"Your mother..." Hayashi Shuichi felt a pang of sympathy.
"Mom passed away in the hospital two months ago." The boy lowered his head, his pale-blonde bangs obscuring eyes that were rimmed with red. "I'll never get to see her again."
The boy's thin shoulders trembled slightly as he fought to suppress the whimpers catching in his throat.
Shuichi remained silent for a long moment before reaching out and gently ruffling the boy's soft, messy blonde hair. "...Alright. I promise. From today on, you're my disciple."
"Really?" The dullness in the boy's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a spark of hope. A bright, wide smile broke across his face. "Then what should I call you? Master? Teacher?"
"Whatever you like," Shuichi replied, pondering. "But I live in Beika and I have school during the week, so I'm only free on Saturdays and Sundays."
"Beika is close! I can take the train and go there by myself on the weekends," the boy said hurriedly, eager not to lose this chance.
"What about your father?" Shuichi asked. "Even if it's not far, it's better to let him know."
"Dad... he's very busy with work," Furuya Rei's voice dropped an octave, and he began tracing circles on the floor with the toe of his shoe. "I rarely see him. But when I get the chance, I'll definitely tell him!"
"I see," Shuichi nodded understandingly. "By the way, I heard those kids calling you 'Furuya' earlier?"
"My name is Furuya Rei, Master!" The boy straightened his back, speaking with a touch of pride. "It's the name my mother gave me."
Furuya Rei! Amuro Tooru?!
Shuichi's pupils contracted sharply. He stared at the little boy in front of him, shock rippling through his mind.
Pale-blonde hair, wheat-colored skin, and those distinct purple-grey eyes—with such obvious traits, how had he not made the connection sooner?
"Master?"
Rei felt a bit unnerved by the intense stare. He took a half-step back, a look of wariness crossing his face.
"I only want to learn how to fight from you. You... you aren't going to do anything else to me, right?"
"Huh?" Shuichi snapped out of his trance, blinking. "What are you talking about?"
"Mom told me once that if I ever go to church, I have to be very careful of the priests," Rei explained with a deadly serious expression. "She said they sometimes make little boys do... bad things. Master, you aren't like a priest, are you?"
"I'm your Master, not a priest!" Shuichi didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he gave the boy's head a light, playful flick.
"Master, you haven't introduced yourself yet," Rei pressed on, his curiosity getting the better of him. "You're so good at fighting, you must have trained for a long time, right? Do you do Judo? Karate? Taekwondo? Boxing?"
"Winning a fight against a few kids isn't exactly a grand achievement," Shuichi said, shaking his head. He gave a brief introduction of himself. "What I use is a mix of Sanda and close-quarters combat. If you want to beat those brats who were bothering you, two or three months of training should be enough."
"Really?" Rei jumped up with excitement, already visualizing the scene where he stood victorious over his bullies.
"Of course," Shuichi nodded firmly. "What I know is designed specifically for practical, real-world application."
The new master and disciple chatted as they walked out of the restroom, only to find Eri Kisaki leaning against the hallway wall. She was tapping a heavy book against her thigh, her eyes filled with a mix of impatience and concern. "What took you so long? Is his knee okay?"
"It's fine, just a bit of a scrape." Before Shuichi could finish, he felt a tug on his sleeve.
It was Rei. He stood on his tiptoes and whispered, "Master, is she your girlfriend?"
When Shuichi gave a small nod of confirmation, Rei immediately snapped to attention. He gave Eri a perfect ninety-degree bow and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Greetings, Ma'am! Thank you for your concern, Ma'am! My injury is no longer a problem!"
His loud, formal greeting instantly drew the eyes of everyone in the library.
Eri's face turned scarlet all the way to her ears. she looked around in a panic, her voice a frantic whisper. "Keep your voice down! This is a library!"
After scolding the boy, she shot a sharp glare at Shuichi, whose shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Sorry..." Rei muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Eri grabbed Shuichi's arm and pulled him into a quiet corner, demanding in a low voice, "What on earth happened in there? Since when did you suddenly become his 'Master'?"
"Furuya wants to learn how to fight," Shuichi explained. "I helped him today, but what about tomorrow? He's going to keep getting targeted. Instead of hoping someone else will step in, it's better for him to learn how to drive those bullies away himself."
Eri glanced over at Rei. The boy was curiously browsing the titles on a nearby shelf, occasionally glancing over at them.
"That reason... I suppose it's acceptable."
"But more than that reason, I think the 'Ma'am' part was the highlight, wasn't it?" Shuichi teased with a raised eyebrow. "The kid's got good instincts."
"Hmph. He can call me whatever he wants, but I haven't agreed to anything," Eri said, turning her head away with a huff of feigned arrogance. "If you want a 'Ma'am,' go ask Yukiko, or Ikunami, or Vermouth, or Midori, or Reiko... let them fill the role!"
"Well, you might not have agreed, but I certainly have," Shuichi said, conveniently ignoring the latter half of her sentence. "Anyway, while you're finishing up your reading, I'm going to take him outside and teach him a few moves. I don't want him getting ambushed the moment he heads home today."
"Fine, go on!" Eri sighed, giving him a final look. "I'll come find you once I've picked out my books."
Outside the library, Shuichi found a shaded spot under a tree and began explaining the core principles of combat to Rei.
"Remember, fighting isn't just about raw strength. You have to use your head..."
He had only gotten a few sentences in when Rei gave him a look of utter disbelief and distaste. "Master... the things you're teaching are so... dirty! Poking eyes, kicking groins, pulling hair, throwing dirt? I'll be the laughingstock of the neighborhood."
"You think I enjoy teaching this?" Shuichi sighed helplessly. "Those kids are definitely going to look for trouble again in the next day or two. If you don't use something decisive and 'dirty' to scare them off, how are you going to stop them? Do you want to get beaten up every single day?"
He tapped Rei on the forehead. "Besides, they're already laughing at you, aren't they?"
"I..."
Rei lowered his head, his blonde bangs covering his eyes. His voice was small and muffled.
"Master... are mixed-race people really monsters? Why does everyone hate me?"
"Don't pay any mind to what those brats say," Shuichi said, patting the boy's shoulder. "The truth is, those kids are just looking for anyone who is different from them so they can feel powerful by ganging up on them."
"When you grow up, being mixed-race will actually be a huge advantage. You're going to be very popular with the girls, you know."
"Really?" Rei asked, sounding shy and skeptical.
"Of course. The first step to being a man is having confidence in yourself," Shuichi lectured. "Also, those kids who bullied you today? They're just cowards who prey on the weak."
"If you give them a thorough thrashing—regardless of whether the methods are 'honorable' or not—they won't dare lay a finger on you ever again."
"So, what do you say? Do you still want to learn?"
"I do!" Having been thoroughly convinced, Rei nodded vigorously. "Please teach me, Master!"
(End of Chapter)
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