A Bro's Life (AGG-ish Anime Bro Quest)

"Have to admit, I'm kind of surprised." you say while increasing the speed of the treadmill.

"About what, Nagai?" Hose responds as he bench-presses a barbell with two fifty pound weights on either end without breaking a sweat.

"About you. I mean, no offense, but while I did expect you to be a fitness nut, I never thought it would've been to this extent."

"Not sure what you mean."

"I mean how we've been at this for about four hours and you don't even look winded," granted, you don't either. But that's only because you've been pacing yourself and taking breaks every now and then. Sometimes you'd go to the vending machine and buy some extra water to cool yourself down.

Meanwhile, Hose has been working out non-stop this entire time. After stretching he immediately went into crunches and push ups, followed by the treadmill, then some dumbbells (fifty pounds each), and now he's doing bench presses.

You figured he was crazy about being fit. But this is a bit much.

Hose stops mid-rep to think about what you've said. Then he places the bar on the rack, sits up from the bench with his black hair falling around his bulging shoulders. He looks over at you with a smile, "Suppose you're right. How's a break sound?"

You nod and turn your treadmill off. The sound of whirring machinery is soon replaced with grunts of exertion, pain, or the rare gasp of relief. Hose grabs a towel from the bench and throws it at you. You wrap it around your neck while walking with him to the "break area". Which is really just the other part of the gym with the vending machines against the wall. The two of you grab your bags and water bottles, yours half-full, his still full, and sit against the wall in unison.

Your school outfit was currently in the black bag you were carrying. In its place you wore a simple white t-shirt with black shorts. You kept your gloves on, of course, though made sure to cut back on talking to Yato while you're in front of a huge group of people. Hose had no shirt on but kept his shorts and bandages. You were a bit worried they wouldn't let him in without a shirt, until he shook hands with the owner of the place. That let you know everything about what kind of place this was.

Time passes as the two of you sit in companionable silence. Simply respecting each other's presence the way men do. However, it comes time that one of you needs to break the tension and start up some conversation. You have a lot to say to each other after all.

Surprisingly, Hose is the one that starts, "Thanks."

"For what?"

"A lot," he chuckles and leans back, "But mostly for what you did the week before the raid."

"Oh, you mean with that whole Yunagi situation," at his nod you wave dismissively, "It was nothing. I said I'd fix it, and I did. Simple."

"Calling your brother to help get one of the rich kids at the school to back off, and then making friends with his sister is simple to you, huh?"

"Wait, how'd you know my brother helped me?"

"First, I didn't hear anything about Yunagi getting his ass kicked and, no offense Nagai, but I can't exactly see you as the kind of person to solve an issue like that without busting a few heads."

....He's not wrong.

"Second, Ritsuko told me."

You nod before scratching the back of your neck, "Well...ok, it wasn't simple. I just-"

"Nah, man. I getcha," he nods, "It's just something you and your brother did. But, seriously, you really saved my ass with that."

"Really? Why's that? A couple days away from class wouldn't kill you, right?"

He doesn't answer you, curling his lips into a frown. [Motives Check: 35/20: Success! +5XP] But you can tell he's got his own reasons for keeping quiet. [Feelings Check: 35/30: Success! +5XP] Reasons you're sure he's not comfortable talking about right now. If he was, he would've told you already.

So, instead, you switch the topic. After drinking the last of your water, you sigh in satisfaction before replying with your usual high energy, "Then I guess I need to thank you for last week. If you and Ritsuko hadn't taken charge of that rag-tag army while I was gone, I don't think things would've turned out as good as they did."

He gets what you're putting down and his smile returns, "That's only cause you brought them together, Nagai. Me and her had hell keeping the group from failing."

"Seriously?" you're honestly shocked. You were pretty sure they'd all stick together to protect the school.

"Kind of," Hose clarifies, "The guys from our club? They were easy. All of them were ready and willing to fight to defend their school. Especially the ones who actually knew how to fight. They were almost too eager, actually. Had to drag a few back when they went too far."

He shook his head and frowned, "It was the rich kids. The ones who didn't know how to fight, or were just in the club for kicks. Most of them stayed behind us knowing that we were the only thing between them and getting seriously hurt. But there were a few who didn't seem to realize the severity of the situation. When things started looking we'd win, they started trying to take charge by yelling orders at people. Some actually listened to them and went completely against the group's momentum. And some, when they were ignored, started throwing tantrums until I had to stop our own guys from knocking their lights out. Got our whole group out of sync until I got them to sit down and shut up."

You grit your teeth as you imagine some asshole standing up and making your whole army slow down. Even if it was for just a moment, it would be enough for the Kirin students to get some good hits in on your guys.

"Which reminds me, I meant to ask, Nagai," Hose turns to look straight at you. His eyes are narrowed and you can feel a tension radiating off him, "I saw you fight those Kirin guys. While I know you're good in a fight, I don't know anyone who's able to send five guys flying with a single punch...save for Sensei, but he's Sensei. How'd you manage it?"

Oh shit.

You had hoped he hadn't noticed that.

"Well....uhhh....ummm," damn it didn't expect this! What the hell are you supposed to say? You mean, Hose seems trustworthy, but you haven't known him for long. What if he's got some secret that could seriously harm Yato or something?

[Trickery Check: 3/20: Fail!]

Hose seems to sense, or more likely see, your nervousness as you fumble for an answer. However, rather than press you for it he leans back and simply says, "Nevermind. You don't have to tell me."

You let out a silent breath of relief and slight guilt. While you don't like keeping secrets from people, you know you have to be careful about this. Yato is trusting you to keep him safe from that Organization after all. Wonder what they're doing right now anyway? You haven't really looked into them and....forget it. You'll cross that bridge when you come to it.

"But, seriously, are you for real with that?" you ask Hose. He asks for you to elaborate, and you do while pointing at your fellow club goer, "I mean about what the rich students did when I left. Were they really stupid enough to try that shit while in the middle of a brawl? And what do you mean 'were just in the club for kicks'? I thought the point of joining a Martial Arts Club was to learn how to fight."

"You're kind of right. Most Martial Art Styles are for practiced for self-expression and recreation. Sure there are styles that are effective in actual combat, but that's usually either MMA or people who are just really good at it. Like Sensei or Setake. You should've seen the two of them during the fight! None of the Kirin dudes stood a chance!" you can feel the excitement in Hose's voice as he starts talking about Sensei Hazma and the Club Leader Setake. His hands open and close while his eyes get this wild and happy look to them, but he soon catches himself and goes back to his typical laid back appearance.

With an embarrassed chuckle he continues, "Sorry. Anyway, only people like you, me, and about half of the other members of the Club are here to actually participate. The rest are mostly kids born into money who are doing this as a hobby. Or looking for a way to flex on the students here on a scholarship, since those assholes know that if any of them are hurt, they can easily ruin anyone who got here that way."

"That's fucked up," it's really all you can say about it.

"It is," Hose says this like he knows it all too well. Then his frown turns into a smile as he playfully punches your shoulder, "That's why you've gained a bit of a following, Mr. Hero."

"Huh?" you didn't know you had a following. When did that happen?

"Did you think you were the first guy Yunagi came at with that 'How about a friendly spar' shit? He's done it to plenty of the members in the club on a scholarship. Except they know who he is, so they know they can't hurt him and let him beat them up. But then you come along and lay the asshole out in one blow! Follow it up with getting out of your punishment without issue, and you've given them plenty of reasons to look up to you."

Hose pats your back, "Congrats, Nagai. While you might not be a School Hero, you're certainly on your way to it."

Well. How about that? You're...surprised.

"Not really sure how to feel about that. Flattered?" you kind of shrug while nervously chuckling, "Guess I'm just glad I'm inspiring others."

"Good. Just try to not let it go to your head, ok?" he laughs before finishing off his water. Then he stands up and stretches, his muscles popping as he does, "Welp, break time's over. Coming?"

"Heck yeah," you both toss your water bottles into the nearby recycle bin at the same time.

As you walk out of the room, Hose says, "One last thing though; I was serious about what I said. About you helping me out by dealing with Yunagi. I owe you, so, whenever you need me, just call."

That's a pretty cool offer. You decide...

[] To take him up on it. It's his way of paying you back. Why turn him down? (Gain 1 Favor from Hose (Favors can be used to call someone when they're busy or for help if you don't have a high enough Relationship Rank. However, it could cause complication depending on when it's called in), +3 Relationship Points)

[] To decline his offer. You did it for both of you, and Yamato did most of the work. He owes you nothing. (Gain Bond: Buddies, +6 Relationship Points)

[] To let him know that, if he owes anyone, it's your brother. Yamato did most of the work, and you wouldn't have gotten this far without him. If feels like he has a debt to pay, it's to him, not you. (Yamato Gains 1 Favor from Hose, Yamato gains a Relationship With Hose)

---

Got it in early.

Was going to include Ritsuko's thing too, but I thought a single update with the two muscle dudes would be good first.