?Training had been brutal. Again. Micheal had failed—again. He hadn’t even come close to landing a hit on Aki, and now, sprawled on his bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Every muscle ached, his bones felt heavy, and exhaustion clawed at him like a relentless predator. His head lolled to the side, and before he could even form another bitter thought about his failure, sleep dragged him under.

  ?

  ?A damp sensation against his face pulled him back to consciousness. His brows furrowed as a low groan escaped him, his body still too drained to move. Slowly, his heavy eyelids lifted, revealing a pair of familiar brown eyes gazing down at him. Jasmine.

  ?

  ?For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating. But no—she was actually here, sitting beside him, her hand carefully dabbing at his face with a wet cloth.

  ?

  ?Something flickered in her eyes—something soft. Not pity, not amusement. Something else. He should have been annoyed, or at least skeptical. But strangely, he wasn’t. His body remained still, too tired to speak, too tired to push her away. So he just… let her.

  ?

  ?Jasmine seemed equally surprised by his silence, though she didn’t comment on it. Instead, her lips quirked into a small smile as she continued tending to his wounds. A strange but not unwelcome silence filled the space between them, interrupted only by the distant chirping of birds outside.

  ?

  ?“You know…” she said, her voice quiet but teasing, “you’re actually kinda cute when you shut up.”

  ?

  ?Micheal let out a slow, amused huff, the corner of his lips twitching into something resembling a smirk. “Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious,” he mumbled, voice thick with fatigue.

  ?

  ?Jasmine’s smile widened slightly, but there was something else in her expression—disappointment, perhaps? Like she had been expecting something else from him. He couldn’t tell. He was too damn tired to think about it.

  ?

  ?“Do I even need to ask how training with Aki is going?” she teased, dipping the cloth into a bowl of water before pressing it gently against a cut on his cheek.

  ?

  ?Micheal let out a groan at the sting. “I mean… you tell me. Weren’t you cheering every time my back hit the floor?”

  ?

  ?“Oh, absolutely.” Her smirk was pure mischief. “It was the highlight of my day.”

  ?

  ?He rolled his eyes, though he felt something almost… lighthearted. Something he hadn’t felt in a while.

  ?

  ?“So you enjoy watching me suffer?”

  ?

  ?“I wouldn’t say enjoy…” she mused, tilting her head. “More like… appreciate?”

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  ?

  ?“Wow. That’s so much better.”

  ?

  ?“Oh, trust me. Watching you fail is what gets me out of bed in the morning.”

  ?

  ?Micheal let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. The room drifted back into that oddly comfortable silence, the golden afternoon light filtering through the window, casting soft shadows over Jasmine’s face. He found himself watching her—noticing the way her hair caught the light, the way her lips pursed slightly as she focused. The realization unsettled him.

  ?

  ?“Hey…” His voice was quieter now, almost hesitant. “This might be a bit random but… how exactly did Aki’s parents save you?”

  ?

  ?Her hands stilled for a fraction of a second. It was so brief he almost missed it. Then, she exhaled softly and leaned back a little. “They presented me as their own daughter when the raiders came. Aki’s mom and mine… they grew up together. My mom’s last wish was for her to keep me safe.”

  ?

  ?Micheal frowned. “Last wish? But why didn’t she protect your mom too? She could have presented her as her sister or something.”

  ?

  ?Jasmine’s expression shifted—something unreadable passing through her eyes before she smirked playfully. “Oh wow. Is this the Micheal, the biggest, most shit-mouthed racist of all time, actually showing concern for us poor, bloodless heathens?”

  ?

  ?Heat rushed to his face. “I—” He clenched his jaw, suddenly feeling foolish. “I… I’m sorry.”

  ?

  ?Jasmine let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. “Don’t be. I can tell how hard it is for you not to gag in my presence.”

  ?

  ?“I don’t—” he began, then sighed. “That’s not…”

  ?

  ?Her smirk softened, just a little. “Dad had already been captured by the raiders. Mom handed me to Aki’s mom to keep me safe. But she couldn’t leave Dad behind, so she went back.” Her voice was light, almost casual, but there was something brittle beneath it. “She chose him over me.”

  ?

  ?Micheal had no idea what to say to that. He’d never been good at emotions. His gut twisted uncomfortably. He wanted to say something, anything, but everything felt wrong. So, instead, the words that slipped from his mouth were: “I… I don’t feel the urge to gag in your presence.”

  ?

  ?Silence. Then, Jasmine let out a small, genuine laugh. “Wow. What a compliment. I feel so special.”

  ?

  ?Micheal groaned, covering his face with his arm. “Shut up.”

  ?

  ?Jasmine stood up, stretching her arms above her head. “Well, it’s a start, at least. Maybe one day, we’ll be able to be in the same room without you breaking into hives.”

  ?

  ?He peeked at her from under his arm, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “I’d say it’s a pretty good start.”

  ?

  ?Jasmine tilted her head slightly, her gaze lingering on Micheal as if she were contemplating something. Then, without another word, she stood up, stretching her arms above her head before making her way toward the door.

  ?

  ?"Follow me."

  ?

  ?Micheal hesitated. He felt... empty? The warmth she had provided, however brief, was gone, leaving behind a strange hollowness. Shaking off the thought, he nodded and got to his feet, trailing after her. She led him down the halls with a small, knowing smile.

  ?

  ?"Aki's out for some meeting," she said casually. "I think I’ve got something that might help."

  ?

  ?"Help?" He raised a brow. "Me… or you?"

  ?

  ?She rolled her eyes. "As amusing as it is to see you fall on your ass over and over again… it’s getting kind of pathetic. I can’t have that in my house."

  ?

  ?Micheal scoffed. "So, what’s your grand plan? You don’t even—" He caught himself mid-sentence, barely stopping before he said something offensive. He knew exactly where that road led, and he wasn’t eager to walk it again.

  ?

  ?Jasmine smirked, tilting her head as if daring him to finish his thought. When he didn’t, she chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t care. But I do know where Aki keeps his personal manuscripts."

  ?

  ?She led him into a study filled with shelves of books and neatly stacked scrolls. Without hesitation, she began rummaging through them, pulling out journals and tomes.

  ?

  ?Micheal groaned. "You want me to -study-?!" His complaint was cut off as a book flew straight at his face, smacking him square on the nose. "Ow! Hey!!"

  ?

  ?Jasmine grinned, unfazed. "Quit whining." She strolled over with a fresh stack of books and unceremoniously dumped them on top of his head, nearly making him stumble. "I'll be the one overseeing your new training."

  ?

  ?Micheal scowled, rubbing his nose. "You're insufferable."

  ?

  ?"Only for you," she shot back with a chuckle, crossing her arms as she took a seat beside him.

  ?

  ?He glanced at her, exasperated but unable to stop the small smile tugging at his lips. As she began stacking books into neat piles, he sighed and dropped onto the floor beside her. If he was going to survive Aki’s training, maybe—just maybe—having Jasmine’s help wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

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