Chapter 333: Daily Life and a Rainy Night
The following morning.
Ren Shiroki was awake before the first hint of dawn touched the sky. Dressed in
his compression gear and running shoes, he finished a brief warm-up in the
courtyard and headed out for his morning session.
His route was a grueling thirty-kilometer loop. It wound along the riverbanks
and through the local parks; the scenery was pleasant, and the early morning air
was crisp and revitalizing.
"Hah—! Hah—!"
Once his breathing stabilized into a rhythmic flow, Ren began to integrate
shadowboxing into his stride.
Whish! Whish-shish!
Just as he had felt the previous night, the sweltering heat of summer was
retreating, replaced by a refreshing chill that practically begged him to fill
his lungs to their limit. By the time he circled back to the dojo, the sun had
fully crested the horizon.
Ren returned to the Soul Combat Hub, tossed his sweat-soaked clothes into the
washer, and headed for the shower. Afterward, he stood before the mirror, drying
his hair with a towel.
"Phew...!"
Exhaling a long breath, he pulled on a pair of loose-fitting training pants and
looked at his reflection. For a fighter, the state of the body was the ultimate
progress report. He inspected himself with the same analytical gaze every
morning.
Compared to before his trip to Kure Village, Ren's torso was a map of new
experiences. New scars crisscrossed his skin. The shallow ones would likely fade
in a few weeks until they were barely noticeable. But the deep ones—the jagged
lacerations and puncture marks—were permanent testimonies to the life-or-death
struggles he had endured.
Slap!
Ren struck his left pectoral, the sound sharp and clean. He felt "sturdier,"
more mature. His spirit felt bolstered. Turning away from the mirror, he headed
toward the main courtyard.
It was Arisa's turn to make breakfast. As he passed the indoor training room, he
heard the rhythmic, heavy thudding of a treadmill.
Ren looked in to see Fusui Kure finishing her own morning workout. She was
dressed in athletic shorts and a sports bra, her well-defined "six-pack" and the
lean muscle of her limbs glistening with a light sheen of sweat. A few stray
strands of hair were plastered to her forehead.
She grabbed a water bottle, gulping down lukewarm water. Her striking
black-and-white eyes shifted, meeting Ren's gaze, and she gave him a
narrow-eyed, playful smile. Ren tossed a fresh towel her way, and it landed
perfectly on her head.
"Thanks, Ren-chin~!"
After breakfast and a brief rest, Arisa began her "long march"—retreating to her
room to tackle the mountain of summer homework she still owed.
Ren and Fusui headed to the outdoor sand arena for their high-intensity warm-up.
Fusui slipped on a pair of boxing mitts, slapping them together with a heavy
thud-thud.
[REMOVAL: 28%]
The veins around the girl's eyes pulsed as she released her biological limiters.
Her dynamic vision and basic physical output surged. She exhaled a cloud of hot
breath and lowered her center of gravity, nodding to Ren. She was ready.
"Let's go!"
Vroom!
Ren's feet dug into the sand, launching him forward with a [DRIVE RUSH]. He
closed the distance in a blur, stopping just short of Fusui's guard to pivot
into a lightning-fast [SOKUTO KERI] (Side Blade Kick).
THWACK!
The kick slammed into Fusui's raised mitt. Since it was just a warm-up, the
actual force was controlled. Ren's focus was on the internal mechanics—feeling
the muscle engagement and the "flow" of the move. Fusui, meanwhile, was treating
this as "pre-firing" practice—using the impact to sharpen her tracking and
flexibility.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Ren unleashed a flurry of rapid strikes, forcing Fusui back across the sand. She
struggled to keep up, her mitts barely intercepting the blows as her eyes darted
faster and faster to track his hands.
Bang-bang!
Two quick jabs forced Fusui's guard open, sending her stumbling back. Ren
pursued instantly, his final punch blurring toward the center of her face.
Whoosh!
Fusui saw the fist looming large. She could feel the surge of killing intent
radiating from Ren—his eyes were glowing with a sharp, predatory light. There
was no "feint" in this move; it was a genuine lethal strike.
"—!"
The girl pushed her sniper's nerves to the absolute limit. She didn't even
blink, fighting down the primal instinct to flinch.
As expected, Ren pulled the punch at the last possible microsecond, his fist
coming to a dead stop inches from her nose.
This was his [SATSUI CHOICE]—the ability to consciously choose whether or not to
follow the path of lethal intent.
"Phew...!" Fusui grinned. "Your killing intent is no joke, Ren-chin. I
practically saw my life flash before my eyes. My shooting practice this
afternoon is going to be amazing thanks to this."
"Haha!" Ren suddenly flicked his wrist, snapping his middle finger against
Fusui's forehead.
Flick!
"Ow~!" The girl clutched her head and plopped down onto the sand.
With the warm-up over, Fusui sat on the porch, maintaining her beloved firearms.
Arisa, having finished half an assignment and bored to tears, snuck over to
watch.
"Hmm... want to try holding it?"
"Woo-hoo! Akagi-san said he used to play Russian Roulette with a revolver when
he was a kid!"
"Yeah, you're definitely not touching this."
Ren left them to their banter and began his formal training for the day. He
closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. When he opened them, the world
around him was swirling with ink and wash-paint, eventually coalescing into the
broad back of Ryu.
{Good.}
Ryu tightened his red headband and turned to face his disciple. He gave a sharp
nod of approval before sliding into his combat stance. His left shoulder was
raised, his left arm guarded his jaw, and his posture was as immovable as a
mountain.
Ren shifted his weight, mimicking the stance but with a slightly more relaxed
"street" variation—left hand low, right arm guarding his ribs.
{...}
Ryu's iron-hard gaze scanned Ren's posture. He could still see the greenness in
his disciple's form, but the foundation Ren had built through other martial arts
was undeniably solid.
{Your stance is good. It shows the discipline you've gained from your other
paths. But whether it holds up in a real fight... that depends on your own
realization.}
{Come. Let's test it!}
Voom!
Both men dug in simultaneously, launching mid-section straight punches. Their
fists collided with a [DRIVE IMPACT: SHOCKWAVE], the resulting force sending
them both reeling back several steps.
Ren was pushed back further, but he had anticipated this. He immediately used
the momentum to lunge forward with a palm strike.
[JAMIE: DRUNKEN STEP]!
Bang!
Ryu parried the palm, and the distance between them vanished as they entered a
high-speed exchange, fists and feet blurring in a relentless technical dance.
Time ticked by. It was nearing noon. Ren's session with Ryu was reaching its
climax. Ren was gasping for air, his eyelids swollen from glancing blows.
"Hah!"
Ren let out a sharp cry, leaping forward with [CAMMY: QUICK SPIN KNUCKLE]. But
Ryu saw the opening instantly. He countered with a punishing straight punch.
[DRIVE IMPACT: SHOCKWAVE]!
DOOM!
The heavy punch buried itself in Ren's solar plexus.
"Gah—!"
Ren doubled over, hot air and saliva escaping his mouth as agony flared through
his core.
Arisa and Fusui, watching from the sidelines, recognized this sequence. They
knew exactly what was coming next.
Whoosh!
Ryu pivoted on his heel, swinging his leg in a massive [SOKUTO KERI]. The kick
slammed into the side of Ren's head, snapping his upper body back. Ryu followed
up instantly, sliding into Ren's inner guard and finishing with a rising
uppercut.
[SHORYUKEN]!
The blow launched Ren backward. He tumbled across the mat and hit the floor with
a heavy thud.
{...}
The match was over. Ryu waited a moment until Ren raised his right hand with a
shaky thumbs-up, signaling he was okay. Ryu gave a formal bow and dissipated
into the air.
"Phew..." Ren rubbed his throbbing jaw.
Shockwave, Sokuto Keri, into Shoryuken. The classic 'Ren-pounding' trio. Never
gets old... and never fails to hurt.
After lunch, Fusui packed her gear and headed out to a private shooting range in
the Tokyo suburbs for her daily drills.
Shortly after she left, the sky began to bruise with heavy, grey-black clouds.
Rain was coming.
Ren moved his training indoors to the weight room, while Arisa went back to her
books. By the time Ren finished his workout and showered, the world outside was
pitch black. A sudden flash of light illuminated the dojo, followed by a
thunderous CRACK.
Thunder and lightning.
The rain began as a light patter before evolving into a torrential downpour,
drumming against the roof of the Hub.
Arisa had finally finished her homework for the day. Since it was just the two
siblings in the Hub, they moved a table into the living room, eating fruit and
watching TV while the storm raged outside.
The autumn rain showed no sign of stopping; if anything, it grew more violent.
Flash! BOOM!
Lightning lit up the training grounds outside. Despite it being early evening,
the world was dark as ink, save for the few lights glowing within the dojo.
Flash! CRACK!
Another bolt of lightning tore across the sky. Ren suddenly turned his head
toward the sliding glass door. He had sensed something.
Flash!
In the third burst of lightning, a face appeared behind the glass door—sinister,
gaunt, and dripping with rain.
A small, wiry man with heavy bags under his eyes stood there, staring intently
into the room.
His name: [THE POISON HAND] Yanagi Ryuko.
The thunder roared as the downpour continued.
☆☆☆
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