The Spider's Web (Rui Ayaki x Reader/OC)

Ch 8: Newbie

"So, to sum it up again, first you go to that station," Aoi pointed at the mat on the floor. "There, Naho, Kiyo and Sumi will help with your flexibility by helping you stretch past your limits."

Today was the first day of training, and a new chapter to my life. Aoi Kanzaki, another helper at the estate, was a sweet blue-eyed girl with straight black hair. Her hair was tied with two blue butterfly clips into twin-tails, and her uniform was tinted a deep blue. Shinobu introduced me to the girls before leaving for a mission.

"Next, Reflex Training. The tonic in these cups will be splashed onto your opponent, and if they manage to stop you before you raise your cup, you can't move it." She gestured to the cups on the table, where another girl was patiently sitting.

"Lastly, Full-Body Training, otherwise known as tag. Myself, and my assistant, Kanao, will be your opponents" the girl who's name was Kanao smiled daintily at me.

"Okay, begin!" She announced.

I took off my haori and Sumi and the other two immediately got down to business. Sumi and Naho holding my legs, I was flopped onto my stomach as Kiyo grabbed both my arms and pulled back as hard as she could. Biting my lip and my body trembling, I felt my eyes wanting to pop out of my eye sockets as I bit back a scream.

"Are you okay?" Asked Kiyo angelically.

" Y-Yeah, totally fine," I laughed nervously.

"Okay, let's continue then!" They said in unison.

After a few more rounds of that hellish activity, as I stood up to move to the next location, my whole body quivered, my muscles locking up in their place.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I leaned against the wall for support.

Glancing at each other, Naho said, "Here, let me help you. You have to rest before the next activity anyways," before massaging my shoulders gently.

I sighed in delight and relaxed. "Thank you, Naho." I smiled.

After a while, it was time for the second 'trial' or whatever you want to call it. I sat opposite of Aoi and looked at the cups. The sheer smell of the liquid made me cringe in disgust. Man, it would be horrible if I got splashed with this...

"Begin!" Sumi shouted.

I put my hand on top of Aoi's. According to the rules, if I managed to stop her before she held the cup, she cannot move it.

'Ew... It would be disgusting to be splashed by this,' I thought.

Panicking, I tried to think of a way to win without splashing the horrendous liquid onto her.

"Uh, um." I paused.

I saw her other hand preparing to counterattack, and did the first thing that came to mind.

"Ow!" She gripped her now bruised forehead.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear!" I frantically apologised.

I hit her head with the cup on accident, and pretty hard too. Um, oops?

"I-It's fine! I'm fine, I think," she waved me off. "Let's move on to the next challenge already," she sighed.

This time, it was Kanao that was facing off against me. She immediately smiled when we made eye contact and I grinned back, hoping to get a reaction out of her. Unfortunately, she remained stoic.

"Begin!"

In a split second, I saw her hand grab the cup as I braced for the impact.

"Huh?" I looked up.

She bumped my head lightly with the cup, still flashing a closed-eye smile.

"Oh, uh, thanks" I bowed respectfully. She clearly was on a totally different level.

"Okay, next!" Aoi gestured.

We walked onto the part of the room that had a big, empty space. She explained the rules once more and soon, we started. Aoi and I nodded, and began.

"Huh, not bad," she complimented while dodging my attacks.

"Oh, please, you're way better," I laughed.

By sheer luck, I managed to grab her, but the thing I grabbed was one of her ponytails.

"Ow, ow! Okay, you win! Stop pulling already!" She whined.

"A-Ah! I'm so sorry!" I bowed, smashing my forehead against the wooden floor.

"Geez... Whatever. I must admit, you do have some potential in you," she shooed me away, grimacing in pain.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Kanao looking at me, still flashing the same dainty smile at me. I gave an awkward smile and wave, but she continued to smile at me, not moving an inch. Walking away awkwardly, I positioned myself at the same place, and Kanao did the same.

"Begin!" Kiyo yelled.

I ran around her, attempting to confuse her, but of course, I failed. I launched off the ground as I tried to grab her. Dodging smoothly, she grabbed the collar of my kimono and stopped me in my tracks.

"Woah," I gasped in awe.

"Good try," she whispered before leaving the room. Damn, that ended frustratingly quick. I must improve, and fast.

"Well that's it for today," Aoi patted my back.

"Good job!" Naho, Sumi and Kiyo beamed.

"Thank you, see you tomorrow." I smiled and took my leave.

Rushing to my room, I saw Rui, still seemingly sleeping. Huh, he must be tired. It's been a whole day, and he's still sleeping? Puberty, maybe.

"How was training?" A girl from the shadows asked.

I looked at the direction the voice came from. "Ah, Shinobu. It was great, honestly. Anyways, why are you here?"

"It's about Rui," she smiled, just like Kanao.

"Tell me more, please" I eagerly waited for her answer.

"From my research in the past, I learnt that demons tend to have a 'charging period' as I like to call it. Since they don't consume food, in order to get the sufficient amount of energy they need, they spend most of the day sleeping, and this is happening to this boy now," she gestured to Rui.

"Oh... Then... How long will he sleep a day, on average?" I inquired.

"About twenty to twenty two hours, on normal cases. In other cases, they might go into a full-on coma," she answered, packing her things.

Soon, Rui began to stir. Stretching, he sat up groggily, waving to me tiredly. "Morning," he yawned.

"Rui, it's evening," I chuckled.

"Good work today. Have a good rest for tomorrow. Good night," Shinobu smiled, but as far as I could tell, she was hiding something underneath that facade.

"Alright, good night," I waved.

I looked at Rui, who went back to napping, and went to shower. When I came back, I sighed with glee as I cherished the feeling of laying down on my bed. Nuzzling into Rui, I felt it getting harder to keep my eyes open.

I looked up one last time, seeing Rui smile in his sleep, and did the same. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arm around me, and I have never felt more safe.