Titan Rumble Ch 17: Meeting The Students

Waking up in a new place was always weird. For a second, as I stared up at the wooden ceiling of my little house, I almost forgot where I wa

Waking up in a new place was always weird.

For a second, as I stared up at the wooden ceiling of my little house, I almost forgot where I was. It was too quiet. Too still.

Then I remembered.

I was in Takamura's Dojo. Living in a miniature house on top of a dresser. And today?

Today was my first day as headmaster.

I ran a hand down my face and sighed.

This was what I wanted. What I worked for. But now that it was actually happening, I wasn't sure if I was up to it.

Would the students respect me? Could I actually teach them?

Or were they going to take one look at me—some tiny Beta barely the size of their pinky finger—and think this was some kind of joke?

I groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I had to shake off those doubts. I earned this position, fair and square.

Boom.

The floor trembled beneath me.

I barely had time to react before the whole house shuddered as the door to the bedroom swung open.

I already knew who it was before I even saw her.

The next thing I knew, a massive shadow fell over my house, and Yuna's enormous face filled my window like the damn moon crashing into orbit.

She leaned down, resting her arms on the dresser as she peered inside with an amused smirk.

"Rise and shine, speck," she said, her voice carrying just enough teasing to make me groan. "It's time to get up. The students will be here soon."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up," I muttered, dragging myself to my feet.

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't look like it."

Before I could react, her massive index finger pressed against my front door. I barely managed to hop out of the way as the whole thing swung open.

"Hey!" I snapped, waving my arms at her. "Ever heard of knocking?"

Yuna grinned. "Ever heard of not taking forever?"

Before I could fire back, her finger hooked under my arm, and with zero warning, she scooped me up like I was nothing more than a pebble.

I let out a very dignified yelp.

"Would you warn me next time?!" I grumbled as I found myself perched on the tip of her finger.

She snickered. "Where's the fun in that?"

I sighed. This was just normal with her now, wasn't it?

As she carried me toward the dojo, she said, "So, we've only got five students right now. Four girls. One guy."

I nodded. That made sense.

Alpha culture was pretty straightforward—female Titans were generally stronger than men and loved testing their strength, while male Titans valued intelligence more than brute force. So it wasn't uncommon for dojos to have way more female students than male ones.

Still, it was good to know I wasn't the only guy in the building.

"How experienced are they?" I asked.

Yuna shrugged. "A mix. Some have been training for years. Some are new. The youngest is fifteen, the oldest is twenty-three."

I nodded, storing that information away.

As we neared the main dojo, she smirked down at me. "You ready?"

I exhaled through my nose.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I'm ready."

Yuna grinned.

"Good," she said, stepping inside. "Let's see if your students agree with that."

Cain – Meeting the Students

Sitting still for hours was not my idea of a good time.

Well, I didn't mind it so much. Meditation had always been part of my training, a way to clear my thoughts and sharpen my focus before a fight.

Yuna, on the other hand?

Not so much.

I could feel her shifting beside me every few minutes, barely containing her impatience as we sat in the vast, open-floor dojo.

"This is so boring," she muttered under her breath.

I cracked an eye open, smirking slightly. "It's about discipline."

Yuna huffed. "I'd rather be moving than just sitting here."

I shook my head. "Meditation clears the mind and soul. If you're not at peace before a fight, then you've already lost."

She scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Sounds like something a Beta would say."

I shrugged. "Sounds like something an Alpha would ignore right before getting her ass kicked."

Yuna shot me a glare, but before she could retort—

BOOM.

The entire dojo shook violently beneath me, sending a jolt through my tiny frame.

I steadied myself as the ground rumbled again, a rhythmic tremor that could only mean one thing.

The students were here.

The massive sliding doors to the dojo slammed open, and a gust of air rushed inside, hitting me like a storm as five towering figures stomped their way in.

The moment I saw them, I knew one thing—

I had my work cut out for me.

Yuna shot to her feet with a grin, her usual irritation replaced with excitement.

"Welcome back, everyone!" she called out.

The five students came to a stop in a rough semi-circle, towering over me like mountains.

I looked up, taking them all in.

The first girl to step forward was Rika. She was tall—though not as massive as Yuna—and had a muscular build that screamed bruiser. Her short black hair was messy, as if she didn't bother brushing it, and she had a lazy grin on her face, like she was just waiting for a chance to fight someone.

Next was Emiko. She was slimmer, more wiry, with sharp eyes that practically pierced through me. Her dark brown hair was tied into a high ponytail, and she carried herself with a kind of cold precision that made me think she was the technical type, the kind of fighter who analyzed every move before she made it.

Beside her was Nao, the youngest of the group at fifteen. She was shorter than the others—still a giant compared to me, obviously—but she had an almost bouncy energy about her. She practically vibrated with excitement, her short auburn hair swaying as she shifted on her feet.

Then there was Satsuki, who looked the most relaxed out of everyone. She had long, straight black hair and soft eyes, but I wasn't fooled. The way she moved, the way she watched everyone—this girl was dangerous. The quiet ones always were.

And finally—

The only other guy in the dojo.

Kaito.

He stood slightly apart from the others, arms crossed over his chest. He was lean, but strong, with close-cropped black hair and an unreadable expression. Unlike the girls, he didn't look excited to be here. He looked focused.

As I studied them, Yuna turned to me with a smirk.

"Well, Cain," she said, "meet your students."

I exhaled slowly.

Time to see if I was really ready for this.