“Seriously, you’re so gross, dude.”

Mafuyu winced as he dabbed at the bloodstains on your forehead, holding a rag like it personally offended him. His nose scrunched up in disgust. “Can’t you be a bit cleaner when you fight? Geez.”

After a long day of missions, the two of you were holed up in Natsuki’s lab, wiping off dust and blood. You barely cared about the mess clinging to your skin, but your partner—aka Mafuyu—was so bothered by it that he literally dragged you by the hair into the bathroom and sprayed your face down like some unruly stray.

Now, here you were, letting him fuss over you like a nagging parent.

“You should’ve used your feet,” he continued, tossing the stained rag into the sink. “Like me. It’s way cleaner and way more efficient. Think smarter, not harder.”

If he kept this up, there would come a day when you’d grab him by the collar and dunk him into the nearest mud puddle, leaving him at the mercy of whatever lovely gifts Mother Nature had to offer—bugs, wet leaves, and god knows what else.

But for now, you had a better idea.

You glanced down at a streak of blood still clinging to your arm. Without hesitation, you swiped a finger through the drying crimson and, before Mafuyu could react, smeared it right across his forehead.

“Ah—?! What the hell?!” Mafuyu recoiled so fast he nearly knocked over the sink. His expression twisted into sheer horror as his hand shot up to his forehead, frantically scrubbing like his life depended on it.