Chapter 16: Sparring With Trina
"Trina? What’s wrong?" Klaus, who had been backed up against the wall, asked worriedly while staring at Trina with a dumbfounded gaze.
Her cheeks were red, her eyes were foggy, and an embarrassed smile was creasing her lips.
He couldn’t understand what was going on.
Just a few moments ago, she had been teaching him taekwondo, and now she was backing him up against a wall with eyes that made him wonder if she was about to do something far beyond friendship.
Confused by the unexpected situation, Klaus froze at the spot.
’What should I do?’
Out of ideas, he decided to ask the being that was supposed to support him.
’System! Help me!’
[I have no solution for this.]
Klaus’s face twisted. ’You fucker! Stop lying to me!’
She leaned closer and slowly locked her fingers with his, each sliding with the other as though they belonged there.
His eyes widened as he finally came out of the confusion and muttered, "Trina Sto—"
She gave him a pleading look and asked in a low voice, "Can we hold hands?"
...glup! Why is she being so cute all of a sudden?!
A few hours ago—
[Host, I believe it would be better for you to return to your shelter.]
’What’s wrong with you today?’ Klaus furrowed his brows and entered the professional gym room.
Trina, who was just about to start her workout, froze in surprise upon seeing him and mumbled, "You came..."
’What’s wrong with her?’ He frowned.
She looked haggard as though she hadn’t slept for days, her eyes had dark circles, and she seemed tired. He hadn’t seen her this tired even after working out for four or more hours.
"Is something wrong?" He asked somberly.
"Ah..." Trina gave him a faint smile before she turned toward the machine and lowered her head. "To tell you the truth, I was scared."
Her voice was low and somber.
Klaus’s brows rose in curiosity. He threw his jacket on the nearby rack and asked, "What can scare someone as strong as you?"
"I am not joking," she said.
Her shoulders trembled, and she added after a long pause, "I couldn’t sleep last night... because I kept thinking that... Dustin might do something bad to you."
’And you were on point.’ Klaus chuckled inwardly. He was obviously not going to tell that to her; after all, it wasn’t his style to exploit a friend’s weakness.
But he couldn’t let her continue feeling this way either.
A mischievous smile appeared on his face.
Let’s do this.
He walked beside her and asked while peeking from the side.
"Heh. So you couldn’t sleep because you kept thinking about me?"
"Yeah..." she mumbled, her expression tense.
"..." he stared at her with a deadpan expression and thought, ’That’s not the reaction I was hoping for.’
A deep sigh escaped his lips, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Stop thinking about it, Trina. You promised to help me with my workout, remember?"
She turned her head to him, showing no reaction to his touch, and said in the same, somber tone, "I did."
His brows knitted together. ’She wasn’t like this when she left...’
He brought his palms together and said with a smile, "You know what, let’s do something even better."
Confusion blanketed Trina’s face. "What?"
He raised both of his fists before his hands.
"Teach me taekwondo."
She blinked in genuine surprise a few times, her lips trembled, and then she burst into laughter, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"Hahahaha!"
She held her stomach and looked at him with a smile. "That was really funny."
Klaus, on the other hand, stared at her with a deadpan expression. He wasn’t joking; he was utterly serious about it.
His forehead turned red in childish anger, and he spat, "Stop laughing. Are you going to teach me or not?"
Trina stopped laughing and looked at him with a deeply surprised expression. "You are serious...?"
He crossed his arms across his chest and stated, "I am."
Speechless, she stared at him in silence for a long moment, and then she nodded. "Alright, I’ll teach you."
"So easy?"
She displayed him a bright smile and said, "That’s the least I can do to repay you for standing up for me."
"Let’s start then," he grinned.
The moment those words left his lips, her strict coach switch flipped on, and she ordered, "Show me your punches and kicks."
"Haha...ha..." he shook his head and raised his fists.
She examined his stance and said flatly, "Widen the space between your feet and your arms too tense."
"O-Okay." He followed her instructions, but his stance was still far from right.
She stepped behind him and jabbed her finger in his arm. "Relax."
He nodded.
She stuck closer to him and guided his feet with her own. A mischievous smirk appeared on her face, and then she threw a stray palm at his bottom.
"Calm down," she said as she stepped away.
His jaw opened wide, and he thought, ’Was there any need to do that?’
"Imagine that there’s an opponent before you and fight him."
Klaus’s eyes turned serious. He took a step forward and threw a chain of punches and kicks while thinking of the different ways he could’ve taken down Green Hat or Black Hat.
Trina watched him with equal seriousness, and once he stopped, she commented, "You are a mess."
"Huh?" He looked at her with a shocked expression. ’I did my best though...’
She circled him and tapped at his abdomen, arms, and legs as she listed, "You are not using your core strength, your kicks don’t have momentum, and your punches are too stiff. However, if you were to fight a beginner, you can defeat them easily simply because of your superior strength and speed."
’She got that just from watching me throw stray kicks and punches?’ To say that he was surprised would be an understatement.
"Take your stance."
He nodded and followed her command.
’Oh?’ A surprised glint passed through her eyes, and she remarked inwardly, ’He is already able to take the perfect stance... maybe I can push him harder?’
Trina didn’t just want to teach him anymore; now she was curious to find out how far she could push him. She wanted to know how monstrous a talent he was.
She appeared face to face with him and said while taking her stance, "I believe it would be easier for you if we spar."
For a moment, he frowned, but the next he smirked.
What could she possibly do to me, who has broken past human limits?
"Don’t get hurt," he muttered as he stepped forward and swung a fist at her.
"Heh," she grinned and moved. "Is that so?"