Restarting My Life After Failing to Protect Girls in My Class – The Day I Was Called the "Demon God of Dragon Slaying" - Episode 9

“Hey, Homura-chan. What exactly did you teach that kid?”

“Nothing much, just some traditional karate.”

It was a Sunday afternoon at 2 PM, not even a month after the ‘Fighting Strength Ranking Incident.’ I was at an old martial arts dojo, facing off against a stranger.

The guy in front of me, wearing a hakama-style martial arts uniform, looked like he was just about to hit thirty.

On the other hand, I was dressed casually in a T-shirt and shorts.

Both of us had open-finger gloves on our hands.

“Hah, hah, hah—”

It was the guy in the martial arts uniform who was panting.

I stood relaxed, hands down, quietly observing the man who had sweat beading on his forehead.

“Hah, hah, hah—”

There we were, three meters apart.

He was trying to inch closer, hands up like a mixed martial artist, but he wasn’t making a move.

Against the wall of the spacious dojo—

“That’s not just traditional karate, it’s Homura-ryu, right? Even with a bit of a size difference, our Minato-kun is struggling and going back to a mixed style.”

“Oh right, he used to be a mixed martial artist.”

A long-haired middle-aged man in a hakama and my uncle, Taiichi Homura, were leaning against the wall, chatting comfortably, arms crossed.

They must have been old friends. Both were casually conversing.

“He’s a light heavyweight with major experience. He’s even been on TV broadcasts on New Year’s Eve, you know?”

“Hmm.”

Those were the only people in the wide dojo: me, the guy I was fighting, my uncle, and my uncle’s friend.

“ Man, this is rough. Even in a match between beloved students, Chikubu-ryu Jujutsu is being discarded when push comes to shove. ”

“He’s just limited to that. He only practices my karate, so he walks like me and uses techniques like mine. His speed, power, and timing are all underdeveloped, though.”

“Calling that underdeveloped is a bit greedy, don’t you think?”

Just after the long-haired middle-aged man chuckled at that—suddenly the guy facing me launched into an attack.

He went for a low tackle aimed at my legs.

So, I stepped back with one leg, shifting into a half-body stance and dropped my hips, opening my stance wide in a shiko-dachi position.

As I took that shiko-dachi stance, I had already thrown a hook punch that collided with the side of the guy’s head as he crashed into my front leg.

Counterattack successful.

The guy’s head snapped back, and his body followed, rolling four meters across the dojo floor.

“Nice! I can really feel the desperate training there.”

“He says he’s having the time of his life. He’s usually laughing.”

“Hah. Either a total fool or a prodigy of the century, huh?”

As the long-haired middle-aged man’s impressed laughter spread around… my opponent, fearing a follow-up attack, jumped back up. But he looked a bit thrown off when he saw I wasn’t moving.

“Hey, did you teach him the ‘Secret Fist’?”

“Well, I wonder…”

The reason I wasn’t moving—was simply that I wanted to keep fighting.

This was just a match. A practice session before facing the violence that had violated and killed Noma-san and Aoki-san.

So, it seemed better to experience all of this guy’s techniques and experiences.

“You can use it on Minato-kun, but don’t kill him, okay?”

I stood there, relaxed and slightly loose, carefully observing my opponent. I was thinking maybe I’d try using the ‘Secret Fist’ if it was allowed.

……………………………….

After a tense stare-off that lasted several seconds.

“I give up.”

The man extended his hand as if to say ‘wait,’ signaling his surrender, and I let out a small sigh of genuine disappointment.

What was the point of coming all the way to Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture for this?

“Hey, hey, was it Togo-kun? How about trying with me next? Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”

If the long-haired middle-aged man hadn’t suggested that, I would’ve gone straight back to Nishifuchu, Tokyo, and practiced karate at my uncle’s place.

“See? You’re smiling happily, aren’t you? My nephew is greedy for strength.”