"Say, Max. Why is it that I must learn to defend myself? And why do you want to learn to fight?"
I close the locker and lock my belongings inside while Emmie continues while making a knot with her belt.
"I thought you were planning to pursue management or something like that, at least an office job. Are you changing to becoming an athlete?"
I look at the red head, then go forward with a head shake to help her with her struggle. After more than a month and a dozen training sessions, she still has yet to master the way to form the appropriate knot.
"Here. You pull this through here, then pass this below, make a turn, then another loop, before you pull the two ends. Like this!"
"Hn~!"
I give Emmie a stink eye, making her complain.
"Why are you blaming me? You were being too rough."
It is true that I just dumped my frustrations at her cluelessness on her by being a little rough, but was that a reason to produce questionable sounds in a semi-public place like this?
Emmie smiles ingratiatingly under my glare, then jumps forward to hug me and placate me with her softness. I roll my eyes and drop the charge.
Emmie reads me like an open book and her smile widens.
"So, will you become an athlete? Will you have the time then to come see me swim?"
I push her away to make the final adjustments to our outfits while finally addressing her queries.
"No, I'm not trying to become an athlete, so don't worry, I will be coming to see you swim. I won't miss the spectacle, especially if you managed to participate in competitions."
I can't help but smile at the last part. It is like I'm taking care of a child, not a teenager the same age as me. But I have to admit, that naive and energetic persona the red head has is truly cute. It is no wonder she has her following at school.
Maybe that is actually what her mother has noticed, and thus she had made the decision to help her daughter keep her libido in check to avoid her becoming promiscuous.
I silently give a thumb up to the open-minded woman who has always behaved more like a friend than an aunt.
"Let's go. And consider coming with me to find a part-time job. If not for yourself, you can think of it as earning the money to buy Helene a gift. Maybe a box of toys."
Helene is the name of Emmie's mother. Me calling her like that shows just how much she has pushed to make our relationship a friendship between girls. A red head like her daughter, and young at heart. A bit like my mom, though each with their own approaches to keep their daughters as close as possible, and their hearts as open as possible.
The comparison brings memories which make me smile softly. I turn and see Emmie's thoughtful look, I shake her and pull her along.
"You can think about it later. I'm still thinking of what job to go for. I will tell you when I have narrowed down the choices, and you will tell me your decision."
"Alright then. Let's go."
The corridors of the club are brightly lit. That makes them comfortable to walk through. We soon reach the training area. To the side, there were the training tools, though not as elaborate as the gym part where those true members of the club train like athletes, or as aspiring athletes.
The hall is already alive with the rest of the trainees. I walk to the side with Emmie to start stretching and warming up like the rest. Of course, some are more casual, forming small groups to chat. Everyone has their own objective for coming here, and as Elijah introduced at the beginning, there is training for health, for self-defense, and for true mastery.
In a low crouch while facing each other and stretching our legs, Emmie glances around then looks at me.
"Max, you have still not told me why you didn't choose self-defense like me. Actually, if not for you pushing me, I would have chosen the first option instead."
I look at my friend while calmly regulating my breath. I only ask her a single question.
"Do you remember Tyne?"
The bright gleam in the red eyes across from me suddenly have a shadow cast over it. As carefree as Emmie may be, I know she has been affected by what happened before. She keeps smiling, says nothing, and enjoys life, but deep down, I don't doubt that fear must have found a corner to nestle in.
Even though she had been knocked out straight away and left behind, no one can wake up at the hospital after inexplicable circumstances difficult to understand without caring at all, especially not when what has preceded the situation is what can be straight up called a betrayal by a figure of authority supposedly worthy of trust, unwavering trust.
So, yeah, Emmie definitely remembers that handsome and refreshing chemistry teacher. Even after years, she will definitely still remember.
"Inherently, girls are weaker than boys. I just don't like that feeling of weakness, so I have decided to counterbalance it. Even if you can't commit like me, I want you to be able to stand strong on your own. I will not always be able to reach you in time if and when something happens, so I don't want you to have nothing to rely on."
Emmie quiets down while I continue warming up. After a minute, she sighs.
"Alright, I will take the classes seriously."
I smile at those words. That makes Emmie roll her eyes, before she returns her focus to the warm up exercises.
I hold her hands to lead her further down and work on loosening her joints more.
"I will train with you at my place whenever we can."
Emmie gives me an unimpressed sidelong glance.
"Just say that you want to bully me."
"Hahaha… I only want to keep your determination strong."
"Yeah, that's right, I believe you. So before that, I will take some interest with a preemptive strike."
Saying that, Emmie stops exercising and jumps onto me. She topples me down onto the training mat to tickle me after sitting on me. I can't believe she is ignoring everyone around to start a fight. Even as our clothes become messy and I laugh despite myself, I'm noting this grudge down. I swear I will make her pay later, away in a bedroom, when she will be naked and at my mercy.