Chapter 13:The Gift Vector

The ruins were no longer just a training ground,they were a laboratory of kinetic energy overload.

Mio’s specialized weapon,Tachi,an ancient Japanese sword,used by samurais from horseback for its powerful slicing ability,not to mistake Tachi for a Katana as Tachi has a deeper curve and is longer than a Uchigatana/Katana.

Mio’s Tachi hissed through the air,leaving sliver trails in the humidity.She wasn’t just swinging,she was creating Pressure Differentials.Every slashes she throw at Rei,Rei felt as if he got hit with a devastating slash.In reality,the cold bite of the compressed air was whistling past his ears,a trick of fluid dynamics that made his skin reacted instinctively,it was an imaginary slash.

“Come on,Koga!” Mio barked,her eyes gleaming with a competitive glow.”Unfold it! I could sense the strength of that Three-section staff! I want to see what it can do when its user stops holding back!”

Rei parried a vacuum-wave with a short-chained flick of his staff.”No. The Sam Jeol Bong doesn’t have a ‘low’ setting,Mio.Once the third section achieves full ‘Angular Velocity’,the centrifugal force becomes a high-speed forcefield.Its not a duel at that point,it’s a fight to the death.I don’t use it on allies.I know it’s effect,it’s devastating.”

“Allies?Is that what we are now?” Mio smirked,but she lowered her blade,noting the genuine warning in his eyes.

After the usual “Hellish Training” that involves Kenji fighting for his life not only through Rei’s mental and physical training,but Mio’s sparring session which Kenji tried to “calculate” his way out of Mio’s imaginary slashes and failing miserably.The group decided to split up.

“I’m going alone,” Mio announced,wiping the sweat off her.”My gift is going to look amazing compared to whatever your gift is.Don’t call me for help.”

Rei and Kenji ended up at the mall,a place Rei considered more dangerous than a dark alley in Tokyo.The sheer ‘Turbulent Flow’ of the Saturday crowd was an assault to his senses.

“Rei,the target… is at ten o’clock!” Kenji hissed,suddenly ducking behind a pillar.

Rei froze.Across the atrium,Hiyori was browsing an electronic store,her camera bag slung over her shoulder.To anyone else,she looked peaceful.To Rei,she was a “Collision Hazard”.

Rei performed a move that would have terrified a professional spy,a Low-Profile Redirection.He pivoted on his heel,using a passing group of highschoolers as “human wall” to mask his figure,sliding behind a display of oversized plushies just as Hiyori turned her head.

“That was a Class 4 Stealth Maneuver,” Kenji whispered from inside a rack of clothes.”You shifted your center of gravity so much just to avoid saying ‘Hi’.”

“I can’t let her see me in the ‘Cute’ section,” Rei muttered,his face heating up as he stared into the eyes of a Pink Axolotl plushie charm.”It would ruin the ‘Still Point’.”

By the end of the day,the mission was complete.

List of gifts by whom:

• Rei’s gift:A high quality,minimalist leather camera bag,but hidden inside was a small,soft Axolotl plushie charm.It was a trade-off.The bag was for her interest,the charm was for the peace they shared,possibly even more.

• 
  
• Kenji’s gift:A “Smart Lens Cleaner” kit and a framed photo of the group of them all from the festival,which he’d spent three hours color-grading to perfection.

• 
  
• Mio’s mystery gift:Wrapped in aggressive red paper with a sticker on it.

As Rei sat in his room that night,looking at the wrapped bag,he realized the “value” Kenji mentioned earlier wasn’t in the negatives anymore.For the first time,the “day after tomorrow” didn’t feel like a threat,but a new destination.

Kenji in his room,”Wow,this is a hundred times statistically better quest than those two wanted me to do.I would rather do this instead of that ‘Hellish Training’.” Kenji thought to himself.

Author's note:

✍️ Fun Fact:

Rei’s "Class 4 Stealth Maneuver" in the mall is actually a high-level application of Spatial Awareness. In martial arts, this is called Metsuke (vision)—the ability to see the whole field without focusing on one point.