Grin and Bear It

Kozue had been so busy looking around the house that she almost ran into Junko when she stopped. She took a quick step back and held up her hands, laughing it off.

"Hey, not gonna argue that, I will freely admit it was a dumb move. Not denying that, never." She shoved her hands in her pocket and closed her eyes, preparing herself to think a little deeper than she typically cared to. "But I'm here because I like wrestling. Hell, I fucking love it. Skateboarding, dancing, videogames, been into a lot of different things, but the most fun I've ever had came from that ring. Flying all over the place, throwing down hard, putting it all on the line. I want to be better." She tossed her hair back and opened her eyes again, nodding along. It felt good to say this stuff out loud. "And I need to be better, too. Johnny's been good to me, even when he didn't have to be. So I want to help him out, when I can. And I can't do that if I can't hang in the ring. So...that."

She perked up and batted her eyelashes Junko's way, trying her best to look innocent. It wouldn't really work, she could never pull that look off, but she was just trying to keep things light. "Better?"

"It's certainly the right thing to say. My, my," She said, fanning her face a bit, "you're either very good at blowing smoke up people's asses or you'll be a fine rival in love to my daughter, fufu~"

Junko slapped her fan loudly on the table. "He is a good boy but foolishly naïve. I suppose that's a good thing though... otherwise he might be swayed by vixens such as yourself, fufu~ A compliment, my dear."

Junko leaned forward and peered at Kozue. "But let's get back to what you said otherwise. Skateboarding, dancing, videogames. Fufu, those are childish things. It's time to grow up. Wrestling isn't a tool to deal with your issues. It's not a game. It's a way of life! It is a passion unrivalled!" Junko raised her finger in the air and looked at Kozue with a sparkle in her eyes.

The kettle whistled and Junko stepped away to fix the tea. She came back with a tray and set a cup in front of the ninjette. "I'll make you hate it. I'll make you hate wrestling and hate me as well." Junko took a sip of her tea and smiled at Kozue. "And you'll be doing things in the ring you didn't even know you were capable of doing, fufu~"

Kozue took a seat as Junko fixed the tea, making herself at home as much as she could. It was getting easier by the second, though it was still way weird to imagine a little Johnny running around this place. "I am legendarily good at blowing smoke up asses when I need to be, yeah, but that's all true. Straight up." She tried hard not to snicker when Junko hit the table, putting a hand to her mouth to hold it in. "And thanks. I think. Pretty sure no one's called me a 'vixen' before, but I kinda like it."

She gave the tea a quick blowing, then tried a few sips. "Ooo, nice. Fruity, Kozue digs." She'd tell Junko it was as good as her mother used to make, but her mother always sucked at making tea. Cooking in general, really. "And I look forward to absolutely despising your guts, sensei." She tapped her cup. "No, wait - I don't look forward to it. I dread it. There we go."

She took a longer sip this time, really savoring the flavor and enjoying the hot tea down her throat. "Mind if I throw that question back to you, though? What got you into wrestling, doing the manager thing?” She sat the cup down and leaned forward, curious. "I looked up a few of your matches from back in the day. You and Rosie were solid gold, looked awesome."

It seemed that Kozue was still getting acclimated to the way things were going to be but Junko paid it no mind. She could joke all day long and Junko certainly was one for jokes but she'd also get extra serious when the time came.

Junko sat down and began to sip the tea herself as Ninjette asked about Junko's own background. "Wrestling has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. My family doesn't have a history of it, but I watched it as much as I could when I was a young girl. My first jobs were with wrestling promotions. Honestly, it's all I've ever done. If wrestling ever vanished from this earth suddenly, I'm not sure what I'd do." She paused. "Though, I suppose the degree I have doesn't say "wrestling only," fufu."

Junko took another sip. "Maybe I don't have the same in ring experience as the wrestlers I teach, but do have some experience with fighting and I certainly know how to keep a body in wrestling shape. I know more moves than most wrestlers and I've studied more film and been closer to the heart of wrestling than many of these weekend warriors that fill the bowels of our company. I may be lighthearted when it comes to life and I may like things to be breezy but when a Higurashi sets their mind to something, they are as serious as anyone else."

Junko turned her head. "You've seen that in Junichi-kun, I'm sure. My other son is the same way and their father as well..." Junko paused. "Unfortunately." She frowned but then looked back at Kozue and smiled.

"I don't think you're going to get too much stronger physically. You could add some muscle but that would take an incredible amount of work for what I see as a very little payoff. You suffer against larger opponents and foolishly decided to wrestle boys." Junko shook her head. "You're asking me to work Miracles, Kozue-san." She said. "Lucky for you, I can do it."

Kozue hated to think it, but she was glad Junk had the little moment about her husband. She'd started to wonder where Mr. Higurashi was, and the next thing out of her mouth would've been the question. So that was one mine she knew not to step on. She was curious, but it probably wasn't the sort of subject you discuss with a girl you've known all of five minutes.

It was neat to hear about her history, though. By the looks of things, there was a high chance that Kozue would be in Japan for the rest of her natural life. Maybe her unnatural one, too. Hearing Junko talked about how her life revolved around wrestling got Kozue thinking of long term things, a rarity for her. She wasn't going to retire anytime soon, but she couldn't help but wonder what she move on to when she did. Maybe she'd be the one training girls, that was a crazy-ass thought.

"Yeah, we Kaburagi's aren't known for our upper body strength." She lifted her arms, let her sleeves fall down and flexed. Tried to. If you looked close you could probably see a few muscles shift, but there wasn't a whole lot to it. "Or lower body strength. Or strength at all, really."

She lowered her arms and started to finish off the tea, taking her time with final few sips. "Anyway, yeah, not gonna be an Amazon anytime soon, I get that. Taylor said about the same thing. Kinda. Less delicate about it." She sighed and knocked a few stray strands out of her face. "So what should we aim for, then?" Kozue leaned back in the chair as far as it would go and gave her head a thorough scratching. "Like, say I got a match in a month with some big, new guy or Clyde or even Johnny. What should I go for?"

Junko grinned with a sparkle in her eye at Kozue's words. She licked her lips like a lioness about to chase a limping gazelle. "Conditioning!" Junko sipped her tea gracefully and looked at Kozue. "Fufufu~"

Junko stood up, clapped her hands together and looked down at the tray. She motioned to the sink with her sleeve. "I hope you enjoyed the tea." She said. "For now, that is the only thing I will make for you. Do you know how to make mochi? I'd like to celebrate your arrival with something delicious and I'm just so old. You'll have to use the mallet, my dear, fufufu."

Junko shuffled away, expecting Kozue to follow her. "It's been so long since I've had servants, fufufu~" She chuckled to herself quietly.