A Brief Reprieve

Three months passed...and Ren felt on top of the world. 

"We have posted the scores for the final exams, everyone!" the teacher noted, gesturing towards the board behind him. "Please remember to study over summer break! Don't get lax just because there's only one year left..."

Ren scanned the board for her name. When she found it near the top, she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. Once again, she had scored at the top of her class. 

She packed up her things with giddy excitement, humming to herself in her success. Others didn't appreciate it much. She could hear murmurs and mutterings throughout the room. 

"The teacher's princess is at the top again..."

"Seriously? She gets to be smart and look good? What bullshit..."

"Too bad her personality is trash! She probably makes deals with the teachers..."

All the typical stuff. Nothing that was new to Ren, by any means. Since the beginning, girls had despised her good looks and boys despised her rejections. There was too much pressure at home for her to also try and navigate the turbulence of the high school social paradigm. Being popular wasn't required for survival, so she had long since tossed it aside. 

Even now, when her life was at an all-time high, there was no desire to make up for lost time. Next year was her final year of high school, and then she would be able to focus on the first real chapter of her life. 

She moved with practiced efficiency throughout the rest of her school day. Her plan was to grab her lunch, go to a study hall room to get ahead on summer homework, and then head home when the final bell rang.

As she was grabbing her food and getting ready to head out the door, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

She looked and saw that it was Shinji. The boy from class that also happened to go to school with her. 

"Oh, hey Shinji! No problem, I wasn't paying attention either."

She smiled at him, then headed towards the door. 

"Um....h...hey Ren?"

Ren stopped, turning to face him. 

"I have a q...question for you," he noted. 

"Sure, what's up?"

Shinji looked even more nervous than he typically did. He frantically looked around to make sure no one was nearby before coming a bit closer. 

"I know it's the end of the school year...and I'll probably see you at the dojo still... But I wanted to see if you'd be interested in a d...date?"

Ren was caught a bit off-guard by the request. It had been a long time since a guy had tried to approach her. Typically, it only happened when a new boy transferred in. They'd ask her, finding her attractive and not yet being swept up in the rumors surrounding her. 

She had known Shinji for quite some time now, so it just seemed random. She processed it quickly, and was fast to determine how she was going to respond.

"That's sweet of you, Shinji. I already have a boyfriend, though..."

"Oh...I didn't realize...sorry!"

Immediately feeling panicked, Shinji quickly bowed his head and made his way off towards the lunch room. Ren sighed gently. She felt really bad lying to him like that, but she had seen the type of guy Shinji was. If she had tried to explain that she wasn't looking for a high school romance right now, he would've taken it personally. The little white lie would preserve his self-confidence without causing any undue harm.

"Sorry about that, Shinji," she murmured to herself as she ran off to her next class. 

***

Ren flopped back onto her bed, letting out a deep sigh as exhaustion washed over her. 

Still, it was far more tame than it had been in the past. Homework had died down with school ending, and summer break would temporarily remove "grades" as a factor for continuing class. Not only that, but her grandfather and her had begun to talk a bit more since the incident at the restaurant. 

It was small, but he had even lightened her chore load a small bit so she could hone in on her training and school. With everything else continuing to go smoothly, she was far from complaining.

That being said, Shinji's earlier confession had left her with a question nibbling at her mind. For the first time in her life, she actually saw a future for herself. The finish line was only one year away, and she could make it if circumstances didn't change too much between now and then. 

The sensation was cathartic, but also nerve-wracking. That meant she had to actually put thought into what came next. Where to live, what career to pursue...and what a real relationship would look like. 

That was the particular thread that today had started stirring in her. Would it come naturally? Would she have to work hard because she had ignored relationships for so long? What traits would she want out of a partner? 

They had to be at least somewhat smart, and kindness was really important too. They didn't have to be super social, but they couldn't be complete pushovers. It wouldn't hurt if they were a bit taller than her, too...

"Your ride for class is here, brat!"

Ren jerked up to a sitting position. She got so caught up in her thought that she let time slip past her. 

"Thanks, Grandpa. I'm heading out now!"

***

With Sensei's command, Ren and Riku began their sparring session. 

Ren immediately closed the gap between them. Riku had many more years of experience than she did, but he had his weaknesses. Even though Sota hadn't returned to class yet, she had gotten several pointers from him in their continued texts.

Riku favors kicking. Get up close and be agile - that will be your best bet.

She did as instructed, pressuring Riku hard with a volley of punches and close-range kicks. Riku -  who typically wore a smile and was jovial during sparring - had locked-in to this engagement. Ren had made significant progress in such a short time, and the gap between them was no longer so large that he could just mess around. 

Ren's pressure wore him down significantly, but her excitement at pressuring him distracted her. Riku took the opportunity to swiftly make distance and land a clean kick to the stomach. Ren didn't block in time, and the impact dropped her to her knees

"That'll do it!" Sensei called before they continued. 

Ren sat there for a moment, trying to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her. Her gaze turned up as a hand entered her field-of-view. It belonged to Riku.

"Sorry about that," he smiled, helping her to her feet. "I don't usually haul off on newer students like that..."

"No...problem..."

Ren put on a smile and tried to speak excitedly, but she hadn't regained enough air quite yet for that. 

"Seriously though...you've become a fierce gal!" he exclaimed. "Besides me, I'm not sure how many other students can give you a run for your money if you keep this pace up..."

"That's what happens when you train diligently," Sensei noted, coming over to confirm Ren was okay. "Just because someone started years ago doesn't mean much if a new student is practicing for several hours a day. Good work, Ren - as always."

He gave her a firm pat on the back. It was a bit painful, but it surprisingly helped her to breathe better. 

"I noticed those striking techniques, by the way..." Riku poked. "I see someone's been taking more tips from your dear Senpai..."

"Of course," Ren giggled. "I've been told that he's very good with striking, so I've been trying to get as many pointers from him as I can..."

"Makes sense. I suppose having daily access to him helps. You probably got tips from him just before class."

"As if I knew we would be sparring! Besides, I haven't heard from Senpai in a few days. I've been focused on final exams, and he mentioned he was going to be busier this week as well."

At that point, Sensei called out for the students to line up and bow out for class. They both turned and ran off to line up. 

For the first time in her entire life, things felt stable. She intended to relish it as long as she could make it last - because caution reminded her how quickly things could change.