Once again, Tai struggled to keep up with Tenma. They have been trekking through the unending web of branches and leaves for three days. The good thing was that he improved.

Now, Tai was able to jog without losing his balance. Tenma was still ahead of him though. He was always ahead of him. It would be a lie if he said he was okay with that.

Tai sped up, aiming for Tenma's back. Maybe he could push him or something...anything to not make Tenma underestimate him.

He slipped for the first time today and fell on his face. He definitely tasted blood. He quickly clung to the branch, or he really would fall.

"Are you okay?" Tenma, who still had not broken a sweat these past days, stopped in his tracks.

"I'm fine," Tai grumbled. He genuinely admired Tenma's skill. Nevertheless, it's disheartening to see the gap between them. Tenma did say it took him two years. But...if it took that long, why did he expect him to have that level of skill in two months?

"We can take a break. You've made great progress recently," Tenma said. Tai was taken aback. This was new.

"No," he was grateful for the suggestion, but he wasn't done.

"Alright, ready when you are."

Tai propped himself up, managing to gain a steady footing. Maybe he should take off his new shoes to get a better balance. After all, since he used to be so poor, a layer of mud was the only footwear he used to know.

Carefully balancing himself on one foot, he gingerly took off the leaf shoe Tenma gave him. He then did the same for the other foot.

He felt out the unique texture of the tree beneath his feet. Something about his raw skin touching its surface just felt...right.

Now that his feet were bare, it was easier to move. It felt as if the tree was helping him to traverse itself. With this new feeling, he tried to meld it with his experience from the past days.

Immediately, the surreal feeling disappeared and Tai lost his balance. It seemed that if he was going gain the tree's help, he must not try to aid himself. Oddly enough, it made sense to him.

Tai realized that all this time, he treated the trees as his enemies. They never harmed him. His food, shelter, and clothing came from trees. Maybe...he should trust them more.

He stopped trying to balance himself.

Tai relaxed and placed one foot after the other. The narrow path instantly appeared different. It wasn't a rough terrain meant to hinder him anymore. The branch was now a way the tree provided for him to travel on.

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"Kid, are you hearing me?" Tai snapped back into reality. Tenma was looking at him, obviously expecting an answer.

"Let's race." Tai grinned at him, hopping from foot to foot without breaking a sweat.

Tenma raised a brow at him and hopped down to a branch nearby. He made some casual stretches, then grinned.

"Last one to reach that leaf insect over there will wash the dishes tonight," Tenma said suddenly.

Tai squinted, trying to find the leaf insect Tenma spoke of. The leaf insect he spoke of was far away and could barely be seen past the myriad of branches. If it didn't twitch, He definitely wouldn't have seen it.

"Deal."

Tenma gestured to him, and without courtesy, Tai ran off at full speed. He hopped from branch to branch, and with each one there was a different feeling—a subtle difference that forced him to move differently with each branch his feet touched.

Squirrels, birds, and other jittery creatures hid in a flurry as he pushed himself to run faster, to hop quicker.

"You holding up kid?" Tenma's leveled voice came from beside him. Tai numbly glanced at him. There Tenma was, matching his pace with ease.

"You're making too many unnecessary movements. Look ahead of you. Find the shortest path you can take without tiring yourself out."

Tenma sped ahead of him after his little pep talk, reaching the leaf insect in seconds. Tai tried his best, but the more he tried, the slower he became, the more he stumbled, the more he nearly fell.

Tai ran with all his might to the finish line.

He grinned brightly as he reached the leaf bug. He lost, but it was the first time he didn't feel useless in the forest. It wasn't much, but he finally learned how to traverse this unfamiliar environment.

He wiped the sweat off his face. As he took a moment to catch his breath, a wave of fatigue slapped his body.

His muscles screamed in pain as he helplessly collapsed, losing his balance. Tenma grabbed him and hoisted him upon his shoulder before he could fall to his death.

"I'll take you home early," he hoisted Tai on his shoulders as he made a strange whistle, akin to a bird. It perfectly melded in the blend of melodious chirps that echoed through the trees.

In less than five seconds, Angela arrived. Tenma jumped on her back then laid him on the bird's back. The bird screeched in displeasure, maybe because he dirtied her feathers with sweat, then took off.

Tai drifted into a half-slumber as the wind caressed his skin and ruffled his hair.

...

It was nighttime when he woke up. He felt a familiar refreshing feeling he only got when Tenma treated him. Beside his bed, Tenma sat on a chair, looking at him.

"One minute you were a wobbling snail, then suddenly, you had enough speed to dare to compete with me. You wanna explain, kid?"

Tai was a bit speechless. He didn't know either. "I don't know. I just...decided to treat the tree as my friend"

"A friend...interesting." Tenma flipped out a notebook from nowhere and scribbled some notes down. "Well kid, you need your rest. You better make sure you read all those books I give you in four weeks, though."

He snapped his notebook shut and strolled out the room like how he usually does. With Tenma's reminder of the stack of books, he couldn't relax, even if he wanted to.

He made his way to the library to finish the book he started yesterday. He pushed open the large door, expecting Tenma to give him another jumpscare. Thankfully, he wasn't there. Sadly, the intriguing old book was nowhere to be found.

Maybe he should ask Tenma what he was up to, instead of snooping around.

Tai sat in the empty chair. He tried his best to read, but the chair was uncomfortable, which was odd. He didn't find it uncomfortable before. He shifted, trying to find that comfy spot, but every position felt the same.

The chair became so agitating that he couldn't stand it anymore. He sat on the floor, like he did yesterday. Immediately, he was relieved. Finally, he could read in peace.