The Shards of War: Balancing Power

Chapter 37

While walking through the street and Matsu spots an old friend of his from when he was training his aura, Kaito, he calls out his name and kaito waves at them and walks over and says what's up fistbumping Matsu, then Blaze asks who's this?

Matsu grinned at Blaze's curiosity and introduced Kaito, "Blaze, this is Kaito. We go way back. Kaito, meet Blaze, a good friend and someone I trust."

Kaito gave a friendly nod to Blaze, "Nice to meet you, Blaze. If Matsu trusts you, you must be cool."

Blaze chuckled, "I try my best. So, you're a friend from Matsu's training days, huh?"

Kaito nodded, "Yeah, we used to push our aura manipulation skills to the limit. Those were some intense times, but good memories."

Calie and Marie exchanged smiles, having heard stories about Matsu's training days from him before. Calie couldn't resist asking, "Any crazy training stories you can share?"

Kaito laughed, "Oh, there are plenty. Like the time Matsu accidentally flinged a training dummy. We were all a bit surprised, including him."

Matsu blushed, "Hey, it was an accident. I was still figuring things out back then."

Marie smirked, "Sounds like you've always had a knack for surprises."

Kaito chuckled, "That's our Matsu. Always keeping us on our toes."

As they continued to catch up and share anecdotes from the past, Blaze couldn't help but appreciate the bond between Matsu and his friends, realizing that each person in his life played a unique role in shaping the person he had become.

Then Matsu asked what he's been up too and Kaito says he got a job in the Education district as a private tutor, and Matsu says that's cool. Kaito continues, saying he needs glasses now but wears contacts to maintain his style, Matsu laughs.

Calie interjects and asks Kaito if he's found someone special yet or is he still crushing on her and Marie? Kaito tells them he's got a girlfriend now, and just as he says that, a girl walks over and calls Kaito babe and gives him a kiss on the cheek, then Matsu was surprised to see it's Emi, another one of his friends who trained in projection aura with him.

Matsu's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Emi, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Emi! Is that you?"

Emi grinned, "Hey, Matsu! Long time no see!"

Matsu chuckled, "Wow, it really has been a while. And you're dating Kaito?"

Emi nodded, "Yep, we've been together for a few months now. Kaito's been my rock, helping me get through some tough times."

Calie and Marie smiled, genuinely happy to see their friends finding happiness. Calie teasingly nudged Matsu, "Looks like your training buddies are all settling down."

Kaito added, "Yeah, we've grown up a bit, haven't we?"

Blaze, taking in the camaraderie, asked Matsu, "You seem to have a lot of friends here. How did you guys meet?"

Matsu explained, "We all trained in different aura disciplines. Kaito and Emi were part of the group focused on aura manipulation and projection. We went through a lot together during our training days."

Emi chimed in, "Matsu was always the energetic and optimistic one, even back then. He helped us keep our spirits up during tough training sessions."

Marie smirked, "Sounds like the Matsu we know."

As they chatted, catching up on each other's lives, Matsu couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia and gratitude for the enduring friendships that had shaped his journey. The group of friends decided to spend the day together, exploring the districts and reliving some of their past training memories.