{2043.03.21, Saturday}
Weekends in spring always felt better, for some reason. Maybe it was the sun – not quite as strong as in summer, she could bask in its embrace and not have to worry how long she rested. Maybe it was the trees and plants – blossom season always made her smile as she passed flowering gardens and walked amidst the sakura trees. Maybe it was the newness of the year, still fresh with possibility and potential and— nah, that was a stretch. She preferred weekends for training, anyway, getting away from the necessary weight of her week.
Midmorning Saturday meant outdoor routines: cardio or interval training, as well as compound movement drills like weighted footwork patterns or use of resistance bands. To her peers and family, she was already light on her feet, but she knew she could do even better. If she was going to be as swift and sure-footed as the champions she looked up to, she still had leagues to go.
Take the full minute, breathe deep, hydrate, rest a little.
Two more sets.
It was in between runs of footwork drills that she first noticed her gradually approaching audience of one. He was maybe a head taller, average height for a young dude, and slim of frame but not frail. His choice of snug blue t-shirt and plain white karate gi pants spoke of his fitness – probably active three times a week, not a lot of weights or machines. Peeking out from behind him was a simple sports backpack with a steel water bottle. Knowing that much narrowed down the conversation topics she was expecting, but she was still puzzled.
I'll complete this last set, then see what the hell this guy's up to. Is he gonna ask about my workout? I've learned the park regulars over the past few years, and I don't think I've seen him before.
Given the way he ambled over from the centre of the park, she could tell he was interested in what she was doing – after all, she had this entire treeless corner of green to herself, same as always. There wasn't anyone else around that he might be approaching. Personally, the fighter preferred this partly secluded public space; she wasn't likely to be interrupted, but also didn't feel like she was alone in her exercise. Other people might not be nearly as deep into the data or their own fitness or modern martial arts as she was, but that was entirely okay on both sides.
Which is kinda why this feels weird… this guy isn't a park-goer, but he's here and he's found me: someone he probably thinks is gonna be okay to talk to about fighting. But that's not how it goes, bro. I'm not really in the mood for active conversation, even if you don't look off-putting. You won't get much from me like this.
Getting out of the hyperaware mental zone that she slipped into when training and fighting wasn't always easy, but a jolt of something that snatched her attention would kick that into gear. And then one arrived.
Right as she glanced his way again, a little kid's overshot frisbee sailed towards the back of her approaching audience's head. Surprisingly, he responded to their warning cry just by weaving out of its path with a short sidestep and head bob, like he was weaving inside a left straight.
Got moves, huh. Guess that's one way to make an entry.
That little frisbee still had airtime left, so she caught it and passed it back to the kid without a word or much of a glance. The fighter had better things to think about, now, and this smiling guy in his karate pants was suddenly a curious specimen. You wanted my attention, you've found it, bro.
"Hi there."
His greeting was a little awkward, like he'd forgotten what he meant to say as a follow-up. As his eyes flitted a few different places, she studied his face: a little androgynous, sharp jaw, no ear damage; does he spar with headgear? But that was getting away from the point. If he was losing his train of thought and giving her a proper once-over now – when he'd had all this time to watch her as he approached – then she figured he was probably younger than herself, and not much of a seasoned conversationalist.
The pause lingered for a few heartbeats more, as she waited for something else from him. When no further words actually arrived, she saved him the growing embarrassment and spoke up. "Yo. I'm not getting small-talk vibes here. You have a question for me?"
Her words visibly woke him up, and even brought back his faint smile. Standing more at ease, he said, "Yeah, excuse me, I do. I couldn't help but be curious when I looked your way, so I wanted to ask about something that caught my eye."
"Well, if your question's worth it, I'll give ya something of an answer."
"Alright, that's fair." He nodded. "From what I noticed, your striking style doesn't look familiar at all. That sure wasn't Kyokushin footwork, and the stance was too narrow for someone used to IKO sport competitions or most of the popular schools. Is an old-school style like Goju-ryu more your speed? Or, actually— is it not karate that I'm seeing you do solo training for?"
She allowed herself an internal sigh of relief. So he's got some tact, at least, not just pure martial arts know-how. "I started with kosen judo, in which I have my second-dan black belt. Then my dad joined me in learning traditional taekkyeon, under the instruction of a quiet Zainichi Korean. My preferred stance when starting in amateur fights was always gonna be pretty short, even after I picked up some Uechi-ryu and Nihon Kempo in the past two years."
"Judo, that would do it," he said to himself. With a mumbled curse, he hid his face in his hands for a moment as he realised that he'd managed to forget judo of all things. "The others make sense, if you started with kosen judo. And taekkyeon – it's the ancient style from Korea with the weird kicks and cool takedowns, right?"
Oh? He actually knows about it. Pretty rare find. "That's the one, got more kicks in it than a Taekwondo demonstration team. Plus, now that I do serious kickboxing and MMA, I've learned some Muay Thai to make use of what it offers. A retired Lumpinee Stadium pro moved nearby last year, and he's been awesome to learn from."
"You really have a heart for all types of martial arts, don't you," he said quietly. His gaze shifted as he started thinking aloud. "It's actually pretty impressive, hearing about the different systems that you've learned. Uniting old and new in your pursuits, that's cool."
Finding someone who seriously thought that her dedication to fighting was cool caught her off-guard. This guy didn't think it was a big problem that she wouldn't stick to any one tradition nor go for the Olympics. There was no sarcasm, no hint of a lingering 'but' that he left unsaid. Rather than any of that, he really was a fan of everything.
"Thanks for the compliments, dude." And she meant it.
The guy nodded, and then his eyes flashed with another realisation. "Aah, damnit, I've shown you terrible manners. You don't even know my name! Sorry about that, I was—"
She raised her hands gently, trying to calm him. "Hey, hey, slow down. It's okay, I'm not pissed or anything. You seem pretty cool yourself, so just roll with it, yeah?" Her own composure and intentional smile seemed to disarm his rambling, so she let her arms fall to her sides again.
"Alright." Her continued smile put him at ease, and he took a breath to centre himself. "Hi there, my name's Kirigaya Kazuto. Thanks for your care in humouring me thus far. I'm a first-year at the local university – just moved in from the other side of town, so I'm still new to the place, but I've been enjoying it. As of this year, I've been learning karate for about fourteen years, and boxing since I was ten."
Just moved in, that's why he's unfamiliar. Of course. "Well, Kazuto, it's nice to meet ya. I'm Hosaka Tomo. You'll find me a third-year who's studying part time at the same uni, so we might meet again when we're there."
Kazuto's whole face lit up. "Oh, really? We'd get to join up like that, senpai? That'd be really cool."
Not… so sure that that's what I meant. But his sudden eager giddiness was kinda cute, so she couldn't deny him something so simple.
Tomo gave him a firm nod. "When we have the time, sure. And please, it's just Tomo outside of campus. It's a Saturday, I don't want to be reminded of classes just yet."
"Aah, okay, gotcha," said Kazuto. "Sorry again, sen—Tomo. I'm gonna have to get used to that. Tomo. Sorry."
The way he caught himself about to say it again made her chuckle, though she reined in her amusement enough to not snort. "Anyway, I guess I'm done for now with exercising in the park, and I'm pretty hungry, too. Did you wanna grab a bite, or did you have someplace to go?"
"Well, I've– my sister is expecting me; she's got kendo till eleven, and I'm in charge of early lunch 'cause my morning karate class ends well before hers." He scratched his head sheepishly, and she could tell that there was some regret laced through the response. Having to turn down my offer like that, yeah.
Another possible opening came to mind, though, and so Tomo nodded. "Yeah, that all makes sense. You don't want to keep a hungry girl waiting for a big lunch. But hey – you busy at all this afternoon, my dude?"
"Hm?"
"If you have a few hours, there's this climbing gym some good friends of mine always visit. We all know some of the head staff there as regulars, so they're always expecting us. It'd be cool to have you join in."
"Oh, I could go, my Saturday afternoons are pretty flexible, I guess." His answer wasn't quite as enthusiastic as she was expecting. Kazuto must've noticed, because he then clarified: "But I'm not that familiar with rock climbing, or any of that related stuff, so I'm worried I'd slow you guys down."
His eyes flitted to her arms, bare as they were given her baggy tank top, and then down to her legs in running shorts and compression spats, before he met her gaze again. Tomo was used to that kind of thing, though not with that much… visible reverence. It was true that she exercised a lot, and even her hobbies were pretty physical, but she didn't think of herself as necessarily fit on an average day in her life. To Kazuto, though, she probably looked very muscular, especially since regular lead climbing and her current choice of diet kept her pretty lean on body fat.
After a quiet moment where she remained lost in thought, mulling over that sudden bout of self awareness, she realised that Kazuto was still waiting for her response.
"Aah, I getcha. But ya don't have to be super concerned about it, you're not gonna be the only beginner at climbing if you come along. Most of my friends are just there to have fun and try out the challenge of a physical puzzle like a boulder – the gym changes them up every five weeks, so even if you do get used to the old one, the walls won't stay that way forever. Plus, we'll all go out for a meal after, get some energy back in us."
As she spoke, Tomo could see his expression shift as the idea became more appealing and approachable. She didn't climb to compete or train, even if it was good exercise, since that would impact the fun and freedom to mess around that she gave herself when on the wall or the boulder. It wasn't a team sport or a video game, but Saturday afternoon climbing was a social affair for her nonetheless.
That relaxed perspective was what she wanted to bring to Kazuto, thus inviting him into her friend circle. Why do this? He's fun, and he's got that simple friendliness of a puppy to him. I wanna embrace that, not tear him down.
"Well, if you put it like that, it sounds like a good time," he admitted, and she smiled. "Though, I do wanna say that I'm not the best with big groups. So if I go and freeze up on you, it's not because I've had a change of heart or anything."
That totally makes sense, don't worry. "Well, good thing there's only four of us, and you make five. Big groups in a climbing gym always feel kinda awkward, so we keep it small. It'll be easy – I'll show you the ropes and you'll be at the top of the wall in no time."
"Alright, then. You use LINE or Concord? I can add you so that the details are on my phone and all that."
"Sure do, same name on both. We can handle that friend request right now." While smart devices didn't need outright contact, most people who wore them clasped each other's forearm to keep their watches in range for long enough. ArgoNyaWhirlwind3 virtually shook hands with KiritoDoubleBlue just as Tomo and Kazuto physically did.
I can feel from his palm that he prefers not to wrap his hands for training. He really is serious about physical conditioning, even if he's on the skinny side.
Her new friend lingered in that grip for longer than she expected – and then she realised that his brain was rebooting after getting to feel her forearm as the flexor muscles tensed. A knowing smile overtook her features as she let him remain there, at least until the embarrassment kicked in and his hand retreated all at once.
"S-sorry, that was… I don't know, senpai– Tomo. Tomo. Again. God, I just—"
"Re~lax, Kazuto!" Her body shuddered with suppressed laughter. Turning away so that she didn't start up again, Tomo took a moment to get her giggles under control. "Or should I call you Kirito, now? It suits you almost as well."
"Ah, well– I'd like to keep online names on the Internet, where they come from, rather than blur that line," he answered, face still flush with redness.
"As our Kazu-kun wishes, then."
The karateka breathed deeply to calm himself again. "Yeah. I appreciate it. So, uh, I don't have an easy way to do this… but I've really gotta be leaving. It was nice to meet you, though!" He raised a hand in a quick wave as he arranged his things and began to hurry off at a trot.
She waved after him. "Hey, I'm glad to have met you, too. Now go, don't keep your sister waiting!"
"I won't! See you this afternoon, Tomo!"
"See you then!"