章 52: added.

Kei took the subway, the cars bouncing between the tracks. In a moment from his work, he arrived home; it was night, and the lights were off. He had gone seven months without notifying Hiyo Kure, Takemoto, or his mother, but that was another matter. Exhausted from various activities and without checking who was home, he entered his room and lay down to sleep. For the first time, he managed to keep his sphere of unrest and sleep for more than four hours, albeit intermittently. He took the early morning to see his mother in the kitchen; everything seemed normal.

-Mother, - Kei said.

-Son! You disappeared for seven months! Where have you been? - Chia Kazama asked, noticing the marks above his eye along with Kei's now more mature appearance, which towered over her by two heads. Kei smiled, but something in her was agitated; seven months without showing up raised many questions about Kei.

-I had some matters to attend to, - Kei replied, evading the topic. The look Chia could muster was enough.

-They conducted a legal investigation; some people came, but you vanished from the market, even as a missing person. You weren't there, - Chia said.

-There's no problem now; everything is fine. I suppose you haven't had any issues over the last few months? - Kei asked.

-Nothing. Your help has been outstanding; the bills are paid automatically without me having to ask, and Runna's tuition has also been covered. We manage with what we have, - Chia Kazama explained.

-I'm glad to hear that. Runna must be resting, - Kei commented.

-She is; school ended a week ago. You have vacation until the next term. She'll be starting kindergarten, - Chia Kazama replied.

-She's a very big girl,- Kei remarked.

Their conversation paused, but there was a certain sadness in the way they spoke, facing the chasm that separated them. Kei's emotions felt colder; the warmth that had once been there had faded, and Kei was now taller, more mature, and different. The impression he gave was that of an adult. They both ate, and Kei slipped away with a promise to return with a gift for Runna.

***

-Kenichi must know; that we're facing real monsters! - Nijima shouted.

-What do you mean? - Miu asked, who along with Kisara had defeated Number 4 of the Ragnarok gang.

-My calculations were wrong. I thought the strength of Numbers 3 and 2 would be proportional to the others, but I failed in that attempt. Numbers 2 and 3 are as powerful as the first fist, Odin, and their strength is not something to be trifled with. Number three is Shogo Kitawaga, the king of boxing, and Kei Kazama, the tyrant, - Nijima stated coldly, reflecting on his declaration.

The masters of Ryozanpaku listened to the Alien intently.

-Kenichi is with the old man; he'll come back very strong, so strong that he will be a different person from the one you knew, - Chio Sakaki commented.

-Not with Kei; I have a bad feeling... he might be able to beat Odin, but not Kei. He is simply different; he is not the type of opponent Kenichi can face. Even in my calculations, it's impossible... if we give it two years, at the rate of growth, he could likely defeat Kei,- Nijima said. His response was blunt, but for the martial artists, it wasn't enough. They saw a shadow in Nijima's psyche and didn't want to believe his words.

-You know that young Kei; what can you tell us about him? - Ma Kensei asked.

Nijima sighed.

-Kei is the biggest thug in the history of schools. Everyone has suffered. Kenichi and I shared middle school; he was known as the strongest in the grade, fighting against boys twice his size. But... we made a deal: I would provide information, and he would back me up. During that time, Kei asked about different martial arts masters who could teach him to fight. We found one, a retired military man who has his dojo on the other side of the city, Master Takemoto, - Nijima explained.

-I know Takemoto, but he's not someone particularly fearsome, - Shio Sakaki commented, having defeated someone with that surname some time ago.

-That's not all. Kei was part of a highly dangerous gang, of real thugs, true killers, criminals, and masters of information. He started to gather more and more information about the world of martial arts and began pushing himself to the limit, participating in underground fights to earn money. He has countless matches; I've seen how he fights. He never settles for just being good, and since Master Takemoto taught him, his skills have only grown. Every day, he becomes more formidable, - Nijima continued.

-I know Kei, and he is particularly intense. He joined Ragnarok at the beginning of the year, at the leader's request, and two months later, he challenged Berserker to a fight and defeated him in ten strikes. The guy who kicked our butts last night was just toying with us; in his fight against Kei, he had a much more intense vibe of madness, - Thor commented, listening to Nijima. - But he disappeared suddenly without a trace nine months ago. -

-That's what happened. Kei became a mercenary and was involved in the Ivory Coast conflict, honing his fighting skills. Shogo said that Kei became a true monster, surpassing Odin's abilities. After arriving in the Ivory Coast, he was training in a place called the interior, -Nijima said. The information was classified, but a look of concern escaped the masters.

Any master worth their salt, except Apachai, knows that the interior is where fighters with great abilities reside—hidden masters who live their lives fighting until death. Although they are not rivals for Ryozanpaku, they know how dangerous that place is.

-He must be a very dangerous young man, - Shio Sakaki remarked.

-That was seven months ago. It's been seven months since Shogo said he was unbeatable; you could even say his fighting ability is on par with great fighters. I can't imagine what kind of training he has undergone, but it must be something extraordinary, - Nijima commented, profiling a premonition. Without a doubt, he had an idea of what would happen in the final battle. Kei's appearance was something he had already anticipated, and he had expected no mercy from him; his fighting style was different from anyone else's.

....