Chapter 17

“Oh, that sucks.” Taku sighed as soon as Yayoi handed him the ring. He grimaced at the pile of bones and faced his friends. “This is definitely the worst magic you can have if you find yourself stuck in a place like this.”

“So, what even is it?” Yayoi said.

“It’s a riiiiiiing!” Taku said dramatically, at least until he found out Yayoi wasn’t a fan of it. He cleared his throat, moving on and pretended like nothing happened. “It allows you to use a spell called ‘Switch,’ allowing you to pick two things within a certain range and then switch their positions. I want to save myself for something cool, so I won’t call dibs for it. That being said, I also had a one-time-use scroll that teaches you the spell ‘Barrier’ if anyone’s interested.”

“You sure you don’t want it?” Teri asked, feeling the small metal plates roughly sewn by Taku to his gloves and checking the fit of his new piece of armor—a kettle hat. Taku spent at least 20 minutes making and repairing these items, and Teri couldn’t help but be proud of the results. “Also, Yayoi, the ‘Barrier’ spell requires at least one open hand, so remember that.”

“It’s a spell for bitches,” Taku said. “You two can decide who gets it as well as the Switch Ring.”

“Wait, why are you talking as if I’m gonna get the ‘Barrier’ scroll?” Yayoi scoffed. “It’s a spell for bitches. I found the ring. I thought it was trash. But Taku identified it. And now I want the ring back. Give it to me.”

“True that,” Taku commented.

“You have a healing spell and a binding spell,” Teri retorted. “You’re already a support—”

“How dare you!” Taku dramatically cut Teri off, going as far as to force a single tear to drop from his eye. “HOOOW DAAARE YOUUUU… It was out of necessity! Who said I’m gonna play support for you bitches? I can’t be the Wizard King if I’m stuck here White Mage-ing your asses!” Taku crumpled his face. He fidgeted anime-style, pressing her two pointing fingers together, head down with his questionable cutesy eyes glaring at them, making them want to disappear from this world. “Oh, we’re fighting some very big and bad monsters; I hope my healing and other spells are good enough; I know that I’m not the strongest, but I’ll just have to do what I can; oh, Teri and Yayoi, are so brave and strong; and if I believe in my friends, I know that we’re gonna get through this—OH HELL NAAAH!”

Yayoi, surprised and about to laugh, raised both her hands in surrender. “Got it, I’ll be the bigger bitch. Give me the ring, and Teri can have the shitty scroll.”

“Nope!” Teri interjected, laughing along with Taku. “You get your weeb-ass powers already. Gimme mine. I’m not gonna be popular with some shitty barrier spells.”

“EXCUSE ME?” Yayoi raised her voice too, finding it in herself to smile. “But strategically speaking, I need it. What if I was caught out of position?”

“Just don’t get caught out of position then, dumbass!” Teri shouted, making Taku laugh even more. “And wouldn’t it be actually better if I get to move around? I can protect both of you better!”

“Alright!” Taku positioned himself in between them just when they were about to throw hands. “We’re spending too much time in this room. Let’s settle it with Rock, Paper, Scissors. One round.” The winner gets the ring. The loser gets the scroll and must learn the ‘Barrier’ spell. Got it?”

“Fine,” Teri said, looking at Taku. “This is a friendly game, right?”

“Absolutely. If anything happens, I have a healing spell,” Taku replied. “That being said, try not to kill each other over a ring.”

Yayoi cracked her knuckles. “I’ll crush you.”

Teri unequipped his newly plated gloves to make his hands faster. He felt a bit of confidence welling up inside him. Yayoi did the same, giving him a smug smile while she did. They took their positions. And finally, tension hung in the air. For Teri, it was a matter of pride. For Yayoi… Teri didn’t know what she wanted.

The three of them chanted in unison.

“ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS—”

Zone. The name of their new technique. Teri’s aura surged as his senses—his eyesight and hearing—grew twofold. It was the best he could do at the moment. Taku suggested controlling how much power they could get so that their body wouldn’t break; he also suggested giving the technique itself a name to make it easier to visualize.

The shift in Yayoi’s eyes. Her breathing. The movement of her fingers. Teri could see it. She was going to throw a rock. For a game as simple as Rock, Paper, Scissors, it would be easy for one to assume that the winner was the one who’s luckier. That could be true. But Teri was willing to use everything in his arsenal to win, to be the lesser bitch and not the support.

Yayoi’s middle and pointing finger twitched. The rock was a bait. She’s going to throw scissors. Which means Teri would have to throw a rock.

The dreaded following second finally came. Both Teri and Yayoi’s eyes seemed strained, but both of them were still okay. Zone. She was using that too. But Teri was right. Yayoi threw scissors. Teri threw a rock. He won.

“Zone,” Teri said, smiling and with a heavy breath. “You used it…"

“My thoughts exactly…” Yayoi replied, wobbling and almost falling onto one knee. “What did you do?”

“I heightened my senses. Twofold.” Teri checked his nose if it was bleeding. It felt good to know that it wasn’t. He was willing to let Yayoi know that she was fine too, but it felt like she knew about it already. “How about you?”

“Oh,” she let out a pure chuckle. “I strengthened my body… just a bit. I was going to punch you in the face and knock you out, but Taku caught me. I didn’t have the time to shift my zone, so… It’s my loss.”

“Good game.”

Teri offered Yayoi a fist bump of honor. She took it. He thought about shouting and jumping for joy, but he found himself respecting Yayoi even more. No one wanted to be called a bitch, after all. But of course, as they laughed together as friends, he remembered. Yayoi might as well have killed him if he did call her one.