Martial Arts Worlds - Chapter 791
Chapter 791: Hardships
Montrael, Martial Redemption Dojo.
With the ten years passed, the dojo had expanded its size. Its stone yard was now about four times as big, the dojo itself had another floor built, and the number of students had doubled.
The cherry blossom tree in the center of the yard had grown even taller and more beautiful, its delicate pink petals dancing in the wind.
“…I don’t wanna go.”
“…I know you don’t like it there, but once you make a few friends, you’ll enjoy it, I am sure of it.”
At the front gate, a little girl was standing, her eyes filled with tears. She was wearing a bright pink school uniform with a backpack strapped to her shoulders.
She was a really cute girl and had chubby cheeks that made her look like a little doll.
“Nobody wants to be my friend…”
Ellie mumbled.
“They do. You are just so cute that they might feel shy to talk to you. Give it some time, please, for me?”
Aoi said with a smile.
In these ten years, she had become a beautiful adult woman with long, silky black hair and vibrant, intelligent eyes that sparkled with warmth and kindness.
She had shed all of her immaturities and blossomed into a confident and graceful individual.
It also looked like she had become even more beautiful, and it was no wonder how she’d become one of the most admired women in town.
There had been hundreds of men who tried courting her, but she hadn’t given any of them a single moment of her time.
“Ok, mom…”
Ellie said with a pout.
“You’re just so cute!”
Aoi kissed her on the cheek, and Ellie blushed furiously.
She then headed off to school, and Aoi waved at her till she was out of sight.
“Miss Aoi, I’ve arranged the meetings you asked for.”
In that moment, Renette walked over—she was donning a skirt dress that emphasized her long legs and slender figure—she was still wearing the flesh mask that masked her real face.
However, for some reason, Ellie had never been scared of her.
“Alright… I will have some paperwork to do, so can you handle the rest of the appointments for the day?”
Aoi asked.
“Sure!”
Renette said.
After ten years, Renette was still in the dojo, and it was because to her, it didn’t feel like that much time had passed.
She had lived for a very long time, and honestly, years felt like months to her, so it didn’t feel like even a year had passed to her.
It was because of her and Aoi that Martial Redemption Dojo hadn’t gone under already.
After the disappearance of Kiernan, every month was a struggle, and they had now gotten some stability, but nobody missed those dark times.
Aoi went to the office, which used to be Kiernan’s, and sat behind the desk and opened the laptop.
She was handling all business aspects of the dojo now, and while their dojo had managed to survive, they weren’t exactly doing amazing.
Martial Redemption has risen to being Two Star Dojo, and they were making a couple hundred thousand gold in profit each month.
However, there were many things that needed to be paid for, so the dojo really didn’t make much profit, if any at all.
Everyone thought that Martial Redemption dojo was done for after Kiernan’s disappearance, and some students did quit, as they didn’t believe that they could last.
However, Kiernan managed to cultivate a loyal student base, and many stayed, and they had been able to grow in size.
“The bills keep coming…”
Aoi looked worried as she glanced at the stack of overdue bills on the table.
She felt a headache rising in her temples, but this wasn’t the first time that this had happened, and it wasn’t going to be the last time.
In that moment, she caught a framed photograph on the table, and it showed her and Kiernan at their wedding.
She grabbed the photograph, felt her warm tears run down her cheeks, and hugged the photograph tightly against her chest.
“Sniff… Sob… Sob…”
Outside the dojo, Renette was in the middle of dusting off the floors until she heard the sound of crying coming from inside of the office.
‘She has been crying more than lately. What has caused that?’
Renette leaned against the broom.
…
Montrael, Elementary School.
“…Don’t, that’s mine, dummy!”
“…Alright, kids, stop fighting!”
“…You can’t catch me~”
In the classroom, the children were laughing and playing games. It was very hectic, and the teacher had a hard time maintaining control.
The teacher had to run off to break up a fight that was starting between two children, and the assistant teacher struggled to keep the rest of the class quiet and under control.
At the corner of the classroom, Ellie was quietly reading a book and wasn’t participating in any playing.
At that moment, a group of three girls approached her and asked.
“Why awe you ‘eading a book?”
The little girl asked.
It sounded like she couldn’t pronounce the letter ‘r’ properly and came off as adorable and endearing.
“Reading a book alone is so creepy!”
The little girl’s friend added.
“…Ah, I… just like… reading…”
Ellie shyly put the book away and lowered her head, as she didn’t dare to look back at those little girls.
“What’s wwong with you?”
The little girl asked.
“My dad said that kids that do not have fathers are bound to have psyc… psycho…? Something psychogocigal problems!”
Her friend said.
“You psycho-whatsha-name?”
The little girl asked.
“N-No…”
Ellie stuttered.
“You don’t have a father, though!”
The friend shouted.
“…I do have one!”
Ellie suddenly shouted.
“You don’t have one! My dad said that your dad died!”
“…That’s not true!”
Ellie shouted with tears brimming in the corners of her eyes, and she then ran out of the classroom, and the teachers tried shouting after her.
“…What did you girls do?”
The teacher asked with her hands on her hips and looked quite worried.
“Nothing!”
The girls said and ran back to their desks.