>>5415772“By talking?” You jest.
“Talking?! I thought you resolved your differences by killing each other. The last one standing being right.” Esperanza takes it seriously.
“That’s like a last resort thing.” You compose yourself and act a tiny bit more seriously.
“But there are so many wars in human history.” Esperanza points that out. What did Mr. Won-Jae focus on in his lessons?!
“Still counts as a last resort thing.”
“But it happens too much for that to be true.” Esperanza doesn’t buy it.
“Our ancestors had to resort to our last resort a lot, okay? But now, we try to be better than that. We always have to strive for diplomacy. For peace. I think. I’m no expert.” You can’t talk to other people.
“Then why do you kill each other for the enigmas? For this game?” Esperanza raises an eyebrow.
“Beats me. We didn’t make the rules. All we can do is deal with it.” You shrug.
“You’re as much of a victim as the fishes are.” Esperanza is in deep thought.
“I guess we are.” You’re a small fly…
“Can you tell me again how these combat sports work?” Esperanza wasn’t paying attention before.
You sigh and explain everything again.
“I need to think this over.” Esperanza crosses her arms.
“By the way, if this is the repayment for all the trouble you caused, then all you’re currently doing is adding to the pile instead of detracting from it.” You want to leave that out.
“I didn’t organize this for you. I let you attend, that’s it. This is happening whether you like it or not.” Esperanza doesn’t want you to think you’re special.
“I see, not sure if this is something I’d like as a reward.”
“Why not? This is like a date, right? We get together to enjoy some entertainment.” Esperanza sees this as a good thing.
“This is not a date. And this isn’t entertainment.” You don’t think she understands what a date is.
“People went to the colosseum for entertainment.” Esperanza points at her building.
“Again, that’s way behind us.” You wave your hand.
“Those Combat Sports you talked about don’t sound that different to me.” Esperanza is being obtuse.
“Look, Esperanza, I can’t explain all the nuances about this topic unless you have the time. So…”
“I have the time.” Esperanza is willing to learn.
You explain the ethics of combat sports and what makes it different from actual fights to the death or street fights.