The Life Of Normal-Taro

Chapter 181: Fire of passion

Lonappan sighed. He never planned for this to happen. He didn't think that the Crimson Robber would act so pathetically before him for some people with whom he didn't even have a week's contact. While Lonappan couldn't understand this, he still appreciated this emotion. It meant that he wouldn't betray the lads if he was caught by the headquarters.

"Come on! Are you gonna keep me waiting like this? Just tell me what you want me to do and let's just put an end to it." Scarlet spoke.

"Ha, this wasn't how it was supposed to go." Lonappan shook his head. "Look here, I'm not here to apprehend you or some shit like that. You still gotta meet up with Ponnappan though. I don't know what goes in his mind, so I can't promise anything when it comes to him." He replied.

"So, you're not gonna do anything to me?" Scarlet asked with a slightly relieved expression in his face.

"Nah. I don't find enjoyment in tormenting already defeated people like you." Lonappan replied.

"Do I look like that to you?" Scarlet asked.

"Kinda, yea. Maybe it's just how you look. Then, I apologize. That was an insensitive remark on my side." Lonappan bowed his head down.

"Ah, no! It's isn't my face. It's just that I felt kinda defeated after what happened." Scarlet replied.

"What exactly happened?" Lonappan asked.

"Nothing much. Taro landed a blow on me with relative ease. No one had ever done that to me. And this unexplained feeling has been revolving around me ever since then." Scarlet answered.

"Ah, the first time you got the taste of defeat, huh? That sure does suck, doesn't it? I still haven't accepted my first defeat yet." Lonappan looked afar as he said that.

"Your first defeat?" Scarlet was intrigued. He was a sucker for tales and this time wasn't any different.

"You wanna hear about it, huh? Okay. It was against my senior. We have a tradition of naming your junior. However, our line of names sucked. But, here's the thing. We have a chance to change our names by defeating our seniors, thus setting up a new line of naming system, which could be extremely short lived if you were beaten by your junior." Lonappan spoke.

"So, you were defeated in that?" Scarlet asked.

"Defeated would be an underestimation. I got my ass handed to me that day. It was a brutally one-sided affair with my senior overwhelming me. I was supposed to be the best of my batch, you know? So, it kinda sucked when people legions lower from me got to choose their names. It's not my fault that I got that monster as my opponent, you know?" Lonappan cried.

"Then, how did you got over it?" Scarlet asked.

"I didn't. I still get raged whenever I see the stupid smiling face of my senior. I'm sure that he's elated of messing up my name like this. And the match in itself was a sham." Lonappan replied, with a rage clearly forming on his face.

"Sham? How come?" Scarlet asked.

"Well, I didn't have literally any time to prepare for him. While other kids had mock battles with their seniors and could strategize beforehand, I got no luxury like that. Even then, if my opponent was literally anyone else, I would've won. And that's the thing that gets my blood boiled." Lonappan replied.

"Well, it's not really a—I said nothing. Don't mind me." Scarlet quickly shit his mouth as he saw Lonappan's complexion.

"So, what was my point even? Ah, yes! You don't have to forget about your first defeat. Instead make it the fuel to your fire—the passion and the strive to get better! Would you be able to do that?" Lonappan asked in a fierce tone.

"Sir, yes sir!" Scarlet screamed back.

"Are you sure?" Lonappan screamed yet again.

"Yes, sir!" Scarlet screamed, with even more grit than before.

"Good. Then do that." Lonappan replied.

"Scarlet! What's happening there?" Someone banged the door after hearing all the voices coming from the outside.

"It's nothing!" Scarlet spoke back, but before requesting the person to leave, Lonappan interfered.

"This guy! I wanted to meet him as well." Lonappan opened the door at which Thankappan fumbled into the ground. "Heyo, Thankappan!" He waved his hand with a huge smile on his face.

"Lonappan." Thankappan looked as if he saw a ghost before him, since he was the person he expected the least to see at that moment. He then turned his attention to the side where he saw Scarlet awkwardly waving his hand. He sighed. He was caught. However, he didn't want others to get dragged down with him as well.

"Yea? You got something to say now after this?" Lonappan asked.

"Well, I'm the one-" Thankappan tried taking the blame for the team, but Lonappan stopped him before he could do so.

"Stop right there. I know what you're planning to do right now. Taking the blame, huh? Unfortunately for you, this guy did it already and failed at it pretty spectacularly. So, off with that sacrificial attitude." Lonappan spoke.

"Yea. I guess I'll put an end to it now." Thankappan replied as he nodded his head along.josei

"Hmm, if you are gonna follow through with that word that you gave, it will work out for ya." Lonappan spoke.

"I'll keep that in my mind." Thankappan replied, before shifting the topic. "So, what was happening here?" He asked.

"Before I answer that, you lied to me, didn't you?" Lonappan asked with the tone of disbelief taking the center stage.

"About what exactly? You gotta specify certain stuffs. Else, it's gonna be hard for me to memorize it." Thankappan spoke.

"Seems like you've been lying way too much these days." Lonappan spoke.

"Well, you know our line of field. So, that's like a necessity here." Thankappan shrugged.

"Nah, I'm not talking about that. I was talking about the amount of times you lied to me, you shithead!" Lonappan cried as Thankappan gave out a sly smile.

"Ha, I just can't say every single thing to you, can I?" Thankappan sighed before regaining his composure. "Anyway, screw that. What exactly did I lie to you?" He asked.

"About not knowing the Crimson Robber. You were my first suspect. I mean, you sounded nervous." Lonappan replied.

"Shit, you noticed my momentary hesitation, huh?" Thankappan clicked his tongue as he silently cursed himself.

"How could I not? It was way too obvious." Lonappan spoke.

"Hmm, I see. I'll develop it soon. So, yea… Who was the second suspect then?" Thankappan asked.

"Well, it wouldn't technically be right to call him a suspect, since he's been really helpful to me. So, I consider him as an informant more than anything." Lonappan spoke.

"It's the dog, isn't it? Of course it is. Who else could possibly be your informant in our batch?" Thankappan asked.

"Ding, ding! You're right about that!" Lonappan gave his junior a round of applause.

"Mark this down. I'mma kill that dog with my own hands someday and it will be a treat to behold… For me at least." Thankappan gave out a sinister smile as he said that.

"Calm down, dude! You're planning way ahead at this point." Lonappan spoke.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Scarlet, who went silent for the last quarter of the stretch, asked to Lonappan.

"Shoot."

"So, by some off chance, was your senior, Ponnappan, the commanding officer of your base?" Scarlet asked.

"If you thought so, then you thought right. Ponnappan was the one I couldn't beat and that still pains me." Lonappan replied.

"Then, wait a minute. That means… you were able to defeat Thankappan?" Scarlet asked.

"Now, where did that theory spring up from?" Lonappan asked.

"Well, weren't you the one who said that you gotta continue with the name given by your senior if you got beaten up? So I thought Thankappan was in that section of people as well. Is he not?" Scarlet asked.

"Ah, I guess that causes a bit of confusion. For him, the name is a temporary one. He hasn't had that fight against me yet. Only then will a name be permanent, which will most likely be soon enough." Lonappan replied.

"We'll see what happens, dude! I'm gonna win this time around." Thankappan scoffed as he said that.

"Let's see. There's still a long way to go to get there." Lonappan replied. "By the way, Ponnappan asked for you to tag along Scarlet as well." He spoke.

"Wait, what? What just happened?" Thankappan asked.

"Ah, Ponnappan called for him since he's interested in certain things." Lonappan replied.

"Then what about me? Why do I have to tag along?" Thankappan asked.

"Well, I feel like you might know the reason for that. If not, then Ponnappan will explain the reason to you. You don't have nothing to worry about, I promise." Lonappan assured him.

"Dude, it gets heavy when you speak like that. Just speak normally now, can ya?" Thankappan asked.

"Nah, my thing is to scare the shit out of you. Why would I not do that, huh?" Lonappan laughed like a madman to which Thankappan could only helplessly watch.

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