Tiger quickly got out of bed and started getting ready for school. After changing into his school clothes, he left his rental home and arrived at school some time later. As he walked along the footpath near the school ground, someone suddenly tapped him from behind.
Tiger turned around and saw his sir.
"Oh, hello, sir. Good morning. How are you?" Tiger asked.
"I'm fine. And good morning," his sir replied. "You're doing fine too, right?"
"Yes, sir. I'm perfectly fine."
His sir looked at him for a moment. "Hmm..." He then pointed toward a nearby bench. "Alright. Sit here for a moment."
Tiger sat down, and his sir sat beside him. For a few seconds, there was silence before his sir suddenly asked, "Tell me honestly. Are you having any problems?"
Tiger became slightly nervous. He quietly took a breath before answering, "No, sir. Not at all."
His sir looked at him carefully.
"Alright," he said. "At least you sound confident enough for me to know that you're not lying."
Both of them then looked toward the school ground. A large number of students had gathered there, and two boys were practicing martial arts inside a circle formed by the others. Around fifty or sixty students were sitting around them, apparently waiting for their own turns.
Tiger looked toward them. "Sir, are they training?"
His sir glanced at him. "Do you want to train too?"
Tiger felt slightly surprised by the sudden question.
"If you want me to," Tiger replied.
His sir smiled slightly. "Well, that's what I wanted to hear. Or maybe not... I don't know. Anyway, shall we go there?"
Tiger nodded, and both of them began walking toward the group.
"Sir, what belt do you think they'll have?" Tiger asked while walking.
His sir replied casually, "We'll find out when we see them."
As soon as they reached the group, the two students who were fighting immediately stopped and bowed toward Tiger's sir.
Tiger's sir looked around.
"Are you all practicing something here?"
One of the students answered, "We're practicing for a martial arts tournament."
Tiger's sir raised an eyebrow. "Really? Nobody told me that all of you were practicing for a martial arts tournament."
He then pointed toward Tiger.
"Would anyone like to fight him?"
One of the students immediately stepped forward.
"Sure," he said. "I'm ready."
Tiger walked inside the circle while the student who had stepped forward stood directly in front of him. The other students moved slightly backward, giving both of them enough space.
The boy smiled.
"I'm Kai," he said. "Nice to meet you. This will be a mutual combat match, okay?"
Tiger nodded.
"I'm Tiger. Nice to meet you too."
They shook hands.
Kai smiled slightly. "You probably didn't need to introduce yourself. I already know you because of your fighting. But still, it was necessary."
He stepped backward.
"So... shall we start our friendly fight?"
Tiger nodded.
Both of them created some distance between themselves and raised their hands into fighting positions.
Kai looked around at the students.
"When they count to three, the fight starts."
The students around them immediately began counting.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
The moment they reached three, Tiger immediately rushed toward Kai. He attempted a fast kick toward Kai's head, but Kai quickly dodged the attack. Their distance suddenly became extremely close, giving Kai an opportunity to counter.
Kai used the opening and struck Tiger's stomach with a martial arts technique.
Tiger slid backward slightly.
Kai's expression immediately changed.
"Wait, are you okay?" Kai asked with hesitation. "Did I hit you too hard?"
Tiger stood normally as if nothing had happened.
"No. I'm completely fine."
Kai stared at him for a moment.
"Oh... alright then."
This time, Kai rushed toward Tiger and attempted another kick toward his head. Tiger quickly avoided it and immediately countered with a powerful backward kick. Kai's hand was positioned near his stomach, and the force of Tiger's movement caused Kai to hurt himself badly while trying to block it.
Tiger immediately stepped toward him.
"Are you okay?" Tiger asked, supporting him.
Kai slowly straightened himself.
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing."
Afterward, Kai drank some water and rested for two or three minutes. Once he felt better, he returned to the circle.
Tiger and Kai looked at each other.
Then both of them bowed, officially ending their friendly sparring session.
Tiger walked back toward his sir.
"Sir, you didn't say anything during my fight with Kai?"
His sir looked at him.
"It's practice time. I shouldn't interrupt you."
Tiger listened.
"If I started talking, both of you could have become distracted. Didn't you notice that nobody said a single word during the fight?"
Tiger nodded.
"Oh. I understand."
His sir looked toward the sky before speaking again.
"Anyway, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are holidays. Saturday and Sunday."
Tiger listened carefully.
"So take some rest during those days. Go somewhere outside and spend some time in nature, understand?"
Tiger nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Soon afterward, school was over.
Tiger left the school and returned to his rental unit. After everything that had happened during the day, he quietly went to his room, lay down on his bed, and eventually fell asleep.