Title: Golden Age of ME HAWK
As Kumamoto walked away from the battlefield, his body weary but his mind restless, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd—a girl he had seen before the war began.
"Rose..." he whispered under his breath.
She stood there, her arm injured, blood seeping slowly through a torn sleeve.
Kumamoto rushed to her side. "Y-You… your arm—are you okay?"
Rose turned to him, her expression cold yet graceful. "So what if I'm hurt? What's it to you, Bloody Child?"
Kumamoto frowned. "Don't call me that. My name's not Bloody Child..."
She smirked faintly, "I know. Just teasing," she said, walking past him without another word.
Just then, ME HAWK appeared from behind. "Hey, Kumamoto… are you falling for that girl?"
Kumamoto quickly turned away. "It's not like that!"
ME HAWK grinned. "Forget it. Anyway, you asked me how I became the leader of this Order, right? Let me tell you everything… from the very beginning."
---
Flashback Begins
"I told you before," ME HAWK began, "our class… our cursed class… used to throw ten-year-old kids into a cage. They'd hand each kid a sword and say, 'Only the last one standing leaves alive.'"
"But when they threw me into the cage… I was only nine. And I had no sword. No armor. Nothing."
He stared into the distance as memories flooded his mind.
"I just sat quietly in the corner, watching. One by one, they all fought. Slashed. Screamed. Bled."
"When the fighting stopped, only two of us remained. Me… and a boy who had protected me the whole time."
His voice lowered. "He looked at me and said, 'I'm sorry, brother… I need to get out of here,' and raised his sword toward me."
"But right then… the cage door opened. The guards saw both of us standing. They pulled us out, calling us survivors."
"I was the only one without a single scar. My friend, though… he was covered in wounds."
---
Flashback Ends
"When we turned twenty," ME HAWK continued, "we were chosen to fight for the royal crown. A battle that would last all night… and decide who would be king."
Kumamoto's eyes widened. "Wait… your finger—"
"Yeah," ME HAWK nodded. "It was cut off in that fight."
"And who won?"
"I did, obviously," he said, then paused. "But only because my friend had protected me again… even in that final moment. In the cage… and on the battlefield."
"When I became king, he became my right hand. But during one of our wars, he was killed."
"When I turned twenty-five, I gathered the strongest from my class… and founded the Order. I've led it ever since."
"That's my story," ME HAWK said, finally silent.
Kumamoto raised an eyebrow. "You serious? That… that sounded like something out of a bad drama."
ME HAWK laughed. "Didn't expect you to believe it anyway."
The two walked together as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"The others must have reached the house by now," Kumamoto said.
"Yeah," ME HAWK replied, "Let's go home."
Title: Different Emotions
It was just another morning when a loud voice broke Kumamoto's routine.
Rose: "Oi! Don't you ever get tired of working out every single day?"
Kumamoto wiped sweat off his face, barely glancing at her.
"Mind your business. Get lost."
Rose frowned, crossing her arms.
"You really don't know how to talk to a girl, do you?"
Kumamoto, half-annoyed, half-curious: "Alright then… what are you even doing here?"
Rose sighed, her voice turning serious.
"My uncle… he's a Mong from Earth. Seeing the condition of that planet, he sent me here. Life is… better here."
Before Kumamoto could respond, ME HAWK burst onto the scene, full of urgency.
ME HAWK: "I'm heading into a battle. You two—stay put! You're both still too injured."
Without waiting for a reply, he dashed off.
Kumamoto, muttering as he watched him leave: "He ran off on purpose…"
Rose, smirking: "Kumamoto, bored already? How about a little fight to pass the time?"
Kumamoto, surprised: "Wha—"
He lunged to lock her movements as a joke, but Rose twisted expertly, reversing the move and pinning Kumamoto down.
They stumbled, and Kumamoto tripped on a stone, falling backward—dragging Rose with him.
THUD.
Rose landed on top of him. For a moment, everything went silent.
Their faces were inches apart.
Both of them blushed and quickly got up, stepping away awkwardly.
Kumamoto: "S-sorry! That was… not on purpose, I swear!"
Rose, brushing herself off: "I'm not hurt, idiot. But remember… I did challenge you to a fight."
---
A little while later…
ME HAWK returned, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, well, Kumamoto. How'd it go?"
Kumamoto avoided eye contact: "N-nothing happened…"
ME HAWK: "Man… you like her. Just tell her!"
Kumamoto: "But how? I've never felt anything like this before…"
ME HAWK, grinning: "Tonight. Rooftop. I'll call her there. You go up and confess."
He casually walked over to Rose.
ME HAWK: "Hey, Rose. Could you do me a favor? I left something on the rooftop—can you grab it for me?"
Rose: "Hmm? Fine, I guess…"
Then he turned to Kumamoto, giving him a solid slap on the back.
ME HAWK: "Go get her, Tiger."
---
That Night – On the Rooftop
Rose was rummaging through the equipment ME HAWK claimed to have left.
Kumamoto slowly walked up, gathering courage.
Just as he opened his mouth, Rose snapped, without turning around:
"What are you doing here? Leave me alone. I'm busy."
Kumamoto, heart pounding:
"Wait… just listen to me. I… I think I love you, Rose."
Rose froze.
She turned, eyes wide.
Then… she accidentally dropped everything she was holding. Tools clattered all over the rooftop, falling down the edge.
She stepped closer.
Rose: "Is that… really how you feel?"
Kumamoto, staring into her eyes: "Yes."
Without another word, Rose suddenly hugged him.
Kumamoto, surprised but smiling, hugged her back.
From far away, watching from the shadows, ME HAWK grinned with a glint in his eye.
ME HAWK (to himself): "Just a little more… and the plan will be complete."