"Tsk. Who would've thought that one day I'd have to go meet my in-laws," I muttered irritably after waking up so early, getting ready to leave the house.
"Mmm… what would be the best gift to bring them?" I wondered as I walked toward the Kure family estate.
"After all, I can't show up empty-handed."
"Nah… they're rich. I think meeting me and knowing I'm their future son-in-law would be the best gift of all," I said as I started jogging to warm up.
'Karura and Hitomi should still be at school right now. We promised we'd go together this afternoon to meet her family, but I think it'll be better if I go alone first to ease things between us. I hope they don't disappoint me, Kure family.'
I thought with a wide grin, barely containing my excitement.
"Now that I think about it, those old men from yesterday were strange. Normally they would've challenged me to a fight or something, but instead they chose to end things peacefully," I muttered, scratching my head in confusion as I recalled the previous day's events.
"Forget it. Maybe they want to fight somewhere quieter, or who knows. Whatever their true intentions are, it doesn't matter. After all, all tricks pale before absolute strength," I said, shrugging carelessly.
…
"Wow… what a nice 'house' they live in. How 'humble' of them," I exclaimed, slightly surprised as I looked at the Kure family residence.
'Well then. Time to finally meet my dear future in-laws.'
I thought as I advanced toward the entrance with slow but firm steps.
"Stop. You can't enter—"
Before the guard could finish speaking, he was sent flying backward at tremendous speed, losing consciousness before he even hit the ground.
"Wow… wow… I haven't even stepped inside yet, and they're already giving me such a warm welcome," I said, noticing several pairs of eyes fixed on me.
"Well… looks like this is going to be a fun gathering," I thought as a wide smile formed on my face.
…
Before I could react, a powerful blow slammed into my face, forcing me back several steps.
"Hey, you attack someone without even letting them say a few words first. How rude. I expected more from a prestigious family like the Kure," I said, conveniently forgetting that I was the one who attacked first.
"Hahaha! The best way to get to know each other is through a good fight," my attacker replied, laughing as he launched another assault.
This time I wasn't caught off guard, but I still didn't dodge. I took his blows head-on without moving back even an inch.
'This must be Kure Raian. Hehehe… this is going to be fun.'
I thought as I threw a swift punch into his abdomen, sending him stumbling backward several steps as he struggled not to drop to his knees.
"If what you want is a fight, then you'd better take it seriously and stop throwing baby punches," I said, kicking him in the face before he could even process my words.
The kick was so powerful that it sent him rolling across the ground several times.
Just as the other members of the Kure clan were about to intervene, Raian stood up and shouted:
"No one interfere in my fight! This is between this bastard and me!"
Then he turned to face me and yelled,
"You wanted me to fight seriously, right?!"
"Then I'll start taking this seriously!"
He said as he activated the Kure clan's technique: Removal.
"Haha, now this is getting interesting," I said as I removed my sneakers, shirt, and pants, leaving myself in nothing but boxers, ready to fight.
"Haa!"
"Graa!"
Both of us shouted as we charged at each other.