Demon's Revelation (Reiko and...)

[dlamp]

Reiko blushed at Lunar's teasing, snapping out of her lustful stupor. "I-I mean... we're both in the Hentai Division so..." Okay, maybe going so hard on her boasts about a hentai match for a rematch wasn't the best idea all things considered, especially when she could just feel Kiyo's annoyed gaze in spirit. Actually... wonder if she'd be okay if I had a set training partner for hentai stuff? ... Probably not.

Though Lunar's reaction to Reiko's last boast did get a smirk from her. The thought that someone was "worse" than Reiko in terms of battle lust only had her more curious. Something that hit hard, didn't quit, was cute, passionate, and not scared of Lunar apparent inner beast. Reiko was interested. She'd have to check out that match at some point and see what kind of person could get Lunar so frayed. Huh... wonder if that's how I'm like with Kazikura. "Kehehe~" Reiko couldn't hold back the snickers.

"Sounds like you got a hell of a rival~" It was hard to not be a little jealous. Reiko might have Kazikura Yuki as a person target, but Lunar seemed to have already found herself with someone that would really push her. "Hehe, well I'll be seeing you then." Reiko shaking the sand from her legs, now sitting Reiko was a little jealous that she wouldn't be the first to break Lunar out of her shell, but... that was fine. There were a lot of fighters in LAW, which meant a lot of potential rivalries. "Hehe," And seeing Lunar run off, she couldn't hide her smile. Lunar had a point. This match wouldn't be the last. She still had people to face, and people to fall back her. Himeko, Nanase, Kiyoshi, Lunar, and even Kazikura to an extent. And even if Lunar said she was alone, Reiko knew that was either a lie or her Kouhai's ignorance. She'll be fine. She's still got a dragon to beat.

Though... one thing Lunar said did stick out to her. People... admire me?

[CaptainL]

If Reiko thought that Lunar's praise came as a shock...she was in for a lot more where that came from. Not long after the blue-haired girl had departed, leaving Reiko by herself, another woman came walking down the street. She was minding her own business at first, not seeming like she was on the lookout for anything in particular. This was true, as a matter of fact. But things would quickly change for her - something that would come as no surprise, given the LAW t-shirt she wore, and the fact that she had been sitting right at ringside for the arena portion of the card.

Spoiler

"HEY! HEY, OVER HERE!" she called out, rather loudly and unsubtly (though in Japanese), before running over to Reiko's side. Her face lit up with a grin as she looked the girl up and down. It had been hard to tell for sure from afar, but up close, it was unmistakable. Hitomi Akari had found herself, by sheer chance, face to face with none other than Amano Jaku herself, a true LAW main eventer if there ever was one. It wasn't that long ago that she had seen the Demon going up against, and nearly defeating, the Lightweight Champion on the big screen - and now, here she was, standing right in front of her.

"It really ish you! The real Amano Jaku! Oh, god!" The words flew exhuberantly from Hitomi's mouth, as could only be begat by a wrestling otaku meeting one of the biggest stars in a major promotion. "You know, when I got ticketsh to the arena show, I felt bad because I wouldn't get to shee you in person. I guessh I shpoke too shoon, huh?" Chuckling, she began rooting around in her pockets. "I wish I woulda thought to bring shomething for ya to autograph, hm..."

[dlamp]

Reiko nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice. At first shocked at the obvious Japanese, but more so at the accent. Lunar, Rose, and Nanase were so far the only people that frequently spoke her native tongue ever since coming to America. Even more so the accent. Being a Tokyo girl, hearing different dialects was a normal, if somewhat unique happening, but... in America? And an accent so specific? It... gave the young fighter a bit a whiplash. And as she turns to face the source she found herself face to face and with what could only be described as a stereotypical fangirl, at least if the t-shirt was anything to go by.

As much of a relief as it was to not have to do the mental gymnastics of translating what English she could understand, this girl's energy was way of the charts, especially after forcing a tough front for Lunar. It... had Reiko's guad up a little more. Ugh, maybe Tsuki-chan was right. I shoulda' worn the damn hat.

"... ... ..." Reiko opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. This... was definitely a new experience. Dealing with wrestlers wanting to beat her up and humiliate her in the ring? She could handle that. Dealing with rowdy customers at the shop? She could handle that. Dealing with hundreds of fans booing and hissing at her in a stadium after she humiliated a girl in a Kimodameshi? She could deal with that. Dealing with an earnest fan completely loosing it over seeing her?

She was ready to run.

Already the introverted side of her brain was screaming for her to judo flip this girl and run. But... no. After the tough act she put on with Lunar, she could handle a fan. Even if that fan was getting just a touch too close for her liking. She had a duty as a wrestler to at least try and be cordial... right? And at the girl's mention of wanting an autograph, Reiko looked to Lunar's hat.

"... ..." Sorry, Tsuki-chan. She grabbed the hat. "Got a marker on you? I can just sign this?" She presented the... rather cartoon-ish baseball cap, complete to stars and a slight glow-in-the-dark edge to it. The bill was light enough for a dark marker show, so it'd work.

[CaptainL]

Hitomi gave no thought to the anxiety rising in Reiko as she barged rather suddenly into her face. She simply stood there, facing her with the grin on her face as wide as ever. Was she being rude? Who cared? It wasn't every day you got to meet a main eventer in the flesh, and Hitomi wasn't about to pass up that opportunity! She was standing right in front of the woman who was, up until recently, the number-one contender for the Lightweight Championship! That was all that mattered!

When Reiko presented Hitomi with the hat, she looked it over, an eyebrow raising with curiosity as she took notice of the stars dotting its surface. "Thish is yoursh, huh?" she muttered. "Doeshn't really sheem like your shtyle, if ya ashk me, but...eh, what do I know? Beshides, it'sh shomething!" She began to search around the pockets of her jeans for a pen, and when her hand found the outlines of her cell phone instead, her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Ackshually, forget the autograph!" she said, pulling the phone out of her pocket. "You wanna get a picture with me? No one back in Yubari's gonna believe me when I tell them!"

[dlamp]

This girl was right on the money. This space hat was definitely not Reiko's style. She'd more likely wear a hachimaki or bamboo straw hat than something modern. Even while wearing a novelty t-shirt and a bright bikini underneath the hat obviously clashed. Neither her style nor anything she owned. Though it felt a little surprising to be so seen by someone she didn't know. And Reiko had to wonder if this was a consequence was becoming more well known.

But thankfully, the girl wanted a picture more than a signature, so Reiko didn't have to fork over her latest gift from a Kouhai.

"Uh, sure." That said... a picture with an apparent fan would be... awkward. Introvert she was, being fawned over this much, and by someone so... excitable definitely had Reiko out of sorts. Still, she forced a smirked and nodded. "I don't got my contacts on, so don't blame me if people ask about how legit it is." She fixed her ponytail, straightening it out. Even without the contacts, Reiko still had her hair dyed, and her face was undeniably unique when she twisted it into her usual demon-esque smirks and grins. And she was no stranger to a camera thanks to doing some light modeling for her family's kimono and yukata.

She could make this a good picture, at least for a fan.

"Alright, ready."

[CaptainL]

She was actually agreeing to it! Hitomi could hardly believe her luck! She hadn't set out to meet anyone in particular when she decided to take a walk around Long Beach, and she'd only really been out to see the sights. Now, by sheer coincidence, she had not only met one of LAW's rising stars face to face, but had the opportunity to take a photo with her too! Hitomi had thought that getting flown in at Cyber Widow's expense to see a LAW show in person would be the height of her good fortune - and while it had been an experience like no other, things were only getting better and better from here!

Even with Reiko's warning, Hitomi wasn't perturbed. "Pssht! Now, I get to brag that I know what Amano Jaku'sh real eye color ish. Nobody elshe knowsh that!" Holding her phone up high, Hitomi leaned in against Reiko's side, slinging her arm around her shoulder and pulling her rather close before she flashed a grin and a peace sign at the lens. She showed considerably more enthusiasm than her impromptu partner, no matter how much Reiko tried to fake it.

"One...two...THREE!" On three, Hitomi eagerly pressed down on the button, snapping a photo of the scene.

[dlamp]

"Heh," The comment got an honest chuckle from Reiko. Optimism like that was pretty hard to come by. Or maybe the woman was just a bit of a fangirl that was desperate. Still, the idea of giving this person a bit of a gift with her slightly pulled off mask had her smiling... even if she was still a little too touchy for Reiko's taste. Eh, it's just a picture.

As Hitomi pushed the two together and set up her camera, Reiko twisted her lips to a wild grin, her green eyes lighting up with the little bit of spark she could muster before-

*Click!*

A quick flash and it was done. Probably not the best photo she could take, but given her current mood that probably the best she could fake it, at least for now. "So... you must really like LAW, huh?" She said, finally noting the girl's shirt.

[CaptainL]

With her goal secured, Hitomi eagerly pumped a fist in the air. Was it a bit silly to be celebrating this much for being at the right place at the right time to get a photo with a wrestler? Perhaps, yes. But she didn't care - for Hitomi Akari, this was an occasion that didn't come along every day, and she could afford a little self-indulgence! "YESH!! She looked down at her phone screen, admiring the snapshot she took that would immortalize her meeting with the Rascal Demon forever. "Came out great! Thank you again for letting me do thish, Amano...or, should I shay, Maizono-shenpai?" She grinned a little wider at the knowledge that she could throw around Reiko's real name. Just one thing that put her above the level of all the casual fans out there. "Well, I guessh I'm older than you, but anyway-"

Then, Reiko pointed out Hitomi's enthuiasm, and she took a step back, holding her shirt out from her chest to emphasize the LAW logo plastered across it. The original LAW logo, no less. Hitomi had been invested in the promotion from the start, and she wanted to show that to the world. She had a genuine, albeit sweaty, collector's item on her hands! Well, until LAW got into the market of appealing to nostalgic fans with retro tees, but even when that happened, Hitomi could brag that she was there first.

"You betcha! My friendsh back in Hokkaido shay I'm a living encyclopedia of all thingsh professhional wreshtling. I've always wanted to go to a live LAW show, but my mom told me I wash washting money trying to get a hotel room in Tokyo. But Chyber Widow paid for my flight to LA, jusht sho I could watsch her win!" She puffed out her chest with a grin, beaming smugly at the thought. "And all I had to do wash complain about it on the internet!"

[dlamp]

"Ah-" Reiko face reddened at the use of her actual name. More shocked than anything. So many people had confused her for either Rose or even Yukiwhen her hair dye was out, but hearing her actual last name from a stranger felt... weird. At least from someone that was a fan of Amano anyway. "H-Hey..." She ran a hand through her hair, shaking off the embarrassment. "Okay, no." She poked at the girl's forehead. "Amano-san. Or Amano-chan since you're older I guess." She let out a huff, pouting.

That aside, Reiko did remember seeing something like that on her timeline a while back, something about a fan getting a free trip to this event thanks to Cyber Widow. In all honesty, Reiko was tempted to all but block Widow after that nonsense with the lightweight bounty, but apparently the woman had a kinder side to her, at least for the fans. "Heh, seems a lot of people get what they want that way." She remembered a match between Skylar and Galatea happened through twitter, along someone offering a open challenge for a TLC match at some point. Hell, even her own match with Eirina Makishima was after a twitter argument. "Heh," Yeah, that place really is a hellhole.

"But hey, my folks thought joining LAW was a waste of time too, at least until people swung by our shop. So there's hope for you." Reiko said, offering the girl a smile. "I mean, you got here, right?"

[CaptainL]

Hitomi giggled to herself at Reiko's correction. Even though the girl objected to being called "senpai," Hitomi would never have imagined she'd ever be in a position to call a wrestler "-chan," especially not the famously brutal Amano Jaku. The thought of it only made her feel more like she had exclusive access to some forbidden knowledge, the kind that only truly accomplished wrestling otaku could boast of. "Okay, then, Amano-chan," she said, more eager than she should've been to hear those words leave her mouth.

But it wasn't just about honorifics. What was more...Reiko had hope for Hitomi. She could see that getting to attend her first LAW event was a milestone for her. That things could only grow from there. And she knew that from experience, too - which could only mean one thing. The girl began to quiver with excitement, thinking about it further. If Reiko really believed in her, then that meant...it was time to make her dreams known.

"Aw...you really think? I mean, I guessh you're right!" she chirped, nodding her head. "You know, my mom wash on the phone the whole time, but she didn't realizhe she wash misshing out on an unforgettable experiencshe. I thought for shure you had Roshe there! That passhion! That shtrength! It wash incredible!"

"I'll be honesht," she continued, remembering Reiko's words about how far she had come. "Sheeing you go up againsht Roshe reminded me of my dreamsh to get into LAW myshelf! I wanna do that!"