Chapter 221: Coming Out
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: Coming Out
Click! Click! Click! Click!
The sound of camera shutters echoed from all directions.
It seemed someone was already recording a video.
Honestly, even someone who knew nothing could tell something incredible was happening.
The air around those two was just incredibly heavy.
To an ordinary person unable to see ki, it would look as if space itself was distorting.
"It's been a while, Ivan. Almost ten years, isn't it?"
"Yes, it has. Fuma Kotaro. You're looking quite well for someone I haven't seen in ages."
It was a blatant jab at his shabby appearance, but Fuma Kotaro, perhaps thinking Ivan was genuinely complimenting him, nodded and said, "I've spent the last ten years living as a naturalist in a place with fine mountains and clear water. It's only natural."
"...Why have you suddenly appeared after hiding for the past ten years?"
At that, Fuma Kotaro glanced at me beside him and spoke cryptically.
"I have some personal business to attend to. I'll be heading back to the mountains once it's done, so don't worry about it."
Hey, wait a minute. That's just going to draw all the aggro to me.
But the water was already spilt.
Ivan's gaze turned to me, standing behind him.
"Kim Yoo-Sung...? What are you doing here?"
"Uh, well, what happened was..."
"This kid is my successor."
As if to say no excuses would be permitted, Fuma Kotaro pointed at me with his index finger.
"Successor?"
Ivan's eyes flashed as if he'd just heard an interesting story.
"Last time I saw you, you were with that Fuma fellow's daughter. Did you two become... you know... an item while I wasn't looking?"
"Uh, it's kind of complicated..."
I was about to open my mouth to clear up the misunderstanding, but Fuma Kotaro cut in.
"More importantly, shouldn't we move? It seems we've gathered quite an audience."
"Hm? Ah, you're right."
As if only then noticing the crowd of onlookers, Ivan took out his phone and made a call.
Immediately, cries of despair erupted from all around.
"Ah! What the hell! Why did my phone suddenly die!"
"You've got to be kidding me! I just bought this two months ago!"
It seemed he'd set off an EMP in the area, just like last time.
Such swift work.
"Come with me, Fuma Kotaro. I won't allow you to run."
"Hmm. Still as forceful as ever, even after all this time, Ivan."
"Nonsense."
Ivan, dismissing the relatively easygoing Fuma Kotaro's words with a single retort, shoved him into the passenger seat of his sports car and sped off.
Once the two of them left, the crowd lost interest and began to disperse. Rika, who had watched the whole confrontation with a nervous expression, approached me and asked cautiously, "Ryu-chan, what on earth just happened?"
...It looked like I was going to be getting home late today.
*
Instead of heading to the subway station, we changed our destination and went into a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Rika and I ordered some fries and sat down in a corner booth on the second floor.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Rika, do you know that something called the 'underworld' exists in this world?"
"...The underworld?"
I nodded and said, "It's a place completely separate from the world where ordinary people live. A world where people you'd think only exist in manga—like assassins, ninjas, samurai, and martial artists—are real."
Hearing this, Rika laughed in disbelief.
"Ryu-chan, you're not serious, are you? I may love manga, but I'm not going to fall for a lie like that."
"......"
When I just stared at her with a serious expression, saying nothing, Rika, who had been looking half-convinced, swallowed hard and asked again.
"For real?"
"For real."
Honestly, if Fuma-senpai's father, Fuma Kotaro, hadn't suddenly attacked, I never would have had to explain it like this.
But I had already fought him, and I couldn't think of any excuses, so I had no choice but to reveal the truth.
Rika, who seemed to have been in denial, wiped her face with her hands after getting my confirmation.
Well, it's understandable that she'd feel overwhelmed. A close friend just asked her out of the blue if she knew about the underworld.
Out of consideration for her, I was about to tell her she should just head home for the day...
"That's amazing!"
...but her reaction was not what I expected.
"Huh?"
"You mean a world that people have only ever imagined actually exists?! Then, do things like ghosts and yokai exist too?!"
"Uh? Uh-huh."
I couldn't keep up with the conversation and just froze, dumbfounded.
I thought Rika would be confused; I never imagined she'd be this excited.
"Awesome! You have to show me next time, okay?"
"Well, they're not really things you can see just because you want to..."
"Then are that long-haired guy from before and Sasha's dad also involved in the underworld? Hurry up and tell me!"
Listening to Rika's rapid-fire questions, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
I was trying to have a serious conversation, but seeing her so happy about it made me feel a bit deflated.
'Well, if she's happy, I guess that's a good thing.'
I decided to think positively and continued explaining things about the underworld to Rika.
*
The place Ivan took Fuma Kotaro after their short drive in the sports car was the Toseikai mansion.
"Thanks for the car, Tojo."
"I'm glad it was of use."
After returning the borrowed car keys, Ivan and Fuma Kotaro sat on cushions, and Tojo Naoto greeted them with a respectful bow.
Ivan Romanov and Fuma Kotaro.
They were such legendary figures that you could say no one in the underworld didn't know their names.
The Seven Fist Masters.
The pinnacle of the world, with only seven members in existence.
Tojo Naoto, originally an avid fan of GOF, felt his heart swell at meeting the two legends who were the stars of the 1st through 4th GOF tournaments—what was called GOF's golden age.
No matter that he was the boss of the largest yakuza faction in eastern Japan, his own reputation paled in comparison to theirs.
Fuma Kotaro, who had been practically dragged to the Toseikai mansion by Ivan, sat on a cushion and asked, "So, what's the reason you dragged me all the way here, Ivan?"
At that, Ivan wrinkled his nose and said, "You ask the obvious, Fuma Kotaro. For a revenge match, of course."
"What? Why would you do that?"
"Because you beat me, and then you vanished."
At that, Fuma Kotaro waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't say such scary things. My prime is long past. If we fought now, I'd lose before we even exchanged a hundred blows."
"For someone who says that, you seemed to be fighting Kim Yoo-Sung just fine."
"Hm? How did you know I fought him?"
"Because Kim Yoo-Sung's ki was in disarray when I arrived."
Unlike you, who looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.
"Hmm—well, if that's your reason, I can't argue."
Fuma Kotaro, readily admitting to the 'charge', asked Ivan with half-lidded eyes, "Why are you so insistent on fighting me? My victory over you was just a fluke anyway."
"Do not belittle the technique you created by calling it a fluke. Or do you think I am the kind of man who loses to a mere fluke?"
"That's... not it."
Just as Ivan acknowledged Fuma Kotaro as his rival, Fuma Kotaro also acknowledged Ivan's skill.
"So fight me again, Fuma Kotaro. I intend to wash away the humiliation of the past by defeating you."
Hearing Ivan's words, Fuma Kotaro scratched his chin with a finger and said, "Well, it's not that I don't understand how you feel, but..."
I don't really feel like fighting right now, you know?
"So how about this? You fight my successor, Kim Yoo-Sung, instead of me."
"What...?"
"I tested him earlier, and he handles Hayate so perfectly it's hard to believe he's self-taught. At this rate, with just a little guidance, he'll easily surpass my skills from my prime. Wouldn't it be more rewarding to defeat a guy like that than me, weakened by age?"
"Are you trying to avoid a fight, Fuma Kotaro?"
"Unlike you, Ivan, I'm not the type to stake my life on fighting. The only reason I consistently participated in GOF was to raise my market value."
"...I'm disappointed. To think I once considered someone like you my rival."
"I'm honored you thought of me that way."
Ivan glared at the unyielding Fuma Kotaro with narrowed eyes, then let out a small sigh and stood up.
"Fine. I was planning to fight Kim Yoo-Sung again anyway. I'll show you just how brutally I can shatter that Hayate you're so proud of."
One of Kim Yoo-Sung's strengths was his incredible durability.
Having experienced that nonsensical defensive power in their last fight, Ivan had implanted his body with nanomachines to prepare.
All to fight Kim Yoo-Sung on the same level.
Kkadeudeuk!
As he clenched his fist, the nanomachines in his body reacted, hardening his skin.
"With these hands of a God of Destruction."