75TH GEAR - I’M IN LOOOOOOOOVE!

Right after Cruzo’s victorious defeat, Flu and I went to the Merry Knights Guild Building for our daily practice. Cruzo said that he will not attend today’s practice for obvious heartbreaking reasons, so we will just inform Useless Prez about it.

When we entered the club building, we were surprised that the renovations are over. The paint job on the white walls with reddish-pink stripes is already finished, although there is still a faint smell of fresh paint. There is the logo of a cartoon knight girl at the front of the lobby which makes it look as professional as the Eaglecrest Guild. Our furniture has already been replaced with newer wooden ones too, albeit it looks cheap, but much better than the old ones. I am going to miss our former gang hideout.

“We’re here, Prez!” Flu raised her hand.

For some reason, I can see Flu more pumped up than ever. She might be a tad bit quieter than normal, but I can see in her sparkling blue eyes, determined smile, and pumped clenched fists that she is more eager to practice today than any other day of the year.

Ericka was sorting out boxes of files on the main counter when we saw her. She got this slight smile on her face. She scolded us but she seemed not angry about it.

“You’re fifteen minutes late.”

“I’m sorry! Coach and I officiated a Speed Battle in the Cool Escape Grounds!” Flu said energetically.

“Oh, okay.” Ericka crossed her arms. “Where’s Cruzo?”

“Sir Cruzo said that he is having heartache, so he will be skipping practice today!” Flu eagerly answered.

“Jeez, I told him to stop eating fatty foods! Now his health is compromised!” Ericka held her forehead as if she is having a headache.

It seems that Ericka has yet to hear the news about Cruzo’s demise. Oh well, she might learn about it later so I decided not to tell her the whole story until Cruzo approves of it.

“Hey, hey, Coach!” Flu excitedly pumped her fists and pushed her face toward mine. “Let’s go practice! I want to try something!”

“O-Okay,” I muttered.

“Great! I will just change into my Speedmage Suit! I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

Swoosh! Flu dashed away with her Stardust Accel, leaving pink glitters all around the lobby.

I looked to the side and saw a new magic refrigerator next to Ericka. I approached it and checked on the contents. There are a few soft drinks, energy drinks, and mana potions fresh out of the box in there. I saw a six-pack of rootbeer and grabbed one.

“Mind if I get one of these?”

“Sure,” Ericka said.

I’m quite thirsty, so I opened up the can of rootbeer. However, the carbonated drink sprayed all through my face the moment I pulled the pin!

“Gah!” I cried as the bubbles stung my eyes.

“Pfffft! Ahahaha!” Ericka started to laugh. “I’m sorry, Coach! I must have accidentally shaken them before storing them in the magic fridge.”

“What a Useless President you are,” I muttered as I wiped away the rootbeer droplets on my face.

When my vision cleared, Flu zoomed back to me, now in her full Speedmage Suit. She has excited puppy eyes that are twinkling like fireworks. I am sure that if she’s a dog, she would be wagging her tail all around.

“Coach, coach! Let’s go practice!” Flu grabbed my hand and dragged me outside.

“Okay, okay,” I mumbled.

I drank the remaining rootbeer in one gulp and then threw it in the trash can. Then we approached the Merry Knights Grounds where our new Checkpoint Towers are erected. Right now, it is safe to say that our Triangle is now way better than those Triangles in the Cool Escape Grounds.

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Flu stopped walking when we are a few meters away from the 1st Checkpoint Tower. She then turned to me with a smile on her face.

“Coach! I want to try something different!”

“What speed spells are we going to do next?” I asked as I browsed the Speedmage Tactics book.

“No, we’re not doing speed spells!” Flu excitedly pumped her fists. “I want to try what Sir Cruzo did during his fight against President Paul Handsomeson!”

“You want to burn fats and turn into a muscular buffoon?” I asked.

“No! I wanted to do what he did before that!” Flu’s smile widened. “He evolved when his feelings exploded, remember?”

I crossed my arms and transferred into deep thought. “Oh, right. I remember him shouting out loud before using Magma Accel.”

“That’s right!” Flu energetically nodded. “I think his evolution has an activation key!”

“You mean his determination, guts, and… love?”

“Yes! That’s right! But I don’t think determination and guts have something to do with it. All that matters is that he expressed his honest feelings and exploded! Like kablaaaam!” Flu’s arm gestured something of an explosion.

“T-That’s absurd…” I cringed.

All of a sudden, Flu gently caressed my cheeks with her warm gloved hand. Her blue eyes locked on mine, and getting lost in her gaze made me blush.

“Tell me, Coach! What are you feeling right now?” Flu asked.

“I-I don’t want to say it,” I mumbled. “That is too embarrassing!”

“Some things are better expressed out loud, you know! Now tell me your honest feelings! What do you feel right now?”

Seeing her adorable face makes me surrender to her gaze. My heartbeat became like a boombox, and I feel something tingly in my chest. The only feeling I have right now is something I can only feel whenever this angel right in front of me is beside me.

“I-I’m in love…” I mumbled.

“I can’t hear you!” Flu pouted with a blushing face. “Shout it out loud!”

“I’m in love, okay! I’m in love!” I cried.

Flu’s face transformed into a smile as she replied.

“Got it. Me too.”

“Huh?” I blushed all through my face.

“Now let’s shout it out loud towards the Triangle so that the Checkpoint Towers will know our honest feelings!” Flu said with an innocent smile. “Let’s shout together! One, two, three! I’m in looooooove!”

“I’m in looooooove!” I followed Flu’s shout.

“One more!” Flu said. “I’m in loooooooooooove!”

“I’m in loooooooooooove!”

“One last time! I’m in loooooooooove!”

“I’m in looooooooooove!”

It’s so funny that I’m going with the flow with Flu’s stupid antics. Sure, it was embarrassing and crazy, but shouting my feelings out loud makes my chest go lighter. It’s like I’m indirectly confessing my feelings, but this has no recoil whatsoever.

I paid no mind to join Flu and her stupid antics right now because we're the only ones around. If there is at least one audience, I will never shout like an idiot.

On another note...

The reason I have set aside my feelings for her is that we still have our National Speedmage Tournament coming. If I confess at the wrong place and time, and if I get rejected, it might affect our player-coach relationship. I can’t have these petty feelings of mine get over our dream to make Flu the Speedmage Champion.

I haven’t thought about it much, but I am planning to confess right after the National Speedmage Tournament, regardless of win or lose. I am a very tactical man, so I have to focus on training Flu until Christmas.

“Hey, hey, Coach! Earth to Coach! Hello!” Flu waved her hand in front of my eyes.

“Y-Yes, Coach here.” I immediately woke up to reality.

“Let’s see if I evolved just like Sir Cruzo! Bring out your stopwatch and record my progress!” Flu pumped her fists.

“I don’t think that’s how it works, but okay.” I immediately drew my magic pocket watch and set the timer. I also readied my whistle and raised my hand.

Flu went to the 1st Checkpoint Tower and made her ready position.

Fweeeeeet!

As I blew the whistle, Flu touched her Speedmage Shoes and activated her speed spell!

“Stardust Accel!”

Flu blasted forward with her sparkling pink contrails tailing her. She managed to touch the 2nd Checkpoint Tower, then the 3rd, then back to the first. It was just a one-lap sprint. She actually made it back to me at a much faster rate.

Flu stopped right in front of me and peeked at my stopwatch.

“So how is it, Coach?”

“You improved… You came back here three seconds earlier, which is a new record.”

“I did it!” Flu raised her arms and hopped with joy. “I evolved!”

“No, you’re not,” I commented coldly. “You already evolved when you discovered Stardust Accel. What happened right now is just a mere improvement.”

“Awwww.”

<>

It was an orange late afternoon. We just arrived on the beachfront and the setting sun showered on our bodies. The sweet breeze of the ocean air made Flu’s long pink hair dance. That pink idiot is balancing on top of the beach wall while humming an anime song.

All of a sudden, Flu grabbed my attention.

“Hey, Coach.”

“Yes?”

“How long have you known that Sir Cruzo has a secret crush on Heffy?”

“I think it was just yesterday,” I answered uncaringly.

“Heffy had a secret crush on Sir Cruzo too. She’s just into cute chubby guys, but she’s scared of tall macho dudes. Tahahaha.” Flu dryly laughed.

“What a shame. I guess Cruzo was popular then,” I smirked.

“You’re pretty popular too,” Flu said with a smile.

“Oh really?”

“Believe it!” Flu pumped her fists. “I know at least one girl in our class who has a crush on you!”

“W-What?”

That came out as a surprise. I barely know any of my classmates’ names because they never talk to me. Heffy only talks to me if I’m a tag-along with Flu. Other than that, Flu is the only person I know in my class.

“No way! Who is it?” I asked.

“It’s a secret! I will never tell you!” Flu gave a teasing smile.

“Eeeeh!? That’s unfair, Flu! You can’t just say that and not tell me!” I cried.

“I’m not telling! Tahahaha!” Flu blushed as she gave an adorable wide smile.