The middle aged man instructor asked the woman beside her, with a curious glance.

"Kayoko-shihan¹Karate Titles: <link>, do you know this girl?"

"Yes... Kagenue-sensei, unfortunately..."

Kitagawa Kayoko, 27 years old, currently working as a Karate Instructor. She put her hand to her forehead while showing a wry smile on her face.

She used to be the bodyguard of Rimu’s father. She shielded him from any harm and cut down every obstacle in his way using brute force. Her black hair reached her shoulders. But back when she had met Rimu’s father, she had longer hair. Only after she was rejected by him did she cut her hair.

The reason why Rimu calls her Kyoko is that when she had met the twins in their early days Rimu couldn't pronounce her name properly and called her Kyoko instead. Riku also calls her this because he copied it from Rimu.

Mikoto: "Isn't it good? I think it's cuter that way. Kyoko…?"

At that time Kayoko could only clench her teeth and was unable to refuse.

Since then, her nickname was "Kyoko" with the Nekomiyas...

Kayoko, aka Kyoko, grabbed Rimu's hand and brought her outside the building. After making sure no one was nearby, she started to talk in a stern voice.

"So, why did you come here, you brat? And I told you, my name is Kayoko, not Kyoko!" Kyoko pinched Rimu's left cheek.

"Iw hərts, gyōgho. īm əˈgenst ˈvīələns! (It hurts, Kyoko. I'm against violence!)" says Rimu tearfully.

"And call your elders with honorifics! How many times should I tell you that!"

Said Kyoko while her other hand pinched Rimu's right cheek. She then played with Rimu's cheeks and turned her face into various silly poses.

"Iw hərts! iw hərts! fərˈgiv mē gyōgho! (It hurts! It hurts! Forgive me Kyoko!)"

"Now this is quite fun, isn't it... Your face is very comfortable to pinch. As expected, young ones have very elastic skin."

Kyoko released her fingers and Rimu's face returned to normal. She then touched her own cheek and sighed, lamenting the fact that she was no longer young. 

Rimu rubbed her cheeks. She felt wronged. What would she do if her cute loli face turned into a bulldog’s?!²?!

Kyoko looked at Rimu with a complex emotion. This girl was a troublemaker and it made her head hurt every time she had to clean up her mess. Three years ago, this girl almost made the Nekomiya family go into full-out war with the Tennouji group. It's only because of her involvement that things ended up as a scolding.

"So, Rimu-chan? Did you need something from me? I doubt you only came sightseeing?" Kyoko stated her question.

Still rubbing her cheek, Rimu answered,

"Kyoko, I want to join Karate Club. I want to get stronger!"

Kyoko looked at Rimu incredulously, as if the girl in front of her wasn't Rimu. Three years ago, was evidence that this girl prefers dirty tricks over close quarter combat. Like father, like daughter.

'If that's so, her words can't be taken as they are. She has another goal.'

"And the true reason is?" Kyoko asked again with a stern gaze.

"I wanna burn my fat and make my body become slim!" Rimu answered truthfully.

Kyoko was mindblown after hearing Rimu's answer. She stared at Rimu's petite body and started thinking.

‘Slimmer than that, what do you want to become? A walking skeleton?
If this loli is considered fat, then what about other fat people in the world?
Obese? Pregnant? Lepotica?’³Lepotica: <link>?

"Your... Oh well, whatever..." Kyoko wanted to retort but decided not to. []

If Rimu ended up joining the Karate Club there would also be benefits for Kyoko too, whatever the initial reason was. She would get bigger salary from JKA⁴Japan Karate Association, as more students equals more money.

And this also gives the upper hand with her father.

'Hmph, let's see what you say after you know this, Seigo.' Kyoko sneered in her mind.

She then asked.

"Did you get Mikoto's permission to join? You do know when joining a club, the guardian's permission is a necessity."

"...I didn't... That was an oversight." Rimu answered awkwardly.

This was the first time she got to know this as she never joined any clubs in her previous life. It seems like some of the club's expenditures, such as uniforms, are billed to parents together with the tuition fees. So, if she ended up joining the Karate Club, the Nekomiya family would need to spend a bit more for her tuition fees, which are billed after graduation.

By the way, if there are students who cannot pay their school fees, their certificate won’t be issued until they can pay. Though, this was of no concern for the Nekomiya family, they were not poor. But even so, the guardian's permission was needed as they had the right to know.

Kyoko thought of something,

'Mikoto's signature is easy to forge, I don't think it's too much of a hassle. As long as this brat joins, everything is okay.'

With a computer and a bit of forgery, she can make a written permission by herself.

"I understand your reasons. However, I do not need half-hearted determination. It will really trouble me if you join but stop coming halfway in the semester. Do you understand?"

"Eh? Is it okay if I join the club?" Rimu's eyes sparkled.

"That depend on yourself. No offense but I don’t think you have talent for martial arts." Kyoko said coldly.

STAB!

Kyoko's words stabbed at Rimu's sore heart. She knew that her overall talent was low in all aspects. All the brains and brawn went to Riku, leaving her only with fart. But she was not expecting much in anyway.

As long as she can work out to maintain her loli body, nothing else matters..

"...I will persevere." Rimu gritted her teeth, determination could be seen in her eyes.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." Kyoko smiled as she patted Rimu's head affectionately.

Kayoko led Rimu back to the Sports Building.

"Come, you need to introduce yourself to other members. I'll take care of the formalities and your uniform should be done within a week. For the time being, just watch other's practice and follow it. Also, call me -shihan from now on."

"Yes! Kyoko-shihan." Rimu nodded.

Kyoko has completely give up with the "Kyoko" nickname.

Inside the sports building all the club members had lined up and started to practice. They punched and kicked the air uniformly. Each time with a loud shout.

A few meters away from their position, there were two more lines. They were the students from Kusanagi Junior High School and Kusanagi Senior High School. The Karate Club encompassed pupils from elementary school until high school and was one huge family.

This meant that from now on, even after Rimu advanced to Junior High and Senior High with the escalator system, her affiliation with the Karate Club wouldn't change. Only if she quit or chose to go to another middle school.

Kyoko clapped her hand together and stopped their practice.

"Everyone, pause for a bit. Let me introduce you to your new junior. Rimu, go ahead and introduce yourself."

"My name is Nekomiya Rimu, 5th grade elementary school. Please take care of me." Rimu introduced herself with a smile.

First impressions are important so Rimu did her best to perform as cutely as possible in front of the club members.

Instantly, the entire room become noisy. Other clubs practicing in neighboring rooms instantly turned their head towards the Karate Club room. The main source of the noise was mainly from club members from the junior high and the senior high club members. Female members were a rarity, especially if they were this cute.

What is there to enjoy from seeing a bunch of loud, sweaty and smelly dudes practice all day?

Any fresh eye candy is always welcome!

Compared to hyped seniors, the elementary students were shocked beyond reason. Only the 6th grade seemed unaffected and was silently rejoicing as well. Whether Rimu was a 5th grader or 4th grader made no difference to them.

Ryouji nodded his head in satisfaction.

Fumino: "Eh? Same grade?"

4th grade and under: "Eh? She is our senior?!"