Top 50 Extra
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The dojo master was a square-jawed, thirty-something man with a shaved head.
His frame was as massive as a bear's, clothed in a white martial-arts uniform.
When his face was expressionless he looked downright vicious.
Right now the master rubbed his chin.
"Well now… each style has its merits."
"But if we're talking street fighting, Bear Style Martial Arts stands out."
"Bear Style Martial Arts treats every usable part of the body as a weapon; the goal is to take down the opponent by any means."
"We'll study that."
Miko spoke with utter seriousness.
From the description, it sounded perfect for her.
"I see. I had some trouble, have you?" The master gave an awkward laugh. "This dojo also offers paid bodyguard services."
"Thanks for the concern, but we're not in danger."
The master studied the two girls for a long moment.
Girls who wanted to learn fighting were rare—who wanted to bulk up with muscle?
And ones who asked for Bear Style Martial Arts right off the bat were almost unheard-of.
"Understood. But I need to say this up front." He scratched his head, embarrassed. "My fees are… steep."
"Tuition is one hundred fifty thousand yen a month."
"Can… you manage that?"
He watched them cautiously.
Inside, he was panicking: if they walked away now, the deal was dead—his price was absurd.
If they haggled… "I could knock a bit off…"
While he fretted, Hana pulled Miko aside and whispered:
"Hey Miko, this place is a total rip-off."
"The fee's ten times what other dojos charge. If we bolt now, will he beat us up?"
Miko glanced at the master.
"Hana, I want to learn. If you don't, that's fine—it's not cheap."
Hana didn't mind the money; her family was comfortable.
She worried about Miko, knowing her friend's situation.
"I'm good to go!"
Seeing Hana's bright smile, Miko felt a warm rush of gratitude.
"Thanks, Hana."
"Master, we'll take the lessons."
"I could lower it a—huh? Really?"
"Great! I'll teach you properly, I swear!"
The master grinned and scratched his head.
"This guy's kind of weird…" Hana muttered into Miko's ear.
Miko, however, was looking at the golden-haired woman beside the master—dressed in white, smiling gently, gazing at him with pure affection.
"Anyone protected by a Benevolent Spirit can't be bad."
Once the fee was paid, the master turned dead-serious; his huge frame and stern face were downright intimidating.
"Right!"
"I've taken your money, so I'm responsible for you."
"Skip without notice and I'll drag you here from your homes."
"First, a basic assessment—follow me."
By now half the dojo was secretly watching.
Two pretty girls were a rare sight in this testosterone-charged hall.
"See that heavy bag? Hit it with everything you've got so I can gauge your power."
"I'll tailor your training from there."
"Miss Shitaya—first up."
"Full power… understood."
Miko stepped to the bag and set her stance.
Inside the seal, Akuto watched with gleeful anticipation.
"Hah!"
Her punch was sloppy, her force chain all wrong—
yet—"BOOM!"
Cr-r-rash…
The entire hall fell so silent you could hear dust settle.
"Gulp…"
A boy across the room swallowed hard.
"What the… human tyrannosaur…?"
Even the master stared, stunned.
He could tell she'd never trained; her mechanics were hopeless.
"With that kind of raw power and zero technique, she should have shredded her shoulder or snapped her elbow."
"Raw talent… terrifying."
His face turned grave.
"Your form is completely wrong, but your strength is off the charts—that won't help you; it'll only wreck your body."
"Good thing you came. Keep punching like that and you'll cripple yourself."
"And you're paying for the bag you just destroyed."
"Miss Yurikawa, you're up."
"Eh? I... um... ha!"
Hana stomped and unleashed a sloppy punch.
Yet, the heavy bag lurched violently.
The corner of the master's eye twitched.
'Another freakishly talented kid.' He thought.
The master eyed Hana and Miko, utterly baffled by the power packed into such small bodies.
"I think I grasp your baseline now."
"Next, I'll teach you the fundamentals of Bear Style Martial Arts."
At this point, the master frowned.
"Bring workout clothes tomorrow."
Saying so, he walked over to a mat, "You may call me Teacher Okuma, or simply Master."
"Now for the basics of fighting—your stance."
Okuma raised both hands beside his cheeks. "One hand forward, one back, shielding your jaw."
"Remember, the chin is packed with nerves; the vagus nerve runs right here."
"A single blow can knock you out instantly—even a second of blackout is deadly."
"So guard your head, feet staggered, ready to advance or retreat."
Okuma taught with steady precision, correcting Miko and Hana's form without the slightest laxity.
By the time their basic guard looked standard, Hana was drenched in sweat.
Miko showed no reaction at all.
"Next: punching. Your dominant hand is back; lead hand is 'one', rear is 'two'."
The master mentioned, "Miko, your problems are the worst."
"Remember, power doesn't come from the arm."
"It starts in the feet, rotates through the body, loads in the waist, then shoots out through the fist."
"You're using only your arm, and before the punch lands your elbow flares—most of your force fights itself!"
"Follow me, one! Two!"
"Wrong! Turn the fist as you extend!"
"Too far—trying to dislocate your own shoulder?"
"Why didn't you retract?"
"With that power, you couldn't swat a mosquito."
The other boys in the dojo glanced at the burst sandbag beside them, feeling vaguely insulted.
Seconds slipped by.
The two-hour session ended quickly.
Hana lay sprawled on the floor, having rested several times.
Miko, in contrast, had trained with total focus throughout.
Okuma watched her back, brows knit.
"Is she in danger she can't speak of...? If this is just self-defence..." He glanced at the slacking Hana. "That's the normal state.
Miko's too tense—like something's chasing her, forcing her to grow stronger.
Clap! Clap!
Okuma clapped his hands.
"That's it for today."
"Miko, practice control daily—your strength is too great for proper training."
"Hana, your stamina's awful! Explosive, yes, but no endurance—work on that!"
"Since I took your fees, I'll push you hard!"
"Off you go."
"Goodbye, Teacher Okuma."
Miko and Hana packed up and left the dojo.
On the way, Hana bounced back to life.
"Miko, d'you think I could become world champion? One punch each—undefeated! Hah!"
"You're hopeless…"
Miko's mouth twitched.
"On the bright side, no Cursed Spirits to fight tonight."
"I'm home."
"Welcome back. You didn't drive?"
Touko poked her head from the kitchen.
"I came back with Hana, so…"
"Oh, little Kyosuke will be disappointed—he wanted to show your car to his classmates."
Miko sighed. "Mom, stop encouraging him."
"Here, return this card to Akuto-kun. I can't keep thirty million yen."
Touko looked sheepish.
A mouth sprouted from Miko's cheek.
"I don't take back gifts—it's only thirty million."
"Quit yapping; toss it if you don't want it."
Akuto was about to log off when he sensed something.
"Miko, give me your body—someone's coming."