You decide that you've done all the training you can reasonably expect to fit in before the tournament, without risking some sort of burnout. Your first brush with mortal combat was certainly instructive enough to count as "training," even if most of what it taught you boils down to "hit the local sorcerers with overwhelming force as soon as possible, before they have time to pull out the big guns," and "things with tentacles need to die." You're not anticipating either of those points being too important in this tournament - certainly not in the junior division - but you're not ruling them out entirely, either. After all, when the rest of this world has magic-users and horrible gribbly things hiding in the shadows, why should this nation be any different? For that reason, you decide not to leave the hotel just yet.
Instead, you decide to spend the last few hours before bed in Cordelia's company. She proves receptive to your offer to continue honing your mutual grasp of Japanese, and seems particularly pleased when you suggest getting dinner and checking out the stores - though she advises doing the shopping first, so you won't be weighed down and sleepy with full stomachs. You spend about two hours roaming the hotel's little shops, which prove to offer a fairly diverse range of goods, most of them in the "moderately pricey" range. Even the distinctly tourist-gimmicky stuff is of a higher level of quality and cost than you were expecting - Cordelia approves, even if she ends up only buying a couple of things and spends more time talking to the sales clerks about other shopping opportunities in the area than actually shopping. On the plus side, the store personnel seem pleased that you and Cordelia are trying to learn their language, and don't mind giving you a few pointers.
Gained Japanese F
"So, Cordy," you say during a break in the impromptu lessons. "I never asked you before, but what's your take on this tournament business?"
"Part of me could hardly care less about who wins a piece of metal that says they're the best at beating other people's faces in," the brunette replies bluntly. "But from what Lu-sensei said, this thing gets participants from all over the world, and he thinks I'm good enough to be one of them. Which is completely true, of course, this is me we're talking about, but that Sensei believes it... that... means something, you know?"
You think of Cordelia's parents, who you've met all of twice in the time you've been her friend, who Amy's seen only a handful of times more often despite often visiting the Chase home, and who Cordelia herself doesn't often talk about. And you think of your own family, your Mom who doesn't really approve of fighting, your Dad who thinks that what you've been learning the last few years isn't really fighting at all, and how despite that, they both support you.
"Yeah," you admit. "It does."
Around six, you return to your rooms, drop off Cordelia's handful of purchases, and - at her insistence - clean up before heading to the restaurant. Lu-sensei meets you there, having spent the previous couple of hours dealing with registration and other tournament-related matters, as well as meeting up with an old acquaintance or three along the way. He doesn't say too much about these people, except to imply that you'll likely meet some of them over the next few days. Damn mysterious teacher routine.
"So," Lu-sensei asks, as the four of you sit down at your table, "how have your first hours in Japan treated you?"
"Not bad," Cordelia replies. "The shopping selection's a little meh, but it's hotel stores, they're only good for so much. The clerks were helpful, though, and they had some great suggestions about where to look for the REAL deals. I know exactly where I'm going when the tournament's over." Her smile is downright predatory.
"...that's nice?" Lu-sensei offers, obviously not looking forward to it. "And you, Alex?"
"Okay so far, Sensei," you answer. "I'm reserving judgement until I've had a chance to meet more people, especially ones whose paychecks aren't affected by the quality of my retail experience."