Shingyo Style Secrets [Shishiyuki, Makoto]

"I am rather surprised that you would think so, Makoto. While it is true that you have hardly taught me any new techniques, mastery of the martial arts is not simply a matter of knowledge. There is the question of refinement, of understanding. These things can only come when one applies knowledge in a variety of ways, and can do so with little effort."

Closing her eyes, Shishiyuki took a moment or two to consider the time that she and Makoto had spent together. It had been quite a long while since she had taught anyone so personally, or informed them of such a wide breadth of techniques. She likely would not have done such a thing for the vast majority of people, but she did it with little hesitation for the sake of this student. Why was that?

"I think you bring out something in me that other students of mine simply have not been able to."

She supposed that felt accurate.

Well that was unexpected, this wasn't happening right? Even Makoto wanted to pass out and drown in this warm water right now after hearing that, oh this wasn't happening was it? It wasn't. It can't be. It made her want to cough from the recoil of those kind of things being said. You don't just say things like that.

"Ahaha. Do I?"

Does she? How? She felt nausea take hold and didn't know what to do. Was this some kind of confession? Was it like before when she did things like this without considering it and it was super innocent!?

This wasn't happening. It wasn't, she was asleep? A dream? It had to be, right?

What a strange reaction from Makoto. It wasn't one that Shishiyuki would have expected from her, given how modest a thing it was that she had said. From her perspective, at least.

"I would say so, yes. Is that surprising?"

Shishiyuki wasn't one to think too deeply on matters such as this, and so to her, it was not a difficult question for one to answer. She supposed that the situation felt more complex than was typical, but this was not a common sort of relationship for her, regardless. She spent little time caring to this degree about those outside of her family.

"I would see no reason to understate or speak in circles around the topic."

"Y-yes. Yes it is."

She laughed at the end of it while trying to figure out how to navigate this situation, she hated situations like this. If it was something like a battlefield, she could beat it into the ground and get rid of these frustrations rather than trying to bottle them up and figure it out. Gah! Stupid things like this just made her want to scream in frustration.

"You're right, it's pretty silly to get caught up in it. Let's just talk about something else. I'm sure there's plenty you want to talk about."

It wasn't in Shishiyuki's nature to simply let a conversation slip by, and she certainly was not the sort to let a topic end when she felt there was more to say on the matter. She had spent quite enough of her life dancing around matters as head of the Koizumi, and she did not care to do so in her personal life, as well.

"No, no. I would prefer that we discuss the matter, if it has come across as improper to you."

Her tone was slightly more firm now, though she wasn't irritated with Makoto herself, per se. It was simply in Shishiyuki's nature to become a bit more to the point when she felt that a topic was worth discussing.

Keep discussing it. Oh.. Oh, there was no escape. Any kind of retreat she tried from this situation felt like it was going to be advanced on with just as much speed and pressure that Makoto was trying to diffuse it with. So that was how it was going to be.

"Well uhm, if you want to keep discussing it then how do I make you feel?"

As your student, though Makoto didn't say that part. She felt like she should've but at this point she didn't actually know, she just wanted to drown while her head sank a little lower to try and hide. At the very least it did give her a chance to answer her curiousity, though for Makoto she didn't actually know how much of that curiousity she wanted to be answered if any at all.

"How do you make me feel?"

That was a rather peculiar question, wasn't it? Shishiyuki felt there was something almost pointed about it, though she could not place her finger on it. Well, if Makoto had asked it, she felt she ought to at least think about the matter to answer to the fullest. How did Makoto make her feel?

"You make me feel as though I have value outside those who share my family name. You show me respect even when I have made it clear that I do not mind a casual demeanor, and you put forth your best effort toward all that I teach you."

Was that it? No, that certainly was not. Perhaps if they had not been alone, Shishiyuki would not have been so forward, but even being in her family estate still felt as though she ought not say what had come to mind. But that certainly would not dissuade her.

"Beyond this, however, you are someone that I believe understands me to a degree that others do not. Your presence, and our exchanges, make me feel as though my existence is not some unthinkable misfortune. In a word, you make me feel as though I am not alone."

It felt like someone was digging a hole underneath her and she was sinking the more she heard Shishiyuki say, oh man. She didn't mean for this to happen, it was all an accident. She didn't mean for it to end up like this and she didn't know how to react to it. It took so much of her willpower to avoid wanting to run away from this situation, it was nice being close to her and having someone to trust after all these years that the possibility of losing that scared her.

She did look grim and full of concern, more than she should to be held in such regard by Shishiyuki and hear those words. It felt like she was on a tightrope and was going to fall off if she took another step along it.

"Right because you mean a lot to me."

Did she say that right? At this point Makoto didn't really know waht she was doing. There didn't feel like there was any right way in this situation, did that mean she should just take a wrong way- No! She didn't want to do anything wrong or say anything that ruined the nice thing she found in Shishiyuki. Though there was something that really stuck out to her as weird, why'd it come off like this to her this way when it had already been said to her the fact she wasn't a guy was a problem in their last talk?

She had to wonder if she was overthinking this, was she being the weird one in this situation? Was she doing everything wrong by interpreting this image? Why was she even that nervous about being naked with her. This whole situation made he want to scream in frustration! Why was it so complicated!? Why was she the one making this complicated and being awkward all of a sudden!?

Shishiyuki would have expected any manner of responses, though Makoto's expression was not something she'd have anticipated. Was there something wrong that she had said? She felt it had been generally positive, so she could only assume there was some manner of internal conflict on Makoto's part that led her to such a reaction.

"Do I? Thank you, Makoto. You mean a great deal to me, as well."

There was certainly something a bit uplifting as Makoto told her that, though Shishiyuki could not exactly place what it was. She supposed she hadn't been told such a thing by anyone in quite a long while, had she? Even within her family, there tended not to be much in the way of open affection in anyone's words. It felt very pleasant, to be told such a thing by one who was important to her.

Unlike Makoto, she was certainly not overthinking the situation.

Alright, she had placed herself. It was fine. Makoto gave it her best thoughts and based on previous experiences it must just be her overthinking it, she should try and relax rather than being so skeptical. She probably looked like a stupid idiot with the fuss she was getting all spun up in, it embarrassed her way more to be aware that it was in front of Shishiyuki. If she was feeling like it was okay though then she should ease up and that's what she did by sitting back and trying to look more comfortable compared to her previous position of trying to hide in the water.

To no one's surprise it was a lot more comfortable of a position that she sat in now compared to what she was previously, her back felt a lot better for it.

"I'm glad to hear that, Shishiyuki."

Having put forth a lot of her resolve to try and alleviate her own awkwardness, she did kind of feel embarrassed to make her next request. It was so contradictory and Makoto wondered if her mixed actions would create confusion or curiousity, neither of which she wanted to have pop up.

"Um. Could you... with my hair again.. like before."

She hoped that by stammering it out, the meaning didn't get lost in the fragmented attempt to ask about working her hair like she did that night. Shishiyuki was the only person she felt comfortable doing it right now after all.