If he is to fall in the great battle against those that threaten Shinjuku, would she hold him in her arms? Would her tears release as the last of his warmth leaves him, staining the white of her shirt? Would flowers, dyed by pain, grow a bed around them?

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W-Wait..!

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A tragedy like that is not befitting of him, a romantic whose hopes carry his interests far and wide. No, his story shouldn’t be so heavy; he wants one written like the ones in his books, moving channels for history to spread forever and forever as the tale of two equal warriors taking on the battlefields of love and danger.

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What a legend those in the past holds, he knows it well, as it’s come up in his past research… o-on the situation at hand, of course! A Greek tale of the gods, the two players are two sides of a coin. A mortal, struck down amidst a hunt, and the goddess that adored him. This goddess was a warrior...

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...Hold on... considering the symbolism of the group that threatens their home... and the circumstances around her, that would equate her -- Hoshino Ichika -- to Aphrodite, right? Fitting, he can say. Feisty, beautiful, totally cool, and cute, she...

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Hold your tongue and think!

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But that would make... that group’s leader, Zero of Adonis, the technical symbol for the deity of the same name, wouldn’t it?

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Yeah, he doesn’t trust it. Not one bit. How is he supposed to, when these pieces happen to fall like this? How is he supposed to, when she may as well just be drawn to them anyway?

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Okay, he believes now that she’s beyond being their accomplice, but it’s still a tangled-up mass of worry, stemming out on petals that have yet to wither. So close yet so far, even though they’ve managed one target, one goal, it feels undone, more left to be resolved, just within their grasp, but evading them still.

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With Ichika currently leaning on his shoulder, asleep, her work spread before her on the coffee table, Mineo has a lot to think about. The scene... empty mugs once containing hot chocolate not far away, two pudding cups with their spoons hardly inside them resting close, the pinnacle of an afternoon stretched to the evening of processing. What have they overlooked? Who else do they need to check in with? Who else do they need to speak to?

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While he’s working, or trying to, given he’s actually too petrified by her presence being right there to do much else but hone in on something small, a blanket is placed over her legs because Yanagi couldn’t leave her even a little chilly. Seriously, that’s what it means to be reliable, huh?

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Yanagi-senpai, you... You’ve really got my back! I knew I could rely on you! Now, steadfast, Mineo! Channel the spirits of those before you and conquer the--

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His thoughts are halted by the sound of her mumbling. It’s a stressful time, and she’s right there, able to rest, because he’s here. At least, that’s what a viewer of the scenario would explain it as, wouldn’t they? Hahaha... this exact situation was on page 79 of my favorite book. Something that I’ve dreamed about! It’s really happening then! Come on, Mineo, you--

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Mineo freezes again, this time at the slight shift of her body. Ghk-! Hoshino... N-No, Ichika... She...

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She’s adorable.

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He breathes in, trying to regain his composure and think rationally. Is he red? Oh... he’s most definitely red!

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Focus!

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Like any daring, great warrior’s path, there are plenty of ways for things to go south. One wrong phrase, one shaking fear, one mistimed jump, and they could be separated, doomed to be left in the dust and tattered by fate. But well, as they say, after the rain, the earth hardens! Continuance is strength! There is no way they won’t make it through and have... whatever it is they should have, so long as they keep working.

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The flowers blessing their dreams have to stay unstained by the vein's vain crimson.

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It’s a delicate balance, so there’s no way they can lose the precision they have so displayed. They truly walk upon a tightrope; eyes on the prize doesn’t mean much if a stab can so easily alter -- no, destroy, in this case - the course. Let this not be blighted, let this... feeling, this possibility, be clear, cleanable, let any tears be the cleansing flow , because they should be resilient!

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She has turned him around, opened his shut door, loosened the shoes that were stuck in the cement, and yanked him out of the mud. There is no fault in believing in what could be, in trying to fight his way to fantasy being reality, especially... after all that’s happened, after connections have been formed, after the final challenge has come so much closer, he can trust in her.

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So he wants her to do the same for him.

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There’s a lot he can’t say, foolishly, perhaps, due to his own fumbles and - hahaha, what are they talking about? These feelings, this thumbing in his chest, in the inevitable teasing that will persist by the hands of those bitter and uninvited.

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Biting his lip, he contemplates his next move, resigning to the fact that his thoughts just aren’t working for him right now. His calm is taking a much needed vacation... perhaps, he should rest too.

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Mineo glances to the blanket that covers her. There would be plenty of leeway for him to use it too, but... no, he abandons that idea. Any movement like that might disturb her too much, and he doesn’t really want to think about how close their faces would be if -- A-Ahaha... Too late, considering the movement of his neck was enough for him to be able to really take in the looks of her sleeping face. Long lashes, calm, relaxed, he closes his eyes, trying to match the rhythm of her breathing.

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“It’s not.. like I think you’re... the greatest or anything...”

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He doesn’t see the small lift of her lips, but he does envision a small scene, a flower in her hair, as pure as snow. From her joyful tears spring blooms that match the ones already upon her. Nothing blotches them, covering their petals with a permanent scarlet. Safe, fine upon their steered course. He hasn’t yet spilled on the paper the ink of his confession. No, he wishes to be more worthy a soul to match her, be her equal.

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For now, he can dream, he can grow alongside her. That’s a promise to himself, to the just finale they’ve sworn for Fujii, for Hoshino’s own freedom too. A life together... he reaches out quickly. The worry of her shattering into the pieces of regret, of something gone wrong, hits him posthaste. His hand on her face, wiping her tears with his thumb.

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H-Hey, crying really doesn’t suit a cute face like yours... I-I mean, you... y-you..! Um!

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Even here, he’s himself, no tactical retreat for him as she leans forward, kissing... his cheek, laughter ringing as one of her hands takes his free one. Like the head pat after the most recent battle they tackled, this is embarrassing! He can’t help but fluster. This warmth, right, there’s nothing they can’t do from here on out.

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Of course, in reality, he’s now asleep too. Yanagi sighs, organizing their papers and cleaning up the mess Mineo and Ichika ended up leaving in their seriousness. It’s an endearing sight, the two of them, getting along, leaning against each other. He carefully makes sure the blanket covers the both of them, not wishing to wake them.

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He can hear Mineo muttering, and figures it’s not really worth snapping him out of it, since it might cause more of a ruckus than needed.

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“We... together... best duo... Rely on... the sleeping dragon...”

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Undeniably, Enomoto Mineo, in his researched but inexperienced mind, is a romantic, empowered by love, by hope, by the bursts of adrenaline that come with nervousness.

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The full message, he tells to Ichika within the comfort of his slumber.

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We’ll do this together, and be the best duo to ever go down in modern history. That’s right, even those before us would be jealous! Rely on each other, we can climb mountains and cross oceans on strength alone! That’s a promise from the Sleeping Dragon himself!

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Sparse in reality, rehearsed in mentality, regardless, Mineo really is genuine. There are not yet any ill-tidings to bear. X-Day... Adonis, he will, no, they will, unravel it all. No wounds left open and untreated, but ones closed and mended. He wants to protect her, to show her he’s grateful. He knows, knows very well, that she can just as well handle herself, but he wants to pay her back for all the pushing she’s done. The future may be unknown, but there’s a handle to grip, a siege to stage, and a barrel to throw! They’ll be able to deflect, parry, and charge against the unseen to write history.

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Skipping steps? Most definitely so, but Mineo can’t help but stumble through this when he’s become so enamored by just how outstanding she is, and how fortunate he is to have her as a partner.

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That’s the sincere truth.