Chapter 34: Friends

Hana opened a textbook and showed it to Yuki.

"Read this and tell me what you understand by it." She ordered.

"Aren't you supposed to read it and explain to me." He said while leaning backwards.

"Do as you're told." She said while shoving the book into his hands.

"Fine." Yuki said while sitting up straight. "Sooo grumpy." He said in a whisper.

"What was that?" 

"I said umm." Yuki couldn't find the right lie. "Sooo comfy, I mean the chair is sooo comfy."

Yuki and Hana read for about an hour before a maid walked into the garden while holding a silver tray. There was food placed on the tray. The maid put the tray on the table and bowed.

"You may leave us." Sophia spoke.

"Thank you for the food." Yuki said to the maid.

"You're welcome." The maid answered before leaving.

"Hey." Yuki silently called Sophia who was reading a novel.

She didn't react to Yuki's call.

"Sophia-san." 

Still no response.

"Sophia-san." Yuki said a bit louder this time.

She still didn't react.

"Soph...."

"What do you want?" Sophia interrupted Yuki before he could finish saying her name. She seemed a bit annoyed.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Why would I tell you that?" She asked while adjusting her glasses.

"Because we're friends and friends should know stuff about each other." 

"We are not friends." She said in a while staring at Yuki.

"Huh?"

"I may call you a friend but in reality I only view you as a classmate." She said.

"But, you're helping me study and that's what friends do." Yuki said while closing the book he was reading.

"I'm only helping you as a classmate." She said while reading her novel. "The only friends I have are my family."

"But ...."

"Can you fight for me?" She asked before Yuki could say anything. "Friends are people you can rely on no matter what happens. They are people who fight for each other, people who are willing to sacrifice everything in order to protect each other." She closed the novel and looked Yuki in the eyes. "So Yuki, can you sacrifice everything you own in order to protect me?"

She had a serious expression on her face, her golden eyes observed Yuki's face. Yuki smiled at her, Sophia had no idea why he was smiling.

"Yes, I can sacrifice everything I own in order to protect you." Yuki had a bright smile on his face as he spoke. "Be it an ear, an eye or an entire arm, I will sacrifice it for my friends."

Sophia was shocked, she knew he was telling the truth. He would really sacrifice everything he owned just to protect her. Sophia could tell when a person was lying by attaching a mental thread to them, before she asked Yuki that question she attached a mental thread to him.

"Believe it or not, even if you don't see me as a friend. I still view you as a friend, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to my friends that's why I'll give everything just to protect them." Yuki said.

Sophia was just about to speak when her father walked in the garden. Sophia detached the mental thread from Yuki.

"Mr Uzushi." Yuki stood up.

"I just wanted to see how you guys were doing." He said while placing his hand on Sophia's shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

"No thanks. But, I want to ask you something." Yuki said.

"Okay." Sophia's dad nodded.

"Please train me." Yuki bowed deeply towards him.

"Huh?" Sophia's dad was very confused.

"The moment I stepped foot into this mansion, I was hit by an incredibly strong amount ki. I knew that there must be an incredibly strong kizo user here. But when I saw you I wasn't sure it was coming from you, and just when you stepped into this garden I was once again hit by the strong ki." Yuki raised his head and looked at Sophia's father in the eyes. "Please train me, Metal Guard."

Sophia's father smirked. Sophia's father was part of the Chikyu Gado, he was also very famous and was known throughout the city as Metal Guard. He was given this name because of his ability to control metal and also because of the way he protected citizens. Yuki was bold enough to ask Metal Guard to train him because he (Sophia's father) was a friend of the Kinatarou family.

"Looks like you remembered me." Sophia's dad said with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, it took me a while. But you can't blame me, the last time I saw you was when I was five." Yuki said while scratching the back of his head.

"You've grown so much."

"Yeah."

"How do you know each other?" Sophia jumped into the conversation.

"I was good friends with Yuki's parents, you also knew him back then. You first met at his fourth birthday, but after a tragic incident I wasn't able to get close to Yuki because of the elder of the Kinatarou family." Sophia's father explained.

"So you mean Yuki and I knew each other before?" Sophia sked to confirm.

"Yes."

"See? We're friends." Yuki said to Sophia.

"So Yuki, why do you want me to train you?"

"Because I want to get stronger." Yuki said.

"Okay." Sophia's father agreed.

Both Yuki and Sophia were shocked, he agreed without even thinking.

"But first, you have to punch me." Sophia's father answered. 

 He led them to an open space in the garden and faced Yuki.

"If you manage to land a single hit on me, I'll train you." 

"Okay." Yuki said and thought. 'This is gonna be hard, he's stronger than even Haruki and the amount of ki pouring from his body is incredible.'

"I will also try to hit you." Sophia's father added.

Yuki didn't waste any time and dashed at Sophia's dad, Yuki threw a punch at him. Sophia's father simply stepped to the right allowing Yuki to move past him, Sophia's father swung his palm down at the back of Yuki's neck in a chop manner. The chop attack landed on Yuki's neck and in an instant Yuki past out.

Yuki fell to the ground, he was out cold.

"Hmmmm, very energetic." Sophia's dad said while stroking his beard.

Sophia who stood by the side watching moved forward. She squatted beside Yuki who lay face down on the ground.

"Dad, when you spoke of a tragic incident, were you referring to the death of Yuki's parents?" Sophia asked while poking Yuki's face with a stick she found on the ground.

"Yes, Yuki's parents were very powerful kizo users." Sophia's father said in a sad tone. "They helped lots of people and could be considered saints." He squatted by his daughter. "Yuki got his carefree attitude from his mother and his bravery from his father. I see his parents in him."

Thirty minutes later Yuki woke up in a black SUV, he was in the back seat. Two men dressed in black sat in front, one driving and the other sat in the passenger seat while singing. He wasn't very good at singing.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Yuki asked.

"Don't worry. Young Madam told us to drop you off at your house." The driver answered.

"Young Madam? You mean Sophia?" 

"Yes."

The man in the passenger seat continued singing. He later paused and asked Yuki if he liked the song.

"Nah, please change it." Yuki said.

"Sure thing." The man changed the song.

Yuki, started to sing and so did the two men. In a short amount of time Yuki got to the apartment building.

He said good bye to them and went into his apartment.

"I'm home!" He announced as he stepped into the apartment.

Yukari was seated on the couch. She wore a blue jean shorts and a pink thin sleeveless shirt. Her hair was also unpacked.

"You're home." She looked at Yuki. "Where were you?"

"I went to study at Sophia's house." He answered. Yuki sat on the sofa beside her.

Yukari moved away from Yuki and sat on the far end of the couch. 

"Huh?" Yuki was confused by this gesture. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, with you." She answered while pouting. "Ever since I moved in here you haven't been spending time with me, you're always with other girls. You no longer have time for me."

"So you're avoiding me?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Yuki stood up and picked up the remote which was on the table. He changed the channel Yukari was watching.

"Hey!" Yuki got up and tried taking the remote back from Yuki.

Yuki threw the remote on the couch and grabbed both of Yukari's hands.

"Hey! Let me go!" She ordered and tried pulling herself away from Yuki.

"Okay." Yuki let go of her and she fell on couch.

"Ouch, you did that on purpose." 

"Of course." Yuki agreed.

He sat down beside her again.