"Well, first up on the list of topics is Rei-chan's PPV match with Eirina." Nanase started.
"It was a rather intense match, wasn't it Hime-chan? I was a little surprised how sudden the match was made, but our little Hellion handled herself well."
"You know I don't watch that stuff, Nanana." Himeko stated.
"But I heard about the highlights of it. It went about the way everyone expected it to. The runt got one point off Makishima, and then she stopped getting points." She shrugged. "It was decent TNA for those wanting it I guess."
Nanase looked toward Reiko, seeing her shift in place with an embarrassed frown before turning back to Himeko.
"Hime-chan... care to give some words of encouragement to our little hellion?"
Himeko looked to Reiko, looking her over and frowning. Then slapped her hard along her back.
"Runt, calm down. I'm not mad you lost. Hell, I'm more surprised you were willing to even do a hentai match after what happened in America." She said with a shrug.
Reiko fidgeted in place for a moment.
"But-"
"But what? You lost against a former hentai champion in a hentai match? You fought an opponent that has height, reach, and experience on you and survived longer than most people thought?" Himeko rolled her eyes.
"Seriously Runt, didn't I tell you to not worry about that stuff. You just need to be you in that ring an-"
Nanase cut Himeko off, gesturing to the growing frown on Reiko's face as she shook her head.
"What's wrong Rei-chan?"
"... ... ..." Reiko pursed her lips, staying silent a moment longer before speaking.
"I... wasn't really happy about the match." She finally said.
"I was kind of scared when I realized I was going to fight Makishima-sensei in a hentai match. I didn't really do too well in our first match, and after my match against Rose I..." She paused, looking away.
"I just... it felt like they were pushing me in another match where I just... well..."
"Get worn like a glove and fucked so hard they'd have another highlight reel of your orgasms plastered on LAW's 18+ page?"
Reiko froze in place, barely able to nod her head.
"It just..." There was another pause, and Reiko's face turned from the camera.
"Rei-chan..." Nanase placed a hand on Reiko's shoulder.
"It was your second PPV event, and with a former champion at that. Take that match to heart and use it to understand the level you'll have to be at in order to find success."
Reiko looked up at Nanase, her face finding a little more stability.
"Beside, my first run against a champion went about as well as yours."
Reiko and Himeko canted their heads, confused. Nanase only smiled wider.
"You two know I'm a former MMA fighter, correct? I've had my handful of runs in both Japanese and Chinese circuits. Facing those women at the top of their respective pyramids and trading blows with them was quite the experience. I only won a championship once, and I lost it rather quickly." Nanase paused, seeming to reminisce a moment.
"It was actually back in China. The officials weren't too keen on having a Japanese champion in their Chinese circuit, and so made sure my next few challengers were tailor trained to attack my weak points and make me look like a fighter that got a lucky submission to win the belt. In then end I only had one successful title defense to my name and every other circuit I went to made sure to gatekeep me for the rest of my time in that country..." She let out a sigh, a wry smile on her face.
"The women of the combat world are hungry, ambitious, and ruthless, but the officials and organizers are far worse. And even when a champion loses their title they're keen to prove why they earned it in the first place by going rather hard on their opponents, especially rookies like yourself, Rei-chan." She looked at Reiko with a sly smile.
"And you've fought that person twice, Rei-chan. No one doubts you or your abilities, least of all us or Eirina. I think there's only a handful of Middleweight women that can say the same. She only went so hard on your to make sure you understand that. Had it been me I would had gone even further than a piledriver."
Both Himeko and Reiko shivered at the sadism in Nanase's voice, Himeko shaking it off just a little quicker and settling into a more relaxed posture with Reiko's going even more rigid.
"Remember when I told you that your career was about to get rough now that LAW's controlling more of your matches, Runt? This is what I meant." Himeko stated.
"Since you couldn't beat Rose and snatch that belt from her hands I can see the heads and suits wanting to just... y'know shove you off to the curb. They're wild card Joker couldn't get the job done, and they've decided to stop fucking around and throw their strongest card in Estrella to challenge Rose next. It'd be smart to try and make sure your attempt is a footnote and you left to dry. Turn your Kimodameshi matches into a hell of your own making and having you be laughed off the stage by the chucklefucks online before sweeping you under the rug..."
Now Nanase shivered, a visible bead of sweat along her face. Something Himeko smirked at as she noticed.
"Oh, I know how they treated you in China, Nanana. That sounds pretty familiar, huh?"
The tightening of Nanase's jaw was all the answer Himeko needed, and she turned back to Reiko.
"Runt, just keep doing match. Don't give up. The most you can do right now is prove that you aren't afraid of whatever LAW throws at you. Take those hits, brush them off, and get back up. Be the damn nuisance that they can't get rid, if not for your effort, then your tenacity. They'll run out of bad match ups eventually, and those in the cheap seats won't have much to say to the chick that's still actively fighting while their barely able to get into the Undercard." She slapped Amano's back again.
"Just be you, okay kiddo? I'll worry about the rest."
After a small nod from Reiko the room was quiet again. Reiko shuffled in place before speaking again.
"Um... what about the other PPV matches."
Himeko let out a loud scoff, giving a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Hah! Over half of those damn matches were Apex Qualifiers, once again proving my point that half this damn roster will just jump, bark, and wag their little tails to DeFranco's tune whenever he shows them the newest, shiniest toy from his little box of distractions the roster can clamor over. No point in talking about the sideshow to a sideshow. Half that shouldn't have even been on the Main Card." She stated, rolling her eyes.
"But yeah, the Young Lioness Cup was a thing, and a pretty smart move on DeFranco's part for once in that Suit's life. That Tanner girl's doing pretty good right?" Himeko looked to Reiko.
"Hm... yeah I guess..." Reiko's tone sounded unsure, and her face mixed with annoyance and confusion.
Himeko canted her head.
"Aren't you friends with her? I know you talked about her once or twice. I mean, she's a loudmouth and basically a typical annoying American, but... well, this company tolerates Jones being here."
Reiko's eyes narrowed at the kotatsu, trying to find the words to explain things.
"It's... complicated."
Himeko paused, looked to Nanase who had a similar confused expression, then shrugged.
"Let's see... what else happened at We Are LAW..." Himeko paused, waiting for one of the others to add something.
And waited.
And waited.
And
waited.
"... ... ..."
"... ... ..."
"... ... ..."
"You know we have to talk about it, Hime-chan."
Himeko let out an audible groan, slamming her head down on the kotatsu with an audible, ugly
thud that got Reiko and Nanase to jolt in place.
"Do we really, Nanana? Hell, where do we even begin? We wanna' start with the actual match or the reaction to it?" She lifted her head, her eyes already weary as if she lost a day of sleep from the thought alone.
"Fuck it. Whatever. Fine. Fine. FINE, Nanana. Let's just start from the top." She turned to the camera.
"So, after Midas Touch number 'I stopped fucking counting after the Runt's ex' against that Young Lioness we get our Chinese takeout from, Astrid Ostberg -Heavyweight Champion and apparently the only other person in this company next to the Runt and Estrella with the stones and skills to match Rose- decided to call her out on her bullshit in person instead of online like a certain other heavyweight and actually fight her. They fought, Astrid lost an-"
...
Himeko paused, as if a thought stopped her flow. Then, she sighed. A long, exhausted sigh that had her shoulders droop down. Nanase and Reiko exchanging confused looks.
"Fuck, I'm really about to do this." After a half-minute of pause she pushed herself up.
"Alright. No more fucking around. If I'm doing this, I'm doing this once and NEVER talking about it again for a long. Ass. TIME. So here it is. Here's Business Graduate and Zaibatsu Heiress Taishuya Himeko's full synopsis on both this match and what's happening in this damn company." She straightened up, looking directly into the camera as if the lens was a person, hands laid on the table folded. Her tone immediately shifting from a blunt and crass pattern to a short, terse, business-like cadence.
And, in near-perfect English.
"[ Astrid Ostberg is one of the best wrestlers to come to LAW. She had the pedigree and backing of her family, along with the skills to match it. She's won nearly all her defenses, challenges, and matches in a fair manner. Few in this company can say she's a poor wrestler, person, or even commodity. And despite my personal opinion I have no issue with someone that has proven themselves time and time again. ]"
Reiko and Nanase were frozen in place. The lack of accent nearly rivaled Nanase, and polite, business-like tone sounded
alien to the two as they stared wide-eyed. But Himeko continued without pause.
"[ The buildup toward the match was perfect for LAW to take advantage of. The fact that it was a champion-versus-champion match was best chance to not only slow down Rose's momentum with a solid loss on her growing high record, but also in a way that could be done safely. As Heavyweight Champion, Astrid could easily out match Rose and show the world not only a champion level match, but that also keep Rose's momentum within Lightweight Division solely within the Lightweight Division and contain her behavior to Midas Touch while not tarnishing her marketability and draw as a wrestler. If the Heels truly are the heroes as Rose says, then they would only be welcomes within this Division and her behavior and corruption of the division could be safely contained while still pushing Rose as a commodity. A loss would also help the untouchable queen feel a little a more human. But, that was just the buildup the match proper was a different story. ]"
Himeko paused, a break that felt like hours to the two watching her before they noticed the dents in her steely expression before she continued.
"[ In that match. The match I watched and examined. ]" She paused, as if a record skipped over something before her face shifted to a eerily cold smile.
"[ Astrid put the fear of God into Rose even better than Maizono putting the fear of Hell into her. When I saw that match I saw Rose try to trick, cheat, and scheme her way out of a match she had no real hope of winning. She failed to force a ringout DQ by hiding outside the ring. She tried forcing a referee to count pins that weren't locked. She screamed, hollered, and begged for the match to end when she got the tiniest advantage before she got desperate. Our Champion. Afraid to take on someone that's at her level by our company's standards. Fear and desperation were the only emotions I saw on Rose's face in that match. And Astrid? I saw Astrid do her all in her power to prove why she got what she had and why she deserved it. A woman that, for all people's claims of being boring and uninteresting as a champion, kept my eyes fixated on the screen as I watched her outplay, and out wrestle our 'Ace'. And when Rose finally seemed to have luck be on her side and just barely grant her a win. As she fled the scene like it was an assault she just barely survived I was left with many thoughts. 'Maybe LAW has some worth after all.' 'Maybe both sex appeal and technical skill has a place and can fuse like my assistant Nakano keeps telling me.' 'Maybe I should start pulling my weight more as a leader and work in front instead from behind to show this company few of us in this division are afraid of Rose.' ]" Her expression turned dark soon after saying that.
"[ And what happened afterwards? ]" A pause. An earnest pause that truly seemed like Himeko needed a moment to compose herself after the stoic professionalism she showed. Her face turned down at the table, and her fold hands twitched as she refused to look back up.
"[ What happened afterwards? ]"
Reiko and Nanase looked to each other, the question seemed to be in their direction but... they too hesitated. Himeko's voice broke it's business-like tone and cracked. And both girls froze again as they saw their leader's hands continue shaking and her accent slip.
"[ How did these piece of shit, catfighting, indie upstarts that think their padded out their high school record is worth a damn think that match of a lifetime went? ]"
Just as Nanase open her mouth to speak Himeko slammed on the kotatsu with enough force to make a crack, causing Reiko to jump back.
"THESE CHUCKLEFUCKS THOUGHT IT WAS A FAILURE!"
Blood started to drip along the table, several staff members starting to voice their worry before Himeko turned to them with an icy glare, immediately looking to Nanase who still had her mouth open.
"Don't. Don't defend them. Don't defend the assholes that only know how to talk when a keyboard is in front of them. And especially not the ones that don't deliver on their callouts and claims." She moved her clenched fist from the kotatsu's surface, revealing the splattered bloodstain underneath. Then, she exhaled.
"No, I'm wrong to assume their faceless. It's only one person leading that narrative, isn't it?" She brought her hand down under the table, letting out a sigh.
"Fine. I'll be the one to say it. I'll do this company's job and make sure the right people hear the right words." She turned to Reiko and Nanase with a softened expression, then back to the camera lens, almost immediately shift back to her business persona. Hands folded on the cracked table as if nothing had happened.
"[ Thereisa Niedermeyer ]" Her accent shifted again, speaking the heavyweight fighter's name in mildly successful German accent, her entire speech now in semi-decent German.
"[ I will be blunt. I do not know if you have decided to finally retire after seeing that match or if you are planning a scheme of sorts, but either way it ends. Weight divisions exist for the safety of fighters first and foremost. As a competitive judoka I can tell you from experience that weight classes are for the sake of fairness in ability and tactics. Lightweights be in vogue now is a matter of the company's marketing and Rose's personality. To put it bluntly, the lack of prominent Heavyweights pushing themselves is a large factor in their lack of popularity and attention. I speak personally when I say that aside from Astrid the only prominent heavyweights I can think of are ones wearing a cat outfit, a bee outfit, and a myriad of wrestlers with an Egyptian aesthetic. And given your large array of cosplay matches I had figured you were leading the Heavyweight Division into this... costume party it has started to become. Believe you me, I would love to see another legitimate, straightforward wrestler like Astrid come into the spotlight. Someone like Kyojin, or Selene Sugar, or Vera Sapphire who can take this company by storm and become one of its many faces. However, instead you have decided to try and turn Astrid's near miss that everyone agreed was a fluke into an outright failure. One might be forgiven to think you are purposely trying to make your division crumble in order to personally rise it from the ashes and take the praise of that feat for yourself. At this point, I wouldn't even blame Dan DeFranco if he took that very idea and personally used Astrid's earnest effort and turned it into a a way to truly bury the Heavyweight division and ride the rising meteor that is the Lightweight Division. ]" She took a breath before continuing, now giving a polite, courteous smile that held no warmth.
"[ And given your recent attempts to fight, bully, and harass the Lightweight Division with bounties, callouts, and a PPV match against a what seems to be a random wrestler of our division last year, one would also be forgiven if you were following in Rose footsteps, finding Lightweights to bully and pad your record not unlike our Ace before making another attempt at the belt after Astrid leaves it. ]"
There was a long pause, and Himeko let out a slow, quiet exhale before her gaze turned dark again and she switched back to Japanese.
"Oh right, you've been in this country long enough, you know Japanese too so I'll be blunt. If you make a another reactionary promo to what this whole damn company knows are basic facts, I will personally use the 10% of this company my family owns to REALLY bury your division. I don't need to fight you. I even need to look at you. I just have snap my damn fingers to make sure you're not a problem anymore. Hell, I said all that shit in German just so only you, your daughters, and the random Germans watches a Japanese-as-fuck podcast were the only ones hearing all the insults. Consider that the only kindness I owe you." Himeko shook her head, looking back at the camera.
"And Ostberg, if you're even watching this... Well, you tried. You did better than most. And what I said to Runt about her career goes double for you. This a prime chance to sweep you under the rug with the rest of Rose's victims. Be on your guard." She paused, her face lighting up as if realizing something.
"And since I'm on this point, if any Heavyweight really wants to shut me I'm trying to push this thing called 'Gekokujo' where I-"
A flash of red fabric blitzed along the table to tackle Himeko, and the stream soon went to black.
Technical Difficulties. Please be Patient. We Will Return Shortly.
Though... the title didn't stop the audio from coming through.
"OH NO YOU DON'T YOU DAMN BRAT!"
"YOU WANT TO FUCKING GO HERE, TITS-FOR-BRAIN?!"
"AT LEAST I'M NOT AFRAID TO SHOW MINE YOU VIOLENT PRUDE!"
"FUCKING ＤＩＥ, CUNT!"
"YOU FIRST, SHITRAG!"
"WAAAAAAAH-!"