Arcane | Wind Breaker |

The Staircase to Adulthood

"Wh–What happened?" Nirei asked as he stared at the scene before him and the others.

'In just a flash, he got behind me?! There's something up with his movements... In that case...I just needa hit him fast enough so that he can't dodge!!' Minoru thought as he dashed in Suo's direction.

The Shishitoren male threw a punch just for his fist to casually get grabbed.

Bending his left leg to keep himself balanced, Suo flipped Minoru off of his feet which caused the male to spin and slam into the floor.

Choji stared in excitement while Togame was a bit surprised to see his gang members easily get beaten up.

"GAAGH!" Minoru cried out when he felt his back and the back of his head hit hard.

Suo chuckled. "Heh heh heh. That was one big fall," he teased.

Minoru blushed from embarrassment but grabbed onto Suo's pant leg.

"You asshole!" He shouted.

Suo stared at Minoru with an indifferent look, wrapping his leg around Minoru's arm before kicking him away.

Minoru went flying backward before landing heavily on the ground once more, a pained cry escaping his lips.

"Huh...? What?!"

"I've got a question for you..." Suo spoke up, grabbing Minoru's attention. "What do you think...is the key thing you need to become an adult?" He asked.

"Wuh...?" Minoru stared at the teenager in confusion for a few moments before gritting his teeth. "Quit spouting bullshit...that no one understands!!" He yelled as he got up onto his feet, running at Suo.

"W–Wow..." Nirei whispered. "It looks like...his opponent's just falling on his own..."

Suo had grabbed onto Minoru's jacket sleeve which caused the Shishitoren teenager to slide sideways.

"You asshole!!"

Nirei jumped in fear when the Shishitoren gang members started yelling.

"Get your head in the game!!"

"Stop foolin' around!!"

"You've gotta be shittin' me, Kanumaaa!!"

"You're not takin' this seriously at all!!"

'They don't even know... Me?! Fooling around?! Even if I push, if I pull, or if I grab him...he'd turn it around on me in the blink of an eye. If you guys got complaints...then you try to fight this guy!!' Minoru thought as sweat rolled down his face.

Umemiya chuckled in amusement. "He's not just kind, isn't he?" He asked.

"There isn't even a fragment of kindness in this. All he's got is a rotten, garbage personality," Haruka bluntly says.

"Huh?" Nirei questioned.

Suo quickly moved across the stage, his feet gliding as he sent Minoru to the ground again with one swift movement.

"He's keepin' the guy weaker than him alive in a living hell. He's just making a fool of his opponent. The poor guy's forced to face the overwhelming difference in their strengths over and over. If it were me up there, I'd rather be killed than let that go on. Though, if it were me, he wouldn't be able to toss me around like a ragdoll," Haruka continued.

"I-I see... It does sound morbid..." Nirei mumbled.

"Well...I'm sure he has his own thoughts after watchin' the Shishitoren punks. But I'll admit I'm surprised to see him get so emotional..." Hiragi states.

"I mean, this is probably one of those cases, right?" Umemiya piped in which made Hiragi look over at him. "Where someone close by...is drawing out that side of him," he explained.

(Y/n) shifted his eyes over to the others, listening to them speak with one another before bringing them back onto the stage.

"Hey..." Haruka spoke up.

"Yeah?" Nirei asked, turning his attention over to Haruka.

"What do you think I gotta do to make him fight me seriously...?" Haruka asks.

"Huh? Why would you...?" Nirei squinted at the male beside him in disbelief.

Minoru went stumbling across his feet before landing face forward with a grunt.

Sitting on his knees, Minoru stared at the wooden flooring beneath him as his sweat dripped.

"Hey, get the hell up!!"

"Stop screwin' around, Kanuma!"

"Are you even being serious right now?!"

Minoru nervously glanced over at Choji and Togame.

Choji was fast asleep, snoring quietly with his head propped up against his knees that had been pulled against his chest.

Togame was staring silently at the male, his lips pulled into a straight line.

A shiver ran up Minoru's spine when he saw the look Togame gave him.

'Huh? No way... At this rate, I'm gonna...' Minoru trailed off.

"So..." Suo trailed off, receiving a gasp from Minoru. "Why don't I try..."

"...ing...pp...ing... This...ing... This... This isn't happening! This isn't happening!! It's not happiness!!" Minoru hollered as he got up, turning to face Suo with a fist pulled back just to meet with a kick being sent in his direction.

Minoru froze in fear as Suo dropped his foot to the ground.

"Why don't I...try guessing what you're thinking right now? You're overlapping the image of the man you once laughed at...with your own self. That's the answer to my question... What you need to become an adult is...the power of imagination," Suo coldly says.

Panicking, Minoru fell to the ground as he stared at Suo with a look of nothing but fear.

Suo then smiled, bringing his arms out to the side. "Now... After you've done it once, you'll be on your way to success! So, before you forget how it feels, let's move on to the next step!" He says.

Suo stared silently, not wanting to continue speaking due to the fear that he felt.

"What do you think is necessary...in order to strengthen that imagination? Well, the answer is...to make your imagination...into reality," Suo finished.

Minoru watched as Suo shifted into a fighting stance.

Suo had shifted into a stance that had his right fist pulled closely to his waist, and his left hand facing at an angle, the palm facing downward.

"W... Wait...!" Minoru cried out, bringing his hands up.

"All right, stop. That's...enough," Togame ordered.

Hearing Togame's voice woke up Choji.

"Sorry, Eye patch-kun. Can you step down?" Togame asked.

"Aaah... I, uhh... Wh–Why...?" Minoru nervously spoke up.

"Don't embarrass us any further. Or, I guess...it's not really an embarrassment anymore...since you're off the team now," Togame replied.

Hearing those words leaving Togame's lips shattered Minoru's mind as he slid down into a position that had his forearms keeping him up.

Suo then walked by the ex-Shishitoren member, approaching the steps.

"To become an adult...means that you have to engage in other people's feelings. That's where you'll need both imagination and experience. Good for you. You've...managed to take at least one step up those stairs," Suo says as he walks down the set of steps, heading back to where his gang members were.