[Kuzan Pov]
'Mitsunari Tokugawa'
A name I am all too familiar with. I remember reading Baki at night, alone, without a care in the world. The manga was able to draw me in like no other, with the passion of the fighters, the depth of the characters, and even the lunacy of the fight scenes. And now I get to be a part of it. I couldn't contain myself this time; it was too much. A smile crept over my lips and only grew wider—a smile large enough to make the Joker cringe. It was simply too much.
I shook my head and snapped out of my exhilaration. "I need a plan."
I tried to figure out which point of the story I'm at, however it proved difficult since I couldn't think of an event through which I could pinpoint the progression of the story. All of the fights in Underground Arena beneath the Tokyo Dome, were well, underground. 'Plus, the Baki series was infamous for its lack of a stable timeline that made fans furious.'
Regardless, I need to become stronger if I want to be a part of the elite club. 'I can't wait to meet Pickle with everyone.'
"Young master we are back. I will make dinner for tonight while you both change. Your aunt should arrive in an hour or so from the airport." I heard Uncle Ikaria shout from outside my room. "Looks like I got distracted again." I muttered to myself. I got so caught up in my research that I didn't even realize that the school day had passed until I heard Uncle Ikaria's voice.
I walked across my room to the bathroom and took a quick shower. I couldn't stop my mind from wandering even in the shower. 'The things I can do now, the things I want to do. My God, I just can't stop thinking about them.' I felt a strange heat touching my body. For a second, I thought it was the temperature of the water that had changed abruptly because I had accidentally moved the shower handle. However, I quickly realized that the heat wasn't coming from the outside but from within me. My chest—no, my heart—felt ablaze. I could feel the water around the shower curtain evaporating from the heat; it was exhilarating.
"Kuzan! Aunt Lizi will be here any second" yelled a young voice with excitment.
I quickly turned the water off and hopped out of the shower. I then dried myself off with a towel and changed into something more business casual to fit the occasion. Walking downstairs, I met Melissa who was already changed and was waiting for me to get dressed.
"Really Kuzan, you are boy, you are supposed to get dressed faster than me!"
"Oh Melissa, its not like she's here yet."
As if the universe were hell-bent on making sure I lose face, I heard the tires of a limousine screech to a stop outside our front door.
A beautiful, 30-year-old woman with scarlet red hair and dark black eyes ran out of the car and pulled Melissa and myself into a bear hug before we could say hello.
"Ara Ara, oh my god my beautiful neice and nephew have grown up so much in my abscence." the woman said with voice carrying a hint of innate seduction.
"Aunt Elizabeth, its only been two weeks since we last saw eachother." I said trying to break out of the attack unsuccessfully.
"I know Kuzi, and I have been remembering you guys everyone second. Don't worry, I plan to stay this time for atleast a year long." said the woman while turning her head towards my sister. "Cookie, why don't you help me unpack my suitcase. I'll give you a sneak peak at the toys I brought back from Ireland for you guys."
"Yay!, cough, ahem, I mean ofcourse I will help you unpack Aunt Lizi, otherwise what kind of a neice will I be." said my sister while trying to hide the selfish motives behind her actions.
I quickly followed behind the two speedy demons and called out to Uncle Ikaria who was busy setting up the table for dinner.
After my sister helped my aunt unpack, we all quickly sat down for dinner.
"Good afternoon Mr. Ikaria, its nice to see that you are doing well. I hope that Kuzan and Melissa didn't bother you too much while I was away."
"Not at all, Lady Elizabeth; they are always a delight."
The two adults continued to exchange some pleasant conversation until the pot roast was ready. The dinner was scrumptious to say the least, infinitely better than the soulless hospital food I was force fed before.
"So Kuzi, I heard from Cookie when we were unpacking that you skipped school again? Isn't it the third time this week, what's wrong Kuzan? Is the school getting too boring for you? Your dear sister is so worried about you my dear. She had tears in her eyes."
"I wasn't worried Aunt Lizi! I was just telling you so you can speak some sense into him, hmph." replied my sister for me.
"Don't worry, Aunt Elizabeth. It's just that I have been taking some time off and trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life."
"What do you mean, Kuzan? Do you not want to carry on your dad's business? I remember my husband telling me that you were a prodigy in business or something. I am sure you were interested in that too."
"Uh," I hesitated, trying to figure out what to say next. I needed to convey my intentions while ensuring my actions were not suspiciously unlike the previous Kuzan's.
"Well Aunt Elizabeth, you know I have always been bored by school. If I wanted, I could pass the high-school exams at any moment. I have recently been getting bored from learning business too, so I spent some days off school trying to find a new passion."
"Oh, and did you find one yet my cupcake?"
"Yeah, I want to learn how to fight!" my aunt was probably amazed by my outburst of energy.
From my memories, Kuzan was usally a reserved boy despite his genius intellect for business and economics. Thankfully, he knew how to put on the mask of niceness and professionalism, skills crucial in the business world. His ability to hide his thoughts has been invaluable and I am sure it will continue to be so for me.
"Ara Ara, I have noticed that you have grown a bit more muscular. Have you been secretly working out my little sugar pie?"
That must have been a result of the *System Starter Pack*, I knew making me as strong as an adult overnight while I am only 14 was bound to be noticed sooner or later. I am surprised Uncle Ikaria didn't mention it, I am sure that he noticed but for some reason he refused to mention it to me yet.
"Ah, yes, I've been doing 1,000 push ups, 1,000 sit-ups, and 1,000 squats every single day, Aunt Elizabeth," I said with a fake embarrassed look on my face.
"That sounds wonderful. Maybe I can introduce you to some of my connections in the underworld who can train you, hehe." my aunt said with just enough sarcasm to make me question the validity of the statement.
"That would be wonderful Aunt Elizabeth."
"I want to learn some cool fighting move too!" my sister squaked from beside me.
"Absolutely NOT, my dear moonpie! If you become one of those buff girls, who am I going to dress up in the new princess clothes I just bought?" my aunt quickly screamed, worried that it was already too late and that she would soon lose her precious little fairy. She snapped her head towards me and narrowed her eyes, directing me to her side or bear the consequences of my insubordination.
"Uh, I thought you had a French test tomorrow Melissa? I think all this talk can wait until tomorrow after Aunt Elizabeth has a chance to rest." I said, deploying the policy of neutrality, similar to Ireland during World War II.
"Fine, I need to study anyway. Don't go becoming all jacked without me Kuzan!" my sister rushed out of her seat to go study for the french test that I am 100% sure she forgot about beforehand. Watching her scrambling to get back to her room to study, Aunt Elizabeth and I shared a small laugh at the dinner table.
"So sweetie." my aunt said with question, "Seeing as you have gone from being the intellectual, brooding type to McDream Boat, should I tell my husband that his favourite business partner and protégé has decided to abandon him?"
"Oh, Aunt Elizabeth, you're always so dramatic about these things. I'm still going to have the meeting with Uncle Albert tomorrow morning. In fact, I have a lot of new ideas for upcoming companies to invest in that have guaranteed returns. Then, I think I'll book the early exam to get my high school diploma; it's only getting more and more boring."
"Sounds like a plan, my sugar cookie." my aunt winked at me playfully. "Uncle Albert is a lucky guy to have landed such a beautiful woman."
"Just make sure your sister doesn't become She-Hulk along with you. We wouldn't want that happening now, would we, my dear nephew?" my aunt smiled mischievously at me, with a small gleam in her eyes.
Then again, he has to deal with her eccentricities. But I'm sure that's just part of why he loves her so much.
"No, we won't."