A Hotel Confrontation (for Bare)
Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2026 5:19 pm
"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!! I can't believe this is actually happening! That we're actually...here, at Fight the LAW!"
The hotel lobby in Havana was a busy one, with tourists flying in from all over. Some of them were here for the beaches, or the bars, but many were here because Fight the LAW 5 was being held right here in the Cuban capital, and they had tickets to see it up close. And among those visitors was Mai Shinoda, captain of her Tokyo high school's keijo team, and friend and parner of second-generation LAW wrestler Saya Matou. Though no one in Mai's circle was participating in the event, she did have a best friend who was the daughter of one of LAW's biggest names, so that totally counted for something! It was thanks to her proud position in the company that Yuna Matou had been offered VIP tickets to the event, and with her two daughters also being LAW talent, it was only natural they'd have the offer to come along with her. And as for Mai...well, they needed a plus-one. But out of anyone, it was perhaps Mai who was most excited of all about being here in Havana.
"I think this is actually illegal in places! Look!" Paying no heed to the multiple stares and glares thrown around at her, Mai hurried over to a window through which a Havana street sign could be seen behind her, flashing a grin and a couple of peace signs. "Saya! Take a picture!"
"Alright, hold still..." Saya reached into her bag to produce her phone - but she was met with a huff from her older sister Shizuka, who was standing right at her side with her arms crossed.
"Good luck getting her to do that," Shizuka muttered. When she'd heard she would be accompanying her mother to the PPV, she hadn't exactly envisioned herself babysitting her sister and her friend. She'd had to call out of her college classes and arrange a plane, and for what? Just sitting in an arena? Maybe the show would be a good one, sure, but Shizuka couldn't help but feel like something was missing. If she was actually set to compete on the card, maybe that would be a different story...
"Alright, there!"
Almost as soon as Saya had taken the picture, Mai shook her head. "No, nonono! That one was bad! C'mon, I'll look way hotter doing this!" She struck another pose, leaning in and blowing a kiss toward Saya's camera.
"You know," Shizuka muttered, "you didn't even see the picture she took..."
"Doesn't matter!"
Saya, not questioning her best friend even for a minute, took a few more pictures - each time with Mai deciding sight unseen that the shot turned out wrong and that a different angle or pose would look way better. Grumbling to herself, Shizuka glanced off. She didn't know why she bothered putting up with those two sometimes.
And Saya, to her credit, did catch that her sister's patience was wearing thin. Raising an eyebrow, she looked over her shoulder toward Shizuka. But she didn't exactly connect the dots as to where the bespectacled girl's surly demeanor was coming from. "What's the matter, nee-chan? Are you upset you weren't on the card?"
Hearing that, Shizuka fell silent. She bit her lip and blinked a few times. She didn't know what she wanted to say - it was perfectly in character for Saya to so wildly misjudge why she was so annoyed (especially if it meant Saya didn't realize she was the cause of that annoyance), and simultaneously surprisingly insightful for Saya to hit the nail on the head regarding her insecurities. But the Young Lioness tensed a little tighter. She'd need to answer that question somehow. She wasn't exactly keen to open up her inner thoughts - especially not to Saya. Instead, she pushed her glasses back up her nose and looked off into the crowd.
"Me? Pssht...no way. You know, I bet the reason I'm not on the card is because everyone's too afraid of me to even try!" As the words left her, she smirked a little wider at the thought. That might have been a lie to cover her ass, but...the idea had its appeal.
Or at least, it did, until Saya proceeded to throw her arm around her sister and pull her into a tight, unasked-for hug. "YEAH! That's right! You're so cool you'd DEFINITELY kick the asses of everyone in LAW with your arms tied behind your back!" she exclaimed...louder than Shizuka would've liked.
The hotel lobby in Havana was a busy one, with tourists flying in from all over. Some of them were here for the beaches, or the bars, but many were here because Fight the LAW 5 was being held right here in the Cuban capital, and they had tickets to see it up close. And among those visitors was Mai Shinoda, captain of her Tokyo high school's keijo team, and friend and parner of second-generation LAW wrestler Saya Matou. Though no one in Mai's circle was participating in the event, she did have a best friend who was the daughter of one of LAW's biggest names, so that totally counted for something! It was thanks to her proud position in the company that Yuna Matou had been offered VIP tickets to the event, and with her two daughters also being LAW talent, it was only natural they'd have the offer to come along with her. And as for Mai...well, they needed a plus-one. But out of anyone, it was perhaps Mai who was most excited of all about being here in Havana.
"I think this is actually illegal in places! Look!" Paying no heed to the multiple stares and glares thrown around at her, Mai hurried over to a window through which a Havana street sign could be seen behind her, flashing a grin and a couple of peace signs. "Saya! Take a picture!"
"Alright, hold still..." Saya reached into her bag to produce her phone - but she was met with a huff from her older sister Shizuka, who was standing right at her side with her arms crossed.
"Good luck getting her to do that," Shizuka muttered. When she'd heard she would be accompanying her mother to the PPV, she hadn't exactly envisioned herself babysitting her sister and her friend. She'd had to call out of her college classes and arrange a plane, and for what? Just sitting in an arena? Maybe the show would be a good one, sure, but Shizuka couldn't help but feel like something was missing. If she was actually set to compete on the card, maybe that would be a different story...
"Alright, there!"
Almost as soon as Saya had taken the picture, Mai shook her head. "No, nonono! That one was bad! C'mon, I'll look way hotter doing this!" She struck another pose, leaning in and blowing a kiss toward Saya's camera.
"You know," Shizuka muttered, "you didn't even see the picture she took..."
"Doesn't matter!"
Saya, not questioning her best friend even for a minute, took a few more pictures - each time with Mai deciding sight unseen that the shot turned out wrong and that a different angle or pose would look way better. Grumbling to herself, Shizuka glanced off. She didn't know why she bothered putting up with those two sometimes.
And Saya, to her credit, did catch that her sister's patience was wearing thin. Raising an eyebrow, she looked over her shoulder toward Shizuka. But she didn't exactly connect the dots as to where the bespectacled girl's surly demeanor was coming from. "What's the matter, nee-chan? Are you upset you weren't on the card?"
Hearing that, Shizuka fell silent. She bit her lip and blinked a few times. She didn't know what she wanted to say - it was perfectly in character for Saya to so wildly misjudge why she was so annoyed (especially if it meant Saya didn't realize she was the cause of that annoyance), and simultaneously surprisingly insightful for Saya to hit the nail on the head regarding her insecurities. But the Young Lioness tensed a little tighter. She'd need to answer that question somehow. She wasn't exactly keen to open up her inner thoughts - especially not to Saya. Instead, she pushed her glasses back up her nose and looked off into the crowd.
"Me? Pssht...no way. You know, I bet the reason I'm not on the card is because everyone's too afraid of me to even try!" As the words left her, she smirked a little wider at the thought. That might have been a lie to cover her ass, but...the idea had its appeal.
Or at least, it did, until Saya proceeded to throw her arm around her sister and pull her into a tight, unasked-for hug. "YEAH! That's right! You're so cool you'd DEFINITELY kick the asses of everyone in LAW with your arms tied behind your back!" she exclaimed...louder than Shizuka would've liked.
Shizuka Matou
Mai and Saya