Liam came barging out of his room, a pair of glasses on his face, a small book in his right hand, and something stuffed in his left fist.
Lisa stared as he walked up to the couch and sat in his original position.
"A-ahem." He cleared his throat before straightening up and placing the book face-up on the coffee table. "Can I have a moment of silence?"
He put a hand in his pocket, then removed it and put both hands together as if in prayer.
Lisa immediately whacked the side of his head with a pillow.
"Did you finally go over to the nerd side, you weirdo?" she laughed.
Liam held in the slight urge to laugh, and the bigger urge to throw the pillow back at her.
Calm thoughts...
He exhaled.
"May the reading of the album, 'Old Memories', commence."
Lisa blinked as Liam opened the book, then leaned over his shoulder to look at the first page, filled with pictures of Liam as a kid.
"Awwww," she cooed before dropping down to sit beside him. "You used to be soo cute!"
Lisa then turned her head to him and sized him up with an unimpressed look on her face.
"The heck happened to you?"
"Ha ha." Liam rolled his eyes, though his ears went red a little from embarrassment.
He flipped over to the next page, and on the two pages were pictures of both Liam and Lisa, with and without their families.
"You see, your hair used to be silver. Such a nice colour, looked good on you too." Liam nodded with folded arms.
Then he sized her up, an unimpressed expression on his face.
"What happened?"
Lisa glared at him, then shook her head. Then she looked back at him.
"Your eyesight is perfect, even a bit above that. Those are plain lenses, right? Why the heck are you wearing those?"
Liam crossed his arms, chuckling.
"Of course someone less, excuse me to say, intelligent than I won't understand that putting yourself in the right mindset also requires physical rep—"
"I'll rip those glasses off your face, nerd!" Lisa yelled before grabbing at him. "Who the hell is 'less intelligent,' idiot?!"
Liam laughed as he managed to avoid her arms, but when he tried to stand, she grabbed his ankle, causing him to fall. With a sudden push, Lisa reached out and pinched his side. Then she twisted it.
When Liam yelled and grabbed her hand, her free hand zoomed out and plucked the glasses off his face.
"Haha!" she laughed as she put on the glasses. "Who's less intelligent now?"
Liam rolled his eyes, groaning in pain and muttering curses. He then moved back to his original seat, conceding the glasses.
"What a brute." He sighed. "How can the young lady of the Manabe household be so violent?"
"Wanna die?"
"No, ma'am."
Lisa hmphed and smirked, whilst Liam chuckled and turned back to the album.
She was pretty rough when we were kids. I always managed to dodge her though, leaving her in tears. I only started tolerating it when Dad whispered to me during that joint barbecue that I was 'hurting her feelings' and that her dad might come after me. Now that I think about it, she must've won her match in the third stage, considering her surprising strength...
****
Stage Three: Combat Trial
Those were the words Liam saw on a wide screen hanging from the ceiling. After his Venma Evaluation, he had been sent to an adjoining room.
This time, he was met with three things.
A large square stage.
A man he assumed to be an examiner.
And a boy taking off the hooded sweatshirt he had been wearing the entire duration of the exam, as well as the white-haired girl sitting in the corner.
"This stage is simple," the examiner said. "You will both engage in any type of combat for exactly two minutes. Then, you will move on to the next stage. If someone wins, the test ends. There will be extra marks given for winning."
Liam blinked in surprise, and before he could ask a question—
"Ares, he will be your opponent. Both of you, get in the ring."
Liam glanced at the other boy, a little surprised at the current stage's simplicity and a little wary of his opponent's ability.
I refuse to believe that this is a regular test, Liam thought as he walked on a small set of stairs up to the ring. Everything so far has been a mental mess of what has and hasn't been said. So let's assume these four things are what the examiners are looking for now: How the candidates react to unfamiliar opponents. Whether they adapt. Whether they use or overuse their Venma. Whether they panic.
Combat, something all Hunters are good at, is placed third in the exam's trials. That has to mean something.
Liam stretched his arms, carefully observing as his opponent stretched his body as well. He was already warmed up from using his Venma, so after a few light stretches, Liam settled into a boxer's stance. He narrowed his eyes as his opponent did the same.
He seems like the kind of person who prefers to think and talk rather than fight, judging by that reluctant look in his eye. A little like me. That means he won't be super athletic, although with Venma anything is possible.
"Ready?" the examiner asked.
"Yes, sir," they replied simultaneously.
Before the examiner spoke, Ares whispered:
"Wonder how long you'll last against my power?"
Liam's eye twitched as the examiner barked out:
"Begin!"
Liam quickly pushed aside his surging uncertainty and blocked a punch with his forearm. He threw his own with his free hand, but Ares had already jumped back, his coal-black eyes observing Liam's every move.
As they began circling each other, Liam narrowed his eyes.
This guy is trying to get under my skin. If he's similar to me, he definitely said that to distract me—
Liam ducked under an overhead kick, then crossed his arms to block a follow-up kick. He hopped back, anticipating an attack, got none, and stepped in.
Ares suddenly took a quick step forward, arm cocked back. Liam raised his arms to guard, but then Ares used his planted foot to pull himself up for another kick.
Liam reacted quickly, parrying the kick and throwing a quick punch. Ares caught it, pulled Liam in, and went for a knee strike to Liam's lower ribs.
Liam blocked it with his free hand, then pushed aside or blocked a short flurry of punches from Ares' free hand. He then made a grab at the wrist of the hand still holding his other fist, but Ares jumped back.
This guy's no joke, Liam thought as he put more space between them. I don't have much time to think. I just see and react. I have to put a chink in him somehow...
Ares took a few shuffling steps forward, then flinched, eyes wide, as Liam seemed to slide forward to strike seemingly without moving his feet.
Liam could see the confusion in his eyes, and he resisted the urge to smile as he struck upwards with his knee.
You want to play with psychology? Let's play!
The move he'd used to close the distance was the ghost step, a move used by boxers to move around the ring quickly.
Ares blocked the knee and ducked under a punch to deliver an uppercut. Liam leaned his head away in time and threw a punch of his own.
At the last second, Liam noticed his punch was headed straight for Ares' face. He instinctively pulled it, softening the impact.
Nevertheless, Ares stumbled back, disoriented, and Liam went down for a sweep. Ares managed to jump back, but he wasn't prepared for a double sweep.
He momentarily lost his footing, and Liam rose in a spin, using the torque from the spin to boost his punch, which landed straight in Ares' abdomen, knocking the boy off balance and onto his back.
Ares, however, pulled off a kip-up and landed on his feet.
Then he immediately got kicked back to the ground.
He took the force and rolled backwards to his feet, but before he stood, he looked up at Liam, close but not too close. Enough to attack quickly, and enough to avoid an attack.
Ares sighed a little.
Liam flinched before Ares turned to the examiner and said:
"I concede the fight."
The examiner looked at the two, Liam's expression that of surprise, Ares' expression that of resignation.
"...Alright then. Both of you can move on to the next stage. Use that door," he said, pointing to the door behind the ring, exactly opposite the door Liam had come out through.
Liam blinked again, still surprised at his opponent's concession. Ares, however, hopped off the ring and put his hoodie back on.
"H-hey," Liam muttered as he and Ares stood at the door. "Why'd you give up?"
Ares studied him for a moment before reaching for and opening the door.
"Because I didn't see a way to win in that moment."
Liam watched in silence as his opponent walked through the door, then eventually followed.
That was weird, but believable. Seems like a nice guy.
****
"...And this is the time you joined me to watch the sunset when we were ten."
"I remember. You were sitting on that log all mopey and alone, and I graciously decided to sit with you so you wouldn't feel left out."
Liam frowned at Lisa's words.
"I'm pretty sure you just got bored with my little siblings and the adult conversation."
Lisa coughed and cleared her throat, avoiding Liam's narrowed eyes.
"N-no way. I was being nice. Your dad took this photo, right?"
Liam smiled as she dodged the accusation.
"Yeah, he did."
"It's crazy how we still have printed photographs and books in this day and age." Lisa stretched and leaned back onto the sofa.
"They probably survived because of how real the moment feels when it's printed," Liam replied.
The picture he was looking at was of the backs of the ten-year-old him and Lisa, sitting on a small log and watching the sunset in the distance.
He remembered that day fondly. Both their families had decided to go on a two-day camping trip together. That was also the time his father had told him to stop "winning" against Lisa and let her have her way once in a while.
"We've known each other for a long time," Liam said quietly as he leaned back against the sofa as well.
"Yeah. Now, the four years we spent apart feel kinda boring. When was it we first met again?" she asked.
"Kindergarten. We were five."
"Oh yeah! You were that mopey bullied kid who always sat alone."
"I was not mopey."
"Yes you were!"
"Ugh, whatever."
Lisa smirked at her small victory.
"That big kid used to call you stinky, though I never understood what that was about. You never smelled."
Liam glanced at her, a faint smile on his lips.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks."
"You're very much welcome. So anyway, you were sitting on the swing set alone, reading some little picture book, and I felt so much pity for you that I decided to sit with you."
Liam frowned.
"I'm pretty sure you had no friends either. Also, I had the picture book for company, so whose loneliness do you think you were lessening?"
"Ack!" Lisa flinched away, looking scandalized. "You jerk! I was being nice to you! How could you say that?!"
Liam rolled his eyes at her mock tears.
"Oh, I remember it clearly. You came and sat beside me, then began twiddling your thumbs—"
"No, wait—"
"You were fidgeting a little too, and kept stealing glances at me—"
"I have no recollection of doing that!"
"Too bad. I do. After a while you spoke up: 'Hi, my name is Lisa. What about you?'"
Lisa lunged at him, and he blocked her hands, pushed her away, and scurried to his feet.
"Stop!" Lisa shouted, her face red. "It's embarrassing to think about, and even more so when you say it!"
Liam smirked.
"Oh come on, don't be like that. I remember when I answered you, you had the brightest grin on your face. You were so pure back then... what happened in those four years apart?"
Liam laughed as Lisa chased him round the room. In the end, he let her tackle him. She punched him several times, and even as he laughed, Liam blocked all the hits aimed at his face.
A few seconds later, she got off Liam with a—
"Hmph!"
—and sat on the couch, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Jerk," she said.
Liam chuckled quietly as he got off the floor and walked over. Then he collapsed onto the space beside her.
"Oh come on, don't be like that."
Lisa kept her head turned away, ignoring him.
He leaned forward. "Lisa?"
Silence.
"Lisa~"
Silence.
"Oh well. Guess that means I won't be giving this back to you then."
Lisa's head whipped around so fast Liam thought he saw afterimages.
"What did you... take from... me."
Lisa stared wide-eyed at the object in Liam's hand, the very thing he'd put in his pocket earlier.
It was a white, crescent moon hair clip.
"Isn't that..." Lisa muttered as she looked up at Liam.
He nodded with a soft smile.
"Yep. The hair clip you gave me the day you moved away. You did say I should give it back anytime we meet again—"
Liam was cut off as Lisa tackled him in a hug. His face slackened in shock, and his arms waved around as if asking, "What do I do?!"
In the end, he awkwardly patted her on the back.
"Thanks, Liam," she mumbled. "It means a lot."
Liam grunted, feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now please get off me."
Lisa obliged with a bright grin, and she ordered him to put the hair clip on for her.
With a heavy sigh, he agreed, and whilst he was putting her hair in place, Lisa spoke up, a finger on her chin:
"Hey Liam, what's your Venma?"