"LIUUUUUUUU!!!"
As Liu was simply walking toward his dorm, he heard the loud voice of a certain ruffian pierce his ears.
"Nng!" In recoil, he covered it, squinting and groaning in frustration.
Much like anyone who lived in the sect—he knew the owner of the voice. It belonged to a boy two years older than he was, and there he was running toward him.
Liu could see a taller and dirtier boy and run toward him with an idiotic smile plastered on his face. His dark brown hair danced with the wind, and his rushing footsteps were like beats that created a tune of discomfort for the ten-year-old.
"LIUUUUUU!!!" His voice echoed in the air once again.
"You don't need to shout my name again, you idiot. I can hear you clearly from here!" Liu yelled, now brimming with pent-up frustration.
He wondered why his boy had to shout so loud, to begin with. 'Doesn't he know how troublesome he is being?' Liu wondered.
Then again, what did he expect from this shameless senior?
"Haha! Mean as usual, Liu." He had already closed their distance, now causing his wide grin to look all the more sickening to Liu.
"And what's making you smile so much brighter this morning, Cucao?" Liu rolled his eyes.
He was ready for yet another one of the unfunny jokes that Cucao often liked to share. 'Here it goes again…'
"I-I actually spoke to Lia today."
The moment he said this, Liu's eyes widened in shock. He stared in disbelief at his senior, unsure of what to say in response.
"W-why… why do you think I would care about that?" He flatly responded, almost defeating the shock he had initially.
"Liu, you're too cold. Come on, you know I've been planning this for very long!" The young lad named Cucao groaned, most definitely bummed out by Liu's dry reply.
"Yeah. You've been neglecting your training because your head has been filled with that girl. I can't say I'm surprised, but you really should take practice more seriously. It's no wonder you get your ass handed to you by juniors like me."
"Liu, you say the funniest things. There are no juniors like you." Cucao's face froze over as he uttered his last statement—his distant eyes telling the story of how he too had suffered humiliation at the hands of his junior.
"Look, you have talent, Cucao. If only you took training seriously, you'd be able to surpass most of your seniors. I'm being honest here." Liu groaned.
"Y-yeah. You're probably right. But we only live once, and I know what I feel for Lia is real. I can feel it in my heart, Liu. If I don't act on it now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" He burst out, strong with emotion.
He was still met with Liu's cold gaze, though.
'What are you talking about? You're only twelve years old…' Liu's thoughts trailed.
Unfortunately, this boy here never listened to reason. He had tried to make him take life more seriously, but he refused to do so.
At this point, Liu had lost all hope for him.
'Unless…!'
A smile appeared on his face, and he suddenly shifted the gloomy air around him into something akin to excitement.
"You know, if you train to be extremely strong—the strongest guy your age—I'm sure Lia would fall for you."
As expected, the moment Liu said this, Cucao's cheeks turned pink and his eyes widened. "R-really? You mean it?!"
"Yeah. I mean, you're not exactly physically attractive. Plus, you're so rough and carefree. You're also clingy, and you're a glutton, despite your slim build…"
"W-wow, Liu. You don't have to be so mean…" Cucao nearly broke down as the many words he received broke past his thick skin and shattered his fragile heart.
"You don't have much going for you except your talent in Martial Arts. If I were you, I'd focus on that." Liu simply ignored his pained expression and continued. "If you do well, she'll notice you."
'Though it's most likely that you'll forget her at that point…'
Liu, unlike most people his age, never really found a girl he crushed on. Everyone around him, especially the seniors, were already falling for one other, and it often puzzled him.
Why couldn't they set aside their hormonal instincts and do what they were meant to?
'I've heard a few of the children here get engaged before leaving for the outside world, but still…'
Right now, they had to temper their bodies and hone their techniques so they could survive the unforgiving world out there. Of what use was love when you couldn't protect it?
That was his rationale.
"Become strong. Only when you're strong enough will you be able to face those feelings head-on."
Silence befell the two, and they stared at each other for moments without uttering a single word.
"Hmm. Sometimes, Liu, it feels like you're talking to yourself when you say stuff like this." Cucao muttered.
"What are you talking about? I don't have anyone I like that way. Training is more important right now." Liu shrugged.
But wasn't that what someone who operated with Liu's model rationale would say?
"What about Peng? I can tell something serious is going down between you two." Cucao grinned, now even more stupidly than before.
"What? What the hell? You better keep that dirty mouth of yours shut. What makes you even think that?!" Liu's face was flushed, but he was mostly annoyed by what Cucao was implying.
Peng was one of the girls the same age as Liu, and it seemed that literally everyone was pairing them together. He had no idea how the rumor started, but he didn't care much for it.
'She's the one who's in charge of my laundry, but that doesn't mean we share anything special or anything.'
Didn't these people have anything better to do than pair him up with a girl he only saw as overbearing—sometimes to the point of annoyance?
'She's always nagging me about my clothes and everything. She's always telling me not to dirty them too much, but what else am I supposed to do if I'm training?'
Fortunately, Peng was good at her job, and his clothes were always sparkling clean.
That was her only saving grace.
"I heard she even washes your undergarments, and—"
"S-shut up!" Liu ran, now heading to his dormitory to quickly get changed. Cucao had delayed him long enough.
"I don't have time for this. Girls like Peng don't even interest me…" He murmured, almost at the point of exasperation.
The image of the Sword Saint flashed in his mind, and he leaked out a smile. If there was ever anyone he saw that way, she would be exactly like Yui.
'But I can't… not yet.'
As long as he was still nothing but a weak, young boy, he could only keep these feelings to himself.
'Until I'm strong enough to stand by her side!'
*
*
*
[A/N]
Nice to see a bunch of kids being kids.
I like Cucao's personality, and I hope we see more of him and Peng.
Tell me what you think in the comments below.
Liu made his way up the winding path that led to the boy's dormitories, no longer saying anything to the talkative young boy that kept rambling on and on in his ears.
His clothes were dirty and damp with sweat, and he was certain he stank, yet Cucao kept drawing close to him as if everything was well.
'What a weirdo.' Liu sighed. 'I can probably outrun him if I choose to, but…'
For some reason, he allowed himself to listen to Cucao's meaningless words. Walking beside each other, the both of them found their way to Liu's destination—the Boy's dormitory.
The dormitory consisted of about three buildings within a compound, each made of a fine mix of wood and stone. The buildings were nestled among the trees and surrounded by a courtyard where the boys could practice their martial arts or play as they wished.
The three buildings were massive, a representation of the space they harbored within them.
"I'm off, Cucao. See you later."
"H-huh? Wait, I'm not done—!"
Before the talkative Cucao could say any more, Liu picked up his pace and entered the first building, which was where his room was.
Inside, the dormitory presented a very narrow hallway, with various doors leading to individual rooms hanging around. The floors were made of polished wood, the same as the ceiling and distant walls.
Liu easily navigated his way through the identical wooden constructs until he got to his own. Once he got in, he was greeted by the sparse furniture he possessed. Other than his simple bed, wardrobe, and a bucket in the corner, nothing else could be seen within the room.
"Alright!"
In a flash, Liu took off his dirty and soiled uniform, leaving only his undergarment. He stared at it, feeling a little awkward watching the piece of clothing covering his nether regions.
"I really want to grow up quickly…" Muttering to himself, he grabbed the bucket and made his way outside his room.
He zoomed to the furthest room at the end of the hallway, meeting the general boy's bathroom there. He swiftly scooped water from the huge drum that stood in the corner, and shut the door to the public facility.
'Everyone knows this is the time I bathe, so no one disturbs me.' He heaved.
He didn't particularly mind bathing with the others. He seldom bathed in his previous life, and when he did, it was with many others. Even in this new world, that didn't change—though the children in his town often avoided him, so he bathed alone then as well.
Perhaps it was much better this way, since he had time for himself.
***
After he concluded his bathing session, Liu returned to the hallway with several droplets of water clinging to his juvenile body.
The air inside the dormitory now felt cool and refreshing, with a hint of incense lingering in the air. Perhaps he hadn't noticed it before thanks to how badly he smelled.
Upon returning to his room, he reached for a clean set of clothes from his wardrobe. He dressed quickly, already used the process of putting on his sect uniform. Once again, as white as sheep, Liu was transformed.
His only concern was to get his dirty clothes washed as soon as possible.
"Let's get this over with quickly…" He picked up his clothes and made his way to the laundry site. "Let's hope she doesn't give me too much trouble."
***
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
How could he have dreamed of the impossible? Liu could not help but take back his earlier wish as he covered his ears in response to Peng's loud voice.
"LOOK AT HOW MESSED UP THIS IS! IT'S NOT JUST DIRTY, BUT EVEN TATTERED HERE! AFTER LAUNDRY, I'LL HAVE TO SEW THESE PARTS TOO!" She was practically shoving his dirty laundry to his face while complaining about it.
"Mmmph! Yeah, I get it. I get it." He could only mutter while taking a few steps back to avoid smelling the horrid stench any longer.
"IS THAT ALL YOU'RE GOING TO SAY?!"
"A-and… sorry…" He added, though hesitantly.
"Haa… seriously, though. Why are you always like this?" At this point, he glanced at the nagging ten-year-old that stood in front of him.
She had brown hair, made into two pigtails. Her face was smooth, and she had relatively big eyes. Not as big as Liu's, though.
'She honestly doesn't look anything like how she sounds…' Liu found himself thinking as she grumbled while dropping his uniform in a bucket.
Peng was the same age as him, but not only was she taller than he was, but she was also very assertive. Despite how cute her face was—almost as if she was a baby—her loud voice and brazen personality created a dissonance.
"You should really calm yourself someti—"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing…"
Unlike Cucao, Peng wasn't someone who would simply allow him to quip in whatever he liked. He honestly had no idea why people would think they liked each other or anything of the sort.
If anything, he felt she hated his guts.
'She only does the laundry because its her job.'
Liu had heard from Cucao, who heard from his crush, Lia, that the people in the Laundry Unit could always choose to apply for a change in those they washed for. He often wondered why Peng didn't simply complain if she hated doing his clothes so much.
'I heard she personally fixes my clothes whenever they tear or anything. That's why she complains so much about it. But why can't she just let those in that department do their jobs?'
Maybe Cucao and the others were right about Peng's behavior being a little suspicious. Could she actually…
"HEY, LIU, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Her voice shook him out of his thoughts, causing him to honestly doubt the line of reasoning he had just been trailing in.
'Peng and me? No way!'
"I'll be more careful next time. Bye. Gotta go. Thank you. You're the best." Liu rapidly fired those words before finally running off.
"Y-you, where are you—?!"
"Sorry, Peng. My Master requires my presence!" He yelled, rushing in the direction of the tallest mountain.
"T-this guy…" Liu could hear Peng's bone-chilling whisper behind him, causing him to quicken his pace.
He had to hurry before it was too late.
"LIIIIIUUUUUU, YOU IDIOT!"