Now that it had come to this, Haruto had to respond to the request. Kaito had a right to ask that of him. "No. My ass is off limits." he said firmly. Kaito looked confused at the response. "What!? I didn't ask you to fuck. We got through that bit earlier. I just wanted to try Topping with you." Kazuki decided to step in to keep the peace. "It's not a problem with you, Kaito. Haruto was damn near abused by Aoi. Aoi did not care at all and just started fucking him out of nowhere when he Topped Haruto. Kenji and I saw that shit happen and it was pretty rough. I don't blame him for not wanting to put himself in a similar position so soon." he said. Kenji looked at Kazuki and then at all the others when his name was mentioned. "It was... scary. They looked like they hated each other. Haruto was already getting hit. I thought that Aoi might take it even further." he said. Kaito then looked at Haruto. "No fucking way. I can't believe it. Shit. I'm sorry about that. I never would have asked you if I knew that. Are you okay?" he apologized. He looked really concerned. Haruto just shrugged. "He's in my squad. Sorry."
Everyone at the table had dodged a serious bullet. Haruto and Kazuki were the only ones that knew that though. Kaito was now very quiet. In his mind, he just touched a sensitive topic that he should not have. Kazuki hoped it would be enough to get them through the rest of the day without a major blow up. Ryuga came up to their table to speak to Kazuki. "Good luck out there. We all know you and Aito are going to bring this home for us. Minato is a sore loser now that he has to pay up." Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "What the hell did you guys bet on?" he asked. Ryuga smiled. "He was going on and on about you 3 failing. I bet him that Aito and Jiro were going to make it through easily. He bet me that Jiro would fail." he explained. Kazuki groaned. He knew that Minato was a dick. Rooting for the downfall of his squad mates was certainly a new low for him. Then again, he never laid his hands on anyone during a synchronization attempt like Aoi had. Kazuki pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whatever. He sucks. You know he's not going to pay. Why bet in the first place? It's his dad's money."
Lunch ended and it was time to go back. Once in the hangar, it was clear that most of the boys left for good when they were dismissed earlier. Ryuga and Minato were still waiting there with them. It was probably for their bet. As that was the case, they would probably be there until the last of Squad 3 made their way up in the evening. It was a very shallow reason to stay. Most of the others did not bother though. No one from Squad 4 was there. That was a shame. Kazuki and Aito were going up first followed by Aito switching partners to Akio. Kazuki could only hope that it all worked out okay. It would be a major feat if Aito could pull it off. After that, Kazuki's run in the big shakeup would be over. It had been an unbroken streak of success so far. Aoi and Jiro would then appear for the first time of the day after that spectacle. Once that was done, they would be allowed to leave for a couple hours to prepare for the finale during the evening. The twins were here with their partners to spectate. They would not have their second attempt until evening. The instructors had no words. It was time.
