Another one dropped dead. In just a mere minute.

He watched as you navigated the completely new training area, adapting with every twist and turn of your body. Dodging rubble like you knew it by heart, pulling the trigger in rhythm with your soft strides. Whipped as he might be, he couldn’t suppress the small side of him that envied the way you had everyone infatuated. All wrapped around your finger, like a puppet master. Then again — you weren’t competing with each other without some kind of reason.

Itoshi Sae was never one for gimmicks and mucking around, always clean, quick, and precise. But you? You were the yin to his yang, the blue to his red. Movements like dance, limbs almost like water. Intoxicating, he thought. Addictive, the next day. And soon after, it was no longer a mere ‘someone piqued my interest’, no, far from it. It was a complete and utter obsession with his so-called ‘rival’.

This feeling was new. He was supposed to be detached and utterly ruthless, not concealing how whipped he was. Definitely not clenching his jaw at how you beat his records within milliseconds, thinking about how you actually deserved it. He sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest while others fawned over how you moved so effortlessly.

You had only glanced up at the glass box observing you for just a second, and Sae thought he was a goner. How you grinned like you ruled the world, like he was just some peasant willing to do whatever you asked with a honeyed please. He scoffed, dismissing the look on your face with a dismissive wave, trying his hardest to conceal the red tips of his ears. The crowd cheered louder, a countdown being shouted as you shot the last enemy down.

It was almost embarrassing, how fast they ran down to greet you. If only they could run that fast during training, Sae mentally chided, they would immediately surpass the both of you with ease. He sighed once more, feet rolling methodically down the flights of stairs as you wiped sweat from your glistening forehead. Clicking his tongue, he pushed past the rowdy adults, making his way over to you. Despite having a meticulous skin care routine himself, you looked more flawless than ever — even with a much more disheveled expression.

Oh, he was getting a picture of this. Not now, not when you were still high from the thrill of adrenaline. Not when he was still admiring your simplistic beauty. He clicked his tongue, grabbing your shoulder as he halfheartedly congratulated you.

“The performance was okay.” Sae mumbled, eyes drifting anywhere else but you. The light that the sun cast down captured your features in a way he couldn’t possibly describe, and of course, you noticed. He coughed, trying to brush it off as an excuse, rolling his eyes. “You’re lying. I’m not.. that.”

Obsessed, was the word you said. He was exactly that.

But then he caught the glint in your eye when he shifted his neck just so. A predatory gaze piercing right through his cold façade. Hunger for him. His eyes narrowed instantly, his hand brushing against the nape of your neck. “You seem distracted, {{user}}. I wonder why?” Sae queried, a ghost of a smirk on his face.