Kowai paused for a moment, her back to me. Then, without turning, she replied, "Do as you like."
The gate clicked shut behind her, a suited guard giving me a sympathetic look before locking me out completely.
The clang reverberated in my chest, leaving an ache that felt far heavier than mere rejection.
In my humiliation and rage, I ran home, stumbling through the empty streets until I collapsed at my mother's feet.
I wept the entire night.
Embarrassing? Very much so!
Did it ignite a burning desire to become stronger, and make Kowai-san eat her words? Also yes.
My father visited only once a year, every autumn. And the next morning, he was preparing to leave again. His silhouette stood framed in the warm glow of dawn.
I clenched my fists and ran to him.
"Father!" I called out, my voice trembling with newfound resolve. "I… I want to be strong!"
That was all I said.
That was all I needed to say.
Father smiled. Mother paled. Cherry froze.
.....
….
..
Long story short, that weak, sniveling boy from six years ago is now standing here, facing Kowai-san, after years of grueling training in Thailand, China, India, Russia, and some sneaky excursions back into Japan.
Looking back, the risks I took to get here were insane, but all I wanted was strength.
Those six years were a blur of endless challenges—training in harsh conditions, meditating under frigid waterfalls, and surviving LIFE-THREATENING combat drills.
I even dodged something called "The Awakening," which sounded ominous enough to steer clear of.
I bet they'll lock me up in a boiling pot or something, then IF I survive; "Wonderful, Makoto-kun. You are now awakened!"
But if I don't survive… well, I don't know…
Let's just say, it wasn't exactly the reward I had in mind.
Awakening? Yeah, it can go to hell.
I came back home. If Kowai-san didn't love me for who I was... Then there's nothing I can do except try harder, or give up.
And sometimes, we just need to know when to give up.
"Makoto... You've gotten strong, huh?" she muttered, her voice carrying an uncharacteristic warmth as her lips curled into a faint, genuine smile.
Eh…? This is so unfair, Kowai-san. If you smile at me like that… I might actually… cry.
"You've worked hard, right?" Her soft tone pierced straight through my defenses.
I struggled to hold back the tears, but it was pointless.
"DAMN IT! I'm supposed to be a strong man... Why is this water of weakness leaking from my eyes?!" I blurted out involuntarily, my voice cracking.
"You fool."
YELP!
Before I could react, Kowai-san was already in front of me, mere inches away.
I didn't even sense her moving. She could've smeared beauty if she chose!!!
"Crying doesn't make you weak," she said, her voice gentler than I'd ever heard. "These tears, particularly, are a manifestation of all your hard work and accomplishments."
With that, she raised her hand—soft as cotton—to wipe my tears.
Her delicate touch, combined with the rare tenderness in her expression, made my heart race.
For a moment, I allowed myself to believe this was the Kowai-san I had always dreamed of.
Heh, this Kowai—SMASSSHHHH!
Yep.
And then I was slammed into the ground with such force I left an imprint in the grass.
"What is the meaning of this, Kowai-san?" I muttered, flashing her my best handsome, movie-star smile.
She wasn't buying it.
"Akira-sama wants to see you. Now." the ice queen returns.
"You could've just told me and waited for my polite refusal instead of slamming the divinity out of me!"
"Oh, sorry. Do you refuse?" Her tone was flat, her former emotionlessness back in full force.
I gulped.
There was no good answer to this.
Agreeing meant facing Akira, and declining would mean… well, I don't know. Pain?
Before I could think it through, my instincts took over.
I twisted my body and swung a kick aimed for her face. She let go of my arm but effortlessly blocked the kick with a single hand.
For her to shrug off my attack like that… I was right.
I had suspected it from the moment I saw her again at school: Kowai-san wasn't just strong—she was stronger than me.
And worse, she knew it.
"Why do I have to see that self-absorbed ponytail?!" I yelled, leaping a safe distance away—about seven feet—just in case she tried something again.
"I do not question my mistress when ordered," she said, her voice soft and calm.
But there was a razor-sharp malice beneath her words that sent a chill down my spine. "If she says she wants to see you, then I'll drag you from the depths of hell if I must."
"I… I'd rather see you!" I blurted, trying to salvage the situation. "You know, to catch up a bit."
She looked away, her expression unreadable.
After a moment, she said, "That is unnecessary. I already have a good idea of what you did abroad."
My heart sank.
What?! She's bluffing.
There's no way she could know.
But if she's saying she knew about my time abroad, that would mean she also knows about—
"Your father's work?" Kowai-san interrupted my spiraling thoughts, her gaze locking onto mine like a hawk's.
Father's work was highly classified, the kind of secret that only the most powerful people—state leaders, maybe—would ever learn about.
My blood ran cold.
My face paled.
This is bad. This is really bad.
Did she find out while looking for me? If so, this could be my fault.
Anyone who learns about my father's work faces two options: they're either forced to join… or they—
"Or they disappear?" Kowai-san interrupted again. "Is that what you're thinking?"
Is she...an esper?!
"Don't worry, I'm not reading your thoughts." She smiled, maliciously.
MALICIOUSLY.
"How I'm supposed to believe that now?!"
"I know everything you did abroad, from your trip leaving to Thailand, down to how you decided to return. Makoto... I've been watching you."
Scaryyyyyyy!!!!!!!!
I ran away from a terrifying awakening, only to meet another terror!!
But maybe she doesn't know anything delicate...?
"What else do you know?" I asked.
"Hmmmm." She put a finger on her lips.
It was as cute as hell. "I know about your first."
PFFFTTTTT!!!!!
"Wh-Wh-What are you talking about?! I'm a pure virgin!!!" I yelled in retort.
"I meant your first kiss, what are YOU talking about, pervert." Kowai-san stated, deadpan.
I became flushed.
Damn it! How is this girl able to affect me this much after all this time?!
I'm still dancing on the palm of her hand.
"Don't worry." She added with a smile.
I felt no emotion in it though. "I know your father's organization, and they know me."
Huh? What does that mean?
I'm I safe to feel unsafe with this woman...
Is she insinuating she's a figure worthy of knowing about my father's work without repercussions?
Maybe she's part of it... or something similar!
There's so many things I want to ask her...
But she wasn't having that.
"Makoto, tell me already; are you coming to see Akira-sama or not."
She said that, but what my instincts heard was, "Makoto you have two choices; see Akira-sama and live... You, figure the second choice out."
Arghhhhh, Akira again?!
She annoys me even when she's absent!
I have to put my foot down here!
I looked her in her brown irises. "No. I want to talk more with YOU." I declared.
Kowai-san frowned bring her gaze downward, a shadow of something unreadable passing over her face. "Sigh... So stubborn, Makoto." Her voice dropped to a dangerous calm. "I hoped you'd make this easy."
Before I could finish hearing her voice, a gust of wind swept past us, and in front of my face was a fist.
Point blank.
I was definitely going to take the hit.
But my body moved on its own, to the side.
The wind from her fist brushed my cheek like a slap from a thunderstorm, and my heart thudded in sync with the resounding crack of her strike against the tree.
THUDDD!! Came the thunderous sound that echoed with Kowai-san's fist colliding with a tree behind me.
The position where her hand hit the tree had sunk in, smoke and smell of burnt grass emanating from it.
"I'm surprised you dodged that. Your trainer certainly put you through the wringer." Kowai-san uttered, casually removing her fist from the tree.
My bones ached, I hadn't moved like that in my life.
I couldn't help but wonder if she'd always been this terrifying. She exuded the calm of a predator who knew victory was inevitable. Her eyes gleamed with a deadly mix of amusement and challenge.
I've done many near-death trainings, so maybe my body reacted to that?
Bloodlust, maybe…
"If you stop resisting now, I'll spare you a world of hurt." She announced, slowly moving towards me again.
Yes! Yes, I surrendeeeeeerrrrrr!!
I almost screamed that, but before I could;
"Uhm, actually, I'm sorry, Makoto."
For what?!
"As a man who has trained and labored for his strength, it's too rude—even for me—to ask you to give up without a fight."
The tension in the air thickened like fog as Kowai-san's words hung over me.
"I'll respond to your resolve," she declared, her tone calm but laced with a menacing undertone.
Her movements flowed like water as she shifted into an unfamiliar stance, almost as if she were drawing something in the air.
Resolve?! What resolve, you gorilla bunny?!
Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run, but my legs had turned to jelly. My instincts told me to surrender and grovel, but my pride refused to let me.
I'd spent six years training for moments like this—or at least, I'll like to think.
Mrs. Garcia, help me!!