6 Chapter 06

(POV Change)

"Winner! Fukumoto Ikurō!" Tesshin announced, raising his wrinkled arm high in the air. The old monster cracked open one of his eyes, peering through Yonpachi's unconscious form for a while before putting a faint smile on his face.

He then heard a silent and precise footstep approaching him, when he glanced to the source, he can see Lu's approaching him with a difficult expression written over his face.

'He must have noticed it as well.' Tesshin chuckled under his breath.

"Grandmaster." Lu greeted his teacher in a very respectful manner with a bow.

"Lu." Tesshin replied his student's greet while stroking his beard, "Did you need something?"

Lu didn't say anything at first, as his sight focuses onto Yonpachi, who had been lifted by the other staffs with a stretcher to the infirmary. He then turned his attention back towards Tesshin, "Have you noticed it as well, sir?"

Tesshin hummed, "I did. His fighting style was similar to the Kawakami Style, though the appliance of how he executed them in a way quite different from how we do it. I think the reason of that was mostly because he implemented all kinds of martial arts into it, creating a new whole branch of martial art, but the foundational form of that art was definitely the Kawakami Style."

"That means he truly practiced the Kawakami Style." Lu sighed, scratching the back of his head wearily, "Is it Shakadō? He is the only one I could think of who would cause this."

 "Hohoho." Tesshin laughed in a carefree manner, seemingly amused at the question, "Could be. But have you ever considered the fact that he could be just learning them from watching Momoyo and Kazuko?"

"What...?" Lu looked bewildered at that, "I-Is that truly possible, Grandmaster?"

"Hoho, never underestimates a prodigy, Lu." Tesshin looked at the sky with a faint smile, "Just like Momoyo said, his innate talents could rival hers and I noticed that he also possessed a natural martial body similar to Momoyo's. So it won't be that surprising if he truly managed to learn the Kawakami Style by observing others who learned them. You already saw that he could easily learn other martial arts in this short period of time, don't you? So why couldn't he do the same with our art?"

"But..." Lu hesitated to answer that. He wanted to say that it was wrong for outsiders to learn their art, but at the same time, it feels wrong to say so as well. There are no rules saying people shouldn't learn their art, and in first of all, not like there are many could achieve such things just by watching the monks from the Kawakami Temple practice their arts after all.

Not many could be as genius as Momoyo.

"As long as his heart is pointing the right path, then it should be fine, Lu." Tesshin reassured his Assistant Master, "And we could just ask him regarding this matter after he regains his consciousness later."

Lu sighed once again and bowed respectfully to Tesshin, "Yes, I think we should do that, sir."

"Hohoho! But still, for him to reach such a level in this short amount of time. Isn't that just exciting? He's truly loved to exceeding our expectation, isn't he?" Tesshin asked his trusted man before continuing, "I hope Kazuko could learn her mistake from this fight and become even better and stronger than ever."

Lu chuckled under his breath, feeling the tension in his body finally wear out, "Yes. I would hope so, sir. It was always nice to hear about Kazuko's improvements and if she truly can get stronger after this, then it would be great news."

Both of them left the schoolyard while laughing, leaving a stunned crowd behind as they still rooted on their spot right now. The schoolyard was dead silent with how speechless the crowd is after witnessing the battle between Yonpachi and Kazuko.

Many in the crowd weren't expecting Yonpachi to win. Most of them thought he would lose against Kazuko. Not because they didn't believe in Yonpachi's strength, but because they knew Kazuko's strength.

Kazuko was definitely a stronger and better fighter than Yonpachi. That's what everyone thought and believed back then. But now? Reality said otherwise and it hit them really hard right now.

"Holy shit... Yonpachi just won... He really won against that Kawakami..." Suguru muttered under his breath as he ran his trembling fingers through his long hair, "That was some protagonist-level shit to do..."

"Yes, Yonpachi-kun is really awesome... Nom, nom... Oh, it makes me so hungry after seeing them fighting so seriously like that..." Kumagai commented while continuously eating a bunch of baked breads he brought with him.

"Awawa! This is bad! This is really bad, Chika-chan!" Mayo on the other hand was freaking out as she looked so concerned about Yonpachi and Kazuko's current state. "Will they both be alright!? Did you see how much blood leaking out from Fukumoto-chan's body earlier, Chika-chan!? He's bleeding profusely, you know! Blood!! The blood!!! And Wanko-chan too!! I saw her bleeding as well, I mean, there was a pool of blood where she lied down over there!! This is bad, Chika-chan! Awawawa!!"

Chika, who stood next to her best friend all this time, patiently waited for Mayo to finish what she wanted to say before grabbing the pink-haired girl's shoulders and shaking her body lightly to calm her down, "Okay, now take a breath, Mayo. And please calm down. They'll be okay, alright? Just believe in our teachers. Also we can visit them later after we finished our morning homeroom. I think Kojima-sensei would allow us to do that at least."

Mayo puts her hands on top of her chest and started to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. She then nods her head with a shaky smile on her face, she still couldn't help but feel worried about her friends' condition, "Y-You're right, Chika-chan. We can just visit them later. I just worried about them, you know! Those two are pushing themselves too far in that fight!"

Chika puts her hand on her forehead, shaking her head tiredly, seemingly agreeing to what Mayo just said, "Yeah, I think so too. I just don't really get it why both of them had to be that serious in their fight. And that Monkey looked so desperate too for some reason..." She unconsciously bites her nail in frustration and murmured, "Why would he was being so stubborn like that anyway? If you were that wounded, you should just stay down... Stupid Kurō..."

"Did you say something, Chika-chan?" Mayo asked curiously.

Chika flinched a bit before shaking her head furiously, "Nope. I didn't say anything."

Mayo tilted her head, looking curious and confused at her best friend's reaction, yet before she could ask more questions about it, Chika suddenly moved to her behind pushed the shorter girl's back lightly in the direction of their classroom, followed by other students.

"M-Mou, Chika-chan! I can walk on my own!" Mayo stated, flailing her arms in protest, but Chika ignored her and proceeded to push her without saying anything.

Most of the crowd had already gone back to their own classes, while there were some people still standing behind.

Tadakatsu was one of them, and he is currently crossing his arms with a deep frown on his face. His black eyes narrowed in contemplation as he recounted the earlier fight within his mind, "Is it really possible for someone with no relation to martial world all these times suddenly became this strong just in a couple of weeks...?"

The creases on his forehead deepened as his brain couldn't find any answers to that question. No matter how much he thought about it, something like that almost makes no sense to him. There are no signs of him being a genius martial artist like Kawakami Momoyo; until now that is.

"So, what truly caused him to change this much?"

That question was pretty much floating in people's minds at the moment.

"Oi, oi. Did that just really happen?" Gakuto asked incredulously after what he had witnessed.

"To think Wanko would lose against Yonpachi..." Moro muttered under his breath in shock.

Yamato frowned for a second before shaking his head lightly, "It's just as Nee-san and Miyako said, huh. But to be honest with you, I do have a feeling this will happen though."

"How so?" Moro raised one of his eyebrows in curiosity.

"That." Yamato pointed his finger toward someone who was currently having a blast in the background.

The others slowly turned their heads behind and there, they could see their leader, Kazama, counting a lot of money in his hands with a big smile over his face.

Gakuto and Moro's jaws dropped when they saw that, before Gakuto opened his mouth to ask, "Did Capt really just put a bet on Yonpachi rather than on Wanko?"

"Yup." Yamato said with a pop, nodding his head while trying to hide the money he just won inside his pocket. The moment he noticed that their leader was placing his bet on Yonpachi, as the opportunist himself, Yamato joined the wave since he knew how good Kazama's hunch and luck are. Lo and behold, he won big right now.

The others looked deadpanned when they noticed the money poking out from Yamato's pocket right now.

"But there's no way she would lose in a duel just because Capt doesn't place a bet on her, wouldn't it?" Gakuto rebutted with a frown on his face. No matter how he thinks about it, that was just stupid.

"Heh, of course not." Yamato snorted, looking quite amused. "No matter how grand and good Capt's luck was, it won't become a main factor that could decide one's victory in duel, you know. That would be too broken, no?"

"Then, why did Wanko lose the battle?" Moro asked curiously.

"That's because she thought it was okay for her to go easy on someone like Yonpachi." Momoyo suddenly cut in.

"...What?" Gakuto and Moro looked bewildered, meanwhile Yamato and Miyako shook their heads in disappointment as they already knew what Momoyo just meant by that.

"You guys heard me!" Momoyo purses her lips, putting her hands on the hips, "Wanko didn't take this battle seriously as she should be! Did both of you saw what she's wearing around her wrists and ankles all this time?"

At first both of them looked really confused. But then, as if they were struck by a lightning, their memory flashed inside their mind, making both of them finally understand the reason why this is happening in the first place.

"Wait... So, you're telling me that idiot fought Yonpachi while wearing weights all the time!?" Gakuto slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"I have no words..." Moro sighed tiredly beside Gakuto.

Miyako curled her hair in disinterest while lightly kicking a small stone on the ground, "She really needs to fix that bad habit of hers."

"Hee~" Kazama hummed in interest when he heard that, "So that's the reason why her movements are kinda slow compared to usual in my eyes."

Momoyo tucks her hair behind her ear, "Yeah. She only realized that she couldn't really afford to fight Yonpachi without going all out in the last moment, which is too late by the way."

"In the end, she brought all of this on herself." Yamato shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Just like Miyako said, I really hope she can learn from this mistake not to look down on her opponent too much in the future." Moro sighed out loud while rubbing his left arm.

"And I hope she doesn't feel down too much after losing against someone she looks down upon to." Kazama commented while yawning.

"Ah..." Gakuto scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Right, I can see that happening to her right now."

"It's Wanko we're talking about, after all." Miyako nodded her head in agreement.

Yamato hummed while looking at the sky above for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "She might have become strong and independent by now, but she used to be a crybaby, and that trait of hers is still there. So I can understand your concern, but I think you guys don't need to worry about that."

"Why?" Moro tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Just because." Yamato's answer raises a lot of questions in his friends' heads bar Momoyo who looks amused for some reason.

Momoyo chuckled as she closed her eyes, "I guess you're right, lil' bro."

The others are trying to demand an answer from both of them, but meet with nothing as Yamato and Momoyo refused to elaborate any further.

As the members of Kazama Family walked their merry way to the classroom, their leader, Kazama, was currently looking at the direction where Yonpachi and Kazuko were carried to. The others didn't notice the smile that smelled mischievousness on their leader's face as they turned their backs on him at the moment.

"He turned out to be an interesting guy, I see!" Kazama exclaimed, catching his friends' attention as he slowly turned his body, facing their direction with a smile that many recognized by now. "What do you guys think about him joining our group? I feel things will get interesting with him around!"

Those words brought other members of the Kazama Family to stop on what they were doing as they froze solid at the sudden suggestion their leader just threw at their faces.

It takes quite a while for them to recover from that shock, and someone snapped at him.

"No! I'm absolutely against that!" And of course, that someone was Miyako. She uncharacteristically raised her voice against her precious friend.

"I'm with Miyako there, Capt..." Moro sighed while rubbing the back of his neck, "Yonpachi is a good guy and I'm a good friend with him too, but I don't think I'm comfortable enough to bring him into our group."

Gakuto on the other hand crossed his arms, "I'm with Capt, to be honest. Yonpachi is a fun and interesting guy. He helped me a lot too. So, I'm okay with him joining our group."

Momoyo hummed when she heard other's opinions, and when they turned their heads in her direction, she nonchalantly shrugs her shoulders in response, "It's unfortunate that he's not that cute when compared to Yamato, but I found him interesting enough to want to know him better. So, I'm fine with it."

When it comes to Yamato's turn, the tactician of Kazama Family sighed tiredly and shook his head at them, "I don't think our opinions would matter at the moment. First things first, we need to ask the person in question first about what he thought regarding this matter before we decide whether to let him join or not." He then looked towards Kazama, unimpressed, "Stop deciding someone's fate in a whim like that, Capt."

"Gah!" Kazama childishly raised both his hands up in the air, "You guys are not fun at all! He's a funny and interesting guy, you know! On top of that, he's strong too! What's wrong with him joining our group!? It'll be fun, I swear! Believe me!!"

"Yeah, yeah." Yamato shrugged off Kazama's words before pushing their leader's back, "We need to go back to the classroom now, or Kojima-sensei will scold us."

After receiving a silent order from Yamato through eye contact, Gakuto and Moro joined him to push Kazama's back so that they could forcefully move him to the classroom.

Miyako on the other hand still feels annoyed and salty right now, but she doesn't have any choice but to let it slide for now after she received a silent yard stare from Yamato. So, with a small pout on her face, expressing her dissatisfaction, she followed the boys silently from behind.

Momoyo was standing still behind the group, looking at the empty arena with serious expression on her face, 'To think that guy would mix Kawakami Style in his fighting style as well... He perfectly manipulates his aura and utilizes them to enshroud, suppress, enhance, and release his techniques. He definitely knew about the basics of Kawakami Style.' She frowned thoughtfully, her fingers started feeling restless for some reason, 'And after hearing what the old man and Lu-sensei just talked about earlier, it would make sense if he learned all of these from Shakadō-san, or he could be as genius as I am to have learned all of them just by watching me or Wanko do it. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me.'

In the end, what she truly desired for was someone strong enough to fight her. If Yonpachi learned and mastered the Kawakami Style, then that would be a good—no, it would be very great news for her. The stronger he became, the more excitement she would experience from their fight later. That's the only thing that matters to her.

'Fufu, I can't really wait for that moment to happen. You better get strong fast, Yonpachi. I have a high expectation of you.' Momoyo smirked in anticipation as she finally left the schoolyard in a flash, leaving only a dust behind.

As the members of Kazama Family left the area, there were still some students standing behind, looking shocked and surprised at what they had witnessed in the earlier battle.

"This isn't... right..." Kuki Hideo was one of such people. He looked deadly serious, his knuckles turned white with how hard he's clenching his fists right now, "Just how..."

He was pretty sure that Kazuko would come out as the victor in that battle, with no question asked. He might be biased towards his crush, but that's not all the reason why. He'd seen the effort Kazuko put on her training, he saw how hard she trained herself, to be better than everyone else. Her tenacity, her will to win, he'd seen all of them. He knew how strong she was. Therefore, he couldn't really believe what just happened right now, no matter how hard he tried to.

"Hideo-sama..." Azumi clutched a portion of her skirt when she noticed the look on her master's face. She was forced to bite her inner cheek to the point where she could taste an iron-like flavor inside her mouth. She was trying so hard not to make any comment at the current situation, seeing how bad Hideo's mood right now.

She is a maid, Hideo's personal maid, before a woman. Therefore, she shouldn't cross that line, no matter how much she wanted to. She just couldn't.

"Ah, she lost~" Koyuki, the most happy-go-lucky in Class 2-S, chirped from the side, not noticing the tension coming from Hideo and Azumi nearby, or she simply just doesn't care at all. "That monkeyman is strong~"

"You're right, Yuki. He's strong indeed." Jun couldn't help but to nod his head in agreement. He understood on what Hideo's going through right now, seeing his crush get defeated by some newbie, but unfortunately, Jun couldn't really let his mouth shut after witnessed something awesome like that. Therefore, he just decided to go for it, regardless how inconsiderate it is and how hard Azumi glared at him right now. "Only two day passed after his battle against that upperclassman, and he already improved to this point. That was crazy, to be honest. And that Dread Bore was a cool move; we'd seen him doing it with a staff, but who thought that he could use it unarmed too?" He looked at his right hand for a moment before trying to replicate Yonpachi's move with his basic understanding of the move, "Was it like this?"

BWOOOOSSSHHH!!!

His punch created a violent gust of wind with how fast and powerful the punch was, making the onlookers nearby stare at him in wonder. For people who didn't really know how strong Jun was, they were impressed by such strength he exuded at the moment.

"Oh~" Koyuki clapped her hands with an open mouth, looking amazed when Jun executed the move, "Baldie got the move~"

Some people from Class 2-S, who were not having a good relationship with Class 2-F, started badmouthing Yonpachi about how cheap and low-class his technique was if someone like Jun could imitate his move like that.

"Hm... Is it that easy, Jun?" Touma chimed in after he gave Hideo a reassuring pat on his shoulder.

Hideo looked at Touma in appreciation since he really needed that. Azumi's body relaxed when she noticed the tension coming from her master's body finally subsided, she then gave Touma an appreciative look while the man in question simply smiled at them like usual.

Jun stayed silent for a while, while he could hear what his classmates are talking about right now, but he simply ignored them and looking at his fist in contemplation before shaking his head negatively, "Of course not. It's not easy at all, Boss."

"Is that so?" Touma raised one of his eyebrows in a curious manner. He never dabbled in martial arts, so he doesn't really understand the difference.

"Can you see the trajectory of my punch, Boss?" Jun asked back.

Touma's brown eyes narrowed slightly when he finally noticed the implication behind such question, "Yes. I can still see them."

Koyuki tilted her head in a cute manner, touching her cheek with an index finger lightly, "Un~ I can see it too~ It looks so slow~"

Hideo squint his eyes, looking quite curious sine he was able to see Jun's punch so clearly as well. Meanwhile, Azumi closed her eyes and shook her head lightly as she already understood the problem and knew the answer beforehand.

"That's right." Jun nodded his head before shoving his point finger forward, looking directly towards his classmates in a serious manner, "You guys can see them. But when Yonpachi used this move back then, did any of you guys could see them clearly just like when I did it earlier?"

That very question brought a complete silence to the other students of Class 2-S, who were ridiculing Yonpachi earlier. They were completely lost their ability to talk all of a sudden when the implication of such question finally dawned on them.

"No, I can't." Touma was the first one to answer, shaking his head lightly in the process.

"I hate to say it, but I can even barely see them..." Hideo clenched his fists tight, showing his distaste towards his own weakness before looking at his personal maid, "What about you, Azumi?"

Azumi straighten up and threw a salute at Hideo, "I can see them clearly, Hideo-sama!"

"Me~ Me~ I can see them too~" Koyuki appeared next to Azumi, raising her arm high with a smile on her face. She wanted to get praised too.

"Well, that should give you the answer you need, Boss." Jun sighed, joining Touma in praising the white-haired girl by patting her head one at the time. "Only two from our class can see his punch, while some barely see it and others cannot see it at all. I might be able to imitate his technique, but it was the weakened version at best. I lack the knowledge and finesse to perform such high-leveled technique." He shakes his head in disappointment, "Did you know how much martial arts he implemented in that one move?"

"Five." Azumi's immediate answer stunned everyone who heard it.

Touma places his thumb and index fingers between his chin, looking deep in thought. Meanwhile Koyuki made an 'O' face right now.

Hideo closed his eyes in contemplation for a while before he turned his head towards the brown-haired maid, "Tell me, how long he has been practicing martial arts, Azumi?"

"Three weeks, sir!"

"I see..." The heir of Kuki sighed deeply when he heard that, it seems like he was underestimating that monkey too much, "Once we back, we need to reevaluate his worth, Azumi. He's far too talented to be ignored."

"Yes, Hideo-sama!" Azumi saluted him with a serious expression on her face.

Hideo looked in the direction of where Infirmary is before he decided to leave the schoolyard as well like many did followed by Azumi, leaving only Touma, Jun, and Koyuki. They stay rooted on their position for a moment until one of them breaks the silence.

"So, are you sure that Yonpachi is on our 'side', Boss?" Jun asked with a frown on his face. With there being no people around them anymore at the moment, he finally could ask the question he'd been curious about. After hearing what Touma said yesterday, Jun just couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how much he tried to.

If he's being honest right now, he really doesn't know how to feel about this. As much as he loves having someone as strong as Yonpachi on their side, there was also this feeling inside his heart that clearly demanded him not ti drag his friend with him in this shithole they're about going through.

Touma snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the desperate in Jun's voice. He noticed the look on Jun's face, despite how hard he was trying to appear calm, and it made the heir of Aoi Hospital hesitate before he resolved his heart to open his mouth, "Shakadō-san informed me he got a new student two days ago. So, I think he was on our side."

"But, that doesn't clear things up." Jun pushes while shaking his head, "Just because he was that man's student, doesn't really mean he will join us, right?"

'For him to be this desperate... They must be a good friend...' Touma bites his inner lower lip, the desperation in Jun's voice made him waver. He then hardened his heart and looked at Jun straight in the eye, "You are right, Jun. Just because he was a student of Shakadō-san doesn't mean he was on our side, even so I couldn't help but want him on our side. I am sorry, but I'll try to recruit him no matter what you said regarding this matter, Jun..."

He hates to do this, he really does, but he needs this. The twisted seed he planted long ago was already starting to bloom into a thorn path that stuck deep into his legs now. He couldn't escape it anymore, more like it was already too late for him to stop.

"I...!" Just as Jun was about to protest against Touma, he suddenly hold his tongue back when he noticed the look on Touma's face. "Fuck...!" Growling under his breath with so much aggression directed towards no one else, he began to walk away from the two with one hand scratching his bald head in frustration.

There was a pregnant silence surrounding the area until Koyuki opened her mouth slowly and unsurely, "Is Jun alright...?" She looked really concerned when she saw the bitter look on Jun's face earlier.

Touma closes his eyes and shakes his head lightly to shake off any negative thoughts inside his head before giving Koyuki a gentle pat on the head, "He will be fine. You don't have to worry about him, Yuki. Jun is... He just needs some time alone right now. He will come back to normal in no time, I promise."

"If Touma says so..." There are still traces of worry in her tone, but Touma doesn't say anything and simply gives her a reassuring smile as they finally move to go back to their classroom as well.

The fight between Yonpachi and Kazuko left a deep impression on many as they can't stop talking about it even right now.

--*MAJIMAJIKOI*--

(POV Return)

I woke up with a lot of familiar translucent screens popping up in front of my face like an ad from cheap and pirated websites. It takes a moment for me to adjust the sunlight coming through blinders nearby with my tired eyes. I looked around the room, trying to determine my current situation and whereabouts, and I could see a lot of white-colored stuffs, from the wall to the ceilings, which told me that I'm indeed in the infirmary right now.

I let out a small sigh and relaxed my body even more now that I had confirmed my current whereabouts as I took my sweet time reading all the notifications in front of me. I commanded the system to start merging the Battle Continuation and Brave Spirit together.

-----

Ding!

[Confirmed! Start initializing the process of merging the Ability of Battle Continuation and Brave Spirit!]

-----

Ding!

[The merging process has been successful! Congratulations, Challenger!]

You have received Indomitable Will!

-----

[Indomitable Will]

You possess an immense willpower and an undaunted spirit. No matter what situation you're in, nothing will make you cower; for your courageous spirit will become the beacon of light in the darkest path to victory!

-----

Now that I finally done with my little business with the system, I can focus on my current situation, something that has been catching my interest ever since I opened my eyes.

"What are you doing, Kawakami?" I asked, glancing down at the person in question.

Kazuko blinked her eyes a couple of times before answering my question with another question, "Resting?"

I looked at her straight in the eye and she did the same. I had to say though, her amber eyes are really beautiful and vibrant, wait, I'm digressing right now, "I can see that. But why are you on top of me?"

You guys heard me right! Kawakami Kazuko, one of the love interests in the series, is currently cuddling onto me like a dog as she puts her chin on top of my chest, giving me upturned eyes that looked too goddamn cute!

"Because you are warm..." She tilted her head while smiling sleepily, "And for some reason I like your scent too. I don't know why though..."

"Woah, woah..." My eyes widened as I raised my hands halfway at that sudden statement. Not gonna lie, but my heart skipped a beat, "That was dangerous thing to say, Kawakami."

"Why?" She asked innocently.

"You'll make something of mine going hard and rising up like an ascending dragon if you say something like that all of a sudden."

Kazuko once again tilted her head in confusion as she doesn't quite understand what I just meant by that. It seriously takes a couple of minutes for her pure and innocent mind to finally understand the meaning of my words, causing her cheeks and nose blooming in rosy red before she starts pounding my chest with her fists lightly, "Yonpachi-kun, you pervert!!"

Fucking bloody hell! Why is she so bloody cute!? I can't help but feel attracted to her, just like how I felt about Angel as well. Oh god, did I really want to—Wait a minute...

I paused in mid-thoughts when I noticed something curious about what she just said earlier, "Oh, am I, Yonpachi-kun, now?" I raised one of my eyebrows at her curiously.

Kazuko suddenly stopped her fist midair as she slowly raised her slightly red face, "... I can't?"

"...!" I instinctively close my eyes and slap my face with both hands, covering my dirty and perverted eyes from seeing such a sexy yet innocent gazes of hers.

Oh fuck, it's should be illegal to be this cute!!!

"No, I don't mind at all..." I coughed an answer in awkward manner.

"Hehe, yay~" Through a little crack of my fingers, I can see a big smile appeared on her face right now as she giggles cutely, looking so happy over such little thing like this.

Jesus Christ! I am officially done. My heart and my dick are reacting to her so hard right now. Well, my dick isn't really reacting though, mind you. I mean, I can't really let something like that ruin the mood between us right now. I'm not that insensitive.

"You can call me Wanko too!" Kazuko exclaimed suddenly, pushing her face onto mine as close as possible. I can feel her breath on my lips and her sweet scent aroused my nostrils despite the sweat stuck in her uniforms right now.

Fuck, I'm starting to get horny now. You seriously need to calm the fuck down, Redfoo. She is sexy and I know it, but this isn't the time for party house right now, and it'll be pretty awkward if you suddenly started to stand up and do a party rocking.

"Wanko." I called her while trying my best to focus on our conversation rather than the feeling of her slender and firm body pressing against mine.

Wanko's eyes widened as they gleamed in excitement, as a big smile appeared on her face once again, "Hehe, I like that!"

Okay, I think she's really trying to kill me by acting so cute and adorable in front of me right now. I mean, why the hell she's being this adorable and chummy with me all of a sudden!? Is this how she tries to get me back for losing against me earlier!?

"You know..." I was pulled out of my musings when I noticed a slight frustration coming out of her mouth, causing the atmosphere around suddenly to dampens, "I... never thought I would lose back then..." She confessed in a low voice. She slowly put her arms on top of my chest and uses them as a pillow for her head to rest. She looked so crestfallen at her defeat.

I don't say anything at first. We were basking in an awkward silence, with only a small sound of people chatting coming from far in the distance, outside the infirmary.

I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me before resting my forearm on top of my forehead. I released a breath, closing both my eyes, "Then you should go all out from the beginning."

"Ah..." Wanko flinched when I called her out like that, "You noticed...?" She cast a quick look at me before hiding her face behind her arm.

"Heh, of course I did." I replied with a small snort, "I just never expected that you would try to do Rock Lee on me though." I gave her a wry smile as I glanced at her wrists and ankles where her weights still wrapped tight around them.

Wanko's eyes slightly widened before she scratched the back of her neck in uncomfortable manner, "Hehe, I just..."

"You believed that you don't need to unseal them when fighting against someone like me, right?" I cut her in.

She flinches again and really hard this time, as her body begun to tremble. She shuts her mouth tight and looks the other way, not saying anything. Looking at such obvious reaction, I take that as a confirmation for my earlier question.

She's really easy to read.

"I..." She started but once again I cut her in midway.

"Don't worry. I'm not angry." I smiled gently at her when I noticed the look she had on her face right now.

"...Huh? Really...?" Man, this girl. She's so stupidly honest.

"Yeah." I confirmed with a nod, "I can pretty much understand why you decided to go easy on me like that. After all, I've done the same thing, thinking that I wouldn't lose against nobodies, and... I paid the same price as well."

Wanko raised her head, staring at me straight in the eyes, giving her full attention towards me. We stared at each other for a moment, and I don't really know why, but I brazenly reach out to her and put my hand on top of her head, slowly petting her.

I'm quite surprised when she suddenly pushes her head lightly onto my palm and closes her eyes in comfort, enjoying the nice and pleasureable feeling under my Pleasure Point's ministration.

"You see, Wanko..." I started with a small voice and she perked up, opening her eyes to look at me, "It is okay to go easy on people just because you worried about hurting them, but you should also know that as a martial artist yourself, you should never be too conceited in a duel, thinking that your opponent wasn't good enough for you to use your full power, don't you think so?"

"Un..." She nodded her head weakly, clasping my shirt with both hands. I can hear a weak whimper coming out of her mouth, and it's bad for my heart but I ignored them for now.

"Not only you insulted their resolve and hard work by doing that, but you will also make a fool of yourself as a martial artist if you lose against them." I sighed when I heard the whimper getting stronger.

I know that it's quite mean of me to do doing this to her when she's already feeling down and defeated at the moment. But even so, I believe this is the right thing to do as I really want her to improve herself even more than the original series.

She had this bad habit of trying to test her opponent's strength first before going all out. That's why she lost against Chris when they fought for the first time. I know she doesn't mean to, but she becomes quite conceited because not many could rival her strength in current timelines. So, I really need to correct that habit of hers; it is for her sake, after all.

"Do you know why Kawakami-senpai is so strong, Wanko?" I carefully asked.

Wanko timidly raised her head and I seriously feel bad when I noticed her eyes were watering, as she's really about to cry right now, "...Because she had talent?"

'Ugh...' I subconsciously flinched and gulped when I heard that. I couldn't help myself but to feel sad for her. She must feel really bothered by the fact that she was told by many that she doesn't have any talents regarding martial arts, despite putting in a lot of effort, sweat, and blood into her training all these years.

"That's... true. Yes, she had talents, an enormous one too at that. But that's not all."

"?" Wanko slightly tilted her head to the side, looking confused.

I smiled at that cute reaction and tapped her forehead with my index and middle fingers lightly, "Had you ever seen her slacking off when she's training?"

That question was met with a cute shake of the head.

"Had you ever seen her went easy on her opponents when she fights them?"

She shakes her head again.

"Then had you ever seen her looking down on her opponents in a duel?"

Wanko's eyes widened, she then looked down in shame as her clutches on my shirt and the tremble on her body became stronger by seconds. It seems like she finally understood what I'm trying to say right now. Using their idol as an example to correct their bad habits is always the right thing to do. I remember that I often did this to someone in my previous life I just don't remember who.

"That's right. Kawakami-senpai always made sure to give her respect to her opponents by always going all out no matter how weak her opponents were." I gave Wanko a gentle pat on the back as I carefully soothe her, "There's a reason why her duel always ended so fast, after all. She could easily limit her strength to match her opponents if she wished to and make the battle last longer to savor it, but she never did that. Why do you think so?"

"Because..." Wanko hesitated to answer for a moment before staring into my eyes without flinching anymore, "Onee-sama doesn't want to disrespect and disregard her opponents' bravery and hard works... That's why she always tried to give her all regardless whoever her enemies are."

"That's right." A smile formed on my face when I saw something changed within Wanko. I can literally see the determination burning vibrantly in her amber eyes right now. But even with all of these changes are happening in front of my eyes, I couldn't help myself but to tease her, "There's also the fact that she doesn't want to make a fool of herself by losing against someone weaker than her just because she thought it was a smart move to go easy on them unlike someone else I know."

"Muu...!" By looking at the puffed cheeks on Wanko's face, I knew that my tease was working, "You're so mean, Yonpachi-kun! Just you wait, I'll get back at you later!" She declared as she pushes her body up halfway while glaring at me.

Her glare wasn't scary at all, and it reminds me of a Shiba Inu for some reason.

"Pupu~" I covered my mouth with one hand as I laughed at her in a mocking manner, "Is our little doggo finally learn her lesson not to make a fool of herself in front of people because she was too excited and conceited?"

"Ahh, mou! Stop teasing me, you meanie!" Wanko shouted with a big blush on her cheeks. She pounds my chest playfully with both fists, "I'm definitely going to kick your butt in our next duel!"

"Oh, you said it!" I grinned provocatively at her, "I'll become even stronger than now and we're gonna see whose butts that will be kicked on later!"

"I'm not going to lose either! I'll train even more and become stronger as well!" Wanko declared confidently.

The depressing mood surrounding her earlier had finally gone by now, replaced by a burning and fiery determination. Her face was filled with confidence, something that has gone missing after her loss against me. I couldn't help but feel happy for her right now, since I believe this moment will be a good stepping-stone for her to start anew to become a better martial artist.

"Right, having her smile and laugh like this was something that truly suits her the most. After all, she's the brightest and most beautiful of them all when she smiles like this." I blabbered on without filtering my feelings towards her at all.

And with her distance being within my arm's reach, it wouldn't be weird if she heard what I said just now. The fact that she became frozen stiff and her face was erupted in red, with her eyes swimming about with embarrassment to the point she couldn't even look at me in the eyes anymore.

Seeing such a cute and innocent reaction, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh coming out of my mouth. The embarrassment I felt upon saying such embarrassing things had flushed down due to Wanko's actions.

When she saw me laughing at her, she puffed her red cheeks like a squirrel and pound my chest for umpteenth time, "Mou! Stop teasing me, I said!"

"Sorry, sorry. You're just too cute, so I couldn't help it." I playfully remarked as I halfheartedly tried to protect my body from Wanko's light attacks.

"Yonpachi-kun!!"

Just as I joked around with Wanko, a distinctive sound of someone's laughter caught our attentions. Wanko turned into a stone while I turned my sight towards the source, and there I found two old men looking at us with a smile on their faces.

"Hoho, did I just interrupt something?" The principal asked while stroking his beard, looking amused at the current situation between me and Wanko.

"Haiyaa, you shouldn't attack someone who is wounded like that, Kazuko." Lu-sensei joked.

"Hwaa! Grandpa, Lu-sensei!" Wanko shouted in surprise when she saw both of them standing in front of the infirmary's door. She hastily moved away from me and sits on the edge of the bed, looking embarrassed for getting caught doing something embarrassing with me on the bed.

"Hoho, it's okay, Kazuko." The principal smiled as he and Lu-sensei stepped forward, entering the room. "How's your injury, both of you?"

"I still feel slight pain coming from my stomach, but overall I'm fine, Grandpa." Wanko answered truthfully as she patted her stomach lightly.

"I'm recovering fast, so there's nothing but some light soreness at the moment." I positioned myself to sit, and when I look at Wanko, she avoided my stare by looking the other way. I chuckled lightly at that before focusing my gaze towards the old monster, "Anyway, did you need something from me, principal?"

"Ho?" The principal raised one of his long eyebrows at me, looking quite impressed for some reason, "On what basis do you think I need something from you?"

"Your aura." My immediate answer stunned both of them, "It's been prickling me ever since you entered my range, and such reaction always caused by someone trying to peer through me or had their attention directed towards me, either because of curiosity or hostility."

"What an interesting technique." The principal commented with a nod, "Was it called Compass Needle?"

"Yes." I nodded back at him, "It allows me to perceive one's presence or aura and help me learn their movements in order for my body to adapt against them."

Lu-sensei frowned as he rubbed his jawline in a deep thought meanwhile the principal looked impressed if the smile on his face was any indication, and similar to the principal, Wanko looked very impressed as well.

"Ah, so that's why!" Wanko opened her mouth wide, "No wonder you're getting used to my speed so fast in the middle of our fight. That's really awesome, Yonpachi-kun!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"I can teach you how to do it if you want, Wanko." I offered with a smile.

Wanko looked a little bemused at that, "A-Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly, but the anticipation and expectation in her eyes did not betray her desires.

"Sure, I don't mind at all." I chuckled cordially, "You may never notice, but you see, I've been watching you a lot." Either from my previous life and this new life of mine, I've been watching you. "The first time I saw you training alone in the riverbed near Tama Bridge back in the past made me wonder if you were a weirdo or something."

The principal and Lu-sensei chuckled under their breaths when they heard that, meanwhile Wanko pouted cutely at me, "I'm not a weirdo..."

I laughed at that before continuing, "It's my first time seeing a small child practicing a martial art so diligently like you. From there, I've begun to observe you from afar." This is true by the way. I dug the memories inside my head, and I indeed saw a memory of original Yonpachi observed Wanko from afar, all because he thought that Wanko was a weirdo doing something weird near the infamous Bridge of Weirdos.

Wanko perked up, "...You did?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "I saw you running around the district until you lost your breath and vomited all of your lunches near the lamppost." Wanko cringed when she heard that.

"I saw you crying alone under the bridge because you couldn't lift your naginata anymore." Wanko hides her red face behind her hands.

"I saw you crying so hard when a dog tried to steal your small naginata." Wanko's body starts trembling uncontrollably.

"I saw you trip on your own feet a lot and get muddy from head to toe because you messed up the footwork too much." Wanko shouted something unintelligible behind her hands.

"Waaaa! I don't know you are this meanie, Yonpachi-kun!" Wanko exploded in shame, her face was so red that it almost looks like a tomato and as she was about to jump on me to stop me from blurting more embarrassing stories about herself in the past, she stopped herself because of my next words.

"But I never once saw you give up no matter how much struggle and torture you have to endure in your training. You always push forward, always giving your best. You may cry a lot, but you never complain about how hard the training was. And then I finally realized: 'Ah, this girl is not a weirdo. She's an amazing person.'"

The more I opened my mouth to speak, the redder Wanko's face became. A steam literally coming out of her ears right now with how hot her face is. She begins to hide herself from me by using her grandfather as a shield and plants her red face on his back, mumbling something unintelligible at me.

The three of us laughed in a genial manner at her cute reaction, before I once again continued on what I'm trying to say to her, "And you see, I was surprised when we became classmates last year and then I finally heard the reason why you were putting so much effort in your training."

Wanko shyly poked her head out behind the principal's back, looking at me curiously.

"I want to be a strong martial artist like my Onee-sama! Someone who can be her match, someone who can relieve her from her boredom, and someone who can support her! I want to become an Assistant Master of the Kawakami Temple!" I imitated her words by using a high-pitched voice, causing others to chuckle due to how silly I sounded. "That's what you said back then, and I was amazed. The fact that you're doing all of that just for the sake of someone else blew me away, I found such resolves admirable, truly admirable."

Wanko scratched the back of her head awkwardly when I praised her like that, but my next words stunned the whole room.

"But also stupid at the same time." I admit that sounds harsh, and the hurt look on Wanko's face truly wounded my heart yet I still pushed it. "You shouldn't do that. No matter how admirable that is, you should never live your life for the sake of others like that. You shouldn't tread on a path that meant for others' benefit. You only will hurt yourself in the future."

Wanko doesn't say anything, she looks down at her feet, and her hands clench so hard that her knuckles turn white. I can even see her body begin to tremble once again.

And from the looks of the principal and Lu-sensei, it seems both of them caught on what I'm trying to do here since they haven't put any effort to stop me even right now.

"...Then, what am I supposed to do...?" Wanko's voice sounded so hurt, weary, and lost. A blood starts dripping out from her palm with how hard her nails digging into the surface of her skin.

"Can you please come over here?" I asked with a gentle tone, patting the empty space on the bed next to me.

Wanko raised her head, her amber orbs met my brown ones, and I can see the tears building up in her eyes too. She was on the verge of crying, since I could hear her sniffling a bit as well.

She looked hesitate to approach me not until Lu-sensei pushes her back lightly and the principal gives her a reassuring smile that she finally found a courage to move. With an audible gulp, Wanko stepped forward, approaching me with a slow step before finally sitting next to me in a very hesitant manner.

"Nee, Wanko..." I reached out to her closed fists, grabbing them gently before rubbing the top of her hands with my thumbs, utilizing Pleasure Point to soothe the pain she caused by digging through her own skin earlier.

"...Hm?" She hummed in a low voice, the tremble in her body finally subsided.

"You asked me what you're supposed to do, right?"

"...Yes."

"It's simple." I began, slowly slipping my fingers through her fingers, causing her to loosen her fist. "Find your own path."

"...My path?" Her shoulders were sagging, showing how her body finally able to relax after releasing so much tension earlier.

"Yes." I nodded, "Right now, you are nothing but a small kid who wants to follow her older sister or idol's footsteps. That itself was alright, nothing's wrong with it. But..."

"But?"

"What you truly need right now is finding your own path, to find something you really want to do."

"My own path and... something I really want to do..." She parroted with a low voice, her fingers slowly intertwined with mine. "Just... what I really want to do...?"

"That is something you should find on your own, and from there, you will finally find a true path for you to tread." I grinned, grasping both of her hands with my own, "And I promise you, after you reach that moment, you can become even stronger because your goal will finally be clear."

The tremble on her body suddenly came back, but this time due to the excitement coming from inside her body that exploded all of a sudden, causing her body to feel warm for some reason.

"And if teaching some of my techniques will help you get stronger, then I'm fine with it." I continued with a smile, her digits tightened the hold on mine, "After all, didn't I already tell you the other day? 'Show the world that you have the guts to take over the second place in Japan!', and until that moment happens, please remember that I will support you as much as I can."

"...!!!" The tremble on her body suddenly ceased, and before I know it, I was pushed back down to the bed by a sudden weight on top of me.

Wanko buried her face on the base of my neck, and I can hear the sound of her sobbing and whimpering in a low voice. It seems like she was trying her best to hold her voice as not to cry out loud right now.

'The crybaby is back, I guess.'

Chuckling at such a joke, I've begun to make an effort to soothe and comfort the crybaby by giving her a pat on the back and her head at the same time, utilizing the ability of Pleasure Point. This ability is really versatile when it comes to making people happy and satisfied.

"Ah, youth~" The principal suddenly commented from the side, a grin formed on his wrinkly face, "It must be nice to be young, right, Lu?"

"Haiya, I'm feeling so old right now seeing both of you like this." Lu-sensei joked, touching his forehead while shaking his head tiredly with a lone tear appeared in the corner of his eye.

I can feel Wanko's body shudder when she heard their voices, but it seems like she doesn't have any intention to let me go at any moment now.

"Right... I'm sorry, principal, Lu-sensei. I don't mean to disregard your presence like this. It's just that... I really felt the need to say something to her when I saw Wanko in such a state." I smiled wryly at both of the older men.

"No, no, it's fine, really." The principal waved his hand lightly, and a gentle smile formed on his face, "I'm thankful that you decided to speak on our behalf like this. I always thought that I shouldn't really meddle too much in her growth just so she can grow and mature herself, but I guess that was a mistake on my part."

"Well, I can understand that." I hummed, stroking the back of Wanko's head rhythmically, "My late grandpa always said that as a man, I should be capable enough to grow up and mature by myself without someone's help."

"Truly?" He asked, curiously.

"Yes, he was a man of action. I still remember the time he landed a corkscrew punch on me just because I was being a little shit, whining and moaning about my parents not letting me buys a new toy." I chuckled when the memory of that happened flashed through my mind. And it was something that indeed happened in the original Yonpachi's past.

"Such a hardcore grandfather... He reminds me of you, Grandmaster." Lu-sensei sweatdropped, looking quite bemused.

"He must be one hell of a grandfather then! Hohoho!" The principal joked with a jovial laugh, and I couldn't help but to join him as well.

"Yes, he was." I sighed wistfully, and by then I finally noticed the shake on Wanko's body had subsided. When I looked at her, I now understand why she's being so quiet right now; she had fallen asleep in my arms with her face stained with tears yet she still looks peaceful and happy if the smile on her face was any indication.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw such a cute sleeping face, and I reached my hand to her face, wiping all the tears gently as not to wake her up, "She must be tired from crying... She may become an independent and brave girl by now, but in times like this, you realize that she's still a crybaby like in the past. And from this on, I guess we can expect a big change happening to her, and I really hope that change will tremendously help her."

"Tell me, my boy..." The principal's voice caught my attention, and I turned my head to look at him, "Are you trying to court my youngest granddaughter by any chance?"

Tick! Tick! Tick!

It seriously takes a while for me to finally register the question he just spouted all of a sudden, and that question makes me almost jump if not for Wanko still sleeping in my arms.

"Wha—Wha—What kind of bulls—COUGH!" I hastily corrected myself with a cough, and continue on with a more respectful and quiet tone this time, "What are you talking about, sir?"

"Hohoho." The principal looked amused at my blunder, "I couldn't help but think that was the case when you're being so devoted to her right now, trying to comfort and support her like this. It was not something many would do unless they have some motives behind such actions, and the only think I could think of was that you are trying to court my granddaughter. If you're truly trying to do that, you have to make sure to support her right and don't do anything that will hurt her feelings. At least do that, and we'll be just fine." He laughed while stroking his long beard.

"Even I had thought something similar too, Fukumoto-kun." Lu-sensei nodded his head in agreement. "But knowing that you are so supportive of Kazuko has brought me joy. I sincerely hope that you will always be by her side and support her from now on, Fukumoto-kun!"

"Oi, oi, why are you two saying it like it was already decided that I will marry Wanko?" I sweatdropped at the remarks they just spouted.

"You don't want to?" The principal raised his eyebrows.

"Of course I would love to!" I answered immediately. And I swear I felt a movement coming from Wanko's body, but when I glanced at her, her eyes still closed shut, though the apparent blush on her cheeks and the slight disturbance on the pattern of her breath told me that she was awake at the moment.

I subconsciously flicked the tip of her nose lightly, and she scrunched her nose in response, still pretending to fall asleep.

"Hoho, I appreciate your honesty, my boy." The principal smiled and said, "Anyway, we're digressing a lot. The reason why I'm here was to ask you a question."

"Is it about me practicing the Kawakami Style?" I hummed, playing with Wanko's long and silky hair.

"Can I ask the reason why you decided to become Shakadō's disciple?"

I closed my eyes for a moment before answering the principal's question, "Because it benefits me most."

"What do you mean by that?" Lu-sensei looked bemused at my answer.

"Because I know that under his tutelage, he won't put any restrictions on me for challenging other people to a duel." I answered truthfully, "And you two must have realized it by now, but I am someone who improved through a lot of battle, someone who lived through violence and battle just to survive. In that sense, I was similar to Kawakami-senpai and Shakadō-sensei. If by chance I join the Kawakami Temple, would you guys really let me challenge other people so willy-nilly just as I have been doing lately?"

Lu-sensei was lost for words upon hearing that, and the principal stroke his jawline in a deep thought before nodding his head, "That's right. The moment you join us as a student of the Kawakami Temple, we couldn't afford you to roam around the city to challenge people as you wish like you've been doing these weeks. We have a reputation to protect, after all."

I hummed and gave Wanko a pat on her head when I felt a slight movement coming from her, "I thought so. That's why I accepted Shakadō-sensei's invitation back then because I knew joining a hand with him will benefit me the most in the long run."

"I see." The principal nods his head twice, "But at least tell me this, my boy. Was he a good teacher to you?"

I took a moment to think my answer before I looked straight into the principle's eyes, "He may be a douchebag and rotten to the core, but he's a good teacher. He doesn't lazying around when he teaches me something; he will put a lot of effort in my training too so I can learn smoothly under his guidance. I learned a lot from him, so I would say it once again, he was a good teacher."

"That's good then." The principal puts a hand on top of Lu-sensei's shoulder, causing the Chinese man to come out of his funk, "I just want to know about that. Please make sure to go back to your class later. Now if you'll excuse us."

With both of them finally gone, I was left alone together with Wanko, who's still pretending to be asleep even right now. But, since I was feeling tired too from all those conversation I had with the principal, I've no intention to call her out and just go back to rest, using her as my body pillow.

And much to my surprise, she doesn't put any resistance and instead stick her body close to mine even more, hugging my body likes a lifeline. We stayed in this position until we went back to the classroom together in the lunchtime.

After that, we were doing nothing but making a bet on what gender the transfer student would be. Since I already knew the answer, I bet on female with a max limit which is 10,000 yen.

The incredulous look on Kazama and Yamato's faces back then was something a sight to see. Bet they think they could swindle money from some of us with their trickeries of spreading a rumor about the transfer student being a boy or whatnot. But unfortunately for them, such trickery won't work against a transmigrator like me.

Except for that, nothing important really happened afterward. Well, except for a misunderstanding happening when Yamato and the others saw me sleeping with Wanko in the infirmary's bed together. And the misunderstanding gets stronger when they saw Wanko being chummy with me all day, as she would try to get my attention by every minute possible.

I can feel all kinds of stares directed towards me, but I ignored all of them in favor of entertaining the doggo. We also exchanged our LINE's ID and made a promise to train together from now on.

And so, my rowdy day for today finally ended with me having a victory against one of the main heroines in the series, in one or another way.

-----

Fukumoto Ikurō

Grandmaster of Kama Sutra

Rating: C

Physical Strength: 267

Spiritual Power: 145

Martial Art:

Sumo (Basic)

Karate (Basic)

Boxing (Basic)

Wrestling (Basic)

Kenjutsu (Basic)

Capoeira (Basic)

Naginatajutsu (Basic)

Bōjutsu (Intermediate)

Taekwondo (Advanced)

Brawling (Advanced)

Ability:

Sleight of Hand

Iron Body

Iron Fist

Intimidation

Revolution Step

Pleasure Point

Berserk

Indomitable Will – New!

Compass Needle

Loli Empowerment