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The evening air was crisp, and the group had finished their training session for the day. Yuki stretched out his limbs, still feeling the energy from his training but craving sothing else—a bit of fun. His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since that ran disaster earlier.
Yuki scratched his head, a mischievous glint in his eye. "How about a race?"
"A race?" Haru scoffed, stretching his arms over his head. "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"I'm more than ready!" Yuki smirked, his competitive spirit kicking in.
Nogitsune, who had been watching silently, raised an eyebrow. "A race, huh? This should be amusing." He crossed his arms, leaning back against a tree with an air of detachnt. But even so, his sharp eyes were watching everyone carefully, as if gauging their abilities.
"Well, I'm in," Kai said, his expression light. "I'll show you all what a chef's got when it cos to speed!"
"Hold on," Yuki interrupted. "Let's have so rules. No abilities, just raw speed. The winner gets to call the shots for the evening. Agreed?"
"Fine," Haru said, cracking his knuckles. "But don't expect to go easy on you."
Ren, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward. "Should I join in? I could use so fun." His voice was calm, but there was a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
The girls—Aiko and Himari—exchanged glances. "Well, if Ren's in, we should probably get ready to lose," Aiko said with a grin.
Yuki, eager to start, pointed to the large rock at the far end of the clearing. "Alright! We'll race from here to that rock. First one to reach it wins."
With everyone in position, the group took their marks. Nogitsune, as always, was cool and composed, not even bothering to stretch. Haru cracked his neck, getting into the zone. Kai was hopping on his feet like he was ready for anything.
Yuki, with a playful grin, stood next to Haru. "Ready to eat my dust?"
"You wish," Haru shot back, flexing his muscles.
"Let's get it started!" Yuki yelled, and with that, they were off.
The group dashed forward, the air whooshing as they took off at full speed.
Yuki was quick, using his enhanced agility to weave between obstacles. But as soon as he started to feel like he was pulling ahead, he noticed Haru right beside him, not falling behind even a step.
anwhile, Kai had taken an unconventional route, leaping from rock to rock, making calculated jumps that seed to give him an edge. But it wasn't long before Ren, who had been slowly trailing behind, surged forward, effortlessly maneuvering around obstacles. His body was in perfect harmony with his surroundings, and he passed both Yuki and Haru without breaking a sweat.
"Not bad," Yuki muttered, admiring Ren's smooth, controlled movents.
But then there was Nogitsune, who hadn't even broken a sweat. He seed to glide rather than run, moving with such fluidity that it almost looked like he was floating.
Within monts, Nogitsune reached the rock with ease, followed closely by Ren. Yuki was still neck and neck with Haru, but as they approached the finish line, Yuki found himself inching ahead.
Just as Yuki crossed the line, he heard Kai's voice calling out behind him. "You got lucky! I was just about to catch up!"
Yuki, panting, glanced over at Kai. "You were close, but not close enough!"
Ren and Nogitsune stood at the finish line, both having finished before the others. Ren gave a small nod of acknowledgnt to Yuki.
"Impressive," Ren said, his voice quiet but approving.
Nogitsune chuckled, his arms still crossed. "You were all quite fast. But I suppose you didn't expect to win."
Yuki, out of breath but grinning, shot Nogitsune a playful look. "Yeah, well, no one said you had to be so serious about it."
Haru, who had just finished a few seconds after Yuki, scowled good-naturedly. "I could've beaten you if I'd gone full speed."
"You didn't go full speed?" Yuki laughed, but there was no malice in it—just fun.
Aiko and Himari approached the finish line, having finished last. But they were laughing, too, clearly enjoying the race despite being outpaced by the others.
"You all are too fast for us," Aiko said, wiping her brow. "Maybe next ti we'll have our own race."
"That sounds like a good idea," Yuki said, his chest still heaving. "You guys should try it more often. We could all use the practice."
Kai slapped Yuki on the back. "Don't get too cocky now. Next ti, I'll be the one winning."
Yuki grinned. "We'll see about that."
After the race, everyone laughed and caught their breath. The competition had been lighthearted, but it gave them a chance to relax, bond, and take their minds off the weight of their responsibilities.
"Alright, alright," Nogitsune finally said, his usual serious deanor back in place. "You all did well, but don't let it go to your heads. You still have a long way to go."
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"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comnt—it really helps this grow!"
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