In the dim, unpopulated alley, no one was fortunate enough to witness the look of shock on Mio Ibuki's face.
She hadn't made a sound, so why had she been… discovered?
After blocking Mio Ibuki's kick, Ren Katsuragi made no move to counterattack, simply watching as Mio Ibuki increased the distance between them.
"Hostility. You're strange; you have only hostility but no killing intent," Ren Katsuragi muttered, as if he had seen through Mio Ibuki's thoughts.
This was also why Ren Katsuragi hadn't immediately countered. Mio Ibuki's sneak attack, like that of a child, failed to pique Ren Katsuragi's interest in the slightest.
The young man didn't understand why Mio Ibuki would sneak up on him, and he was quite curious.
He saw many interesting emotions in Mio Ibuki's eyes: resentment and unwillingness mixed with a hint of… longing?
"Ibuki Dojo, Gentle…"
Mio Ibuki didn't answer Ren Katsuragi's question. Just as she was about to introduce the martial arts school she belonged to, she was directly interrupted by Ren Katsuragi.
"Ibuki, you had better not introduce your martial arts school. Otherwise, according to the rules, this will be considered a duel."
"You know what a duel means, right?"
"It means, I can beat you to death!"
Although he wasn't sure which dojo Mio Ibuki was referring to, Ren Katsuragi understood what she was trying to do.
Such duels could only be for sparring or old grudges. Judging by her previous glare, it was undoubtedly the latter.
Mio Ibuki was displeased with the interruption and began to use provocation: "Ren Katsuragi, are you afraid? Then why weren't you afraid when you came to my martial arts school back then?"
At this moment, Mio Ibuki feared no danger.
She never thought she would meet Ren Katsuragi at this school. After her father's defeat, Mio Ibuki began training herself with an even stricter regimen. Wasn't it all just to meet Ren Katsuragi one day?
Fate was now on her side.
"Yes, I'm afraid of beating you to death," Ren Katsuragi said bluntly. "However, your martial arts school... Ibuki Martial Arts School? When did this happen…"
Strong people generally do not care about the names of the defeated.
Similarly, Ren Katsuragi had long forgotten the numerous martial arts schools that had fallen at his hands.
"You!!!"
There is no greater insult than being forgotten. This time, Mio Ibuki did not sneak attack again. Instead, she took the starting stance of her martial arts school: "Please instruct me!"
She wasn't overwhelmed by anger?
Seeing Mio Ibuki calm down so quickly, Ren Katsuragi couldn't help but look at her with slightly higher regard. He also shifted his stance into small, quick steps and adopted his starting position: "Give it a try."
"Nihon Kenpō from Kyoto? Are you looking down on me?" As the only daughter of a martial arts school owner, Mio Ibuki had been required to study various martial arts from a young age. This included not only Japanese styles but also those from other countries.
Her father had told her, You don't have to be able to use these arts, but you must understand them. Only by understanding them can you possibly break them.
The starting stance Ren Katsuragi adopted was the famous Kyoto Kenpō, also known as the "Alternating Maces."
Someone with Ren Katsuragi's physique was completely unsuitable for a style that focused on minimizing self-consumption and using softness to overcome hardness.
No longer concerned about caution, Mio Ibuki charged at Ren Katsuragi, hoping to defeat him with one blow while he was careless.
Seeing Mio Ibuki charge, Ren Katsuragi quickly advanced with his small, quick steps to meet her.
Bang! Bang!
Ren Katsuragi threw two quick punches. Mio Ibuki, unable to dodge in time, was forced to retreat a few steps.
Not pressing the advantage, Ren Katsuragi stopped in place and waited for Mio Ibuki to regain her composure: "Is that all you've got?"
Just like his sparring sessions with Kikyō Kushida at the boxing gym, Ren Katsuragi no longer took the initiative to attack, allowing Mio Ibuki to launch all her attacks at him.
Every one of Mio Ibuki's attacks was deflected by Ren Katsuragi with extremely clever techniques.
Gradually, Mio Ibuki's breathing became heavier and heavier. Ren Katsuragi, having grown tired of the game, decided to end this farce. He landed a simple, unadorned punch to Mio Ibuki's abdomen.
Mio Ibuki, caught off guard by Ren Katsuragi's blow, hunched her body, her eyes widened slightly, and her hands instinctively clamped over her abdomen.
"Very boring."
Ren Katsuragi did not follow up with another punch. He finished speaking and walked out of the dead-end alley.
Returning to his villa, Ren Katsuragi had just opened the door and reached the entrance to change his shoes when he saw Chie, wearing a kitchen apron, poke her head out from the kitchen and look at him.
Chie, who had just finished dinner, quickly trotted to the entrance when she saw Ren Katsuragi return. She held a small spatula in her hand and tilted her head at the young man.
"Ren, do you want to eat first, shower first, or eat Chie first~"
After changing his shoes, Ren Katsuragi gently stroked the lively Chie: "Chie hasn't eaten yet, even though it's this late?"
It was already seven o'clock in the evening. According to the dining habits in Japan, she should have finished eating long ago.
"Hmm, drinking wine without atmosphere is no good, so I thought I'd prepare some snacks to go with the wine," the usually reserved Chie said without hesitation in front of Ren Katsuragi.
She didn't want to hide this side of herself from Ren Katsuragi; only sincerity could win sincerity.
"Go eat, go eat. I'll take a shower first." He picked up Mochi, who was tugging at his pants, and stroked the head of Koharu.
Seeing that both of Ren Katsuragi's hands were occupied by the two cats, Chie pouted at the young man: "Ren, Chie wants a pet too!"
"Alright, alright, Chie gets one too." Leaning down, Ren Katsuragi lightly kissed Chie on the lips and walked toward the bathroom.
Chie, satisfied, returned to the kitchen and began serving the dishes.
Instead of soaking in the bathtub, Ren Katsuragi turned on the shower, closed his eyes, and tilted his head back, letting the warm water wash over his body. The warm water flowed down the contours of the young man's muscles, like small, flowing streams.
After putting on his bathrobe and the shorts he had prepared earlier, Ren Katsuragi went upstairs to the study to retrieve his laptop. He then returned downstairs to the living room to keep company with Chie, who had already started drinking.
"Ren, ah~"
Sitting on Ren Katsuragi's lap, Chie used her chopsticks to pick up some of the snacks and held them to Ren Katsuragi's mouth. After the young man took a bite, Chie contentedly put the rest into her own mouth.
Resting his chin on Chie's head, Ren Katsuragi opened the school surveillance footage record and began editing the recording he had just made.
Director Sakayanagi had said he couldn't act against the "shadows," but the scope of this "shadow" was too broad.
To Ren Katsuragi, as long as he was present, it couldn't be counted as a "shadow."
I was present, and I just happened to be recording on my phone. Is there a problem? No problem at all.
Chie, whose movement was restricted by Ren Katsuragi's chin, showed no displeasure. She watched curiously as Ren Katsuragi edited the video, wondering what the young man was planning next.
After completing the edit, Ren Katsuragi found a name in his phone contacts.
Ren Katsuragi:
File
(Sent)
Kakeru Ryūen: What is this?
File
(Received)
Kakeru Ryūen: ...
Kakeru Ryūen: Name your price.
Ren Katsuragi: Ten thousand points.
Kakeru Ryūen: Fine.
Ren Katsuragi:
File
(Sent)
Kakeru Ryūen: What is this one?
File
(Received)
Kakeru Ryūen: Price?
Ren Katsuragi: To make it a round number, I'll count both together for 50,000 points.
Kakeru Ryūen: (Transferred 50,000 points)
Having finished everything, Ren Katsuragi closed his laptop, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the sofa.
Mmm…
Chie's soft lips pressed against Ren Katsuragi's, and she skillfully pried open the young man's teeth, passing the red wine from her mouth to his.
"Ren, you worked hard~"
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