"... Something some older kids decided to do as a joke," he said eventually. "I was just starting then—martial arts, you know—and they did it to make fun of me...." He was being vague, but that was on purpose. Why was beating some older kids something to be proud of? He hadn't won (they'd been disqualified) and he hadn't done it with any grace or skill. Everyone should just forget it ever happened. "It's... It's embarrassing for me to talk about."
So I'm changing the subject. "—Anyway, how'd you find out about these two shops?"
no subject
"... Something some older kids decided to do as a joke," he said eventually. "I was just starting then—martial arts, you know—and they did it to make fun of me...." He was being vague, but that was on purpose. Why was beating some older kids something to be proud of? He hadn't won (they'd been disqualified) and he hadn't done it with any grace or skill. Everyone should just forget it ever happened. "It's... It's embarrassing for me to talk about."
So I'm changing the subject. "—Anyway, how'd you find out about these two shops?"