《Violaceous Storm》 Chapter 1 Duels and random fights were common at Panda Academy. Taking serious injuries in those duels and fights were common as well. But this? This was just a one-sided beating. For the last few minutes Reyna had been watching in quiet fury as Kyo pummeled a girl in a blue uniform with vicious brutality. It had started out as a simple back-and-forth, but then Kyo got more aggressive. First it was a blackeye, then a bloody nose, then a dislocated shoulder, and it only got worse from there. At this point the poor girl was just trying to stay conscious while Kyo rained blows down on her. Reyna¡¯s blood boiled over from watching it. She latched onto the small fence that made up the sparring ring, ready to jump in. She was about to, but someone grabbed at her shoulder. It was another girl in blue uniform, Hotaru if she remembered correctly. ¡°Don¡¯t do it Rain, it¡¯s not worth.¡± It probably wasn¡¯t, the sparring area was filled with girls in red uniforms, students in the Crimson Branch of the school. Reyna herself was in the Sapphire Branch, along with Hotaru and the girl Kyo was fighting. Attacking the opposing branch like that would mean being a target for hazing at best. ¡°But¡­¡± Reyna looked back at the fight. Kyo¡¯s opponent was on the ground, unconscious. Despite that fact Kyo continued to kick at her. That was the last straw for Reyna. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to stop her.¡± She shrugged the Hotaru¡¯s hand off, hopped into the sparring ring, and marched straight for Kyo. ¡°Hey!¡± She called out. ¡°Leave that girl alone.¡± Kyo turned to Reyna with an annoyed look, her green eyes glaring into Reyna¡¯s blue ones. ¡°This is a duel. Stay out of it and get out of the ring, blondie.¡± Reyna narrowed her eyes back at Kyo. ¡°You¡¯ve already won, so stop it.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Kyo kicked the girl in the ribs, getting out a soft groan from her. ¡°Guess you¡¯re right, she¡¯s out cold. Shame she couldn¡¯t last more than five minutes.¡± Reyna clenched her fists tight. ¡°Why? Why did you go that far?¡± Her voice was on the edge of outright yelling, but Kyo only shrugged in response. ¡°Eh, because I could I guess. I felt like kicking someone around for a bit, and Miss Weakling over there agreed to go at it with me until I was satisfied.¡± Reyna¡¯s face contorted in fury. Kyo snickered in response and gave a feral grin. ¡°Saaay blondie, you wanna¡¯ be my next opponent? I¡¯m still not satisfied yet.¡± Reyna¡¯s eyes went to the girl Kyo knocked out. She was still bleeding from a blow to her nose as well as several other cuts around her face. It looked like her face was slammed into a wall. Knowing Kyo it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if she tried pulling that. Not satisfied¡­ after doing that to her opponent? Reyna turned to Kyo with a glare. ¡°You¡­¡± A crowd started gathering around the ring now. It seemed they were expecting a serious fight between rival factions was about to happen. ¡°Hey look, Rain and Kyo are going to fight again.¡± A voice said. ¡°Geez, these two always but head, don¡¯t they? Wonder who¡¯ll win this time?¡± ¡°My money¡¯s on Kyo, she¡¯s won the last few matches, right?¡± ¡°I dunno¡¯, Rain¡¯s been training pretty hard lately, right?¡± ¡°God, these two always go too far when sparring. Is the branch rivalry that bad?¡± ¡°Heh, looks like we got an audience.¡± Kyo slammed a fist into her open palm, giving a sadistic grin. ¡°Well blondie, whaddaya¡¯ say? You ready for a beatdown?¡± Reyna glanced at the crowd, feeling the piercing stares on the two. Mostly red uniforms around, very few people in her branch, and no teacher to intervene. Reyna let out a quiet sigh, but took a stance and prepared for battle. Kyo gave a laugh and did the same.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Good luck~¡± Reyna pouted at Kyo¡¯s sarcasm, but went forward for the first blow to start off the match, slamming her palm into Kyo¡¯s chin. She followed up with a kick at her shin and the fight was off from there. Kyo staggered, but recovered quick and rammed her fist into Reyna¡¯s gut to retaliate, then smashed her knee to Reyna¡¯s face she doubled over. Blood spurted out from the blow and Reyna staggered back. Relentless, Kyo pushed and pinned Reyna to the fence and started punching at her ribs. Every hit proved Kyo was out for blood, and group of Crimson Branch students were cheering on each connected hit. Reyna was sure Kyo was trying to break a rib or two her punches were so vicious. Reyna headbutted Kyo to make her back off and pushed her to the ground. Now Kyo was bleeding, and eager for revenge. She grabbed Reyna by the legs, pulled her down onto her back. Reyna kicked her off and hopped to her feet, kicking Kyo to the ground in the process. Kyo shot back up quick and the two glared at each other. The volume of the crowd increased as the fight was reaching its peak. ¡°Wow, they don¡¯t pull their punches, huh?¡± ¡°Seconds in and already there¡¯s blood. Shouldn¡¯t we get the instructors involved?¡± ¡°Nah, this is normal in all their fights. I¡¯m pretty Kyo broke a rib there.¡± ¡°Broken bones?! But they¡¯re only 14, right? That¡¯s way to brutal¡­¡± The two stared each other, both retaking their stances and ready to go at it again. Reyna wasn¡¯t going to let this girl keep doing as she pleased anymore. Her bullying and abuse of the weak was going to end. This was going to be the day she taught Kyo a lesson in humility. Both began to ran at the other until they heard a voice speak up above the crowd of students. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough you two.¡± The crowd was silent in an instant. Reyna knew that voice. It was Instructor Pairon, one of the head instructors. She heard two claps soon after hearing the instructor¡¯s, and the crowd parted to let the woman into the sparring ring. She looked at Reyna, then at Kyo, and then sighed before turning to the crowd. ¡°Okay everyone, free practice is over, head back to class.¡± The crowd dispersed, the chatter between them growing more and more distant. All that were left was Reyna, Kyo, and the girl Kyo had knocked out, and Pairon, who helped the knocked out girl onto her feet and sent her off to the nurse¡¯s office. Once that was settled she turned back Reyna and Kyo. ¡°Okay you two, this is the fifth time this week you¡¯ve gotten into a fight with each other. I know fights between the Crimson and Sapphire Branches are common and encouraged, but this is getting out of hand.¡± She sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Barely 14 and already having fights at this level of injury¡­¡± ¡°But ma¡¯am, Kyo was bullying someone, I was just stopping¡­ her.¡± Reyna paused, bringing a hand to her face, wiping the blood from her nose. That knee to the face made all her sound more nasally than she thought. Kyo stifled a laugh. ¡°A-Anyway, Kyo was going way past standard sparring rules.¡± ¡°I told you me and that chick agreed to fight until we felt like stopping.¡± ¡°Yeah right, you were just picking on someone for no reason!¡± ¡°Shut up, I was not!¡± ¡°You were too!¡± ¡°Both of you, stop.¡± Pairon¡¯s sharp words cut right through their argument. ¡°I¡¯ve was watching Kyo and Elena¡¯s fight Reyna, she¡¯s right, both agreed to a fight with no time limit and laxer rules.¡± Reyna turned to Pairon, scowling. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you stop them?¡± Pairon look Reyna in the eye with an icy stare. Reyna tensed up. Pairon was about to speak but paused. She sighed again, speaking in a gentler tone. ¡°Reyna, it¡¯s not my place to stop them. You know the rules here, injuries are to be expected and learned from. And so long as it¡¯s between students of equal rank, there¡¯s no need for me to stop it.¡± Reyna frowned, but said nothing against it. Those were indeed the rules at the academy, as much as Reyna hated them at times. ¡°In any case, you two have been starting fights with each other too many times, so I¡¯m going try and get both of you to settle down.¡± Reyna and Kyo looked at Pairon in disbelief. ¡°How?¡± Kyo asked. ¡°By sticking you two somewhere you can fight every day at any time with no restrictions.¡± Both girls looked at each other, then at Pairon. ¡°Which is¡­?¡± ¡°The Violaceous Dorms.¡± Both girls were silent, giving Pairon blank stares. ¡°Right¡­ so few students are bad enough for that dorm no one knows about them.¡± Pairon cleared her throat. ¡°The Violaceous Dorms are dorms where we hold a special curriculum for especially violent and unruly students. The dorm rooms are dedicated to one-on-one battles, the classes focus on combat and in a small group session, and most come out of the Violaceous Dorms as proper students with a better understanding of both branches.¡± Reyna and Kyo looked at each other in disbelief. Me? Get along with her? No way. Both girls glared at each other, then at Pairon. ¡°But Ma¡¯am-¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Pairon cut Reyna off. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to the higher ups about making this official, but for now you two are to wait in your dorm rooms until further notice.¡± Both Reyna and Kyo looked at each other, glaring before marching off to their respective dorm rooms. Ugh, what a day¡­ Chapter 2 ¡°Words can¡¯t describe how disappoint I am in you, Reyna.¡± The Dorm Advisor continued her lecture, pacing around the lobby with several other students watching. ¡°You¡¯re one of the most well-behaved students in your grade, given so many privileges and exceptions due to your parents¡¯ standing, and you¡¯ve gone and thrown it away. For what? A petty rivalry?¡± She pulled out a piece of paper, waving it around as she shook her head. ¡°The look on my face when I read this notice from the board. Our brightest, most prestigious student being carted off to the detention dormitory.¡± She gave a heavy sigh, shaking her head again. ¡°Absolutely disgraceful. Did you think you could do as you please just because of your standing here?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak!¡± Reyna winced from the sudden shout. ¡°You¡¯ve lowered the reputation of not only yourself, but your family and fellow students Reyna-Mei Song! You¡¯ve lost the right to explain yourself!¡± She folded the sheet of paper, huffing. ¡°Go to your dorm and start packing. Don¡¯t come out for the rest of the day. You should reflect on the trouble you¡¯ve caused everyone.¡± The Dorm Advisor pointed to the first-floor hallway, glaring at Reyna. With slow steps Reyna walked to her room, her jaw clenched. She kept her face as straight and neutral as she could keep it while biting back the tears. Several of the other Sapphire members whispered and snickered as she passed by. She looked down at the ground to avoid glaring at them, clenching her fists. So unfair¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­ ¡°Are you okay, Rain?¡± Just as Reyna was about to enter her dorm room, she saw Hotaru standing at the door, staring at her. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± She paused, fighting back the tears from the lecture. ¡°No, not really. You can come in.¡± Hotaru rose her eyes in shock, dipping back a little. ¡°Really?¡± Reyna nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡­ really need someone to talk to.¡± Hotaru came in behind Reyna, a worried look on her face before she stared wide-eyed at Reyna¡¯s dorm room. It wasn¡¯t often Reyna let people into her, and for good reason. It a private dorm room for one, something very rare among the entire academy where most dorm rooms held anywhere from four to even nine people per room. On the walls were an array of awards, ribbons, medals, and trophies she won from competitions and tournaments. Her bed was a full size as oppose to the usual twin size beds of normal dorms, with several pillows and personal beddings on it. Above the bed was flag with her family¡¯s company logo, a white star with a blue thunderbolt going through it on a blue background. Next to her bed was a sword propped up in a small display case, a replica of her family sword. It took a lot of convincing and good grades for the school to grant her permission to have it on school property, but it was worth it. The benefit of having parents that were beneficiaries and sponsors of the school. Though now all that work and effort was for naught. ¡°Wow Rain, this is a nice room. I¡¯m kind of jealous.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Reyna gave a smile, blushing. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll stay nice until I get back.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± Hotaru looked down, frowning. Another reason Reyna didn¡¯t let people in her dorm that often. Most people reacted like Hotaru, surprised, in awe, a bit envious, but that was all. Others¡­ others didn¡¯t take kindly to Reyna¡¯s privileges, and the more fights Reyna could avoid, the better. So she kept most people out. Though with this being her impromptu last day at the Sapphire Dorm, she saw no harm in letting a friend see the last bit of privilege she had before leaving it behind. Her leaving this room would likely have it open up to the public again, and people in her grade would start confirming rumors about her status. Coming back would¡­ probably have its own issues down the road, but she could worry about that later. ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but speak aloud. ¡°I didn¡¯t even throw the first punch, and I was protecting someone. Is trying to stop a pointless fight so wrong?¡± Sure, a lot of it came down to stepping into said fight, but it also kept other students safe, at least the ones not able to protect themselves that well. Being a shield to protect others or a sword to strike at evil. That was the goal. That was justice, at least to Reyna. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so.¡± Hotaru answered. Reyna looked at Hotaru, off guard at first, but smiled. At least someone agreed with her. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think Miss Justice Seeker would get into so much trouble today.¡± Reyna frowned at the comment, seeing a brown-haired girl and pointed ears poke her head into Reyna¡¯s room. ¡°Hello Shura,¡± Reyna frowned, not hiding her disappointment. Shura walked right into Reyna¡¯s room, looking over the place, whistling.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Wow, nice place. I guess it pays to have rich parents.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Reyna wasn¡¯t in the mood to play games, especially with this elf. Shura gave a playful smile. ¡°Oh, you know, just wanted to see if you were balling your eyes out,¡± She said, grinning, making weeping motions with her hands. ¡°You were nearly crying after the advisor was done tearing into you.¡± Reyna¡¯s jaw tightened. Of all the- She took a sharp breath, making sure her next words came out as calmly as she could manage. ¡°Did you need something? Or are you here antagonize us?¡± Shura shrugged. ¡°Oh, calm down Rain, I¡¯m just seeing how you¡¯re holding up.¡± Reyna kept a hardened expression until Shura¡¯s playful expression turned more neutral. ¡°Elf¡¯s honor, Rain. I¡¯ll knock it off.¡± Reyna let out a sigh after that, shaking her head. ¡°Well I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Shura said, leaning against the wall. ¡°But man, fifth time this week. Do you hate that girl or something?¡± Reyna frowned. ¡°She¡¯s just violent and temperamental.¡± ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± Reyna let out another sigh. ¡°Did you want to say anything else?¡± ¡°Yeah, heard you were going in the Violaceous Dorm?¡± ¡°I am,¡± ¡°Good luck. I heard it¡¯s pretty bad.¡± ¡°How bad?¡± Shura frowned, shivering in mock fear. ¡°Juvie bad. A bunch of thugs and gangs, some underground stuff behind the teachers¡¯ backs, the works.¡± ¡°Uuugh¡­¡± Reyna sank into her bed, clutching her head. Not only was she going to be forced into a dorm with her enemy, she was going to be with a bunch of bad kids too. She was going to get eaten alive in a place like that. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ figure something out.¡± Shura smirked. ¡°Oh, you will. This might be a chance for Miss Justice Seeker to tame all the evil delinquents at the school.¡± Reyna and Hotaru exchanged looks, then looked at Shura. ¡°Am I really like that?¡± Shura nodded. ¡°Totally,¡± She took a battle stance, one leg up, one hand stretched upward, making a gesture as if she was holding a sword. ¡°Begone foul villains, for I, Reyna-Mei Song, will stop your evil deeds!¡± Reyna nearly fell out of her bed from the awful impression of her. Hotaru covered her mouth to hide her smile, failing. ¡°Do I really act like that?!¡± Reyna looked to Hotaru for a second opinion. Hotaru fidgeted, shaking the smile from her face. ¡°W-Well¡­ you just get that look in your eye and jump right into a fight, so¡­¡± Reyna pouted, looking away. ¡°I¡¯m not like that¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t hold that stance in a real fight, just in competitions.¡± ¡°You are,¡± Shura countered. ¡°And you do,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°You so are,¡± ¡°Look, I just-¡± Before Reyna could finish, she heard footsteps. Several people in blue uniforms appeared outside of her room. All students in her grade, none looking friendly. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Reyna asked. ¡°We heard that you got in trouble.¡± One of the girls said. ¡°That you¡¯re going to be leaving the dorm.¡± ¡°I did. And I am,¡± No point in trying to lie about it, it wasn¡¯t like it was a secret. ¡°Wow, strait-laced little Rain got in trouble for once, and her parents¡¯ money can¡¯t get her out of it.¡± One of the other girl¡¯s teased. Reyna narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Giving in or shouting back would only give them more ammo. ¡°Say what you will.¡± She said, keeping her face stern. ¡°It¡¯s just a punishment, I¡¯ll accept it, endure it, and move on.¡± ¡°Wow, so modest too,¡± The girl said. ¡°Like when you were nearly crying after running to your big, fancy room.¡± Reyna scowled for a split-second before returning to a neutral expression, but it was too late, they noticed and they were grinning at the small show of weakness, giggling. Reyna bit her lower lip, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Um, can you guys please leave,¡± Hotaru asked. ¡°We¡¯re helping Reyna pack.¡± The girls looked at each other, then smirked. ¡°Sure thing. We¡¯ll even help.¡± One of them, the leader likely, walked into Reyna¡¯s room. She reached out to grab one of the ribbons on the wall. ¡°Ah!¡± Reyna swatted her hand away. Really, she struck it with her lower palm. ¡°Leave my things alone.¡± She warned. ¡°And leave my room, this isn¡¯t a social gathering.¡± Several of the other girls came into the room, surrounding the three. 8 in total. ¡°Or else what?¡± Reyna¡¯s blood was boiling. Dealing with Crimson members was hard enough already, but Sapphire members had a real habit of getting petty about things. Especially with her. But¡­ starting a fight was just what they wanted, to see her lash out and prove her punishment was justified and lower her standing further. ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± She took a breath, turning on her heel and walking toward her closet to grab her clothes and start folding. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the dorm advisor that you¡¯re disturbing us.¡± She said calmly. ¡°She¡¯s already mad enough already. I doubt you¡¯d want to catch her now that she¡¯s already in a foul mood.¡± The leader of the group glared at Reyna. She only spared the leader a glance before going back to folding. ¡°Hotaru, could you get my ribbons and put them next to my bed?¡± ¡°O-Oh, yes!¡± Hotaru rushed over to the wall, grabbing a handful of ribbons. ¡°Shura, please help me with the rest of my clothes.¡± ¡°Uh, sure¡­¡± Shura began to grab and fold clothes next to Reyna. The leader clicked her tongue. She knew the situation, antagonizing them further would only get them in trouble instead of Reyna now that she wasn¡¯t biting their bait. ¡°Whatever¡­ let¡¯s go guys.¡± The group left as quick as they came. Hotaru and Shura looked at Reyna, both smiling. ¡°Wow, and here I thought you¡¯d go nuts on them.¡± ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not like that.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± In thirty minutes, they had everything packed. Putting away ribbons and awards, placing her sword in a special suitcase. The awards would be sent home and put into storage. She was already told her new dorm couldn¡¯t hold it all, but at least she could keep the sword. ¡°Well, wish me luck guys.¡± The two nodded. ¡°Try and survive,¡± Hotaru said. ¡°Take out a few delinquents for me!¡± Shura said. Reyna rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. A nice bit of peace before the storm was nice. Here was hoping her rest of her time in the detention dorm would be manageable. Chapter 3 No sooner did Reyna reach her new dorm it already had several other girls surrounding the door, four in total. All of them wearing a dark purple uniform and a scowl as they looked Reyna¡¯s way. They had the eyes of predators that saw fresh meat. She frowned. Her first few moments here and already she was being sized up. A girl with a staff in her hands approached her. ¡°Hey new kid,¡± She said. ¡°What nailed you in here?¡± Reyna frowned, avoiding the girl¡¯s eyes. She tried to move around the group to reach her dorm room but was stopped. The girl with the staff grabbed her wrist, spinning Reyna around to face her. Great¡­ She kept a straight face, her expression as neutral as she could manage. ¡°Well kid?¡± The girl with the staff said, leaning into her face. ¡°You got some stones to just ignore me like that. Kinda¡¯ rude, isn¡¯t it?¡± Reyna was quiet for a moment., still refusing to make eye contact and staring at her grabbed wrist. It was so tempting to just ball it into a fist and try and fight back. To unpack the training sword in her duffle bag and try scaring these delinquents off. She wanted to, but there were four of them and just one of her. Fighting back would be a death sentence, or at least a long and painful trip to the infirmary. ¡°Pardon me,¡± She pulled her wrist out of the girl¡¯s grip, squeezing past her and opening the door to her dorm. The door was slammed shut just as she cracked it open, the girl grabbed Reyna¡¯s shoulder now. ¡°Where are you going?¡± The girl yanked Reyna away from the door. ¡°I want an answer, new kid.¡± Reyna gritted her teeth, finally meeting the girl¡¯s eyes before speaking with a curt tone. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± She shrugged the girl¡¯s hand from her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you guys either. You¡¯re acting like thugs shaking someone down.¡± There was a moment of silence. All the girls gave Reyna incredulous looks, as if they couldn¡¯t believe what Reyna had said to them. The staff girl¡¯s face twisted in rage. She grabbed Reyna by the collar of her shirt and pulled her forward. ¡°Say that again, brat.¡± She pushed her staff into Reyna¡¯s chin, forcing eye contact. ¡°Say that to my face and see what happens?¡± Reyna made no movement, forced to look the girl in the eyes. A moment passed, and the girl shoved Reyna against the wall, letting her go. ¡°Tch, now you¡¯ve pissed me off,¡± She walked away, her group following behind giving Reyna glares. ¡°You better watch your back new kid,¡± Once the group were out of view Reyna dropped her knees. She could still feel the girl¡¯s staff on her face, still hear the hostility in her voice. She had dealt with bullies before, but that bloodlust¡­ that was new. Usually calling people out on their rude behavior would stop them in their tracks, and they¡¯d behave. Even people in Crimson dorms wanted to stay out of trouble and keep up appearances to an extent, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case here. ¡°So, getting use to things?¡± Reyna looked up, seeing a young woman in a black tracksuit. She gave Reyna a wave and a hand to help her up, which Reyna took. This had to be an instructor. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± She looked down for a moment, then back at the woman. ¡°Um¡­ who are you?¡± The woman smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Elenore. I¡¯m the dorm advisor here. I also run classes, handle disciplinary action, assign tasks and homework, basically all the grownup work.¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Reyna frowned, looking down again. Elenore looked over Reyna for a moment, giving a small chuckle. ¡°¡®If she¡¯s the grownup here, then why wasn¡¯t she stopping that staff chick from nearly pounding my face in?¡¯ That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking, right?¡± Reyna looked up, eyes wide and face red. Elenore laughed. ¡°Sorry kiddo, I was gonna¡¯ step in if Niu actually hit you, but she didn¡¯t. Besides, everyone here¡¯s a rowdy, rambunctious delinquent. I¡¯d never get work done if I ran around stopping every scrap here.¡± She patted Reyna on the head. ¡°Plus, I wanted to see what kind of kid you were. You¡¯re Reyna-Mei Song, right?¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Reyna nodded. ¡°Alright then Reyna, I think that little interaction gave me a good idea of what you¡¯re like.¡± She patted Reyna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Try and stand up for yourself more, okay? These guys¡¯ll eat you alive if you don¡¯t start showing a little bit of teeth.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Reyna pouted. Not that she wanted to be bailed out of any trouble or would start running to an instructor for every fight that happened, but the way this instructor said it¡­ it felt like she was accusing Reyna of being a coward. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Reyna mutter, trying to hide the anger behind her tone. ¡°I can protect myself just fine,¡± Elenore chuckled, ruffling Reyna¡¯ hair. ¡°Sure kid, sure. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let them hurt you too badly.¡± She started to walk away. ¡°I¡¯ll come by in a little bit when you and your roommate unpack. Give you a tour of everything.¡± And with that Reyna was alone with her thoughts, finally walking into her dorm. That was¡­ different. Violent students, a nonchalant instructor, and this feeling of disorder in general. ¡°Uuuugh¡­¡± She clutched her head, smoothing out her hair. What kind of place was this dorm? Panda Academy was many things, but a lawless playground wasn¡¯t one of them, at least not in the other dorms. I guess Shura was right. This place is full of thugs and delinquents. She looked around her new room. It¡¯s¡­ really small. It was broken into two sections. The left side had a bunkbed, two drawers next to the bunkbed, and a shelf against at the back of the wall. The right side being just an empty space with some mats along the floor. The layout was clear, the left side was for sleeping and studying, the right was for sparring. True to Instructor Pairon¡¯s words, this dorm really did serve as something of an arena. After giving the room a quick look Reyna placed her duffle bag on the bottom bunk and started to unpack. She didn¡¯t have as many items as she would have liked given the new room¡¯s size, so all had were her new dark purple dorm uniform, her competition uniforms, three sets of casual clothes, her training sword, a spare pair of sneakers, and a wall scroll she made in the Calligraphy Club. She put her clothes in one of the dressers, her uniforms in the closet, her sword next to the bed, and hung the scroll in the sparring area. She kept everything else in her bag before taking the top bunk. The bed was pretty comfy at least, much like in her old dorm. ¡°The room isn¡¯t bad at least.¡± Nothing like she was expecting. When Shura had told her this dorm was basically a juvenile detention hall she expected the worst. A dirty room, blood on the floor and walls, delinquent students smoking and hounding her for money. But no, even that bad run in wasn¡¯t the worst she had in mind, and the dorm itself at least was a clean and normal room. I wonder where Kyo is. ¡°Wow, pretty nice for a place they send problem kids.¡± Speak of the literal devil, there she was now. Reyna peeked at the door and watched Kyo come in, the two instantly locked eyes with each other and glared. Kyo was covered in bandages from their fight yesterday, and a few bruises too, though her grey skin made it hard to notice them. It was a little hard to not laugh, especially given the large bandage on her nose where Reyna headbutted her. Then again, Reyna had one to match. She watched Kyo unpack, noting the items she had. Along with the school uniforms Kyo had a few odd items in the mix. A small poster, a pair of nunchakus, a can of hair dye, an MP3 player, and so on. What Reyna noted most was the pair of nunchakus. ¡°Weapons are only allowed in the training area.¡± Reyna said. ¡°Uh-huh, then explain that sword over there, Blondie,¡± Kyo shot back, pointing at Reyna¡¯s training sword. ¡°It¡¯s plastic and it¡¯s a replica,¡± ¡°And these are rubber, so shut it.¡± Reyna frowned, saying nothing afterwards and going back to unpacking. Once the two finished unpacking there was another matter to be settled. ¡°I¡¯m getting top bunk,¡± Kyo¡¯s tone made it clear that wasn¡¯t a request. ¡°No,¡± Reyna shot back. ¡°Wow, that sounded like I cared about your input.¡± Kyo started climbing. Then Reyna grabbed her ankle. Kyo shot a glare at Reyna, and she glared back. ¡°I have had a long morning,¡± Reyna said. ¡°I was threatened by a bunch of thugs, nearly got into a fight with them for no reason and learned our dorm advisor doesn¡¯t care about it. I have to live with a bunch of delinquents and you for who knows how long, so I want to at least have the top bunk to just think for a minute. Kyo-Annie, so help me I will break your leg if you don¡¯t let me have it.¡± Kyo stopped, looking down at Reyna. Her expression blank, and a moment passed before she spoke up. ¡°Wow Blondie¡­ I¡¯m kinda¡¯ shocked now,¡± Reyna looked up, taken aback. Kyo actually looked surprised for a second. ¡°Sorry,¡± Reyna let go of her leg. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to snap like that. I just had to deal with my old dorm advisor yelling at me, then Shura said all this stuff to scare me and I-¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean your hissy fit. I''m just kinda¡¯ shocked you thought I¡¯d actually care about your whining.¡± Reyna¡¯s eyes locked onto Kyo, seeing her smug grin and snicker. That was it. That. Was. It. She yanked Kyo down and pulled her into the matted area, both girls glaring daggers at each other. ¡°Do you just annoy me for fun?!¡± ¡°Do you always get annoy when you don¡¯t get your way?!¡± Both girls rose their fists, ready to strike at the other. ¡°Wow, I can see why you both at here now.¡± Reyna and Kyo looked to the entrance, seeing Elenore giving a cheery, almost excited smile as she clapped her hands together. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve got some more live ones to tame!¡± Chapter 4 ¡°So, any reason you two were about to kill each other?¡± Elenore had taken a seat on the bottom bunk while Reyna and Kyo were on their knees on the mat, both silent and refusing to speak. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon girls, I¡¯m not even mad, just curious.¡± Both still refused to speak. ¡°Hm¡­ Why would two little girls want to beat each other up on their first day in the new dorm?¡± Elenore placed a finger on her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face as her eyes glossed over the two. ¡°Maybe to establish the pecking order?¡± She asked aloud. ¡°Maybe to make a statement? Maybe¡­ because you¡¯re both mad about being here?¡± The girls remained silent, and Elenore frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not fun if you don¡¯t give me hints, girls. What? Were you fighting over the top bunk?¡± Both girls looked away, their faces red. Well, Reyna¡¯s face anyway, Kyo¡¯s grey skin made almost impossible to tell. Ether way, Elenore cracked a smile, slapping her hand against her leg as she let out a laugh. ¡°Oh man, you guys were going to kill each other over top bunk!¡± She said between giggles, the red hue on both girls¡¯ faces rising. ¡°God, that¡¯s so adorable! I forgot we had some kids this time around!¡± She hunched over, still laughing. ¡°It¡¯s not funny¡­¡± Reyna muttered. ¡°Top bunk is serious business¡­¡± Kyo added. Elenore continued laughing for another minute, slowly collecting herself. She took a few breaths and sat up, a smile still on her face. ¡°Alright, fine. Shorties like to be in high places.¡± Both girls narrowed their eyes, but said nothing. ¡°Anyway¡­ Onto business,¡± Elenore clapped her hands together, the sound snapping the two girls into attention. Elenore had a sharpened look about her now. The relaxed, nonchalant demeanor vanished, replaced with a hardened look as her eyes glazed over the two before speaking in a much lower tone. ¡°Alright girls, I¡¯m your drillmaster, Elenore Quan! You¡¯re to call me Sir or Instructor Quan, understood?¡± The snap had the girls frozen for a moment before speaking. ¡°Y-Yes Sir¡­¡± ¡°What was that?¡± The sharp tone made the two sit up straight. ¡°Yes, Instructor Quan, Sir!¡± ¡°Good!¡± She clapped her hands again, her more relaxed expression and tone returning, smiling and clearly pleased. ¡°And now you girls know the rules! Feel free to go nuts and use up that rambunctious energy, but when I say stop, you stop. When I go, you go. When you¡¯re in class, you¡¯re in class. When you have free time, you¡¯re free to do whatever. Only thing you need to do is not break my rules and you¡¯ll be out of here in no time.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The two relaxed, nearly falling to the floor as the tension released in their spines. That¡­ that was definitely a new experience. A snap like that was the last thing Reyna expected from this instructor. I guess she can keep a bunch of delinquents under control. The basics of the dorm was explained to them from there. Formal classes were held in the morning, followed by lunch, then physical training, then free time after 3PM. Tests would be held on Friday and the weekend was theirs. They could go to lunch with their friends from outside the dorm so long as they were back by training time. All in all, a very simple schedule. ¡°So, any questions?¡± Both girls shook their heads. ¡°Alright then. Just don¡¯t kill each other and I think things¡¯ll go well for you.¡± She eyed Kyo, ruffling her hair. ¡°Lose the bangles, kiddo,¡± Kyo clicked her tongue, pushing Elenore¡¯s hand away. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be on me,¡± She shot back. Elenore paused. ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re little condition. Read about that in your file.¡± Elenore poked at Kyo¡¯s forehead, getting a growl from her. ¡°So feisty~¡± She teased. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s it for now. See you girls in class tomorrow.¡± With that Elenore left and the two were alone. ¡°You condition?¡± Reyna asked, looking at the golden bracelet¡¯s on Kyo¡¯s wrists. Kyo only scoffed. ¡°None of your business, Blondie¡± Reyna continued to stare. Kyo stared back. ¡°None of your business,¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She said nothing more and finished unpacking in quick order. ¡°I¡¯m heading out,¡± The less she was around Kyo the better. ¡°Uh-huh, see ya¡¯,¡± Reyna huffed and walked out the door. ¡°Hey look, it¡¯s the new girl.¡± And no sooner was she a few feet from her dorm she saw those same girls again. None of them looked happy to see her. The one with the staff that spoke up first was Niu if she remembered correctly, and walked right over to Reyna, hovering over her with an annoyed look. ¡°So new girl. You gonna¡¯ give me an answer.¡± Reyna looked over the group, looking down, hiding the scowl on her face. Of all times¡­ She swallowed hard and forced a neutral expression at the girl. ¡°No,¡± She said. ¡°And leave me alo-¡± Before she could finish the leader snatched her hairpin. ¡°Hey!¡± She moved forward but was cut off by the staff. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The girl asked, giving a smug smile. ¡°You like this? Kind of a piece of junk,¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± She hissed, earning a smirk from the leader. ¡°It¡¯s yours?¡± She repeated. ¡°Well it¡¯s mine now.¡± Reyna scowled. This was getting irritating. She took it in silence before to avoid trouble, avoid being a target to rile into a fight, but these girls just wanted trouble to find them, someone to pick on and bully. ¡°Tch,¡± Well, Shura, I guess you were right. I will have to be Miss Justice Seeker. Older or not, weapons or not, Reyna refused to deal with this time of treatment. Best to nip it in the bud now before she got targeted for worse treatment. ¡°Give it back,¡± Reyna looked Nui in the eye, glaring. Nui, in turn, stopped smiling and glared back. ¡°Why should I, brat?¡± Reyna said nothing, only taking a step toward Nui, her foot right behind Nui¡¯s ankle before pulling it back. Gravity took care of the rest. Nui fell flat on her back, tossing Reyna¡¯s hairpin in the air. Reyna caught it, placing it back in its proper place in her hair. ¡°Ah, damn brat!¡± Nui hissed out, the other three girls now approaching Reyna before Nui waved them off. They took a few steps back, letting Nui stand to her feet. ¡°Okay new girl,¡± She said, picking up her staff. ¡°Hope you¡¯re ready for a beating.¡± ¡°Feel free to try¡­¡± You ornery delinquent. Chapter 5 Reyna¡¯s whole body ached. Her sides screamed, her arms burned, and she had a splitting headache. She lost the fight, knocked out after getting whacked a few times in the head by Niu¡¯s staff. She had gotta¡¯ one good hit on her, but most of the fight was just her blocking staff strikes and taking blows to the head with feints. Reyna frowned as the fight played back in her head, the jeering of Niu and her group still sending waves of anger through Reyna¡¯s small body. The loss was expected, but Reyna didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be this painful. She groaned, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°Uuuuugh¡­¡± Staffs¡­ really hurt¡­ ¡°Wooow, not even five minutes after I leave and you¡¯re in the infirmary,¡± Reyna turned her head, a painful effort, seeing Elenore sitting in a chair next to her infirmary bed. She gave a wry smile and waved, her face a mix of relief and disappointment, almost like a parent. ¡°You really like causing trouble, huh kiddo?¡± Reyna frowned, turning away. ¡°They started it,¡± She said, pouting. ¡°Yeah, Niu said she took your hairpin and you just went nuts.¡± Reyna sat up, now glaring. ¡°I didn¡¯t- ow, ow¡­¡± She laid back down, huffing. ¡°I didn¡¯t ¡®go nuts,¡¯ I was just trying to stop her from bullying me,¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± ¡°She¡¯s just some delinquent trying to get a rise out of others. People like that will just keep picking and picking until they get a reaction. I just¡­ I just¡­¡± She wiped away the tears. ¡°I hate people like that.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± ¡°And it¡¯s only natural to stand up for myself when faced with adversity like that! If you just let them do whatever they just walk all over you!¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± ¡°I tried to just ignore them since they were only acting tough and saying rude things, but¡­¡± She ran a hand through her hair, feeling her hairpin still in place. At least they didn¡¯t take it. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ Instructor, are you even listen?¡± ¡°I am, I am¡­¡± Elenore said, walking to the other side of the bed to face Reyna. ¡°You¡¯re another firebrand that gets riled up real easily like all the others.¡± ¡°Uuuuugh¡­¡± Reyna turned away again. Great. Just great. This was the kind of dorm she was in now. Seen as just another delinquent, no matter her good intentions or circumstance. Was Elenore always going to be this dismissive of events, or was this just the treatment she was getting since it was her first day? I can¡¯t make head or tails of her¡­ She sighed, earning a few giggles from Elenore. ¡°Oh relax kiddo, I¡¯m not trying to downplay things.¡± She said. ¡°I actually saw a lot of that fight.¡± Reyna¡¯s eyes narrowed at the wall. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you-¡± ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? If I stopped every little fight that troublemakers started I¡¯d be stopping them all day.¡± Elenore said. ¡°If it makes you feel better, I did carry you the infirmary after it all went down, and I scolded the girls a bit too.¡± Reyna turned back to Elenore, eyes still narrowed and suspicious. ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°Yep, told them if they wanted to fight you they should do it in the training yard.¡± ¡°Uuugh¡­¡± Reyna pulled the covers over her, groaning. I hate this dorm¡­The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Anyway, you got some visitors, so I¡¯ll see myself out. Just wanted to check on my newest little troublemaker.¡± With that, Elenore left the room. Reyna heard the door close, a few muffled voices outside of it, and a few moments after two familiar faces burst in. ¡°Rain, are you okay?!¡± It was Hotaru that spoke first, rushing over to Reyna¡¯s side. ¡°Are you bleeding? Did you break anything?¡± Reyna forced a smile, rubbing Hotaru¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m fine Hotaru, relax,¡± ¡°Well at least you¡¯re in good spirits,¡± Shura said, popping up behind Hotaru, ¡°And here I thought you¡¯d be crying your eyes out like usual,¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Reyna said, pouting. ¡°So, how¡¯s the scary dorm working for you?¡± Reyna sat up, slowly this time to avoid any sudden pain. ¡°Fine enough, aside from the delinquents.¡± ¡°Are you going to be okay there?¡± Hotaru asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure.¡± Reyna admitted. ¡°It¡¯s just the first day and things are already like this.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out,¡± ¡°Heh, maybe you¡¯ll team up with your rival and clean up the delinquent dorm together,¡± Shura teased. ¡°Ugh, no.¡± Reyna winced at the thought. ¡°God no, that¡¯s the last thing I want to deal with.¡± ¡°Hehe~ That just means you like it!¡± ¡°It means I¡¯m going to have it in my nightmare, you stupid half-elf¡­¡± ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± All in all, it was nice to see familiar faces after dealing with delinquents, a quirky instructor, and Kyo. ¡°Oh, we can still meet during the weekends, so there¡¯s that.¡± Reyna said. ¡°I¡¯m locked off from everywhere else until then. Save for the lunchroom.¡± ¡°Laaaame,¡± Shura said, pouting. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate.¡± Hotaru added. ¡°It is¡­ but it¡¯s not so bad. We¡¯ll get use to it.¡± ¡°Heh, just don¡¯t turn into a delinquent while your there and maybe we¡¯ll still hang out with you.¡± Shura said. ¡°Right¡­¡± Reyna looked to Hotaru, then Shura. ¡°And don¡¯t, I¡¯ll keep our little kitty cat safe~¡± Shura said, wrapping her arms around Hotaru. Reyna smiled. ¡°Good, then I can rest knowing she won¡¯t be picked on by the other members of the dorm.¡± ¡°Hehe, leave it to me!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ thanks guys¡­¡± The three talked for a while after that. Mostly about the situation and how hard it¡¯d be to get together now, along with things about school and classes. They talked until the nurse gave Reyna the okay to head back along with some ointment for her bruises and medicine for her head. With that all finished Reyna was back at the dorm by night. And to her surprise, Kyo not only in their room first, but was covered in just as many bandages as she was, more than when she first came in today. The two stared at each other, glared, and moved to their desks. Reyna still wanted to get some studying down before going to bed. ¡°So, what got you?¡± Kyo asked. ¡°Delinquents,¡± Reyna said bluntly. ¡°Specifically¡­?¡± ¡°That girl with the staff, Niu.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The two wrote and read in silence after that. It was about ten minutes until Reyna spoke up. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Again, the room was silent, only the sound of turning pages and pencils writing. Then, a minute later Kyo replied. ¡°Dark Elves,¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Dark Elves. Y¡¯know, gray skin, long and pointy ears?¡± ¡°Like yo- ow!¡± She elbow came in fast, and there was no room to dodge with their chairs so close. ¡°I¡¯m a demon, Blondie. Do you need to see my horns to prove it or what?¡± ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Reyna rubbed her arm. That¡¯s right, Kyo always got really mad when people confused her for a Dark Elf. She had gray skin and pointed ears, but Dark Elves had much longer ears that went a little past their heads. Kyo¡¯s were normal save for the pointed tips at the end. Apparently, it was very offensive to confuse gray-skin demons with Dark Elves, but¡­ ¡°Wait, you have horns?¡± Kyo immediately scowled, closing her book. ¡°Why do you think I have my hair like this?¡± Kyo pointed to her hair, specifically the spiked cowlick in the front. ¡°It¡¯s so you guys don¡¯t stare at them all the time.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Reyna looked over Kyo¡¯s hair, canting her head. I guess that makes sense. Was Kyo self-conscious about her horns? That was new. ¡°I just thought you were a rowdy tomboy with no fashion sense.¡± This time Reyna saw the palm strike coming and pushed it aside with ease. ¡°You know, the same reason you call me Blondie despite dying your hair that awful yellow hue.¡± She deflected another palm strike, this one nearly getting eye. ¡°It looks really unnatural by the way. Like you¡¯re trying to tell everyone you dye it. What¡¯s your natural hair color anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s black, the same color your eye is gonna¡¯ be if you don¡¯t shut it.¡± Kyo clicked her tongue and went back to her book. Reyna did the same, though not without holding back giggles. For all the knocks, blows, and bullying she had to deal with today, getting a rise out of Kyo, while a little cruel, was definitely worth it. Once they finished they went to bed without saying another word. Tomorrow Reyna was going to figure out how to handle being I this dorm for real. She need to see more of what this place was about. Chapter 6 In most cases, Reyna wouldn¡¯t enjoy starting her morning with sparring sessions, but getting taunted and beaten by Niu, picked at by Kyo, and having the crushing realization that she¡¯d have no real friends in this dorm to vent to or enjoy her day with had given her a lot of aggression to work out. And much to her relief Elenore wanted to check out Reyna and Kyo¡¯s fighting styles to form a custom-made exercise regimen for them. So there Reyna was, fighting against a kickboxer in the dorm¡¯s training hall at 5AM in the morning. According to Elenore it was a fighting style that was basic enough for anyone to have a fair shot against, at least for a standup fighter like Reyna. And her opponent was supposedly going to fight at her level. ¡°Do your best and don¡¯t worry too much about winning, I just wanna¡¯ see your stuff.¡± Elenore had said. So far Reyna had gotten a few hits in after deflecting her opponent¡¯s punches and striking at an opening, and took few herself, namely kicks she wasn¡¯t prepared for that had a surprising amount of force for a fight she wasn¡¯t supposed to worry about winning. And after a while longer of trading blows Reyna found an opening. Well, she made one, narrowly dodging her opponent¡¯s punch, she rushed into their space, pushing that arm off balance and striking at their neck with a chop. Her opponent went down right after that, groaning and rubbing her neck. ¡°Oooow¡­¡± Reyna exhaled, settling into a resting stance. ¡°Phew¡­¡± She relaxed, helping her opponent up and thanking them for the match. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re taking Wing Chun, huh?¡± Elenore noted, watching Reyna help her opponent to their feet. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s what my mother learned when she came here, and I¡¯m just following tradition.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Elenore looked over Reyna., examining her and then her notes. ¡°I guess the main thing with you is that you need to be more aggressive.¡± Reyna canted her head. ¡°Aggressive?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Elenore paused shaking. ¡°I mean, your fighting style¡¯s fine and all, but you just fight really defensively, like your personality.¡± Reyna frowned, looking down. ¡°Yeah, like that. You don¡¯t do much unless your absolutely sure it¡¯s safe or you¡¯re sure you¡¯ll succeed. Kind of like how you never attack unless your countering. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve noticed anyway.¡± Reyna said nothing, thinking over Elenore¡¯s words. ¡°Anyway, I think I got a plan for you, kiddo, so you can scram and tell Kyo to come in.¡± Reyna nodded, leaving the room right after her opponent had. Kyo was sitting right outside on a bench. ¡°Your turn,¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Kyo walked in, and Reyna sat down in Kyo¡¯s place, staring up at the ceiling. Am I really that easy to read? It wasn¡¯t like she never spoke ever, or that she was especially defensive in her personality. I¡¯m just¡­ in a weird new place. Of course I¡¯m defensive¡­ ¡°Hey, new girl.¡± Reyna turned, seeing a brunette girl in bruises, smiling wide. Her opponent from the sparring session. ¡°You got beat up my Niu, right?¡± Reyna frowned, looking away to hide her narrowed eyes. Just the memory left a bad taste in her mouth. ¡°Wooow, you really are quiet.¡± She said, hopping over the seat and sitting next to her. ¡°I¡¯m Kinu by the way.¡± She¡­ doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person. ¡°I¡¯m Reyna,¡± Kinu gasped. ¡°So you can talk!¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The gasp made Reyna jump. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± Kinu giggled. ¡°Sorry, Niu was just so pissed when I talked to her yesterday, saying you barely spoke, barely looked her in the eye, and only glared at her when you had to. I thought you were some scary gangster girl.¡± She said, leaning against Reyna. ¡°Buuut, it looks like your just a shy little kid.¡± Reyna frowned at that, but said nothing, earning more giggles from Kinu. ¡°So you¡¯ll be in our class for a while, huh?¡± ¡°I suppose¡­¡± ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°A little¡­¡± ¡°Think we¡¯re gonna¡¯ eat you?¡± ¡°Wha-¡± Reyna was suddenly hugged by Kinu, and she started squirming. ¡°H-Hey!¡± She wriggled her way out of Kinu¡¯s grip, narrowing her eyes and pouting. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that,¡± Kinu just giggled again. ¡°Sure, sure,¡± She said, waving it off. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m in the kickboxing course, as you noticed. I¡¯m usually in the training hall after classes knocking some heads around, or the sandbag. Feel free to show up, I¡¯m looking forward to a rematch!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Kinu patted Reyna on the back. ¡°Hey, not everyone here is a scary delinquent. Just¡­ most of us.¡± Reyna looked Kinu over. She was still dressed in kickboxing attire. Fingerless gloves, ankle guards, dark purple shorts and sports bra, and her hair in a short ponytail similar to Reyna. She doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person I think. ¡°Are you?¡± She asked. ¡°A delinquent I mean,¡± Kinu gave a sly, mischievous smile, grinning. ¡°Maaaybe~¡± She said with a wink. ¡°We¡¯re all here for a reason, aren¡¯t we?¡± Reyna frowned. That wasn¡¯t an answer she was hoping for, but Kinu was right. Anyone here was sent here for a reason, and clearly some weren¡¯t as obvious as others. I wonder how she ended up here. Kinu didn¡¯t seem like a bad person, at least on the surface. She didn¡¯t go crazy in the training hall when they sparred, and she was rather friendly compared to Niu and her gang, if a little too touchy. Reyna couldn¡¯t imagine what someone like that could do to get sent to a detention dorm. After a while, the sounds of fighting from the training hall died down. She could her Elenore¡¯s muffled voice giving critique, and then- ¡°Jeez¡­ that was rough,¡± Kyo soon came out, her face decorated with fresh bruises, or at least darker patches of gray than the rest of her skin, it was a bit hard to tell. My, what kind of fight did she have in there. Reyna wondered. ¡°What?¡± The moment the two met eyes they glared. ¡°Nothing,¡± Reyna said. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°None of your business,¡± ¡°Too unorthodox and experimental?¡± It was a common critique a lot of instructors had of her fighting style. ¡°None of your business,¡± Reyna shrugged. ¡°It isn¡¯t, but I¡¯m allow to speak my mind aren¡¯t I?¡± Plus, it was much needed payback for all the snappy comments that came out of Kyo¡¯s mouth. ¡°Blondie I swear to God I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°What? Can¡¯t handle what you throw ou- gah!¡± Reyna nearly fall out of her seat from the palm strike. She saw it coming but was too caught up in teasing Kyo to dodge. She rubbed her forehead, glaring at Kyo. ¡°Can¡¯t take what you dish out?¡± She shot back. Reyna¡¯s eyes narrowed. Admittedly, she did start the fight, but she was going to finish it. ¡°No, I can¡­¡± Reyna adjusted her ponytail and standing up, locking eyes with Kyo. ¡°Feel free to stand there so I can hit you back in turn,¡± Kyo grinned an impish grin. ¡°Aw, wanna¡¯ take turns?¡± She teased, beckoning her. ¡°First one to lose a tooth loses? Gonna¡¯ cry win I beat you?¡± ¡°Not even in your dreams, demon girl.¡± ¡°Bring it,¡± ¡°Uh, if you two are gonna¡¯ kill each other, do it in here and not in the middle of the hall.¡± The two turned around, seeing Elenore coming out of the door. ¡°Actually¡­ I got a better idea. Kinu, come in here for a second.¡± She turned to the door. ¡°Hey Serena, stay there real quick.¡± The two girls were shuffled back into the training hall along with Kinu and another girl that was likely Kyo¡¯s sparring partner. This one was also in kickboxing attire, though her red hair was in a braid and she was about Reyna¡¯s size unlike Kinu who was a bit taller. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see what a two-on-two can do for you guys. Using teamwork and all that to make the dream work.¡± Elenore said to at all the girls, then turned to Kinu. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them Kinu, Serena. I need them in one piece for class tomorrow.¡± ¡°You got it, teach!¡± Kinu said, giving a thumbs up. ¡°Don¡¯t we have class at 6, Instructor?¡± Reyna asked. ¡°Yeah, but I get the feeling you¡¯ll be knocked out by then.¡± She said, heading out the door. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m gonna¡¯ go grade some papers before class starts. You kids have fun.¡± Reyna and Kyo turned to Elenore, then each other, looking confused. ¡°Uh¡­ aren¡¯t you gonna¡¯¡­ y¡¯know, ref?¡± Kyo asked, though Elenore simply waved it off. ¡°Naah, these girls¡¯ll take you to the infirmary if they go too crazy. They¡¯ve been housebroken though, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Miss Elenore, I¡¯d rather you stay as well.¡± Reyna added. Kinu she trusted to an extent. This new girl who gave Kyo a handful of bruises looked¡­ rough. ¡°I trust these girls, you¡¯ll be fine. Now have fun blowing off steam.¡± With that, Elenore shut the door, leaving the room quiet. Kinu was bouncing on her toes, a bright smile on her face that was just barely hiding bloodlust. ¡°Hey Rena, I already fought Ray-ray, so I wanna¡¯ play with the cute little dark elf next.¡± Ray-ray? Reyna frowned at the nickname but said nothing. Kyo clicked her tongue, immediately taking her stance. ¡°I¡¯m a demon, dammit!¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take the blond pipsqueak.¡± The other girl, Serena, said. Reyna took her stance in turn, taking a quick breath to ready herself. Looks like this was going to be quite the morning. Chapter 7 This girl might had been a kickboxer like Kinu, but she sure wasn¡¯t the same kind of fighter. Where Kinu was playful, quick, and relatively straightforward in her strikes, this Serena was just outright dirty. Feints, low kicks, stomps, shoves. Nothing was illegal in a fight, but it was way more pragmatic than what Reyna had expected after her bout with Kinu. And each hit nearly knocked Reyna down. She only took three punches to the chest and she was already gasping for breath. Partially due to her last fight already tiring her out, but also due to Serena forcing Reyna to fight very defensively. Pushing away punches, bracing her legs for low kicks, only able to get a punch or two in at Serena¡¯s neck and stomach between the onslaught and trick punches. After awhile she could only manage to dodge and deflect. And when it looked Serena was going to finish her off with an uppercut Reyna braced herself, bringing her arms to guard her chin when- ¡°Ah!¡± She staggered back, receiving a hard poke to her forehead from Serena¡¯s other hand. ¡°Gotcha,¡± Serena pulled her hand back, giving a small smirk at Reyna. Reyna fell flat on her butt, pouting, then looking over to other side of the room to see Kyo on the floor, breathing heavy. Kinu was giggled, looking at the two girls. ¡°Phew, that was a workout!¡± She said, stretching. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m all sweaty now. C¡¯mon girls. Let¡¯s hit the showers and get ready for some learning!¡± Reyna didn¡¯t bother answering, only falling on her back and catching her breath along with Kyo. How those two still had the energy to be standing was beyond her. Kinu and Serena looked at the girls, then at each other. Kinu smiled. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go first then!¡± The two soon left, leaving Reyna and Kyo alone. ¡°Blondie¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get up¡­¡± ¡°Me neither¡­¡± If Reyna could sink further into the floor, she would. Her body felt so heavy now. ¡°My¡­ everything hurts¡­¡± ¡°Same¡­¡±
It took every ounce of energy to just reach the showers, but by some miracle Reyna and Kyo were able to crawl their way there¡­ with help from Kinu and Serena once they saw the two actually crawling out the doors. Thankfully classes didn¡¯t start for another hour, so they were both able to clean up, change into their uniforms, and make it to class on time. And to Reyna¡¯s surprise, classes basically boiled down to a glorified study hall. It wasn¡¯t a surprise given the dorm was more of a detention center of several grades than actual dormitory, but at least it was a simple. Today the focus was on math, so all the students were assigned some reading, a few worksheets to practice problems, and could ask Elenore about things they were stuck on. Even more surprising was that Elenore could actually teach and explain these things. ¡°Oh yeah, math gets tough when they start throwing letters at you. You just gotta¡¯ move all the numbers away from x like this.¡± She explained to Reyna. ¡°Just add x to both sides to move it to the right.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because math is just weird like that. Basically, you just have to keep everything balanced on both ends.¡± Granted, as much as her explanation helped it still didn¡¯t make algebra much easier in her mind, but it was a nice surprise to learn she could turn to her new teacher for help. Most of class was like that until it was time for lunch. Reyna was just about to head to the cafeteria before she was tugged at from the back of her collar. ¡°Hang out with us!¡± Reyna frowned, trying her best to pull away. It was Kinu¡¯s voice, but her grip was too strong to escape and Reyna was pulled right into Kinu¡¯s arms and lifted. ¡°Hey!¡± Reyna started squirming. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Naaah, you need to socialize more!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to socialize with my friends!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m your friend,¡± ¡°But I-¡± Kinu looked down at Reyna, pouting in a much too obvious way to be taken seriously. ¡°W-We aren¡¯t friends?¡± She sobbed out, much too theatrical about it to be taken seriously. Reyna frowned. She didn¡¯t have the heart to say no, but¡­ ¡°Hehe~ I¡¯ll take your silence as a yes!¡± ¡°But I-¡± ¡°Nope, to be silent is to agree! To the cafeteria!¡± ¡°Heey!¡± And so, Reyna was practically carried all the way to the cafeteria in Kinu¡¯s arms, getting stares and whispers from several students. ¡°Wow, I guess Reyna really is in the delinquent dorm now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s being carried by one of them. Is she like a pet for the bad kids now?¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s going to work for them now, like some flunky,¡± ¡°Guess we should act right unless we want to end up like her.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Hey, stop talking, they¡¯re coming this way,¡± Reyna frowned, looking down and away from all whispers and murmurs. So this is how they see me now¡­ She bit her lower lip, forcing an exhale. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t like it bug you,¡± Kinu said. ¡°It¡¯s just your first day. You¡¯ll get use to it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to get use to this¡­¡± ¡°You will~¡± Soon after Kinu plopped Reyna in a seat at the end of the cafeteria. Much to Reyna¡¯s displeasure, it looked like Kyo got roped into this as well by Serena, though she was dragged to their table by the arm instead of carried. ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡± Neither Reyna or Kyo spoke, only looking away from each before silently going up to grab their food. Reyna chose a bowl of noodles and some veggies on the side. It looked like Kyo chose rice and some kind of seafood on the side. It was tempting to just sit somewhere else, but with these two girls dragging them about it¡¯d only be a matter of being dragged back. ¡°Soooo,¡± Kinu said. ¡°Wanna¡¯ give us your names?¡± ¡°Teach already introduced us,¡± Kyo said, taking a bite of her rice. ¡°Yeah, but I wanna¡¯ hear you guys tell us,¡± Kinu replied, smiling bright. ¡°I¡¯m Reyna.¡± ¡°Kyo.¡± ¡°Oh, come on girls!¡± Kinu flopped onto the table, deflated and groaning. ¡°A little more than that, please. Some hobbies? Likes? Dislikes? What your studying?¡± Both Reyna and Kyo finished chewing their food and stared at the two girls. Kyo sighed and went first. ¡°Fine.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m learning kung fu, been learning it for a few months now, but I did karate and judo back home. Outside of martial arts I like video games and listening to music I guess.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Kinu perked up, smiling again. ¡°What do you listen to?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ idol stuff actually.¡± Reyna nearly dropped her chopsticks hearing that. ¡°Really?¡± She blurted out, causing Kyo to glare. ¡°What? Yeah the lyrics are really cheesy, but I just¡­ kinda¡¯ like a lot of J-Pop¡­¡± She said, muttering the last bit. ¡°I listen to a bit of rap too.¡± That one wasn¡¯t surprising, but the fact that such a tomboy like Kyo enjoyed pop songs was¡­ different. ¡°Well¡­¡± Reyna said, clearing her throat. ¡°I¡¯m learning Wing Chun and Chinese Swordplay. As far as hobbies go¡­ I guess I only have martial arts.¡± ¡°Nothing else?¡± Kinu asked, canting her head. Reyna thought it over. ¡°I like baking sweets I suppose, but that¡¯s really it.¡± She said. ¡°Both my parents are martial artists and business owners, so I¡¯ve been training since I could walk. Wing Chun, Bajiquan, Baguazhang, those are the main styles I know and my mother taught me the latter two.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Serena said. ¡°Your last name¡¯s Song, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it is. Reyna-Mei Song.¡± Serena paused, thinking something over. ¡°As in Lin Song¡¯s daughter?¡± Reyna frowned, taking a short breath before answering. ¡°Yes?¡± Serena lean back, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Damn, looks like we got a rich girl and celebrity over here.¡± Reyna blushed. ¡°What¡¯s up Rena?¡± Kinu asked. Serena looked over to Kinu, giving her a blank stare. ¡°Ki, Lin Song was that wicked scary fighter that owns the FFC promotion company.¡± ¡°Wha- really?¡± Kinu looked at Reyna, then at Serena. ¡°This kid¡¯s the daughter of that beast. Didn¡¯t Lin Song nearly kill three of her opponents before taking over the company.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me¡­ my mother a nightmare¡­¡± She said, lowering her head. ¡°And please don¡¯t say it so loud. The school agreed to not publicize my background.¡± Serena blinked, scratching the back of her head. ¡°Sorry,¡± She said. ¡°Your story lined up and you I knew Lin had a daughter, so¡­ shot in the dark and all that. Surprised you confirmed it.¡± Reyna sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a terrible lair, so there¡¯s no point in pretending I¡¯m ignorant.¡± She admitted. ¡°Besides, Song is a very common last name, and my name is always under an alias in official articles Only people that are heavily into combat sports would even think to connect the dots.¡± A saving grace of Panda Academy was that a lot of its students and teachers were traditional martial artists, usually coming from dojos, temples, or other academies. Very few outside of those in boxing or other western arts would even care about combat leagues and professional fighting. I¡¯ll have to be careful around the boxers and kickboxers now though¡­ ¡°So your mom¡¯s a big deal then?¡± Kyo asked. ¡°I knew you were rich and had some company you were gonna¡¯ take over, but your mom¡¯s some MMA star too?¡± Reyna frowned. ¡°Well¡­ kind of¡­ The Female Fighting Circuit is a promotion company that sponsors several tournaments, rings, matches, and so on. The rules are a lot looser than other MMA companies, along with the fighting styles used. ¡°You know that movie Blood Bout?¡± ¡°Where those folks could nearly kill someone in the ring and use weapons? Yeah.¡± ¡°Think that, but legal.¡± ¡°Jeez, that¡¯s nuts.¡± ¡°It gets crazier,¡± Serena said. ¡°Lin Song won all her match by knockout, half her opponents hospitalized, the other half crippled.¡± ¡°Sheesh¡­¡± Kyo looked to Reyna. ¡°Now I know why didn¡¯t run off and cry like the other Sapphire girls when you got a bloody nose.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t run from bullies.¡± Reyna said, narrowing her eyes at Kyo. ¡°What about you, demon girl? What are your parents like?¡± Serena asked. Kyo huffed, narrowing her eyes at Serena before speaking. ¡°Never knew my dad, but my mom¡¯s a priestess for the family shrine,¡± Kyo said. ¡°Wait¡­ really?¡± Serena asked, everyone staring at Kyo. ¡°You¡¯re a shrine maiden?¡± ¡°What?¡± Reyna sat up, looking at Kyo in shock. ¡°Yup,¡± Kyo put a bit of a rice in her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s just a small shrine with a dojo down the hill from it, meant to worship a god of war.¡± She explained. ¡°We get a lot of thugs and gangsters around the place too since the neighborhood¡¯s not really safe, so I had to learn how to fight and defend myself. But karate and judo were kind of boring, so I came here to learn kung fu instead.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I heard about that.¡± Kinu said. ¡°A freshman had transferred by beating one of the top ten students in a duel and earning a scholarship, right?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Kyo pointed at Reyna. ¡°Me and Blondie over here had to duke it out for a bit before the teachers let me stay on a scholarship. Just gotta¡¯ stay in the top ten to earn my keep.¡± She explained, finishing her bowl of rice. ¡°And I didn¡¯t beat her, just lasted five minutes with her in a serious fight. There wasn¡¯t a real winner.¡± Reyna stared, perplexed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be honest about that.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯d say something if I didn¡¯t, right?¡± Kyo asked. Reyna frowned, but said nothing against it. ¡°And you¡¯re Number 10.¡± Reyna added. ¡°Number 10 and still kicked Number 3¡¯s butt at least 5 out of 11 spars in class.¡± ¡°Do you want lose number 7, Demon?¡± ¡°You wanna¡¯ gimme¡¯ another tooth for my collection, Blondie?¡± The two stared each other down for a moment, then Reyna let out a loud scoff and quickly finished her meal, slurping her noodles down quickly and setting her chopsticks down. ¡°I¡¯m finished. I¡¯ll be heading to my dorm to study.¡± She said, getting up and leaving the cafeteria. ¡°Okay,¡± Kinu said. ¡°See ya¡¯,¡± Serena added. Thankfully, the two didn¡¯t try keeping her down. Probably thinking it¡¯d be best to avoid having Kyo and Reyna fight each other here¡­ or probably for some other weird reason. Just being away from the group for a moment would be a chance to recharge and get some schoolwork done. Or at least that was the goal. Just as Reyna was walking to her dorm she was ambushed. Several girls in masks jumped right down from the dorm¡¯s entrance. All were in Violaceous uniforms; all were about Reyna¡¯s size. She frowned, looking around the area. No Elenore in sight, and this didn¡¯t seem like the kind of situation were keeping her head down would let her off. She sighed. ¡°I just wanted to study today too¡­¡±