71ST GEAR - PANDA'S ENDANGERED LOVE

I left the three girls in our club building while I walk around the campus to search for Cruzo. His actions are quite erratic and weird today, and it is my job as a coach to check on my players if something is troubling them. Well, it might be something that is not Speedmage related since he freaked out when he saw Heffy, but still, I have to reach out to him.

There was a mini bamboo forest at the back of our guild building, and I figured that he might be hiding in there. Pandas love bamboo, isn't that right?

"Cruzooooo!" I shouted out loud. My voice reverberated around the mini forest.

"Uhuhuhuhu!"

I heard a cry that seemed to be coming from above. When I looked up, I saw the panda man himself, clinging to a bamboo that has already been bent for almost 90 degrees! It seemed that the bamboo tree would snap, but I heard bamboos are flexible enough to carry the weight of a huge magical bear so it might be safe.

"Cruzo! What are you doing there!?" I shouted at him.

"I can't do it! I can't face her! Not like this!" Cruzo wept from above.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Heffy! That's Heffy from the Journalist Club, right? That one from your class?" Cruzo cried.

"Oh, Henry. Yeah, she is Flu's friend and today's paparazzi. What of it?" I scratched my head.

"Uwoooooogh! I can't believe that she will be covering the Merry Knights! I can't show her my face like this!" Cruzo screamed.

"Why, you owe her some money or something?"

"No!"

Cruzo loosen his grip on the bamboo tree and he slid down to talk to me closer. His pale white face is still strawberry red when he whispered some absurd thing to me.

"She is... She is... my secret crush!"

"H-Huh?" I am growing more confused and concerned.

"I love the way she smiles and takes a picture of Speedmages in the tournament. I love how friendly she is. I love how adorable she is when she's holding her camera. I wuv her! Uwooooooogh!"

"O-Okay..." I muttered in disbelief.

"But somehow, I couldn't gather enough determination and guts to confess to her! You see, I have been bullied for being fat before, and I am sure I am still now! She's really a cute girl, and a big fat guy with black eyebags like me would not be fit to be his boyfriend!"

Well, Cruzo has a point. Even in these modern times, even with the banning of body shaming, a fat guy has little to no chance of winning a cute girl's heart. They often say that beauty on the inside is what matters, but be realistic: Nobody walks around with an X-ray.

But as a coach, it is still my job to raise my Speedmages' spirits. I do not have to resort to slapping him with the unfair reality. I just needed to encourage him. I think I will turn into a Love Coach for him so that he can acquire enough determination and guts.

"Have you ever tried confessing though?"

"Of course not!" Cruzo exclaimed.

"You won't know if she likes you or not unless you confess."

"B-But what if she rejects me?" Cruzo imitated an abandoned puppy's eyes.

"Then suck it up like a real man and live to die another day," I said.

"Whaaaaaat!? You know I can't live through that! I will be so depressed that I will no longer be able to unleash my determination and guts anymore!" Cruzo cried.

"It is what it is. Are you satisfied that you are just looking at her from afar?" I said.

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"Uuuuugh." Cruzo groaned.

"It's ultimately your choice," I added.

All of a sudden, I heard a familiar shouting voice.

"Coooooooach!"

"Eeek!" Cruzo immediately clung back to the bamboo tree and climbed up like a gecko. He was so panicked that he made it back to his previous position in just a matter of a blink of an eye.

"That's Flu's voice! Why are you panicking!?" I cried.

"Heffy might be with her!" Cruzo sweat like a waterfall. "Don't tell anyone that I am here!"

I nodded in confirmation and then turned my back. I immediately saw the pink-haired airhead right in front of me. As I suspected, she was all alone. That's a good thing because I won't have any explanation if that paparazzi saw Cruzo clinging to that bamboo tree.

"Oh, Coach!" Flu happily hopped to me and held my wrist. "Heffy told me that she will be taking pictures of us while practicing! Let's go now!"

"O-Okay," I said as I started to walk.

But then, Flu immediately noticed the big fat idiot clinging to a bamboo tree above! Flu's blue eyes sparkled as she pointed at Cruzo. She's like a kid who just saw an animal inside a zoo!

"Coach, Look! There's a panda!"

"H-Huh?" I cringed.

"I never thought pandas live here at the back of the club building! Wait, why does he look like Sir Cruzo?" Flu tilted her head in confusion.

"It's because he is Cruzo, dumbass." I side-commented, but I think Flu did not hear.

"Hey, Mister Panda!" Flu happily waved her hand. "Want to join our practice? Or do you want to play Speed Battle with me?!"

"Pandas cannot do Speed Battles! Why are you challenging everyone you meet?" I groaned as I started to drag Flu's hand. "Come on, let's go. Hester might be waiting for us."

"O-Oh, right!" Flu pumped her fists then she waved goodbye to the panda. "Bye-bye!"

As we exited the mini bamboo forest, I heard a loud thud! All the birds flew away from the bamboo canopies, and I even heard a loud whimper that sounds like: "Uwoooooooooouch!"

I guess Cruzo has already fallen hard. Both literally and romantically.

<>

Flu and I demonstrated the basics of our training, like doing laps around the Triangle while touching the Checkpoint Towers. We also practiced the new and improved magical trampolines and Phoenix Arrows while doing mock battles with Useless Prez.

Flu was now able to use other speed spells ever since she learned Stardust Accel, but she still has trouble incorporating the Stardust element on Air Trampolines. So we only demonstrated the basic spells like Flash Step, Phoenix Talon, and Whirlwind.

After the demonstration, Heffy interviewed the Merry Knights one by one. The first one to be put in the spotlight was Flu.

"So, Miss Asahime... What makes you think that you can win the National Speedmage Tournament?"

"Tahahaha..." Flu nervously laughed as she scratched her head. "W-Well, I love Speed Battles so much that I promised to be the Speedmage Champion for someone! So, I am going to give it my 100%... no, my one million percent to grant that promise!"

"Oooh, so you have special someone? Who is it, huh?" Heffy smirked in a teasing manner.

"A-Ah! It's not what you think!" Flu blushed out as she erratically waved her hand at the camera. "W-Well, that person may be special, but not in the way you're thinking! Waaaaah!"

Flu rushed to the camera and tried to delete the video file but Heffy managed to recover it first.

"Uwuuuuu... That was embarassing. I'm such a failure..." Flu cried.

<>

After Flu's interview, I was tasked to be the next person in the spotlight.

"So, Coach Wardenorth! What makes you think that Miss Fluonessia Asahime can win the National Speedmage Tournament?"

"I gotta tell you. Fluonessia Asahime is perfect. Perfect. Everything from the last minute detail."

"So what do you think are Miss Asahime's strengths?"

"Everything."

"What do you think are Miss Asahime's weaknesses?"

"Nothing."

"So what do you say about the haters that say Miss Asahime only got to the Nationals because of pure luck?" Heffy asked.

"It is the biggest piece of dogshit that I have ever heard."

"What do you think of the Regional Speedmage Champion Lilith Nightshade?" Heffy moved to the next question.

"I want to put some dirt in her eye."

Heffy finally put the camera down and had this disappointed look on her face. "Hey, Jonathan. Can you be serious for a second? I want to make a good interview video for you guys. Can you stop spouting cringey lines?"

"I missed the part where that's my problem," I said in a cold voice and then walked away like the cringe-cool hero I am.

<>

Finally giving up on me, Heffy moved to interview our Useless Prez.

"So President Azure! What do you think of the National Speedmage Tournament contender, Miss Fluonessia Asahime?" Heffy asked with the mic.

"Well, Fluonessia is definitely a talented person. She is hardworking and a genius in Speed Battles, and she is kind and faithful."

Heffy leaned forward with a smile. Finally, there is someone she can interview with and converse normally!

But oh, she was so wrong.

"Blaaaargh!"

Ericka vomited right in front of the camera. I guess the pressure of being interviewed is too much for her stomach.

<>

Heffy sighed and relaxed her shoulder as a sign of giving up. She repeatedly slammed her head on the wall.

"Aaaargh! Is there any sane person in the Merry Knights?" She murmured to herself.

"Hey, are you saying that we are all insane?" Ericka groaned.

"A-Ah, I'm sorry." Heffy apologized with a bow. Then her eyes brightened when she remembered somebody. "Oh, I know! Where is that sophomore Speedmage of the Merry Knights that looked like a panda?"

"Cruzo?" Ericka crossed her arms. "I haven't seen him since this afternoon."

I just zipped my mouth shut. I do not know where he is right now, but I'm sure he's looking at us from a distance.

"Bummer. I really wanted to interview him."

Heffy blushed as she kindly stroke her camera with her gentle little fingers.

That simple gesture makes me think that Cruzo has a chance to this paparazzi's heart.