COTE: Ike Kanji - The Gremlin.

Sakura Airi was at a lost for words, being extremely flabbergasted when kanji out of the blue ask whether or not she was having an illness.

But after she thinks for a bit, more carefully in fact, she conclude that it was likely due to her having such a poor stamina.

Even though the bundle of sticks she carried were much less and the paced they walked in was greatly slowed down in consideration, her intakes of breath were much more rapid and uneven compared to Kanji's more steady rhythm.

She glanced down towards her abdomen where she cradled firewoods.

The hands that were holding them were already trembling subtly because of the strained building in her muscle.

As a result, she smiled mockingly to herself while breathing heavily.

"A ha ha, I-I am okay Ike Kun..." She huffed, sending him a glance.

When her eyes did landed on him, Kanji was raising his free arm, looking his rear and around in an angle where Airi could not view his face.

"Is... Haaa... everything ok, Ike... Kun?" Puzzled, she raggedly followed his gaze and look back, but nothing was there.

"N-No, nothing, I was just curious." Kanji, unlike his usual imperious self, stammered out with a wry smile.

"Just..." He hesitated, shifting his gaze forward and halting suddenly with a frown.

Because his action were so bizarre Airi's soft eyes followed the place he look inadvertently.

She was utterly shocked by what lay there.

It was probably 13, or 20 steps away from the place they stood, there was a girl with a very short blue hair lying on the moist, dirt filled ground, her attire disheveled.

Dry leaves and grimes were stuck upon her jumpers and short hair, as she was mingling with the filthy ground, mostly of decayed leaf and vines.

From a mere glance she give off the appearance of someone who was assaulted just now, as both of her arms were limply stretched out, with a grimy soils sticking to her fingernails.

Her eyes were daze and unfocused, her mouth agape, combined that with the slightly rosy swells on her cheeks, it was quite startling.

"Wha, Wha, Wha, Wha, W-what s-should we do, I-Ike Kun?!" With a wavering eyes Airi questioned nervously.

"Why are you so nervous Sakura?" Instead of giving answer Kanji calmly asked her back, with not a hint of hesitation.

"I that is, I mean that, s-she is a student from d-different class right, I-is she assaulted, how s-should we do?"

"She is..." Kanji wavered, shifting his gaze away from her and instead calmly directing it towards Airi, with a teasing smile on his lips.

"...From a different class... But why did you immediately assume she needed help? Maybe she... I don't know, just like playing with the rubbish..." He shrugg.

Because of his calm teasing, Airi was momentarily stunned. But again probed nervously, "L-look at her... Stop, t-teasing me for now, S-she... "

"She?" Kanji prompted, but Airi couldn't reply, just staring at him timidly with an extremely uncomfortable eyes.

'Well,' Kanji thought, exhaling briefly, 'I should stop teasing her for now..."

Scanning Airi's voluptuous body up and down, Kanji opened his mouth and wiping away his teasing smile, "Okay, But, take a deep breath first...You are too excited."

"Uh, um, sorry Ike Kun." Feeling slightly contrite, she look away.

Because of Kanji's nudge, she became aware of how unusually aggressive she behave right now.

And then Ike exclaimed suddenly, gazing Skywards as if recalling something. "Oh!"

"I'll test now." He muttered, shifting his eyes toward the blue haired girl.

Not even a second later, he took off the loads of sticks Airi was holding, handling with his' down from the shoulder and carrying it altogether to his chest.

"N-No, that is, no need Ike kun..."

"Don't be always so flustered." He teases again, "I said didn't I? Gentleman's like to show off in front of the ladies..."

As on cue, he let his eyes wander around Airi's body, but this time it felt like he was paying extra attention to certain parts.

"And you..." He said after a second, with a soft smile, "are an extremely fine one..."

Airi couldn't help but feel as if a giant hawk was gaping at her as if to devour.

Normally she would feel terrible because of the gaze that was directed at her, but, perhaps because it was Kanji, the admiration from him wasn't uncomfortable.

Even so her natural instinc was the desire to be unnoticed, and that preference was not entirely gone.

"Wha, wha, wha, w-what a-are you saying..." she stammered, each syllable fueling her embarrassment.

Her cheeks flushed a deeper crimson as she seemed to shrink further and further into herself, retreating until she felt as small as a timid mouse.

'Why is Ike kun like this so suddenly,' she thought, lowering even more.

Her heart thumping became so violent she moved back slightly, subconsciously fearing that the other party may heard them.

/// ///

—CRACK

Was she mistaken or did she just heard a twig snapping somewhere in a distance? She probably was, wasn't she?

Even though she could not see Kanji's face, Airi could still clearly sense that he was smiling at her in a very satisfied manner.

Because the noise generated from her chest were so loud, she couldn't form a coherent thought at the moment.

However, when Airi regained her sense and stared at his face to study his expression, she could saw that he was mildly irritated for some reason.

'Was it because of me?' She thought, but shook her head promptly, because her intuition say that it was unlikely.

"In any case," Kanji interrupted her thought, walking forward, "the thing seems to be more adaptable..." The last part of his sentences were more of talking to himself as they were extremely soft and quiet.

After he took three or four steps ahead only could she collected herself, sighing softly.

She shakes and stretched her arms around as they were terribly sore due to the weight she'd carry earlier and timidly follow Kanji, who was only a little taller than her.

He walked softly and elegantly, almost like reflecting his way of speaking which, now she realised, he did only today, and it was very attractive.

'Why am I only thinking that?' Blushing, she reproach herself, waving her arms around to scatter those immoral fantasies, 'What, what is wrong with me? Bad thoughts, Bad thoughts.'

She fumbled and scratches her nails, with even more heat building upon her face, she swiftly followed his trails.

And, soon they reach that girl laying in the musky ground, she was very dirty.

Airi look at Kanji, not knowing what to do, and hoping he would take the lead.

But to her suprise, he casually walked passed the girl softly, not even sparing her a glance, like a pebble he had no care for.

"Uh um."

"Hmm?" Noticing her stammer, Kanji look back with a subtle smile painted accross his face, "Sakura?"

"I, uh..." She again look at the girl with dubious eyes.

"S-S-Shouldn't we h-help her?..." She questioned, looking back at Kanji.

It was then Kanji finally spared the girl in question a glance, with it immediately disappeared any amusement whatsoever that were previosusly there.

Airi didn't know what to do or say, because he was staring silently at her for a prolonged period of time, as if waiting for something to happen...

'Uh, um, right, the girl hasn't show any reaction at all,' Airi finally realised, which she also thought was quite unnatural.

Because of the discomfort she felt, she also shifted her gaze toward her hesitantly. The more she study the girl, the weirder she feels.

Probably because she was feeling exceptionally uncomfortable by their gaze, the blue haired finally move her head to return the stare, still in a daze, but her eyes quickly turns sharp.

"!!!"

Airi turn her head immediately. She was looking at her weirdly after all, and she was a herbivore, who was previously terrified of eyes.

"Hey, why are you just staring, haven't you seen a girl before?!" The girl asked roughly.

"Pff... Sorry sorry." Kanji's tone, which Airi previously thought was quite attractive went back to that usual high pitched one.

"You look hot, do you have a boyfriend?" He asks with a wide smile, but frowning towards the ends of his sentence.

"Heh! I-Ike Kun! Y-You shouldn't ask that to people y-you just met."

"Really?! Why?" His voice were also annoyingly nasal.

"T-That is, because..." Airi couldn't articulate the reason, and also before she had any chance to do so, the girl interrupted.

"Tsk... Go away, you are too damn loud!"

She looks at them sharpy, narrowing her eyes, she says no more, pressing her lips tightly together and in general looking especially irritated.

"Ss, We, we are so S-sorry...".

"Come on, come on, don't say that. You are alone, come with us to our camp." Kanji gestured with his head, with an annoying wide smug.

'I don't know why exactly, but this version of Ike kun, looks artificial. It was probably because of what happened not long ago.' Sakura thought.

Subconsciously, she approached Kanji, weakly tugginh on his sleeve.

"I-Ike Kun, are you sure?" Although she was the one who initially demanded to give this girl assistance, the action Ike suggested,she thought, was too hasty.

"Come one, she's just one person, Hirata and Kushida wo—"

"Just go away!" The girl bellowed again, making Airi who was naturally timid flinch, "Just leave me the hell alone!"

"Ok," Kanji said easily and dismissively, like the previous suggestion was just a lie, "You heard her Sakura let's leave her alone."

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Seeing the bewildered expression from the both of them, Kanji's face was plastered with a wide smile, looking exceptionally amused.

But after a moment, rolled his eyes sideway toward a specific person.

"Why are you so suprised Mrs. Blue hair?" Ike kun innocently enquire.

"N-nothing." With the same rough manner, the girl replied while averting her gaze.

"I see... Well then, Sakura let's go..." As if losing all interest, Kanji walks forward, but his steps were deliberately slow for some reason.

"Uh, um, Ike kun, are you sure?" Airi questio again, looking tentatively at the girl on the ground, who appears to have an internal conflict.

With her inquiry, Ike kun sigh lightly and responded, "... I ask her nicely to come with us, and she refused... Nothing much we can do after a clear No. besides..." He scanned the girl entirely from his peripheral vision.

"...If she were really in troubles, the teachers would come to help her, no? Look at her wrist."

She did and saw there was the watch, which she remembered were some sort of tracking device according to the teachers.

"I-I see..." She muttered softly.

But Kanji tilted his head, muttered softly, "But this... really weird..."

Then he closed his eyes briefly and moment after, raising his chin slightly, states, "If I have to guess, she probably have a quarrel with her classma..."

He frowned, "Class leader most likely, and they leaved her here."

He paused his speech for a second, opening his eyelids slowly and continued, shrugging.

"But it's really weird why she doesn't just drop out from the exam..."

Kanji lock his eyes on the girl from the side with great interest, tilting his neck slowly from side to side, with a provoking smile upon his lips.

Finally, he exclaimed, "Ah!"

"What is it Ike kun?..."

"Remember?... There was a penalty for dropping out." He stated.

"Ah!" Airi, also realised.

This time, unlike the previously high pitched and abnoxious way of speaking, he spoke to the girl again.

"You are afraid of pulling down your class right?"

The girl, with a seriously conflicted expression consider Kanji with a side eye, choosing to snort instead of giving an answer.

"Please, come with us, you can come to our base..." Kanji's voice was unexpectedly sincere.

With a sharp eyes, the girl finally moved her face to look at Kanji. " You, You are Ike Kanji, am I mistaken?"

He was taken aback. " I am, how did you know?"

" Well..." Averting her eyes, she answered, " you are pretty famous."

"Oh oh oh!" Kanji exclaimed excitedly. "Is it my popular phase? It is my popular phase right? Come on, Come on answer me. "

"Tsk..." Because of Kanji's reaction the girl makes a disgusted face and groomed herself, picking the leaves and dirt that clung onto her clothes.

And, Airi, unable to bear it any longer, timidly tugged onto Kanji's shirt again, which she had never let go since the first time she'd grabbed them.

"Ike Kun, w-we b, better be hurry... It's late."

"Oh sorry, sorry Sakura chan." He calmed down a bit, "So, blue haired Chan, will you come with us?"

Hearing his question, the girl, for a long moment just look at them, and perhaps finishing to consider her options, quietly stood up.

Knitting her brows, she enquired, "You, do you not know how serious it is if I am a spy?"

"A ha ha ha, if you were really a spy, she wouldn't refused us the first time... Right Sakura chan?"

"U, Umm..."

"Are you stupid? You are definitely stupid aren't you? Why didn't you think I lied?"

"Well, I just admired you for not giving up, even though your classmates have abandoned you!" Exclaimed Kanji.

Though his intention were probably pure, Airi felt it was subtly hurtful for the person.

So she directed her gaze upon the blue haired girl, with the latter appearing as if the vein on her face would pop at any moment now.

In a fluster Airi pulled Kanji's shirt forcefully this time, but he seems to not even realise the problem, just smiling widely.

"You... You.. You..." The blue haired was about to blew up, but in the end just sigh and said, "You can call me Ibuki."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Because of the not so good stability of updates, here is a 2.3k words chapter.