I had fallen asleep with the image of Mayumi in my mind. Embraced, we were dancing in Tenko, just the two of us.

But once the deep sleep came and the mind couldn’t be steered towards the pleasant thoughts, it was K that I dreamt of.

The dream was more disturbing than ever. The shadow that crawled over K wasn’t just an undefined mass anymore but it took on a distinct form of a human. With long black arms, it seized K from behind, slipped its hands under her shirt, and touched and squeezed her breast shamelessly, while its faceless head loomed between her shoulder and her neck.

K was looking at me as if she was waiting for an answer, but I didn’t know what the question was. Then, she tilted her head backward, her eyes closed, and let herself go to the shadow figure.

Her soft moans set my blood on fire. A sensation like the one I felt in the ring when Wyshnewski kept hitting my face, overcome me. Only now, I didn’t drift into oblivion but I was aware of it, watching my transformation into something unhuman as a helpless bystander.

Screaming in horror, I was awakened by my own voice, sweating like a pig.

My eyes gasped for any signs of the real world. A beam of day-light peeking through the half-closed shatters and spreading over my kitchen counter… the faint, grassy smell of tatami…the rough sheets beneath my body… used training shorts and t-shirts dumped on the floor next to my sleeping mat.

I’m fine…everything is fine.

I got up and tottered to the bathroom. Under the shower I let the cold water run over me for quite a while.

Refreshed and clear-headed I arrived at the communal dining house and saw K by the vending machine.

K, in a T-shirt and black jeans, not Yuki in a fancy dress.

I paused at a distance and observed her shoving coins into the machine. Her jaw tensed with impatience while she waited for the machine to react. She pressed her right hand against it and leaned on with her body, her eyes peering above the frames of her black sunglasses. At the thumping sound of the can sliding from the shelf into the opening, her face relaxed into a victorious smile.

I watched her grabbing the can of cold coffee and taking that first, loud sip, followed by a sigh of satisfaction.

The scene brought me relief. Everything is normal.

“Morning, K.”

“Oh, Nik san…Ohayo!” She drank more from the can. ”You’re too late for breakfast.”

“So are you.”

She adjusted her sunglasses, covering her eyes fully.

“How would you know that? Perhaps I already had it.” A smirk appeared on her lips before they touched the edge of the can again.

“It’s how you went for the coffee. From the look of it must be your first intake.”

She chuckled, lifting her index finger from the can and pointing it at me. “Very good, Nik san.”

“Did you stay late last night?”

“Mmm.” The left corner of her lips curled up. “You had an eventful evening, didn’t you?”

“It was interesting, yeah…”

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Yeah…I did…Hope you enjoyed yourself too.”

“Mmm.”

“You were in some interesting company when I left…”

“Mmm.”

Her mmms with lips pressed tightly were accompanied by small nods.

“Can’t wait for tomorrow’s training, though.”

“Mmm… Is that so…”

“Actually, K, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She gestured to continue.

“I want to enter the Grand Prix tournament in December.”

It was a decision I made last night, after returning from Tenko and replaying the whole evening in my head several times. I thought a lot about how to present such a daring proposal to K and had a whole speech prepared, but somehow, at that moment, getting straight to the point seemed the best way to go.

If K had any reaction to my words she hid it well. She remained still, looking almost frozen in time with the can in her hand. Another slow sip, her calm, relaxed manner unchanged, and then she started walking away.

I followed and closed in on her from the left side. “I know it sounds crazy.”

She snorted without breaking her stride.

“But I’m ready. I really am. I was never so certain about anything in my life. You need to let me do it, K. I will win. I know it. You need to trust me.”

She stopped and pushed her glasses up on the top of her head.

“Nik san, how shall I put this…I’m afraid, you went…” She pointed her finger at her temple and made a small circular motion. “..insane…crazy…baka….”

“No, look….I…I need to try. And you need to help me.”

She exhaled a deep breath. “This is about Mayumi chan, isn’t it?”

“N-No…not…” Her tired eyes rolled upwards. “Okay, yes, but not only. I really want to prove myself as a fighter and I can’t wait years to slowly climb up. I’m the same age as Sanada and look where—“

“Kai san? …Baah…You can’t compare…as I said -- baka…” She resumed walking.

“Fuck…wait…” I went after her and grasped her shoulder, turning her around. “K, please. All I’m asking is that you have faith in me. I’ll do anything you say, train as much as you tell me …I trust you to prepare me, but you must trust me when I say that I, under your guidance, will be ready for that tournament.”

She considered me again, her expression a bit more serious this time. I felt a gleam of hope that my words made a small dent in her categorical dismissal of my proposal.

“And look, it also works out well for you.”

Her eyebrows arched. “Does it?”

“Yeah, I mean ….you’ll become the proxy of the best fighter. I’m sure that would help your reputation, and, as a bonus, piss off Kentaro and that creepy brother of Kai. Wouldn’t you like that?”

“My reputation is just fine,” she replied in a low, defensive tone.

Fuck, I blew it!

Mentally cursing my stupid mouth I heard her giggling. “I bet…I bet Ryu would spend months preparing the most brutal strategy for Kai, only because I’m your proxy.”

I forced a grin. “But, you’re smarter than him, aren’t you?” Her sudden good mood encouraged me. “And….when I win, Kai won’t get that dinner with the Boss and Mayumi. Which is what you want too, right?”

Her gaze reconnected with mine, her giggling subsided.

“I do?”

“Oh, come on… you don’t have to pretend. You like the guy.”

“Huh?” Her eyes grew bigger, her mouth parted, as if the meaning of my words eluded her. I almost believed her bewilderment.

“I know you like him,” I repeated with more firmness. “It was pretty obvious last night.”

A moment of silence stretched between us. Her stare turned sideways, her lips pressed together in another mmm.

No resistance, no objections…This meek, almost resigned confirmation felt strangely unsatisfying. My mouth suddenly felt bitter.

“So? Will you think about it? I can’t do it without you.”

“Of course, you can’t.” She stated coldly. “You can’t do anything without me that concerns Yamato.”

“I meant--“

“I know what you meant. It’s impossible. You can’t win.”

She drew away. My breathing became shallow, I felt desperate, almost fatalistic as I gazed after her, my eyes pleading her to stop. And, after a few steps, she did.

Her shoulders went up and down in a deep breath. She took forever to turn around.

I swallowed my saliva. The ominous glow of her sunglasses on the top of her head momentarily captured my stare.

“You’ll have sparring tomorrow afternoon. Then, we’ll talk.”

That was all I got from her. I consoled myself it wasn’t a downright rejection. But, it wasn’t an acceptance either.

Sparring. My mouth got dry just thinking about it. Since I went into berserk mode with Wyshnewski I dreaded it.

Tomorrow…that’s so fucking soon…

I suddenly wished I hadn’t blurted out my request so carelessly. Baka!