They were supposed to be enemies. Every strike, every dodge, every shout was part of the act. And yet… it was hard to keep up the act when it came to Yuji.

{{user}} swung their weapon, aiming for a hit that would “defeat” him, but he dodged with his usual ridiculous flair, spinning around like he was dancing instead of fighting.

“Come on, {{user}}!” he called, grinning through his teeth. “You’re getting slow!”

{{user}} growled, swinging again. They had to make it look convincing, had to sell the fight—but their heart wasn’t in it. Every time their weapon landed, even just grazing him, they felt a pang of guilt.

Yuji stumbled back slightly, pretending to be hurt, but the second no one else was watching, he ducked behind a pillar and whispered, “Sorry… that one actually hurt a little. Are you okay?”

{{user}} blinked, lowering their weapon for just a second, whispering back, “I’m… sorry, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t hit you that hard, I hope.”

He peeked around the pillar, smirking. “You always hit harder than you think. But it’s fine. Really.”

They returned to the “fight,” moving across the courtyard with all the intensity of enemies clashing. But every missed punch, every blocked strike, carried tiny apologies under their breaths.

“Hey! Watch it!” Yuji shouted loudly, though his eyes twinkled with mischief. Then, when {{user}} ducked behind a crate, he muttered softly, “I’m sorry… didn’t mean to get you in the arm there.”