Speedmage Tournament

71ST GEAR - PANDA'S ENDANGERED LOVE

71ST GEAR - PANDA'S ENDANGERED LOVE

I left the three girls in our club building while I walk around the campus to search for Cruzo. His actions are quite erratic and weird today, and it is my job as a coach to check on my players if something is troubling them. Well, it might be something that is not Speedmage related since he freaked out when he saw Heffy, but still, I have to reach out to him.

There was a mini bamboo forest at the back of our guild building, and I figured that he might be hiding in there. Pandas love bamboo, isn't that right?

"Cruzooooo!" I shouted out loud. My voice reverberated around the mini forest.

"Uhuhuhuhu!"

I heard a cry that seemed to be coming from above. When I looked up, I saw the panda man himself, clinging to a bamboo that has already been bent for almost 90 degrees! It seemed that the bamboo tree would snap, but I heard bamboos are flexible enough to carry the weight of a huge magical bear so it might be safe.

"Cruzo! What are you doing there!?" I shouted at him.

"I can't do it! I can't face her! Not like this!" Cruzo wept from above.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Heffy! That's Heffy from the Journalist Club, right? That one from your class?" Cruzo cried.

"Oh, Henry. Yeah, she is Flu's friend and today's paparazzi. What of it?" I scratched my head.

"Uwoooooogh! I can't believe that she will be covering the Merry Knights! I can't show her my face like this!" Cruzo screamed.

"Why, you owe her some money or something?"

"No!"

Cruzo loosen his grip on the bamboo tree and he slid down to talk to me closer. His pale white face is still strawberry red when he whispered some absurd thing to me.

"She is... She is... my secret crush!"

"H-Huh?" I am growing more confused and concerned.

"I love the way she smiles and takes a picture of Speedmages in the tournament. I love how friendly she is. I love how adorable she is when she's holding her camera. I wuv her! Uwooooooogh!"

"O-Okay..." I muttered in disbelief.

"But somehow, I couldn't gather enough determination and guts to confess to her! You see, I have been bullied for being fat before, and I am sure I am still now! She's really a cute girl, and a big fat guy with black eyebags like me would not be fit to be his boyfriend!"

Well, Cruzo has a point. Even in these modern times, even with the banning of body shaming, a fat guy has little to no chance of winning a cute girl's heart. They often say that beauty on the inside is what matters, but be realistic: Nobody walks around with an X-ray.

But as a coach, it is still my job to raise my Speedmages' spirits. I do not have to resort to slapping him with the unfair reality. I just needed to encourage him. I think I will turn into a Love Coach for him so that he can acquire enough determination and guts.

"Have you ever tried confessing though?"

"Of course not!" Cruzo exclaimed.

"You won't know if she likes you or not unless you confess."

"B-But what if she rejects me?" Cruzo imitated an abandoned puppy's eyes.

"Then suck it up like a real man and live to die another day," I said.

"Whaaaaaat!? You know I can't live through that! I will be so depressed that I will no longer be able to unleash my determination and guts anymore!" Cruzo cried.