Caesar's Moon

Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Similarities

Years ago within the Sanity gym, as a younger Cedric was talking to an exhausted fair skinned human who rested his back on the canvas while breathing heavily, the sound of the door opening resonated which led Cedric and the other guy to turn to the direction, turning out to be Miyoshi on a wheelchair.

"Ah! Master Cedric, good afternoon!" Miyoshi said.

"Good afternoon." Cedric greeted back.

Cedric glanced at the person he was training and spoke.

"We are done for today. You can go."

The man nodded his head and stood on his feet to leave.

After the man had left, Cedric returned his gaze back at Miyoshi.

"So, how are you doing?" Cedric asked, "Feeling better now?"

"Yes. Miyoshi is feeling a lot better." Miysohi answered, "Miyoshi also learnt what you did to Nero for her sake."

"Someone had to do it. Someone had to teach that bastard a lesson." Cedric replied, "Besides, I didn’t do enough."

"You would have killed him if you had continued." Miysohi said.

"That would be one dirt bag removed from the Earth. No one would have mourned him anyway." Cedric replied.

"You didn’t need to go that far for Miyoshi." Miyoshi said, "Miyoshi understood the risks of facing that monster and still went ahead."

"He shattered your spine... And he didn’t do it during the match, he did it post-match because it gave him sick pleasure." Cedric replied as he rested his arms on the ropes, "Pleasure of tormenting your race.

Yeah, I went far but not far enough."

Miyoshi stared at Cedric for some time before she shifted her head down.

"You feel guilty, don’t you? You feel guilty for what happened to Miyoshi." Miyoshi said, "Your anger isn’t really about Nero’s actions after the match but about you unable to prevent the match from happening."

"Master Cedric, this is not your fault." Miyoshi said as Cedric slightly tilted his head, "The whole blame is on Miyoshi and Miyoshi alone."

"You did everything you could but Miyoshi being bound by duty for her siblings and pride as a competitor, refused to forfeit." Miyoshi continued as her voice broke while tears trickled down her face, "You’re not the only one who told Miyoshi to step down. People in the locker room also asked Miyoshi to step down.

Men, women, humans and beastfolks all told Miyoshi the same thing... But she refused.

Miyoshi needed the money and didn’t want others to lose their money as well!"

"She... Also wanted to prove to herself to her master." Miysohi said as she tightened her fists while tears dropped on them, "Even though she had nothing to prove, Miysohi still wanted her master to be proud of her...!"

"Miyoshi..." Cedric softly said.

"Miyoshi got the results. The doctors told her that her surviving at all is a miracle. That she should be dead." Miyoshi said, "That though their medical equipment saved her, a shattered spine... There is only so much they can do.

That even if by chance, Miyoshi walks again, she’d still need a cane for assistance but her ero-wrestling days are over.

Miyoshi just like many other talents back there, isn’t a fan of ero-wrestling but does it to provide.

Master Cedric, you taught Miyoshi how to use her body and made her work hard... In the end, all those hard work and years of pain and torment has been made meaningless all because Miyoshi was too stubborn to listen...!

Miyoshi is sorry, master Cedric! Sorry that she made you waste your time on her! Sorry that she made all your hard work become vain! Miyoshi is so sorry!!"

Miyoshi finally broke down and Cedric, seeing her actions, tilted his head down.

Currently as Caesar slowly opened her eyes, her eyes darted around as she observed her environment but her visions were blurry.

Her breathing was slow yet heavy. The scent of antiseptic was in the air and as her vision cleared, she took notice the IV drip beside her.

Caesar’s body was wrapped in bandages, leaving only her eyes and mouth exposed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." A masculine voice said.

Caesar’s eyes moved to the direction of the voice and saw Cedric at the door with both arms crossed.

"Cedric...?" Caesar weakly said.

"Man, you look like shit." Cedric said.

"I feel like shit." Caesar feebly said.

Caesar groaned and winced in pain as she tried to sit up.

"Easy." Cedric said as he walked towards Caesar, "You took one hell of a beating."

"How long was I out?" Caesar asked.

"Seven hours." Cedric answered as he grabbed a metallic seat and sat down.

"Seven?" Caesar asked in shock.

"What? Nero hurt you real bad." Cedric said, "And when he stomped you down there, he would have gone on if I hadn’t stepped in."

Cedric scoffed and turned his face away.

"Once again, I beat that bastard to an inch of his life. The only difference is that no one stopped me from laying down the shit bag and he got punished."

"He was punished?" Caesar asked.

"Yeah. The idiot got a year suspension for assaulting the referees." Cedric answered, "The referees are very important staff members and assaulting a single one is punishable not to talk of assaulting many... Which is what that idiot did.

Once he has recovered from the near death experience I gave him, he’ll stay out of the company for a year, never to step foot or he’s fired."

"Oh... Wow." Caesar said as she turned her face away, "That’s good. Very good."

The two kept quiet for a while until Cedric spoke.

"So... How do you feel?" Cedric asked.

"Great. Never felt better." Caesar answered, "It’s just that that match... I could have won if I wasn’t second-guessing myself.

You put a lot of efforts training me to fight that creature... That monster, but all I did was let you down. Made your efforts go to waste because I second guessed myself for the final point rather than acting on it."

"Two ero-points. Tied the scores with that sicko." Caesar said as Cedric stared at her with an arche brow, "One marking point and one ero-capture. All I needed was one more to win but I blew it because I stupidly wasted time."

"I’m sorry, Cedric. I’m sorry for being a waste of time to you." Caesar said as she tilted her head down.

For a moment as Cedric gazed at Caesar, it was as if the image of Miyoshi temporally took over Caesar’s body which made Cedric tilt his head down.

"You idiot." Cedric said as the upper half of his face was overshadowed.

"Hm?" Caesar said as she glanced at Cedric.

"You’re blaming yourself for that? Calling yourself a waste because you lost?" Cedric asked, "Incase you’ve forgotten, I never trained you to beat him because I knew it was impossible.

You had only had a day to prepare for him. Nero was stronger, faster and far more experienced. There was no way you were beating him. I told you that.

That’s why I shifted from physical training to ero, so that you could have a fighting chance."

"And you did well. Better than I expected." Cedric continued as he raised his head, "You took two ero-points from him and would have possibly gotten the last... ’Possibly’. Not guaranteed but regardless, your performance was great for a rookie.

You second guessed yourself? Everyone second-guesses themselves. At least it shows you were not acting blindly.

If anyone is to blame, it’s me. If I had arrived earlier, I would have stopped Nero from attacking you post-match."

The two kept quiet again until Cedric spoke.

"Still... I never imagined I’d see the day where that sick creature gets cheered. The crowd... Siding with Nero Rogue."

"It’s simple: they wanted to see me broken and destroyed." Caesar said as she turned her face away again, "They wanted to see me ’get what I deserve’ and since Nero was the one available, they’d rather cheer him than the one who ’bought’ her way in.

After all, I am an industry plant. A nepo-bastard and a Mizukai pet. That’s the narrative they see. That’s what has been pushed out."

"Narrative... What has been... What are you talking about?" Cedric asked in confusion.

"It doesn’t matter. It’s not like it would change anything." Caesar answered.

"Caesar." Cedric softly called.

"You’re not to blame, Cedric." Caesar said, "You blame yourself for coming late to my rescue but I’m grateful you even came. If you didn’t, I would have been dead.

When Nero forced an... Orgasm out of me post-match and went further in stomping me down there, the pain was unimaginable.

It felt like my entire nervous system was shutting down. I thought I was going to die."

"I... I was at his mercy. I could barely do anything. Anything at all." Caesar said as she tilted her head down.

Caesar had a small memory of herself kneeling in front of the Mizukais with her forehead on the ground and another of her as a child, covered in blood of her injuries and cowering in fear while her parents stared down at her.

"I was so scared. I have always been scared." Caesar said after the recollection as her voice softened, "So worthless. So hopeless.

How am I supposed to protect them like this? I can barely protect myself."

"Caesar?" Cedric said.

"I’m supposed to be the shield for them. The one to protect them from what is waiting at the corner, yet here I am.... So damn useless...!" Caesar said as her voice broke, "It hurts. It hurts so much.

Mess her up... She deserves it... Mizukai pet... Nepo-bastard... Industry plant... Cedric, I..."

Caesar glanced at Cedric and tears began to flow out of her eyes.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be doing this." Caesar said as she shut her eyes, "I shouldn’t be trauma dumping on you.

Just forget I said anything."

Silence sat in the atmosphere again for some time until Cedric spoke.

"You know... You’re a lot like her."

"Hm?" Caesar said in confusion as she glanced at Cedric.

"Miyoshi. You’re a lot like her and yet... Nothing like her." Cedric said, "You’re both stubborn. You are both too hard on yourselves and it seems like you have something or someone you are trying to protect... Just like her.

While there are more similarites, there are still a lot of differences and I can tell, if Miyoshi were still around, you two would have been great friends."

Cedric leaned forward and spoke.

"Now, I don’t know much about you... Only that you are an untrained rookie affiliated with the Mizukais and that you skipped the line.

This ’narrative’ and ’story’ thing, makes it seem like there is more than what is presented. Something the rest of us don’t know, and perhaps it may be for the best we do not know.

However... I can promise you this: if you’re still with me... If you still want to train and get stronger so that you can protect yourself and those you want to protect... Then my hands are still open.

So... What say you?"

Caesar stared at Cedric for sometime and nodded her head in response which made Cedric smile.

"Thank you. Thank you for making this decision." Cedric said, "When you recover, I promise you, I will make you not only able to protect yourself but those you care about."

A flashback takes place as Cedric was walking behind Miyoshi on the street, moving her wheelchair forward while discussing with her.

"Your siblings are all in school, right now?" Cedric asked.

"Yes. Miyoshi just paid their fees, thanks to you, master Cedric." Miyoshi replied.

"No need to thank me. Just helping my student out. That’s all." Cedric replied.

"You’ve always been good to Miyoshi even when she screws up. Always acted like a father to her." Miyoshi said while smiling, "Miyoshi will forever be in your debt."

"Once again, there is no need to be in my debt neither is there any need to thank me." Cedric said, "Just doing what I can to help.

Once I reach third Aera street, I’m stopping. I got a family situation to attend to. Understood, Miyoshi?"

However no answer came from Miyoshi which left Cedric confused.

"Miysohi?" Cedric asked.

"Miyoshi." Cedric called as he moved his head lower.

Miyoshi on the other hand, her head was tilted down at the time her eyes were widened. Spittle dripped from her mouth while her irises were empty as they lacked pupils.

Currently in the hospital, Cedric walked out of the door, holding a bottle of water.

Cedric halted and took a deep breath before walking away.

However as soon as he left, three figures approached the hospital door which turned out to be Akari who was wearing a crimson gown with a see-through long sleeve that was baggy at the collar and her two bodyguards by both sides.

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