Tanaka, so overwhelmed with gratitude and recognising the profound wisdom Noah had just shared with him, began to lower himself into a formal bow.
A deep, respectful bow, a student offers to their master.
"Noah, please allow me to—" Tanaka began as he started to bend forward, his intention clear to everyone watching.
"Master Tanaka, no!" Noah immediately stepped forward and gently but firmly caught his former teacher's shoulders, preventing the bow from completing. His voice carried genuine alarm at the thought of such a reversal of their relationship.
"Please, don't do that," Noah said with sincere humility, his tone respectful but insistent. "You are still my teacher and always will be. What happened here today wasn't me teaching you—it was simply one martial artist helping another recognise something that was already within them."
