Both of them looked extremely funny as their mouth was opened wide just like their eyes. There was no way they expected this. And even if they did, I had one last trick up my sleeve.

"You know, I had a childhood friend of some sort. Although we stopped hanging out already, I've still had the pleasure of seeing her figure for a long time. She rocked a curvaceous body."

Both of them still looked at me as they couldn't believe me.

"Her name, Joanne Marsh. Does it ring a bell?"

"Hey, I think I saw her on a Birchland High's forum or something?"

"Ain't she a cutie?"

Bill walked towards his phone and took it out. Johnny, walking in tow with Bill, started looking for her photo as well.

"That's why right now I'm after someone with a more substantial chest development." Moving closer, I saw what Bill found out on his phone, and there was indeed a photo of Joanne.

"Hey, won't you introduce us to her?"

"If she is your friend, we promise to date her properly."

"Both of you?" Seeing their eager faces, I could only shake my head. "I'm sorry, but we stopped talking with each other. And I heard she had a boyfriend or something. I will try my best, but I can't promise anything." I didn't feel any romantic feelings towards her, nor did I feel angry towards her. In fact, she was rather pitiful, in my opinion. She deserved a happy ending. Thinking of the duo of friends. They were still better than the one who liked filming how he fucked her.

Looking at the time on the phone, I remembered that I still needed to visit the bank and pay for tuition.

"Guys, I think I need to go, I still have something to do, and I don't know how much time it will take."

"No problem."

"Want us to look out for Reid?"

"I won't get onto his eyes, so relax. By the way, I think I will go to the main gym tomorrow. What will you do?"

"Our fights are not so far."

"We will probably come there as well. Will you spar with us?"

"Don't you have better partners?" I rubbed my scar.

"You joking?"

"The ones we got assigned aren't as physically strong as you."

"I will look into it tomorrow." I went towards the male changing room. After washing down quickly, I got into my outdoor clothes.

"See you, tomorrow guys."

"See ya!"

"Good luck taking care of your business!"

Waving my goodbyes to Bill and Johnny, I looked at the time on my own phone.

As I got up really early and spend not so long at Birchland High, it was still early in the day. Looking up the road to the bank, I've boarded the subway and took out a small plastic folder. There I started to fill the paper with a pen I took previously from home.

It didn't take me that long to reach the bank. However, seeing the queues, I've abandoned any hopes of leaving this place sooner than evening.

Sitting down, I've had only one thing left for me to do. Taking a small paper slip with my number in the queue, I plugged my earphones. Listening to the music, I've simply waited for hours until finally, it was my turn.

"Welcome, sir. How may I help you?" I was greeted by a young male clerk. He greeted me with a smile that long ago lost its vigor.

"I need to pay up for my tuition." taking up both the card with all my money and the plastic folder, I've moved it towards him.

"Have you already filled the blanks?" his attention went onto his monitor as he started typing something.

"Everything is there."

"Let me check all of the info first." He turned around for a second and took the blanks as he returned back to typing something.

After approximately half an hour, I've finally left the bank. There was nothing that hindered the payment. The sum I needed to pay wasn't flat one hundred thousands, but I needed to pay the commissions and other stuff. In the end, after deducting all the money needed for payment, I was left with a couple hundreds of SURs that I've decided to have in cash.

I've never thought of it like this. But staying in a stuffy bank, with a bunch of people bustling around, tired me more than getting manhandled by Bill or Jonny.

I decided to take the taxi back home. It was already dark outside when I finally got back home. The mental fatigue outweighed physical exhaustion.

Gobbling up whatever Annie cooked in seconds, I've taken a bath and dozed off.

Waking up the next day as I yawned, I quickly went through my morning routine. I sorted out my bag. Getting the clean set of my training clothes and equipment, I had a light breakfast. Saying my thanks and goodbyes to Annie, I took off.

I've made my way towards the main gym of Brave and Bold. Showing my face at the registration desk, I went inside the main building.

There weren't as many people around here as I thought. Most of the training equipment was left to its own device. I saw a couple sparring in one of the cages. As I walked around for a short amount of time looking for something to do, I've ultimately decided to change my clothes at first.

Getting out of the changing room, I was now in loose shorts and a tank top. Knowing how much one could sweat, I've made it a habit to dress more lightly and take a clean towel.

Still thinking of what to do, I've noticed a single figure standing at a distance from everyone. She was going here and there. Checking the equipment, making sure that there were no loose ends and everything was well-maintained. Her expression clearly told that she felt both bored and lonely.

If I wanted to have a chance against Reid, I needed to have the help of this lonely-looking woman.

Thus I slowly trotted toward Tatiana. Her thick braid of light brown hair coiled around her neck as usual. And just like her trademark braid, she looked as big as usual. She wore cargo pants with a dark camo pattern on the bottom. Her robust upper frame was barely covered by a simple white tank top. And I swear, every time she breathed in, I felt that her top would simply tear apart. Not being able to hold down the sheer volume of her chest.

"You are busy?"

"Hmm? Erlig?" with how sudden I went up to her, she looked sideways without hiding her surprise. "You are talking to me?"

"There is no one near us at the moment, right?" I mimicked her as I looked left and right but wasn't able to see anyone remotely close.

"Huh…" Her thought process was fully shown on her face. "Haha, I was checking the equipment to see if everything is all right. What happened? Are you looking for Jessie?" After getting through her initial surprise, she regained some of her usual cheerfulness.

"No, I was actually looking at you."

"Hmmm?" she looked away from the row of dumbbells. "Did you?"

"Yes, and I have an odd request. You are perhaps way too busy with training other team members." I decided to go at it from afar.

"I'm a head coach." She smiled bitterly. "Paul usually assigns others to train, and I simply supervise the whole training regime and schedule across all the members."

"And there is no one you train at the moment?" I was surprised hearing all of it.

"The last guy I wanted to train... he ran off." she shrugged. "Hahaha, he said he was too busy with training his wrestling." She tried to look like she didn't care, but it was visible that she took it close to her heart.

"Then it's great news."

"Yeah?" she winced through her fake smile as she looked at me.

"Can't you train me full time?"

The smile left her face as she had this deadpan expression, looking at me. "You are serious?"

"I'm absolutely hundred percent serious. I have a goal, and to achieve it, I will need to give it my all. And there is no one better than you in getting the best from others."

"Hrm." her eyebrows moved as she thought hard about my proposal.

"I promise to work hard."

We stood there looking at each other. Tatiana probably couldn't believe my words, while I, in turn, could only wait for her decision.

In the end, her inner struggle finished as she smiled brightly at me.

"I will talk with Paul about this. If it's coming from you, I'm up to this task. When we trained together for the first time, I felt like your body is special." She walked around me, and her big but soft hands touched me here and there.

"I'm grateful for your compliment." It was mildly uncomfortable, but I tolerated it. After sparring so many times, training wrestling, I started getting over my dislike of other people touching me.

"I want to turn this body of yours into something even better. So, If you want to get trained by me personally, I won't hold back. Is it okay with you?" She raised her eyebrow, trying to intimidate me. But seeing her sunny face, her small nose, and sparkling eyes, I couldn't see her as intimidating. Instead, I had this sudden urge to squeeze her round cheeks.

"I'm more than sure about it." I smacked myself across the chest.

"Ahahaha! Good! That's what I wanted to hear from all those brats! Finally, someone with a goal around here. Jessie was right getting you here. Hahaha!" Slapping my shoulder with a thunderous laugh, she went straight to training.

Going through the number of 'easier' tasks, I was trying my all to actually survive. It was all basic and simple exercises, but she always added on a twist. Tatiana had her own vision of how I needed to do this or that. In the end, everything she came up with increased the difficulty exponentially.

"C'mon Erlig! Move your arm! You still have two more reps to do."

At the moment, I was doing push-ups. Then why the hell she said arm instead of arms? Well, it was simple. Because I was trying to use only my left arm while my legs were crisscrossed.

"URGH!" With my veins popping up at the side of my head, I made a push-up. Now I only needed to do one more.

"One more rep." saying this as if it was my sentence, "Slap!" she slapped my butt. It was hard enough doing such push-ups, yet she sat on my back, adding some, plenty, of weight.

"ARGH!" My jaw clenched hard. The corners of my eyes were stinging from my own sweat that poured down my head like a waterfall. Feeling the movement of every muscle, I made the last repetition.

"Nice one. Now get some rest, and we will continue with another exercise." She took my towel from across her neck and wiped my face as I was in no condition to do it myself.

"Haaa…Thanks…haaa…" My heart was racing, and I felt my stomach churning.

"I knew from the beginning that you are one of a kind. Most of the guys would break thrice by the time they got here." she squatted down so that her face would be on my level.

However, as I barely managed to lift my upper body, instead of her face, it was her humongous breasts that were facing me.

And boy, it wasn't as great of payment for this torture.

"But why did you turn to me?"

"Huh?" I wheezed hard as I looked at her from downward.

"Be honest, is it to impress Jessie?" She smiled at me.

"Urgh." I rolled around and now was on my back. "No, it isn't haaa..."

"But you got to have something going between the two of you. She might look indifferent to you or to the usual members of our team... But someone like me can see how much she dotes on you."

"Even if it's like this, I don't have such an intention. And I don't think I will even date anyone. I have something more important to do."

"And if she confessed to you?"

"I will reject her just like the other one." I accidentally 'blurted' something that was actually pre-planned by me.

"The other one?" she readjusted her braid as she got surprised.

"Erm, well, yeah. Yesterday there was a girl... She is quite persistent as she confessed to me for the third time."

"No way."

"And I rejected her. I can't be in a relationship at the moment."

Now I needed to blabber to everyone what 'actually' happened yesterday. What kind of relationship Mara and I have. And Tatiana was the best choice, to begin with.