Not long after, the boy in question came waltzing in, carrying a basket in his hand.

Looking worried, he asked, “So, feeling better?”

Zack raised an eyebrow in response, asking, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you took an off for the morning and then… you know, you didn’t look good as well. So I thought…”

‘So he thought I was ill?’ Zack’s brow furrowed in amusement as he asked, “Did it seem like that?”

Samuel nodded.

In response, the black-haired boy shrugged nonchalantly, his hand reaching for the basket, opening it up to find two containers, one filled with rice while the other one had a meat soup.

Finishing half his meal while having idle talk, he got up before washing his hands as he asked, “Up for it?”

Samuel hesitated for a moment before following Zack out. In a matter of minutes, both boys drew up a ring, forming a large oval shape around many large trees at the backside of the cottage.

Standing against Samuel as usual, placidity filled Zack’s expression. On the other hand, Samuel’s eyes swung left and right as they wandered through the area, surveying his surroundings whilst also searching for openings in his opponent.

“Ready?” Samuel asked.

“Alright.”

With that reply, yet another bout of the duels between the boys began.

Zack charged in, aiming his fist at Samuel’s abdomen. In response, Samuel sidestepped, his hand grabbing towards the still charging Zack with an intention to throw him off balance.

However, to his chagrin, Zack stopped abruptly, using the forward momentum as he spun, his other fist hurling straight towards Samuel’s rib.

Hurriedly, Samuel’s elbow moved to defend against the incoming strike. At the same time, his foot struck out below, kicking towards the back of Zack’s leg, to which the black-haired boy unexpectedly endured.

Having his rhythm broken, Samuel lept back before using his leg to sweep through the ground. One after another, both boys attacked and countered each other, deflecting or evading the blows they could evade while enduring ones they weren’t able to or didn’t feel worth evading.

Zack punched and kicked at the openings in Samuel’s stance as he could find, his growth over the past few weeks evident through the way he fought. His eyes never left his opponent as he gazed at Samuel with a levelheaded gaze.

On the other hand, Samuel seemed to enjoy whatever he was doing as he dodged and struck back, occasionally taking the initiative to attack on his own. Over the past few weeks, he too had grown, proven by his movements, being more fluid and refined than before, as he seemingly held the advantage while exerting minimal effort.

Using the chance when Samuel leapt back to evade his kick, Zack jumped back, using his feet to push against the tree behind him as he flew through the air.

His eye focused as both his hands curled into a ball, slamming straight towards Samuel.

Samuel took a few steps back, cleanly evading the blow. But through the corner of his eye, he saw a line on the ground, barely a few inches away from the back of his foot. His expression turned a shade paler when he saw Zack charging straight at him, prepared to headbutt him out of bounds.

Samuel’s eyes narrowed as the situation sank in.

‘A feint! That was good!’

The smile on his face vanished, replaced by seriousness. His eyes scrambled in their sockets, searching for any and all possible ways to evade or counter the incoming blow.

However, his ruined posture because of his leap back and having been caught off guard the next moment rendered him incapable of carrying them out.

The thoughts on his mind regarding the duel and implications of either boy’s victory, along with any other considerations and unnecessary thoughts, vanished one after the other. A nervous anxiousness began filling his heart as a singular thought reverberated through the entirety of his being: ‘I won’t lose.’

The world around him seemed to slow down as his brain churned at a lightning fast pace. As if working by instinct, his hand grabbed Zack’s shirt by the side as he used his leg to throw himself to the side from under the charging Zack.

To Zack, the sudden act felt like a shadow breezed past below him before a substantial force tugged at his clothes backwards at an angle, ruining both his posture along with his hard-fought chance at victory in one fell sweep.

With his one foot striking the other, Zack tripped, half his body out of the border, marking it his loss. His anguished grunt echoed out as he covered his face before getting up.

On the other side, Samuel’s head spun as he used his arm to stop his body from rolling against the ground. His chest heaved up and down as he breathed. A stinging pain shot through his eyes whenever he closed his eyelids.

Opening his eyes, he saw a mud-covered Zack extending his hand towards as he asked, “Up for another one?”

Samuel broke out into a smile as he praised, “That… was quite a good one. You almost had me. And where can I get some water?”

Zack sucked in a breath as he said, “I know, right? What was that last move though?! Oh, and give me a moment, I’ll go fetch some.”

“I don’t know what happened myself. And I’ll come with you. It’ll be faster.”

“Alright.”

In a manner reminiscent of the match moments before, both boys went to one duel after the other. Albeit not as close a margin as the one in the beginning, Zack’s winning streak accumulated one after the other as both boys duelled late till the evening, stopping only when the sun was about to set.

Finishing his meal, Zack sent Samuel off with a smile.

On the way back, Samuel merrily hummed while making his way back. All of a sudden, his hums came to a halt as his brows furrowed.

‘What was that weird feeling earlier, though? And how did I dodge that attack? I was sure I had lost today. And I should be more careful now. He is starting to catch up. Maybe I should also get serious… but I also don’t want him to lose.’

While stewing in his dilemma, he reached his home not long after he left.

Meanwhile, and till late into the night, occasional muffled sounds of rocks smashing each other and mud being thrown around filled the area near the cottage as the lone figure of a black-haired boy walked around, toiling in dust and mud with a serious expression.