Teacher and student.

Back in the locker room, Will sat on the bench and stared at his hand. He had won his match. He’d be paid a considerable amount of money for it and advance to the next phase of the tournament, which would take place in a couple weeks. It was the best outcome he could’ve hoped for, but Will didn’t feel like celebrating.

Something bugged him. He felt awkward, frustrated, almost upset. The fight kept replaying in his mind. Every punch and kick he took, every attack he missed and even the way he won… It was all so clumsy, unpolished, graceless. He was practically flailing his arms out there and relying on his… On Ishtar’s power to see him through it. A real fight had shown him just how unskilled he still was… and it ticked him off.

“That’s a strange face for a winner to make,” Aoi told him, crossing her arms under her breasts. “Why the scowl?”

“...” Will sighed. “I don’t like how I won. Nothing I tried worked as I hoped. I won even though my opponent was more skilled than me.”

“I don’t know. I think that last shot was pretty good,” she said. “You’ve been practicing that one a lot, right? A week ago it wasn’t at the level it was today. A week ago it barely traveled three meters, did no damage and it sounded like…”

“A fart,” Will finished for her, seeing her troubled face.

“Well, yes.” She chuckled. “Are you unhappy about the results of that, too?”

“...No.” If the close combat part of the fight made him frustrated, the last shot was the opposite. Will had spent day after day practicing that thing, getting it wrong over and over until it reached the level it was at now. What was more, he was able to read his opponent’s exhaustion and positioning and take advantage of them to help him land the shot. That… had felt good. His practice paying off combined with the pieces of a puzzle coming together.

Aoi smiled. “Remember that feeling, and chase it. I might be biased, but I think there’s no better feeling in the world than when theory and practice come together in real combat. At the same time, I understand the frustration you feel, which is why we keep training until we can have full control of our bodies, until we can imagine our moves and perform them without restrictions. That’s how we achieve that first feeling more often.”

Will grinned. “You try not to show it, but you actually like fighting, don’t you?”

Aoi flinched and her cheeks reddened. She held herself and looked away from Will. “...I’ve trained to fight since I was a child. I have as many good memories as I do bad ones from it. At this point, it’s part of who I am. I do it because I have to, but I don’t know if I would quit if I could.”

Will stood up from his seat. “For what it's worth, I like training with you.”

He saw Aoi holding back a smile.

‘Stubborn woman. She likes training with you too, but doesn’t want to admit it. She probably knows I know, too, but still won’t say it.’

‘Let her be, Ishtar. She carries a pretty big burden.’

‘So you’ve given up on adding her to your harem?’

Will couldn’t help but glance at Aoi when Ishtar asked that question. Aoi Miyamoto, his teacher in all things combat related, was an absolutely gorgeous woman. Curvy, busty, athletic, strong, and with long, straight dark hair. On top of that, she was extremely competent, yet had her cute side he sometimes got a glimpse of. Will… liked her, a lot. And yet…

‘I don’t know. I’m starting to question if I’m fit for having a harem at all.’

‘Haaaah!? Don’t give me that now, William Sawyer!’

‘Don’t misunderstand me, I like what I have now, and I love all the girls, it’s just… Gah, I can’t explain it now. We’ll talk about it later.’

‘Fine, but I’m not letting you off the hook, you hear me?’

“Anyway, so… Since I won, we earned a sizable bonus from the fight, right?” he asked Aoi.

“Yes. Have any plans for that money?”

“A few, but I think I can spare some of it to invite you out to dinner,” Will told her.

Aoi blinked, stunned, and swallowed. “D-Dinner?”

See? Those are the cute sides he mentioned.

“I need to thank you for all the training, don’t I? I wouldn’t have won without you.”

“Ah. Right. Of course.” She awkwardly laughed it off, looking aside. “If that’s what you mean, then sure. I’ll go with you.”

‘And you say you don’t know if you want her…’

‘I’m being 100% honest here. That I like seeing her flustered has nothing to do with inviting her to dinner.’

Will finished getting ready and the two left the old warehouse in Aoi’s bike.

Will took Aoi to a known expensive restaurant. For the first time in his life he had the money for something like this, and he was gonna take advantage of it. Besides, Aoi deserved it.

“A toast, then,” he said, raising his glass at their table for two.

Aoi chuckled. “To your victory?”

“To you, actually,” Will clarified. “To you and Nanami, to be precise. If it weren’t for you two, I’d be completely lost right now. Thank you for helping me, helping us.”

Aoi grimaced. “I can’t toast to that, and you know it. I was the one who got you mixed up in all this in the first place.” She bit her lip. “I dragged Reina and Ruth into that place, I raised my sword against you, I asked you to help me with Jack Evans and now with other matters. Who’s to say you wouldn’t be better off without me?”

“I do. I say it. If you hadn’t dragged Reina and Ruth to that place, it would’ve been someone else. You weren’t the only one to attack me, either. You were a puppet, and Jack would’ve gotten another one if you weren’t around. At least this way I met you, and I’ve learned a lot from you and Nanami.”

Will felt her relax. She smiled and shook her head. “Nanami does say I tend to overlook the bright side of things.” She raised her glass, clicked it with his and drank. “Yes, I suppose meeting you is one silver lining to all that happened. I didn’t expect to make a strong ally during such chaos. Or… get myself a student, for that matter.”

“Have you ever taught anyone else?” Will asked.

“No. I… teach you out of necessity, and you learn despite my failings as a teacher. I teach you the same way I was taught, so I guess that means you’re the same type of learner as me.”

Will groaned softly and swirled the liquid in his glass. “Ishtar says I’m a genius, but I don’t believe her.”

“Whether or not you’re a genius, there’s no denying you’re a quick learner. It makes my job so much easier, so thank you for that.”

Will and Aoi laughed together.

There was no urgent matter to address, no commitments to get in the way, no training to get to. For this night, they both could relax and share a table, and that sounded like a very good time to Will.