You decide to conserve your energy for now, and watch the fights in the same manner that you would anyone else's. You try to draw the girls into a discussion about the matches, but Cordelia is true to her word and refuses to talk to you, while Tatsuki wants to hear what you have to say about demons first. She looks a bit angry about it, to be honest, almost as if she thought you were trying to duck out of telling her - though you assure her that wasn't the case, you just didn't want to talk about it in the open like this.
Her reply, "Then talk quietly," doesn't leave you much in the way of wriggle room.
You end up giving the girl a brief summation, of how there are places in the world where the borders between this world and other worlds are thin enough that living beings can sometimes cross over. While some of these worlds aren't much different from Earth, a lot of them are very unpleasant places by human reckoning, and the creatures that call them home tend to be even more so, which led to them getting called "demons" in general. You don't know anything about the actual Hell, assuming it exists - Ganondorf's memories don't offer any clear evidence on the afterlife - or what, if anything, might live there, but the beings that come out of the so-called hell dimensions are bad enough.
"There's a website called 'Demons, Demons, Demons' that has pretty solid information on the most common creatures," you add. "It can tell you what to look for to identify a demon, which ones are actively dangerous and which ones are relatively safe, and how to get away from or fight them when you have to. The version we use at home is in English, but I'm pretty sure they have a Japanese mirror set up."
Tatsuki thinks on that for a while. "I'll look into that," she says. "If you're telling the truth..." She trails off uncertainly. Then, like Cordelia, she gives you some space.
While that less-than-perfect dialogue was playing out, several of the first-round matches concluded. Medaka defeated Nathan after a little over a minute; the pretty-boy wasn't close to being her match in terms of skill or strength, but he could really take a hit. Actually, he really seemed to enjoy being hit, so much so that after the first few times Medaka connected, Nathan stopped trying to block and just let her punch him. Medaka immediately asked him why he was doing that, but you were too deep into your conversation with Tatsuki to make out the boy's answer; whatever it was, it made the Announcer shout something about "masochism," while Medaka stopped hitting Nathan and started hugging him and saying she was sorry. That part was deeply bizarre, because the kinder Medaka was to Nathan, the more he reacted like he was being stabbed and begged her to hit him again. Truly, disturbingly strange. Eventually, he passed out.
The match between Heishiro and Zenkichi was much more straightforward. For about three minutes, Zenkichi's defensive, kicking-oriented style sufficed to keep his opponent at bay, Heishiro's primarily strike-based offense unable to get past the greater range of the other boy's legs. The blond couldn't quite muster enough force to put his adversary down for the count, however, and after a time, normal fatigue plus the effects of a few blows to the legs began to slow him. Zenkichi mistimed a kick, allowing Heishiro to close to punching range, and the dark-haired boy began pushing his target back, back, back - right out of the ring. All in all, a good fight, if a mundane one.
To your surprise, the small regal blonde Altria Drake took on the larger, wilder Berserker in a straight-up slugging match. Where Berserker fought with no discernible style and a shocking amount of raw power, Altria used something that was half boxing and half aura manipulation. Every time the girl's tiny fists connected or her arms snapped up to guard, there was a visible burst of reddish-gold energy - and she was alarmingly fast, shedding flares of aura with every dodge or charging blow. When it became clear that even the level of punishment she was dishing out wouldn't put Berserker down, Altria fell back, fired up her aura, and flew at the boy with what looked like a jet fighter's afterburner plume stretching out behind her. Without resorting to ki sense or magic, you couldn't be certain how strong the energy was just by looking at it, but the fact that Altria's final charge ended up knocking Berserker out of the ring in an arc some five feet high and ten long, you'd put the effect on par with your own Maximum Power technique. Altria seems to be better trained in the use of her technique, though.
There is a brief debate about whether or not Altria's final attack counted as excessive force. Considering that Berserker gets back on his feet looking none the worse for wear from it, the Announcer gives the girl the win - and then nearly gets steamrolled for his trouble when Berserker comes charging back into the ring, roaring like a lion intent on its prey.
While Altria defends herself and a bunch of shouting officials make for the ring in haste, you look around and spot Ayane, who is watching the current spectacle with visible distaste.
"Not a fan of Berserker's style, I take it?" you ask her, after walking over to join her.
"The fight is over," Ayane answers, completely unsurprised by your presence. "He lost by the rules, and instead of accepting it, he disgraces himself and the tournament like this."
"In his defense, he may not realize what he's doing."
"I can't imagine how that could be."
"You don't recognize the name he chose to enter under?" Ayane shakes her head, and you explain. "Berserkers were a legendary type of warrior, associated with the Vikings. The story goes that when the battle-rage overtook them, they would become unstoppable killing machines, even turning on their allies if they couldn't kill enough enemies to satisfy their bloodlust." Thank you, Thor comics.
"That sounds terrible," her brunette companion, Kasumi, says softly from nearby.
"It may have just been the Iron Age equivalent of bad press," you admit. "It could be that this Berserker is just a really sore loser." You look at the ring, where four grown men are struggling to restrain the snarling boy. "But then again, maybe not." You turn your back on the ring and smile at Ayane. "So, how has the tournament been treating you so far?"
"Well enough," she answers, also turning away from the spectacle. "For the record, yours was the shortest-lived secret I have ever kept." She glances at Kasumi. "And... thank you, for not forcing me to keep it too long."
"You're welcome. As it happens, I'm still keeping your secret... although I get the feeling it wouldn't be news to your friends here."
Ayane smiles. "I have no comment on that."
Kasumi looks at the two of you, puzzled. "What secret? Ayane, what's he talking about?"
The other girl, Taki, looks interested as well. Ayane resists their various entreaties and instead introduces you. Kasumi is her best friend, a resident of the same neighborhood, and Ayane's foster-father works for Kasumi's father, who is the head of an old, mostly family-run business. Taki is from another town, and her father holds a similar position with a group that has been both allies and rivals with Kasumi and Ayane's in the past. The other two girls both stare at Ayane as she talks, obviously picking up on what she's really saying, and their astonishment carries over to you, as they put the pieces together and realize what the secret you are holding for Ayane must be.
"This may be a bit out of line," you begin with an apologetic tone, "but would any of your company's workers happen to be in town on business?"
Ayane looks at you sharply. "Why do you ask?"
"My teacher said he spent several hours last night being bothered by some rather unfriendly professional sorts. I'd hate to think that they were connected to an acquaintance of mine."
The three ninja-girls trade worried looks.
"I don't think they were any of ours," Kasumi says. "Anyone from our company would have stopped by to pay their respects to Father and Brother, as the head and the heir, and we haven't had any such visitors."
"It is the same with my father," Taki adds. "And he has also not received any guests, apart from Master Shiden, Lady Ayame, Master Genra, and Master Jo."
"Kasumi's parents, my foster-father, and the father of Kasumi's brother's best friend," Ayane explains for your benefit. "And before you ask, none of them are the type to disrespect an elder."
"The thought never occurred to me," you lie.
All three girls give you the same amused half-smile.
The ring has been cleared while you were talking, and the fight between Sabin and Vargas is now underway. It's another display of mundane - if superb - skill. Either of the boys could give Ranma a good fight, although if you were going to place a bet on the outcomes of those matches, you'd put your money on the braid-wearing boy. As the flurry of punches, kicks, blocks, and evasions goes on, it's made clear that these two have fought each other before, and often; they know exactly where and how to hit one another, and by the same token, also how to best defend themselves against the other's attacks.
"This one may take a while," you muse.
"It may," Ayane agrees.
"They're quite good, though," Kasumi adds.