Lili's impatient foot-tapping stopped abruptly as she caught sight of the Kazama finally approaching. As usual, Asuka made her bike jump a few inches before coming to a halt, her signature smirk already in place.

"Zup Lili, sorry I'm late," Asuka tossed out casually.

"You finally arrive. I was beginning to fear you'd forfeited the match entirely, Asuka Kazama," Lili countered, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Asuka swung off her bike, parking it under a tree. "Of course, I'm not," she replied.

At that moment, for whatever reason, Lili seemed to develop a sudden curiosity with the lunk of iron that her rival seems to favor. She curled her finger into her chin and said, "Pardon my curiosity, but do you truly find that antiquated bicycle an agreeable mode of transport?"

The brown-haired girl scrunched her eyebrows together in shock and amusement as she counter-asked, "You haven't tried riding a bike before?"

Lili shook her head, "Sebastian is always there to facilitate my travels."

"But of course, your highness." Asuka teased, earning a glare from a pair of blue eyes staring at her. "You see, Princess when I travel with this bike, the wind seems to carry all my problems away."

Becoming more curious, Lili let out a short, " Hmm. I want to try. Can you teach me how to use this thing?"

"Well, sure. Just do it like this and that…" Asuka tried her best to teach Lili, but it was honestly a futile effort. As graceful as she is when she moves on her feet, Lili is not used to coordinating her body on a bicycle. She'd stomp too hard on the pedals, lose her balance, and nearly topple over.

Instead of fighting, Asuka spent her afternoon teaching an ultra-rich girl to ride a bike. You wouldn't guess it, but Asuka had a surprising well of patience when it came to teaching—all those snotty brats back at her father's dojo had toughened her up. Otherwise, her short fuse would likely be nonexistent.

Finally, she snapped. "Alrighty, Princess. This is hopeless."

"Look, this is harder than it looks!" Lili retorted, a sharp edge to her voice. She refused to be defeated by this stupid bike.

Asuka retrieved her bike, got onto it, and patted the space behind her. "Hop on; I'll just drive you. Same experience, less risk of you breaking a nail."

The Monagasque almost protested, but then a sly smile spread across her face. This was the better outcome, wasn't it? "Hmp, if you insist." She wrapped her arms around Asuka and let out a surprised yelp as they surged forward.

"Truly magnificent," she declared, the wind whipping through her golden hair.

"Told ya," Asuka replied with a grin, as they continued their ride along the riverbank. Their scheduled bout totally forgotten.