Ranma Half Moon 2: Phrase White - Chapter 3 - The Power of Gravitation - Part 3
Author's note: "Jiya" is a nickname usually given to older servants of rich kids.
"I'm home!" Ranma takes off his outside shoes.
"Welcome back, son. How did that challenge that you phoned me about go?"
Ranma enters the living room of his tiny apartment where his father, Saotome Genma, sits reading a horse racing form. "It was awful. I won the fight in three seconds and then the loser jumped up and kissed me."
"Were you fighting a girl?"
"No, some pretty boy. He was upset because I thought his song lyrics were bad."
Genma throws a pillow at Ranma. "Maybe he kissed you because he thought you were a girl?"
Ranma dodges, catches the pillow, and sits down. Ranma sneers at his father in disdain. "You would like that. You were always dressing me up as a girl and trying to marry me off so you could swindle the parents out of money and run off. It would be a lot easier to work that scam if I actually was a girl."
"Son, I am not always proud of the things that I have done. But, the money from those scams has enabled me to send you to Junior High School for a year. Isn't that a good thing?"
Ranma rolls his eyes. "Maybe you could get a job? You spend all day doing nothing. You could at least clean this place. It looks like I live with a panda bear."
"I'm not doing nothing, I am trying to figure out ways to further your martial arts training."
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard all those excuses before. I have homework to do." Ranma goes to a tiny room in the apartment, not much bigger than a closet and sits down at a tiny desk to do his homework.
...
Kunochi descends a flight of stairs to an amazingly well equipped basement gym.
"Master Kunochi, ready for your daily lesson?"
"Jiya, do you have to call me 'master'? This is my third identity, but it is the first time I have lived in luxury. You calling me 'master' is embarrassing."
The older instructor smiles. "Precisely why I must call you 'master'. You need to internalize your new identity."
"I know that you're right, but I don't like it."
"I'm sorry, Master Kunochi."
"Well, let's forget about that for now. Something really remarkable happened at school today."
"Oh?"
"Zoiki lost a fight in three seconds."
"On purpose?"
"No, he just got humiliated."
"I don't see how that could be. I know that Zoiki gets good fighting instruction and I know that he practices diligently."
"I taped the encounter." Kunochi pulls out a professional grade Betamax tape and places it in the VCR that they would use to review martial art tapes. "Now check this out."
Jiya winces. "Amazing."
"That's what I thought. Do you recognize the martial arts school?" Kunochi plays the tape again in slow motion.
Jiya thinks hard. "Well, the stance was pretty common. The feint before the attack is specific to maybe ten schools, but the flipping high kick is only done in a few." Jiya pulls a large book off of a bookshelf and thumbs through it. "Okay. I have it. That style is the indiscriminate school of martial arts. The only school in Tokyo that uses this style is run by Tendo Soun."
"Well then, I will have to join that dojo."
"To avenge your friend?"
"No, I enjoyed seeing him get humbled. Unfortunately, it did not cause him to give up his dream of writing lyrics. I want to join the dojo so that I can understand the technique. It might be useful some day."
"Master Kunochi, your missions normally do not involve taking on martial arts masters. And beating one would surely draw unwanted attention."
"I agree. But, being able to take a someone out in three seconds is a useful skill that can be used against normal crooks, right?"
"Very true, Master Kunochi."
"Great. Shall we warm up? I have band practice later tonight. I don't want our session to run too long."
"As you wish, Master Kunochi."
...
"Ranma, Ranma! More trouble!"
Ranma looks at his friends in annoyance. "Another challenge?"
"From the same DJ."
"And, he wants me to fight?"
"He wants to tell you the challenge in person."
"Great, I get to go to that weirdo infested high school again."
One of Ranma's friends looks down. "Ah, Ranma?"
"What?"
"Could you get me Jadero's autograph? I'm a big fan."
"Moe! Well, I do have to accept all challenges. I will see what I can do."
...
Ranma arrives at the student union. Time to try to get through this labyrinth again.
"Excuse me, you are Saotome Ranma, right?"
Ranma turns around to see a tall non-threatening looking pretty boy with short dark hair and glasses. "That's me."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ootori Kyoya. Hani-chan was talking about you non-stop the other day so I felt that I needed to check you out myself."
"Let me guess. You're also in the host club?"
"Absolutely. I found out from Tamaki that you had difficulty getting to the cafeteria. I came to show you a shortcut."
Wow. He must think that I was born yesterday. There is no way that this shortcut doesn't involve going through his club. But, sometimes it's better to just face these things head on. "Okay. Jadero has some challenge for me, so I decided to find out what it is."
"Ranma, you don't know how fortunate you are. If you were a student here, then the F4 would have surely red carded you by now."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that all of the other students would be compelled to bully you."
Ranma smirks. "That sounds like fun. But, it wouldn't last. Within thirty minutes the other students would fear me more than the F4 guys."
Kyoya smiles. "I can see why Hani-chan was so interested in you. Please come this way."
Kyoya leads Ranma down two hallways. "It's through this study hall."
Ranma opens the door.
"Welcome to the Ouran High School Host club!"
I think I should act surprised here. "Wow, what a surprise."
Tamaki walks over to Ranma. "I knew that you would come here. As the Prince of this club, I now consider it my mission to make you happy."
To Be Continued