A New World Awaits

~Ch 15 - Training Sesh~

We continued to stroll through the unusually bustling streets of Solaire, the fervent and lively atmosphere making me nearly forget that night had already befallen us. But the eerie endless void blanketing the sky that contrasted with the warm glow surrounding us reminded me that precious time continued to slip by as we speak. In all honesty though, I was feeling quite languid due to all that had transpired these past days. Despite the fact that we enjoyed a day off just recently, the accumulated stress and adrenaline still piled up regardless and my body was throbbing due to the lack of a good rest. But there wasn't time to rest now. We've been given our most challenging mission yet after all!

(Come on, just keep going Haruka... We won't win otherwise, and you know it...!)

I forced my aching legs to move and persisted forward with this single thought in mind, somehow managing to push myself beyond the limits my body could handle. But much to my surprise, a low thudding sound echoed from overhead, and I jerked my head upward due to the abrupt noise.

Not soon after did Momoi's familiar voice halt me in my tracks, "Oh no, Nagi! Are you alright, can you stand?"

Nagi was kneeling on the ground a ways ahead, and I quickly rushed to his side after following Momoi. Momoi crouched down slightly, extending her hand in concern towards the panting Nagi.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright... My legs just sorta gave out, probably out of exhaustion. It's fine though, I-I can keep going..." He spoke in restricted breaths before staggeringly standing up on his two, scraped-up legs.

"Are you sure? That was quite a nasty fall. Maybe we should take a short break first and recuperate before heading out for the mission..." Momoi muttered as she rested a hand on Nagi's back.

I was about to voice my agreement however, the two males almost instantly denied her statement in united frustration.

"That ain't necessary! The last thing I want is to hold you guys back just cuz I'm a kid! I-I can keep pushing, I swear!"

"Not a chance. We're already way behind schedule and the last thing we need is some unrequired respite."

Their sudden outbursts left Momoi and me at a momentary loss for words, as we both exchanged looks before cracking into wide smiles. I really couldn't hold back my laughter, and it appeared that Momoi was thinking on the same wavelength as me.

"Haha, boys will be boys! Am I right, Momoi?" I lightly nudged the grinning magenta head, who replied with a cheerful pitch in her voice.

"That's evidently true now. *Chuckle*"

But it seems that our merry laughter and enjoyment from the entire scenario simply flew over their heads, as the two merely gave us strange looks of confusion and annoyance combined. Nagi was the first to blurt out, his face slightly flushed from the embarrassment, "H-Hey! What's up with all the laughing?" 

Not understanding our motives, Nagi helplessly turned to the black head standing next to him before continuing, "T-Tokiya, do you get it...?"

"...Not a clue. *Ahem* Now then, I hope you had your fill of fun but can we get back to the issue at hand. We have to go." Tokiya nearly began resuming the journey, but thankfully I was quick enough to stop his actions.

"Not so fast! We're going to go rest for a moment first, then deal with the stupid mission. What do you say Momoi?"

"Couldn't have phrased it better. You two need to understand that not everything is about simply powering through and ticking difficult tasks off the board. It's also about learning to care for your own wellbeing first and learning some needed time management skills."