CHAPTER 166: TWO PAIRS, HAND IN HAND
One day, inside the coffee shop operated by Hikoichi Yagyo.
Mitsuyo Kureishi, the "Freak," was chatting with his old friend, Yagyo. The
conversation had drifted, as it often did with Kureishi, into the territory of
human behavior.
Kureishi grinned, leaning over his latte. "Tell me, Yagyo-san. What does a
teenage boy on his first real date fear most?"
"A rival fighter?" Yagyo guessed. "A sudden Yakuza ambush?"
"Of course, of course," Kureishi laughed. "But what if that boy is the Champion
of the Underground Arena? A kid who could dismantle a dozen Yakuza before his
coffee gets cold? What does he fear then?"
"There are at least two correct answers!"
Kureishi slapped the table, laughing heartily. "First: An overprotective
parent—especially a mother or a father who decided to stalk them to the movie
theater."
"And second: Running into an acquaintance."
"Specifically, running into an acquaintance who is also out on a date during
that awkward, high-tension 'flirting' phase."
Kureishi recalled a juicy report he'd heard recently and added:
"And the nightmare scenario? That acquaintance is a guy who is shamelessly
blunt, has zero social filter, and a sister who is a social butterfly. Even the
'Strongest Youth on Earth' would have a terminal migraine dealing with that!
Gya-ha-ha-ha!"
The Present. Shinjuku Park.
Dusk had settled over the city, turning the air a cool, hazy blue.
Baki Hanma, the King of the Pit, looked up. His eyes locked onto the two figures
standing a few feet away: Ren Shiroki and Fusui Kure.
Ren and Baki hadn't officially met "in the ring," but Kozue was close with Ren,
and Baki had spent twenty minutes on the phone with Ren's sister discussing
dessert shops. Combined with the mutual respect they'd felt across the Dome
during the tournament, they were practically family in the strange world of the
Tokyo underground.
Baki: "..." Baki: "Ah."
The boy who had defeated the world's greatest warriors stood there with a look
of pure, uncoordinated confusion.
"Um... hi," Baki managed.
Ren raised a hand in a vibrant, casual wave. "Yo, Champion! Good evening!"
"Ah... good evening," Baki muttered, his face heating up. He tried to reclaim
his dignity by shifting to "Martial Artist" mode. He stepped forward to shake
Ren's hand. "The match on the ship... it was impressive. You really pushed
Kakerou's buttons."
Ren thanked him, but before they could discuss technical data, Fusui Kure leaned
in, her black-and-white eyes shimmering with mischief.
"Haha! Kozue-chan and Baki-kun... I knew I smelled romance! Are you two finally
out on a real date?"
Kozue Matsumoto turned a bright shade of pink, looking down at her shoes.
Baki paused for a second, then looked at Kozue and gave a firm, serious nod.
"Yes. We are."
He looked back at Ren and Fusui, his expression surprisingly resolute for a
teenager. "I've wanted to ask her for a long, long time. Tonight was the night."
"Nice! Simply perfect!"
Ren grinned, nudging Fusui. "See? I told you. An old-school, retro-vintage
couple. It has such a peaceful, high-end flavor, doesn't it?"
"Exactly!"
Fusui clapped her hands. "But you know what they say about the quiet ones—they
move fast! Once the decision is made, the execution is 100%. Whether it's an
invitation or... other things... they don't hesitate."
Ren and Fusui were both a few years older than the teenagers. Combined with
their "unhinged" personalities and the fact that they lived in a world of
professional slaughter, their presence was a bit overwhelming for a pair trying
to have a "Normal" walk.
"Anyway," Baki said, clearing his throat and trying to steer the ship. "We were
just going to take a stroll through the park. Care to join us for a bit?"
"Mhm," Kozue nodded shyly.
The four of them began to walk. Baki and Kozue led the way, with Ren and Fusui
trailing slightly behind on their flank.
Perhaps to drown out the awkwardness, or perhaps because they had finally
reached a "White Heat" of their own—
The hands of the teenagers, which had been brushing against each other for three
blocks, finally met. Their fingers interlaced, locking into a firm, nervous
grip.
"..."
Fusui's eyes darted down, spotting the locked hands. She nudged Ren with a sharp
elbow. "Ren-chin, look! Hand-holding! How bold~!"
Kozue flinched, her instinct telling her to let go, but Baki's grip remained
firm. He didn't look back.
Seeing their resolve, Kozue squeezed back. Their pace quickened, their steps
becoming light and rhythmic.
"How lovely," Fusui whispered, then raised her own hand, waving her fingers in a
blatant hint. "I want some of that 'Victory Flavor' too, Ren-chin."
Ren didn't hesitate. He reached out and caught Fusui's hand in a solid, decisive
grip. It wasn't a "testing" touch; it was the grip of a man who owned the
moment.
"To use Ren-chin's words..." Fusui mimicked his voice perfectly. "Nice! Simply
perfect!"
Baki and Kozue's ears turned bright red. They felt like they were being mocked
by the "cool" older kids.
Fusui noticed their reaction and giggled. But then she noticed something else.
Ren's own face was starting to flush a light shade of red.
"Ren-chin? Why are you blushing?"
"I'm adjusting to the environment," Ren whispered. "If we act too 'Grown Up,'
it'll make Baki and Kozue feel left out. I'm trying to simulate the 'Youthful
Awkwardness' so they feel more comfortable. It's a tactical sacrifice."
Fusui: "..." Kozue: "..." Baki: "..."
The group reached a fork in the path.
One way led toward the main thoroughfare—a wide, well-lit concrete road heading
for the park exit. The other led into a dense grove of trees, a path that was
officially closed at night, leading toward the "Amusement Zone" and the
maintenance sheds.
Sniff.
Ren, Baki, and Fusui's noses all twitched simultaneously. They had all caught
the same "Scent" drifting from the dark forest path. It wasn't the scent of pine
or damp earth.
It was the scent of Might.
Kozue, sensing the shift in the air, looked at Baki and gave a sad, knowing
smile. "I know that look. You want to go fight someone, don't you? It's okay. I
support you."
To her surprise, Baki shook his head. He looked her in the eye, his gaze soft
and steady. "No. Asking you out tonight was my primary objective. That priority
hasn't shifted."
"Besides..."
Baki looked back at Ren and gave a confident smirk. "I'm not the only one here
who can handle a disturbance, right, Shiroki-san?"
"Thanks for the assist! Come by the Hub sometime!"
Ren waved a hand, his other hand still firmly holding Fusui's. He turned toward
the dark forest path.
But as the two of them walked away, they both paused and looked back over their
shoulders.
Through the gaps in the trees, they could see Baki and Kozue walking away toward
the exit, hand-in-hand.
But further back in the shadows—far beyond the reach of the streetlights—a
massive silhouette was standing.
He wore black training clothes. His physique was a block of solid iron. A mane
of dark red hair flowed over his shoulders. The "Pressure" he radiated was
enough to make the leaves on the trees stop rustling.
He was watching Baki and Kozue from a distance that was almost impossible to
detect, his presence flickering in and out of the night like a vengeful god. He
didn't speak. He just watched.
Fusui Kure recognized him instantly.
The Strongest Creature on Earth. The Ogre, Yujiro Hanma.
Why is he stalking his own son's date? Fusui wondered.
She remembered the night on the Espoir. Yujiro had mentioned Baki reached "That
Age." Even with a Kure Clan brain, the sight of a biological world-shaker acting
like a hovering helicopter-parent was a bizarre logical error.
Ren Shiroki just waved it off. "Don't worry about it. It's just a dad worrying
about his son's dating life. Normal family stuff."
Fusui blinked. "...Is it? Is it really?"
"Probably."
Ren turned back to the dark path.
As they walked deeper into the grove, the dim orange glow of the distant lamps
illuminated the grass. There, amidst the green, were several spatters of dark,
fresh crimson.
It wasn't a flower. It was Blood.
The deeper they went, the thicker the scent of iron became. The "Street Brawl"
had finally found them.
☆☆☆
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