Chapter 193 - Mai Shiranui: My Boyfriend Is About to Have a Girlfriend?!
"It's not that he can't participate, but it seems he's run into a bit of trouble."
Seeing the increasingly strange look in Kagura Chizuru's eyes, Renji felt he had to explain himself.
Otherwise, she might think he was doing this on purpose.
Renji had already guessed that Jotaro's situation would unfold soon. The reason he wanted to get close to him was merely to take part in the JOJO storyline. Since they had met by chance, and considering the timeline, defeating Dio should take about a month.
Coincidentally, the KOF Tournament was also set to begin in a month. If things were resolved early, he could still make it back in time for the competition.
"I see… so, do we need to find another teammate then?"
Kagura Chizuru nodded thoughtfully. She couldn't shake the feeling that Renji might not actually have a teammate at all — perhaps he had made one up to trick her, planning to later find another fighter to say they were short one person.
Should she recommend someone to him later?
Since she had already agreed to help Renji form a team on Mai Shiranui's behalf, she might as well follow through.
Besides, joining the KOF Tournament as a participant was the perfect opportunity to observe the other two heirs of the Three Sacred Treasures.
After Goenitz appeared and killed Kagura Makoto, he had broken Orochi's seal. Although Orochi could not yet escape, the seal had already weakened.
The reason she organized this KOF Tournament was to find Kusanagi Kyo and Yagami Iori, inform them of the situation, and work together to eliminate Goenitz before Orochi could revive.
"That won't be necessary for now. My teammate should be able to resolve his issue before the KOF Tournament begins. If he can't, I'll step in myself."
"..."
Although Renji's words meant he would help his teammate if necessary — a statement hard to criticize — the tone somehow gave Chizuru the impression that he was showing off.
She really wanted to slap that smug face of his.
But his face was annoyingly handsome, and slapping it would feel like a waste. Though it had nothing to do with her, beautiful things shouldn't be casually ruined.
"All right, if he can't make it, just let me know in advance so we can find someone else. But don't wait till the last minute — it'll be hard to get another teammate then."
After a pause, Kagura Chizuru calmed herself and gave Renji a final reminder.
"Sure. Then, should we skip team training for now?"
Although she found Renji's suggestion a bit inappropriate, she still agreed in the end.
She wasn't entering this tournament for any ranking, and since Renji said there was no need to train, perhaps there really wasn't.
Moreover, he had mentioned earlier that another teammate had encountered some trouble. It made sense that he wanted to help him first.
Realizing this, Chizuru's impression of Renji slightly improved. He seemed like a reliable captain, not the type to abandon teammates when problems arose.
Earlier, when she suggested finding a new teammate, she had secretly tested him. If he had agreed right away, she would have considered him untrustworthy.
Changing teammates just because of a temporary issue was not something a dependable person would do.
"I'm fine. Do you need any help?"
Though she hesitated for a moment, Kagura Chizuru decided to ask. Even though it wasn't her business and she had never met that teammate, as someone about to fight alongside him in the KOF Tournament, she felt she should at least offer.
"No need. We can handle it. Besides, you probably have your own matters to take care of, don't you?"
Renji shook his head, declining her offer.
He had only just met Chizuru — how could he ask her for help? And even more so, Jotaro hadn't asked him to intervene anyway.
Though Jotaro might be waiting for the Joestar duo to arrive, Renji knew that with Jotaro's personality, he wouldn't want to trouble him.
"How did you know?"
Kagura Chizuru was surprised. Had she accidentally revealed something? She didn't think she had shown any signs at all.
"If the organizer of the KOF Tournament wants to find out, it's not that hard. You didn't exactly go out of your way to hide it."
Renji said as he placed his phone in front of her. On the screen was the name of this year's KOF Tournament organizer — Kagura Chizuru.
"So that's how you knew. Should I, as the organizer, pull some strings and get you straight into the finals then?"
Seeing her name displayed there, Chizuru immediately understood and teased Renji lightly, not feeling embarrassed at all.
As the organizer, she wasn't supposed to let fighters know her identity, but apparently Renji had been the only one to look into it.
Even Mai Shiranui, when inviting her to join Renji's team earlier, hadn't realized that she herself was the organizer.
"Well, I wouldn't say no."
"You're not even going to refuse a little?"
Chizuru was taken aback by how casually Renji accepted it. She had expected him to politely decline so she could laugh it off.
But he actually agreed without hesitation?
"I mean, who'd turn down special privileges? Only a fool would."
Renji knew perfectly well she wasn't serious, but since she had joked about it, he couldn't resist playing along.
Now Chizuru didn't even know what to say.
Was she supposed to go back on her word?
"All right, fine, I was joking. Dinner's on me later, consider that an apology."
After a brief pause, Chizuru admitted defeat.
She wasn't about to stubbornly argue over a joke. Since she had teased him and he had gone along with it, she could only own up to it.
"No problem. Can we have hotpot then?"
"You like spicy food too?"
Chizuru had never eaten hotpot before, but she'd heard it was very spicy — just the kind of flavor she enjoyed, bold and intense.
"I do, quite a lot actually."
Renji loved spicy food, especially hotpot, though he hadn't eaten much of it since his rebirth. At the Shiranui Dojo, both Shiranui Hanzo and Mai Shiranui preferred lighter food, so he had mostly followed their diet. Only when he went down the mountain would he indulge in stronger flavors.
"Then hotpot it is."
Chizuru was pleased with the choice. They picked a hotpot restaurant, and as soon as they entered, they were greeted by a wave of heat. Suddenly, Chizuru remembered something and took out her phone.
"Should we call Mai to join us?"
"Sure, they're around anyway, right?"
Renji didn't mind, so Chizuru nodded and called Mai Shiranui.
She felt it would be awkward eating alone with Renji, so inviting Mai would make things less uncomfortable.
When the call connected, Mai was rinsing off the foam from her bath. Hearing Chizuru's invitation, she hesitated.
She had just eaten, and after training and showering, she didn't want to smell like hotpot. The scent would cling, and besides, she didn't even like strong flavors — hotpot least of all.
But Renji would be there.
She kind of wanted to see him again. At first, training with Qiong and the others had been fun — she was glad that troublesome man had finally left — but later, she found herself missing him a little.
"Maybe I'll skip this time…"
After a moment's hesitation, Mai decided not to go. She quickly added, "Let's eat together next time. Since you guys are getting to know each other as a team, I won't intrude. You can come find me later, Chizuru!"
She felt that joining them would be strange, and besides, she didn't even like hotpot.
"All right then."
Chizuru hesitated, then agreed. After hanging up, she looked at Renji oddly.
Being stared at like that, Renji asked curiously, "She's not coming?"
"No, she said to go ahead without her."
"Oh, then let's eat. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Renji didn't see the issue — if Mai wasn't coming, they'd just eat and head home afterward.
In another day or two, when the Joestar duo arrived, he planned to go with Jotaro to deal with Dio directly.
There was no need to fight through countless enemies this time; he already knew where Dio was.
"Forget it, I don't even know what to say to you two anymore."
Chizuru sighed, finally understanding. Maybe they really hadn't thought that far ahead — it was just her overthinking.
Still, Mai Shiranui must be truly carefree, letting her boyfriend go eat alone with another woman.
Sure, it didn't necessarily mean anything would happen, but wasn't she a little too trusting?
Had she never heard of the saying — guard against fire, theft, and best friends?
"Can you handle extra spicy?"
"Yes."
Chizuru nodded, picked a few dishes she liked, and handed the menu to Renji.
As they ordered together, the initial awkwardness faded. Soon, their conversation flowed naturally, and Chizuru realized Renji was an easygoing and talkative person.
They even touched on topics about the Three Sacred Treasures, and Chizuru was surprised at how much Renji actually knew.
"You know about Orochi?"
Kagura Chizuru originally didn't intend to ask, but after holding back for so long—especially when the conversation had already touched on the Three Sacred Treasures and their history—she couldn't resist anymore.
So she finally spoke.
"The will of the Earth."
Though it was only half of that will.
"You're not from the Three Sacred Treasures family…"
"And I'm not one of Orochi's followers either."
Renji clearly understood the look Chizuru was giving him.
That expression—wasn't she implying that he was on Orochi's side?
"I see."
Chizuru nodded slightly and didn't press further. She knew that asking too much would only make him annoyed.
Besides, even if she kept questioning him, he wouldn't tell her the truth if he didn't want to.
"So, the reason you're organizing this tournament is to stop Orochi's resurrection, right?"
Thinking about it, Renji decided it was better to be honest with Chizuru.
There was no harm in letting her know. On the contrary, it would make things easier if he wanted to get involved later.
Naturally, his attitude toward Orochi was anything but friendly.
Orochi—what was he?
He wanted to wipe out all humans on Earth, Renji included.
As one of the wills of the Earth, Renji knew that when humanity began destroying nature, the Earth's will retaliated by creating natural disasters to restrain them. But when humanity's destruction grew too severe, that will decided to annihilate mankind altogether.
If Orochi were to be revived, Renji would die too. He wasn't foolish enough to help the Eight Hakkesshu resurrect Orochi.
"Looks like you really do know a lot of secrets."
Picking up a slice of meat, Kagura Chizuru sighed softly. She understood that since Renji knew she was the organizer and was aware of the connection between the Three Sacred Treasures and Orochi, he would naturally understand her motives for hosting the KOF Tournament.
Was he from the Shiranui Dojo?
But Mai Shiranui had known nothing about any of this before, which meant Renji had uncovered everything himself.
"Secrets are meant to be uncovered."
"Indeed, secrets don't stay hidden forever. The reason I held this KOF Tournament was to find the other two heirs and deal with the one who killed my sister. If Orochi breaks free, it'll be a catastrophe for everyone."
Since Renji already knew, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Besides, if Orochi appeared, she might even need Renji's help.
Of course, she wasn't demanding his assistance—it would depend on his willingness. Chizuru didn't take it too seriously.
"It would be a disaster for everyone, true. But from Orochi's standpoint, he's not entirely wrong."
Renji could understand Orochi's reasoning. They were enemies only because of their opposing positions. From Orochi's perspective, humans had destroyed nature, so his hatred of them was natural.
He wanted to destroy humanity, while humanity, for the sake of survival, naturally resisted.
"Not wrong?"
Chizuru lowered her head and pondered deeply. After thinking through Renji's words, she realized he might have a point.
Was Orochi wrong?
Perhaps not. She had merely inherited her clan's mission—to seal him away.
But was she wrong then? She wasn't. If Orochi returned, humanity would perish.
"Just fight for your own reasons. I only think carrying the weight of destiny is unnecessary."
Renji's words weren't telling her to stop fighting Orochi.
He simply wanted her to understand that her actions should be for herself—not for some ancestral duty passed down through generations. The burden of fate was far too heavy.
"So, are you trying to comfort me?"
Chizuru raised her head, glanced at Renji, and asked softly.
Was he… comforting her?
But she didn't think she needed comfort.
"No. I'm just giving you some perspective. I don't like seeing people lose their way in life."
Renji shook his head. He simply wanted to earn his lottery chance. Though he didn't know what changing Chizuru's fate entailed, he suspected it had something to do with the heavy destiny her family had carried for generations.
"Then I thank you."
Chizuru didn't say anything more. The two of them quietly finished their hotpot.
After leaving the restaurant, Chizuru tossed Renji a motorcycle helmet and a set of keys. "Can you ride?"
"Not really."
"Then walk."
So cold.
"I can manage a bit."
"Good. Follow me, then. Help me take my bike to a spot, please."
Chizuru put on her helmet, glanced at Renji, and saw him do the same before starting the engine. The roar of the motorcycles echoed down the street.
They sped off through traffic, heading toward a more open road. Suddenly, Chizuru accelerated sharply. She glanced behind her, surprised to see Renji keeping up.
She had won racing contests before.
Originally, she had just wanted Renji to help her ride the motorcycle back. But now, seeing how well he handled it, she suddenly had the urge to race him.
She veered off the route, heading for a winding mountain road.
Her long hair fluttered wildly in the wind.
When Renji drew closer, she faintly heard his voice through the wind. "Hey, don't tell me you actually want to race?"
"I'm speeding up."
Without replying, Chizuru bit her lip and twisted the throttle to its limit. She had finally found a worthy opponent—of course she wanted to test him.
"This woman really takes me as her rival!"
All this effort just for a lottery chance—what a sacrifice.
Motorcycles weren't hard to handle for him. He had driven before, and after observing her, it wasn't difficult to learn.
Watching her silhouette speed ahead, Renji sighed helplessly, then twisted his throttle all the way. "Guess I'm speeding up too!"
Two streaks of light tore up the mountain road.
At the summit, Chizuru removed her helmet, flicked the sweat from her face, and looked at Renji in surprise. "What was that move at the end?"
In just an instant, he had overtaken her completely. She had to admit his skill impressed her.
"Never learned the drainage-curve technique?"
"No. I'll leave the bike with you for now. I was going to ask you to return it, but seeing your skill, keep it for now. After the tournament, I'll challenge you again. See you!"
And just like that, she was gone.
This woman really was decisive.
Renji shook his head, glancing at the motorcycle beside him. Somehow, he'd just gained a new racing rival.
Still, it wasn't bad. What man could resist the thrill of a bike?
At first, he just wanted to try it. But when the wind rushed past his ears and the adrenaline surged through him, he couldn't help but love the feeling.
Hotel.
After parting with Renji, Kagura Chizuru returned to where Mai Shiranui was staying.
"Chizuru, what were you doing?"
Was eating hotpot supposed to take that long?
Mai looked puzzled.
"Just went racing with Renji. Your boyfriend's amazing at it."
Chizuru didn't hold back on the praise.
She had lost—one sharp turn, and her advantage had completely vanished.
That drainage-curve technique—she'd make sure to learn it next time.
"Racing? I didn't know Renji could do that. And wait, you ate hotpot? He can eat that?"
"He suggested it. Heavy flavors too. As for racing, I hadn't planned it, but when I saw how good he was, I wanted to try. That's when I found out."
Chizuru looked surprised. How could Mai, as his girlfriend, not know he could race or liked spicy food?
Mai froze under her gaze, an odd feeling rising inside her.
Had Renji always been accommodating her tastes at the Shiranui Dojo?
Did she actually not know what Renji liked at all?
And Chizuru and Renji were… that compatible?
Wait—
Was her boyfriend about to get a girlfriend?!
(End of Chapter)
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