(2) Future Card Buddyfight: Unity and Memories ✨🌟💫Book 2: Growing Closer

Chapter 23

A few weeks later

"You're good at this, yo." Tetsuya mused as he watched Chihiro do the choreography of Siren by Sunmi.

She smiled bashfully. "Well, I practised."

Reflection chuckled. "It's true. She does. Every day, in fact."

"Reflection!~" The whine was evident in Chihiro's voice.

"I'm impressed actually. You can go down on a split in such a short while, yo! I took forever!!!"

Asmodai grinned cheekily. "That's called born talent, Tetsuya."

"Heyyyyy!!!!!!!!!"

The brown haired girl laughed at the sight of indignant looking Tetsuya. "Actually, I've had experience. I was in cultural and contemporary dance in my old school."

"Really? No wonder you got the hang of this, yo!"

"Actually........" Chihiro's smile drooped a little. "I wasn't so into dancing at that time, probably because I had started later than my peers and was lagging behind.

"You see, we actually had to choose a co-curriculum activity to take part in. I did put in my choices, but unfortunately I never got into any of them. And so I landed in dance which I had no interest or experience in at that time."

The latter couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards her. "That's sad yo.........." but then a thought struck him. "Wait, but you asked me for lessons anyway!"

"I knew you'd ask." she smiled. "I'd just realised, perhaps I had never actually appreciated the fact that I got a chance to learn something, though I was terrible at it, hahahaha..........I thought I could give it another shot, do it with all my heart this time. Sure I'm lagging a little, I can't do that annoying bridge and get up properly even after a thousand years but at least I've improved!"

"That's amazing, yo!"

Reflection had to hide her smile. She's finally understood.

"How's this?" Kazane held up her picture for Chihiro to see: a horse running across a sunlit meadow.

"That's so pretty." She smiled, touching up her own painting of a girl looking into a mirror.

"But yours is better!"

"Nah, think nothing of the sort, yours is true art......"

"Oh come on." Kazane laughed, then turned to Count Dawn who was with them. "How about you, Mr Parasol?"

The Seventh Omni Earth Lord didn't seem to mind the nickname as he proudly lifted up his masterpiece.Reflection and Blade, who were both attempting to paint, looked up.

It was a single sheet of paper, painted completely black. Nothing else on it at all.

"Er........" Kazane looked awkward. "It's very...............dark. Nice shade of black."

Chihiro laughed, slightly embarrassed. After all, didn't black have only one shade? 

Blade squinted at it. "What is it?"

"Can't you teeell? Eeet's a night sky without ea moon!"

"Um, no. Nice, though."Chihiro tilted her head. "There's a way to make it look more realistic, you know."

Count Dawn frowned. "How?"

She took the painting. "May I?" Receiving his consent, she got to work.She took a paintbrush and some paint, mixing it till it got to a very dark grey."You have to make it obvious that it's the sky, and the sky obviously has clouds, even if it's at night, the clouds are obviously there, even if it isn't obvious that they are obviously there. Argh now I'm speaking tongue twisters........." Chihiro dabbed a few spots on the pitch black paper to form clouds."And even a moonless night has its stars. All you need to do is..........." She used another paintbrush to splatter drops of paint onto the paper.

The result? A realistic replica of the night sky.

Count Dawn stared at the painting. "Deees ees amazeeng! I deedn't know! Maybeee eets beecause I nevar painted beefore......."

"Well, now you do!"

"Hey Zanya."

"Hi. Wait what?! "Zanya turned abruptly to see Chihiro behind him.

His face immediately turned a deep shade of red. But he didn't run. He wasn't afraid around her; he was embarrassed.

"Do you always practice?" Chihiro peered at the sword in his hand.

"What? Oh this? Well yes........since young." Zanya tried to cover up his awkwardness with a formal statement.

"Really? You must be good." Her eyes were shining with interest.

His heart was already close to exploding due to how cute she looked when curious.

"He's not good, he's amazing!" Akatsuki popped his head out from behind Zanya.

"Akatsuki!"

"Sorry......"

Chihiro chuckled. "Wow. Wish I could see you some time, but I gotta go now. See ya!"

"Y-yes......."Zanya watched her walk away. As he did so, he was aware of his brother and two ninjas sniggering behind him.

"It's not what you think!"

"Ha! Yeah right."

"Urgh."

A/N:

Hiii. Sorry for not updating for so long. Here's a chapter to make up for it. The story will still go on, so don't worry;)