Pickles ||Inumaki x Reader||

Two || Tulips

-Art by sberry_mango on Twitter-

There was no sight more beautiful than the comforting, soft clouds drifting gracefully across the sweet sky above. The plastic bag in my hand swung back and forth as I skipped along the stone path, making sure not to step on any of the cracks in the pavement. 

The distant voices of my friends became clearer the closer I got to the training field and I arrived just in time to see Maki dodging a swing from Yuta's katana. Swiftly, he positioned himself again to try to swipe her at her landing but she predicted his moves in time to duck down, doing the splits, and grabbing the collar of his shirt to yank him down with her. Their legs were entwined as the thin boy lay on the ground, receiving a harsh jab from the butt of her weapon.

"Maki won again, huh?" I smiled, walking closer to Toge and Panda who were sat comfortably on the grass. I reached into the shopping bag and pulled out three drinks, handing one to each of them as well as Gojo, who stood to Panda's right. They thanked me, with Toge giving me a curt nod of his head to symbolise his gratitude.

Panda clicked open the can and took a large swill before humming, "It's been three months since Yuta came to this school. He has become able to move a lot." 

I had to agree with him. It was nice to see Yuta gain more confidence in himself over the time we were together. He had become pretty skilled in wielding his katana, not as much as Maki maybe, but still impressive. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't say I was much help in his development since I had been sent on a mission in Nagoya for the past few weeks as backup for the second years. That said, it was definitely the most stressful weeks of my life; those second year sorcerers were total lunatics. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up getting suspended someday. Anyways, now that I was finally back, the opportunity to take the cursed boy on was there.

"Hey, Maki!" I called out to her as I held up the plastic bag. "Take a break for a while, I got you some juice." The girl smiled before leaning the katana on her shoulder. She discontinued her training as I switched places with her. "I'll spar with Yuta."

Yuta, on the other hand, was astonished at the sudden suggestion. "Eh? (Y/N)?" He loosened his grip on the katana but I beckoned for him to retake his fighting stance.

"I don't tend to use weapons when I fight but don't go easy on me. Try to hit me, like you were doing just now with Maki." The boy still seemed a little hesitant but straightened himself out immediately upon realising it was a good learning opportunity.

Yuta kicked off from his spot, keeping low as he ran to me and aimed to swing at my waist. He was fast, but not fast enough for I had already jumped high above him and kicked him in his temple. He grunted roughly at the collision of my foot with his head but recovered quickly and charged at me again. We fought like that for a little while, and it was rather fun, but I was holding back, especially since I wasn't using any cursed technique.

I had punched him in his gut, purposely leaving an opening for a counter-attack and just as he was about to take it to land his first hit on me, Panda interrupted us. "Yuta! Come here!" While his distracted attention was on the bear, I body slammed his skinny body to the ground, bringing an end to the duel.

The boy rubbed his nape as I helped him to his feet before he trotted over to where the animal was standing while I followed in pursuit. "So, boobs, big or small?" And it was at that moment I had decided I no longer wanted to listen. 

Turning to Toge who was taking little sips from his juice, I sighed. "Yuta sure has improved, huh?" 

"Mustard leaf," He mumbled in response, gaze fixated on his can.