Chapter 94: The Illogical Challenge
After thinking it through like that, the last thorn in Takumi's heart vanished completely. What the heck—so I was just overthinking it. In the original story, the little sister and big brother roles simply swapped into big sister and little brother. That means Keni was always a girl to begin with. No matter which world line we're in, this makes things way easier… uh, though it looks like there's gonna be this "rival" Shirahama Rei in the future. Right now he's just a little shota, though. By the time he reaches high school, I'll have already devoured every single inch of Miu's skin. He's no threat at all.
"What're you grinning about? It's super creepy."
Miu's girl intuition was screaming that Takumi was thinking something filthy. He hurriedly waved it off.
"N-nothing at all! Ah, look at the time—I should go buy some stuff. It's rare we get guests at Ryōzanpaku."
With those words he leaped away in several bounds and vanished. Displaying his movement so openly and without restraint instantly produced a jaw-dropping effect. Both father and son from the Shirahama family stood there dumbfounded.
Is that guy some kind of antelope…?
Half an hour later Takumi returned to Ryōzanpaku, only to find the place packed with extra people—all wearing gray karate gi, each one radiating a ferocious aura, their bodies forged like steel.
"What's going on?"
He set the groceries down, puzzled, when a roar erupted from the main hall.
"Don't mess with me! I came here to challenge the masters of the dojo, and you send one disciple—and a girl at that—to face me? Are all you hotshots at Ryōzanpaku this arrogant?!"
"Please calm down. For a disciple challenge the fee is 50,000 yen. For challenging the masters it's 500,000 yen. If you've prepared 500,000, we can certainly accommodate you."
"I can't believe this—are you people completely blinded by money?!"
Takumi stepped inside and saw a middle-aged muscle mountain of a man, completely bald and gleaming in a way that was almost comical. He couldn't help asking,
"Miu, what happened?"
"This gentleman is the master of the Gokkon-ryū dojo. He came to challenge Ryōzanpaku. What wonderful timing—thanks to our honored guests today!"
Miu's face lit up with pure delight. Takumi blinked for a second, then remembered Ryōzanpaku's tradition: challenge fees were mandatory. Someone actually showing up to challenge was basically walking money. No wonder she was grinning like that.
"Ohhh, I get it. I bought the stuff—go put it in the kitchen. Since this uncle doesn't want to fight a girl, how about he tries me instead?"
"Hmm, sure. But remember to collect the fee first."
Miu said seriously. Takumi laughed.
"Of course! My debut fee as a virgin fighter—how could I skip charging?"
"Wha—?! Don't just throw around the word 'virgin' like that!!"
Miu's face went beet red. She punched him in the stomach. Takumi clutched his belly and crouched, groaning, then wheezed,
"The dojo's still under repair anyway, so let's just do it in the courtyard with this master."
He dragged the still-dazed Keni out of the hall. The moment Miu was gone, Takumi instantly straightened up.
"All right then, Master of Gokkon-ryū. Since you came to challenge, you've gotta follow Ryōzanpaku rules. Pay up front. Fight me. If I lose, I'll double the money and hand it right back."
"Fine! Fine! Every single one of you is ridiculously arrogant! Let me see just how capable Ryōzanpaku's disciples really are!"
The big man strode out and planted himself on the cobblestone path. With a furious roar he ripped his upper gi apart in both directions—revealing a torso like sculpted hills and valleys, muscles so sharply defined they looked cast from bronze and iron.
Takumi noticed that the Gokkon-ryū master seemed coated in a faint golden sheen. Under the sunlight his entire powerful body—even his face—reflected a subtle metallic glimmer. This wasn't an illusion. To anyone who could read ki, that weak but real metallic light was clearly visible. It was the ultimate external sign of having reached the pinnacle of hard Fighting spirit .
"Master will win! Master will win!!"
All the Gokkon disciples were shouting in excitement, completely pumped by their leader's towering, diamond-hard aura.
Damn… that shirt explosion was way cooler than mine. I'm actually feeling inferior here.
Takumi had considered doing his own dramatic shirt rip, but compared to this guy it felt lame. Better to hide his inadequacy. He gave a proper karate bow.
"Master, please."
"Enough chit-chat. Come at me. I'll even let you land a few free hits."
"Really?"
"Of course! My greatest pride is my defense. If you can actually injure me, I'll leave 100,000 yen on the table without another word."
"Master… you're seriously a good person."
Takumi was genuinely moved.
The very next instant he stepped forward into a simple lunge punch. A flash of blue light—his fist slammed into the hard-Fighting spirit master's abdomen.
Everyone watched as the skin on the man's broad back suddenly bulged outward like someone had yanked his shirt from behind. A deep fist imprint appeared clearly on his back.
This seemingly invincible man's eyes bulged wide. A huge mouthful of blood sprayed out. His legs buckled and he dropped to his knees right in front of Takumi.
"Master!!"
"How is this possible?!"
"Heavens!!"
Everyone who knew their master's true strength froze in shock.
They'd seen him wrestle five hundred bulls until the bulls collapsed from exhaustion.
They'd seen him take a handgun bullet head-on with only his muscles—the round lodged in the flesh without penetrating through.
They'd seen him crush iron into paste with his bare grip, turning two solid steel balls into mush that oozed between his fingers.
And yet this unbeatable man… couldn't even withstand a single punch from one Ryōzanpaku disciple!
Is this the invincible Ryōzanpaku…?
"I… lost."
The Gokkon-ryū master wheezed weakly. Takumi helped him stand.
"Master, your physical body has already surpassed most masters. No wonder you were confident enough to challenge us. But by focusing purely on body strengthening without training ki, you can't possibly block my 'Ryūkei Kigō Tashinkō'."
"Ryūkei Kigō Tashinkō…? Such a terrifying technique. I accept my defeat completely. Watanabe, bring 100,000 yen."
A disciple quickly produced a thick stack of bills. Takumi accepted it without hesitation.
"Thank you for your patronage. Please come again~"
Everyone was speechless.
Who the hell would come back to hand over more cash and get beaten up?
No wonder nobody challenges Ryōzanpaku. Insanely strong and greedy for money—who'd dare show up? Sure, literary pursuits are for the poor and martial arts for the rich, but even landlords don't have infinite grain.
"Sigh… looks like I don't need a part-time job anymore. This is more than enough."
Takumi was happily counting the bills when a slender white hand snatched them away. Miu's golden ahoge was quivering in a completely unscientific way—she was clearly in an excellent mood.
"Miu, come on, at least leave me half! The extra 50,000 was the master's 'kindness'."
Miu tucked the money away with an expression that brooked no argument.
"You live and eat here at Ryōzanpaku. What do you need money for? Oh right—I still have to entertain the guests."
"Guests?"
"Keni's father and little brother."
"They didn't leave?"
"Nope. Right when they were talking, Gokkon-ryū showed up to challenge. I had them wait in the side room for a bit."
Takumi followed her pointing finger and spotted the father and son standing not far away—both of their jaws practically dislocated in shock.
They had clearly heard the commotion and peeked out… only to witness Takumi—one punch—utterly demolish that giant.
To them, the skinny kid had looked like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot. Instead it turned into a one-hit landslide victory. They were left wondering if this was a dream, a staged performance, aliens, or just plain unscientific nonsense. Their jaws had dropped so hard they were basically unhinged.
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