#hcss

Lunch break. I stuffed a sandwich into my mouth and dragged Chris out through the backdoor by his arm. 

“Finn~ I was planning to eat dessert after my lunch, you know~”

“You’ve promised to do it today, remember? Come on, let’s go.”

The backyard was bathed in soft sunlight, and purple flowers were blooming from the plants tended by Bernard-ojiichan and Vijay.

“What a pushy kid. Fine, just give a moment.”

Chris, who appeared reluctant, didn’t move from his spot as he shoved a spoonful of pudding from the jar into his mouth.

“Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

Previously, I had gotten Chris to promise that he would teach me martial arts. Long story short, we had been busy with our job as car dealers, and thus our plan had been postponed several times, but today both of us could finally make it.

“I’m not a fan of getting all sweaty with men, though.”

“Stop saying disgusting stuff so often. Come on, hurry up and teach me already!”

“I don’t think it’s anything worth teaching.”

I took off my suit jacket, pulled my necktie off, then draped them over a garden bench. I also took off my watch and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt.

“I mean, Finn, you’re already pretty good at fighting. Surely you have no need for extra training?”

“No problem, just teach me what you know!”

Before I joined High Card, I used to do boxing casually with my friends. However, after going on several missions with Chris, I learned that people who have been through intense training are on an entirely different level compared to those who don’t.

According to what he told me, it seemed that Chris had been trained in martial arts by his father when he was young. His basic skills laid in muay thai and MMA—mixed martial arts. In short, he could do anything in terms of full body combat.

“Very well, for the sake of my cute junior, I guess I can afford to take off a layer or two. One thrust at a time, maybe something more would come out of this, yeah?[*]”

I had no idea what he meant by that, but Chris simply chuckled at me.

“Show me what you’ve got.”

“’Kay.”

I took a shoulder-width stance by putting my left foot forward, then held up both of my fists to the height of my cheeks.

“My style is kind of like boxing. Here it comes, shadow.”

Shadow is a term for when one attacks or dodges while imagining their opponent in their head.

One-two, hook, uppercut, body-ducking, and swayback, I alternated between hitting and dodging.

The cobblestones on the ground rubbed against my leather soles, producing a crisp sound.

“So, how was it? What should I change to improve?”

I panted heavily through my nose.

“Isn’t that already good enough the way it is?”

“What the hell, there’s no way that’s true! Tell me your actual thoughts!”

“No, no, I’m serious. You did good enough. To be fair, on our missions, we don’t usually get into situations where we must go wild in a fistfight, anyway.”

“It did happen last time, though.”

“Finn has sharp eyesight, so you’ll be just fine. Besides, this place is not ideal for training to begin with. MMA especially requires us to work as a pair and involves a lot of getting thrown down. If you’ll follow me to my bed, perhaps then I would reconsider.”

Ignoring his joke, I turned on my heels.

“Alright then! I’m just gonna ask Wendy to teach me.”

In an instant Chris was grabbing on my arm.

“Stop right there! Wendy doesn’t know how to take it easy when giving a lesson, she will definitely break you!”

“So hurry up and teach me instead.”

“Okay, okay. So eager to get back together after breaking up with me, huh.”

Chris took off his suit jacket and threw it over the garden bench. Following that he pulled his necktie off and undid his first button. He took off his dark green watch, then finally rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Due to his tall height, he might seem slender at a glance, but his arms were strong with visible blue veins running all the way down to his wrists.

“Here we go, let’s get into position one more time.”

As I was getting ready, Chris walked around behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, rubbing on them.

“Hmm, nice frame.”

“Don’t get too handsy with me.”

“No, I’m just stating the truth? Not only you have good eyesight, but you also have a strong body, and you’re surprisingly flexible. Alright, go ahead and start with another one-two.”

I gave him a one-two.

“There’s an opening on your side. Also, your left side isn’t extended wide enough. Since Finn is ambidextrous, if closely observed, your balance when throwing a hit is better than most people.”

While saying that, Chris kept his hands on my hip bones the entire time. It bugged me, but I held on.

“Leave yourself to me, and relax.”

“No need to say unnecessary stuff.”

“Now, pay attention on how you rotate your left hip.”

“Like this?”

“Pull your shoulders in a bit more. Don’t tuck your chin.”

“So, like this?”

“Don’t let your body get carried away. Plant your feet firmly on the ground.”

“Then how about this—!”

Suddenly, whoosh, a faint sound of my fist cutting through the air could be heard.

“Woah! That sound just now, did you catch that?!?! That’s one hell of a punch!”

“Well, you pretty much got it. However, sports and an actual combat are two different things. If you stick to your own rules you will lose, such is the theory of fighting. Thankfully Finn is already good at making things up on the spot, so why not trust your own eyes and intuition?”

“If you say so..... but first, get your hands off my waist.”

With a grin tugging on his lips, Chris held up both of his hands comically.

♠️♥️♦️♣️

#09 BY YOUR SIDE “Dear My Frivolous Senior”

.

.

“This is farewell.”

I have a family to save.

For that reason, I’ve made up my mind.

It doesn’t matter what it costs.

Because there’s no such thing as miracles,

Should I be made to dance around by a bad bet,[*]

I was ready to pull the trigger.

From the moment we held each other at gunpoint,

we have been running on our lifeline.[**]

Even if the end has yet to come,

What’s important to me will always stay the same.

I only have one thing I need to protect.

No more girls, playing dress-up, or music.

It’s the same for you, isn’t it?

If we were just coworkers, perhaps it would’ve been simpler.

The two of us have been through a lot of things together.

Although there are times when I got mad,

I can’t deny that the time we’ve spent together is sincere.

I should’ve had one true purpose and nothing else.

So how could my feelings have changed so much,

We’ve made more memories than I can hold.

However, there’s no place I can return to.

Despite being so close that our hands are touching, I’m still unable to say it.

“Thanks for everything.”

.

.

#11 CHRIS “Dear My Beloved Junior”

---Instead of calling it the end--- Please read it backwards.

Still buzzed from excess adrenaline from last night’s mission, I woke up too early in the morning, so I left for work at Old Maid branch office ahead of my regular schedule. Although there were no customers on holidays such as today, I was supposed to be doing some paperwork. Nevertheless, I planned on lazing around on the couch until opening hours, but once I stepped into the showroom, I found that the air was permeated with a savory scent which instantly sent my stomach growling.

“Oh, what’s this!?!? It smells amazing!”

At the back of the office, there existed a kitchen space. I took off and tossed my suit jacket on the couch before bursting through the door.

“Jii-chan! I haven’t had my breakfast—”

“I’m not Bernard-san, Finn.”

A man with a purplish, medium length hair stood in kitchen, wearing an apron. Since the collar of his white dress shirt had been deprived of a necktie and was let hanging loose, his collarbones clearly stood out.

“What are you doing?”

--Vijay Kumar Singh, another member of High Card. It seemed that he joined High Card on the recommendation of the president before I did.

“As you can see, I am cooking. We’re not expecting any clients today, so I’m preparing lunch for everyone.”

Accordingly, Vijay slowly stirred the pot using a ladle. I took a peek.

“Wow, it’s curry! Hey, hey, can I try a sip?”

“It has not finished boiling, so no, not yet.”

Right before my eyes, with his sleeves rolled up, Vijay moved to hold something up against my mouth. In his hand was a golden brown, crepe-like bread.

“Open up.”

“Back off, I’m not a kid, y’know.”

“It’s your breakfast. Please have a taste.”

His deep black eyes gazed at me. This man was someone whose emotions were hardly apparent on his face.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and his silence put me under a strange pressure. Reluctantly, I took a bite out of the bread and popped it in.

“...Tasty!”

“That’s good to hear.”

I thought he might be smiling, but his expression was still difficult to read.

“What’s this? It’s sticky and delicious!”

“It’s a kind of roti called chapati. In where I originally came from, it’s a common dish.”

“I don’t really get what you’re saying, but it tastes good anyway. May I ask for another bite... or better yet, another piece?”

“Sure, but you won’t have anything left for lunch.”

“Isn’t it possible to cut out a part of Leo’s share? He’s just a kid, afterall.”

“That won’t do. Growing children should eat a lot. This was supposed to be my breakfast, but, here you go. I’ll just bake some more.”

“Say, is there anything I can eat it with?”

“There’s some chicken, but... I’m saving them for lunch. Please make do with these in the meantime. It’s the garnish.”

A small plate of chopped tomatoes and onions was brought out.

“Blech, don’t want them. I hate veggies.”

As soon as I spoke, Vijay glared at me with large, round eyes. “Y-you don’t like veggies? Are you out of your mind?”

His entire body shook to the point it interfered with his stirring, which caused the ladle to clash against the pot, resulting in a loud noise. He looked as though he was furious.

“I-I mean, I just can’t bring myself to enjoy them.”

“All kinds of of veggies?!?! Not even a single one?!”

“Well, I’ve never really thought about it that far, but, you’ve got the general idea...”

“For goodness’ sake...... Chris is supposed to be your mentor, right? Then has he taught you anything at all...?”

“My eating habits have nothing to do with work! Besides, it is Chris himself, who devours a lot of sweets, you should be more concerned about!”

“Since it’s closely related to his powers, there’s nothing we can do about his diet. But you are an entirely different case. You simply choose to not eat them.”

It got me wondering. “Speaking of powers, you have the ability to talk to plants, don’t you?”

Come to think of it, have Vijay and I spoken to each other in private before, just the two of us? He wasn’t a man of many words. He was in charge of the systems at the branch office, but he also helped out with administrative and clerical work whenever Bernard was short-staffed. In short, he was our go-to guy at the office. At the same time, he appeared to be doing some sort of research at uni. He was an intellectual, so he was completely out of my league.

“As a matter of fact, I can’t establish a clear conversation with them. I can only communicate a little.”

I didn’t actually understand what he meant, but I couldn’t be bothered with technicalities. Though, it was all coming together.

“I see! So that’s why you sometimes mumble at your desk! With the plants on your desk, you’re—”

“Justin, isn’t it.”

“Huh? Who’s that?”

“That’s him. He was the one on my desk today. You also have a name, don’t you, Finn?”

“…..Do the plants on your desk change regularly?”

“By the same logic, don’t you also notice when people enter and leave the office?”

For the longest time, I’ve always thought that we were a little out of sync, but when it came to one-on-one conversation such as this, the discrepancy between us couldn’t be any more obvious.

“But, our powers are only activated during ‘play’.” Meanwhile, you talk to… Justin and the others all the time. So is that also a part of your powers?”

“Alright, here we go. This should match your taste.” He moved the scrambled eggs that he had been frying from the pan to a plate in one fluid motion.

“We’re not done talking here, y’know.”

“Please eat it while it’s hot. As per my homeland’s cooking style, I used a lot of butter. Don’t you want to have a try?”

“No yeah, I do. My mouth waters from the sight alone.”

“Here’s some tomatoes as a side dish.”

“None of that!”

Suddenly, I heard noises coming from the showroom.

“Someone else has clocked in, it seems. Finish your food quickly and then get back to work. Have you sorted out that insurance policy that Wendy asked?”

“Dang, I haven’t—! It was nice talking to you~”

Snatching my plate of makeshift breakfast, I stumbled away in haste.

♠️♥️♦️♣️

Over the lunch break, Chris’ martial arts lesson continued.

Thanks to that, my punches had improved by a lot, and as such I was thrilled.

“Amazing, Chris! I knew guys who learned the real thing are on a completely different level!”

“Eh, what are you saying, as expected from your admirable senior Chris? Ahahaha, don’t flatter me like that. Are you going to follow me for the rest of your life? Come on, stop teasing your senior. Ahahaha.”

“I never said, nor had a single thought of anything like that.”

“Jokes aside, I see that Finn has grasped the basics. Alright, let’s wrap it up for today. Back I go to dessert time—”

When Chris turned and reached for his suit jacket, I quickly grabbed on the man’s arm, pulling him back.

“I’ve still got three more puddings sitting in the fridge, though..…”

“But that one-two I did earlier is just a part of boxing, right? Even if it may be impossible to learn MMA here, you can still teach me muay thai, can’t you?”

Chris let out a resigned sigh.

“Muay thai is different in terms of its stances and several other stuff, but if we’re only talking about the punches and kicks, then it is not too far apart from kickboxing.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

Although what he said was for my own benefit, it was unusual for me to be listening to Chris so seriously.

“If I must mention a major difference, in muay thai there are elbow strikes, and then the ultimate difference lies in clinching.”

“Oh, clinching is….. when you use your arms to lock your opponent’s neck and try to overpower them, or hit them using your knee in attempt to knock them down? Something like this.”

While holding both of my arms up to the level of my head as though embracing someone, I lifted my knee and made repeated strikes.

“Yeah, that one.”

“Teach me!”

“It’s not as simple as it sounds.”

“If that’s the case, try that move on me.”

“Eh~”

“We’ve gone through the trouble of taking our suit jackets off, so why not.”

“You’re really one pushy kid, aren’t you. A small demonstration it is then. By the way, I’m taking advance payment for this, okay?”

I ignored him, yet Chris took a step forward nevertheless. Facing each other up close, our height gap became quite noticeable.

“Now, put your arms around my neck.”

“Like this?”

As I circled my hands around the nape of Chris’ neck, I could sense his body heat.

“No smoochies, ‘kay.”

“Fuck off.”

After that, Chris put his arms around my own neck as well. Pressed between mine, Chris’ arms were flexing.

I looked up at him, and our gazes met.

“This is the stance of clinching. From this position, you can hit your opponent using your elbows or knees, or throw them if you’d prefer.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

“Let’s try a little something, hup,”

“Woah—!”

—Before I knew it, I was staring up at the sky.

Rather than getting thrown, it felt more like I was being knocked over. Right before I hit the ground, I was jerked and pulled back up to an upright position. Had Chris let go of his hand, I would have toppled over unceremoniously for sure.

“Amazing! What on earth was that!!”

“The concept isn’t that hard.”

Chris put his arms around my neck once again.

“If I put some strength into my arms, you will brace yourself on them, right? When that happens, since your point of balance shifts and you lose your footing in one leg, I can hit your leg right there to flip and—hup,”

“Woah~!”

Exactly like before, I found myself looking up at the clear sky again.

“Wahaha! This is so sick!”

“It’s giving the feel of playing with a relative’s child.”

Even though I had been more careful compared to last time, I was still getting thrown off so easily that I started to lose my mind. Once again Chris helped pulling me up.

“Abuse of the technique is strictly forbidden. Except maybe when you’re trying to score one with a girl.”

“Seriously though, it’s like magic.”

When one experiences a sophisticated technology without understanding it, it would feel really mystifying.

“Teach me how to do it.”

I said, as I gestured by swinging my hands through thin air.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to. Isn’t it better to develop what you’re already good at?”

“No problem. It’s not like I’ll lose my skills by learning another.”

“The same goes for me, I can’t dodge like Finn does, that aspect of me exists too, so I’ve given up on it.”

“In your case, it doesn’t matter even if your neck is broken or your face is blown off.”

“You guys always speak about me as though I’m a toy that can be replaced, huh.”

This time, I practiced the one-two that I had learned.

“You’re always fooling around, but you’re surprisingly theoretical, ain’t you.”

“Experienced and also actually intelligent at the same time, everyone’s big brother…… yup, it’s this Chris Redgrave.”

He ran his fingers at where his bangs parted, brushing his hair back.

“When you were giving all that crap of an explanation to me, you kind of resemble Vijay.”

“Stop that. Who are you calling a pure-bred plant.”

“Did you call me?”

“Wuoghh!”

I and Chris stepped back in surprise.

In one of the garden chairs surrounding the table, Vijay sat with his legs crossed. He was stroking the leaves of a houseplant (which I believed to be Amanda for today) on the table.

Vijay directed his cool gaze our way, and took a sip of chai from his glass mug.

♠️♥️♦️♣️