Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This chapter will be about the characters themselves doing their own thing and moving the plot forward, though it will also set up a fight at the end, but that won't be the main focus.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is owned by Funimation and Syun Matsuena. Please support the official release.
"Shirou" Regular speech.
"Shirou" Thoughts.
SEIKUKEN Attack names.
(Shirou) Words said previously.
[Shirou] Words said in unison.
A New Enemy Appears
—…
The night after Shirou's battle with Takeda and Ukita on the roof, Kenichi invited him to his house so that they could talk. Right now, Shirou was sitting on a chair by the desk while Kenichi was laying down on his bed reading another How-To book. This one was titled "The Idiot's Guide To Dating."
"Hmm, okay, I kinda get this." Kenichi muttered as he looked over the pages. "If a guy wants to get a girl's attention, then he needs to be very assertive." He then groaned. "The stupid book doesn't say how you tell her that you like her!"
"Did you seriously drag me here in the middle of the night for this crap?" Shirou was not amused. "I keep telling you those books are junk."
"At this point, I'll take any kind of help I can get, and I just felt like I'd be able to find a solution faster if I had a second opinion." Kenichi explained before letting out a disheartened sigh. "I mean, Miu isn't the easiest person in the world to approach."
"That's a way of putting it." Shirou commented.
"I'd say something to her at Ryozanpaku, but we're all too busy training. There isn't any time for chit-chat. And that one time we went out, it didn't really go like I planned." Kenichi complained.
"Don't forget the underlining fact that she was never into the date, to begin with." Shirou reminded him.
"She would have warmed up to it over time!" Kenichi insisted.
"Yeah, that's the spirit, boy scout. Never say die." Shirou sarcastically encouraged him.
Kenichi then slumped on his bed. "I'm getting nowhere at all. If this is how it's going to be, then just why the heck did I go to Ryozanpaku in the first place?"
"Gee, I don't know, though I seem to remember this one guy who said he wanted to be a hero and protect the weak and defenseless." Shirou brought up, still sarcastically. "I wonder whatever happened to that guy."
"Okay, I get your point." Kenichi waved his hand. "But still, I'd like to make some progress with Miu." He then had a goofy, love-struck expression. "If I just had one more chance, I know I could win her over~."
Shirou face-palmed. "It is so sad watching a man become a Simp. Not that he was much of a man, to begin with."
"Kenichi, whatcha reading? Can I have a look?"
Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Kenichi's younger Sister—Honoka, appeared in his room, wearing a small, light blue nightdress as she leaned against his bed. The second he saw her, Kenichi desperately tried to hide his book.
"I'm not reading anything! How in the world did you get in here!?" He cried out as she climbed on his bed.
Shirou blinked. "I didn't even notice her come in? That's new." He muttered.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you that you should knock you, little twerp!?" Kenichi complained loudly at her.
Honoka didn't mind and quickly started swinging her arms around while trying to take the book from him while Kenichi desperately held the book up and pushed her back. "What is it!? Come on! Let me see it! Why are you hiding it from me!? Secrets are no fun!"
"Get out of here, you little brat or I'll tell Mom!" Kenichi snapped at her.
And just like that, someone else intruded upon his room as the book was snatched out of Kenichi's hands by his father—Mototsugu.
"Interesting." Mototsugu started scrolling through the pages, much to his son's horror. "Who would have thought that the goodbye is what makes a successful first date?"
"Where did you come from?!" Kenichi squeaked.
"Hahaha! You're never going to get anywhere If you keep taking advice from these silly books!" Mototsugu proudly exclaimed. "Kenichi, you can't learn to woo a woman by reading a How-To book. It's not a science. It's an art form!" He flashed a winning smile.
"Give me that!" Shirou cut him out of it by snatching the book from the older man. "Does no one respect boundaries anymore?" He asked, annoyed by their antics. "And what would you know about wooing a woman in the first place?" He asked skeptically.
"More than you'll know!" Mototsugu insisted. "When I was a young man, I didn't even pursue my wife. She came onto me! She bugged me until I finally asked her out!" He bragged victoriously. "She used to write me romantic letters every single day! You wouldn't believe some of the things she would say in those notes! They'd knock your socks off!"
SCRATCH!
Mototsugu immediately paled when he heard a scratching sound by the door and saw his wife angrily scratching her nails against the wall. However, the other three in the room didn't notice as they were facing the other way.
"That's good for you, but that kind of outdated form of relationships stopped ages ago. In this day and age, you'd never see someone like that." Shirou said, completely unimpressed.
"And besides, I don't think Miu is that type of girl." Kenichi added, still upset.
Upon hearing her name, Honoka became frustrated. "You're still hung up on blondie?!"
"Unfortunately." Shirou confirmed it.
Still unnoticed by the others, Saori pointed her finger at Mototsugu and gestured for him to come over to her immediately for a private chat. Of course, before succumbing to his fate, Mototsugu decided to offer a last bit of advice.
"This was a good talk, son. Just remember, if you're always sincere and honest with your lady, you're on the right track." He patted him on the shoulder.
After saying that, he laughed while heading out of the room. While Kenichi was pondering that advice, Honoka was biting her thumb, still frustrated, while Shirou looked to see Mototsugu get dragged off by Saori and proceed to get manhandled by her in the hallway. Seeing this made Shirou cringe.
"I guess being a Simp is hereditary." Shirou thought.
"So I should be sincere and honest?" Kenichi stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah, but Miu and I aren't even boyfriend and girlfriend yet."
Hearing that brought Honoka out of her frustration, and her face lit up with happiness. Shirou followed up on Kenichi's opinion.
"Not only are you not boyfriend and girlfriend. She doesn't even see you as an equal." Shirou pointed out. "Not that you've ever given her a reason to."
Kenichi lowered his head. "You're right. It's hopeless."
"That's great!" Honoka cheered.
Shirou nodded. "She's right. It's good that you're aware of that."
"Shirou, don't you know some way I can better my relationship with Miu?" Kenichi asked, out of ideas. "Come on, give me anything. I'm desperate right now."
Shirou sighed and scratched his head. "Kenichi… You're not going to like what I have to tell you." He then looked at him seriously. "Do I look like the kinda guy who's interested in relationships?"
Kenichi froze like a statue with his jaw dropped before he slumped over to his bed.
"Then what am I gonna do~?" Kenichi whined sadly.
"Why are you even trying? Didn't she already friend-zone you a while ago?" Shirou reminded him.
"Yeah, but… I thought if we spent enough time together… One day, I could win her heart…." Kenichi quietly but depressingly admitted.
"Gee, you will not let this go…." Shirou said with a groan. "Look, you're not going to figure this out from a How-To book or from me. This is no one solution that helps you figure out a problem. If you're really desperate to find something you can do, your only bet is to ask pretty much everyone you can think of who will have a solution and go with whichever one you think will work; somebody's gotta know, right?"
"Ask everyone I can and go with what might work?" Kenichi repeated, now sitting up and considering it. "Yeah, I know all kinds of people, so one of them must know something!" He became enthusiastic again.
"Hmm." Honoka became pouty again.
"That said." Shirou thought to himself. "I'm still pretty sure around 80% of his attraction to Miu is just physical attraction. I highly doubt he'll "win her heart" if he's mainly only focusing on her body, her top half in particular."
At around the same time, in a different part of town, Kisara and her gang were having a meeting in her hideout as she was being given a report on Shirou's recent battle with the Takedown Trio.
"So, the guy took Takeda out, huh?" Kisara asked while lying on a couch.
"That's right." Shiratori confirmed it while standing near her.
"Did I call it or what?"
Tsuji was also present in the room while sitting on the ledge of a window and resting his back against the wall.
"That's what happens when you send a Boxer to do a real fighter's job." Tsuji commented brashly.
Kisara turned to her side. "Shut your mouth, Tsuji. If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask for it." She then smiled to herself. "I'm impressed. The man's done pretty well for himself. He passed every challenge I set for him."
Tsuji just laughed. "Hahaha! You're trying to expand the gang, but this punk's beating your people faster than you can recruit them."
Shiratori sent Tsuji a glare. "Being an executive member or not, Tsuji has no right to speak to Kisara with such disrespect." Shiratori then kneeled down to be at eye level with Kisara before speaking to her. "We've got to do something about this Shirou guy. We can't leave him out on his own. If he decides to join with some other group besides Ragnarok, that'll be a big problem for us."
"Don't worry so much. I've got things under control." Kisara stretched out her legs before leaping off the couch and onto her feet. "Remember, everything is happening as per our agreement. Now that he's beaten Takeda and the others, he's proven himself worthy of fighting me." She said confidently with hands on her hips as she started walking. "Once I crush him, he'll be one of my subordinates, and everything will fall into place."
"Wait just a second." Tsuji called out.
"No." Kisara kept walking.
"I said wait!" This time, he yelled.
Kisara stopped but didn't look at him. "Do you have a problem with my plan?" She sounded threatening.
"No problem, just give me a shot." Tsuji petitioned. "Let me try him out."
Kisara merely smirked at him. "What, you wanted to add yourself to his body count?"
"Don't compare me to your grunts." Tsuji stood up, not insulted. "I have my own way of handling fights."
The next morning, before school had started, Shirou was getting his stuff ready and was about to head out. Haruto was standing next to him as they were having a conversation.
"And so basically, he just wanted me there so he could complain about not getting anywhere with Miu." Shirou summarized.
"Ironical, if Kenichi were as dedicated to training as he was to Miu, he might've already surpassed the Takedown Trio by now." Haruto pointed out offhandedly.
"Yeah, unfortunately, what motivates a man is not always what he needs." Shirou shrugged his shoulders. "I'm seriously getting sick of him consistently melting over Miu."
"I can imagine, considering I don't see much attraction from her myself." Haruto confessed before changing the subject. "But, yesterday wasn't all bad, though. After all, you got to fight a really strong opponent for a change."
Remembering that lifted Shirou's mood. "Yeah, fighting Takeda turned out to be way more exciting and fulfilling than I was expecting. Totally worth all the internal bleeding."
"I wish I could have seen it. That was the first time since we moved back here that I've seen you so messed up." Haruto commented.
"Well, it might happen again pretty soon. After all, my next big fight is going to be against Kisara Nanjo." Shirou put on a smirk when he brought that up. "And if she's as strong as I'm hoping for, I'm gonna really enjoy myself this time."
"Hey, Brother, I've noticed you tend to get excited in a different kind of way whenever you bring up Kisara." Haruto noticed with a raised brow. "Is there a reason for that?"
"Do I? I never really noticed?" Shirou brushed it off before opening the front door. "See ya."
With that, Shirou stepped out of the door and closed it, heading out to make his way to school. Haruto was going to be alone only for a few minutes as he only needed to grab a few of his things before he made his way to his own school.
That said, a minute or so after Shirou had left, Haruto noticed the sound of the front door being unlocked by a key and looked to see the front door was opening.
"Did he forget something?" Haruto wondered.
The front door fully opened, and the person on the other side stepped in. Haruto immediately saw that this person was not his older brother, but at the same time, when he saw who it was, he was surprised and yet filled with excitement from knowing who it was.
That afternoon, after school and inside Ryozanpaku, Kenichi and Miu were currently in the middle of sparring in the Dojo while Shirou and Sakaki sat on the sidelines to watch. Kenichi was on the offensive while continuously parrying his attacks to the side.
Kenichi tried to start a conversation while they fought. "Miu, listen! There's something I really need to talk to you about!"
Miu's eyes sharpened when she saw an opening. "Talk is cheap!"
POW!
Breaking through his defenses, Miu kicked out to slam a strong high kick to Kenichi's chin, knocking him off his feet and flat on his back.
"All right, the fight's over. You're done." Sakaki announced tiredly with a bored expression.
Upon those words, Miu immediately stopped herself before landing the finishing blow and then looked down at Kenichi with concern.
"Are you okay? Did I kick you too hard?" Miu asked worriedly.
"Oh, it's no problem. I'm okay!" Kenichi quickly waved her off before thinking disgruntedly. "If she's so worried, maybe she should TAKE IT EASY!?"
"Now, what was that you were saying a second ago?" Miu asked curiously. "There's something you wanted to talk to me about?"
The more she spoke, the more nervous Kenichi became as he started waving his arms fanatically. "Oh no! It's nothing!"
"Oh, okay then?" Miu sounded somewhat confused. She then got up and headed for the door. "Well, I better go to the kitchen and get dinner started. See you later."
After she left the room, Kenichi fell into a fetal position while Shirou sat next to him. "So you finally got the chance to talk to her like you wanted, but you didn't have the balls to actually say anything."
"I have no excuse. I just chickened out." Kenichi said with depression and regret. "I couldn't do it. I really don't have any courage."
"Yes, that's been established several times." Shirou added with no tact.
Later that day, after they were done with training and Kenichi was done sulking, he decided to try asking around to see if anyone had any ideas on how he could get closer to Miu. Starting with Sakaki.
"So you need my advice?" Sakaki approached him. "You can ask me about whatever you want as long as it doesn't involve money or women."
"Yeah, I should've known." Instead of asking anything from him, Kenichi merely turned around and walked away. "Worthless."
Sakaki watched him go with a demoralized expression. "Wow… That kinda… Hurt my feeling a-a little bit."
Kenichi moved on to Akisame and entered the room of the philosophical Master as he asked him the same question while he was reading a book.
"What's that? You're having relationship problems?" Akisame asked as he closed the book. "I must warn you. This could become a rather philosophical discussion. Is that all right?"
Kenichi sweated nervously, and before he could respond, Akisame brought out a large chalkboard in front of him and used chalk to write down very detailed and complicated equations and formulas that Kenichi couldn't understand in the least as the Judo Master started to explain.
"As you can see from this formula, love is very complicated." Akisame pointed to the board.
"Uh, that's the has been very educational." Kenichi left before he could go on.
After leaving Akisame's room, Kenichi slumped his shoulders with exhaustion.
"What the heck does Copernicus have to do with asking a girl out?" He thought with annoyance.
Kenichi then walked down the porch as he passed by Shigure—The Weapons Master, and Apachai—The Muay Thai Master. And Touchmaru—The mouse was playing around in the courtyard. They were playing around as Tochumaru was riding on a toy rocking horse, Apachai was holding it up, and Shigure was timing him with a stopwatch.
"Apapapapa!" Apachai cheered as they went on.
"I think we have a new record… Wow… Go…" Shigure also cheered in her usual stoic tone.
"I just wish there was someone I could talk to in this type of situation." Kenichi contemplated as he ignored the other two Masters when he walked past them. "Someone with a little experience."
His wishes were answered when someone who believed they could help appeared in front of his path, that person being Kensei, who smiled widely and pointed to himself.
"Someone who really understands women." Kenichi once again ignored him and kept walking.
Kensei stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. "Hold on~."
"What do you want?" Kenichi asked, giving a look of total disappointment.
"Don't look at me like you think I'm going to be a complete waste of your time." Kensei scolded him. "I'll have you know that I'm not only a Master of Martial Arts, but I'm also an expert in the art of love." He bragged.
Obviously not believing him, Kenichi attempted to walk away again as Kensei held on to his Gi, desperately trying to convince him. "Wait, just wait! Listen to me! Seriously, women love me!"
Before Kenichi could get too far, though, Shirou appeared in front of his path and stopped him. "Kenichi, just hear the guy out."
Kenichi stopped and asked. "But, are you sure? I mean, it is Kensei."
"Wow, that's mean." Kensei commented.
"The whole point of asking others for advice was because you couldn't figure anything out on your own. How are you going to change that if you keep rejecting or ignoring anyone you could ask?" Shirou pointed out.
"I know, but…." Kenichi looked to the side. "Will I really be able to get any good advice from all the weird and odd people?"
Shirou gave him a look that said, "Don't be so full of yourself" before he spoke. "Oh, ever heard the saying, beggars can't be choosers? Can someone who didn't even have the nerve to talk to her afford to be so picky?" He reminded him.
"Gugh!" Being reminded of that blow to his self-esteem made Kenichi grimace before he turned back to Kensei in defeat. "All right, what do you have to say?"
"Seriously, stop looking at me like that!" Kensei told him before confidently reaching into his pocket. "Now, I might not look it, but when I was a younger fella, the ladies found me completely irresistible and considered me to be quite a hunk!" He proudly proclaimed. "Back in the old days, people used to call me the Danwan of China! You scoff now, but you'll be singing a different tune when you see this picture of me way back!"
Kensei brought out a photograph of a young Chinese man in his teen years. He was slim, with long brought hair tied in a large braid, and had a smooth, handsome face that was filled with a boyish charm and soft features. Beside him were two girls who appeared to be charmed by his good looks. This young man in the photo was Kensei back when he was 17 years old.
Seeing that made Kenichi's eyes bulge out of his skull with astonishment. "Y-YOU WERE A PRETTY BOY?!"
At that point, both Kenichi and Kensei fell to their hands and knees with feelings of defeat, disappointment, and depression looming other them. While Shirou just picked up the photo to see for himself.
"The years have been pretty tough on you, haven't they?" Kenichi said sadly.
"I don't need your pity, young one." Kensei replied in the same tone as his hat fell off to reveal his shiny, bold head.
Shirou sighed. "Some people just don't know how to take care of themselves."
After drowning out their sorrows, Kenichi and Kensei picked themselves back up and sat by the porch while Shirou leaned against the wall, and Kensei began his advice.
"But enough of that. If you really want to take her on a date, you should just be a man about it and ask her out." Kensei advised him.
"When then it's hopeless, after all, that's something he just can't do." Shirou said dismissively.
"That's easy for you guys to say. You're not doing the asking." Kenichi complained. "If it was a normal girl, the worst she could do is turn me down, but with Miu, I've gotta be extra careful so she doesn't take me down."
"Funny how you always have a reason not to do something. It didn't look like she was going to take you down after you were done sparring or those times you talked with her after class, or all those times you walked home with her after school." Shirou listed down.
"Grr… Okay, fine, so I get cold feet. We've established this already!" Kenichi snapped.
"Relationships are tough, and it sounds like you don't trust the girl." Kensei noted before smiling. "Then, how can there be love?"
Kenichi reacted to that before looking down. "No, the problem isn't that I don't trust her. The real problem is that I don't know her as well as I'd like."
Kensei held out a book at him. The front cover had a picture of Miu in the middle of getting changed, and the title said in bold letters, Miu's Secret Photo Book.
"This special edition is on sale." Kensei proudly offered it. "Since you and I know each other, I can give you a pretty good deal. I take only cash."
"Wait! You've been taking secret photos of Miu?!" Kenichi immediately lost his temper and stood up as he pointed at Kensei with a face full of anger. "You made them into a book?! How could you?! I swear people like you—"
.
.
.
"—Make me so happy~ Thank you so much for doing this!" His anger was instantly replaced with gratitude as he happily handed Kensei his money in exchange for the book while crying tears of joy. "You really have no idea what this means to me! I owe you big time!"
"Please don't mention. That's what Senseis are for." Kensei assured him. "If you're interested, I've got one of Shigure too."
Kenichi's face heated up as he started flipping through the pages. "Akisame did say the key to a successful relationship is to understand as much as you possibly can about your partner."
Before he could get through the first few pages, Shirou snatched the book from him and closed it without looking at it.
"Kenichi… I'm surprised at you; for this, you spent 12.92?" Shirou spoke with disappointment in his voice. "This photo book won't do you any good. I can't believe you'd think it would."
Kenichi didn't ask why Shirou was speaking in rhymes and instead tried to defend his actions. "No, no, it's not like that. I'm just trying to learn more about her, you know? So I can feel closer to her."
"Kenichi, I know that you don't believe that excuse. You're better than this. You're intentionally doing something you already know is wrong, and for what?" Shirou reprimanded him before asking what's been on his mind for a while. "I'm starting to wonder, do you actually like Miu at all, or are you just attracted to her body?"
"What?! Of course not!" Kenichi immediately denied his accusations as though it was foolish even to consider. "I do like Miu, not just based on her looks but because of who she is as a person. I like everything about her!"
"You expect anyone to believe that in spite of what you're currently reading?" Shirou pointed back to the photo book, silencing him. "No matter how you look at it, this book is just pure voyeurism. It was made without her knowledge or consent and is a complete disregard for her dignity. How can you claim to like her and yet not be ashamed of looking at something like this?"
Kenichi was greatly affected by the profoundness of the words his friend said to him. Once he stopped to think about it, he was able to see that his intentions were indeed shameless and unbecoming of him if he was truly serious about wanting to win Miu's affection. And so there was only one thing for him to do.
Kenichi took the photo book back from Shirou's hand before he returned it to Kensei. "Here, I won't be needing this after all." He said, sure of himself.
"Very well." Kensei took it and returned Kenichi's money with a hint of pride in his voice. "You know, taking the more honorable path can also help in winning a woman's heart."
Kenichi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, let's hope so."
At that point, Miu came out of the Dojo and walked up to the three of them. "Hey, what are you guys doing out here?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. I was just telling Kenichi about some ancient Chinese wisdom." Kensei assured her while hiding the book.
"Okay, well, I don't know what your plans are, but I need to run to the grocery store to pick up some stuff, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?" Miu requested.
.
.
.
"…Whaaaa?" Kenichi couldn't believe what he had just heard.
An hour later, Miu stood outside the grocery store while chatting with the store owner.
"Also, I'd like three pumpkins and one watermelon, please." Miu requested. "I'll take the biggest one you've got."
The store owner happily brought out what she asked for. "You sure are a cute young lady. Why don't you go ahead and take another melon with you? It's on the house." He offered generously.
A few feet behind her, Kenichi was hunched over as he was carrying heavy shopping bags. Next to him, Shirou was carrying something much heavier, and he was wearing a backpack that was twice the size of his body, though he didn't seem to be struggling with it.
Kenichi grumbled. "This sucks. She just wanted me to carry her stuff. To add insult to injury, even if that wasn't the case, she actually invited both of us."
"Just picture this as weight training. You'll feel less disappointed." Shirou advised him.
As they finished their business and were walking back to the Dojo. Miu turned to the two of them and gave them a look of gratitude.
"I can't thank you enough. If you guys weren't here to help, I don't know what I would do." Miu told them.
Shirou narrowed his eyes at her. "Really? She makes us do this tiring, demeaning job like mauls while she just walks along carrying a single paper bag and then has the nerve to just smile and say thanks like everything is okay?! I'm really starting to rethink this whole friendship thing."
"No problem." Kenichi replied, clearly still disappointed.
"I'm worried that I might have gotten a little too carried away and bought more stuff than we need." Miu noticed with a hand over her mouth.
Kenichi inwardly groaned. "Ugh, what would give her that impression?"
A tick mark appeared on Shirou's brow as he was close to losing his temper. "Yeah, 'cause god forbid we end up carrying all this stuff for nothing, though I guess it doesn't really affect you that much, huh?"
"Hmm, is something wrong, Shirou?" Miu asked, honestly not knowing a reason why he would be upset.
"Is she really that stupid, or is this girl trying to mess with me?" Shirou honestly didn't know the answer.
Miu continued. "I really appreciate this. Every time I go grocery shopping, I end up buying more than I can carry. I ask the guys for help, but Kensei and Akisame are always too busy. Apachai would eat everything before we check out, and Sakaki won't buy anything but Sake."
Kenichi let out a tired sigh. "I see your point."
"Besides." Miu stopped as she blushed a bit. "Things have been pretty crazy lately, and we've been working so hard. I feel like none of us have had a chance to talk."
Kenichi immediately perked up. "Yeah, I feel the same way."
"You're both my first real friends, and I treasure our time together." Miu confessed to them. "Our friendship means a lot to me."
Shirou over and whispered to Kenichi. "Congratulations, you got friend-zoned again."
"Friendship, huh?" Kenichi whispered, too, as he pondered it. "Well, I guess it's a good start."
"You mean you haven't started yet?" Shirou asked.
"See, what did I say?"
A familiar voice was heard not too far away from them, and it wasn't the voice of a friend. They turned to see that standing at the end of the street behind them was a small collection of thugs from Ragnarok. There were around seven of them, and leading them was Tsuji. Standing next to Tsuji was the one who had spoken before—Kogo the Kicker.
"Didn't I tell you this was Blondie's regular shopping route?" Koga pointed at them.
"Yeah, you did a good job. Thanks, kid." Tsuji said while keeping his attention on the others.
Koga gleefully waved to Miu. "Hi~ How's it hanging, blondie?"
Shirou glared irritatedly at him. "Great, I've gotta crush the same third-string twice?"
"Look, man, we don't want any trouble." Kenichi tried to sway them.
"I'm impressed by your dedication there, pal." Tsuji commented, referring to Shirou's oversized backpack. "Never seen a fighter work his weight training into his shopping routine."
Shirou smirked back at him. "You'll find that I take my training very seriously, buddy."
"Is that right?" Tsuji stayed brash as he pointed at him. "I need a minute of your time, Tsukiharu. I've got a little proposition for ya. And bring Shirahama, too. This involves him as well."
Miu dropped her shopping bag and prepared herself for a fight while Kenichi placed his arm in front of her to stop her from doing anything.
"Listen, we're kinda busy right now, so go find someone else to pick on." Kenichi rejected his proposal.
"Don't worry about your girlfriend. My guys won't touch her." Tsuji reassured his concerns.
Kenichi's expression was still fully concerned as he thought. "I'm not worried about her. If I don't do something, Miu's going to annihilate them."
"I wanna talk to you alone, man-to-man, no distractions." Tsuji requested them before turning to Miu. "Go home, little girl."
Koga didn't seem to like that idea. "Hey, wait just a second. That wasn't the plan. You said we were gonna deal with Shirou and Kenichi, and then I'd get blondie."
Tsuji gave Koga a death glare. "Why don't you get lost!?" He yelled as he pushed Koga to the ground. "I got what I needed from you, kid, so get out of my sight before I decide to teach you a lesson."
"But you promised I'd get a shot at the girl…." Koga muttered angrily, clearly not intimidated by Tsuji's threat. "Nobody tricks me!"
Koga sprung to his feet and jumped; he leaped toward the nearby wall and used it as a jumping post. He sprung forth and used the momentum to power up his kick that he aimed at Tsuji's head. But to his surprise, Tsuji caught his kick with one hand and completely stopped Koga without budging an inch.
"Bad move, kid!" Tsuji increased his grip and started spinning Koga in midair. "Time for me to take out the garbage! Here goes!"
Then, like an athlete participating in the Hammer Throw event, Tsuji threw the spinning Koga forward as his body slammed into a pile of nearby trash cans and bags. Koga slumped over unconscious afterward.
"Did you see that?! That guy just grabbed his kick and threw it right off!" Kenichi gasped in shock.
"Not impressed. I could do that, too." Shirou casually proclaimed.
"Ah, I just remembered, I was supposed to talk out the garbage yesterday, and I completely forgot." Miu gasped, not focused on the current dilemma at all.
"Is that really what you're concerned about right now?" Kenichi asked deadpan.
Tsuji looked back at them. "You're not afraid. You're a real man, aren't you? Take a walk with me. I think it's time you show me what you're made of."
"Hmph… All right, fine, we'll walk with you." Shirou decided.
"Wait, we will?" Kenichi questioned that decision. "Come on. It's better not to get involved with this guy."
Shirou looked at him in complete seriousness. "Kenichi, when a man calls you out, you don't fold; you take him up on it."
Tsuji had a satisfied expression. "Glad you feel that way, guess you do understand, then let's go."
Shirou removed his backpack and dropped it to the ground. "Miu, head back on your own."
He told her that without waiting for her response, as he walked up to Tsuji and his gang. While Kenichi was still unsure about this, he decided to go as well as he dropped the shopping bags he was holding and followed Shirou. As they all started to leave the area, Miu looked around as though she was trying to find something.
Soon enough, she found what she was looking for—A nearby payphone. Miu then gathered all the groceries in one spot as she used the phone to call Ryozanpaku.
{…Hello! Give Apachai your money, and he'll teach you how to fight!}
"Apachai, how many times have I told you that's no way to answer the phone?" Miu likely scolded him on the other line. "You're gonna give people the wrong impression." She then got serious. "Listen up, okay? Kenichi and Shirou might be in trouble." She saw that the group was almost out of sight. "Oh no, they're getting away! I'm-I'm gonna leave the groceries in front of the corner store, all right? I need you to swing by and pick them up. I've gotta go and help them!" She said urgently.
Back at the Dojo in the dining room, Apachai was holding the phone, and Akisame was there too, sitting behind him as Apachai finished the phone call with Miu.
"Got it, be right there." Apachai proclaimed as he hung up the phone and turned to Akisame. "Miu says groceries in trouble."
Akisame's eyes widened. "What…? My watermelon… No."
With that done, Miu rushed as she ran down the street the others left down. However, they were already gone and nowhere in sight.
"Where'd they go?" Miu wondered desperately as she approached a fork in the road. "Which way should I turn? To the right or to the left?"
"To the right."
Miu suddenly looked behind her when she heard someone answer her question. "Hey, that sounded like Kensei's voice. How weird?"
She then saw that it didn't just sound like Kensei's voice. It was his voice, and Kensei himself was right behind her, following her as she ran and holding a recording camera aimed right at her rear.
"Hey?! What are you doing with that camera?!" Miu snapped at him.
"Admiring the view." Kensei answered before dodging her kick.
As Kensei leaped in front of her, Miu let out a volley of kicks at him while he effortlessly dodged all of them. "Why are you here anyway?!"
"I've been following you since this morning~" Kensei answered as he continued to dodge. "I assumed this was a date, so I wanted to see what would happen." He then moved behind her again. "And to think you just used him to haul your groceries, I actually feel sorry for Kenichi for getting his hopes up. And you even dragged Shirou along. I bet he was royally pissed at you." As he finished, Miu threw another kick which he dodged by stepping back as he got serious. "Of course, even he might have trouble against that mop-haired guy if he lets his guard down. It's safe to say Kenichi wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"Oh no." Miu became concerned again when she heard that. "Come on. We've got to go after them."
"Now, hold on." Kensei put away his camera. "You or I could easily defeat him, but what good will that do? Let's allow Shirou to handle this himself."
"But…" Miu looked upset.
"I know you worry for them, but you won't be doing them any favors by giving them too much support. It'll hurt their development if someone else fights their battle for them." Kensei advised her with his own philosophy. "Besides, more to the point, I think if we tried to interfere, Shirou would resent us for it."
"What?" Miu became confused at that. "But why?"
"Because this is going to be a tough opponent." Kensei answered. When Miu didn't seem to get it, he explained further. "You remember how he looked when he came back after fighting the Boxer? He was roughed up and hurt, but he was genuinely happy. Fighting someone who can push him to the brink is something he doesn't always get to experience, so when he does, it gives him a real sense of fulfillment. He lives for that sort of fight. And if he now has a chance to experience again, don't try to take it from him."
"Even if that's true, I don't want to just stand back and do nothing." Miu said softly.
"Of course not. Let's follow them and see how they do." Kensei suggested.
Kensei used his jumping ability to leap up to the roof of a nearby house, and Miu did the same. They both roof-hooped further until they found Shirou, Kenichi, Tsuji, and his gang still walking somewhere not too far away.
"There they are." Kensei spotted them. "What slow-pokes. The kids these days have the weakest legs."
Miu prepared to jump down to meet them on the ground, but Kensei placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped her.
"Just give him a chance to win on his own. We'll intervene if they need it, but I'm certain they won't." Kensei reassured her with confidence. "Trust me. They won't need our help at all."
"You really think they'll be okay?" Miu asked.
"I have faith because those two are the best Disciples Ryozanpaku's got." Kensei said with a big smile. "Though technically speaking, they're the only Disciples we've got, but that's beside the point."
The group soon arrived at the park and stood in the middle of it on the path as Shirou and Kenichi stood a few feet from Tsuji and his gang.
"Well, we're here, so what did you want to talk about?" Shirou questioned him.
"I'm not gonna beat around the bush here." Tsuji told him as he got straight to the point. "I want you guys to be a part of my crew!" He declared.
While Kenichi was dumbfounded by this sudden demeanor, Shirou narrowed his eyes as Tsuji continued.
"Word on the street is Kisara's people have been causing you problems lately, and from what I hear, they're planning to take you down. I'm here because I wanna offer you protection. If you join up with my gang, those punks will never touch either of you again." He smirked. "So whadda ya say? I could really use guys like you on my team. It'll be worth your while."
Kenichi responded first. "I don't understand. What is it that you want?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Tsuji raised his hand up and pointed to the sky. "A man's value is determined by the number of people he's in command of. I'm gonna keep expanding my personal army so that in the end, I'll be in charge of the most powerful group in Ragnarok!"
"And what do you plan on doing after you've made it to the top, huh?" Kenichi narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at him. "What about once you graduate from high school? You can't be a Delinquent forever, you know? Eventually, you and all your thug friends are going to have to grow up and get real jobs."
SOUND LOGIC
The rest of the thugs were silent after hearing Kenichi's rational argument, except Tsuji, who was going over to a park bench and looked ready to punch it, until…
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone looked to see the source of the laughter coming from Shirou. He soon stopped as he looked at Kenichi. "Spoken like a true boy scout."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kenichi asked, perplexed, not seeing what was wrong with what he said.
"What you just said was the politically correct answer, exactly what you should say on paper to please the people around you." Shirou explained with a frown. "But, that answer is hardly how most people actually feel."
"Why not? It makes perfect sense." Kenichi still didn't get it.
"Oh, come on, you just asked, "What about after you graduate from high school"? Are you forgetting we just started our First Year of high school?" Shirou reminded him. "High school is the best years of our lives, the times we'll always remember fondly, so why should we waste the best years of our life thinking about what we'll do when they're over?"
COUNTER ARGUMENT
Now, Kenichi was the one who was silenced as he saw his point and couldn't find an argument in that line of thinking. Tsuji also paid attention and seemed calmer now.
Shirou continued. "As for me, I'll save next year's problems for next year's me so I can enjoy myself right now. We all know we can't be Delinquents forever, so we have as much fun as we can with the time we have. That's what being a Delinquent is all about!"
"Yeah, that's right!" One of the punks agreed.
"Yeah, I'll worry about that complicated stuff later!" Another one agreed.
"Right now, I just wanna go wild and have fun!" A third one agreed.
Tsuji stepped back to the spot where he initially stood and also agreed. "That's absolutely right. You can take all that reasonable crap and shove it." Tsuji then pointed to Kenichi. "My men and I don't need your cleaver logic. There's no way you could ever understand that a man's greatest desire in his life is freedom. Everything my men and I do is about being free."
Kenichi sighed before he said. "I can understand that, but if you're harming people to get your way, that's not right. You and your gang are running around town enjoying your freedom, but all you're really doing is causing other people pain. That's not freedom, don't you see? That's tyranny!" He declared loudly.
Once again, everyone was silenced by his bold declaration, including Tsuji. And once again, only one person had something to say about that.
"Don't screw me!"
Kenichi was surprised by Shirou's outburst as he and the others listened to his next words.
"All we're doing is causing other people pain? Delinquents fight other Delinquents. That's what we do, but every Delinquent knows that and is prepared to be hurt and messed up because that's the kind of world we willingly chose to be a part of, so just who exactly are these people that we're causing pain to?" Shirou asked, feeling insulted by his words.
"That's… I mean…" Kenichi stuttered.
"Let me guess. You assumed that because we're Delinquents, we go around attacking any average Joe on the streets because we like hurting people, right?" Shirou guessed, still scowling. "That's the general consensus that people have for Delinquents. Even if we keep to ourselves, just having that label will make everyone assume the worst about us. Even if you really do just want to live freely. We hurt people just by existing."
"That's not what I meant." Kenichi argued.
"But that is how you feel." Shirou counterargued. "That's how everyone who hates Delinquents feels, but do you think we care? Do you think we worry about how a bunch of random strangers feels when we do our thing? Why should we?" He asked. "After all, they've made it clear they don't care about us. Anywhere you can hear the general public say it, "They're human garbage," "They're the trash of society," or "They should do us all a favor and go die in a ditch somewhere." Everyone feels that way. You can't deny it because you also hate Delinquents."
Kenichi just remained quiet. He knew Shirou was right, and at some point, a part of him did feel that way. Even though it stemmed from fear rather than hatred, the overall point was the same. The fact that people generalize all Delinquents in a negative light, even if they haven't harmed innocent people and only involve themselves with each other.
Shirou continued. "As far as they're concerned, just breathing the same air as us causes them pain, so you better believe we don't care about if they're hurt by us or not or if they call us tyrants. They already call us every other bad name they can think of. What's one more?"
"Yeah, who cares what those chumps think of us!" Once again, one of them agreed with him.
"I'll live the way I want, and I don't give a damn if they've got a problem with it!" Another one said.
"Who cares what they think? It's my life, so I'll live it how I want!" A third one agreed.
Kenichi started to become vexed. "Why does it feel like he's on their side?"
Nearby, Miu and Kensei were hiding in the bushes and watching them, as Kensei commented. "Oh wow, he's getting them to follow every word he says like he's a leader of men."
"I guess Shirou's better at motivating people than you'd think." Miu noticed.
Tsuji smirked. "I agree completely. Guys like us don't worry about labels like that. We take it in stride. A part of being free is not being concerned by the details and living the way you want to."
"That's right." Shirou nodded. "I'd rather be hated by a bunch of nobodies than live in a way I'd regret."
Everyone was in complete agreement, and all of them were on the same wavelength. The only odd man out who didn't agree was Kenichi, and it was really starting to annoy him.
"Don't any of you get it?" Kenichi questioned. "Just going around doing whatever you want isn't practical. That's not how life works?"
"Oh, then, by all means, tell us what we should do?" Shirou sarcastically requested. "You seem to know so much, so why don't you tell us?"
"Eh?" Kenichi was put on the spot.
"Oh, let me guess, we should just keep our heads down and behave like good little boys and girls, spending all our time staying out of trouble and respecting authority." Shirou sounded bored just saying it. "Or, like what adults say "proper high school students" should be? Only focusing on their grades and being well-mannered, only saying and doing what they expect us to do?"
"No, that's not it." Kenichi shook his head. "It's just, don't you think there are other ways to enjoy yourselves other than violence and starting fights? You've got to have other stuff you like aside from brawling, right, so why do you do it?"
No one else said anything. It was as though they were waiting for Shirou to respond. He's the one who's had an answer or response to Kenichi this whole time, so it just felt natural at this point to let him answer for them. And he did.
"Because it's fun."
.
.
.
Kenichi didn't know how to respond this time. It wasn't because of what he said but how he said it. It didn't have any of the amusement or dissatisfaction of his first two responses. He said with such simplicity and innocence that it almost felt like a kid had said it, which is something he didn't expect from Shirou.
"Maybe there is other stuff we could do, but why should we have to? Life isn't a narrow path with only one option. We have the freedom to choose and live the way we want. It's not like this is the sole option or someone forced us to do it. We can stop whenever we want, but if it's honestly what we want to do right now, why shouldn't we? Why shouldn't we do the things that we like or find fun? Because if we have to force ourselves to do something else and life becomes this monotonous slog of nothing to look forward to, what is the point anymore?"
This response had the most effect on the people around him. It stood out because everything Shirou had said since they started was filled with childlike innocence and simplicity and yet, at the same time, maturity and genius. This time, no one cheered or expressed their agreement, but they all felt something from his words, even though most of them barely knew him. Even Kenichi felt himself stop and think after hearing those words.
While in the bushes, Kensei also had thoughts about the situation. "They were all so loud and rowdy a moment ago, and yet, using only words, he was able to move their hearts and share his worldview with them. Despite how rough and tough, there's actually a spiritual side in there." He thought, a little impressed.
Kenichi finally broke the silence. "All right, I guess I can't argue with that." He then smiled. "I guess I might have been overthinking it."
"Yeah, things are never as complicated as we seem to think. Sometimes, the answer is pretty simple." Shirou added.
"The answer is simple, huh?" Tsuji reentered the conversation. "In that case, how about you answer my question: Are you going to join my gang or not?"
"Hmm, I'll give you the answer I gave Kisara; I'll join you if you can beat me in a fight." Shirou offered him.
"Heh, fine by me." Tsuji seemed pleased. "Let's fight then. Fight me right now!"
"Wait, what?!" Kenichi gasped as though he suddenly remembered why they were here. "We're still doing this?!"
"If I can't beat you with words, I'll just have to fight you with my fists." Tsuji proclaimed. "Ever since back in the day, men have decided who was right by settling their disagreements with a fight. You don't have any problem with that, do you?!"
Kenichi just cringed when he heard that line of thinking. "You know, it's guys like this tool that gives all men a bad name."
Contrary to Kenichi's thoughts, Shirou felt motivated. "If that's what you want, then let's go. We'll settle it with our fists!"
"Ehhh?!" Kenichi jaw-dropped in dismay. "You're actually going to fight him. I thought you wanted to convince him with words?"
"Is that what it looked like?" Shirou shook his head. "Maybe we could have avoided this if we talked some more. But using words and logic to win a fight… Is so uncool."
Tsuji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's the most uncool way to win a fight there is."
[Yeah!] All of Tsuji's gang agreed as well.
"Since when was being cool the most important thing?" Kenichi thought, dumbfounded. "Is it me? Am I just the weird one for not getting all this?"
Shirou got into a fighting stance. "Before we start, I just realized I don't know your name. Who are you?"
"You can call me Shinnosuke Tsuji. I'm an executive member of Ragnarok." Tsuji introduced himself.
"An executive member, the same rank as Kisara. I can't tell exactly how strong he is, but, at the very least, he's stronger than a one-armed Takeda." Shirou looked much more excited. "This is gonna be fun."
"They're really about to fight…." Kenichi muttered.
He then let out a yelp as he felt himself get pulled back by his arm as Kensei dragged him into the spot he and Miu were hiding in.
"Sheesh…" Kensei pulled him in. "Be quiet, don't let him know we're here."
"Kensei, Miu?" Kenichi looked at them in surprise. "What are you guys doing here, and why are you hiding?"
"Well, we followed because we were worried and thought you might need help." Miu explained sheepishly. "I don't really know why we're hiding here, though."
"It's because I want to see how Shirou deals with the crazy-haired guy without having to interfere." Kensei explained before opening his camera. "And since this looks like it'll be interesting, I think I'll record it."
"Well, why'd you drag me in here?" Kenichi questioned.
"Since you obviously weren't going to be doing any fighting, I figured you'd prefer to watch with us." Kensei answered. "Besides, they're so focused on their fight that no one has even noticed you're gone."
That last comment made Kenichi annoyed for personal reasons. Back to the two of them, Tsuji was also getting ready to begin.
"You've really got the kind of attitude I like, and it really is a shame. If you weren't so stubborn, we could have been fighting on the same side." He didn't sound too upset, though. "Either way, know that, at the very least, I respect you."
"Heard." Shirou nodded with the same approval. "I'm always looking for fights that are worth my while, and I'm hoping this will be one."
Back in the bushes, Miu blinked. "Huh, those two seem to be getting along, considering they're about to fight?"
"That's just how some men are." Kensei informed her. "There aren't many like that these days, so it's hard for some to understand."
"Hey, Kensei." Kenichi leaned closer to ask him a question. "I really don't get all the "Real man" stuff they keep talking about. Is it really because I'm the odd man out? Do I just not get what real men are like?"
"Well, let's review—You lacked the assertive to ask out the girl you like." Kensei started.
"Gah!"
"You have a habit of getting weak in the knees whenever confronted by opposition."
"Gugh!"
"And you once fell into a crying fit and tried to hang yourself after being told you have no talent."
"Augh!"
After listing those things down, Kensei finished. "I'm afraid to say you're hardly what can be considered a "Real man" so it's not so surprising you don't get those two."
Being reminded of all those things made Kenichi feel like an arrow was piercing through his self-esteem each time until he fell to his knees in depression on the fact that he couldn't deny any of it. "You're as bad as Akisame."
Miu just thought to herself. "Kenichi has someone he likes? I wonder who she is?" She thought, curious.
Tsuji finished preparing himself by removing his long coat to reveal his torso was very trained. He had both muscle mass and definition, like a bodybuilder's build. Clearly, he was several kilograms heavier than Shirou, along with the fact that he had the height advantage since Shirou's head only reached his shoulders.
"You're mine!" Tsuji roared as he charged forward to attack.
Shirou waited for him to close in to prepare a counterattack. Once Tsuji closed the distance, he threw a wild punch at Shirou's head, but Shirou smoothly dodged, stepped in, and struck back.
SEIKEN!
Shirou used his signature Karate punch and connected perfectly on Tsuji's stomach. Tsuji felt the weight of that blow as he felt the oxygen escape from his lungs and his body being pushed back as he skidded back a few feet away from Shirou.
"Yeah, way to go, Shirou!" Miu cheered from the bushes.
"He got him." Kenichi looked pleased.
"Boss, are you gonna be okay?" One of Tsuji's grunts asked.
Tsuji didn't respond. He held his ground and stayed standing while looking downward. He then took a deep breath, lifted his head up, and gave Shirou another smirk.
"Not bad, that actually stung." He brushed it off.
"He's not even phased?" Kenichi looked in disbelief.
"He took a full-on blow from Shirou, and yet he was barely even affected by it?" Miu was also surprised.
Shirou, however, wasn't surprised as he merely clenched his fists and muttered. "Good."
—…
And that's the chapter. First of all, I knew it could be annoying to spend time on Kenichi's going-nowhere love life, but it's just part of his character. That said, I always like showing how much Shirou can influence his decisions, like how Shirou makes him want to make the better choice even though he otherwise wouldn't when he is on his own.
Also, I wanted to pay more attention to Tsuji in my version of the story. Tsuji had a big start and a lot of presence in the story, but it's wasted because he just disappears after a while. So I'm going to change that, and I'm going to make him stronger than he appeared to be so that he can have some pretty good fights.
And as for the person who arrived at Shirou's house midway through the chapter, don't worry. You'll find out in the next chapter.
Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite. If you want an early release feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.