Instructor Canes came a few minutes later. He knew without seeing her arrive that she had arrived because everyone became completely silent immediately.
She ran and jumped in front of them like she always does every morning. Her two feet kicked up dust, which she kicked away.
He shook his head when he saw this and thought to himself, "Some people never change."
He suspects that instructor Canes has some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder because of the way she does things.
She does things exactly the same way every day. She doesn't like change. She insists that they stand in formation in rows of ten according to the order that they joined her class.
She was the one that insisted on everyone using the martial uniform. The etiquette when asking questions and answering them was her doing too.
Someone had once said that one would have a better chance of getting away with insulting instructor Canes to her face than messing with the standing formation of the trainees.
She had rules and was a stickler to them. It made her behavior predictable. For example, the older students knew what was going to happen now that there was a new student in class.
First, she went to inspect the new trainee.
She put her hand in the chest of the new girl and said to her, "Show me your breathing technique."
The new girl nodded and did as she was told. She breathed using the fire-breathing mana technique for a minute.
Instructor Canes nodded and said, "Satisfactory."
Then she moved her hand away from the girl and said, "Bella, show the girl to the locker room and get her a uniform."
The girl that had been called bowed and cupped her hands to instructor Canes before taking the new girl away to change into the black martial uniform.
Instructor Canes called after them after a while. She said, "Don't forget to make her bring a mat."
Arthur thought to himself, "I bet she didn't forget about the mat and decided to remind them about it after they had moved a certain distance. She can't let go of her habit."
He believes this is the case because it had happened exactly like this when he first came. She had waited a while and then reminded him about the mat as if she forgot it initially.
When the new girl and Bella were gone, instructor Canes said to them, "Gather round."
The formation broke apart in an orderly manner as everyone carried their mats and set them up in such a way that they formed a circle around her.
She focused on Arthur immediately and said, "Nice of you to join us again, Arthur. I heard that you were on a vacation."
He bowed and cupped his hands to her before saying, "It is nice to be back, instructor. I thought of you and your wonderful training the whole time I was away."
By the time he was done speaking, she was already in front of him. She was so silent that if he hadn't seen her move, he would have been caught off guard by her sudden proximity to himself.
Her face was calm as she said, "You smooth talker. You're fooling no one. I am sure that you didn't miss my training at all."
He chuckled wryly, as he didn't have a way to refute that without calling her a liar. Besides, what she said was correct.
He didn't miss her attempts to drown him or the punches she delivered to his stomach while forcing him to keep his breath within his lungs or the times she stood on his stomach and told him to inhale.
She eyed him with her calm eyes and said, "I hear you got into trouble and broke your arm. Which arm is it?"
He pointed at his right arm. "This one, instructor."
She asked calmly, "Let me see it."
He didn't want to, but he stretched forth his right hand and folded back his sleeves so that she could have a good look at it. He did so confidently, without fidgeting.
For some reason, she didn't look at his arm. She was only looking at his face and his behavior as he displayed his arm to her.
But whatever she was looking for, she wouldn't find in him because he was not an ordinary seven year old. He had an old soul and was used to lying under pressure as a business man and CEO of his own company.
She nodded without looking at his arm and said, "Good arm. It looks as good as new. You're so lucky to have a mother who cares so much about you and is also rich enough to spend a lot of money on such an expensive medicine."
He nodded and agreed. "I feel lucky too."
She said calmly, "You may withdraw your arm."
Then she said, "I hope your injury won't hold you back today."
He bowed and cupped his hands as he assured her, "I'll try my best, instructor."
By the time he looked up, she was already gone. She had returned to the center of the circle.
Bella and the new girl were coming out from the building too. The new girl looked a little different now that she was wearing the martial uniform. She was also carrying a mat with her.
The two of them joined the circle and sat down just as instructor Canes began her lesson.
She said, "We have a new trainee today, so we will go through the introductions first."
She went through the introduction explaining the need for breathing techniques, exercise techniques, and fighting techniques. Sometimes she called some people to stand up and explain certain parts for everyone to hear.
But this was where the similarities between what happened when he joined and what happened next ended. It is all because, unlike him, the new trainee had already learned the mana breathing technique.
The new girl had even used the breathing technique to break through to the fourth transformation. Instructor Canes had even called her mastery of it satisfactory.