Martial Arts Class
What was even the point of him picking a fight with me yesterday? Now the black cat who did that is completely attached to me and right here.
“Vio, I’m sorry about my little brother. If he’s bothering you, I’ll move him.”
“Why? I’m not bothering her. Vio, am I bothering you?”
After math class ended, we were heading to martial arts class. Len casually took my hand and said, “Let’s go,” so Lun, seeing that, kindly stopped him. It’s not that I hate it, but if we’re going to be moving around again, I’d like to hydrate and use the restroom first. By the way, the other puppy who’s taken a liking to me had already dashed off shouting, “I gotta pee!”
“I want to go to the bathroom before we move.”
I don’t know if a lady is supposed to say “bathroom” out loud, but I’m not a noble, and I’m still five years old. Even if it’s an embarrassing thing to say, if I learn that now, I just won’t say it next time. I’m an invincible five-year-old.
If I had dodged the topic, Len would probably have been shocked, and comforting him afterward would’ve been more of a hassle, so I just went ahead and said it directly. But then the black cat brothers blushed and apologized with a “Sorry.”
Was it bad for a girl to say she’s going to the bathroom?
Anyway, since he let go of my hand, I headed to the restroom. There I found Kathe and Mare with the red ribbon washing their hands, so I asked them whether it’s okay to say you’re going to the bathroom or not.
“I think it’s fine? I don’t say it much because no one really asks, but if people don’t know unless you say it, then it’s faster to just say it.”
“Oh my, yes. Adults sometimes say they’re ‘picking flowers’ instead, but if it were Len, I feel like he’d say something like, ‘Then I’ll help you find flowers too!’”
Kathe is in the “just say it” camp, while Mare goes with the euphemism “picking flowers.”
So that phrase works here too. And yeah, I can totally see Len earnestly imagining actual flowers. That made me laugh.
So, turns out, saying “I’m going to the bathroom” to Len was probably the right move.
I safely finished my potty time without incident and entered the training field. Just like yesterday, some kids were sitting on the step benches, others were stretching on the ground—very freeform.
Kathe was holding something like a stick and stretching her body. I wonder if she’s good with long-handled weapons like spears? It’d suit her!
When our eyes met, Len turned his face away with a red blush. Did the word “bathroom” really embarrass him that much?
Still, if he had offered to go “flower picking” with me, I’d have been even more confused.
I don’t understand boys’ embarrassment points. If this session also goes by age order, that might be a bit tricky.
With those thoughts, I started doing some light stretching myself. Dad joins me for stretching every morning, so I enjoy it.
It’s funny seeing him complain about how everything hurts because it’s been too long, but we always make sure to get our stretching time in.
Ding, dong~
“Whoa, looks like everyone’s motivated today. Alright, we’re running.”
Low-energy as ever, Tigerkin Teacher Edel came in, glanced around at us, and immediately started jogging along the training field’s wall.
Eh? Eh? Ehh—!?
Tony and Lon immediately followed the teacher. Then Nachi, Len, and Hachi joined in too.
As expected, dogs and cats are fast runners. Kathe seemed to be weighed down by her tail, so she didn’t match the teacher’s pace but jogged in her own rhythm.
The three sheep sisters? Needless to say, they were strolling gracefully.
I ran behind Kathe, trying to maintain a steady pace.
Running... running... ru...nn...ing...
“There’s no need to overdo it.”
“Whoa, you’re a human and you’re still trying hard! That’s awesome!”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s okay to rest, you know.”
“Vio… you got this.”
“Viooo~ wanna run together~?”
I don’t know how many times I got passed. I was definitely running at first, but now I’m just walking.
Still, I focused on just not stopping my feet. And whenever someone passed me, they’d call out to me.
Teacher, I wish you had told us how many laps or how many minutes we’re supposed to go from the start!
Tony ran with a bounce in his step. Like the tortoise and the hare, I expected him to have no stamina, but his pace hasn’t dropped at all.
Lun is a kind older brother who worries and calls out to me each lap.
Len… is he still hung up on the bathroom thing?
Hachi is showing the full power of his dog-tribe traits. His older brother Nachi’s wagging tail seems to get more and more excited with each lap.
“Ahh~~~~~ I can’t go on anymore!!”
“Oh my, you did so well.”
“My, really though. Two laps is our limit.”
“My, oh my, goodness, Vio, you’re amazing. Good work~”
The Sheep Triplets had taken it easy with two laps of walking and were already resting on a bench. My legs were trembling too, so once I made it back to the rest area, I sank down onto a bench.
Mare wiped me down with a cloth, Mire handed me a water bottle, and Mure fanned me with a handkerchief to create a gentle breeze. Haah~ This is bliss.
The teacher had ducked out partway and came to check on my complexion, saying something like, “It’s perfectly fine to rest after two laps.” Say that first! By the fourth lap, I was wobbling like a newborn fawn.
I heard the running was meant to build our basic stamina and to warm up our bodies at the start of class, so I vowed to myself that from next time, I’d stop at two laps. Seriously, the teacher needs to give better explanations.
In the end, I didn’t have the energy left to do any more physical activity on this first day, so I just observed the rest of the class with the triplets. Regardless of age, everyone was practicing forms and sparring with various weapons, and the younger kids seemed to be trying to figure out which weapon suited them best.
I wonder what I’ll be good at. I don’t really see myself with a sword. I’ve never seen Mom in battle either—in fact, even back then she was using all sorts of magic, but she didn’t have a weapon. I never saw her use that strange staff, either.
Ah, right. Even Mom, who was a top-ranking Silver, ended up getting taken down like that. Even if I can use all elemental magic, I want to be able to handle weapons too. Since I’ll be going into dungeons with Dad, it might be best to find out what weapon he’s good with and pick something that won’t get in his way.
If I show too much magical ability, I might draw unwanted attention. Being a straight-up warrior… yeah, no way. Maybe something like a thief or rogue type? Then I’d go with dual blades or hidden weapons.
“Oh my, I thought you’d be down in the dumps from not being able to participate, but you look fine.”
“My, you look like you’re having fun.”
“My, oh my, Vio, you’re really enjoying school, aren’t you?”
Yeah, I’m having a blast!
What do you think about this chapter?
