Dead Ringer for Love

[skip-stop]

"Eh?" Astrid was slightly surprised when she heard Belinda's answer.

Judging by the words of the other blonde, her reaction, as well as her tone, she decided that Astrid recognized Belinda thanks to her sister or something like that. But it was just the opposite. Despite the fact that the Norwegian woman tried to be aware of all potential top-level rivals, she just physically could not keep all the names in her head, so Cecilia was not someone Astrid would recognize only because of the name.

"It's all great, of course, but you probably misunderstood me," Astrid said, "the thing is that my debut match started with a little... hmm... okay, okay, I'm ready to admit that it was a conflict that I started. Alison Seong challenged your sister to a match. Like top-level fighters who have a personal dislike for each other and all that. But since I don't recognize the separation between veterans and newcomers, I decided to say this, so I was slightly ahead of your sister and came out to Alison instead her. I remembered her name only now. Just a funny coincidence. You and I are going on a date, and your sister turned out to be a woman from whom I kind of stole a match, huh. Funny how the world works, isn't it?"

It was really unusual. Sure, Astrid had a talent for finding adventures for her ass, but this day was something completely different. First she met Belinda, and now it turned out that her sister was the one from whom the Norwegian woman stole a match for the sake of debuting against a veteran. Well, maybe it couldn't be called theft in the literal sense, but still.

[Devastated]

Belinda would tilt her head a bit as she Astrid began to explain the situation to her. It seemed as if the Norwegian woman had no real relation or knowledge of her sister, which was surprising to say the least. Though instead she had seemingly stolen a match from the the Hardcore Queen herself. Belinda's eyes widened for a bit as that seemed only to be a sure-fire way to spawn conflict between the two.

Though, she would be lying if she said she didn't think it was funny. After hearing her out, Belinda would let out a little laugh. " Haha! Oh that's how it is! Phff...well. Good going on you!" Belinda said as she would nudge her fist against Astrid's shoulder somewhat roughly. " Though...keep your eyes and ears open. If I know my sister she won't let that slide. She can be pretty...well a lot vain." Belinda laughed again, shaking her head as she wore a wide smiling grin on her face.

"So you faced off against Alison huh? Her and Cecilia used to have a lot of matches back in the States. They sure built up some kind of blood feud over the years." Belinda reminisced on the past for a bit.

[skip-stop]

Belinda seemed amused by this story. Astrid grinned when another blonde hit her on the shoulder. Despite the fact that it was a friendly gesture, Astrid still felt the strength inherent in a fighter. However, she was not offended, on the contrary, she really likes this perky temperament of her new friend. In addition, the Norwegian woman also found this story funny. As they say, the world is small. She would never have thought that she would go on a date with the sister of the woman she stole the match from.

"Keep eyes and ears open, you say?" Astrid thought for a moment.

Of course, there is nothing surprising in the fact that sisters or brothers are not always similar to each other. But still it was impossible to deny the fact that in most cases such close relatives are more similar to each other. And if Cecilia had been at least half the same as her younger sister, then Astrid could have said without remorse in advance that they could have become friends. But Belinda's words said otherwise.

"Well," the blonde shrugged, "I'm here to fight the bests and if your sister's ass needs a good kick, then my door is always open, huh."

Astrid really wasn't going to run away or anything like that. Every second woman here called herself the queen of something. So much pathos... for Astrid it was always something strange. For her, only a good match was important and therefore she preferred to leave all emotions outside the ring. Although, of course, it doesn't always work out, especially when your opponent is a self-confident bitch who considers herself the center of the universe.

"It sounds true," Astrid nodded, "Alison's attitude and words made me pretty angry during the match, I can say the same about Karen, although... as they say, there are bigger fish for any big fish, and the more they believe in their invincibility, the more painful it will be for them to be in my dragon flame, huh."

[Devastated]

Being rather amused by all of this, Belinda could say for sure that she found it entertaining to say the least. Besides it wasn't like she was worried, if anything bad happened and Cecilia attacked her, Astrid hadn't exactly shown her that she needed to be worried about her. Considering she went against Alison that meant that Astrid had to be pretty tough herself. So she could probably leave all of that to Astrid. Besides, Belinda didn't know Astrid well enough yet to want to go and try and clean up any mess. They had just met after all.

As Astrid continued to explain how her interactions had been with people like Alison and Karen...Belinda could only assume it was Karen Starring. It was the only one that came to mind and well her and Cecilia had had a fair few encounters back in the day. Belinda would nod her head for a bit as she continued to walk with Astrid. " Well...isn't that how it always is. There is always a bigger fish." Belinda said as they were starting to approach the restaurant.

"Still. You show them what's for. Okay? No matter who you go up again always hold your head high and give it your all." Belinda said with a wide grin on her face as she would step around in front of Astrid and give her a smile and a pat on the shoulder. " That's what I always do. Haha!" The blonde said as she would then pivot on her heel and turn to the right. " We're here! Tonki!"

[skip-stop]

Astrid looked at Belinda after hearing her words. The short-haired blonde had a wide and confident smile on her face. They were simple, but very good words. Perhaps it might even seem banal to someone, but not for Astrid.

They are fighters. In a sense, they lived in a completely different world. And sometimes it is difficult for a fighter to follow these words. The Norwegian woman was personally acquainted with those who found it difficult to raise their heads proudly again after defeat. An ordinary person can try to raise their head in difficult times. But the fighter is obliged to do it.

"So we both share this principle," Astrid said, not hiding her respect for her new acquaintance.

This conversation distracted the blonde so much that she didn't even notice how they arrived at their destination. She was even a little surprised. For some reason, next to Belinda, she almost completely lost track of time. It seemed to her that only a few seconds had passed since they got out of the car. But, nevertheless, both of them were already standing in front of the entrance to the restaurant. Astrid tried not to show it, but she was a little nervous about the upcoming date.

"Well, then let's not waste our time, huh!"

Taking a few steps forward, she grabbed the door handle and opened the door. And then she took a step to the side. After all, she was the initiator and therefore, in a sense, it was she who was assigned the role of the one who takes care of the guest. Therefore, without remorse, but with a little artistry, she pointed with her free hand at the open door.

"Only after you, Belinda," Astrid said with a smile.

[Devastated]

Belinda nodded her head as she walked along with Astrid. They had reached the restaurant and were about to head in. Though looking on at Astrid she seemed to have gotten a bit more stiff. Belinda would bring her hand up and give her date a solid pat on the back. Flashing a somewhat toothy grin towards the Norwegian as she would then take a step forward and enter the restaurant after Astrid had opened the door.

" Time is never wasted as long as you have fun." Belinda joked as she would as she walked in after Astrid. Smiling at her date, she would look over at the small crowd of people in the place and look towards the bench where one was seated. Right by the chefs, in this big and open restaurant where one could see the entire cooking process. She would walk over and claim the first two seats she found.

They were greeted by all the chefs and members of staff, as was traditional when one entered a place like Tonki. Belinda smiled and looked over at Astrid, waiting for her to take a seat next to her. "So what are you having." She would reach forward and point at the three main dishes Tonki served. Listed out in a small menu. Hire-Katsu (Tenderloin), Rohsu-katsu (Loin) and Kushi-katsu (skewered) .

[skip-stop]

It seems that unlike Astrid, Belinda was much more relaxed about the upcoming date. Someone might think that this is a common thing for her. Considering how beautiful she was, the short-haired blonde probably had a lot of admirers. However, Astrid preferred to think that her new acquaintance was simply more open as a person.

"Totally agree, huh," the Norwegian woman chuckled, and then followed Belinda.

Once inside, she looked around the place. She had never been to such restaurants, so now a slight surprise appeared on Astrid's face. She immediately noticed that the customers were sitting right in front of the chefs, who were demonstrating their skills in all their glory. Amazing. She had never seen anything like that in Norway.

"Oooohh," she drawled involuntarily, "what an interesting place."

After passing the other customers, both women took the vacant seats. The staff greeted them warmly, and then Belinda suggested the Norwegian woman to study the menu. It didn't take long as there were only three main dishes. Astrid found a suitable option for her in just a few moments.

"Hire-Katsu," she said confidently, "and you?"

[Devastated]

While this probably wasn't Belinda's first date, she hadn't been on one in a long time. She had almost forgotten what it was like, but Belinda was a very open and extroverted person. She enjoyed going out and seeing people, friends and such all the time. She felt like she got energy by just hanging out and spending time with people as opposed to being alone where she usually just got tired and lazy. So being out with Astrid like this was only making her feel more energetic and she wanted to keep that feeling going.

"Riiight? I've been here a couple of times since moving to Japan. Tonki has the best katsu in all of Japan. Probably all of the world, haha." Belinda joked as she looked over at Astrid. "Not that I know...I mean I had never had Katsu before I came here." The blonde continued on though, not exactly wanting to make her sound like an expert on the matter or anything.

With both of them taking their seat, Belinda would look on and wait for Astrid to decided what she wanted to order. She would nod at Astrid's choice and then look over to the chefs. Ordering a Hire-Katsu and then a Kushi-katsu! She turned back to Astrid and flashed a little grin, " Kushi-katsu, it's my favorite. Though Hire-Katsu is a great choice."

[skip-stop]

“Well, you definitely have more experience in this than me, huh,” Astrid replied, “this is my first time, besides if it wasn't for you, only the gods know when I would have visited this place.”

Astrid could not call herself a recluse, who constantly sits in her lair, trying to avoid people. Not at all. Of course, at times she preferred to stay at home, spending the whole day watching some content on Netflix. However, in most cases, the Norwegian woman tried to get out somewhere. In most cases, this "somewhere" meant a bar. Perhaps there was nothing to be proud of here, but the only question about Tokyo that Astrid could answer was "where can I find a drink nearby?"

Yes, she wasn't a recluse, but she remained a lone wolf. Random meatings in bars is fleeting intervals that can be forgotten the very next day. Life here and now, nothing more. It's what she's used to. It was difficult for her to really find a common language with people. It was difficult for her to let someone into her soul. It was for this reason that her social circle was limited. And it was for the same reason that Astrid was enjoying Belinda's company right now. She was comfortable with this short-haired blonde.

“Your favorite you say...” Astrid drawled a little thoughtfully after Belinda made the order. “I think I should demand a piece or two, maybe it turns out that this is my favorite too, huh.” Astrid laughed a little, and then lightly patted the Swedish-American woman on the shoulder. “Just kidding.”

Astrid turned her head slightly to the side and spent a few moments watching the chefs. Oh, they were really cooking right in front of customers. Few people even thought about such things. Usually you come somewhere, place an order, and then the food magically ends up on your table. You don't attach importance to the fact that someone tried for you and cooked it. And here it could be seen in real time. It was interesting and even fascinating. BUT. Astrid wasn't here for food, at least not in the first place. She turned back to Belinda.

“I want to know more about you.” She said, nodding her head at the same time, as if confirming her own words. “What do you do besides matches? Do you have hobbies? Or maybe... I don't know... another work?”

[Devastated]

Belinda perked up a bit at Astrid's question. She would smile towards her and give her a nod. "Oh? You want to try it, no problem!" Belinda answered before Astrid could even let the blonde know that she was only joking. The short-haired blonde would only give a light grin to Astrid and then turned her attention to the chefs. Much like Astrid did.

There was a certain charm to watching people who were just so talented and seemed to have honed their skills for so long. It was really no different watching these professional chefs than it was watching a wrestler or a boxer. It was all about the dedication they had put into their craft and how extremely skilled and consistent they could be.

A bit mesmerized in watching the chefs perform their craft. "Ah?...Oh...Hmm hobbies huh? I guess I'm a pretty big fan of detective shows? Also books. Hmmm...what else...another job huh? Well I model from time to time? How about you! Hobbies? Work? Dreams? Aspiration. Spill~" Belinda brought the questions right back to Astrid with a few more to boot.