Seryu Military Company Retreat
The day of the Seryu Military Company retreat happened to coincide with the end of the Seryu-tai trainees' camp training. After today, they would begin accumulating real combat experience and be reborn as true members of Seryu-tai.
I hadn't known, but Mimata Chieri was also participating in this retreat. She was joining in some official capacity as an advisor to Seryu-tai. With Fujigasaki Rinka already coming, now another strange person was tagging along. I grew more and more anxious about how this outing would unfold, but since it was only two nights and three days, nothing too crazy should happen.
The valley where we'd be staying was in Okutama-machi, home to East Weapon's training grounds. Since Okutama-machi itself was a mountainous region, it had plenty of valleys. It seemed they'd chosen this one so the trainees could head straight there after finishing their final training session.
The valley was called Hatonosu Valley. It had waterfalls and stunning scenery, or so I'd heard. Sawayanagi Azuma had already reserved a nearby pension, so there wasn't much for me to prepare.
Still, they said we'd have a barbecue party, which meant I needed to bring the meat. Since I had to pick up Fujigasaki Rinka early that morning, I'd bought everything the day before.
The housekeeper had recommended a place that sold high-quality beef, so I picked up about twenty kilograms of wagyu. Other people would be bringing sausages and pork, so this amount should be more than enough for everyone to feast.
I loaded the beef into an icebox, packed a change of clothes and swim trunks into a bag, and tossed it all into the trunk.
Luckily, the airport where I was picking up Fujigasaki Rinka lay on the route to Okutama-machi, so it wasn't too much of a hassle. If I didn't show up to get her, there was no telling what Fujigasaki Rinka might do to me.
It was still early on Friday morning, so traffic was light. I reached the airport much faster than expected and waited for Fujigasaki Rinka at a nearby café, sipping coffee.
Since her arrival wasn't a secret, a swarm of reporters would be lying in wait. Before my reincarnation, even Son Heung-min had to face a massive press presence whenever he returned home, so this would probably be similar.
Because I still couldn't reveal my face, I didn't wait at the arrival gate itself. Instead, I stayed at the café nearby. Once Fujigasaki Rinka ditched the reporters and came this way, I'd load her into the car and we'd take off.
While drinking my coffee, I watched the live feed of Fujigasaki Rinka's arrival on my phone. Sure enough, an enormous crowd of reporters had gathered since it had been a while since her last visit to Japan.
The moment the arrival gate doors opened, Fujigasaki Rinka stepped through amid a blinding storm of camera flashes. Even though the weather was still sweltering, she didn't seem bothered by the heat at all. She wore a black turtleneck sweater and jeans.
As Japan's current top sports star, Fujigasaki Rinka showed zero aversion to the cameras. The second she entered the arrival area, she launched straight into interviews. She looked completely at ease, as if this happened all the time.
"Fujigasaki-san, what brings you back to Japan?"
"I've come to rest for a little while in my hometown. I'll also check on how the Japanese fighting scene is holding up."
Checking on the Japanese fighting scene? Those weren't words you'd expect from a woman in her twenties, but since Fujigasaki Rinka was one of Japan's strongest fighters, it didn't sound arrogant at all.
"Do you have any plans to be active during your stay?"
"I don't have anything specific lined up, but if there are offers, please contact me through my agency. That's all. Peace!"
"Fujigasaki-san! Fujigasaki-san!"
Fujigasaki Rinka flashed her signature peace sign—thumb, index, and middle finger extended—and tried to move on.
The reporters, unsatisfied with such a short exchange, blocked her path. But Fujigasaki Rinka slipped through the crowd like a phantom.
The press wouldn't be able to follow her any farther, so she should arrive soon. I started drinking the rest of my coffee a little faster.
She really was fast. After finishing my own coffee, I went to the counter, ordered an iced coffee to go, and headed back to my car. When I got in, Fujigasaki Rinka was already lounging in the back seat.
"Those damn reporters are such a pain.... Maybe I should kill one of the bastards who wrote those trash articles. Oh, thanks for the coffee."
Fujigasaki Rinka accepted the cup with a chilling remark that I couldn't tell was a joke or completely serious. After taking a sip, she let out a satisfied "Kya!" as if she'd just downed a shot of liquor.
"Kya! Nothing wakes you up like a hit of caffeine~!! Hey, disciple. It's still early, so let's grab a meal first."
"What would you like?"
Given my need to keep a low profile, eating out with Fujigasaki Rinka felt risky. But since I'd given her a heads-up beforehand, she clearly had something in mind.
"Get me a large gyudon from Yoshinoya to go."
"Wouldn't Matsuya be better?"
"You can eat at Matsuya. I'm strictly a Yoshinoya loyalist."
The fact that she wanted it to go meant she planned to eat in the car. And here I thought my master had no taste—how could she pick Yoshinoya over Matsuya? I stopped at the Yoshinoya near the airport and ordered two large gyudon and one large butadon to go.
"Kyaah! Just like I thought—Japanese food tastes way better than the stuff in America!"
Fujigasaki Rinka devoured the gyudon with obvious delight. Watching her, I unpacked my butadon and dug in. I hadn't eaten breakfast either, so even though Yoshinoya wasn't my favorite, it tasted pretty damn good.
"Ugh~! That hit the spot. So what exactly is this company we're doing the retreat with today?"
"You said you were coming to the retreat, and you're only asking about it now?"
When I gave her an incredulous look, Fujigasaki Rinka threw her head back and laughed heartily. "Kyahaha!"
"Since we're going out anyway, I figured I'd join the fun. The youngest son of Japan's greatest conglomerate family is a busy man, so this way I get to see you without taking up your precious time."
Hmm. When she put it like that—joining the retreat to save me time—I had no response. Still, she was a master who looked after her disciple in her own way.
"I've got commercial shoots starting Monday anyway."
"So you really did come for the commercials?"
"Kyahahat! Killing two birds with one stone! As you heard in my interview, I also have some things to check regarding the Japanese fighting world...."
What was going on in the Japanese fighting world? For a moment, Fujigasaki Rinka's eyes grew serious, and I couldn't help wondering if something major had happened.
I wasn't particularly interested in that scene, so I had no idea how things were running. But if Fujigasaki Rinka was coming to Japan in person, it could mean something big was brewing. I'd have to ask her about it later.
"More importantly, answer my question, disciple. What kind of company retreat is this?"
"There's a company I invested in called Seryu Military Company. We're gathering with those people to spend the weekend at the valley."
"Oh? You own a PMC? That's impressive."
Of course, with a name like Seryu Military Company, Fujigasaki Rinka immediately assumed it was a PMC. After we finished the takeout, I gathered the trash, tossed it in a nearby bin, punched Hatonosu Valley's pension into the navigation, and started driving.
"Hatonosu Valley? Let me look it up...."
After asking for the destination, Fujigasaki Rinka began searching for information on her phone. Whatever she found must have pleased her, because she gave a satisfied nod.
"There's a waterfall. Perfect spot for training!"
She usually acted like a frivolous older sister, but she was every bit as serious about martial arts as Kiyohira—maybe more. Becoming the UMC openweight champion as a woman had to be the result of that relentless drive for self-improvement.
According to the navigation, the drive from Haneda Airport to Hatonosu Valley would take over two hours. Since the meetup was scheduled for around eleven, we'd arrive quite early. That meant I could stop by the training camp first and give a few trainees a ride.
There were only two cars at the camp, so the trainees would be packed in like sardines. As their investor, it wouldn't hurt for me to lend a hand.
"We've got some time, so I'll stop by the training camp before we head to the valley."
"Do whatever you want. I'll sleep for the two-hour drive. The time difference is killing me."
The sixteen-hour difference between LA and Japan would tire out even a superhuman like Fujigasaki Rinka.
I glanced at her through the rearview mirror as she closed her eyes, then turned on the music I usually listened to while driving.
~♬ ~♪
Driving along while humming to the songs, I soon reached the training camp where the Seryu-tai trainees were finishing up. Fujigasaki Rinka really had meant it when she said she'd sleep for two hours—she opened her eyes almost exactly on cue. She stretched her arms wide, then flashed a grin. Her expression said her condition was at its peak.
"Mm, I'm adjusted now."
Overcoming a sixteen-hour jet lag with only two hours of sleep? What a ridiculous master.
I parked in the training camp lot and got out with Fujigasaki Rinka. As we arrived, I saw the trainees lined up neatly on the training ground in front of the building, listening to Sawayanagi Azuma's speech. It looked like they were capping off their training with a final address.
"You've all worked hard these past few weeks. From now on, you are true members of Seryu-tai."
"Waaaaah!"
We'd arrived at the perfect moment. The speech ended, and the trainees erupted into cheers. After being stuck training in the mountains, everyone looked genuinely thrilled that it was finally over.
"Ryuta~!"
The moment Sawayanagi Azuma finished speaking, Alik came running over on quick little feet and threw themself into my arms. I gently patted Alik's head. They clasped both hands together and looked up at me with bright eyes. Whether it was a gift for completing training, Alik was wearing a green field jacket emblazoned with the Seryu Military Company logo. It looked a bit big on their small frame, but there was still room to grow. It would fit perfectly someday.
"You worked hard, Alik."
"Alik had fun."
Fujigasaki Rinka watched Alik in silence for a moment before turning to me.
"Disciple, what is this adorable creature?"