“I mean, why did they really need to grow hormonal hermaphrodites? How many years have passed since then? I don’t recall hearing the exciting news on this thread. Or maybe I missed something? Have you see a headline reading ‘The First Delivering Man’,” Josh recited the ‘headline’ though not in a triumphant tone, but more like a funeral murmur. “No? Too bad, me neither. Listen, old Shirokawa respects you. Hey! School that face down. It’s not really respect... but he treats you differently than the rest of the group. Go ask him, would ya? He knows for sure. The first brain of the Earth to all Biospheres! Hey, where are you going...?”

Unwilling to listen to Josh’s chatter, Chris abruptly changed his direction and turned into the corridor that led to the courtyard. It was a little rude of him, but his friend is already used to such treatment. There was no alternative way to plug up his verbal diarrhea. If others could restrain Josh with words, then it certainly was not Chris. Silence was his weapon, which he skillfully used.

Walking across the parade ground, he entered the sports complex and headed for the locker rooms. Over the past month, he trained less than he should and literally felt that his muscles went jelly.

The gym was empty, but someone was in the sparring room. That’s great; I can’t imagine a better way to exercise. Quickly having taken off his uniform, Chris put on trainers and, kneading the joints of his hands and elbows as he walked, proceeded to the far hall. Slowing his steps a little, he listened – but of course. Who else could have been warming up here, while the entire academic part is having lunch?

“Erzketau-kri,” he bowed his head respectfully, entering and meeting his eyes with a tall zirka.

“Newman-kri,” the lizard replied, turning to face Chris. “Have you prepared a report yet?” He steadied his breathing, exhaling slowly, and took a defensive position.

“Only the conclusion remains,” Chris attacked immediately; he didn’t come here for chitchat.

Lunge, dodge, lunge, dodge, and step back. His breath hitched a bit, but his body warmed up instantly. The next attack was firmly blocked and beaten off by the zirka; then again and again. He skillfully parried. Chris made several offensive attacks but retreated. He did not have the goal of knocking his opponent down to the ground. Especially considering that with this specific green buddy, it would not work even in his wildest dreams. Erzketau was big. Well, all zirks men were higher and broader than an average human, but this one was really standing out. No human being could look at him without lifting their head.

They circled the tatami one way, then another, taking turns in carrying out a series of offensive and defensive moves. After about twenty minutes, sweat began flooding Chris’s eyes destroying his concentration, but he did not want to leave yet and he decided to push ‘Mister Grinch’ a bit more or at least make him nervous. He was already getting into a rage; his hard palms flashed, hitting and beating him off; the project manager retreated, knitting eyebrows in tension. ‘Now Imma getcha!’ run through the student’s mind, when suddenly, the world turned upside down and the cool floor covering hit him in the back.

“Hey! That's not fair!” Chris exclaimed, pointing a reproachful finger and squinting his brown eyes at the zirka. “We did not agree on the use of ... tail-weapons!”

The scientific coordinator twisted his mouth maliciously, wiped his face, and drank some water. The strong, fern-green torso with a scattering of small darker, almost black spots, moved as he breathed, gleaming with drops of sweat; the tight-fitting trainers were wet at the waist; his tail appendix was growing from the cutout on the waistband and hung loosely down to his ankles.

As soon as the tail ‘heard’ of itself being talked about, t immediately tensed, wrapping around the zirka’s legs. The zirka smirked making fun of the human, but in Chris’s eyes, everything looked different.

“And what did we agree on? We had a spontaneous fight with no voiced rules, didn’t we?” The lizard said boldly, arching an eyebrow. He approached and offered his hand to Chris.

“But still, it wasn’t fair,” the young man grasped the zirka’s forearm and easily got to his feet.

“When you want a fair fight – warn me in advance. Newman-kri,” zirka bowed his head, already turning away, ready to leave, but Chris suddenly decided to ask what bothered him.

“Tau, I mean ... Erzketau-kri! Will you tell me..?”

Erzketau turned around, looking puzzled.

“What... what’s it...? What is the new building for?” Chris came up close, catching the wooden smell coming from the coordinator’s skin. Though zirka was taller, Chris looked straight into his eyes without any abashment or embarrassment; looking up, he looked as if at an equal.

Pitch black eyes without pupils burrowed into Chris for a moment as if wondering something. Or maybe he was just solving the matrix problem – you never knew... Then zirka sharply exhaled and said quietly, “The second phase, that’s what’s it going to be there.”

And he left, leaving his student to watch his receding broad back with bulging eyes, not knowing what to think.