.
The newcomer took his stance confidently, making small hops to warm up.
— So, kid, you're not even taking a guard? Confident for a little girl, huh?
Hinata, calm, arms down by her sides:
— The winner is the one who makes the other give up, right?
The muscular guy, sneering:
— Exactly. So if my punch hurts too much, you're allowed to scream your surrender!
He stepped left, then right, following with a well-controlled charge, typical of an experienced boxer. His muscles rolled beneath his skin, his breath grew heavier.
But Hinata… didn't move an inch.
And suddenly, everything flipped.
A sharp sound, an imperceptible movement, and the giant found himself pinned to the ground, immobilized in a perfect arm lock.
The whole room froze.
Mayohi, mouth agape, understood nothing anymore.
The muscular guy, shouting:
— HAAAAA! Stop, damn it, it hurts!!
Hinata tightened her grip slightly, her face cold, almost expressionless.
— So, do you surrender?
— Let me go! Grappling fights are for weaklings! Come on, let's exchange fair punches!
Hinata released him without a word. He rolled to the side, coughed, got back up. The air vibrated with a new tension.
This time, the guy charged with a brute force left hook. Hinata pivoted slightly, dodged with an almost nonchalant ease… and struck.
One hit.
Right under the nose.
The giant fell to his knees, holding his face as a trickle of blood escaped between his fingers.
— Damn... it hurts!!
Hinata slowly approached, clenching her fist, her gaze tough and composed.
— This is only the beginning.
The giant, trembling, raised his hands in surrender.
— I give up! Damn, I don't want to fight anymore!!!
A heavy silence filled the room. You could only hear the spectators' breathing and Mayohi's pounding heart.
She, eyes wide open, could only whisper:
— …She crushed him.
The giant hadn't finished his sentence when a thunder of cheers erupted in the room.
The muscle-bound guys forming the circle around the ring shouted joyfully, jumping.
— Hina! Hina! Hina!!!
They climbed into the ring laughing, lifting Hinata high like a living trophy.
She, a bit embarrassed, gave a small smile — her dark strands stuck to her forehead by sweat, her gaze still calm despite the uproar.
— Just look at him! — one shouted pointing at the groaning giant on the floor. — Not so cocky now, huh?
— Damn, you should've seen your face, dude! — another chuckled, slapping his thigh. — You looked like you saw a ghost!
— Nobody can beat our Hina, kid! Nobody!!
The room burst into collective laughter, the newcomer standing up with a feigned indifferent air.
He wiped the blood still trickling under his nose and grumbled:
— Meh... I wasn't really in shape today, that's why I lost.
— Yeah, yeah, sure, "not in shape"! — one of the beefy guys mocked. — Just say you tasted reality!
Hinata, still carried on the shoulders of two giants, vaguely raised her hand as if to say "enough."
But their voices only rose, repeating her name in unison.
— Hina! Hina! Hina!!!
The vibrations of the floor echoed throughout the room.
Below, Mayohi remained still.
She looked at Hinata, perched above all these giants, the neon lights casting an almost unreal aura on her.
Sixteen years old.
Barely sixteen.
And yet… she had just knocked down a monster over six feet three, more than a hundred kilos of pure muscle.
Without the slightest fear. Without hesitation.
Mayohi felt a rush of warmth rise inside her—a mix of admiration, disbelief, and genuine joy.
She rubbed her eyes as if to check she wasn't dreaming.
Then, a smile formed on her face.
— You're really incredible, Hina… she whispered.
— You're clearly in your element here.
Hinata, carried in triumph, met her gaze at that moment.
Their eyes locked for a second—and without a word, Hinata gave her that small discreet smile that said it all.
The guys finally put Hinata down, stepping back a little, exhaling and shaking their heads.
Hinata straightened her shoulders and said to them, calm but sharp:
— You'd better go continue training before your masters arrive.
One of the muscle guys, arms crossed, rolled his eyes:
— We were already warming up, but we wanted to see the new guy take his initiation first, nothing more.
This remark caused several others around to burst out laughing, while the newcomer frowned and tried to justify himself:
— Hey! That's not true, I...
One of the biggest, a giant with impressive shoulders, raised his hand and firmly proposed:
— Come on, 400 push-ups to warm up.
The others nodded enthusiastically. One burst out:
— 400 push-ups? Theo's gonna puke and pass out again like last time!
Theo, another muscle guy with a large scar across his skull, raised his hand in protest:
— Shut up! It's because I didn't eat this morning before coming!
The rest burst into laughter, teasing poor Theo before starting to walk toward the training corner, shouting and joking while warming up.
Meanwhile, Hinata approached Mayohi, who watched her with wide-open eyes, still speechless.
— You're really strong, Hinata… I don't think my brother could even have put up a decent fight against the one you faced, how can they all respect you here?
Hinata sighed softly, relaxing her shoulders slightly:
— Let's just say… there was a time when I had to face them all… and I beat them all.
Mayohi took a step back, eyes wide, almost incredulous:
— Damn… you're really a monster! Maybe you're an ogre trapped in a little girl's body!!
Hinata let out a small chuckle, shook her head, and shrugged:
— You're talking nonsense… I just train a lot.
Mayohi looked at her, a smile of wonder forming on her lips:
— A lot, huh… yeah, it shows!
For a moment, Hinata let her gaze drift toward the ring where the new muscular guy still groaned under the teasing of his comrades. She sighed inwardly, as if that scene brought back too many memories: fights, confrontations, victories, humiliations… Then she refocused on Mayohi and gave a slight smile.
— Come on, let's keep training. Even if it's not to beat someone today, it feels good.
Mayohi nodded enthusiastically:
— Yes! But I warn you… I'm not ready to catch up to you anytime soon.
Hinata chuckled lightly:
— Good. If you catch up to me too quickly, it'd get boring.
They walked toward a free corner of the room, muscles still warmed from the previous atmosphere, and began to warm up and follow through movements. Around them, other practitioners threw impressed glances, whispering among themselves about this young girl capable of mastering a giant in the blink of an eye.
Mayohi, breathing a little heavily after a few strikes, stopped and murmured:
— Seriously, Hinata… how do you stay so calm after all that? I'd still be shaking if I had to face those monsters.
Hinata shrugged, frowning slightly:
— You get used to it… when you have no choice.
Mayohi took a deep breath, admiring, trying to keep up with the combos.
— You really have something in you… something I've never seen before.
Hinata looked at her for a moment, a barely perceptible gleam in her eyes:
— Maybe… but it's just training. Nothing else.
Mayohi understood that behind this apparent normality, Hinata carried a world of fights and forces no one else could imagine. She smiled more resolutely to stay by her side, and continued training, ready to learn, even a little, from the mystery that was Hinata.
Leaving the room, Hinata slung her bag over her shoulder while Mayohi was already chatting, full of energy.
— Honestly, I'll remember this all my life, said Mayohi, waving her arms. I think the guys will have nightmares about you! You should've seen the new guy's face when you crushed his ego!
Hinata looked up to the sky, expressionless:
— I didn't break anything at all… he'll get over it.
— Maybe, replied Mayohi with a small laugh, but his pride is in intensive care!
Hinata shook her head slightly, but the corner of her lips betrayed a discreet smile.
They walked side by side in the still warm late afternoon street. As always, Mayohi led the conversation, pulling Hinata from one topic to another, jumping from theme to theme without ever losing breath.
— By the way! Did you know the main teacher wants us to prepare a presentation in pairs? Mayohi suddenly asked.
Hinata grimaced slightly:
— …I wasn't listening.
— I'm not surprised with you, Hinata, not surprised anymore, replied Mayohi laughing. But I don't want to be paired with someone boring… so you'll do it with me. That's it. Decided.
Hinata sighed, resigned:
— …Alright.
They turned a corner and came upon a small café with a warm façade, emitting the smell of coffee, ice cream, and melted sugar.
— Ooooh I want something to drink! exclaimed Mayohi. Come on Hinata, hurry up!
Hinata opened her mouth to refuse:
— No, I'm going home, I don't—
Too late. Mayohi grabbed her by the wrist and literally pulled her toward the door laughing:
— No discussion, come on! It's on me!
— Hey! Wait… sighed Hinata, letting herself be dragged despite herself.
A few minutes later, they were both sitting at a small round table by the window. Mayohi was savoring a caramel vanilla ice cream, Hinata a plain milk ice cream—the one she always took to avoid too much flavor.
Mayohi, between quick spoonfuls, already launched another anecdote:
— So, you'll laugh! Today, a guy hit on me again. But this time, he was like a… failed poet. He started reciting a poem about my "eyes sparkling like sacred fireflies." It was… embarrassing. I ran away.
Hinata raised an eyebrow, silent for a moment, then sipped her ice cream:
— …"Sacred fireflies"?
Mayohi burst out in a muffled laugh:
— Yes! I swear! And he put his hand on his heart, all dramatic! He looked like an actor in a low-budget romantic movie!
Hinata turned her eyes away slightly, a small amused sparkle crossing her gaze:
— …He seemed determined.
— Determined? Hinata, he was weird. Even I was scared, and I'm brave! Well… sometimes.
Hinata took another bite of her ice cream, thinking for a second.
— At least he was polite.
Mayohi stared at her, mouth open, then burst out laughing:
— Hinata… you're really a case. I run away, and you make excuses for people!
Hinata shrugged, a simple but gentle gesture:
— There's no point in stressing about it.
Mayohi smiled, watching Hinata for a moment—the calm way she drank her ice cream, her neutral but never cold expression, almost soothing.
— You're special, she murmured. In a good way.
The conversation continued like that, light and full of little surprises.