CHAPTER 103: A REFRESHING WEEKEND
Ren and Arisa were eating breakfast in their temporary outdoor kitchen. It was a humble setup, but looking at the construction progress, it wouldn't be long before they were arguing over interior design for the new Hub.
"A Hot Spring Resort and a Water Park?"
Arisa flipped through the stack of colorful vouchers, squinting at the fine print. "Can you even do both at the same place?"
Ren, busy drying the dishes, nodded. "Apparently, it's all owned by the same guy. He's a high-ranking Shinshinkai member. He sponsors the school with these passes regularly. It's a massive all-in-one facility."
"Nice! You're getting some high-end connections, Onii-chan!"
Arisa grinned, already mentally counting how many of her friends she could invite. Ren picked her up, chair and all, and moved her toward the door. "Go finish your homework. I'll handle the invites today. You just worry about having fun this weekend."
Arisa threw her hands up. "WOO-HOO!"
Two Days Later. Saturday Morning.
In the corner of the Shiroki yard, next to the construction site, a temporary arena had been leveled. Ren had spent the last week prepping it—packed sand and a simple wooden perimeter. It was the "Alpha Phase" of the Hub's sparring ring.
Since it was an arena, there had to be fighters.
Ren and Marco stood at opposite ends of the pit. Both were bare-chested and barefoot, their bodies settle into their respective combat rhythms.
Arisa stood on the sidelines, holding a stopwatch. She set it for a three-minute round, took a deep breath, and raised her hand.
"Fighters ready? GO!"
WHOOSH!
Ren lunged forward, his rear foot slamming into the dirt to propel his frame into a high-speed dash.
[DRIVE RUSH]!
Marco's pupils quivered. He tracked Ren's trajectory with surgical biological precision. The instant Ren entered his reach, Marco launched a heavy, committed straight punch.
But halfway through the dash, Ren shifted his weight. He didn't slip the punch. He raised his arms in a tight, reinforced guard.
BANG!
Marco's iron fist slammed into Ren's forearms. Ren didn't budge an inch.
Failure, Ren thought. He had been trying to time the "Instant" of the strike to achieve a Perfect Parry, but he had settled for a standard block.
Marco didn't wait. He launched a second punch.
Ren saw the window. He pivoted, angling his left wrist to catch the punch at a tangent, trying to deflect the "Might" rather than absorb it. But the sheer raw power of the biological monster disrupted Ren's timing. Marco's fist broke through the parry, grazing Ren's forehead.
"!?"
Ren reacted before his brain could process the error. He dropped into a deep knee-bend, executing a mid-range roll that brought him into a kneeling position behind Marco. He popped up, his arms swaying in the erratic, unpredictable "Drunken" style.
[JAMIE: FREEFLOW TORNADO]!
THUD!
Marco spun around, but Ren was already inside his guard. Ren delivered a flurry of rapid-fire jabs and low-kicks. The sounds of impact were heavy and rhythmic—the sound of flesh hitting reinforced biological armor.
Marco's predatory instinct flared. He ignored the pain, slammed a palm into the dirt, and executed a high-tension rising kick that caught Ren in the solar plexus.
BOOM!
Both men were forced apart by the impact, skidding across the sand as they reset their breathing.
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!
"Time! Round over!" Arisa shouted, clicking the stopwatch.
The two warriors relaxed, taking the towels Arisa handed them.
"Ren-nii is so strong!"
Marco chugged a bottle of water, his face glowing with a childlike joy. "I've learned so many new things, but I still can't break through your center!"
Ren wiped the sweat from his face, looking unsatisfied. "Not enough. Not yet."
He was replaying the fight with Katsumi in his mind—the feeling of the [DRIVE PARRY: PERFECT GUARD]. He had achieved it once under the threat of death, but he couldn't replicate it at will. He was missing the "Flavor" of the moment.
As they cooled down, the roar of an engine approached. A motorcycle pulled into the yard, and a short-haired girl hopped off. It was Fusui Kure, looking sharp in a casual T-shirt and shorts.
"Morning~!"
Fusui blinked her black-and-white eyes, looking around. "Wait, am I the first one here? Who else did you invite, Ren-chin?"
"Some Hub members and some friends," Ren explained. "I had a stack of vouchers. Some people couldn't make it—Karura had to go buy a birthday gift for her Great-Grandpa Erioh, so she's out."
He checked his watch. "The others should be here any second."
A few minutes later, three figures rounded the corner.
Nozomi Tenma, the burned-out boss of Valkyrie; her childhood friend, the "Dirty Cop" Ichika Iori; and the Kung Fu genius, Yuzuha Li.
"Morning, Ren-kun."
Nozomi looked weary. Between her eye injury and the logistical nightmare of managing a new fight circuit, she looked like she needed a vacation more than anyone.
Valkyrie had hosted its first official tournament a week ago. Four elite female fighters had faced off, with the "Former Terrorist" Hina Hongo taking the crown in a series of terrifyingly efficient knockouts. The event had been a smash hit, and Nozomi was now dealing with a flood of interest from sponsors and gamblers.
Beside her, Ichika looked equally exhausted. The Metropolitan Police had been redlining due to the recent underworld shifts, and her ahoge was drooping sadly over her forehead.
Yuzuha, however, looked vibrant. She had a small bandage on her forehead from a headbutt exchange with Hina, but she was vibrating with energy.
"Ren-kun! Thanks for the invite!" she chirped.
"Of course," Ren said. "Where are the others?"
"Hana's family business flared up. Hina twisted her ankle during training and can't go in the water. They'll catch the next one," Nozomi explained. "The other two Valkyrie rookies are in the hospital—one with a broken arm, the other has a tattoo she's too embarrassed to show in a public bath."
With the seven of them gathered, they piled into a rented van and headed for the resort.
Meanwhile. A Yakuza Office in Shinjuku.
A massive, scarred hand was currently crushing a VIP voucher into a tight, hard ball. A dark, resentful aura radiated from the man in the white suit.
Beside him, Kizaki was breaking into a cold sweat.
"I'm sorry, Boss! There's no way around it! Public resorts have a strict 'No Tattoo' policy. You can't exactly wear a full-body wetsuit in a hot spring without attracting a SWAT team. People would think you're a ninja."
Kaoru Hanayama: "..."
Hanayama: "...Hmph."
He was not happy.
His fingers tightened, the voucher becoming a solid "stick" of paper in his palm. He let out a long, heavy sigh of disappointment and turned back to his paperwork. He'd have to visit Ren later to demand a private sparring session as compensation.
Oedo Hot Spring & Great Blue Water Park.
The resort was a massive Tokyo landmark, a temple of relaxation and entertainment that covered several city blocks. Getting a VIP pass was a luxury that few could afford.
Nozomi and Ichika were practically glowing. They were ready for a quiet, "Normal" weekend to forget about guns, debts, and broken bones.
The women changed into their swimsuits and entered the member-exclusive VIP pool area.
But as they looked around for Ren and Marco, they were met with a sight that shattered their peace.
A group of fifty massive, boulder-shouldered men were lined up in the shallow end of the Olympic-sized pool. They were all wearing white headbands.
In the center stood Atsushi Suedo, looking like a drill sergeant from a nightmare.
"ALRIGHT! BEFORE WE HIT THE SLIDES, WE WARM UP! CENTERLINE STRAIGHT PUNCHES! ONE THOUSAND REPS! BEGIN!"
"SEI!"
"YAH!"
Fifty voices roared in unison, the shockwave of their battle-spirit causing actual ripples in the water. It was the complete opposite of a "Refreshing Weekend." It felt like being trapped in a military boot camp.
Nozomi: "..."
Ichika: "..."
The two friends looked at each other. The same thought flashed through their minds: Ren-kun... did you mention these were Shinshinkai vouchers?!
☆☆☆
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