6 "My New Roommate"

The two of us walk to my house together, talking about a variety of things, such as how he trained on top of The Sufmiota Mountains and why my parents weren't home this morning, more specifically what their jobs are. Gentarō tells me before he started training with his boost abilities, he worked out his body a ton on top of practicing several different karate techniques and forms with his sensei. He would train for three days, and then rest for a day, and repeat. He named each of the karate forms and techniques he practiced, but I couldn't really make sense of it all. After he unlocked his booster powers, his training didn't really change, but he always had to use his boost ability constantly, even on his off days, so he could master the boosting skill entirely.

As for my parents, my father is a doctor and my mother works as an administrative assistant in the Acolyte Research Institute, which is one of the big reasons I managed to get into Acolyte High School and why my parents are able to pay for it. I also explain to him that's why my parents are rarely ever home; they work early in the morning and get home late at night. "Today is different though." I explain to Gentarō. "Today they had to go in around 6 AM I think, so they should be getting home a little after 6 PM today."

"Oh I see, so they'll be home in around 3 hours?" Gentarō asks me.

"Yep." I stop right outside my home, pausing as I realize something. "Wait...why'd you follow me home..?!" I turn and look at Gentarō.

He blinks a few times before smiling nervously and scratching the back of his head. "My bad, just felt natural I guess." He laughs. "But I don't really have a place to stay. The dojo was my home and I was kicked out."

"Oh yeah..." I think to myself for a moment. "I'm guessing you don't have any money either?"

"Nope!" He smiles like the dork he is.

I sigh. "Alright then, come inside. I'll see what my parents have to say when they get home, but I can't just leave you to rot out here." I unlock the front door of my house.

"You're too kind Genta!" Gentarō's eyes sparkle before he puts his palms together and bows.

"Well, it's the least I can do when you saved me from that beating Baki would've given me." I laugh nervously and walk inside, holding the door open for him.

Gentarō walks inside, looking around. "You've got a pretty standard house for such a rich family."

"Well, all the money goes into my classes and whatnot, and saving for a future college too." I explain, closing and locking the door.

"Ohhhh, I see." Gentarō starts exploring.

I call out to him as I start walking upstairs. "I'm gonna take a shower, so make yourself at home, just please don't mess with anything until my parents get back!"

"No problemo!" He yells back.

"I hope so..." I mumble as I walk into my room, grab a set of casual clothing, and then go into the bathroom across the hall to shower. I don't shower for too too long, but I do enjoy long showers from time to time so I have some time to think to myself and relax. After I shower, dry off, and get dressed, I toss my dirty clothes into the basket for my family's dirty clothing and walk into my room. "Ah!" I jump at the sight before me.

"Oh, hey Genta, how was your shower?" Gentarō asks as he balances himself on one hand on top of a pile of books, holding another book in his other hand and reading upside down, now wearing the gi he was wearing previously. "You've got a pretty impressive book collection."

"I thought I said not to touch anything?" I sigh.

"Sorry sorry, I got bored." He smiles nervously and flips onto his feet, palming each of the books one by one and they all perfectly slide back into their proper places in my book shelves. He sets the book in his hand back into its proper place as well without doing anything fancy, giving me a confident smirk and crossing his arms as he leans on the bookshelf.

"Okay, that was pretty cool..." I mumble.

"I know right?! I usually never get that on my first try!" He grins.

"Then why did you just do it?!" I grumble.

"I was feeling confident!" He laughs nervously.

I sigh and facepalm before hearing my parents cars pulling into the driveway. I quickly look out the window, smiling as I see that it's them. "They're home early!" I grin and rush down the stairs.

"Wait up!" Gentarō rushes downstairs after me.

We make it downstairs just as they both walk in, and I embrace them both upon entry. "Welcome home Mom and Dad!"

"Aw, thank you Genta." My mother says, hugging me back, whilst my father just ruffles my hair. My mother and father both have brown hair that's only just slightly starting to grey, and they have very few wrinkles, yet their honey gold eyes still sparkle the same way mine do.

"Oh? And who is this?" My father asks, setting his things aside.

Gentarō presses his fist against the bottom of his palm and bows. "My name is Gentarō, just Gentarō. I have no place to stay and Genta graciously allowed me entry into your home while awaiting your arrival. He also helped me out quite a bit around school."

"Did he now?" My mother and father look at me.

I glance at Gentarō and think, "So now he wants to talk all fancy now that his living conditions are on the line..." I look my parents in the eyes with a serious gaze. "He protected me in class today from a couple bullies. He also shares all my classes with me and pretty much kept me safe the whole day..."

"Really now? What kind of acolyte are you Gentarō?" My father asks.

"I'm a Boost Acolyte, emanator class. I was trained in martial arts for a few years in the dojo atop The Sufmiota Mountains, so I'm rather skilled at fighting. However..." Gentarō explains why he isn't at the dojo anymore and that he no longer has a place to stay. "Please, I'd be ever so grateful if you let me stay with you all for a while. I'll do anything you ask and pull my own weight, I promise." He bows with his arms at his side.

My mother and father look at one another, whispering among themselves for a couple minutes before looking back at us. "Can you promise us something if we let you stay here, Gentarō?" My mother asks.

"Yes?" Gentarō tilts his head up to meet her gaze.

"Promise to protect our boy at that school from any of those bullies." My father answers. Hearing this makes my eyes slowly widen. "Of course, you'll have to pull your own weight as well still, but-"

"I'd be happy to." Gentarō says with a smile on his face, bowing once more. "Thank you so much for your hospitality. My first act of good faith will be making you all dinner, if that's alright with you."

"C-Can you even cook..?" I ask.

"Yes I can cook! I cooked everyday up in the dojo too!" He huffs.

"Alright alright, I just can't picture it." I laugh.

My parents smile at one another. "Help yourself then. The two of us are going to go shower." My mother says before walking upstairs with my dad.

"Thank you again! I won't disappoint!" Gentarō looks at me once they're out of view, smiling still. "Your parents care about you a lot, huh?"

I smile myself and nod. "Yeah... They're the best parents I could ever ask for." I look at him. "Mind if I help make dinner?"

He grins back at me. "Yeah! Let's make a feast to show our appreciation!" He dashes into the kitchen.

I laugh and follow him. "Yeah!" We then proceed to make a feast that I'll never forget, and my parents couldn't be happier with our work.