be fun to fight.

I don't know about that.

You don't seem to claim to know much. He is strong, to become stronger you must fight strong opponents. It is not hard to understand.

I know that, I just don't see how it would be fun.

You do not relish in the fight? Do you not feel the thrill that runs through you each and every time you make a strike? Every time you avoid death? It is exhilarating, exciting and enjoyable. Is that not how one describes fun?


Well...yes, but I don't find fighting fun.

You shouldn't lie Matsuura. We both know you enjoy it, you crave it. It is a drug to you.


Shut up.

Matsuura quickly did his best to tune out Ikiwazura.

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard-

You can't just tune me-

And they're like it's better than yours-

Matsuura!

Damn right it's better than yours-

You will regret doing this!

I can teach you! But I have to charge!

Matsuura let out a sigh of relief, before glancing around.

Damnit, now I have that stupid song stuck in my head...

He leaned back in his chair again, this time letting out a sigh of frustration, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it in his mouth. He pulled a match out of one of his sleeves, flipped forward and ran the end of it against Igarashi's face quickly, igniting the match.

"Thanks Mr. Redhead." He stated, lighting his cigarette before waving the match out and leaning back in his chair again.

Matsuura leaned back in his chair again, this time letting out a sigh of frustration, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it in his mouth. He pulled a match out of one of his sleeves, flipped forward and ran the end of it against Igarashi's face quickly, igniting the match.

"Thanks Mr. Redhead," he stated, lighting his cigarette before waving the match out and leaning back in his chair again.

A second later he felt a tap on his shoulder. Casually, he craned his neck back. And found himself looking into the face of Isane Kotetsu. She smiled sweetly before lifting the large red metal pail in her hands and pouring the five litres of water inside all over Matsu's face.

"No smoking in the arena," she lifted one finger and winked at him before disappearing back into the faculty seats.

Seeing this, Fuiro Hyakushi, off in the corner by the emergency exit, hurriedly put out his own cigarette.

Inside the arena, Rikiki continued her assault on Sarah's helpless form, casting Crawling Rope, then driving her sword into a random place on Sarah's body, then healing a bit with Restore, then starting the process again. It was obvious that the girl with glasses would never have the strength to break out of the binding spell, and that the girl in the orange hat had no intention of ever letting her up. Tetsu watched up at the General, waiting for a signal to end the fight.

"Way of Binding 4: Crawling Rope!" Rikiki sent another spiral of energy around Sarah's body, immobilizing her further before hefting her sword and giving another cut to Sarah's arm. Rikiki was sweating and breathing heavily, the heartbeat sound pumping louder and louder in her ears. She didn't know how long she'd be able to maintain--

"Stop the fight!"

Rikiki looked up, first at Tetsu, and then up at the General. Yamamoto's arm was raised high in the air.

"The winner - Rikiki Brown!" Tetsu announced.

The crowed cheered wildly. Rikiki felt a little calmer and a little tired.

Turn 11:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 4 more turns

Turn 12:
Rikiki made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 5 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 3 more turns

Turn 13:
Rikiki cast RESTORE and healed 6 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 more turns

Turn 14:
Rikiki cast CRAWLING ROPE
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 3 more turns

Turn 15:
Rikiki made an ALL-OUT ATTACK for 4 WOUNDS
Sarah is IMMOBILIZED for 2 more turns

"Please go to the ringside infirmary to have your wounds treated," said Tetsu. "Now, would our next two combantants please enter the ring! Ryouichi Kanue and Rumiko Adachi!"

Matsuura had a Cheshire grin spread across his face, not letting the sudden introduction of vast amounts of water to his face stop him from enjoying what he just did to Igarashi's face.

"Well that was refreshing, now wasn't it?" He asked, shaking his head like a wet dog, spraying everyone in his vacinity with water, before leaning back again and calling out to Isane.

"Kotetsu-sensei, may I have another?" He quipped, craning his neck to see if he could spot her, knowing full well Igarashi was bound to do something soon to stir things up.

All the while he failed to notice the fight ending or the next one beginning.

Quote :

"Well, the other me... he's... bad and I lost control to him in the fight." Chiken said all of this very hesitantly, really preferring to not go into detail. "But, I'll fine when I fight so it's ok." He quickly added before giving an extremely fake smile to his friend.

Igarashi stared at Chiken with an incredulous look. What he had just said didn't really explained much, Igarashi still didn't understand what Chiken meant with him becoming bad, and much less why that would never happen again, then again, half of the things Chiken said usually made no sense, so maybe he shouldn't put too much thought into it.

Quote :

He pulled a match out of one of his sleeves, flipped forward and ran the end of it against Igarashi's face quickly, igniting the match.

"Thanks Mr. Redhead." He stated, lighting his cigarette before waving the match out and leaning back in his chair again.

Still facing Chiken, Igarashi had been completely caught off guard when Matsu ignited the match on Igarashi's forehead. The pain he felt in that moment on his forehead went completely unregistered on Igarashi's brain, who was now too enraged to bother registering anything else. For several seconds, Igarashi was apparently Frozen, facial expression included, which was still facing Chiken, the only movement that could be perceived at that moment, and only if you paid attention, was the one of his fist trembling. Having to endure his mockery and insults were one thing, but that asshole had gone too far now.

During the moments he spent like this, Liueutenant Isane had soaked Matsu wet and put out his cigar, But Igarashi didn't even pay attention to that. He did however, briefly close his eyes when he was sprayed with water but Matsuura. He didn't make a sound, but just after the silver haired guy finished speaking, Igarashi finally moved. Without apparent time of response between his original position, Igarashi suddenly delivered a fierce, solid kick diagonally downward to one of the legs of the chair matsuura was sitting in, effectively smashing the leg and breaking the balance in the chair.

Igarashi then raised his fist, his eyes now glaring at Matsuura as if he was about to pierce him with them. Just then, something resounded deep within his mind.

"STOP!!!"

Igarashi then widened his eyes, but didn't lower his fist. Stay out of this old man, I'm not standing this motherfucker's insults any longer!

No you fool, I wont, if you lay a single finger on him before the fight, there is sure to be repercussions, all the high ranking people of soul society are staring right now, they won't let something like that just happen unpunished, and you won't be able to fight him afterwards... or worse.

"...Tch!" Igarashi just said out loud, then lowered his fist. As much as he hated it, Sougenkotsu was right, That bastard was going to pay in full, he wasn't gonna get away by just receiving only one punch now and laughing at Igarashi getting punished afterwards. Taking a deep breath, Igarashi decided that the best thing was to get away from there, and walk away he did, also unaware that the match had ended, and that Rikiki had won.

Without much notice, Byouko rose from her spot. She knew that she wouldn't be getting any rest at all with those two around.

Besides, what more did Byouko have to do today? She'd seen her parents, she'd fought in the tournament. She sure as anything wasn't going to the dance, not looking like this. No reason not to just go back to her room, maybe get a few pages into Hear the Wind Sing, and sleep the rest of this night away. She hopped off the hospital bed and headed for the nearest exit.

Matsuura let the momentum of the kick roll the chair back as he balanced it precariously on the back two legs, the grin still ever present on his face, as he leaned forward to keep the chair steady.

"My oh my Mr. Redhead, it looked like you were about to punch little ol' me, surely you aren't that afraid of me in a fight that you'd need to create an unfair advantage before hand?" He chirped out as he kept the chair steady and looked over at Chiken.

"Do you think we need to sit around here this whole time? I'm kinda hungry, skipped breakfast. Think they have any food around here? I think I might go look for some, care to join me?" He asked happily, his mood couldn't have been better. He managed to shut up Ikiwazura for once, pushed just the right buttons to get Igarashi to practically snap in a public setting and the only thing he had to pay for was he had that infernal song stuck in his head, which he started to sing.

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.. I can teach you but I have to charge..." He hummed the parts he didn't sing as he bounced out of his chair, letting it wobble about before landing on the three remaining legs, looking around for Isane before patting Igarashi on the shoulder.

"Maybe next time Redhead-kōhai, you can actually attempt to see through with that, but for now its Matsuura 2, Redhead 0." He whispered to him before walking off, not waiting to see if Chiken would follow and continuing to sing the horribly annoying and catchy tune.