After things quited down a bit, Hikane wasn’t sure how to would proceed. Lacking a better guess, she headed for Janice and asked about the assignment, as she was quite curious who her mentor was going to be now. Janice smiled. “We will decide that now that we know you got a spot.” Hikane nodded, and was ready to turn and leave, when Janice added “You uh… you might want to take a shower? You’ve been sweating quite a bit.”
Hikane’s cheeks flared red. “I’m sorry,” she responded.
“Don’t be,” Janice answered with a gentle smile. “You were incredible. If you wouldn’t be sweating after putting Dabria to the mats like that, that would be inhumane.”
“I don’t have any extra clothes with me though,” Hikane was still flustered, ashamed of how ill prepared she’d come here. Most of her fights didn’t last as long as the one she’d just won. Janice presented a solution in the form of a generic white Judo-suit to borrow along with some towels, and the girl finally agreed to get herself washed. On the way to the locker room she went past a few people who said nice words to her and citing her victory as amazing. The warm feeling of her victory began to spread a bit throughout her again. Once she arrived in the dressers, however, her heart sank as she saw who else was there.
Dabria was draped onto a bench, apparently still out cold. Next to her were the two blonde girls Hikane remembered. One of them was Violet, the other the twin-tailed, young looking girl who’d said something about Dabria never giving up.
Violet was pouring a bit of water on Dabria’s forehead from a cup, while the other girl ventilated air towards her with some sheets of paper.
“Waaah, sorry, I didn’t meant to intrude.” Hikane said in a panic and turned around immediately, trying to get away before these friends of Dabria would try to hurt her.
“No, it’s alright” the twin-tailed girl answered. “You earned your place in this room more than she has.” She nudged towards Dabria. Hikane froze, unsure what to do, but the girl approached her.
“Hi, I’m
Elizabeth, but you can call me Eliza or Liza. I’m Dabria’s step-sister.”
“Step-sister?” Hikane asked, unsure how family relations worked in detail.
“Yeah. That means that we’re not really related but our parents are married now, basically.”
“Oooh, right.” Hikane nodded. “It is an honor to meet you, Liza-senpai. I’m Hikane. And I’m really sorry for what I did to your step-sister.”
“Eh, she’s had worse.” Eliza shrugged. “Besides, she kinda had that coming stepping into the ring again. Of course, SOMEONE had to convince her to go.” she looked over to Violet as she spoke, clearly unhappy with her involvement.
“I honestly thought it would be a fun match to see. And it was!” the other girl responded.
“Uh-huh. Except Dabria has gotten her ass put to the mats once again despite promising not to. Fainted, too.”
Hikane looked confused. “Uhm… why didn’t she give up?” she inquired timidly.
“Nobody really knows.” Eliza groaned. “My most recent theory is that her nervous system works at a much slower speed than anyone else's, so for her to take the clue that she’s been bested takes too long to register within that thick skull of hers.” Hikane’s confusion didn’t end then, but Violet’s laughter made her finally realise that this had been a joke and she giggled slightly.
“In all honesty, though, you were really impressive. You really made Dabby look like a slow brute compared to your quick and swift movements. Like, when you jumped on her leg and got on top of her - I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Where did you learn this?” Eliza seemed much happier talking to Hikane than worrying about her sister again.
Hikane’s expression brightened as she was praised. The question of her method of training brought her visually down a little, however. “I learned from my sister.” She simply responded.
“Well, your sister was a talented fighter, or teacher at least.” Eliza concluded. “If she was part of this Academy she’d likely be an A-Rank I imagine. Like myself.”
Hikane’s eyes widened at the blatant boast. An A-Rank! Praising her! Her painful memories of her sister’s loss were shoved away on the spot.
“Whoa, you’re really strong, huh?” she asked, unwittingly patting Eliza’s ego further.
“Well, I like to think I’m in a different league than dear Dabby here, even if we both had the same trainer. Oh, and while I don’t want to rain down on your parade at all… please don’t think that just because you beat Dabria in your first fight means that you can just waltz through here and dominate everyone. You’re good, but you need some practice still.”
Hikane nodded fervently: “Hai. I know. What I’ve seen from the others today was really impressive, as well. I don’t think I would have won against all of them. But I hope that my mentor can help me get better.”
Eliza smiled. “They will, I’m sure.”
“Are you a mentor, as well?” Hikane wondered, a bit of hope in her eyes that she might be assigned to this nice person. But her hopes only lasted until Eliza shook her head. “Nope. I’m still ranked. You see, anyone who is a mentor cannot continue as a ranked fighter. That’s why there are so few spots for the programme.”
“Ooooh, I see.” Hikane nodded in understanding. “So are you waiting here until the ambulance comes to pick Dabby up?”
Eliza and Violet exchanged glances for a second, then Eliza turned to Hikane again: “Nah, there won’t be an ambulance coming to pick her up. She’ll be fine.”
“But eh… shouldn’t they make sure that Dabby will be alright? I thought people are always brought to the hospital after being knocked out in the ring.”
“Normally, yes.” Violet chimed in. “But Dabria is a bit of a special case.” She was done administering water to the smitten redhead and got up as well. “You see, she’s been in hospital so often that there was some trouble with the insurance, and her parents. So we’ll just make her wake back up here.”
“Ah.” Hikane seemed dismayed. “I’m really sorry for that. I didn’t know. If I had, I wouldn’t have treated her as harshly. Or not even gotten into the ring. I don’t want her to be in trouble on my behalf.” Her voice seemed to overturn itself as she spoke so hastily, but Eliza just patted her head in response. “No worries. It’s really not your fault. Dabby should’ve known better and not gotten into the ring in the first place. I mean, she probably didn’t think you’d be so capable.”
Hikane’s discomfort made way for a timid smile again.
“I didn’t think it would go as it did, myself.” Eliza added “But you got here on account of a recommendation of the school’s vice-president. Which speaks for itself, really.” The timid smile widened.
“When I saw Dabby go into the ring again, I kinda feared the worst for her… and when you ran circles around her while showering her with needle-like attacks, my fears kinda turned into reality. I mean, I’m really glad you made it, but I had a sliver of hope Dabby wouldn’t get beaten quite so badly. Again.”
Hikane looked down somewhat guilt ridden. She wanted to say she was sorry, but she already had done so often enough. “You see, my step-sister lost a number of matches in a row. Quite harshly, and lost a number of ranks to that.”
“Against us two, no less.” Violet chimed in. “Easiest rank-up I’d ever gotten.”
“Right” Elliza took the word again. “And that, together with the fact that half the school seemed to make fun of her for it, lead to her mother forbidding her to go back into the ring.”
“Whaaa, really?” Hikane looked at them in disbelief.
“Oh I didn’t know that actually.” Violet added.
“Of course, you wouldn’t have pushed her to go in otherwise.” Eliza concluded.
“Right. Let’s assume that. Benefit of the doubt and all.” There was something scary about Violet that Hikane couldn’t quite place, but she had other things on her mind for the moment.
“What will her mother say now?” Hikane blinked.
“She won’t find out. Hopefully.” Eliza responded. “So eh… if it ever gets to that, Dabby tapped out and surrendered from your fight, alright?”
“Riiiight.” Hikane seemed hesitant. “Uhm…” she looked down again.
“Hmmmmm?” the other girls inquired in unison.
“She couldn’t have surrendered.” Hikane explained. “I kinda, sorta made her unable to speak when I put my arm around her neck.”
“Well yeah, but there’s other signs of surrender that Janice would’ve recognized, like her tapping the mat three times.”
“Uhmmmm….” Hikane started again. “But she would’ve needed to be able to use her arms for that.”
Violet quirked an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”
“Pressure points. I struck hers in the armpits so she couldn’t use her arms to squeeze me with anymore.”
Now it was Violet’s eyes turn to widen in amazement. “Whoa, really? Like in those cheesy martial arts movies?”
Hikane just nodded.
“Really, you can do that? Can you demonstrate that on her?” the blonde pointed at Eliza excitedly.
“Don’t you dare.” the blue-dressed girl shot back at Violet, intimidating Hikane in the process.
The little girl shook her head. “I won’t do that unless I’m fighting someone. It’s not right.”
“Thank you.” Eliza threw in.
“Awww.” Violet frowned in mock disappointment. “But that’s so cool! I totally want to get you as my student now.”
Now it was Hikane’s turn again to be amazed. “You’re a tutor?!” she asked, wide-eyed.
“‘f course. Well, it’s gonna be my first year, but I’ve totally passed those courses and stuff.” Violet grinned. She knew exactly what the girl was thinking but enjoyed the teasing just a bit too much. “What’s with the wide-eyed stare?”
“N-Nothing. It’s just… “ Hikane babbled, not sure how to get out of that one.
“It’s just that she didn’t think a fierce fighting machine like you would give up their ranks and career as a fighter at the school in order to teach the little ones.” Eliza helped out.
“Well, you know me. I’m big-hearted like that.” Violet smirked.
“I know that Dabby is a teacher.” Hikane tried changing the topic. “Is she a good one?”
“Well she better be.” Eliza looked at her. “I don’t want to have to try and find another thing for her that has something to do with martial arts but doesn’t have her end up ready for hospital again and again.”
“She did really well in the preparation seminars.” Violet added with a more serious tone. “Some of her teachers said she had the best marks ever, or at least in a long while.”
“Mhmmm. Were that the same people that thought her to be the prodigy of the all-female club?” Eliza added with a dismissive tone.
“Hey now, aren’t you supposed to be talking her up a bit? You’re her step-sister and all!” Violet protested.
“Don’t get me started on that.” Eliza rolled her eyes. “God knows I tried and help Dabby out. But seeing her all messed up like this again frustrates me. More than her, apparently, else she’d have stopped by now.”
Hikane looked awkward once again, and Violet snatched the opportunity to discuss her favourite topic so far again. “So those pressure points, where did you strike them?”
“Huh? Oh. Well, first I tried to hit one at her thigh to bring her down. But I missed.”
“You mean when you slid between her legs?” Violet seemed eager to know more.
“Hai.” “Well, it’s hard when you’re moving like that. But it looked cool anyway. From where I was sitting at least. Like David versus Goliath or something.”
“Only David had a weapon and got lucky, while Dabby is more in the Too-slow-and-too-thick department of things.” Eliza added.
“Right right. So what then?” Violet spurred Hikane on.
“Well, when she squeezed me like that I managed to sneak my hands in and push her right here.” Hikane indicated the spot under her own shoulder. “That made her stop. Usually for just a few seconds, but I had beaten her silly before so it took her system longer to recover. ‘Her chi was already disrupted’, as my sister explained it.”
“Well her Chi has been in disorder for a while now.” Eliza added. “Maybe she should do Yoga.”
Hikane nodded. “Well, Yoga is really good for focus.”
“That was a joke.” Eliza explained. “Or well, something like that.”
“But Yoga is good…” Hikane mused, then shook her head. “Anyway, what was that thing with the phone about?” Her curiosity got the better of her and she asked Violet despite being a bit afraid of her.
“Hmm? Oh, just making sure that this bit-- eh, that the girl I had a disagreement with would stop defaming Dabby.”
“As I said, people had been making fun of her for a while now because she lost so badly. Even I added some to that… I kinda started all of it” Eliza admitted. “But Violet here certainly isn’t innocent.”
The addressed girl just shrugged. “Still think Julia deserved that.”
“You realise the pictures she’s taken were probably uploaded to her cloud storage immediately and got saved anyway?”
Violet shrugged again, longer and more exaggerated this time. “Well… she still deserved it.”
Hikane scratched her head. “Owh… if I had known I wouldn’t have posed like that. I just thought it would be cute. And I was really happy that I’d won.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.” Eliza responded.
“Literally” Violet added.
“And uh… didn’t that guy that showed up later take lots of pictures anyway?”
“Hmm? You mean Simon?” Violet raised an eyebrow.
“The boy with the camera. I forgot his name. He wanted to take pictures of me as well.”
“Yeah, that’s Simon, my roommate.” Violet nodded. “But that’s different. He has a blog and writes for the school paper. He’s probably gonna write about this fight and it’ll be published both online and in the next issue of Pages of Pain, our Academy’s magazine.”
“And how are we gonna keep it a secret from her mother then?” Eliza groaned. She made it sound like she was having a bad day while Dabby lay still knocked out in front of her.
“Seems we’ll have to go with the ‘couldn’t surrender’ excuse after all.” Violet mused.
“I can go and talk to this Simon person again and tell him what I told you, then he can write about it?” Hikane proposed.
“Good idea.” Violet smiled. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get anything out before we filtered it so that her mother wouldn’t be mad.”
“I think the images of Dabby getting mistreated like that might be enough for that already.” Eliza didn’t seem convinced. “I think Simon was capturing the whole fight?”
“Yeah, he snapped a lot of pictures. He said that Hikane flying around Dabby like that really made for great imagery. Also one he snapped right as you struck her temple and her face looked all silly like she just had had the best sex of her life.”
Eliza shot her an angry look, and Violet quickly addressed Hikane whose face had flared red. “Eh, we can talk about these things, right? I mean we’re all 18 or older here.”
“I’m seventeen.” Hikane said, looking down.
“That’s basically the same thing.” Violet concluded. “Either way, I’m worried those pictures might fuel the fantasies of some creepy folks who get off on that kind of thing.”
“You and me both” Eliza added. “So maybe poke Simon and get him not to publish those images? There’s enough others for his article. Like when Hikane jumped over Dabby’s hands like a frog or launched herself at her like an arrow. Those were some really neat moves by the way.”
“I’ll try.” Violet seemed ponderous, “but he was really fond of that image. Said it captured the essence of the fight really well, with Hikane striking lightly but precisely to cause Dabria to be all over the place and looking like she was getting it truely.”
“Just do your best. Or your worst. Whatever helps.” Eliza nodded, then turned back to Hikane. “You might want to get underway with your showering if you want to be on-time for the announcements.”
“Oooh, of course.” Hikane agreed and went about her business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The shower worked wonders to soothe the girl and help calm her down a bit. She’d never fought in front of an audience before and been quite nervous. But the applause and cheers were really nice, she thought. She could get used to it. While not too fond of the idea of going to this school in the beginning, her early success changed her opinion, and she was now looking forward to the fighting as much as the lessons. However, all the people she met and things she learned, it felt like she was being dumped right into the middle of other’s lives. She’d never been the most social girl, to put it mildly. Talking to others was difficult for Hikane, she never really felt comfortable in social circles. But she was happy hearing others talk and just drawing mandalas as she heard their worries, hopes and just mundane affairs. It was just relaxing for her to listen to them without adding too much of her own.
She stepped out of the showers, wrapping a long towel around her body as she began blow-drying her hair, lost in thought. She didn’t notice the door opening, but the new entry caught her attention quickly as she addressed her.
“Hey” the familiar voice of Dabria sounded behind Hikane, and she twitched nervously from the sudden disturbance, turning around.
“Oh, hello Dabria-senpai.” the little girl answered, her mouth opening again but she didn’t find any words to fill the opening with, or to drive the awkwardness away that had entered alongside Dabby.
“Congratulations on your victory.” Dabria smiled, exhausted but honest. “You deserved getting in on the programme.”
“Th-thank you, Dabria. I’m glad that you’re alright and well.”
“Been through worse.” the redhead simply responded as she rolled her shoulders.
“Whatever you did to my arms was really impressive, though. They still feel really numb.”
“Ah, hahaha.” Hikane laughed awkwardly.
“Either way I’m glad you got the spot. You earned it.” Dabria smiled at Hikane, though exhaustion was written all over her face.
Not thinking much of it, she grabbed her top by the seam and pulled it off over her head, exposing her C-cup breasts, still moist with sweat, and causing Hikane to gawk awkwardly while her cheeks flushed red.
Dabria proceeded to inspect the spots where she had been struck, in particular the one turned slightly blue between her ribs. “Oh and that one really stung, as well. Really drove the air out of me.”
“Ehhh...hai. It’s called ‘The crane plucks the bee’s nest’.” Hikane stammered forth, still staring at the other’s shapely body out on display, clearly bearing the marks of the defeat it suffered at her own hands.
“Really huh. That sounds like you just made it up.” Dabria smiled lightly before proceeding to pull her spandex pants down as well, revealing her bosom and finally prompting Hikane to turn away, focusing intensely on blowing her hair now.
“N-no. It really is the name. The crane has a beak that allows it to strike precise spots, and the bees get angry when being plucked, like the air leaving your lungs.”
“Uh-huh. And why would the crane pluck those bees then?” Dabria seemed unconvinced as she massaged her thighs gently, her fingers pressing into her skin and feeling up how bad the damage to her legs was. Meanwhile, Hikane stared at her reflection in the mirror, looking on as Dabria felt around her pelvis and even into her crotch as she traced the lines imprinted by the fabric of her attire.
“Maybe they like honey.” the little girl responded. She didn’t know the answer, so this was as good a guess as any.
Dabria just chuckled slightly. “Maybe.” She sighed in relief as she finally got to scratch those spots where the seam of her panties had dug themselves into under pressure, as well as they precise strikes Hikane had landed. The whole scene became too much for Hikane then, and she absentmindedly stared at the attractive redhead as the hairdryer was pointed wherever.
“Who knows, maybe you end up being my pupil after this display. That would be quite funny, don’t you think?” Dabria mused. There was no threat in her voice as if she wanted to get revenge on the little lass. “I would certainly be glad to have a talented student such as you. But then, after what just happened, maybe you should be teaching me.” Dabria continued to inspect herself, and Hikane was too captivated to respond.
“Staring is considered rude, by the way.” Dabria said almost indifferently, before looking up and meeting Hikane’s gaze in the mirror.
“Waaaaah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry Dabria-senpai. I won’t be staring again. I was just--”
“It’s alright, don’t sweat it.” Dabria said as she turned and disappeared into the shower, bringing her bottle of shampoo. “Just try and get used to not being alone in the showers. Oh, and watch out for people trying to slap your butt with a wet towel. Hurts more than you might think.” Hikane decided her hair was dry enough by now and it was time to make her escape. “Goodbye, Dabria, and thank you again for the fight.”
“Bye.” Dabria acknowledged the other girl leaving, then turned her attention to the shower. Or well, inwards, as the water poured over her body and that magic moment began when it felt like the pain was all but washed off of her, and she found some respite. It also helped clearing her head fully and regaining the senses in her arms as the water rinsed over her well-defined muscles. She sighed in a mixture of resignation and indifference. She should’ve known better than get badgered into this by Violet. There was little to gain for her from a fight like this. If she had won, it would not really have impressed anyone. This way however impressed people, but then certainly not about her.
On the other hand, someone had to get in that ring, and at this point in her fighting career, there wasn’t much left to lose anyway. She’d given up her rank in order to become a tutor, and she would make sure she was a good one, despite her ongoing inability to have a match go her way. At least Hikane seemed like a nice enough girl who really deserved the spot, so maybe it wasn’t all that bad.
She poured some of her 2-in-1 shampoo and started rubbing it over herself, taking her sweet time with it. She was in no hurry to learn whom she might be paired with, as there was nothing she could do at this point anyway. Instead she enjoyed this warm feeling enveloping her body, which had been sore and aching from her workout even before she stepped into the ring. Foam formed on her skin and ran down the girl’s curves, an enticing show if anyone had been watching. She couldn’t help but rub those spots again that Hikane had poked. Even now, they still felt painful just to touch lightly. That girl really knew what she was doing. But the relief from the warm water still felt like a heavenly embrace, something that almost made the ordeal worth enduring.
If only those damn images could be washed away as easily as her pain. Of course, some asshole had to take pictures of her and upload them, despite Violet’s more-or-less heroic efforts to prevent such a measure. But the fight would likely be reported in the school paper anyway, and she knew her mom and step-dad always read it. So there was no getting out of explaining what she was doing in the ring, despite her promise to her mother not to fight again. She’d wound up in the hospital a bit too often before quitting her career, and her old lady had lost her patience and forbade her to fight until unconsciousness again. But then, what was she supposed to do here? Her intentions to give up were all but swept away by her opponent’s sneaky techniques that left her helpless in the much smaller combatant’s grasp, and the referee hadn’t realized this until it was too late.
Luckily Eliza had made sure she got back on her feet in here rather than the hospital, and the little girl certainly hadn’t given her the worst bruising in her life. Seems she hadn’t needed to either, as those attacks of hers, while weak, stung immensely due to her great precision. Dabria couldn’t help but wonder how her opponent had done that. Who knows, maybe she would get Hikane as her student after all, despite the pretext. Then she could teach her all about the world of organized martial arts that seemed new to her, as well as proper shower etiquette. And maybe Dabria could pick up a thing or two from the little one, as well. Tutor - pupil relationships were always symbiotic, or so they learned during the preparatory courses. Maybe there was something to it.
Most of the spectators had left by the time Hikane came out of the dressing room. There was nothing exciting to watch anymore, just the revelations on the mentor pairings. Thus only a few senior students remained, as well as a few more junior ones and their company. The little upshot was now wearing the white Judo suit she’d been given, and despite being the smallest available it was still too big for her, making her look rather adorable as she went straight to Maria and Estelia. A few people recognized her underways and smiled acknowledgingly at her.
“What a show. You were great.” Maria hugged Hikane matronly and lifted her up, causing her to flail her legs slightly. “Maybe they should put you down as one of the tutors rather than a pupil, hmm?” Hikane was placed on the floor again, and she chuckled slightly while scratching her head. “Thank you, Maria. But I think I can learn a lot still.”
Estelia stepped up to Hikane and smiled broadly. “Well done.” she simply said, then leaned forward for a somewhat more restrained hug than her excited mother had put forth.
“Lists are out” Janice announced, prompting everyone to stop whatever they were doing and head towards the tables. Multiple copies had been put on display, and accordingly multiple crowds formed. It appears there were quite a few tutor spots, three dozen in total. Maria, Hikane and Estelia looked over one of the lists. “Look, Estelia! You got Dabria Elmoore as your mentor, just like you wanted.” Hikane exclaimed cheerfully.
Estelia seemed slightly confused by that statement. She hadn’t found the corresponding entry yet, and she wasn’t quite so convinced that it was her who had wanted Dabria to be her mentor.
“Ah I see.” Estelia acknowledged as she finally found it. “Now where’s your name?”
A loud exclamation of joy from the neighbouring set of lists distracted the trio, as the blonde called Violet seemed to have found her pairing. “Wooo, I got the little pipsqueak that beat Dabby’s ass.” She grinned widely and looked around, not taking long to find the startled Hikane. She approached her new pupil with sure strides. “Isn’t that great? I get to be your mentor! So we can train together and you can show me those awesome moves that make people vomit when you pinch them and stuff.”
“You’re supposed to be teaching her, not the other way ‘round.” Eliza said, rolling her eyes as she stepped up behind the excited Violet.
“Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Of course. I’m gonna teach the shit out of this little flea of death.”
“Eh… ah...ehahahaaaaa.” Hikane laughed awkwardly, not sure how to handle the situation. Violet didn’t seem to mind. “So Hikane, yes? Can I call you Hikki? Or Hiks?” The blonde’s eyes sparkled with a mixture of excitement and admiration.
“Uuuhm, you can call me what you like, Violet-sensei.” Hikane responded, bowing deeply before her new mentor. “It is an honor to be your student.”
“Sensei, huh? I like that. I used to be called Queen V, but this is so much more awesome. Exotic and stuff. Hey, what’s your phone number?” Violet-sensei asked as she whipped out her phone.
“Uhmmm…” Hikane looked down at her toes, then recited her home number, struggling a bit with the last digit, as Violet typed it out into her address book.
“No I mean like, your mobile number?” Violet clarified.
“I don’t have a mobile phone.” Hikane responded without looking up.
“Oh. Right then, this’ll do. You got something to write here, so I can give you mine?”
Hikane shook her head, but Maria nodded and took out pen and paper from her handbag, passing it to the girl.
After violet dictated her number, Hikane took a few moments to try and memorize it. Dabria approached the group meanwhile, but she was spotted by the excited blonde a few meters away. “Hey Dabby! I got the little runt that whooped your ass.” she smiled teasingly.
“Ah, well done.” Dabria responded. “At least one of you knows how to fight then.”
Violet chuckled “Now now, don’t make me kick your ass again. Or set my little Bringer of Pain on your butt to take you down the second time today.”
“I think you’re still confused about how this mentor - pupil thing is supposed to work, Violet.” Eliza threw in, but Violet completely ignored her.
“Whom did I get?” Dabria inquired.
“Me.” Estelia waved and smiled shyly.
“Ah, nice. Hey there, I’m Dabria Elmoore.” the redhead approached her new pupil, and the two girls shook hands courteously.
“My name is Estelia Lothring.” the other responded.
“And I’m her mother, Maria.” the older woman chimed in.
“A pleasure to meet you, as well.” Dabria added and shook her hand too.
“We asked around a bit about you when you volunteered to be Hikane’s opponent today. I heard a lot of good things about your performance in the preparatory courses. People seemed to agree that you would make a great mentor, so I pushed to have you in charge of my daughter’s training.”
“Ah, why thank you.” Dabria smiled.
“However,” Maria continued, “after seeing you in the ring I must say I’m not quite so convinced anymore. I mean, training and performance are different things, but surely one who is to educate others needs a firm understanding and experience in the ring herself, lest she teaches the wrong things.”
“Ouch!” Violet said, her excitement not abating. “Get wrekt, Dabby!”
The words hit the redhead like a truck, causing her to wince and reel back visibly. She’d been worried that her credibility as a mentor might suffer from her defeat, but this was more head-on than even she expected.
“My step-sister will do just fine.” Eliza said chimed in. “Dabria is really good with the theory and very determined. And she’s had one of the best martial arts teachers there is, so no need to worry.”
Maria seemed unconvinced. “Really now. And who might that be?”
“My father.” Eliza said, not even trying to conceal the pride in her voice. “And I’m sure he’ll help Dabby out if any problems arise.”
“Well, if you say so.” Maria countered. ”There was plenty of information and pertinent imagery available online to show that this wasn’t a one-time mishap with Dabria. We paid for her to become Estelia’s teacher. I’d hate to see our investment go to waste.”
“Mom, stop it!” The red creeping into Estelia’s cheeks had finally boiled over and burst out. “Just because Dabria was beaten by Hikane doesn’t mean she’ll do a poor job teaching me!”
Maria glanced at her daughter, then shrugged and addressed dabria again. “I suppose we shall see what becomes of this. Regardless, I trust you will do your best and am eager to see my daughter’s skill grow under your guidance.”
The redhead simply nodded, too dumbstruck to respond properly.
“As for now, I must leave. I have an appointment with a client. Farewell.” She nodded at the crowd, then turned to leave with Estelia following right behind her.
The dark-haired woman paused once again and looked back at Hikane. “Are you coming?”
“Eh… of course!” Hikane had no idea what she meant or why she would go with them, but she didn’t dare to question Maria. The three of them left the hall together.
