If he'd been a truly committed teacher, Raidou might have taken that hit to reinforce his lesson--but after Tsume's curse, his own testes had vastly different plans. He planted his leading foot, arresting his charge, and twisted quickly enough to catch both heels on one thigh.

This time, the strike hurt.

"Better!" he said brightly, wondering if she'd bruised the bone, and grabbed her ankles with both hands, hauling up. "But now what?"