The trees on the fruit farm held perfectly spaced branches, giving enough room to climb through and enough cover to stay hidden. They connected just right for someone to jump across if they were careful. And they weren't tall enough to make it impossible for Riruka to climb.
The little girl scurried through the branches like a monkey and stayed hidden in the remaining leaves while spying on the boy below.
As much as her parents feared Obai's strange sister, Riruka had grown curious and also a little jealous of her. Obai had kept her company on most days, even if he was a little annoying at times, but now that Nova had returned from her five-year-long trip, it was like he completely forgot about Riruka's existence. Half a year had passed and now she slowly saw less and less of him.
She didn't expect to grow sad about that. Wait, no. She wasn't sad. What she didn't expect was that Obai had started winning their occasional fights!
The few moments they had crossed back at the farmhouse or out near the capital held multiple fights, just like always. However, Obai started to win.
'There's no way he could ever beat me! Unless he got training...'
And so, suspicious of what Obai and the Ghost were up to, Riruka started ignoring her parents' wishes and spied on their training.
What she learned left her astounded and curious.
- - -
Down below, Obai sprinted through the fallen leaves. He wasn't particularly going somewhere, nor was he really running from something, but instead he focused on sensing the shift in energy around him.
The wind brushed past from behind his back. The fallen leaves kicked up in a vortex. The branches swayed. One branched lunged.
'Jump!'
Before him, one of the fruit trees stretched one of their branches low and swiped at Obai's feet. It moved quick, threatening to topple his face into the ground.
Obai jumped and cleared the branch with just an inch to spare. A bright smile summoned itself on his sweaty face as he landed his hurtle, quickly adjusting to shoot off again.
However, he was reckless. The branch wasn't done with its movement. The leaves whistled as it snapped back at the same height. Obai didn't see it, but he didn't need to.
His eyes widened as he sensed the branch's will to attack his legs again. His smile dissolved just as fast as it had appeared as he attempted a follow-up jump.
However, he was too late.
The branch scraped the bottom of his heels, causing his body to trip backwards. His arms swung forward as he gasped aloud from the sudden force. His back crashed into the muddy leaves; a groan escaped from his lips.
The tree concluded its attack and returned to being an ordinary, stationary tree.
A teenage girl's laugh echoed behind him. As if appearing from nowhere, a tall girl with long white hair stepped out from behind one of the thin trees that surrounded Obai.
"That was better! You nearly cleared it!" Nova clapped mockingly.
Obai's face contorted in anger as he pushed himself up.
"I did clear it! You never made the branches attack backward before!"
Nova continued to giggle as she stepped closer to her brother.
"Well then don't expect the trees to act the same every time!"
Obai breathed heavily as he slowly calmed down. With a sigh and a hint of annoyance, he retorted, "You just make the trials so it's impossible to win."
Nova smirked.
"No... I simply increase the difficulty as you get better. Once you master energy perception, you'll be able to pass easily!"
Nova's energetic voice continued to tease Obai. Her personality had gotten better after the few months back. Smiles and laughter popped up every day now.
'She just likes to torment me, that's all.'
"Anyway, the point is that you've gotten better. Barely anyone knows about the content I'm teaching you, so you're comfortably better than most by now."
Obai smiled from the praise. "Well, most kids don't expect to fight anything in their entire lives. Only people in the navy do that."
Nova sighed. "Yeah, that's one downside of the Kokoro Isles. People aren't as afraid of the devils, unlike the Seishin."
The two walked back towards the beach. Nova had built a small hut on the edge of the farm, making it her new place of residence. It was also the main camp for Obai's training.
"You really think I'll run into devils?"
Nova sighed again, tired, but not annoyed by her brother's questions. "Sadly, I know you will. So... you better master your energy perception!"
Obai pouted jokingly. He'd started his training a month after Nova returned. He didn't realize how difficult it'd be to master energy perception; Nova made it look easy.
Well, it is easier to learn with an unlocked Trait.
"Will it really matter in the long run? I'd have to unlock a Trait to gain the strength to fight back."
Nova smiled. "Don't worry, you'll unlock one if you join the Kokoro special forces."
He sighed. "Can't I get the Spirit like you?" Obai's fists balled up by his sides as the two entered the wooden hut.
It wasn't very large, holding only a bed, a stool, and a cabinet full of random junk. The outside housed most of Obai's and Nova's training equipment, as well as food and water.
"When will you teach me how to fight?" Obai asked.
"When you master energy perception," Nova answered with an even heavier sigh.
The two continued to chatter as the autumn sun made its way closer to the horizon. The trees rustled outside as an increase of weight pressured one of the furthest branches.
Suddenly, a snap reverberated outside the hut. The siblings' heads shot in the direction of the sound as a loud scream followed suit.
Riruka hit the ground below, bruising her arms. Thankfully the trees weren't very tall, but she was still surprised to meet the dirty leaves below.
She shook her tiny head and groaned in pain. Footsteps hurried their way over to where she'd fallen.
A few seconds later, an annoying, astonished face of a young boy with gray eyes appeared above her.
"Riruka!?"
"Obi... ow..."
Tears filled the corners of her light brown eyes as she pushed herself up. She wore a light shirt and dark overalls, now muddied by the crash landing. Her little hands had been scratched up from climbing through the trees like a monkey, while her dainty shoes did little to protect her fall.
It was a strange mix of the farmers' clothes her parents donned while also sharing similarities to the girls' dresses in the city.
"What are you doing out here?"
Obai reached out as he plucked a leaf out of her mangled black hair.
Nova slowly walked up behind him, glaring down at the little injured girl. She was fully aware of her existence, yet assumed the girl feared her like anyone else. In fact, it was better that way.
"I..." Riruka stumbled over her words. Her eyes glanced up at the Ghost's face, amazed by the sudden spark in her swirling gray eyes.
"Can you teach me?"
Nova's face broke. The light in her eyes dissipated as she stared at the girl in front of her. A slight smile crawled along her cheeks.
"Sorry."
Riruka's amazement plummeted. She'd witnessed the end of Obai's intense training, overheard the banter between the two siblings, and pondered about what the hell energy perception could be.
Fascinated by the strange lesson, she'd quickly forgotten about her parents, the farm, and anything else that was natural in her life. A desperate desire bloomed within her heart as she imagined herself perfecting the run that Obai had failed. A future where she was stronger than him.
Her curiosity was piqued. Everything else was now boring.
Yet, Nova denied her.
Nova breathed in and closed the gap between them, grabbing the little girl's hand and speaking her next words softly.
"You can watch, though."