BLOW.

R U JELLY?

limbo, keshi

It took a few more days for Juniper to fully recover from her wounds she gained at USJ. She found herself waiting at her favorite boba place, kicking her feet as she made a miniature tornado on the table in front of her.

Her loose short sleeve white and blue button down rested on her shoulders over the black tank top she threw on. It perfectly suited the blue jeans she wore which had stars all over, along with her chunky white sneakers.

Shinso lightly tapped his knuckle on the table, gaining the girl's attention who was excited to see he had arrived. The boy gestured toward the register, "Ready to order?" She nodded, and the duo made their way to order their drinks, "I'll have an oolong tea with coffee jelly."

Grinning widely at the prospect of getting a sweet treat, Juniper added her choice, "I'll have brown sugar milk tea with brown sugar jelly, extra extra sweet please!!!!"

As she paid, Shinso couldn't help but tease the girl about the sugar drink she wanted, "Really? Are you sure there won't be too much tea in your sugar?"

Juniper stuck out her tongue as they went back to her table, sitting down and kicking her legs carelessly, "Your order is too plain!!! Booooriiiiinggggg!!!!!" She leaned onto the table with a mischievous smirk, "Is that any way to treat me when I paid? Huh, Shin?"

He playfully kicked her foot, rolling his eyes before grabbing their drinks from the worker. Before handing over either drink, he expertly stabbed the straws in and tried both teas. His nose scrunched up upon tasting her sugar infested water, "Jesus, you live like this?"

She elbowed him in retaliation before trying his drink of choice, "Ewww!!!! So bitter!!!! How is this edible?!?!?" Her face mockingly scrunched up before grabbing her rightful drink and sighing in relief, "That's more like it."

"Let's agree to disagree."

"I'm right, you're wrong, shut up!!!!!!"

Shinso had become much more comfortable with the girl, going so far as to ruffle her hair and poke her cheek, "Are you ready for the festival tomorrow?"

Ever the confident girl, Juniper leaned back in the seat, "I was born ready."

He liked seeing the coolheadedness she always seemed to have. After all, he truly believed it was well placed. To him, Juniper wielded monstrous power, one that he envied from time to time. Having her believe in him made it mean that much more to him. "I would like to redeem my favor, Angel."

Hearing this, Juniper leaned forward with curiosity and eagerness, "Oh really? What will it be, Shin? Let you brainwash me the whole time? Help you get to the top? World domination? Give you insight about my classmates?"

The boy loved to hear her suggestions but had already planned the festival out for himself. "I'll get past the first round in my own. I just want you to help out in the second round and make sure I make it into the final tournament."

Juniper hummed, a bit disappointed that he wasn't asking for world domination. She was most excited for that one, "Okay! I wouldn't mind helping out more~"

But the boy quickly shut her down, "No, I want to prove my skills."

She conceded, deciding instead to suggest another way for her to have some fun and for him to get a bit of last minute training in, "How about sparring a bit? Can you fight well?"

Shinso awkwardly scratched his head, "A... bit.... Kind of... Perhaps... Perchance... Potentially... Theoretically... Hypothetically... Yes."

This caused the girl to jump out of her seat, "Great!! Let's go fight now!!!"

Without allowing him to back out, Juniper grabbed Shinso's free hand and dragged him behind her to the nearest park. Lucky for them, it was evening so the park was empty aside from a few people who were passing through. Their drinks were placed on a nearby bench and the two stood across from one another in the grass.

Juniper didn't wait, grinning widely as she ran toward the boy with a wild and reckless swing. Shinso's eyes widened before he barely ducked under, clearly not having expected her speed or her attack, "Woah, woah, play nice!!"

She barely listened as she kicked him in the side, "Sure, sure!"

In all honesty, Shinso had never been in a proper fight before. Sure, as a kid he got into a few scuffles but that was years ago. He had only a few moments to react.

He aimed a punch at her left ribs, only for the girl to grab his arm and flip him over her body onto the ground. Before he could get up, Juniper had followed his momentum and landed on top of the boy. She held down his wrists and leaned down toward his face with a wild grin, "Gotcha!"

She let him struggle beneath her for a few seconds before letting go of his arms and laughing out loud. Shinso was hopelessly stuck under her and his racing heart was distracting him, "I never said I was good at fighting."

Juniper grabbed his right hand and brought it up to her face, pointing out the critical points as she explained, "The best places to aim for are right where the jaw connects and the temple!!! You might knock someone out of you hit hard enough."

Shinso nodded, eyes fixed upon her face as she spoke. Her white hair, gentle features, and how faithfully she believed in his abilities. She truly was an Angel.

"Thanks... Angel."

"Go kill em, Shin!!!!"