Tiger quickly woke up and got out of bed. He changed into his school uniform and hurried to school.
After reaching the school, he was walking along the footpath near the ground when someone tapped him from behind.
Tiger turned around.
It was his teacher.
Tiger said politely,
"Oh, hello sir. Good morning. How are you?"
The teacher replied,
"I'm fine. Good morning. You're doing well too, right?"
Tiger sighed and nodded .
"Yes sir, I'm perfectly fine." Tiger replied confidently.
The teacher noticed Tiger's sigh and said, "If you're sighing, it shows me that you may have some underlying issues. So, why don't you sit down?" He gestured to a nearby bench, and they both sat down.
The teacher asked,
"Tell me… are you facing any problems?"
Tiger got slightly nervous but replied calmly,
"No sir, not at all." He spoke this honestly.
The teacher nodded.
"Well, your sigh suggests otherwise, but good I can see you're not lying."
Both of them then looked toward the ground area.
There, a large group of students had formed a circle. Around 50–60 students were sitting waiting for their turn to spar, watching two boys practicing martial arts inside the circle.
Tiger said,
"Sir… are they training?"
The teacher replied,
"Do you want to try training too?"
Tiger felt a little unsure but said,
"If you think I should…"
The teacher smiled slightly.
"That's what I wanted to hear… or maybe not. Anyway, let's go."
Both of them walked toward the group.
On the way, Tiger asked,
"Sir, what belt level are they?"
The teacher replied,
"You'll know just by watching."
When they reached, the two students fighting immediately stopped and bowed to the teacher.
The teacher asked,
"Is practice happening for something here?"
One of them replied,
"Yes, We're practicing for a martial arts tournament."
The teacher nodded.
"I see… no one informed me about this."
Then he pointed toward Tiger.
"Would you like to spar with him?"
The student smiled.
"Of course. I'm ready."
Tiger stepped into the circle that fighters had formed. The other fighter circled back and joined them.
The other boy stepped forward and said,
"I'm Kai. Nice to meet you. This will be a mutual combat, okay?"
He smiled and extended his hand for a shake.
Tiger shook his hand and introduced himself,
"I'm Tiger. Nice to meet you too."
Kai added,
"I already knew you'd be fighting, but introductions are still necessary. Isn't it?Ready?"
Tiger nodded.
Both took their positions, ready to fight. "When the group counts to three, we will start," Kai explained. The surrounding students began counting together:
"1… 2… 3!"
Immediately, Tiger charged at Kai, attempting a kick to disarm him. However, Kai dodged, and in a swift move, Tiger found himself close enough that they could almost hug.
Taking advantage, Kai struck Tiger's stomach with a martial arts technique.
Tiger slid backward slightly.
Kai looked worried.
Hesitant, Kai asked,
"Hey, are you okay? Did I hit too hard?"
Tiger replied calmly,
"No, I'm completely fine."
He showed no sign of pain.
Kai nodded.
"Alright then." Kai responded before He charged again and attempted another kick.
As he rushed toward Tiger, Tiger dodged a kick that aimed for his head. In a quick counter, Tiger countered with a back kick to Kai's arm.
Kai's own arm force pushed into his stomach, causing him to feel pain.
Tiger immediately stepped forward and supported him.
"Are you okay?"
Kai replied,
"Yeah… I'm fine. Don't worry."
After taking a short break, drinking water, and resting for a few minutes, both of them returned to the center.
They bowed to each other.
The sparring match ended.
Tiger walked back to his teacher.
"Sir, you didn't say anything during the fight."
The teacher replied,
"It's practice time. Talking would only distract you."
He added,
"Did you notice? No one said a single word."
Tiger nodded.
"I see."
The teacher then said,
"Tomorrow and the day after are holidays—Saturday and Sunday."
"Take some rest. Maybe spend time in nature."
Tiger replied,
"Yes sir."
After that, school ended.
Tiger returned to his apartment, lay down on his bed, and went to sleep.