The unfinished business were more than just that.

“Man, that was great,” Angela sighed contently and stretched her arms and back as the three of them walked to school. “But are you sure you don’t want a go?” she asked Reiko.

“I do, but we don’t have much time,” she smiled wryly. “And it’s not like I didn’t enjoy myself. Just the opposite,” she chuckled before turning to Leo with worry. “…That doesn’t creep you out, does it?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. Unless it turns into something where you don’t want to do it with me anymore,” he answered. His heart still raced, and he doubted that what they’d just done would leave his head any time soon. Two women at the same time…

“Then we don’t need to worry,” Reiko nodded. “Looking at you two only makes me want it more!” She did a cute double fist pump again.

“By the way, Mrs. Wisler said to come over to our house anytime,” Angela told her. “There’s more people now, but who cares? If things get awkward we can escape to my or Leo’s room.”

“Ahaha…” Reiko laughed nervously.

“Okay, but enough of that,” Leo said, forcing his dazed mind to get back on track. “You wanted to talk about something else, didn’t you?” he asked Angela.

“…Right.” She nodded and her expression hardened. “You heard what Mrs. Wisler said today, right? About the MMA instructor returning to the island?”

“Oh, she’s coming back?” Reiko asked. “Then the gym will open again. Neat.”

“You go there?” Angela asked curiously, and Leo mirrored her expression.

“Once a week for the treadmills and bikes,” she admitted shyly. “That way I can eat sweets without feeling so guilty. But that’s not why it’s important to you, right?”

“Yeah…” Angela sighed. “During the fitness test we had at school, Valerie soundly beat me on most categories. It made me realize the difference between someone who’s polished their Gift and someone who hasn’t, like me,” she groaned. “My… My family hates this Gift and they don’t want me to use it. They always gave me shit whenever I got into a fight, especially since it held me back a year of high school. My dad… He has it too, and believe me, if you think I’m strong, then he’s an absolute monster. He’s shattered jaws with slaps and seriously damaged internal organs with punches. Plus, I’ve never once seen him get hit. Here’s the kicker though: he has terrible anger management issues. He’s never hit me or my mom, but everyone else is fair game. If they piss him of, they end up in the hospital. At least he’s aware it’s a problem and hates being like that, but the issue is the way he found to solve it. You know how most people get violent when they drink? Well, my dad's the opposite. The more he drinks, the more he mellows out, so he found no better option than to spend the rest of his days drunk as he can be. Now he doesn’t work, doesn’t help around the house, leaves everything to my mom, and she happily does it because at least her husband is no longer trying to kill everyone. Basically, my dad’s either a useless piece of shit who’s always drunk, or he’s someone who’d send a man to the hospital because they cut in line.”

Reiko looked down at the ground, like she was looking for something to say there. Leo, too, found it difficult to come up with an answer to that. It was no wonder her family feared their Gift, then. He wondered what circumstances led Angela’s father to become like that, and the reason he wondered was so that Angela wouldn’t go down the same path. Could the curse have something to do with it? Was **** his way of dealing with sexual frustrations?

“Anyway, since we live in a bad neighborhood, he’s been able to get away with it. And even if people try to get **** while he’s drunk, he can still beat them up. He’s that much of a monster. I guess… I’m afraid I’ll end up like that, too,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

“But it’s not like you enjoy hurting people, right? Even yesterday, the girl who challenged you barely ended with any serious injuries,” Leo pointed out.

“I suppose. I’m just worried it’s something that might happen, you know? It’s part of why I don’t really train myself. But… I don’t know,” she sighed. “Lately, I’ve been feeling pretty good. Maybe it’s because having sex is a huge stress reliever, or maybe it’s just…” She glanced at Leo for a split second before turning away with red cheeks. “But the thing is I’m no longer THAT worried about it happening. So it’s like you said before, Leo. I like fighting, and I’d like to find a way for me to enjoy it fully. So this is what all this stupid talk has been leading up to,” she now turned to him fully. “Go to the gym with me.”

“Eh?” Leo blinked.

“I like fighting, I like you, so I thought… why not combine the two? Go to the gym with me, learn to fight with me. It’ll be… you know, something for us to do as a couple?”

That got Reiko to suddenly start laughing. “That’s SO you! Most people would say ‘let’s watch movies together’ or ‘let’s go hiking’. But Angela goes ‘let’s beat the living crap out of each other!’”

“She is pretty special, isn’t she?” Leo chuckled.

Angela started blushing in embarrassment, which Leo thought was fair it happened to her every once in a while. “Fine, fine, laugh all you want. It was just a stupid idea, anyway…”

“Hey, I never said no,” he clarified. “I have zero reasons to refuse, and it’s true I’d like for us to share something as a couple. I’m no stranger to a fight, and I might as well make use of my own Gift. It’s not like going to the gym two or three days a week is going to make me tired enough to affect school or work.”

“W-Wait. Are you serious!?” Angela asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded firmly.

“Holy shit!” Angela laughed and suddenly hugged him tightly. “I fucking love you!”

“She’s so happy,” Reiko giggled. “I’m jealous, though. I also want something for us to do as a couple…”

“J-Just tell me if there’s something you want to try out together,” he told her, still in Angela’s hold.

“Mmm… Yeah, I’ll think of something.”

The three soon arrived at the school grounds, and it was difficult for them to pretend like nothing had happened. Leonardo could see in people’s gazes that they wondered why they looked in such a good mood.