Chapter 303: The Negative Influence is Immeasurable!
Inside the Patriarch's estate, the Great Mess Hall was a sea of noise and
laughter.
Ren Shiroki and Fusui Kure, freshly bathed and revitalized, sat at one of the
long tables. They were busy sampling the local delicacies and washing them down
with hot tea, savoring the post-sparring euphoria.
"Phew!"
Having a rare moment of peace, Fusui pulled Ren into a series of selfies. She
bundled those up with photos from their trip so far—shots of the mountains, the
local stalls, and the glistening platters of food—and fired them off in a group
chat to Arisa Sakurai back in Tokyo.
A few minutes later, a barrage of stickers came flying back from Arisa: (🤤
Hungry) (💢 Angry) (😭 Unfair!!)
The first half was just Arisa being Arisa. The second half was a long,
text-based rant about how her brother was having too much fun while leaving her
behind to guard the Hub. She declared the situation "Unforgivable."
Ren Shiroki: (...) Ren Shiroki: (Did you finish your summer homework yet?)
The response was immediate. Arisa's avatar in the chat effectively withered.
While Koyo Girls' Academy didn't assign a mountain of work, their quality
standards were elite; "phoning it in" was a one-way ticket to a Saturday
detention.
Arisa: (👀 Looking left) Arisa: (👀 Looking right) Arisa: (🤪 Eyes rolling in
opposite directions)
The eyes in the last sticker were spinning independently, a silent plea for her
brother to drop the subject.
Ren looked at the screen, confused. (Where did you get that sticker?)
Arisa replied honestly: (The Shinshinkai's promotional blog. That move is called
[SAN-GAN]—Scattered Eyes. Apparently, it's a legendary Karate defensive
technique.)
Ren: (...)
The [SAN-GAN] was a hyper-specialized technique that allowed a master to
decouple their optical nerves, letting each eye track a different target
for 360-degree awareness. It was a move only Doppo Orochi had ever truly
mastered—and since the Ogre had taken his right eye years ago, the technique had
effectively vanished from the world.
Chatting via text was too slow for Arisa's energy, so she initiated a video
call. She wanted a "live tour" of the Kure banquet.
Vring—Vring—
Ren hit the accept button. Four faces immediately crowded the small screen.
There was Arisa, Marco, Hina "Revolutionary Princess" Hongo, and Karura Kure. It
was evening in Tokyo as well, and the quartet appeared to be in the middle of
their own dinner at the Hub.
"Ah! Big Brother!"
Marco spotted Ren and began waving frantically at the camera, several grains of
rice still stuck to his cheek.
Hina Hongo, her "starry" pupils shining through the lens, remained
characteristically polite. "Pardon the intrusion. Thank you for the meal
earlier, Shiroki-san."
Ren nodded. "Thanks for helping Arisa with her homework, Hina-chan."
Arisa: "..." Arisa: "Brother, do you think I can learn the Scattered Eyes? It
looks so useful for multitasking!"
Ren massaged his temples. God, help me.
Fortunately for his stress levels, Arisa's "Luck" held out. The awkward
conversation was cut short as Karura Kure leaned into the frame.
"Ren-kun! You're in the Great Mess Hall, right? How is Grandpa? The Clan is so
busy with the festival preparations... make sure he isn't overworking himself!"
Ren raised his voice, calling out to the head table. "Grandpa! My sister is on
the line! Karura-chan is with her!"
"OHO! SHE CALLED?! MOVE ASIDE!!"
Erio Kure practically teleported across the room. He shoved a few cousins out of
the way and hovered over Ren's shoulder, his face a mask of pure, doting
affection.
"Karura! Are you worrying about your Grandpa? Mm-hm! Grandpa is doing great! The
preparations are ahead of schedule thanks to everyone's hard work!"
Erio began a non-stop monologue of family updates and gossip. Terrified that his
favorite girl couldn't see him properly, he suddenly triggered his [REMOVAL].
His skin turned a deep, bruised purple as he snatched the phone from Ren's hand,
spinning in a circle to "show off" the hall to her.
It was only after Karura laughed and told him she was getting motion sickness
that Erio finally settled down.
Ren took the phone back and gave the Hub group a tour of the legends gathered
around the tables.
Shibukawa, Sonoda, Jaku Kaioh, Haruo, Kurachi, Jose, and Sekibayashi.
Oh, and Raian Kure.
Raian: "Tch!"
The Devil continued to sit by the window, ignoring everyone.
Jaku Kaioh perked up when the camera passed over Marco. "What a magnificent
physique! Such potential in that young man! Tell me, kid, have you heard of the
Way of the Empty Fist?!"
Arisa was vibrating with excitement for her upcoming trip. "Anyway, we'll see
you on the night of the Grand Fireworks!"
Ren nodded with a smile.
But Arisa's eyes narrowed as she spotted the bruises and the bandage on Ren's
face. "Brother... you've been fighting again, haven't you? Try not to break
anything before I get there!"
Ren: "..."
Is it too late to ask Doppo-san for those 'Scattered Eyes'? I need to look for
an exit.
But Arisa didn't try to stop him. She respected his journey, and more
importantly, she was confident in her own luck—she was certain her brother would
be fine.
The siblings chatted for a few more minutes. Ren heard the distant clank-clank
of iron weights in the background of the call.
"Is someone still training back at the Hub?"
"Mm! The Hub has been super lively lately," Arisa reported. "Tons of fighters
stopping by. Lihito-kun is here daily, and Retsu-san and Gaolang-san drop in
occasionally. We even have some new faces recommended by friends—"
Arisa remembered something and panned the camera. "Akagi-san is here too!"
In the frame, Ren saw Shigeru Akagi, the "Man of the Divine Realm." He was
sitting on the Hub's porch, calmly drinking tea and watching the moon.
"Heh."
The silver-haired legend raised his cup in a silent greeting. He looked like a
ghost who might vanish into the night at any second.
"Marco is working hard too!"
Marco snatched the phone back, baring his teeth in a grin. "Baku-aniki took
Marco out to 'handle some bad people.' Marco tied them all up and delivered them
to Ichika-nee in a nice package!"
Ren nodded. Baku Madarame [The Lie Eater] was by no means a "Good Man," but he
was a man of his word. He would keep Marco on the right path.
"Oh, right," Arisa added. "Baki-kun and Kozue-chan canceled their trip. They
said they're... 'busy' lately."
From the side, Karura added with a cheeky giggle, "Kozue and Baki are in a very
'passionate' phase right now. They spend all day together. Best not to disturb
them!"
Ren's mind hummed. He could guess exactly what stage of "Development" those two
had reached.
Probably the 'Intensive' stage, he mused.
Despite the "Convict Invasion" and the "Street Brawl" upending the martial
world, the youthful romance of Baki and Kozue remained the one constant.
Speaking of romance...
Fusui slung an arm around Ren's neck from behind. "Karura, how is your
'Operation: Ohma' going?"
"Great! I asked Yamashita-san for help. He's found a fresh lead on Ohma-kun's
location!"
Karura's black-and-white eyes practically sparkled with predatory glee.
Behind them, Erio Kure began to have a mental breakdown. If Horiuo Kure hadn't
been there to catch him, the Patriarch would have been rolling on the floor in a
full-power [REMOVAL] tantrum.
The two girls continued their deep-dive into "Relationship Troubles," throwing
around words like "breeding," "genetic seeds," and "marriage contracts" with
casual ease.
The SJPW wrestlers ignored the talk entirely, focused on their curry. The MPD
Judo squad stared straight ahead, pretending they were deaf.
Only the "Martial Arts Educator," Jaku Kaioh, had his ears craned, his face a
map of total bewilderment. He understood teenage romance, but the scale of this
conversation was giving him an existential crisis.
He quickly learned the details from some of the younger Kure members nearby—the
thousand-year tradition of bloodline refinement and "seed acquisition."
While the modern era meant everything was consensual, the philosophy was still
worlds apart from standard society. To Jaku, this was the definition of an
"Unhealthy Romantic Worldview."
The educator sat in silence for a long minute, holding it in. Finally, after a
massive gulp of strong sake, Jaku let out a long, tortured exhale. Driven by the
alcohol and his pedagogical obsession, he let out a sharp, public critique:
"THE MORAL EDUCATION OF THE KURE CLAN IS CAUSING IMMEASURABLE DAMAGE TO THE
YOUTH OF THIS NATION!!!"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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