[...]

„A- ... A-A-Ah- Arrrrrgh!!"

Fogged by a embarrassed sense of blushing frustration, Four pinched her eyes together after reluctantly, slowly beginning to close them under balled fists before her, wildly shaking her head, stomping her feet. Thus, pointing at an upset Octoling that wasn't even affiliated with the Squidbeak to begin with.

„You and your smelly Kung Fu-Wumbo-Jumbo can go where the sun doesn't shine! What do I care about a snob like you acknowledging me? And what do I care about you being friends with Eight? You might as well just go... Nrrragh!"

In a fit of overcooked fury, Four throws out a high kick right towards Katou's head with a short hop after cocking back the finger that was pointing at him.
Katou's expression did not change. In a swift, almost reflex-like motion he sweeps the other leg away that Four was standing on, causing her kick to whiff, promptly falling face-first onto the floor due to losing her balance.

„Hiiiiyaa-WAARGH!-„

*Plump!*

„Ow... You dannnng.... Rrrghm-„

Trying to press herself off the ground under bickering and groaning, she then had stopped moving all of a sudden - Noticing that Katou wasn't in front of her anymore due to the instant disorientation the fall to the ground had struck her with. Instead, there was that intimate sense of danger - The same kind of sensation the professional Turf War Player would faintly feel seconds before being splatted. In this case-

In this case was it the stinging sensation of being seconds away from being much more than just splatted, all only from the glare of two rusty silver-like dim lights stalking her back. The lights of a slim darkness that were well accustomed to what their presence alone gave away.
Immediately turning around upon realization, trying to find the pair of eyes that were emitting that sensation, all she could then could see was...

Katou - Looking down at the leg sweeped Agent - More concerned rather than anything else.
He held out a hand towards the girl from Inkopolis.
She declines, under another shaking wave of slurs and cursing that Marie never had seen her throw out.
The yellow colored Inkling got up by herself, and merely walked off, with closed eyes and a cramped frown that screamed embarrassment.

„... Should I have just let myself be hit?"

Katou asked. Marie replied, equally surprised to the unsuspecting Octoling:

„You told Four right in her face that you acknowledge that she fought Octobots like Three and hypnotized people like Eight, but that you don't acknowledge her as an Agent, the reason - Being the skill gap you just showed her.
My answer - Maybe. Four usually lives off annoying other people but - This is the first time I've seen the situation being reversed. And it's not like you actively tried doing so. Actually - Nevermind, you WERE actively trying to do so."

„...

Please explain, is that a good or bad thing now?"

„Don't play dumb, I know you did it just to spite her.

... And it depends."

[...]