I Want to Study
Father, Ryuzaki Genma, had summoned me.
The meeting place was the headquarters of the Ryuzaki-kai.
"The boss is in a meeting with his close associates. Please wait a moment."
At the request to wait outside for a bit, I nodded without protest and settled myself at a suitable desk.
When I pulled my Japanese textbook from my bag, the low-ranking member who'd spoken to me…
Ah, I can't remember his name.
"Excuse me, but what's your name?"
"Haha. I was wondering why you hadn't asked today. It's Yamato."
"Thank you."
"Why the formal speech all of a sudden? Doesn't suit you. Makes me feel weird hearing it."
The other members of the organization address me as Young Master and treat me with careful respect. This Yamato guy cracks jokes, though, so he must have been fairly close with Ryuzaki.
Wait, so this bastard Ryuzaki couldn't even remember the name of someone he was actually close with?
The more I look at him, the more of a garbage human being he was.
Anyway, Yamato looked at my textbook and slowly tilted his head.
"…But Young Master?"
"Yes?"
"Are you studying right now?"
"Just waiting around is a bit boring."
"Wow… you've really changed. The meeting should be over in a few minutes anyway."
"Even so, I should make use of whatever time I have."
I wrapped up the conversation with a mild wry smile.
The time I'd been given was about a few minutes. A rather short window for studying, but at least for me, that wasn't the case.
When I opened the textbook, countless letters and diagrams filled my vision. My heart automatically began to race at the unknown knowledge hidden within them.
Steadying my breath, I focused my consciousness as I always did. And then a virtual shutter sound rang out.
—Click!
The scenery in my field of view froze as clearly as a photograph. Along with it, my body naturally stopped moving as well.
In that completely frozen moment, only my consciousness remained intact.
Looking at the world that had come to a halt, I leisurely opened the textbook and indulged in the knowledge within.
A superpower I'd naturally possessed since childhood. It didn't take long to realize that this ability, which had been so natural to me, wasn't granted to others.
Naturally, I never revealed this power to anyone. There was no reason to announce that I was different from everyone else.
With this superpower, I would solve various headaches, or preview the future developments of web novels, and so on.
I was always too worn out after work, with a headache that left me no energy to use the ability for studying.
It was a bit late, but I was simply happy I could put this power to use for studying now.
After packing one section's knowledge into my head for a long while, I released the ability. I rested my throbbing head for a moment, turned the page, and stopped time again to pack new content into my mind.
"The boss says to come in."
"Ah, has it already been that long?"
About twenty pages, maybe. Studying a new language, the speed was far from satisfactory.
It would improve gradually.
I gave Yamato a small bow of the head and entered the room where Father was.
"Sit."
"Yes."
No matter how many times I see him, he's consistently rough-looking.
"Have you eaten dinner?"
"Not yet."
"I see."
When Father made a small gesture, steaming ramen was soon set before us, wafting hot vapor.
I carefully scooped up a spoonful of broth.
Hmm, ridiculously salty. I'll just eat the noodles moderately.
"Your grades were good. Quite good, in fact."
While we were silently fishing up noodles, Father suddenly spoke up.
"A kid who's never studied a day in his life suddenly gets what kind of wind up him?"
"Well… I just got tired of constantly messing around. So I tried studying a bit."
"Was it fun?"
"Much more fun than I expected. I'll probably just quietly study for a while."
"Heh…"
Father let out a small scoff of laughter.
"I don't care what you do for fun, but don't forget whose son you are. You're the heir who will succeed me."
"……"
"Holding a pencil and using your head — other guys can do that well enough. You understand what I'm saying?"
The atmosphere shifted in an instant, and cold sweat formed on my palms of its own accord.
And I instinctively knew. That this conversation we were having would be the fork in the road that decided my future path.
Ryuzaki-kai. One of the yakuza organizations that dominated Academy City. If I became the head of such an organization, I could live a life lacking nothing.
Money if I wanted money. Women if I wanted women. I could have everything I desired.
But that isn't the life I want.
What I want is to learn new knowledge.
I don't want to become the boss of a violent organization and live by exploiting others' suffering.
In my previous life alone, I was tormented to death by bastards just like the Ryuzaki-kai — that says it all.
So I need to say it clearly now.
"Father."
"Speak."
"I have no intention of succeeding you."
A life determined by one's parents' path — once is enough.
Father's expression stiffened for a moment, then he smirked and asked.
"Even if you don't have much of a brain, you wouldn't spout something like that for no reason. Tell me why."
"I want to study. Seriously."
"……"
"I want to study, get into a good university, and learn even more things."
"…Study? University? You? Don't make me laugh."
The atmosphere froze cold.
"You're someone who will surpass me. The potential you carry wasn't given so you could play around with pencils."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes. Because you're my son. It will definitely be that way. So drop the foolish talk."
"Then can't you at least allow me to be a fool? I'm a teenager, after all."
BANG! The desk shuddered.
"…Are you rejecting the Ryuzaki-kai right now?"
"I have no intention of rejecting your way of life, Father. But succeeding it is a separate matter."
"A kid raised as the heir his whole life suddenly walks a different path? You'll fail and fall flat without even needing to look."
But I didn't yield my will to the end. I'd already braced myself for our relationship getting somewhat strained.
"We'll have to wait and see. Just as you built the Ryuzaki-kai alone, Father, I might be able to accomplish something on my own as well."
"Enough!"
Father's eyes flew wide open.
"…I won't drag this out. Take back what you just said. Then I'll bury what happened today."
Father pressed me hard, saying there would be no second chance. Looking at the force in his fists, he was thoroughly angry.
Shaking my head slightly, I stood up from my seat.
Unfortunately, I had no intention of reversing my decision.
"How can a real man go back on his word?"
"……"
"The ramen was delicious. Cool your head for a bit. I'll leave you to it."
Even if it means getting hit a little. I want to do what I want to d—
—THUD!!!
Oof.
My face stings like hell.
"…Alright. That's it for today. Good work. Just as the rumors say, your comprehension is solid."
"Ahaha. Is that so?"
Having finished her math tutoring, Alice bowed her head with a light wry smile.
The place she'd just left was the new tutoring academy she'd started attending.
Upon hearing that her daughter had lost first place in math to some delinquent whose name she'd never even heard of, her mother had her quit her previous tutoring and enrolled her in a new academy.
The new male teacher she met was certainly more skilled at teaching than her previous one.
However…
"But can you get home alone? It's late. Should I walk you home?"
"No. I'm fine. I can go alone."
"I'm just worried about you."
His gaze was… somewhat creepy. Rather than looking at her as a pure student, it was like he was looking at her as something else.
"No. I'll be going now."
She wasn't feeling particularly good.
Politely declining the male teacher's continued offers to walk her home, she left the academy immediately.
"…Gross."
Men who look at Alice usually look at her with that kind of gaze. The kind that alternates between her face and her chest.
The people who do it probably don't know how obvious and creepy that gaze is. Anyway, that teacher is kind of no good.
Grumbling to herself as she walked toward home, Alice—
—Meow~!
Her eyes went wide at the adorable sound that rang in her ears.
Where did that come from? She looked this way and that, searching for the cat.
And then she found it. A tiny kitten wriggling beneath a utility pole in the alley.
…Oh no! You're so, so cute…!
To Alice, who had always been helplessly fond of cats, the little wriggler before her eyes was utterly adorable.
"Wow, insane."
Approaching as if bewitched by the cat, Alice reached out with both hands—
"…No."
She barely held herself back before touching it.
She'd seen it on the internet. If you carelessly touch a kitten, the mother won't come back for it.
"Hmm…"
Its appearance was terribly dirty, with eye crust stuck all over, so it looked rather scruffy. Just from the outside, it was every bit an orphaned kitten without parents.
—Myaoong~
Its pitiful cry was heartbreaking. Its belly was sunken in, so it seemed like it hadn't eaten anything for a long time.
"Just wait a little."
She hurriedly stopped by a nearby convenience store, then searched for cat food.
"Cat food? Oh dear, if only you'd come a little earlier. The last of it just sold out."
"Ah… thank you."
Of all times for the last stock to sell out. Between the new male teacher and this, she was having rotten luck today.
She left the convenience store with a small sigh. Then she glanced toward the alley where the cat had been…
"…?"
A thug with colorful tattoos carved into his forearms was squatting there. Tall, big-framed — a man like a massive bear in every way.
The moment she saw him, she automatically stepped backward.
Surely he isn't about to harm the cat…
"You must've been really hungry."
A voice that was quite familiar somehow. She was sure she'd heard it at school today.
Rough-looking, huge, tattoos on his body, and from our school…
There's only one person like that.
"…Ryuzaki-kun?"
"Who's the— Alice-san?"
Ryuzaki Ren, feeding the baby cat.
Faced with the unfamiliar combination of a rough-looking delinquent and a pitiful kitten, Alice stared at the two of them for quite a while.
Perhaps startled, Ryuzaki also stared straight at Alice.
His gaze was directed solely at her eyes. Unlike everyone else.
Ah, now I understand a little. Why conversations with him felt particularly comfortable.
A wild face without a shred of ulterior motive. Perhaps his appearance even looked somewhat dignified.
"…A panda?"
If only that face didn't have a fresh blue bruise.