Obstinate Elitists

43

In martial arts, you were tested on your stances, kicks, and strikes. The instructor would stand there on the side while the rest of the class watched the student getting tested on the spot. The first time you were tested, you were incredible aware of the unwanted audience. Especially Michiko, who relentlessly critiqued your mistakes and whispered rumors into the other students' ears. This used to throw you off immensely, but this time, it was going to be different. This time you were going to give it your all -- not just in this first class, but in every period.

Standing there on blue mats, you stared at the wall with a rigid face on. Feet planted, you got into a stance and waited for the woman to signal the start of the test. In the corner of the eye, you spotted Sakiko sitting there at the end, silently cheering you on. The elite girl had already gone first, executing every move perfectly, setting an expectation for the remainder of the class to bear.

Your palms grew sweaty, but you clenched them to your sides, staying as still as a ghost. The moment the instructor raised her hand, you jumped right to it. You struck your hands in front, cutting the air sharply. Over and over again, you kept going at it, despite the small errors that began to show the further you went on. Then you moved your feet carefully, proceeding your punches and strikes. It was difficult to keep it together and consistent, moving along to the rhythm you were supposed to follow. Gritting your teeth, you started kicking upward. It didn't get too high, since you desperately latched onto your balance, though it was there. That was enough -- it was better than falling to your ass and making a fool of yourself, you thought to yourself.

Maybe you were just trying to comfort yourself from the miserable fact that you didn't do as well as you imagined.

Your test ended and it was time for the next person to go. Hot underneath the thick robes, you made your way to Sakiko and sat down beside her. Breathing raggedly, you swigged the water bottle from the ground and hastily gulped down the fresh taste. Sakiko's hand wrapped around yours and squeezed it, unbothered by the sweat. She turned to look at you, grinning with pride in her eyes. Why did she look so proud of you? You were nothing exceptional up there -- not even close to her level. "You did amazing, [Y/N]."

"You don't need to lie," you murmured, [e/c] eyes stuck on the student that struck decently in front of him. He was certainly doing better than you did, that was for sure. Well, he was also a rank three, so that was pretty telling in itself.

"I'm not lying! You were great. I can see your hard work up there; you must've practiced a lot to get to where you are now. The improvement from the first week of school to now is notable."

Your gaze softened and you squeezed her hand back, smiling with a hopeful look on. You wondered if she was doing okay, with her family situation and whatnot. It had been a while since the two of you fully spoke anything regarding that.

Once everyone's been tested, you were all dismissed to change back into the regular school uniform and free to depart to your second period. By the time you threw your blouse and skirt on, the bell rung, and students started piling into the hallways. Bidding your friend farewell, you hurried through the sea of students, locating the stairway that led you down to the first floor of the building. It was now time for archery. Going into the changing room once more, you put on a kyudogi and arrived at the traditional room.

This test was also fairly short for each student. Timed at one minute, it not only measured the accuracy of the archer, but also how fast one could shoot. The first time you tested for it, you were fumbling and dropping your arrows. You were able to shoot a few at the target, but many fell short or weren't accurate at all.

With the training you had gone through with both Ginjirou and your father, you could easily nock arrows onto the bow. Your accuracy still needed improvement, but at least they usually struck the target. Neither of them was the problem here. The main problem was the time limit, which admittedly more often than not had you panicking. During this third attempt of a test, you had to ignore the ticking of the clock, or else that would screw you up.