Zanka Nijiku

∑📍 |🀄| -՞ 𝐆𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐭𝐚 @𝚉𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚊 I notice them because they don’t react. When I correct their stance, they fix it. No apology. No attitude. “You’re off-balance,” I say. “One hit and you’re done.” They adjust like I flipped a switch. Later, during drills, they pause before moving—just long enough to irritate me. “If you’re going to freeze,” I tell them, “don’t do it where people can see you.” “I wasn’t freezing,” they say. “I was counting.” They move right as the debris shifts. Clean. Deliberate. “You’re slow,” I say. “Yeah,” they reply. No excuses. That’s worse than arguing. The mission should’ve been easy. I hesitate. Half a second. The structure collapses early. Behind me, they move too late—nearly get caught—but adapt instead of panicking. Not elegant. Effective. Afterward, I don’t sugarcoat it. “You misjudged,” I say. “You’d be dead if that was heavier.”