"So, Altria," you cut in smoothly, "I have to ask..."

"Yes?" she says, just a shade too quickly to be casual.

"When you were fighting Miss Kurokami, you mentioned that you trained with swords. I'm curious; are you any good?"

"I have yet to be defeated by any opponent in my age group," Altria replies without a hint of boasting, "and I have managed to force a draw or a win against several older students. On the other hand, my list of opponents to date consists of nine individuals, five of whom I train with and against on a regular basis. I cannot really consider victory against such a small pool of candidates as proof of any great skill on my part."

"What sort of blade do you use?"

"My teacher has me training with a variety of swords, actually. He says there is little point in specializing until I am older, and we have a better idea of what styles are likely to suit my adult size. My most recent practice has been with the rapier, though."

"Do you have any experience with Oriental blades?" Ayane asks.

"Not much," Altria admits. "My usual tutor specializes in Western blades and styles. Part of my reason for entering this tournament was to take the opportunity to visit some of the local schools and observe their styles." She grimaces. "That has... not gone as well as I might have hoped."

"How do you mean?" Kasumi inquires, frowning slightly.

"One of the schools I had thought to visit suffered a fire a few days ago, and will be some weeks repairing the damage before they resume classes. Another was shut down for the length of this tournament, as several of the students and at least one of the teachers will be competing; I was able to secure an invitation to observe their matches, at least." Then Altria scowls. "My third stop was in a place called Nerima."

There is a collective groan from everyone of Japanese descent.

"Okay," you say. "I think I speak for all the ignorant foreigners at this table when I ask, what's with the moaning?"

"The Nerima Ward of Tokyo has a... reputation, Alexander," Kasumi explains. "The local martial arts community is very large and very active, but also very... eccentric."

"She's trying to find a nice way to say they're all crazy," Ayane cuts in.

Kasumi sighs, but doesn't correct her friend.

"How bad is it?"

"I was there perhaps an hour," Altria replies. "In that time, I saw three men attacked on the street without warning, one in plain view of a police kiosk. The officers made absolutely no move to assist until that fight had concluded - largely destroying the contents of a shop." She shakes her head. "My teacher had arranged for me to visit a kendo dojo and face their star student in an exhibition match. Said student is a boy of nine who, in his own words, 'refused to besmirch the honor of the dojo by allowing an uncouth foreigner to lay hands upon an honorable blade, let alone raise one against a true student of the noble way of the sword.'"

You're not the only one who blinks.

"He also attacked me when I failed to leave quickly enough to suit him," Altria continues. "Completely ignoring his teacher's order to stand down in the process, I might add. The highlight of the disaster came when, after I had taken his training sword away three times and knocked him down twice, the fool bothered to listen to his master berating him for attacking a guest. The sensei happened to mention that I was a girl, at which point his idiot student began spouting some ridiculous claim that I was a 'fair and fragile maiden, forced to comport herself in a graceless, dishonorable manner by heartless barbarians with no concept of the proper roles for a blossoming flower of womanhood.'" The blonde snorts in disgust. "I am afraid I quite lost my temper at that point, and hit the buffoon hard enough to render him unconscious."

"Good," the assembled girls announce.

"Well," Ayane says, "if that idiot hasn't completely ruined your interest in Japanese swordsmanship, be sure to stick around for the Adult Division." She indicates one of the adults with a slight nod, a fairly muscular-looking man in his late thirties, who has a katana sheathed at his side. "Master Jo is an excellent swordsman. Even under tournament rules, watching him fight should be very instructive."

Altria nods slowly. "I will keep that in mind."

You might have to do that as well. You're not sure how much you can learn about using a sword, when you've no prior training and only vague inherited memories on the subject - and those of wielding weapons vastly different from a katana - but the opportunity to see an avowed master practicing his craft is not something to be passed up lightly.

With the tension between Altria and the other girls reduced, you consider what to do next. You've just about cleaned your plate - again - and could probably carry on a serious conversation with somebody without your hunger distracting you. You also haven't had so much to eat that digestion will make you stupid, at least for a while, although you're not exactly full, either.