"NOW THE REAL HELL BEGINS! Give it your MAXIMUM, Fukuoka!"
"MAXIMUM!" Nobaro's voice thundered, charged with a frustration that sounded more like a challenge.
"Sensei! When do we get to go out and Fight Real Monsters?!" Fukuoka asked, his eyes burning with impatience, but his voice trembling slightly.
Nobaro crossed her arms, her aura of power almost palpable.
"You can barely complete a simple mission, and you want to throw yourself against abominations?! Pathetic! But..."
The corner of her mouth lifted into a sharp smile.
"...there is still a spark of hope in you. Give it your best. WE BEGIN NOW!"
On the ground, six long, thin pieces of wood were laid out.
"Take that wood and STAND UP on it!" Nobaro ordered.
"BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! It's too thin!" Fukuoka exclaimed, feeling adrenaline mixed with dread.
"Shut up and LOOK!" Without warning, Nobaro's OSMO energy exploded, enveloping the wood in a faint aura. She gave a single leap, landing perfectly balanced, upside down, on top of the piece of wood.
"You must stay like this for ONE FULL HOUR!"
The days followed in a torture. Falls. Failure. The sound of wood cracking against the ground echoed constantly in the courtyard.
Two days passed. Everyone fell, exhausted.
Three days passed. Failure was still the only constant.
"VERY GOOD, ZAREN!"
Nobaro shouted. Zaren managed to hold on, concentration sculpted on his face.
Four, five days.
On the eighth day, ZULIAN reached the one-hour mark.
Fifteen days later, Nanai and Yoshi finally mastered the balance.
25 DAYS PASSED.
"25 DAYS, FUKUOKA! And you haven't managed it even once! IS IT THAT HARD?!"
Nobaro's voice was on the verge of fury.
"But it's impossible, Sensei! It's too difficult!" Fukuoka murmured.
"Come here, now! Can you FEEL the OSMO energy inside you?!"
Nobaro asked, her brow furrowed.
"I... I don't know..." Fukuoka replied.
"HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW?! You are the worst student I've ever had! USELESS!" The word was a blow.
"I'm sorry... I guess I'm just too weak..."
Fukuoka lowered his head, shame tightening his chest.
"DON'T SAY THAT!"
Nobaro grabbed his shoulders.
"Fukuoka! When the OSMO merged with you, it was because it TRUSTS and BELIEVES in you!"
"How do I know it's inside me?"
Fukuoka asked, his eyes wide.
"Put your hand on your chest. Do you feel it?" Nobaro's voice softened, strangely.
"Yes..."
Fukuoka replied.
"Now, on the other side. Do you feel it?"
"Yes, I feel it!"
"You have TWO LIVES inside you! It entrusted ITS ENERGY to you!"
"What do I do, Sensei? How do I access it?!" Hope ignited a spark in his eyes.
"Close your eyes. NOW! Imagine that your heart and your Osmo's heart are ONE! They have joined to form a SINGLE, INVINCIBLE HEART! Did you imagine it?!"
"YES!"
"Now, imagine that energy FLOWING, exploding out of you! RELEASE IT!"
"I'M GOING TO TRY!" Fukuoka tried, with an explosion of will... and fell once more.
"That's enough for today. We continue tomorrow." Nobaro said, frustrated, but no longer angry.
But Fukuoka didn't move. He stayed. He tried OVER AND OVER AGAIN!
Dawn arrived. A cold rain began to fall, but the boy was still there. Trying. Falling. Getting up. Falling.
Yoshi appeared, holding an umbrella and a packet of food.
"You're going to catch a cold, you idiot,"
Yoshi said, worry in his voice.
Fukuoka looked at Yoshi. His face was covered in sweat and repressed tears.
"I can't... I just CAN'T, Yoshi!"
The confession came as a sob.
Yoshi dropped the umbrella, handed him the food.
"Eat."
"It's delicious..." Fukuoka murmured between bites.
"What are you thinking about?" Yoshi asked.
"I don't know... just thoughts from the old school keep coming... In P.E., I had to climb that rope... and I couldn't... And they... they laughed at me..."
Fukuoka clenched his fist.
"Don't think about them. You're safe now. It's just you and me here."
Yoshi put his hand on Fukuoka's shoulder.
"To RELEASE that energy, you have to feel ANGER! What makes you angry?!"
"Today's girls... who don't care about anyone's feelings anymore... To be honest... I'm TIRED of not having anyone... of feeling ALONE!"
The words came with a cutting pain.
"ENOUGH! You have a new family here! Nanai, Nobaro, Zaren, Zulian!"
Yoshi tightened his grip.
"I know nothing can replace your blood family, but WE ARE HERE!"
"Thank you..."
"Then let's go! Be angry at the girls who only want money! Be angry at all this Bullshit!"
Suddenly, Fukuoka's Osmo energy exploded! It spread across the ground, lightly cracking the wet dirt! He gave a LEAP! His body trembled, his mind focused, and he managed to hold himself on the wood!
"YOSHI! LOOK! I DID IT!" Fukuoka's shout echoed, full of triumph!
"THAT'S IT! BUT DON'T STOP!" Yoshi encouraged!
The effort was extreme. Minutes later, the energy was gone. He was falling.
Yoshi threw himself forward. Fukuoka fell on top of him.
CRASH!
"My bad, Yoshi!"
"No problem! Oh, God... I'm all broken!"
Yoshi groaned, but his face was lit up by a proud smile.
Later, in the room...
"Fukuoka, I'm going to visit my mother these days. Do you want to come along?" Yoshi asked.
"Of course!"
"What about me, aren't you going to invite me?"
The door opened, revealing Yagato with a comically defeated expression.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Fukuoka asked.
"Nobaro-sensei kicked me out again..." Yagato sighed dramatically.
"Dude... Your relationship has some serious problems, huh?" Yoshi commented, shaking his head.