"Oh thank you!" Sai smiled, barely able to contain his excitement. "You won't regret this, I'll make it worth your time for sure!" Thoughts were already racing through his mind about techniques he wanted to practice with Mr. Ben, areas of fighting he was weakest in, and the best ways to go about their training routine...
"I should certainly hope so!" Mr. Ben laughed, seeing the thrill his agreement had sparked in Sai. Then his eyes glinted a bit dangerously. "Because I assure you the training will be quite intense. I will push you to your absolute limits and beyond. So I hope you are prepared..."
A visible shiver when down Sai's spine at the imposing tone Mr. Ben suddenly took on. Gulping nervously for a second, Sai then set his face in determination and nodded. "I understand. And I am ready for whatever ruthless training you put me through!" Hardship would be more than worth it if the eventual outcome let him reach even a fraction of Mr. Ben's vast level of strength.
"Excellent. We shall begin first thing after your school curriculum then." Mr. Ben stood up from the cafeteria table decisively. As he walked past where Sai was still vibrating in anticipation for their first intense training session, Mr. Ben placed one of his hands on Sai's shoulder. "I have high hopes for you, kid. Don't let me down!" His voice was serious but there was an encouraging glint in his eyes now too.
And with that, Mr. Ben strode off confidently, leaving an awestruck Sai behind him wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into with this new ultra-powerful mentor... But it was too late to back out now! He had asked for this, wanted this badly. Now he would just have to handle whatever ruthless training Mr. Ben unleashed on him in their quest to take Sai's strength and battle skills to unprecedented new heights!
Sai strolled down to the cafeteria to find a seat, but today, Kai, Sol, and Ida were nowhere in sight. He then spotted Linda coming towards him. As she approached, Linda asked "Hey Club President, have you happen to see Hana anywhere? I've been trying to find her."
Sai paused and then shook his head, answering "No sorry, I have not seen Hana around today."
Linda shrugged in response, muttering rhetorically "Now where could she have run off to this time..."
This made Sai consider that maybe Hana was currently with Ritter Diva. He had heard Ritter Diva was dealing with some difficulties lately. However, Sai did not feel it appropriate to share those speculations with Linda at the moment.
Wanting to shift the subject, Linda followed up by saying "Oh well, I'm sure Hana just got caught up in some other work she had to take care of."
She then posed another question to Sai - "Since I couldn't find her, I was wondering Sai - would you want to join me for lunch? We could eat together, two of us."
As she asked this, Sai noticed Linda's face flush slightly red. She seemed a bit shy about asking to dine alone together.
Sai simply smiled warmly back at Linda and responded "Of course, I would be happy to have lunch with you Linda. After all, we are fellow club members."
Hearing his agreeable answer, Linda's tense posture relaxed. Her face brightened cheerfully as she said "Wonderful!" She gestured to a nearby empty table. "Shall we then?"
The two of them sat down together. As they started to unpack their lunches, Sai regarded Linda thoughtfully. She was not actually one of the main heroines in the game universe he had arrived in, nor was she a villain. Linda was just a side character - but still definitely a likeable one.
While she did not possess the most extreme beauty, Linda had an extra charm and appeal about her that Sai thought no ordinary man would be able to ignore. For one, she had quite a nice figure - tall and slender, but still with very balanced, healthy physical proportions. Her shoulder-length hair, shimmering with orange and auburn hues like a fiery sunset, was uniquely accented by small braided portions near her ears. Sai also noted she had an endearing splash of freckles across her nose. And there was something very cute and expressive about her large round eyes. Yes, Linda overall gave off a certain pleasant aura that naturally drew others to her.
