Spar among fresh blood (for Sonsaku Hakufu)

The referee slammed her hand before yelling two.  Kohaku didn't move at this time, the attacks she had received had taken her out.  She didn't move as her legs were raised and her shoulder was locked down to the wrestling mat.  The referee would raise her hand again before slamming it down for a third time.  “THREE!” she yelled as the bell would then ring indicating that Karen had won the practice match between the two.  Kohaku would remain on the ground, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled.

Once the bell had been rung, Karen felt sufficiently relieved to be able to end her grip on Kohaku and use one hand to wipe her brow. She blinked and then let out a happy cry of "Yea-hoo!", pumping her fist in the air and giggling less like a victor and more like she had just conspiratorially shared a naughty joke with a friend. I won! I won!, she thought. Awesome!

Following the celebration, she turned to Kohaku, taking a hold of her shoulders and doing her best to lift her up from the mat. "Kohaku-san?", she asked, gently pressing her hand against Kohaku's face, to make sure she was alright. "Kohaku-san? That was a good match. Thank you very much for it."

Smiling, she couldn't resist the temptation of pulling one of Kohaku's arms over her shoulder as they both got up from the mat. It was a post she had seen in movies before; why not take the opportunity to recreate it?

Kohaku would begin to open her eyes as she heard the bell.  She could see Karen standing over her with her fist in the air.  This meant she had lost the match and Karen had won.  She then felt Karen grabbing her shoulders and lifting her up so that she was in a sitting position before stating that it was a good match.  “It was indeed a good match but don't celebrate soon, you still have to face my sister, think you can handle her after our little match?” stated Kohaku as she got up with Karen as one of her arms was placed over her shoulder. Sure she had lost but she didn't feel bad as she knew her sister could avenge her.

Hisui now knowing it was her turn would slide into the ring, not wasting any time.  She had seen how Karen had fought and was fresh, meaning she would have a large advantage over her opponent.  She would wait for Kohaku to exit the ring and for the referee to start the match. Akiha had also made several mental notes.  She knew that she might face Karen in a future match, so getting as much information on her as possible was the smart thing to do.

Realising she may not have gotten the message she wanted across, Karen smiled and quickly replied, "Oh, no, Kohaku-san, I wasn't meaning to celebrate. Apologies if I came across the way I didn't intend." She laughed. "It was a match I really enjoyed, and I hope you had just as good of a time during it." It might've been her upbringing or her own personality, but she felt one part of her identity it was important to uphold was respecting whoever she would face in a match. Vivienne had underlined that before, that a little courtesy will go very far.

"And, honestly," she added light-heartedly, "I wasn't even expecting that result, so I was a bit surprised!"

She giggled. "And... regarding your sister, I guess there's only one way to find out!"

After the two exchanged a handshake and some last words that Karen felt was enough to make it clear they were ending the match on good terms, Karen watched as Hisui entered the ring, replacing Akiha. "Pleasure to meet you, Hisui-san.", she greeted. "I hope we will both have a good match together."