Onward, Steed!

[Breaking News: Recent String of Murders Occupying Police Force. No Leads Can Be Found Thus Far.]

"Nancy, what do you make of this?"

"I don't know, John. All I know is that this man has a way of hiding these crimes flawlessly, even from greats like the Police Chief, Dola Miura."

"Chief Dola?!"

"Yes, John. She's set to arrive on scene sometime in the coming week which will hopefully tip the odds of the case in justice's favor. The spot was an area of downtown Yorokobi, the cyberpunk city, near the Sav-Star clothing company entrance. Witnesses describe that they saw a man fall out of nowhere, never having a clue as to who the perpetrator might be."

"That's terrifying!"

"Absolutely. On lighter news, the Hinansho City Rose Festival will be held later this coming month to welcome spring to the entire Hinansho Plain. Yakuza, made Shogun, Vana Takeuchi, promises a show for the masses, the likes of which has never been seen in the history of the festival's traditions."

"Any leads as to what this show might be?"

"She won't give any details, John, but she has been riling the public up with this mystery. However, special guests will be able to see the item she speaks of at the banquet one whole week before the proceedings of the festival itself."

"Really?! I wish I was invited!"

"Me too, John. Me too."

...

'Style of Sloth...'

Miya stood outside her home, birds chirping around her as she followed the motions of the blue book's teachings. The sun had just risen, and nature's joyous laughs were the only things audible to her as she trained silently, careful not to make any unnecessary racket. The book itself was worn, Miss Boudreaux having given it to her before going to sleep, but Miya had remained hooked on the book's teachings throughout the night, it holding techniques that the public had gained before the passing of her clan.

"Hold my hand like this?"

Miya extended her arm toward the tree behind her, curling her fingers and straightening her palm. She closed her eyes, channeling her power into the palm and controlling the flow without much struggle before opening her eyes suddenly, the energy bursting outward into the tree in an instant. The wildlife scurried, and Miya's hair flew behind her as the screeching air impacted the tree, leaving it unharmed. The blast left her hair matted, flung about her face at random, and she stood there, stunned and motionless.

"Miya!"

Miss Boudreaux's voice carried itself through the building, causing Miya's body to recoil at its ferocity, but most of all, Miya sat, sad that she'd disturbed the bird's lying inside the tree.

...

Once again, Miya found herself studying the book's contents, now sitting beside the very tree she'd rattled previously. The sun was now fully awoken, beaming through Hinansho City's outskirts as cars breezed by, the calm soothing her and helping her concentrate further. She lie focused on the section labeled "Style of Sloth," a melee technique used when a member of the sleep clan found themselves weaponless.

It intrigued Miya. The text indicated that the Logicus Clan favored weapons, but she couldn't find any hint toward any weapon techniques within the book.

"The sword techniques... They were destroyed, huh?"

She continued flipping through the pages, dwelling on anything that caught her interest for what felt like a moment to her, but in reality, she'd spent the entire night and morning practicing.

PSH...

The sound of grass crumbling approached her, but Miya remained glued to the text, feeling something familiar as the object approached her.

"You're very diligent, Miya..."

Miya finally looked up, a smile growing on her face as her eyes met with Bo. Her eyes reflected upon his dead eyes, but she still found an unrivaled joy in hearing his voice and feeling his presence. She closed the book, rose from the tree and charged Bo, embracing him as he stared blankly at where she had been previously.

He wore a black tank top and khaki shorts, exposing his toned arms and legs. As Miya's arms wrapped around him, he never moved, his arms resting at his side until Miya released him, holding her arms behind herself as he looked downward toward her.

"What'ya wanna do today?! No school for a whole TWO days..."

"It's just the we--"

"WEEKEND!!!"

Miya's voice carried a bass with no compare as she hooted about the exciting *WEEKEND*. Bo didn't contest, allowing her to enjoy herself as she jumped about, ready to spend the day with him.

...

"Onward, Bo, Onward!!!"

Miya punched the air as Bo held her on his back, garnering the attention of all those within 100 meters of them, but Bo remained stoic, towing her to their destination. Miya remained unaware of their goal, and Bo refused to interrupt her frenzy. As they--Bo walked, Miya placed her head beside Bo's, looking toward him as he focused on the sidewalk.

"Are we there yet?"

"Walking, it'll be about another twenty minutes until we're there."

"Hmmm... Oh! I know how we can pass the time!"

Those on the sidewalk made way for them, their gazes not being of hostile nature, even to their dismay. Smiles lined their faces as Bo galloped through the sidewalk at approximately two-to-three miles per hour, and Miya continued bombarding him with words.

"We can share something interesting about ourselves."

Bo remained silent.

"Ok! I'll go first... Ahem... Errr--"

Miya sat, staggered, but Bo interrupted.

"What about a game?"

"What kind of game?"

Instead of responding verbally, Bo raised his right hand, opening his hand and showing his palm to Miya. She listened carefully, watching his hand movements as he demonstrated.

"I'm going to show you an unorthodox way of playing a well known game, a game that can be played without any tools other than one's body..."

Miya swallowed, a strange intensity filling the air as the tension grew, hanging on Bo's next words. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bo's hand angled toward the opposite side of the street.