Tokugawa and Mai had never thought that martial arts could be so beautiful.
Watching the confrontation between Shishio and Shibukawa, they felt as if those two had come out from their bodies and became one with the world.
"Wh - what was that?" Tokugawa asked since he could feel the state of Shishio and Shibukawa were so different before that he could only marvel, watching the fight between the two.
Mai was also curious and looked at her boyfriend since he was so handsome before. Shishio might be handsome, but when he was fighting against Shibukawa, she felt that she had become more handsome, which made her curious about what had really happened.
Shishio didn't say anything and looked at Shibukawa. After all, even though he was familiar with the terms of martial arts and had even mastered many martial arts, none of those martial arts originated from Japan, so he didn't know how to explain the mental state that he and Shibukawa had during a fight before.
Shibukawa noticed Shishio's gaze and nodded. "It's Mushin."
"Mushin?" 2x
Tokugawa and Mai looked at Shibukawa curiously.
Shibukawa didn't move from his spot and still lay on the dojo mat, staring at the ceiling, reminiscing about the wonderful state of mind when he fought Shishio.
"It's like Zen." Shibukawa thought for a moment and said, "It is a state of a person's mind that is free from thoughts of anger, fear, or ego during combat or everyday life."
"So what happens after you reach that Mushin?" Tokugawa asked more since it was his first time seeing it.
"When I stood against Shishio, I didn't think of him, his techniques, nor his attacks. I just stood there, forgot all of my techniques, and only followed my subconscious. I understand the uselessness of techniques and become truly free to move. And, I felt that I had become one with earth and heaven."
Shibukawa clenched his fists lightly and felt that state of mind was so wonderful that he instantly understood the use of all the techniques that he had practiced thousands of times.
'If only I wasn't old.'
If Shibukawa wasn't old, he felt that he could continue such a state with Shishio for an entire day!
If Shibukawa did that, the improvement of his martial arts would be faster than what he had trained for a decade!
However, Shibukawa wasn't in a hurry since the improvement he gained was too fast, and he needed to understand them after taking enough rest.
Still, there was something that Shibukawa needed to say.
"Sorry for falling so suddenly, Shishio."
Not only him, but Shishio also gained an improvement that couldn't be imagined with just an hour of a fight.
Shibukawa could feel the eagerness and the strong will that came from Shishio at that time. Unfortunately, his body couldn't support him, and he couldn't become an opponent that could satisfy him.
"It's alright, Shibukawa-sensei. I learned a lot from you." Shishio shook his head and thought that the fight he had with Shibukawa was wonderful, and he had learned many things about Aiki. He knew that he had reached a master level of Aiki, but there were still many improvements that he could do with Aiki.
Aiki was the first martial art that Shishio learned by himself, not he gained by a system, so he was curious about how far he could go with this martial art.
While Shishio was thinking about Aiki, Mai and Tokugawa thought about the explanation about Mushin that Shibukawa explained.
'Mushin...'
Mai and Tokugawa became curious, but in Shishio's mind, a Mushin was simply a "Zone."
Shishio could enter it anytime and anywhere he wanted to, but it was different from other people. When he fought Shibukawa, he activated his "Zone" and "Zone" on Shibukawa, so Shibukawa could use all of his might, techniques, and experiences without being held back by emotions and other obstacles on the body and mind.
Unfortunately, Shibukawa was old, and he couldn't last long.
"How about you, Shishio-kun? Do you understand Aiki now?" Tokugawa asked curiously.
"Yeah, I understand it." Shishio nodded, and his answer brought a smile to Tokugawa, so while the fire was hot, he poured gasoline. "So, will you try to have a fight?"
"......" Shibukawa, Shishio, and Mai.
Shibukawa let out a sigh and thought about Tokugawa's bad habit.
Shishio looked at Tokugawa and remembered that this old guy called him to ask something, but suddenly Tokugawa asked him for a fight?
Personally, Shishio also wanted to try his Aiki on someone, but when he thought about the fighters that fought on Tokugawa's arena...
"Wh - what's with that expression?" Tokugawa felt strange when Shishio stared at him with such a gaze.
Shishio let out a sigh and asked, "Who are you going to let me fight?"
"Hmm..." Tokugawa suddenly fell in silence and rubbed his chin in deep thought.
Shishio would be lying if he wasn't tired, but his body recovery was quick, and as long as he ate, he would be okay.
Mai quickly approached him and pulled him to sit right beside her and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, but I'm all sweaty. Are you alright with it?" Shishio asked.
"It's alright," Mai said with a blush and felt that his sweat smell was nice, but then she quickly asked, "Are you going to fight someone?" She held Shishio's hands and put them on her lap, staring at his eyes straight. While she might have watched him fight in the video and watched him win that fight, it didn't mean that she wasn't worried. "You're strong enough. You don't need to fight." She knew that he was strong enough, so there was no need for him to fight, right?
Shishio patted Mai's palm and said, "It's okay. It isn't as dangerous as you think, and I just want to test the martial art that I have learned from Shibukawa-sensei."
"That's right, Young Lady." Shibukawa also joined and said, "In my youth, I fought many people, so I could test my techniques and became str ---" He stopped when Mai glared at him.
Mai felt that the old people in this place were all rascals, and she just wanted to bring Shishio back, but before she could say anything, her lips were kissed by Shishio.
"..."
Shishio kissed Mai for a moment before he parted his lips. "You don't need to worry, alright?"
"...." Mai kept staring at Shishio for a moment, then let out a long sigh. She leaned on his chest and said, "Don't get hurt, alright?"
"I won't." Shishio hugged Mai as he patted her arm gently. "I'll win."
Mai stared at Shishio and loved this confident expression on his face and wanted to kiss him again, but someone disturbed him.
"Cough! Cough!" Tokugawa quickly reminded the young people that he was here.
Mai looked at Tokugawa with displeasure, but Shishio asked, "So who do you think should I fight with?"
"I have thought of many people, and I think the best person to test your Aiki is Hanayama Kaoru," Tokugawa said without hesitation as he showed a satisfied expression, showing that he had found the right opponent for Shishio.
"....." Shibukawa.
"Hanayama Kaoru? Who is that? A famous martial art?" Mai asked curiously.
"No, he's a yakuza," Tokugawa said confidently.
"....." Shishio and Mai.
"But he isn't a normal yakuza. Instead, he's the strongest yakuza and the second generation of the boss of the Hanayama Group," Tokugawa explained happily, but...
"I refused," Shishio said and felt that it had been a while since he said that sentence.
"Why?!" Tokugawa was confused since he thought he had found a perfect person to try Shishio's power, but he didn't expect him to reject it.
"Hanayama Kaoru isn't even a martial artist, right? Probably, he's a brawler or a fighter, who is only relying on his strong body to fight, right?" Shishio said.
"....."
"While I don't mind fighting him, and I believe that I can win, I'm too lazy to take care of the aftermath," Shishio said.
"Aftermath?" Tokugawa looked at Shishio curiously and accepted the fact that Hanayama Kaoru would lose to Shishio since he could tell how strong the young man in front of him was.
"If he loses to me, won't he try to force me to have a rematch? If I don't accept or if he doesn't accept his loss, won't he attack my family or the people that I care about?" Shishio asked with a frown. While he knew about Hanayama Kaoru, he was pragmatic, believing that he needed to prepare for the worst.
After all, there was no way that Shishio would believe in Tokugawa or anyone else's words promises.
A promise is just a promise. After all, anyone can break it.
Unless they sign a contract, of course.
"Hanayama isn't someone like that!" Tokugawa vehemently denied Shishio's accusation.
"How can you be so sure? Can your empty promise really tell me that he won't do anything if he loses? Or can you control this person so he won't do anything? This is related to people that I care about. If something happens to them, your life won't do much," Shishio said as he stared at Tokugawa. While he didn't mind fighting with a yakuza boss, he felt that it was too troublesome. If something happened to his family or his lovers, what could Tokugawa do?
While Tokugawa might have power and authority, Shishio felt that this guy was nothing but just a spoiled old man.
Mai also strongly agreed with Shishio since she didn't feel that there was anything good about fighting with a yakuza.
"If that really happens, I'll be responsible for your protection!" Tokugawa said without hesitation, but at the same, he sighed since Shishio was too careful.
"Your bodyguard can't even protect you. How can they protect my family?" Shishio asked sarcastically.
"........." Tokugawa.
Shishio shook his head and said, "Forget it. I'll go back first."
"Huh?!" Tokugawa was dumbfounded and asked, "What about the fight?"
"No, I don't want to fight," Shishio said and stood up while helping Mai to stand.
"Why?! I'll give you a house later!" Tokugawa quickly grabbed Shishio's legs, and his eyes were watery on the verge of crying since he couldn't see Shishio fighting.
"......." Mai looked at Tokugawa speechlessly and understood how Shishio could get the entire apartment building where her apartment was located.
"Because you choose an unreliable opponent." Shishio was also speechless at Tokugawa's reaction.
"So, who do you want to fight? I'll ask someone to help you set up the battle!" Tokugawa quickly said.
Shishio thought for a moment and said, "How about someone from the Kengan Match? I think they should have a fighter who focuses on power or strength." He felt that fighting someone from the Kengan Match was more reliable since they still thought about the consequences of fighting someone's rich. Unlike those people in the Underground Arena who were all lawless and weren't that different from a criminal.
"Fighter who is focused on power or strength, huh?" Tokugawa thought for a moment and suddenly got an idea. "Okay, okay, I'll set up the match!" He was excited and was about to call his best friend, Katahara, but Shishio stopped him.
"Wait a moment!"
"Wh - what?! You're not going to stop the fight, right?" Tokugawa wouldn't let go of his phone and hugged it tightly in case Shishio would steal it.
"......"
Shishio let out a sigh and said, "I don't want any audiences. I just want a private fight."
"Okay, but I can watch it, right?" Tokugawa asked.
"You, or the person who is related to fighting, are okay to watch, but I don't want something like a crowd," Shishio said.
"Can I watch it too?" Shibukawa suddenly asked.
"Sure." Shishio nodded, then looked at Tokugawa again. "If you can promise me that, then you can set up the fight."
"Okay, I promise you!" Tokugawa said in one breath, then took his phone and called his best friend, Katahara Metsudo.
Looking at the excited Tokugawa, Shishio could only feel that this old guy was too...
Shishio let out a sigh and decided not to overthink since it was better to go home and enjoy his time with his girlfriends first.
Still, Shishio couldn't wait to test the martial art that he had just learned and wondered who his opponent would be.