With the shift in the void, I landed on the ground...Terminator-style, completely naked.
I looked around, pleasantly surprised. I was at the old Hyoudou house.
It is covered in dust and cobwebs. Like rock, the little garden was dried up, and the house itself was worn down.
The windows were fogged with grime, and the whole place smelled like a dead rat...
"I guess this is what happened after the accident... and me being sent to the orphanage," I sighed.
Thud
Out of nowhere, a package dropped from the sky, catching me off guard. I stepped back instinctively. I looked up, but there was nothing.
No portal. No courier pigeon.
"What in the..." I muttered, confusion filling me.
I crouched and opened the parcel. Inside:
- Keys.
- Buttload of cash.
- A clean ID card.
- Debit Card
- A new phone.
"Eh?" I stared at it, unsure. "Is this some kind of secret agent supplies?...."
'Oh wait, there is a letter.' I opened it immediately.
---------------------------------------
My Dear Son,
It seems you've returned from your solitude training. Good, I hope you gained insights into your abilities and cultivation.
Anyway, We've sent this small package as a gift to help you settle back into life in Japan. Don't worry; I've taken care of all the legal paperwork.
Your mother says you should drink more water and eat more, as you've seemed a bit pale and sunken. She's also enrolled you in Kuoh High for next year as a second-year student. She wants you to get a high school graduation certificate to apply for college.
She's insisted that you complete it.
Anyway, Main thing is We hope you enjoy your youth. These years won't come back.
P.S. Don't forget to visit us once you're done. We have something special waiting for you. :)
With love,
Dad
---------------------------------------
I smiled warmly as I closed the letter.
"You are the best dad I could ever ask for," I murmured softly, glancing at the sky.
I quickly dressed in my hanfu, tied my hair back, and headed inside to grab a broom.
"Let's clean up the front yard first," I thought as I began clearing the dirt and fallen leaves, whistling to myself.
Brush Brush
"Ho? Is that you, Grey-kun?" an elderly voice called out. I turned in the direction of the sound.
Her hair had grayed at the roots, but her posture was still firm and elegant. And her eyes sparkled the same way they used to whenever she brought over sweets and scolded my eating habits.
"Mrs. Kiryuu, you still look as good as I remembered!" I said with a smile as I walked toward her.
She was a close friend of my mother's and often visited our house with her daughter.
Yep, she's Aika's mother.
She laughed, "Oho? Flattering an old woman this early in the morning?"
I shrugged "Just being honest"
She moved closer, glancing around the yard.
"It's been….what, a decade? We all thought you left Japan after your adoption."
I nodded. "I did. But I've returned now, to complete my education."
Her eyes widened slightly, impressed.
"Really? You've come all this way… just for school?"
I smiled. "My mother insisted. Something about education shaping character and opportunity."
"Ahhh, she's right." Mrs. Kiryuu nodded with quiet satisfaction. "So many boys your age these days only chase nonsense. It's refreshing to see someone taking education seriously."
She paused.
"So, you'll be Aika's underclassman? First year? I'll make sure she helps you out!"
I chuckled. "Actually, I'll be in the second year. They promoted me. So I might be in the same class as her."
Her eyes lit up.
"Handsome, well-spoken, smart, and humble? My, my, my~ It's rare to see such traits in young people these days," she said with a laugh.
"How about this, You must be tired, After cleaning this place alone.
Come by tonight, Grey-kun. Catch up with Aika. We'll cook your favorite, simmered pork with lotus root, right?"
I rubbed my neck. "You still remember?"
"Of course I do. Your mother and I were practically sisters. And who knows..." she winked slightly, "maybe you and Aika will get along too. You both might have more in common than you realize," She said glancing at my outfit.
Riiiiight.....She probably thinks I'm into cosplay.
"I'd be honored, Mrs. Kiryuu."
She clapped once in joy. "Good! I'll go buy ingredients now. You rest a bit." She turned and walked down the path toward the local shops, her steps light as she glided away.
I watched her disappear around the corner.
Then I exhaled slowly.
"Well," I thought with a grin, "I guess I'll be meeting Aika first."
And I went back to sweeping the yard.
Later that Evening,
Sun casting an amber glow across the street as I approached the Kiryuu residence.
I adjusted the collar of my casual shirt and sighed.
"First impressions matter....."
The door opened before I could knock.
"Right on time," Mrs. Kiryuu beamed, apron tied and hair up in a neat bun. "Dinner's almost ready. Come in, come in!"
I stepped inside, taking off my shoes and bowing politely.
The house was modest but warm and neatly kept.
"I hope you're hungry," she said, turning toward the kitchen. "Aika should be down soon. She's just finishing up....something."
'Something? What kind of something?'
Click Click Click
Footsteps down the stairs. Leisurely. Unhurried.
Here we go...
She appeared on the last step .....bare-legged, oversized shirt hanging loose over one shoulder
Light messy brunette hair tied into braids, sharp golden eyes behind those glasses.
Her gaze locked on mine. There was a pause. Then a slow cheeky grin formed on her face
"Huh....Damn."
She tilted her head. "You're definitely not the Grey I remember from that old photo album."
"Likewise. You've, uh... changed."
"Pfft..what did you expect? I was six. You probably still had baby fat and a crush on action figures."
"I'm offended. I had excellent abs at six."
She snorted. "You're full of it. I like that."
Her eyes flicked down. Not subtly.
'Did her glasses just flash??'
"Ooh La la....These eyes never lie." she murmured raising a brow with a smirk on her face.
"....Soooooo," she said as she looked up, smirk now fully locked in place,
"You came back to Japan for school, huh? You sure you don't have other Nefarious intentions, Grey"
I shrugged my shoulders, "nefarious? what can I do? I am just a side character in this story" I grinned,
"is that so?" She leaned forward, the collar of her shirt slipping just enough to show that she didn't care much for straps.
"Ill be the judge of that Mr. NPC..."
Mrs. Kiryuu popped her head in from the kitchen, as if on cue. "Dinner's ready!"
Aika flicked her gaze toward her mom, then looked back at me with a playful whisper.
"Guess this means no more foreplay. Time for the Full Meals...let's go Grey"
'Huh? HUH??? I am perplexed' And I didn't even use this word in my two lives....
Surprisingly, the dinner itself was normal warm, filling, and familiar.
Mrs. Kiryuu asked questions about my enrollment, plans for college, how my Japanese had stayed so polished (thank you, cultivation-enhanced memory), and whether my parents still practiced "those spiritual things."
I answered politely.
Aika, however, didn't waste a second.
"So...you're gonna be in my class from next year, huh? Didn't think we'd be getting a foreign transfer with abs..."
"They bumped me up a year because of test scores. I just gave my everything"
"Right. 'Just gave my everything,'" she mocked sweetly. "You sound like a dumb Shonen protagonist who accidentally aced....."
"Aika...!!" her mother chided her.
I chuckled , "I only sound like one. I don't pose like one..."
She smirked. "We'll work on that....smartass"
Later That Night,
Dinner was over. Mrs. Kiryuu packed me a bento for tomorrow.
Aika walked me out, hands folded behind her back, swaying slightly.
"You know," she said, looking up at me, "I wasn't really expecting this..."
"This?"
"You showing up out of nowhere. Being hot. Enrolling at Kuoh. Sitting in my class." She squinted. "You're like a really hot fever dream with family credentials...."
"Sorry to disappoint?..."
"Oh no, you're not disappointing...Yet....God I hope NOT"
I raised a brow. "You flirt with all your childhood acquaintances like this?"
"Only the ones who show up eleven years later looking like a damn cultivator god." She leaned in just a bit. "And your stats? over 9000 in the right places...."
"..you..."
She grinned like a cat. I shook my head, laughing softly.
she sighed "So... you're not joining this term?" she asked, giving me a side glance.
"No. I'm starting next year. Mom....uh, my adopted one.....wanted me to have time to settle, prep, get used to the area."
"Aw, damn. So no tall, mysterious hot guy in our classroom just yet?"
"afraid you'll miss me?"
She smirked. "Maybe. I mean, I was already planning on sitting beside you, staring just long enough to distract you from basic algebra."
"I'll let you practice on the dummy in the mirror till then."
"idiot...." she said, flicking my shoulder.
Then, leaning just a bit closer,
"Well, I guess I'll just have to keep bumping into you around town. Or you could stop by and study with me sometime."
"You offering to tutor me, Ms. Kiryuu?"
Her smile curved upward, eyes glinting.
"I'm offering to test your stamina, How long you can go....In the Academic, obviously."
Pause...
"...Maybe."
She stepped back, her voice softer. "Hey. For real, though... it was good seeing you again. I'm glad you came back."
"Me too."
"Don't go vanishing for another decade, alright?"
"Promise."
She gave me a playful salute, then turned back toward the house.
"Night Night, Grey. Sweet dreams...if you're lucky, I'll be in one."
She winked, the porch light catching in her golden eyes, before the gate clicked shut.
I exhaled.
Year doesn't start till spring. That gives me time...to prepare.
To Observe. To build. To dominate the board before the pieces are even set.
As Sun Tzu Once said,
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war,
while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win"
DING
[ FRIEND REQUEST RECIEVED: THE BEAST WITH ONE EYE ]