I leaned back slightly in my chair, as the smell of food filled the restaurant.
A few minutes ago we had been standing on the training field.
Now we were sitting around a table filled with dishes.
Apparently this was happening because Mei Mei had decided to treat everyone to lunch.
"As your seniors," she had said, "it would be rude not to treat the first years after that little challenge."
I wasn't going to complain.
Free food was free food.
Across the table, Utahime was still sulking.
Meanwhile, beside her, Satoru was grinning like someone who had just discovered a new hobby.
"Hey, Utahime."
She didn't look up.
"SHUT UP!"
From the other side of the table, Suguru calmly continued eating as if this argument was just background noise.
Well it probably is.
Nearby, Atsuya Kusakabe sighed and rubbed his temple.
"They're starting again…"
From the look on his face, it was painfully clear he had already come to a deep understanding of just how annoying Satoru could be.
Before the argument could get louder, Mei Mei calmly set her chopsticks down.
"My, my."
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it immediately cut through the table.
Satoru and Utahime both paused.
Mei Mei smiled faintly.
"If you're going to argue, at least finish your food first."
That somehow worked.
Utahime huffed and returned to her meal.
Satoru just shrugged and started eating again like nothing had happened.
For a while the table quieted down.
Eventually plates were emptied.
"Since we'll probably be working together in the future," Kusakabe said casually, "we might as well exchange contact info."
That sounded reasonable.
So we started exchanging numbers.
I already had the contact information of Satoru and Suguru from yesterday.
I still didn't have Shoko's number though, so I asked for it.
She made a strange face when I asked, but she still shared it with me.
Is she still mad at me?
.... probably.
"My contact information as well."
I looked up to see Mei Mei placing a small stack of black cards on the table.
I picked one up and glanced at it.
It was a business card.
Mei Mei rested her chin lightly on her hand and smiled at me.
"If you ever require assistance on a mission…"
She tapped the card gently.
"You can hire me."
Satoru immediately picked one up and looked it over.
"Is the assistance for free?"
Mei Mei's smile slightly.
"Of course not."
Satoru whistled.
"Even with us?"
"Even with you all," Mei Mei replied calmly.
Everyone looked at her speechlessly.
"…Though I would give you a discount."
I slipped the card into my pocket.
Not that I had any intention of hiring her anytime soon.
Still…
It was a good idea to keep it.
After talking for a while longer, we eventually left the restaurant.
From there, we headed back toward campus.
When we arrived, we said our goodbyes. The senior students' dormitory was on the opposite side, so they split off from us there.
As we walked toward our own dorms, my mind drifted back to the fight earlier.
Honestly… I would have lost if it weren't for my technique.
The thought was a little embarrassing.
I should probably learn close-quarters combat.
So I asked Suguru if he could teach me.
Before he could answer, Satoru suddenly stepped in front of me.
"Oh? So you want to learn how to throw hands?"
He immediately started throwing random punches into the air.
"You go like this—then this—then this—"
He began doing exaggerated shadow boxing right there.
😑
I ignored him.
Suguru thought for a moment before nodding.
"Well, I can teach you cursed energy reinforcement and can spar with you," He said calmly. "The rest you'll have to learn on your own."
Then he continued,
"There are three main aspects to close-quarters combat."
"First is cursed energy reinforcement."
"Second is actual fighting experience—things like MMA, judo, tai chi or you can say throwing hands."
"Third is physical constitution."
He glanced at me briefly before continuing.
"If your body isn't strong enough, your stamina drains faster. And even with reinforcement, extreme movements can still injure you."
He paused for a moment.
"So while I can teach you cursed energy reinforcement and spar with you to build some fighting experience," Suguru said, "As you don't really have a foundation in close combat. So becoming proficient will take a lot of time."
"So…"
"I'd suggest joining a martial arts gym to learn the basics."
"And start exercising to improve your physical condition. Building some muscle will help a lot."
He looked at me calmly.
"So if you want to improve, you'll need to train all three."
I rubbed my chin and thought about it. 🤔
He was right.
I had never really fought anyone in my life.
And even something simple like climbing the school stairs sometimes left me out of breath.
Yeah… my physical condition is pretty bad.
And building some muscle wouldn't hurt either.
It might even make it easier to pull some chicks.
Hehe.
Alright.
"I'll join a gym then," I said.
I looked over at Suguru.
"So when do we start?"
"We'll begin next week," He replied calmly.
Great.
By that time, my Town Hall should be upgraded too.
As we continued talking and roughly planning my training, we eventually reached the dorms.
We said our goodbyes and headed to our respective rooms.
-
I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
My thoughts drifted back to the training conversation.
Cursed energy reinforcement… martial arts… physical conditioning…
Three things.
The first two sounded intresting.
The third one…
Yeah, that one sounded painful.
I imagined waking up early, running laps, lifting weights, sweating like crazy.
Then again…
I also imagined myself a few months later.
A lean, toned body.
Not getting winded after physical work.
And… well…
If a few girls happened to notice the muscles…
That wouldn't be so bad either.
Hehe.
Yeah.
Training suddenly sounded a lot more motivating.
Before I realized it, nearly two hours had passed.
I turned my head and looked at my phone.
Hmm…
It seemed Shoko was still mad at me.
Honestly… it's not even that big of a deal.
Do girls really get upset so easily?
Women 😮💨
What should I do?
Should I talk to her?
What should I say?
Should I call?
…Naah.
That would be too forward.
Maybe a text?
But what would I even write?
Sorry?
😑
I didn't even do anything.
And technically I even saved her pretty heroically.
Still…
She is a girl.
And we were going to be classmates for the next three years.
…Alright.
I typed a simple message.
Hey
Then I waited.
One hour passed.
I kept staring at my phone anxiously.
Don't tell me she's not going to see it…
Or worse.
What if she gonna left it on seen?
Damn.
This will be so embarrassing.
Maybe I shouldn't I have tex—
Beep. Beep.
My phone lit up.
I immediately sat up and unlocked my phone.
A reply.
From Shoko.
What
Hmm..
What am I supposed to say next?