บท 6: Daichi Mori!
In the small, cluttered room at Kyoto Kiyomizu High School, Shinji Takanashi and Rika Nakamura sat facing each other. Shinji watched as Rika rubbed her temples, clearly trying to process everything.
"So, let me get this straight," Rika began, her voice a mix of disbelief and amazement. "In just one day, after coming to me about the envelope, you managed to join an MMA gym, fight Daichi from the Purple Dragons while barely unconscious, and meet the man who killed your father—Arata Takumaki. He tied you up, thinking you sent the envelope. When you realized it was him, you went ballistic, entered the same unconscious state, and fought him. Then, you got kicked by Harumi Mizuki—Kenji Mizuki's daughter from VCL, no less! And now you're working for Arata at his restaurant so you two can investigate?! And Arata's main lead on who sent the envelopes is Kenji Mizuki?!"
Shinji rubbed his knees in uneasiness. "Uhh yep. You got it all explained." He nervously chuckled. Rika sighed in astonishment.
Shinji recalled his conversation with Arata. "Arata mentioned that the 'unconscious state' is called Legacy Mode. He explained that if you're the offspring of a martial artist or fighter, you inherit a certain enhanced trait from them. What I'm curious about is whether it's just one trait or if there could be more. I guess I'll never know, given that I'm unconscious when it happens. He doesn't even know how it happens."
Rika nodded. "So, Arata received the same envelope, but his note said, 'I want my revenge,' while yours said, 'The Chef did it,' right?"
Shinji adjusted himself in his seat. "Yep, and I guess I'm not the Purple Dragons' punching bag anymore. Daichi hasn't bothered me since."
Rika raised an eyebrow. "That's a relief, at least. But it sounds like this is just the beginning. If those envelopes are connected, there might be more going on than we realize."
Shinji sighed. "Yeah, and now working at Arata's restaurant is supposed to help us figure it all out. It's risky, but it's the best lead we have. Too bad I got kicked out of the MMA gym—I wanted to at least learn how to fight."
Rika's eyes lit up with an idea. "Why don't you ask Arata to train you? Didn't you say he trained Kenji Mizuki's daughter?"
Shinji shook his head. "Arata made an oath not to fight again after killing my dad. He only trained Harumi because her father abused her." Rika pondered for a moment. "Then why don't you ask Harumi to train you?" Shinji shook his head eagerly. "She's incredibly strong, and she scares me."
The bell rang and Shinji stood up. "Well I guess I should get to work now." He stretched a bit and grabbed his backpack, putting it on. "See ya, Rika." He waved and walked out of the door.
Moments later, he strolled down the street towards the 'Dragon's Den Bistro', his mind consumed by the perplexing turn of events. "What have I gotten myself into? We're supposed to uncover who sent those envelopes and why, and here I am, working at a restaurant? Those two are insane!" His thoughts swirled around Harumi and Arata.
Suddenly, Daichi emerged from behind Shinji, forcefully shoving him against the gate. "Listen, Takanashi! You've wrecked everything for me!" He pressed him firmly against the gate, his voice seething with anger, his bruised face and bandaged body a testament to recent hardships.
Shinji's heart raced as he struggled to comprehend Daichi's anger and the implications of his accusation. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Shinji continued struggling, but Daichi had his wrist locked in a tight grasp. Daichi's face reddened with rage as he spat out his words. "Because of what you did, I got kicked out of the gym, beat up by the Purple Dragons, and humiliated!"
As Shinji listened, he froze. "You were beat up by the Purple Dragons? I thought you were their leader!" Daichi sniffled and wiped tears from his cheeks, then nodded. "No, you asshole. I was just the leader of the school faction. The real leader of the Purple Dragons remains unknown, of course."
Shinji looked confused. "What does it matter if I beat you?"
Daichi let go of him and slumped against the wall, burying his face in his hands. "They didn't want someone who lost to a loser as their leader. I just needed to hold on a bit longer to reach my goal." His voice broke as he began to cry.
Shinji stood there awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Daichi Mori, the leader of the Purple Dragons who had tormented him, was now sitting in front of him, crying. In most stories, the protagonist would laugh at the bully's tears. But Shinji knew he wasn't innocent; his own actions had made him a target for the Purple Dragons. He had bullied a few nerds, and now, faced with Daichi's vulnerability, he didn't know what to do.
Taking a deep breath, Shinji crouched down beside Daichi. "I know exactly how you feel; losing your spot as the strongest. I haven't been in a real fight since my days as the Painless Vendetta, but you get the point."
Daichi wiped the tears from his bandaged face before sighing. "But you did this because you're an asshole. I did it because I had to go up the ranks and get to someone."
Shinji winced at the name-calling but couldn't deny it. He was curious about the person Daichi mentioned. "And who is this person?"
Normally, Daichi wouldn't share such personal details, but he had lost hope. "Fuck it," he muttered, adjusting his position on the wall. He pulled out a locket of a beautiful girl and kissed it.
"Well, three years ago, in junior high, I wasn't popular. I was a total loser, getting beat up, harassed, bullied—the usual stuff. But none of that mattered because I was dating the prettiest girl in school: Kairi Ohma. She was everything to me; my first kiss, my first love, my everything." As Daichi spoke, Shinji sat next to him, eager to hear more.
Daichi cleared his throat before continuing. "Then one day, our three-month anniversary, everything went to hell. We were walking down the street at night when a few members of the Purple Dragons confronted us. I tried to fight them off, but they overpowered me and beat me half to death. Kairi tried to help, but they beat her up too. I heard two of them arguing, and to my horror, they threw her in a van and sped off. I haven't seen her since."
His voice cracked as he continued. "For the next three years, I learned to fight. I trained in MMA and joined Kyoto Kiyomizu High School. When I saw the high school faction of the Purple Dragons, I lost it. I beat them up and decided to take over the faction to climb the ranks and find Kairi. One of the members mentioned the main leader was involved with the VCL, so that's why I needed the scouter and that mma gym. But then I heard that some stupid kid went and beat up my cousins, and they told me in front of the faction. If I denied it, they would've thought I was weak and scared. So I confronted you and beat you up. I used that girl to lure you out because I was wary of your reputation as Shinbo Takanashi's son."
He paused, taking a deep breath. "I put you in that 'slave unit' because I thought you could help me find Kairi, I had to beat you up because the members kept pressuring me to do it. I was so close to being in the major faction of the Purple Dragons, but then you beat me up, and my plan was ruined."
Despite everything, Shinji felt a pang of sympathy for him. Though Daichi had nearly killed him multiple times, Shinji couldn't ignore his pain. He put a hand on Daichi's back and rubbed it reassuringly.
Then, something Daichi said clicked in Shinji's mind. "Wait, VCL? As in Valor Combat League?"
Daichi looked up, nodding, surprised by Shinji's sudden interest. Shinji stood up, a smile spreading across his face as he made the connection. Harumi's dad was the CEO of VCL, Kenji Mizuki. He saw a potential opportunity. "Daichi Mori, how would you like to work at the Dragon's Den Bistro? We can help you get to the purple dragons."
Daichi tilted his head in confusion. "You mean that restaurant with the weird chef?" He muttered then sighed. "Fuck it, what other choice do I have?"
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