Delmar smiled coldly and stepped forward, voice calm but cutting.
"Don't worry, Ms. Sena," he said, placing a hand gently on Ann's head. "I beat down all the pirates... Ann didn't get a single scratch."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"He beat down all the pirates?"
"Is he playing with us?"
"That can't be true, right?" the disciples and sub-instructors muttered, exchanging incredulous looks.
Even Sena's eyes narrowed in disbelief. Her brows furrowed as she took in Delmar's confident expression. She was glad—relieved—her daughter was safe, but… Delmar? Beating an entire pirate crew? Alone?
"Is that true, Delmar?" she asked slowly, searching his eyes. She didn't sense a lie, but… she couldn't reconcile it. She knew how little talent he had when he trained under her. It pained her to admit it—Delmar had been her favorite student. He reminded her of her younger self, stubborn and burning with will. His resolve had always been unshakable. Even after falling behind the others, he would say, "Even if it takes me a hundred years, I'll catch up."
But then he left. Or so she thought.
"Yes, Ms. Sena." Delmar let go of Ann's hand and gave her a smile—the smile he reserved for her, and only her. Not for these frauds. Not for the instructors who spat on him. Not for Sena, the woman who'd discarded him like trash.
He kept his gaze steady, but inside, his blood simmered. She hadn't even told him herself. Just vanished from his life, letting those snakes speak for her.
"Delmar!" Dahlia rushed from the courtyard to his side, ignoring the whispers. "Stop being so reckless! You're gonna get yourself killed one day!"
She grabbed his face and tilted it up, scanning for wounds.
The boys in the dojo tensed like one organism.
That's Dahlia!
The Ice Queen!
Why is she… so clingy with him?!
Delmar blinked at her, surprised, and Dahlia turned red instantly.
"Uh… s-sorry…" she stammered, letting go. "I was just… I-I was worried, that's all…"
Before the silence could stretch, Sena approached them, her robe brushing the floor with elegance and weight. Dahlia and Delmar both turned to her.
Then Sena leaned forward—and pressed a soft kiss against Delmar's cheek.
Gasp.
The courtyard exploded in whispers again.
Dahlia flushed bright red, her eyes wide. Did she just—?!
"Thank you for saving my daughter, Delmar," Sena said softly, her gaze warm.
But Delmar didn't flinch. His face contorted—not with embarrassment, but fury.
"Are you serious?!" he snapped, stepping back.
Sena blinked. "W-What?"
"What? Really?" he repeated, face reddening, fists clenched at his sides. "After everything, you're acting like nothing happened?!"
Ann tugged on his sleeve. "O-Onii-chan…"
Delmar took a deep breath but didn't calm down. He glared at Sena with blazing eyes. "You kicked me out! You didn't even do it to my face!"
Sena's expression faltered. Then her eyes slowly widened.
"…Kicked you out?" she repeated. "Didn't you… leave on your own?"
Delmar stepped back as if slapped.
"Are you joking right now?!" he hissed.
But Sena didn't respond. Her eyes darkened—then turned, sharp and venomous, toward the row of sub-instructors standing nearby.
"Wait." Her voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "What. Did. You. Do?"
A wave of pressure rolled across the courtyard, heavy and stifling.
The five sub-instructors froze. Their legs shook.
'Oh fuck…' they thought in unison.
They dropped to their knees with a thud.
"Sena!" one said, groveling. "We're sorry!"
The disciples gasped. Dahlia and Ostrich exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"We… we kicked Delmar out…" another admitted, voice trembling.
"But we swear it was for a g-good reason!" a third added quickly.
"Oh?" Sena's voice was ice.
She stepped forward slowly, each click of her heel against wood like a countdown to doom. "And let's hear it then. It must've been an excellent reason, right? To kick out my disciple. Without my consent."
"H-He couldn't keep up with the other k-kids, so we t-thought that…" one of the sub-instructors stammered, sweat beading on his brow.
Another chimed in quickly, "That g-giving a chance to someone more t-talented would have been better…"
"Oh, oh…" Sena said, her voice like frost on steel. "Why don't we stop with the bullshit?"
The temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop with her words. Everyone froze—disciples, instructors, even the air itself.
She could read them like open scrolls. That wasn't the reason. Not even close.
"O-Okay… our s-sons…" one of them began to admit, trembling.
"…They asked us to k-kick him out," another finished, his voice nearly inaudible. "S-So we did it…"
"We're sorry, Sena! Truly sorry!"
Sena's eyes blazed like frozen fire.
"All of you," she said slowly, enunciating every word with chilling finality, "get out of here. I don't want to see any of you again. Your sons included."
"B-But—!" one dared to begin.
Her glare stopped him cold. Her next words dripped with killing intent.
"Did I say you could rebut?"
Silence.
"Out. Now."
The five men scrambled to their feet, bowing again and again as they retreated in shame. Their sons, standing pale and wide-eyed among the disciples, followed them in silence. A few dared to look back at Delmar with a mixture of humiliation and seething resentment.
Then… they were gone.
The courtyard was still.
Sena exhaled deeply and turned toward Delmar. Her hard expression softened.
"Delmar…" she said, her voice quieter now. She stepped forward and gently pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. They told me you left on your own… Why didn't you come to me?"
Delmar stood still for a second, arms at his side, before he sighed.
"Well… I was so pissed I didn't even want to see your face anymore…" he muttered, cheeks turning slightly red. "I felt so betrayed…"
Sena chuckled softly and let him go, her eyes glistening, though no tears fell.
"You stubborn brat…" she said fondly, smiling at him like she used to. "Still too proud for your own good."
Delmar glanced away. "Can you… not hug me like that in front of everyone? It's a little embarrassing…"
She grinned. "You haven't changed at all."
She had always treated him like her own. She never told him why, but Delmar had guessed it long ago. He resembled her dead son—both in looks and spirit. Her son had set sail to chase dreams as a pirate… only to die at the hands of the Marines. Since then, she hated the Navy with a passion and kept the dojo at arm's length from the local Marine branch, no matter how many times they tried to shut it down.
And maybe… that's why she had shown Delmar more affection than the others. Why she kept trying with him despite his pitiful talent. Why her cold, queenly demeanor melted only for him.
That's also why it had hurt so damn much when he thought she'd cast him out.
"Welcome back to the Purple Phoenix Dojo, Delmar," she said with a warm smile.
Delmar blinked.
Beside him, Dahlia smiled quietly, her arms crossed. Behind Sena, Ostrich gave him a huge thumbs-up, grinning ear to ear.
To be continued...
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