As the little group enters the clubroom, Suzumoto-sensei is already overseeing a spar between a boy and a girl, the same age as the three kids with them.
The three and Nina instantly bow as their teacher looks over.
"Good afternoon, sensei!"
Ryu also slightly bows and nods at the Japanese man.
"Good afternoon to you all."
Looking at Ryu standing beside Nina, he raises his brows and adjusts his glasses.
"How can I help you?"
Before Ryu could speak up, Nina chimed in.
"Suzumoto-sensei, this is my coworker Ryu Seiya. I told him that I learn Aikido here, and he got interested, so I brought him here to take a look."
"Pleased to meet you, Suzumoto-san. I want to observe a bit before committing. Is there a uniform I could borrow for today?"
"Oh, a fellow countryman! There aren't many of us here in Heidelberg. You're quite tall for a Japanese person, but fortunately, we have some old uniforms here that my old students left behind. They should be somewhat acceptable without being too small."
Watching the two men converse in another language, Nina stands by, watching from the side.
'Right, I almost forgot Ryu also has a part-Japanese heritage. No wonder Sensei looks so amiable.'
After the kids' match is decided, Nina makes her way to the women's changing room, while the teacher brings out a used uniform set and explains to Ryu how to put it on. Thanking the man with a slight bow, Ryu changes too.
While Nina is braiding her hair into a ponytail, she watches Ryu come back in his whole outfit. Seeing his handsome face and tall athletic figure in such a traditional outfit has an entirely different impact. The way the front of the uniform is slightly open at his chest gives a hint of his firm pectoral muscles. She gulps down a bit of saliva as he reaches to his waist, tightening the belt, which lets her see the chest muscles contracting.
'Is this how men feel when they see cleavage? Just enough to entice but not enough to see everything, leaving you with a yearning for more? I wasn't wrong when I told Beate and Clara that he is hot. Somehow... I want to touch his chest. Am I becoming a lecher now?'
Not realizing the impact his appearance has on her, Ryu walks up to the teacher, who is waiting for all the kids to assemble.
For now, he will join the kids at their warm-up and then listen in on the techniques being taught.
Throughout this time, he stays with the kids and sometimes becomes their practice target for joint locks and other exercises. He is too big and heavy to be thrown by them, though. They have a blast with Ryu playing along with their antics, begging in tears for mercy from the young masters to release their holds on him.
After Nina demolishes her opponent in the 7th spar today, she smiles softly at the scene before her.
'He is really good at handling kids, calling those little ones his senpais. Look how proud they are of themselves for having a new "little" brother.'
"Suzumoto-sensei, we didn't spar for a long time. The others can't keep up with me anymore; I can only count on you now."
"Ah, Nina, I have to teach the beginners, including your coworker, today. It is his first time here, and it would be disrespectful for me not to oversee their training, right?"
'It is true. This guy is too scared to spar with me and keeps on making excuses. How lame. Let's make him a little jealous then, if he really has a crush on me like Ryu thinks.'
She walks over to the group and asks the children.
"Don't bully your new kohai too much, okay? Can you lend him to me for a bit? I want to test how much he learned with you until now."
"Yes, Nina-senpai!"
At that, Ryu gives her a deadpan look.
"You just want to beat me up for some reason, right?"
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"Because everyone else is too scared to face me.", she says while looking Suzumoto-sensei in the eyes, who looks away in shame.
"Well, getting beaten up by a beauty could also be called an experience you can only get here, I guess. Let's go, but have some mercy, please."
[The first Aikido lesson was pretty fun until now. Especially joking around with the other beginners, who are all around 10 or 11 years old. They were so happy to be able to use joint locks on their poor and defenseless new member, which was too cute. I couldn't help but play along with their antics. I still learned the basics of some techniques while playing, which I think is pretty good. But now I'm going to get my ass handed to me by the final boss of this dojo. Nina Fortner herself.
Standing across from her while preparing for a fight, her whole vibe changes. Gone is the compassionate, kind, and smiling young woman. Now there is only determination, concentration, and a raw, unfiltered battle lust in her eyes. With her blond hair braided and her eyes practically glowing with battle lust, she looks like one of the legendary Valkyrie.
Why is she blushing again now? Is she shy about touching me for the fight because she likes me?
Oh shit! What happened? Why did she suddenly get angry? Did I stare at her too much?
Fuck that hurts!]
Nina, who just slammed Ryu face down into the training mats, performed a perfect shoulder joint lock.
'Oh no, I got too agitated. Who wouldn't blush when a hot guy calls her a Valkyrie? But too shy to touch, are you kidding me? You had it coming!'
Lotte is sitting in her room, slamming her hand on the table while laughing.
'This guy fires out the greatest compliments for a girl who likes fighting. Instead of being turned off by it, he praises her. No wonder she blushed. But that sentence about liking him sealed the deal, and he has no idea. I really would've loved to see a picture of Ryu getting his ass beat by the Valkyrie.'
Elsa: "Running for the last few days is already hard for me. But it's true I should also do some strength training. Can't be totally outclassed by Nina!"
In the background, the other adult practitioners gulp in horror. Thankfully, although they always lose, she never threw them this hard. The teacher wipes the imaginary sweat off his face. 'Good thing I don't spar her anymore or I would've lost all my dignity!'
Nina helps Ryu up, a hint of regret in her eyes.
'He won't dislike me because of this, right?'
"Sorry, did I overdo it? You are pretty tall and muscular, so I did not know how much strength to use yet."
Rubbing his shoulder joint, Ryu thought, 'Should not have written about her blushing and liking me. Just look how flustered she was. How cute.'
"No worries, I luckily learned how to fall correctly from my little senpais, so I didn't hurt myself at least. And I learned a valuable life lesson."
"Huh, what do you mean?"
Ryu looks seriously into her eyes.
"Never piss off your coworker. She can, and will, beat your ass."
Then they both break out into loud laughter.
"But seriously, next time please go slower and a bit easier on me, okay? At that speed, there is no way I can learn something."
"Sure, so you decided to come again?"
"Of course, it was fun! And how can I get my revenge on you without training? Mark my words. One day, I will defeat you, Nina Fortner."
"Then you have a long road ahead of you, little kohai!"
Smiling at each other, the training session comes to an end.
Outside, several mothers are already waiting beside their cars, chatting with one another. The group leaves the building, and Ryu bows deeply to the kids.
"Esteemed senpais, thank you for your guidance today!"
A little girl with twin-tails and braces, whose head only reaches Ryu's waist, taps the bowing young man on the shoulder.
"No problem, little one. One day you'll be as good as me, your big sister!"
Then she turns and walks to her perplexed mother, her small face bearing a smug expression.
Nina has trouble breathing while stifling her laughter with a hand on her mouth.
'I had a lot of fun today. Should I give him a ride on my scooter? No! Just imagining him holding me from behind is way too distracting. I won't be able to concentrate on the road at all!'
Back at the university parking lot, there are still some students coming and going to the library.
"Alright, thanks for inviting me today. Drive safely on your way home."
"Thank you. I would give you a ride, but I don't have a second helmet."
"No problem, I also did sweat a bit, so it wouldn't be appropriate anyway. Goodbye, Nina."
"Goodbye, Ryu."
"You should have seen it, Dad. How this little girl proudly turned around and strode off was absolutely hilarious."
"I'm glad you had so much fun today, Nina. But during the spar with Ryu, did he try to touch you inappropriately?"
"No, Dad, what are you thinking? Rather, it was my bad. I was so frustrated that Suzumoto-sensei made another dumb excuse not to spar with me. So I accidentally threw him pretty hard, luckily he learned how to fall correctly from the kids today, or I could have injured him."
At that, her mother chimes in with a concerned look.
"Nina, you must be careful when training with others. What if you injured him and he had to stop working? He is still in the probation period at your workplace, and you told me he does not have much money left and no one to support him. Did you think about the consequences before going so hard on your sparring partner? You got lucky this time because he learned fast."
This warning struck deeply into Nina's conscience.
'Yes, he has to work hard every day. Exercising, construction, cleaning, and now Aikido training. And he does it all to save me, my family, and others. Wouldn't it be terrible if all this is set back because of me? A shoulder injury is no joke. Why did I even get so angry after reading about him, thinking that I like him? Is it because it's the truth and I just don't want to accept it?'
Reflecting about her feelings throughout the day, she asks her parents, "Mom, Dad. What should I do? Now I feel a little terrible about the incident."
"Christiane is right, but you don't have to worry too much, Nina. Being more careful in the future is the most important. Also, if he did not say anything about it, it should be alright."
"Erich is correct. But you should still apologize properly. And from how happy you were today and every time you talk about him, you like Ryu quite a bit, don't you, honey?"
"I... I don't really know Mom. I have never liked a man romantically before, so I don't have any experience with how liking someone feels."
"Do you often glance at him when he can't see you?"
"Yes."
"Do you sometimes feel your heart beat quickly, or are you really happy just talking with him?"
"Yes. I also often get a little dazed when I see his muscles move under his shirt or when I see him combing through his hair with his fingers. Sometimes I also feel like I want to touch him."
"Cough, cough, cough! Christiane, get me the bug repellent, it is urgent!"
The two women laugh at Erich's distressed look.
"I see, honey, so you do like him. But don't forget you only met Ryu for a short time and don't know much about him. Always be cautious and remember that it's only an infatuation now. You only see the surface. Until you get to know him, stay a little more reserved and keep your little heart guarded, okay?"
'But I already know him way better than even he himself thinks. All his thoughts are laid bare to me in the diary, which is probably why I like him, instead of his handsome and funny exterior. Although that is definitely a plus too.'
"Alright, Mom, I will be careful. But what should I do? We'll be meeting pretty often now, with work and Aikido practice, so we might see each other every day. But that is still just work and training. It's not really a good environment for getting to know each other better. Also, I don't think he would ever think about me in a romantic way. You see, he never approached me. The most was asking if I could introduce him to Aikido, but that was already mid-conversation. Beate and Clara also said if he were sensible, he would know not to think about me like that."
"Why would they say this?"
"Well, because I am on my way to success, right? Top of the class, beautiful, and so on. Ryu, in contrast, has nothing: no family, no connections, no money, and low education. Essentially, there are no future prospects beyond being handsome and pleasant to be around. Obviously, I don't think this way, but what if he does? My thoughts are a little confused on this matter."
"It is good that you don't think this way. After all, we did not raise you to become a materialistic woman. But your friends have a point, too. How about just inviting him over sometime on the weekend? Let us have a look too, to see if Erich has to chase him away with a broom or not."
[Today was the first day I had fun coming to this world. Training and joking with the kids, while learning new things, was a pleasant experience. Although my shoulder still hurts a little, experiencing the legendary wrath of the Valkyrie was itself quite insightful.
To summarize, I am weak. Way too weak. I need to step up my training even harder. Of course, it is also because Nina is a true master in Aikido. If she were to travel to Japan and compete in tournaments, she could easily rank among the top 5 professional athletes. Considering her height advantage over most women in Japan, with longer reach and everything, she may even be close to unbeatable.
Of course, that is in the confines of martial arts rules. In dirty fights with criminals, with hidden daggers and guns, even this level of skill is not safe. Still, Nina is way better than I am. I think I should take her with me for the training I planned later. If I can meet Elsa and convince her to leave Ruhenheim with me, it would also be good to take her with me. With both of them receiving professional training from a mercenary, I would feel more at ease. Especially for Elsa, who currently lacks self-defense capabilities and, at least in the original, was relatively naive and trusting. I can't let her experience what happened in the original work if it's within my power to prevent it.
Just how am I going to make enough money to cover the complete training course for three people? Currently, I am even struggling to buy a leftover Aikido uniform. Money... It is always the money. Should I ask Eva Heinemann for help? But I still don't even know how to meet her, and even less of an idea how to make her believe what I have to say.
Such a mess. Although I had fun today, the pressure keeps mounting. I have to contact Inspector Lunge soon.]
Elsa: "Just what happened to me in the story, he knows? It sounds quite terrible! Luckily, Ryu is coming to help me. Mercenary training. Sounds incredibly tough, but at least more exciting than being at the butcher counter here, right? But if it's what's needed to stay safe, I have to tough it out. Just as planned, I am going to add some strength exercises on top of running in the morning. Also, save some money."
Eva: "I am pretty interested in what he wants to talk to me about. Ryu already said he is trying to save me from myself. What does that even mean? I am now trying to reduce alcohol intake and smoking. But could it also be something else?"
Lotte: "Wow, taking two girls for training by a professional mercenary to make sure they can protect themselves? That's pretty hardcore, to be honest. But I like how he always thinks about keeping others safe, even after the obvious danger has passed."
Rung: "I am happy for him. It has been 10 days now since the diary appeared in my mind. Ryu has no personal memories. So, you could say that all this time, for his whole experience, he never really had fun. I can't even begin to comprehend how hard it must be for him."
Nina has complicated feelings about reading today's diary.
'He thinks I am at the level of a professional athlete? That is pretty cool! And I am happy he could finally have fun.
But will he really be leaving soon? Being professionally trained probably will take quite a long time, right? Suddenly, I feel a little uncomfortable in my heart. And Elsa and Eva got mentioned again. Will he save more and more women? Do I want to follow him to training? But what about my studies and my career? But... Would I be okay with staying behind while others join his side to fight against criminals?
I wanted to study criminal law and become a public prosecutor to uphold justice, but according to Ryu, there is so much widespread corruption. How could a judge ever know if the evidence produced by the police is even real and not fabricated? It would all be so much easier if I did not like him at all…'