"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Ayane," you call to her. "Looking forward to it."
She pauses and glances back over her shoulder at you, surprised. Then she smiles. "Me too, Alex." Then she hurries off, seeming more relaxed than a moment ago.
"What's this?" Ayame murmurs.
"Ayane wants to see if she can learn Alexander's giant transformation technique," Kasumi explains, while you pull one of the chairs back from the table for Altria. The blonde in blue nod graciously and seats herself.
"My goodness." The older woman looks at you. "You don't mind teaching a stranger one of your skills, Mister Harris?"
"Just Alex is fine, ma'am," you tell her, taking a seat on the opposite bench. Shiden mirrors you, sitting down on his daughter's other side, while Hayate takes one of the chairs from another table, turns it around, and sits down astride it, arms resting on the back. "And no, I don't really mind teaching Ayane. The spell isn't a secret or anything, and considering that we'll probably only be able to get in a few hours of practice before the tournament ends, it'll be more like giving her a few pointers than actually teaching her the entire thing. Ayane and Kasumi both seem confident that she can puzzle out the spell working from that little information, though. I'm curious to see if she's really that good." You rub the side of your head where Ayane kicked you, and add, "She certainly fights like it."
Ayame smiles softly.
"Besides," Kasumi says then, "Alex asked for advice on performing the Body Flicker technique in exchange. Do you suppose Master Genra will allow it, Father?"
"I don't see any reason why he wouldn't," the man admits. "The Body Flicker is no secret itself, and Genra has been trying to puzzle out the particulars of that transformation since the semi-finals; he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to obtain some inside advice on how it's done. On the off chance that Genra does say no, Kasumi, I give you permission to show Alex the Body Flicker on Ayane's behalf."
Kasumi nods.
"Now then," Shiden continues, turning to you and Altria. "As to the reason why we asked for this meeting..."
He trails off for a moment. Waiting? Thinking on how to proceed? You're not sure.