Chapter 231: An Old Connection
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 231: An Old Connection
Like moths to a flame, reporters swarmed me, closing in from all sides to get an interview. Getting past them and into the school was quite the ordeal.
"Ugh! Kim Yoo-Sung! Leave this to me and go!"
If Yamada, my homeroom teacher and the head of the second-year students, hadn't thrown himself into the fray to block the reporters, I'd probably still be wrestling with them at the school gate.
"Phew, that was chaotic."
"You can say that again."
Slide!
I exchanged these sentiments with Ryuji and Yaguchi, who were beside me, and as we entered the classroom through the back door, all eyes were instantly on me.
But the emotion in their gazes was a little different than usual.
If it was normally close to fear, what I saw now was something more like… admiration?
One of the Bald Trio, Glasses Guy, came up and asked me, "Kim, is it true you're Fuma Kotaro's disciple? The web portals are flooded with stories about you."
I was once again reminded of the sheer influence the name Fuma Kotaro carried.
While Fuma Kotaro was famous in the underworld by the moniker 'Black Yaksha,' he had a different, more public nickname.
That name was…
'The National Hero.'
It was a title he'd earned for enhancing Japan's national prestige by winning GOF, an open-weight fighting tournament where the world's most renowned martial artists gathered to compete, thereby proving the excellence of Japanese martial arts to the world.
This must be a Japanese manga world, for them to come up with such an embarrassing title.
In any case, although GOF's popularity had waned since the Golden Generation all retired, the name still held immense prestige. It was a fighting tournament that had formed a cult-like fanbase, with those interested making sure to watch the broadcast of the tournament held every three years.
Despite its short history, its international standing was comparable to the World Cup, which was probably why the boys in my class were so excited.
But it had nothing to do with me.
After all, I had only met Fuma Kotaro, Fuma-senpai's father, just a week ago.
Therefore, my answer was this:
"Uh, it's just viral marketing."
Like a smear campaign, you know.
"For something like that, there was an interview transcript."
"What?"
Wondering what he was talking about now, I stared intently at the smartphone screen Glasses Guy showed me.
'Exclusive Scoop! Did Fuma Kotaro Actually Have a Successor?!'
The headline alone made it look like typical clickbait, but the photo of Fuma Kotaro attached to the article showed this was no mere gossip piece.
====================================
Q. What is your relationship with the high school student (?) seen in the video?
A. Kim Yoo-Sung is my spiritual successor, who has inherited all of my techniques.
====================================
Thanks to them plastering my full name on there to seal the deal, I could no longer deny it.
"So what's the truth?"
In the end, I had no choice but to admit to my classmates' suspicions, and one other thing.
"...It's true, I'm his disciple."
And that I'd been completely caught in that sly old fox's mind games.
*
Today was a chaotic day from start to finish.
Even people who usually looked at me with contempt suddenly changed their tune and started sucking up to me.
It got so bad that during lunch, I had to escape to the rooftop to eat my lunchbox just to get away from all the uncomfortable stares.
"...And with that, we will conclude today's meeting."
After the student council-led meeting ended, I, being the last one left in the meeting room, felt the President's intense gaze and subtly turned my head away.
"Why have you been staring at me like that?"
The President chuckled, "Huhu," and rested her chin on her hands on the desk.
"It's just that I'm noticing it again, but your side profile is incredibly handsome, Yoo-Sung."
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"Oh my, I was only speaking the truth."
The President bantered shamelessly before finally getting to the point.
"I saw you were having a hard time with the reporters on your way to school this morning. If you want, I can have all the articles related to you taken down. What would you like me to do?"
I paused for a moment at her question.
Certainly, if I borrowed the influence of the Saionji family, it wouldn't be impossible to erase all the gossip surrounding me.
The problem, however, was that my personal information had already been exposed to too many people.
They were probably able to identify me more easily because I was wearing my school uniform in the video.
"It's fine. It's not exactly a story worth hiding anyway."
If it were a complete fabrication, that would be one thing, but the fact that I had learned the Fuma clan's family martial art, Swift Wind and Lightning, wasn't going to disappear now.
Considering that, the term "spiritual successor" wasn't wrong either, so Fuma Kotaro hadn't lied in his interview.
"Well, if that's what you wish, Yoo-Sung, I won't interfere. But you'll have a tough time for a while. Once a topic catches fire, it tends to burn for a long time unless a bigger story comes along to smother it."
"It's not like I'm going to debut in the entertainment industry. It'll work out somehow, won't it? Besides, let's stop with the heavy talk and discuss next week's festival."
"Huhu, the festival, you say?"
"Yes. It's the last festival you'll have at this school, President. Shouldn't you make it a memorable one?"
Next year, the President would graduate and leave this school.
Of course, that didn't mean I'd never see her again, but once she began to seriously compete to become the family successor, the time we could spend together would undoubtedly decrease significantly.
When I mentioned that point and said we should make lots of memories while we still had time, the President looked at me with a touched expression.
"Yoo-Sung..."
It was at that moment.
"Ahem! Milady, it's fine to be in love, but please be mindful of the time and place."
Minami, who was organizing a stack of meeting documents nearby, chided her.
It seemed the sight was quite an eyesore for someone who was perpetually single.
"Oh my, I'm sorry, Minami. I got carried away."
The President offered an elegant apology and stood up to return to the student council room.
"Ah, by the way, Yoo-Sung. I have some good news."
"What is it?"
"Shinji will be able to return to school starting next week."
"What? Really?! The Vice President?!"
I was genuinely surprised.
And for good reason. Though it was called a leave of absence, the Vice President had been dismissed from his position within his family due to the incident at the engagement ceremony.
I thought it would be difficult for him to return so soon, but he was coming back.
Pleased with my reaction, the President covered her mouth with the fan she always carried and boasted, "They said he might have to repeat a year due to insufficient attendance, so I pulled a few strings. I'm quite a capable woman, you know?"
"President! That's amazing!"
"Ohohoho! Praise me more!"
As I gazed at her with eyes full of respect, the President let out her classic villainess laugh.
She really was a sucker for compliments.
Watching us from the side, Minami let out a deep sigh and said, "Honestly, what a chaotic couple."
*
After finishing my business in the student council room, I said I'd be leaving first and bid farewell to the President and Minami.
On days when I don't have club activities, school usually ends between 4 and 5 PM.
In my case, I'm a member of the student council and the board game club, but for the latter, I was pretty much a ghost member who just had his name on the roster.
Well, the truth is I was just too busy with my daily life to have time to stop by the club room.
Fearing a repeat of the morning's situation if I used the main gate, I used the school's back gate for the first time in a while. As I headed for the subway station, I spotted a familiar face leaning against a wall, waiting for someone.
"Nao?"
It was Minato Nagisa, the junior who had confessed to me at the summer festival several months ago.
She was a famous actress who often appeared on TV, so I'd heard she had barely been to school since the second semester started due to her busy schedule. It seemed she had come to school today for some reason.
Just as I had spotted her, she spotted me. Nao, who had been leaning against the wall, waved her right hand energetically.
"Ah! Senpai! It's been a while!"
Her bright, carefree face was as if nothing had happened that day.
Hiding a slight sense of awkwardness, I walked over to her.
"It's been a while. Have you been well?"
Nao tapped my shoulder and said, "Of course I haven't been well! After the confession of a lifetime got shot down so spectacularly!"
"Ugh!"
My smiling face froze at Nao's pointed remark, which seemed to suggest she still held a grudge.
"Ahaha, just kidding! Kidding! I'm totally over it now, you know?"
Nao said, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Right after you rejected me, I went home and cried my eyes out, but after some time passed, I was surprisingly okay. I guess you were right, Senpai. It seems I was in love with your muscles, not you."
After making a statement that would have shocked anyone else, Nao winked and asked me a question in return.
"More importantly, didn't you miss me, Senpai? A cute junior like me was following you around, you know."
"Well, yeah. It did feel a little empty."
Nao, who used to fill my phone's notification window with dozens of messages every day, had cut off all contact since that day and never spoke to me again.
When something that was always there disappears, you feel its absence even more.
"Honestly, I thought you would have blocked me."
"Really? That's a shame. I was hoping you'd talk to me first, Senpai."
"I'm not that tactless."
After rejecting her so thoroughly, contacting her first would have been a pathetic move.
"Anyway, I was worried, so I'm glad to see you're looking healthy. What brings you to school today?"
"Oh? Is it strange for a student to come to school? The drama I was filming just wrapped up, and they said my attendance was getting borderline, so I've been coming to school diligently lately."
"Really? That's good. Then you'll be able to enjoy the cultural festival."
"Huhu, I'm looking forward to it. The festival. It's the first school event I'll be participating in since I enrolled."
"The student council has prepared a lot, so enjoy it to the fullest."
"That's the plan."
Nao shrugged as she replied, then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah."
"Senpai, could you spare some time for me during the festival next week?"
"What?"
As I momentarily froze at her unexpected proposal, Nao smiled shyly and said, "It's a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but since I've barely been to school, I don't have a single close friend in my class. So I was hoping I could find someone to enjoy the festival with."
"If that's the reason, then sure."
As long as I could secure enough time for my date with the President, the rest of my time was fair game.
I also felt a little guilty for rejecting her confession before.
"Wow! Thank you!"
The moment I gave my permission, Nao suddenly grabbed my hand with both of hers.
Startled by her natural skinship, I quickly pulled my hand away. Nao poked my side with her index finger and teased, "Don't tell me you're shy, Senpai, with a body like that?"
This girl. It's been a while, but she's still got that sly side to her.
Is this the vibe you get from years of acting experience?
I chatted with her about trivial things until her manager's car arrived at the back gate to pick her up, and then I headed home.