"Woah!" was the only thing the boy managed to get out during the entirety of the mock battle. It escaped his lips just as he bent his right leg and one-foot hopped over Kiyo's sweeping attack at the last second, barely avoiding getting knocked on his behind. if it wasn't for his Sense pinging him the strike would've fully connected. He often left himself vulnerable when he attacked, one of the flaws of his completely improvised style of fighting. So it's a good thing that nifty ability popped up (seemingly...) out of nowhere years ago, huh? Once the white-haired girl finished her attack, she intelligently put some distance between herself and her opponent. Because he didn't want to interrupt the fight he hadn't been saying much, but Gō was watching her every move closely. He took note of her intuitive choice of tactics. Her spacing. Her form. All of it. And after observing this hasty sparring session, this surly old man had finally come to the conclusion that....
...he was impressed!
But he wouldn't get to express this to his new student because the battle suddenly took a turn. Her breathing had become heavier, this time for real. And when she went in to renew her assault on her sparring partner, she completely whiffed a punch. She was struggling. Taijutsu did put quite a bit of strain on the body. If you weren't in top form you could easily succumb to your own lack of stamina. And it seemed like that's what was happening now. When the girl went to backpedal her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the hard ground. A hint of worry flashed across her mentor's face, while Keiatsu stood there looking kind of stupefied. She had put up a good effort for her first lesson, but Kiyoko simply hadn't yet built up her reserves of energy. Even if you had all the strength in the world it didn't mean anything if you didn't have the vitality to utilize it. But still...she'd done more against a high-level opponent than almost anybody her age could say! It was a valiant effort. Her spirit and determination to not give in caused a warm smile to form on Keiatsu's face as he crouched down and, with an uncharacteristic gentleness, scooped the student up in his arms. Normally? The rose-haired boy was selfish. More often than not he was only concerned about his stomach. And he had a horrible habit of not paying attention to most things. But when it came to matters like this...his perceived stupidity took a backseat to his empathy. He could respect someone with a will to never quit, despite whatever their goals were. By the time he rose to his feet with Kiyoko in tow, his smile had become a fullblown grin. "That was a good fight." Hopefully his words penetrated the daze the girl was in...
But whether or not they did she would likely notice when they began to move. After a minute a wave of cool air would wash over Kiyoko, hopefully helping to cool her overheated body down a bit. It almost felt as if...they'd gone indoors? Next thing she knew she would be set down carefully on a firm surface, with an object that was somewhat soft being placed under her head seconds later. And then? Nothing. Well...almost nothing anyway. The soft hum of voices could be heard in the distance but other than that this place seemed relatively calm. It was much cooler in here than it was minutes ago. And more relaxing too! Kiyo would find it hard to ignore a certain scent that began to permeate the air. Something familiar. Something glorious. Grilled meat! If the white-haired girl found herself regaining her wits, she'd be aware that she was set down in some sort of booth, and that she was using Gō's tan jacket as a makeshift pillow. Her mentor and his grandson were conversing with a middle-aged man with a hairnet and an apron who appeared to be somewhat nervous as to what they were saying. After a few moments of talking the duo made their way back over towards the girl, taking seats in the booth facing opposite to her. Keiatsu looked excited (and MAY have been drooling a bit...) and Gō had a knowing smirk on his weathered face. If Kiyoko had visited the Academy before she might've been familiar with her surroundings. It was the place where all students came together to do the same thing regardless of skill or age. Where eating competitions were held by the Sunan youths and ninja food fights were a commonplace occurrence. It was none other than....
The Cafeteria!!!
...he was impressed!
But he wouldn't get to express this to his new student because the battle suddenly took a turn. Her breathing had become heavier, this time for real. And when she went in to renew her assault on her sparring partner, she completely whiffed a punch. She was struggling. Taijutsu did put quite a bit of strain on the body. If you weren't in top form you could easily succumb to your own lack of stamina. And it seemed like that's what was happening now. When the girl went to backpedal her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the hard ground. A hint of worry flashed across her mentor's face, while Keiatsu stood there looking kind of stupefied. She had put up a good effort for her first lesson, but Kiyoko simply hadn't yet built up her reserves of energy. Even if you had all the strength in the world it didn't mean anything if you didn't have the vitality to utilize it. But still...she'd done more against a high-level opponent than almost anybody her age could say! It was a valiant effort. Her spirit and determination to not give in caused a warm smile to form on Keiatsu's face as he crouched down and, with an uncharacteristic gentleness, scooped the student up in his arms. Normally? The rose-haired boy was selfish. More often than not he was only concerned about his stomach. And he had a horrible habit of not paying attention to most things. But when it came to matters like this...his perceived stupidity took a backseat to his empathy. He could respect someone with a will to never quit, despite whatever their goals were. By the time he rose to his feet with Kiyoko in tow, his smile had become a fullblown grin. "That was a good fight." Hopefully his words penetrated the daze the girl was in...But whether or not they did she would likely notice when they began to move. After a minute a wave of cool air would wash over Kiyoko, hopefully helping to cool her overheated body down a bit. It almost felt as if...they'd gone indoors? Next thing she knew she would be set down carefully on a firm surface, with an object that was somewhat soft being placed under her head seconds later. And then? Nothing. Well...almost nothing anyway. The soft hum of voices could be heard in the distance but other than that this place seemed relatively calm. It was much cooler in here than it was minutes ago. And more relaxing too! Kiyo would find it hard to ignore a certain scent that began to permeate the air. Something familiar. Something glorious. Grilled meat! If the white-haired girl found herself regaining her wits, she'd be aware that she was set down in some sort of booth, and that she was using Gō's tan jacket as a makeshift pillow. Her mentor and his grandson were conversing with a middle-aged man with a hairnet and an apron who appeared to be somewhat nervous as to what they were saying. After a few moments of talking the duo made their way back over towards the girl, taking seats in the booth facing opposite to her. Keiatsu looked excited (and MAY have been drooling a bit...) and Gō had a knowing smirk on his weathered face. If Kiyoko had visited the Academy before she might've been familiar with her surroundings. It was the place where all students came together to do the same thing regardless of skill or age. Where eating competitions were held by the Sunan youths and ninja food fights were a commonplace occurrence. It was none other than....
The Cafeteria!!!
After they'd eaten Keiatsu rose to his feet, patting his exposed belly while wearing a satisfied smile on his face.