CHAPTER 102: GENEROUS SPONSORSHIP
BOOM!
Ren Shiroki delivered one final heavy cross, the impact finally shattering the last of his medical shackles. Pieces of white plaster and frayed bandages flew through the air as he stepped away from the bag, revealing a torso that bore fresh scars but vibrated with renewed health.
Sweat poured down his skin, soaking the grass beneath his feet.
As he held the follow-through of the punch, Ren could feel it—a faint, pleasant "itching" sensation within his ribs and forearm. It was the feeling of hyper-calcification—his body's "Might" knitting the micro-fractures back together with reinforced bone density.
"Hah... huff..."
Ren exhaled a cloud of heat and turned to find a towel. He looked up to see his guests watching him from the porch.
"Yo, Ren-kun!"
Mitsuyo Kureishi waved with a bright, slightly manic grin. Beside him stood his top student, Cosmo Imai.
"Nice! Simply perfect!"
Ren didn't waste a second. He pulled several Soul Combat Hub business cards from his pocket and handed them to Cosmo. "You're welcome anytime, Cosmo-kun. We have the best recovery tanks in the city—once the plumbing is finished."
Kureishi laughed, nudging his student. "Oi, kid! He's trying to scout you right in front of me! Ren-kun, that's a violation of etiquette. You owe me a high-end dinner for that stunt."
Ren grinned. "Deal."
That night, the four of them—Ren, Arisa, Kureishi, and Cosmo—headed to Imperial Cattle Garden, a high-end Yakuza-favored teppanyaki and BBQ joint. The MMA masters proceeded to "rob" Ren's wallet by ordering the most expensive Wagyu on the menu. Arisa, for her part, was just happy to be eating meat that didn't come from a discount bin.
The Next Morning.
Ren was up before the sun. He laced up his trainers and headed out for a 20km run through the quiet streets of Tokyo.
His body wasn't at 100% yet, so he kept his pace steady, focusing on his rhythmic breathing. Every few blocks, he would shadow-box, testing the speed of his "Hand-Blades" and the stability of his "Wrestling Stance."
As the sun began to rise, he reached a large park on the outskirts of Shinjuku. His shirt was soaked, his skin steaming in the morning chill.
He noticed another runner matching his pace. It was a tall Westerner with a sharp, disciplined gait. Ren recognized him—it was the professional MMA fighter Rob Robinson, known in the circuit as the "Kick King."
Neither man spoke. They simply ran side-by-side for several kilometers, trading a nod of mutual respect—the silent pact of the early-morning grinder. When they reached a fork in the road, Rob gave a mock-salute and peeled off.
Ren took the long way home, increasing his total distance to 25km.
"Hoo... hah...!"
By the time he returned to the dojo, his muscles were fully engaged, his "Might" humming in his veins. After a quick cool-down, he began unboxing a shipment of speed bags and agility ladders. These were temporary tools to use while the main construction crew—coordinated by the Nogi Group—finished the Hub's structural skeleton.
While Ren worked, Arisa woke up and started on breakfast.
Ren walked into the kitchen, his skin glowing from a hot shower. While Arisa flipped pancakes, Ren pulled out the blender and began preparing his "Special Nutritional Supplement" based on a memory of an old combat manual.
"Scorched rice, six raw eggs, and a liter of whole milk..."
Ren dumped the ingredients into the blender and hit the switch. The result was a thick, beige slurry that smelled vaguely of burnt grain and protein.
Arisa stared at the cup with pure horror. "Onii-chan... please don't make me call an ambulance. Just eat a pancake."
Ren looked at the liquid, steeled his resolve, and resisted the urge to trigger his [ENGINE] just to bypass the taste. He tilted his head back and chugged the entire thing in one long, agonizing sequence.
Gulp... gulp... URGH!
Ren slammed the empty cup onto the counter, his face pale. "It... it builds character."
Arisa sighed, unimpressed. "At least it proves you're healthy. Your appetite is officially 'Monster-Class.'"
As they ate, Ren checked his schedule. "I'll be out this afternoon, Arisa. I have a meeting at a school."
"Oh? Which one?"
"The Shinshinkai Headquarters."
Shinshinkai Karate HQ.
Even in a city as dense as Tokyo, the Shinshinkai building was a landmark. It was a massive, grey concrete tower that looked like a fortress. Across the entire side of the building was a legendary mural.
It depicted a bald man with a terrifying expression, dressed in a gi, delivering a hand-blade strike to the neck of a massive Siberian tiger.
The image represented the school's founder, Doppo Orochi, and his legendary feat of killing a tiger with his bare hands twenty years ago. In the underworld, he was known as the "Tiger Slayer."
Ren stood before the mural for a moment, admiring the "Might" of the artwork. He was met at the door by Katsumi Orochi and Atsushi Suedo.
Suedo, having escaped the ship with only minor bruising, looked perfectly fine. Katsumi was still wrapped in a few bandages around his chest and jaw, but he was already back in his white gi, having resumed his training days ago.
Suedo stared at Ren, then at his own leader. "I swear... you two are made of rubber. You were both dying on that deck, and now you look like you're ready for a marathon."
Ren and Katsumi shared a grin. "Not quite 100%, but the 'Spirit' is willing," Katsumi said.
They walked into the massive training hall, Suedo trailing behind them like a loyal lieutenant.
"Ren-kun, I invited you here to scout the layout," Katsumi explained. "Once the Soul Combat Hub is finished, I want to make sure my senior students know the way. We're going to be your best customers."
"I expect a corporate discount, though!" Katsumi laughed. "And if you're up for it, I'd love for you to give a guest lecture to our brown belts. They need to see a style that isn't as 'Rigid' as ours."
Ren nodded. "I'm in. I like the energy here."
Katsumi's expression turned a bit more serious. "My Old Man—Doppo-san—is out in the mountains right now on a training pilgrimage. But... I heard from my friend Retsu Kaioh."
"The Fist Master?" Ren's eyes sharpened.
"Yeah. He heard about our fight on the ship. He was... 'Intrigued' by your Engine state. He's coming to the HQ for a seminar in a few weeks. He wants to meet the man who parried the Mach Punch."
Ren's heart raced. Retsu Kaioh?
"Nice! Simply perfect!"
The partnership between the Hub and the Shinshinkai was solidified then and there. Katsumi was a genius, not just in combat, but in networking. He knew that by linking his school to Ren's facility, he was creating a "War Room" for the strongest fighters in the city.
"Oh, one more thing—"
Katsumi reached into his gi and pulled out a thick stack of colorful vouchers.
"We have over a million members. Sometimes, wealthy patrons give us 'Sponsorship Rewards' that we can't possibly use up. Consider this a housewarming gift."
Ren took the vouchers.
"A Hot Spring Resort? And an Indoor Water Park?"
"Haha! Take your sister! Take your friends! You look like you need to soak those ribs anyway!"
That evening, Ren returned home and slapped the vouchers onto the kitchen table.
Arisa picked one up, her eyes widening. "Onii-chan? The Oedo Hot Spring and Great Blue Water Park? For the whole weekend?!"
Ren grabbed a cucumber from the fridge and took a crunching bite. "I've decided. We're doing the first-ever Soul Combat Hub 'Member Event.' We're taking everyone. Fusui, Marco, Nozomi, the whole crew."
Arisa beamed. "Onii-chan, you really are the best!"
Ren laughed. "Pack your swimsuit, kid. It's going to be a 'Rhythmic' weekend!"
☆☆☆
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