It was around 4:00 pm that Hanabi nearly jumped into the dishwashing sink with a shriek.

A shrill ringing filled the restaurant, and she raised her suds-covered hands to stare in genuine surprise as Goro waddled over and snagged the phone off its hook.

“What is it? Who is this?! This is Goro Four Bowls of Fire! If you want money, then forget it!” He snapped. He paused, listening, then scrunched his brow. “Whaaaaaat?! Little lady, this is a business, I don’t have the time or money to have courtesy calls!” Hanabi glanced at their empty dining room… “You’re damn right you’re sorry!”

“Mr. Goro?” Hanabi tilted her head, and he huffed!

“Somebody calling for you! Why are you passing my restaurant’s phone number out like—YEEK!” Goro dove aside as Hanabi rushed him, snagging the phone out of his hand.

“Moshi moshi! This is Hanabi!”

“Oh thank goodness…” She heard a high little voice on the other end. “Hey! It’s Ai Li.”

“Aaaah, you actually called!” Hanabi giggled to herself, shimmying in place. “I’ve never gotten a phone call before!”

“Never ever?”

“Never never!” Hanabi planted a hand on her hip and beamed. “Sooooo, what’s going on with yooouuu?”

“Ah, not too much right now, I just got out of highschool. You graduated, right?”

“Yeah-huh, earlier this year!”

“I’m so looking forward to no more school.”

“I’ve still got college to look forward to, so that will be a thing.” Hanabi laughed a little.

“Watcha going for?”

“My dad wants me to take some business-type classes, wants me to be smart about owning my own restaurant some day.”

“That’s pretty smart.”

“I guess. Ooooh, Ai-chan, guess what?!”

“A-Ai-chan?!”

“Guess what!”

“W-w-what?”

“I have a new recipe I’m practicing~!”

“O-oh! Oh, is it good?!”

“It’s mouth-searing~!”

“Oh…”

“Ahem.” Hanabi turned to Goro as he glared at her. “You still have tables to clean!”

“After this phone call, Mr. Goro!”

“You ladies will run your mouths until we’re burning the midnight oil! Get to work!”

Hanabi pouted, and shook her head.

Goro’s eyes widened. “Y-you dare?! I am your guardian here young lady, I will put your butt out on the street and—” He shut up when a towel was tossed into his hands, and Hanabi’s eyes narrowed, her mouth turning dangerously small. He coughed… “Enjoy your phone call you little—” He devolved into incomprehensible ramblings as he stormed off to the tables.

Fifteen minutes later…

Goro’s head thudded against the tabletop repeatedly as Hanabi paced back and forth, phone cradled between her face and her shoulder as she gesticulated like she had an audience in front of her. “—and they put me in the brig for an hour for throwing the guy overboard!”

“That’s so lame!”

“Right?! He was the one playing grab-ass! Anyways, my dad came and got me and I wasn’t allowed on that fishing boat ever again.”

“Fishing’s dumb anyways.”

“Whaaaat? Nuh uh, fishing’s so nice!”

“Is it really?”

“It’s amazing, I swear!”

“I mean I guess, but that seems like something only old dudes and, like, suburban dads wanna do.”

“There’s something to it, Ai-chan, I promise!”

“Uh-huh… oh, right, I called you for something.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m going with some friends to the Cricket Creek Mall and wanted to invite you along. It’s three blocks east from the Woodland Road stop on the red line.”

“Oooh! An American mall!” Hanabi straightened up with a grin spreading across her face. “I’d love to go! When?!”

“Around five. We’ll probably be a little late because we’re waiting for Cassidy to get out of band class, and their music teacher is just… ugh.”

“Okay! I’ll be there. See you soon, Ai-chan~!”

She heard a squeak at the other end of the line. “Yes… yeah, okay, you will! See you soon!”

“Bye!” Hanabi hung up, and rounded on Goro, the man looking up at her with a glare. “Mr. Goro—why is your face all red?”

“Don’t you mind that, girl! Are you done?!”

“Yep! And I’m gonna head out!” Hanabi wiggled in excitement at the prospect.

“What?!” Goro barked. “And leave me with the lunch rush?!”

“You’re an incredible chef, Mr. Goro, you can handle it!”

“I—well of course I can, but—” He shook his head. “Just… be back before nine! And don’t expect me to come pick you up if you get in trouble!”

“I won’t~!” Hanabi padded into the back room.

“Don’t sound so cheerful about it, brat!”

----------------------------------------

“—on an ever-rising streak of victories. The Death Knight currently has the most victory points at fourteen; that’s two fights per day with zero losses since the tournament began.”

“Speculation shows few weaknesses in his fighting style; the wraiths scout for his ghouls, which corral the opponent straight into Graves’ arms.”

“And what strong arms he has! Countless opponents have thrown themselves at him only to find themselves beating on a brick wall capable of upending a pick-up truck! Either you tire yourself out on his horde, or get pincered between him and his minions.”

“But is this really what Master Wangui wants out of an apprentice?”

The video paused, and Ai Li breathed gently out of her nose as she watched the screen. A Reffe senior proctor was sitting in a chair across from world-renowned martial arts analyst Wang Lei Wei, while a screen behind them showed the highlights of Mortimer Graves’ most recent matches.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“If you’re really serious about this tournament,” Jaquan said in a voice full of gentle concern, “you are going to face this guy.”

“I know.” Ai Li sighed. “I’m thinking on what I can do; the guy’s tough as nails, but the Water Needle pierces through the skin.”

“I know it does, but considering how many of these zombies he summons, his ki pool must be deep.”

“I don’t doubt it, but it won’t matter if I just cut the flow.”

“And his zombies?”

“If there is ki in his zombies, I can shut them off with just a touch, right? There can’t be a lot in them, they seem to just be dust in the shape of a person.”

Jaquan sat back, rubbing his chin. He was a fairly big black boy around Ai Li’s age, and not just in height; he kept tugging his shirt down as it threatened to ride up his belly, and watching the interview on his laptop, Ai Li seated next to him on the bench, in the food court of the Cricket Creek Mall.

“Well Master Wangui isn’t a master of all styles, he is the World’s Strongest Man by the merits of his own perfected arts. He won time after time against all odds; even if their enlightenments are incompatible, the base martial arts, mentality, and training regime go a long way.”

“Are you guys watching tournament stuff again?”

Ai Li and Jaquan both looked up at a rather annoyed-looking girl carrying a tray of food and drinks.

“It’s important if I’m gunna be a part of it! I have to study my opponents!” Ai Li frowned, but brightened up when a berry smoothie was passed her way.

“Take a break, Ai, it’s not going away.” Jessica said as she sat down, a brilliantly red-headed girl in big, black glasses with a smattering of freckles across her nose. “We came here to do some shopping, not do tournament stuff.”

“But it’s cool!” Jaquan straightened up in his seat. “We have more enlightened here in the city than in any other country! People are coming from everywhere to fight in this thing!”

“Yeah yeah, and they’re big and explode-y and whatever.” Jessica popped a french fry in her mouth and put a taco in front of the black boy. Ai Li sipped her drink, still staring at the laptop.

“—thirty to one odds for Mario against Graves.”

“The odds are that generous?”

“Mario’s been bragging about a hidden ‘super skill’ that could put him over the edge, but considering he hasn’t pulled it out yet, we have no way to evaluate how he’ll deal.”

Jessica sighed heavily, sinking into her meal as Jaquan bit into his taco, both of them staring as Ai Li watched the interview.

Eventually, Jessica grumbled: “So when’s your next match?”

“Tomorrow at three, assuming this Bernard Bucci guy doesn’t try ambushing me like the last one did…”

“So how are you going to compete with somebody like this Graves dude?” Jessica asked, leaning on her cheek. “He’s got fourteen points already, you’ve only got one.”

“Yeah, you’d be at one win, one loss if somebody was recording that fight you were talking about earlier.”

Ai Li’s face flushed, her lips tightening as memories of her loss against Hanabi resurfaced… and intermingled with a frustrating feeling of excitement that she was going to come hang out with her.

“UM…” She swallowed thickly. “I invited another friend to join us, if you guys don’t mind!”

“Who?” Jaquan asked.

“If you invited Brittney again I am so done.” Jessica growled, but Ai Li shook her head.

“No, no, I learned my lesson from last time. She’s, err…” How did she put this delicately? “She’s the one who beat me in that duel the other day.”

Jaquan’s eyes widened. “You invited the person who beat you in a fight?”

“She’s really cool!” Ai Li squeaked, her shoulders sinking. “I know it sounds weird, but, like, she’s new to the city, and she’s a great fighter, and she promised we could practice some more, and she fed me food, and she has an incredible body, and her boobs are—”

“Rapidly getting into TMI territory, Ai.”

Ai Li stuck her tongue out, and sank in her seat, groaning. “I just wanna show her around, alright? She seems cool.”

Jaquan took his laptop and started surfing around the tournament website, and Jessica just shook her head. “As long as she doesn’t use my card to buy herself a purse, I’m fine with it, but if you two start throwing hands I am not sticking around.”

“I will!” Jaquan said cheerily, and Ai Li harrumphed.

“I don’t plan on it! I just…” The rush of emotions that day had inspired was difficult to fully parse, but at the end of it all, Hanabi had shown her actual respect, despite her height, despite her age, despite her country of origin…

She wanted to get to know Hanabi some more. Not just in the fighting ring, at the very least.

“You don’t gotta explain yourself, Ai, just… be cool.” Jessica advised, and Ai Li gave a short, quick nod.

“Be cool…”

“Be cool.”

“I am cool.”

“Like ice.”

“Cool like ice.” Ai Li sucked in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “I’m cool. I’m the coolest. I’m so very—HANABI!” Ai Li jumped out of her seat and waved as she saw the familiar, muscular figure of the Japanese girl emerge from the escalator. “Over here! Over here!”

Jessica rubbed her face in disbelief as Hanabi waved back, jogging over in a fairly plain sleeveless jacket and a white T-shirt depicting cartoony Japanese characters feasting on or fawning over food, and a pair of ripped jean shorts and tennis shoes.

The only thing that stood out as really unique in her outfit was the two large, metal-and-leather arm bracers she was wearing over some elbow-length, fingerless gloves.

Jaquan had to double take from the interview he was watching, staring as Hanabi approached the table. Jessica turned to look up at her with a half-interested look to try and keep the leg up in the little friend group, but it stopped with a widening of her eyes and a dropped jaw.

Hanabi didn’t seem to really notice or care as Ai Li slid out of her seat, wearing a plain tank top and a long skirt, as well as a pair of flower-decorated sandals. She didn’t have her twin hair buns, but instead, a single big bun at the back of her scalp, with two golden needles stuck through it.

The smaller girl plodded up to the bigger, wearing a big smile. “I’m glad you could make it!”

“Yeah, thanks for inviting me, Ai-chan!” Hanabi smiled, taking the shorter girl’s hand to give it a warm squeeze.

Ai Li’s face turned rosey red again, but she took in a deep breath, cooled off, and gestured to the table. “These are my friends, Jaquan and Jessica.”

“Konnichiwa! Nice to meet you both!” Hanabi held her hand out to Jessica first.

“Hi…” Jessica took the hand more on instinct for a shake.

“Y-you too.” Jaquan shook her hand after Jessica had, but as he squeezed her, he paused, turning her hand over to examine it. The nails were trimmed, unpainted, probably the softest part of her hand; her exposed fingers, however, were thick, and tough with callouses… “Huh… Ai Li wasn’t kidding when she said you were tough.”

“Heh, you have a good eye.” Hanabi tickled his palm for a moment, making him flinch, blush, and squirm in his seat, missing the way Ai Li glowered before Hanabi turned to face her with a smile. “So does this place have a kitchenware store? Some of the stuff at Goro’s needs a new shining and I was hoping to get a big big wok.”

Ai Li bobbed her head quickly. “There’s one in the west wing on the first floor. We were going to make our way there looking at clothing stores and the game store after we ate.”

“Okay! I could use some new clothes too. Some American stuff that’ll help me fit in, I guess.”

“Speaking of fitting in,” Jessica piped up, reaching over to knock her fist against the bracers Hanabi was wearing, “what the hell are these? Are these a fashion statement where you’re from?”

Hanabi laughed a little, and shook her head, raising her arm for the three teens to get a better look at them. “You’d be surprised how often I get challenged to a fight when I’m just trying to go shopping, or get to school, or whatever. It’s already happened twice while I’ve been here, so I figured if I’m gonna be tempting fate, I’m gonna keep these on while I’m out and about.”

Jessica blanched, staring more suspiciously at the big girl by her side.

“Are they just armor or are they weapons?” Ai Li asked, leaning over the table to stare.

“Both.” Hanabi turned her arm and lifted the rear end of one of the bracer’s metal cover to reveal a tube of some sort, which was fitted into some sort of mechanism snuggly contained within the bracer’s innards.

“Oh!” Ai Li thought for a moment, the other two looking confused. “Hum, what do they do?”

“Heh, maybe next time we fight I’ll show you, but I’m really hoping I don’t have to use ‘em today. Maybe I’ll get lucky!” Hanabi grinned. “Can I have a fry?” She suddenly asked.

Jessica flinched, but nodded, pushing her tray over to share with the new girl.

Hanabi bit into a fry and sighed. “Ah, I love french fries…”

“Really?” Ai Li blinked. “Aren’t you a chef? Isn’t that sorta… lesser food?”

“Mhmm.” Hanabi pondered on the remaining half of the treat. “It has about as much substance as breathing the salty breeze off of the ocean, but the salty-starch taste is light and airy enough to mentally justify eating them by the dozens, providing you with a side that can last the entire meal and cleanse the mouth of heavier more savory tastes; the crispy exterior also provides a satisfying mouthfeel as you bite in, and gives it an overall addictive quality that makes you reach for more.”

She finished off her french fry as Ai Li, Jessica, and Jaquan looked between each other with dumbfounded expressions.

“Factor in the sweetness of ketchup and you have a subtle vessel of salty, sweet, and starchy that just pops in the mouth!”

Jessica stared down at her meal of fries and an impossible burger, dipped the fry in her ketchup, took a bite, and sat there, contemplating the taste for far longer than she ever had in her life before swallowing it.

“Yeah, it’s good.” Jessica shrugged, not sure what to say as Hanabi took another fry and did the same with a grin. “Thanks, weird food lady.”

“It’s Hanabi! Hanabi Hanaya!”

“Weird food lady, got it.”