Part-201

  A group of girls at the back of the room were giggling and pointing at James and Toya. "Did you see that?" one of them whispered to another. "It's like they're flirting!"

  "I knht?" anirl chimed in. "I bet they're totally into each other."

  Anroup of students, sitting closer to James and Mili, were also discussing the situation. "I think James and Mili have more chemistry," one boy said. "They've been spending a lot of time together tely."

  "Yeah, but Toya's always been kind of jealous of their friendship," another boy replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's trying to e between them."

  James overheard some of the whispers and tried to ighem, but it was difficult not to feel a little self-scious.

  The rest of the css passed ufully, and soon, the final bell rang, signaling the start of their muticipated break. As students filtered out of the room, Mili caught up with James he door.

  “You should stop by the dojo tomorrow,” she said. “My dad’s running some sparring sessions in the m. You could watch or jump in if you feel up for it.”

  “I’ll be there,” James said with a nod. “It’ll be a nice ge of pace.”

  Mili smiled and waved goodbye as she headed off, leaving James aloh his thoughts. He walked home, the streets bustling with students celebrating the end of exams. But his mind was elsewhere. The Lamp of Time, the dungeon, and the bat skills he had used were still fresh in his memory, blending with the thought of real-world martial arts.

  James had barely reached home when his phone buzzed with a message from Ryan. The text read:

  *“The National Judo petition will be held at the end of summer vacation. They’re expeg you to be there as a member of the Judo Club.”*

  James stared at the message for a moment, his mind briefly drifting back to his judo training. Between the dungeon battles, school exams, and thoughts of martial arts, he had almost fotten about the petition. James quickly typed a reply:

  *“I’ll definitely be there. I’m pnning on training at Mili’s father’s dojo over the summer. They’ve got a solid program running.”*

  Within seds, Ryan responded:

  *“Cool, I’ll join too. I’ve traihere before. It’ll be fun to get bato it.”*

  James smiled at the thought. Ryan was one of the more experienced members of their Judo Club and had spent years honing his skills at Mili’s family dojo. Having a friend like Ryan to spar with would make the summer training sessions not only productive but enjoyable. It also gave James a sense of reassuranowing he wasn’t going to be the only one gearing up for the petition.

  After pocketing his phone, James walked into the living room where his mother, Farzana Khan, was waiting for him. She was a kind woman with soft eyes and a warm smile, always supportive of his academid extracurricur activities.