Chapter 375: Ren's Boxing Lesson, Kurayoshi Rino Arrives
Uehara Nana felt her entire perception of the world tilting on its axis. The information she had just coaxed from Kaolan Wongsawat was a dizzying cascade of contradictions. Ren was a monster, a martial arts master of the highest caliber who, for some unfathomable reason, insisted on being a chef. He was also, apparently, an incorrigible playboy.
As the disparate facts warred in her mind, Uehara Nana felt her head begin to throb. Just what kind of creature had she encountered?
While she was still grappling with this mental whiplash, Ren emerged from a side room, clad only in a pair of boxing shorts. The sight of his physique—lean, perfectly sculpted muscle etched with the quiet promise of immense power—made Uehara Nana unconsciously swallow.
Kaolan rolled his neck, the joints popping softly. "Your striking techniques... they seem to possess certain excessive aspects."
A faint smile touched Ren's lips. "In a way, striking is simple. All it needs to be is fast, accurate, and ruthless."
Kaolan's mouth twitched. "I don't know why, but whenever you explain something, it becomes terrifyingly simple."
Ren shrugged. "Perhaps the limits of what a person can do are defined only by the distance their thoughts can reach. Hmm? We have quite a few guests today."
His words drew Uehara Nana's gaze from him to the entrance. Two beautiful women, both dressed in sharp, tailored suits, were stepping inside. It was Sōryūin Shion and Lucifer.
Ren didn't seem surprised to see them together. He simply walked over to them, his voice low and casual. "Your breakfast is with Cerberus. Just toss the containers when you're done. Shion, what brings you here so early?"
Sōryūin Shion tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes. "Kirukiru is the Student Council President now. With her sharing the workload, I find myself quite relaxed. Are you saying you don't want me to come over? What a heartless man."
Ren sighed, a look of fond exasperation on his face. "It's only been a few hours since we last saw each other. Shion, when did you become so dramatic?"
"Don't you like girls who know how to act spoiled?"
"You're really not suited for it. Right, Lucifer?"
Lucifer nodded sagely. "Mmm. Shion is much better suited for being a tsundere. Just like Yumiko."
"You," Sōryūin Shion said, her voice laced with irritation, "are the very last person I want to hear call me a tsundere."
"Hmph. Time to eat. Eh? Ren, what are you doing?"
Ren gave Lucifer a patient look before deftly plucking a blade of grass from her hair. "You really had fun last night, didn't you? Didn't notice this at all?"
He punctuated the question by giving her cheek a light pinch. Lucifer just stared at him for a moment, then let out a defiant snort and marched over to Cerberus with a haughty air to retrieve her food.
Sōryūin Shion pressed a hand to her forehead. "And that is precisely why I don't want her calling me a tsundere."
From across the room, Lucifer's indignant voice rang out. "I'm not a tsundere!"
Ren didn't linger on their antics; it wasn't right to keep his friend waiting. As he walked back, Kaolan exhaled a steadying breath. "Let's spar. I want to know just how far I can go."
Ren nodded, then smiled. "How many punches?"
"Let's start with thirteen."
Uehara Nana knew what that meant. Kaolan could unleash thirteen lightning-fast jabs in a single, seamless breath, each one carrying astonishing power. But to imagine Ren matching that feat... it was beyond her comprehension.
By the time she blinked, both men were standing on the sparring stage, their hands wrapped in boxing gloves. Lucifer, now holding a chicken wrap, munched on it while remarking playfully, "This feels just like the atmosphere before one of those big matches."
Sōryūin Shion subconsciously brought a hand to her lips, then sighed and lowered it when she realized it was empty.
Lucifer grinned. "Eh? Shion, want a cigarette?"
"I'm quitting. Slowly," Shion admitted. "Ren is very strict with me about it."
"I'll tell you a secret," Lucifer whispered conspiratorially. "Yumiko smokes, too. But her pipe isn't here."
Sōryūin Shion's eyebrow arched elegantly. "Hoh? In that case... I'm starting to look forward to her return from her hometown."
"Same here. Ah, it's starting."
Uehara Nana tore her attention away from their conversation, her gaze snapping back to the ring. The sight that met her eyes stole her breath.
With stances and movements that were perfect mirror images of each other, the two men exploded into motion. Thirteen dull, percussive thuds echoed through the space in a single, violent instant.
"You're still faster," Kaolan said, his voice a low rumble. "As expected."
Uehara Nana could see it now that he'd pointed it out. Ren's punches had landed a fraction of a second before Kaolan's—a difference so minuscule it was nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
Ren smiled. "Consider that the warm-up. So, do you want to continue practicing speed, or shall we take it a step further?"
"Let's do it."
Ren's expression remained gentle, almost placid. Suddenly, he took a single step back. Just as Uehara Nana wondered at the strange movement, he surged forward, his entire body coiling into a single, devastatingly heavy punch.
The blow sent Kaolan staggering back two steps, a jolt of numbness shooting up his arm. Before he could fully recover his footing, he saw Ren's form blur, reappearing directly in front of him.
Instinct took over. Kaolan snapped one hand up to guard his face while meeting the incoming assault with his other. Another thirteen concussive impacts rang out, but these were heavier, more brutal than the first. Just as Uehara Nana thought it was over, Ren's arm blurred again, throwing a fourteenth jab.
Kaolan's breathing was still ragged from the initial heavy blow. Though he had managed to adjust and counter the thirteen-punch flurry, he needed that split second to recover. The fourteenth punch, arriving in that precise window of vulnerability, landed squarely on his chest.
Uehara Nana heard a sickening thud, and then she saw Kaolan's formidable frame knocked clean off his feet and onto the canvas. She swallowed hard, her mind reeling. 'No way... A continuous strike that doesn't even require a breath... does such a thing really exist?!'
Ren looked down at the floored boxer, a calm smile on his face. "Can't keep up?"
Kaolan pushed himself up, stretching his shoulder. "Then the first goal is to exceed thirteen punches."
"How many are you aiming for?"
"Let's aim for fifteen, to start."
Ren's smile widened. "Kaolan, do you know of Iaijutsu?"
Kaolan's expression turned serious. "A sword art designed for an instant kill. What are you getting at?"
"Remember what I said? Fast, accurate, and ruthless. You need to practice your combinations, yes, but you also need to practice your ability to end a fight with a single, perfect strike. In other words," Ren explained, "you need to practice the Iaijutsu, and then the continuous slashes that follow. That connection is what's important."
Kaolan nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.
Ren tilted his head. "Here's an assignment for you: if your fists are the drawn swords, then what are the scabbard and the hand that draws the blade?"
Before Kaolan could answer, Ren's voice cut through the air. "It's starting!"
Another heavy punch. The scene repeated itself—the disruption, the flurry, the final, decisive blow. Uehara Nana watched Ren, who wore a playful, almost casual smile throughout the exchange. She had a chilling premonition that after a period of training under this man, Kaolan Wongsawat would become something truly terrifying.
"Oh my. As expected of Ren. Such a gentle Combatant. Good morning, Sōryūin Shion."
The new voice, smooth and melodious, drew Shion's attention. She turned, her eyebrow raising slightly before a genuine smile graced her features. "Oh? It's Rino."
"It is," the newcomer purred, stepping fully into view. "And my cute Shunka, as well."
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