"No rasuah, classic hand-to-hand combat," he announces, shifting his gaze toward the minor demons. "We'll take it slow so you can observe the movements. At each pause, I want you to suggest actions for either of us, so you can understand the consequences of your suggestions."

Turning to Rei, they both begin to circle each other, maintaining a constant distance as they move. "Do you do this kind of exercise often?" she inquires, her expression amused.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't have a lot of sparring partners, so think of it as an interactive test class."

His eyes sweep over Rei, taking in her appearance. Her white hair is gathered in a high ponytail, flowing down to the lower back with each movement. A dark turtleneck embraces her neck, while a thin leather armor tightens around her torso, accentuating her slim waist and curves. The trousers cling to her legs, adorned with numerous black leather strings on the thighs. His gaze lifts to her lilac eyes, and pleased with what he sees, he adds, "If it goes well, I might think about doing it more often."

He receives a puff in response and hears the minor demons murmur, intrigued by the clash they will shortly observe. 

"Are you going to stand there much longer?"

"As they say, ladies first." With a sly smile, he makes a short bow with his torso, waving his hand forward in a gesture of false reverence. Seizing the opportunity, the fubai lunges forward to grab his wrist. However, just as she's about to make contact, she finds nothing but air. He has skillfully evaded her, sidestepping and casually placing his hands in his pockets. "Bravo. You were almost there."

Rei turns her head and challenges him, "Aren't you underestimating me?"

"Of course not. What makes you think so?" he retorts with a nonchalant demeanor.

Taking a step forward, Rei repeats the same lunging motion, this time targeting the scruff. The demon attempts to sidestep once more, but in an instant, he feels a foot rise from the ground, and he is forced to jump, not to fall. A sweep trip so strong it destabilized him to such an extent that a hand came out of his pocket without him realizing it. A-Yin smiles, satisfied, and raises his guard with a sharp look. 

“You’ve finally made up your mind.” Rei remarks.

"Sounds like good practice." A-Yin then addresses the small audience in a higher tone, "Who can tell me what I should expect from an opponent like her? You just saw her fight Kahn, so you should pretty much have an idea."

Silence ensues until the muscular one crosses his arms over his chest and offers his insights, "She is fast and very agile. She has no particular pattern of attack except for the fact that she tends to make the first move."

Rei chuckles in response. It is not worth revealing all of her cards, so for now, she will keep about the same level of clash with the middle demon. 

The leader adeptly evades kicks and punches, employing quick footwork. When she jumps toward his face, he blocks her ankle and guides her shoulders to the ground. Rei lies with one leg on his shoulder, a fist aimed at her chest. She plans to counter when the training partner's attack slows, leaving a hand's distance between her chin and his knuckles. An interactive lesson, indeed.

A-Yin winks at her and turns to the others, saying, "Let’s analyze the situation." His icy blue gaze fixates on the pink-eyed youngling as he asks, "Lesia, what would you do in this case?"

She winces at the sound of her name, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as she responds in a shaky voice, "I-I don’t think I could beat you, Sir."

Her words elicit a giggle from him. "The purpose of this exercise is precisely that, which is why it's us and not you. Take a closer look at the situation and tell me what you see."

Rei remains still, her muscles tense and ready to launch an attack at the slightest signal from the demon. He, however, appears quite relaxed, too relaxed for her liking. In an ironic tone, she whispers, "It's only for this reason that we're here, of course." 

With her leg in this position, she feels his lower abdomen press against her, and she sighs. 

The leader smiles at her and responds quietly, “I told you, if I like it, I might think about doing it more often.”

“Idiot.”

He laughs back, then, finally, Lesia’s voice emerges from the spiral of thoughts that crowd her head. “She is small, and her movements are partially blocked.” The youngling brings a hand to her chin and leans forward to observe better. “Can you unbalance him, perhaps with a stroke of the pelvis?”

The leader looks at the fubai as if to say: let her see it. Rei tries, but the demon's weight on her is firm and does not budge beyond a simple rocking of the position.

“Look at me. What’s wrong with my grip?”

Lesia remains puzzled and looks around to see if she is the only one not to know. Kahn goes to her rescue by distractingly touching his leg, and she answers with a questioning tone, “You have your legs open on her.”

The tanned demon nods and says, “Now, our dear participant will show us what to do when someone bigger puts himself in this position.” Then a nervous grin appears on his lips, and he adds, “Be gentle.”

Rei reciprocates with a smile. As the demon’s knuckles get closer, she covers her face, forcefully throwing her free knee upwards to the lower abdomen. He expects that, so he manages to block it just in time, but he doesn’t have a second to sigh in relief when a painful grip on his wrist forces him to lower his head. Releasing Rei's leg, he swiftly blocks the imminent collision with the ground with one hand as she slips away, immobilizing him with a knee on his shoulder. In the dust raised by the sudden movement, the demon chuckles, feeling the humerus almost on the brink of dislocation. "Didn't I tell you to be nice?"

She lowers her head to whisper, “You still look intact to me, don’t complain.”

In the audience, the muscular one and the various males wear mixed expressions of pain and relief. Lesia's eyes glow with excitement as she giggles, "You're awesome!"

Having Rei so forward allows A-Yin to give himself a push with his feet and do a somersault. The fubai attempts to block him by sticking her heel into the ground, but in doing so, she fails to stop his shoulder, allowing him to escape the grip and reposition his arm. Suddenly, she finds herself beneath him again, her belly exposed, with her hand still anchored to his wrist. The sole of his shoe hovers just inches from her face.

The entire sequence happens so quickly that even the other demons remain momentarily numb and silent. Eventually, some release giggles or sighs of satisfaction. Rei moves away, slapping his foot and releasing his wrist. She returns to her feet, brushing off the dust from her pants. 

"I didn't know you were so bitter," she jokes. 

The leader smiles slyly and makes an expansive gesture with his hand, saying, "I can't afford to look bad in front of them."

Some whistles emerge from the others, but he silences them with an amused look and turns back to Rei. "Shall we continue?"

"I'll make you eat dust."

The training persists for a while, featuring catches, throws, lunges, parries, and dodges. The minor demons eagerly participate, attempting to imitate each move until it's time for lunch.