On The Side Of The Pitch With You

Ratoniik III

The next day, Kimiko decided to avoid everyone by waking up earlier and leaving before normal activities began. She made sure to leave a note on the door so that no one would panic and start a search party for her. On top of that, she had placed her finished training regimens for the planet on the table in the meeting room too, so they wouldn't need to find her for it. So by the time she saw anyone from the train, she had found a good spot to watch them practice with the locals without being seen.

They seemed to be enjoying their conversation as they had stayed on the side for a while. Peeking into Tenma's mind, she got the gist of what they were saying. Something about a caterpillar ride, but it was quickly swapped with the topic of how good the players of this planet were.

And then, one of their members collapsed.

End of... his lifespan? He's dead?!

Her mind was cut off from their captain's. Her gaze went back and forth between the group and the one being carried off the field. There was shock, terror, and sadness from one group, and indifferent smiles coming from the other. She decided to get closer to the former group so she could hear the explanation from Banda directly.

"Going by your planet's terms for time, his lifespan lasts for about a month."

"A month?!"

That wasn't what she expected to hear first.

"It's not just him." Banda continued, a smile still present on his face. "Everyone on this planet is like that. Our average lifespan is about a month, with the longest being one year. Some of us only have a week's lifespan."

"One week to one year... That's the lifespan of the people of this planet?"

"But... that's so sad..."

"No, it's not." Banda beamed. "That's just the way it is here. That's how quickly new life is born here and your legacy inherited. Hm... I guess it means that time passes differently here than on your planet."

"Maybe, but...!"

"Besides, he made sure to pass down his technique to Tis before his time came. That's how we pass down our knowledge to the next generation."

"It's not about how long you live, but how you live, huh?" She found herself saying out loud, despite wanting to hide a little longer.

"Kimiko! There you are!"

She ignored Aoi's usual mother-hen attitude, keeping her focus solely on Banda. "I think I can understand that. When nature is cruel to you, you've got no choice but to accept it and adapt."

"Cruel?" Banda blinked and tilted his head. "I don't think it's cruel."

Something in the back of her head wanted to retort, but what came out instead was a smile. "Of course you don't." After all, we're not the same.

"Kimiko...?" Her eyes met with Shindou's, who immediately zipped his mouth shut afterwards. Seems like he remembers.

"Kusaka, is something wrong with your shoulders?" Banda suddenly asked.

The brunette was scratching his shoulder, not realizing that he was doing so in the first place. He took off his jacket as per Banda's orders, and they found that there was a large, purple swell there.

"It's the Deception Buds."

"What do you mean?"

"You were probably hit by its digestive juices when it attacked you yesterday."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Yeah. If something isn't done, the poison will spread throughout his body and paralyze him."