Chapter 32: Chapter 32 - A Silent Bond
(Cassandra POV)
Nero dodged my punch, twisting his waist and launching a side kick. With fluid movements, I blocked the kick with my left arm and threw several jabs with my other hand.
Nero's eyes followed my every move as he defended himself from my punches.
In just two weeks, he had learned a lot. His reaction time and perception had increased considerably, to the point where his body followed his eyes instinctively.
To fight at my level without using his "Limitless" quirk, he needed to rely on his "Six Eyes."
The "Six Eyes" was an impressive ability, almost like an additional quirk. Although Nero described them as more of a complement to his primary quirk, he speculated that his quirk had only semi-evolved.
With that thought, I took a step back, transferring all my weight to my right leg. I turned my body and threw a high side kick, which Nero blocked with both hands. The pressure of the blow pushed him to the side.
Then I lunged forward, aiming for his arm with a punch. A little disoriented, Nero stretched out his arm to protect himself.
I deceived his eyes, stopping the inertia of my strike, and turned my body to deliver a powerful punch with my other hand.
It was evident that his eyes could read my movements, but the accumulated fatigue prevented him from reacting in time. My punch hit him in the stomach, and he was thrown back, hitting the ground.
Meanwhile, beads of sweat ran down my face and dripped onto the floor.
Forty minutes! That was how long we had been in this physical fight.
Although I only used taekwondo, he almost reached my level in just two weeks. He had copied many of my movements, and while I could still refine his technique, it was already at an acceptable level.
His eyes were a real asset, very similar to my quirk. He managed to imitate several of my moves perfectly and even improve on them.
It's a shame that today is our last day of training, as the Yuuei Sports Festival starts tomorrow. For some reason, thinking about it made me feel empty.
Why? I couldn't understand why. It was something I couldn't grasp, no matter how much I tried to think about it. It was as if I wanted to spend more time with him.
I shook my head, trying to dispel those thoughts. I approached Nero, who was lying on the ground, looking at the clouds in the sky.
"Can we call it a draw?" Nero asked, giving a pained smile.
I shook my head and extended my hand to him. Nero's hand clasped mine.
Inside, I felt a burning sensation. Whenever I touched him, this mysterious feeling grew stronger.
With mixed emotions, I pulled him up, but in my heightened state, I used more force than usual. His body was thrown against mine, pressing my chest against him. Something stirred within me.
With the inertia of the movement, we both fell to the ground, but Nero ran his hand down my back and touched my butt as he planted his feet on the ground.
For some reason, I unconsciously buried my head in his chest. My chest pressed against his body, while his hand rested on my butt.
Why do I feel something strange in my lower half?
I felt warm.
Do I want to fight?!
Questions filled my mind.
My breathing became heavy. My body reacted to his touch, my heart beat faster, and the time around me seemed to pass more slowly.
There's definitely something wrong with me.
"Cass, we almost cosplayed the Tower of Babel."
I shook my head, breathing in his scent, which made my body even more restless.
Disturbed by this change, I calmed my heart and forcibly controlled my body. My heart started beating at a normal rate again, though I still felt something strange, especially in my groin area, but it was manageable.
Nero smiled and let me go, making me miss his arms. Before I could sink into those thoughts, I discreetly slid my hand up his leg.
"So today's training is over?" he asked, sitting on the porch of my house.
"Yes," I said, moving my hand to express myself.
These two weeks went by very quickly. To be honest, I wanted this time to last longer.
"It's a shame; I love training with you," he said, resting his hand on the porch's wooden floor and looking up.
My heart started to beat faster.
While analyzing my feelings, he lowered his head and looked at me with his golden eyes.
"Cass, I have an idea. How about we go to a game room?" he asked, crossing his legs and smiling childishly.
"Game room!?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.
Is this a place for training or something?
"It's a place where dreams become reality, where men become boys, a place of hope and sincerity."
Nero stood up, speaking theatrically and exaggeratedly, but still with that smile on his face.
His smile was something that made me happy, even though I didn't know how to show it.
"So, my lady, will you accompany me on this journey of dreams and hope?" he said, tilting his body and extending his hand towards me.
To be honest, I didn't really understand what this game room would be, but I trusted Nero. Without hesitation, I held his hand.
"Alright, let's go!"
A slight smile appeared at the corner of my mouth when I saw Nero's excitement, even though I still didn't know what this magical place called a game room was.
•••
Lights!
That was my first impression when I saw a multitude of colored lights around me, emanating from the floor, the ceiling, and various machines.
And my second impression was that the place was incredibly noisy.
I was so disoriented that I felt my head spinning a little.
Suddenly, I felt Nero's hand in my hair, which instantly calmed me down.
"Welcome to the arcade, Cass!" he said, gesturing with his other hand to showcase several machines I had no idea about. "Here we have arcade games, ping pong, darts, bowling, billiards, karaoke, and many others. Plus, the prices are very reasonable."
I listened to his words while enjoying the soothing sensation of his touch on my hair.
"Wow!" I exclaimed, moving my hands to express my amazement, though, in reality, I just wanted to savor the feeling of his hand in my hair.
Why is his touch so different from my adoptive mother's?
Nero's touch in my hair evoked a very different feeling than when my mother did it.
"Since you like martial arts, how about we start with a fighting game?" he asked fondly, pointing to a machine next to us with his free hand.
A fighting game?
"Alright," I signed, nodding affectionately.
Nero smiled and took his hand out of my hair, leaving me feeling a sudden emptiness. But that feeling was quickly dispelled when he naturally took my hand and led me to a machine.
Again, my heart began to race much faster.
Do I have heart disease?!
Before I could ponder it further, I found myself in front of the machine as Nero released my hand and stood beside me, our shoulders touching. I could feel his body heat, which automatically made mine rise.
"First, I'll teach you!" he said, navigating to something called "J1 vs. J2." A screen with several men and women appeared.
One detail stood out: the men had more clothes than the women.
I get it; women have less clothing to increase their flexibility and fluidity of movement. But it must be a problem to have such huge breasts?!
I moved my hand to what they called the control, and a square on the screen moved.
Oh!
I cycled through the characters until a woman in a basic kickboxing stance caught my eye. Without thinking much, I chose her, while Nero selected a black man with dreadlocks, dressed in a green and yellow outfit, dancing on the screen.
Capoeira, I thought instantly. This character he chose is a Capoeira master.
Then, the fight began.
Nero patiently taught me the moves, combos, dodges, and specials. Little by little, I learned. Although some moves were unrealistic, others were quite possible to accomplish. In fact, even the seemingly unreal moves could be replicated almost perfectly by me.
To my surprise, Nero won the first round, and in the second, I managed to damage him. His expression became more serious, and in the end, I lost.
I think I understand.
I looked at him, and without saying anything, Nero understood that I wanted to try again.
"Once more, Cass."
Again, Nero chose the Capoeira master, and I went with the kickboxing master.
Then, a new match began.
And...
"K.O." The sound echoed from the machine.
"I lost," Nero muttered in shock.
I tilted my head to the side, feeling a slight surge of dopamine.
And Nero's expression was also quite cute.
"Again," he said with a serious expression, which I found endearing and more interesting than the game itself.
I nodded.
"K.O."
At the sound again, Nero looked at the screen in disbelief. This time, he didn't even touch me. The word "Perfect" flashed below the K.O., but I didn't quite understand why.
In a way, this fighting game was easy for me since I had already memorized all the moves of both his and my characters. This allowed me to predict Nero's character's movements.
He was an open book to me.
"One more, but this time, it will be in another game." His eyes burned with determination.
He really is a competitive person, I thought, feeling happy.
So, we played a variety of games, from darts, ping pong, and billiards to something with a strange name like air hockey.
I always lost the first game. However, soon after, it was impossible for him to defeat me, and I easily won all these games.
"You are very good," he said, pouting.
At that moment, I regretted not being good with technology, as I could have taken a picture of him. I just looked at him. It felt as if all the people around us no longer existed.
As we walked, my eyes wandered to the side, spotting several stuffed animals inside a machine.
Nero noticed my gaze.
"Do you want to play the crane game?"
I nodded, drawn to a stuffed doll, specifically a bat.
Nero, wiping away his pout as if it had never existed, inserted money into the machine.
"You just need to control that claw with the buttons in front of you," he said from behind me.
Hmm!
I fumbled a little with the controls, making the claw release the bat. Suddenly, I felt Nero's body pressing against mine. My body went static. His warm hand lovingly rested on top of mine.
"I'm going to help you," he whispered, his breath warm against my neck.
He moved his hand, guiding mine.
I had already forgotten about the bat. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was the heat radiating from Nero's body.
His hand held mine, his warm breath tickled my neck, and his body pressed against mine. It was all I wanted to feel.
It was almost as if my body was under his control.
Again, that heat returned.
I could feel a strange reaction: heavy breathing, dryness in my throat, sweat on my hands, and other more unusual sensations, like the hardening of my nipples and a burning sensation in my private parts.
???
Without realizing it, Nero controlled my hand and successfully caught the bat with the claw.
He let go of my hand and moved away, leaving me with a feeling of emptiness.
Before this feeling could intensify, I heard Nero's voice.
"Here's your bat," he said with a happy smile, snapping me out of my stupor.
"But you were the one who caught it," I signed, feeling as if I had done nothing, lost in my thoughts.
"It's for you," he said, gently placing the stuffed bat in my hand.
Naturally, I picked up the stuffed bat and pressed it against my chest.
I felt warm, but not in the same way as before; it was a comforting warmth.
"So, does this cute little bat have a name?" he asked, looking straight into my eyes.
With the bat pressed against my chest, as I lost myself in his eyes, I signed.
"Barbarian," I said, choosing a name I really liked.
"It looks like your plushie is actually a Batgirl," he said, moving his hand to my hair.
A smile of pure happiness spread across my lips.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
CaesarZ
CaesarZ If you have enjoyed reading this, toss me a stone!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone