Chapter 224 : Kudou Michi

「…Margo-sama, please take care of Master」

Michi glared at her sister as she speak.

「Roger…Yoshida-kun, stay behind me」

I go to Margo-san’s back.

Nei-san came to my side.

「…It’ll be fine!」

She smiled looking at me.

MInaho-neesan is staring at Michi.

Yukin came close to me.

She grasped the hem of my suit tightly.

「…Yukino, you’re scared?」

Yukino sent me a glance…

「Shut up…」

Yukino’s trembling lightly.

「You coward! Relying on weapons, you’re not a martial artist!」

Kuodu Haruka is hysteric.

Michi…

「I’m not a martial artist…」

She stares at her sister with sharp eyes.

「I’m the shield that protects my lord and the word that moves according to my lord’s command…!」

Suu…haa1

Michi’s peculiar breathing echoes in the dark theater basement.

「The original『Kudou Style ancient martial arts』…changes you to a『lethal weapon』with no will」

A『lethal weapon』with no will?

「Aneue…let me show you the end of life. Even if Aneue was born from the『Kudou』house…it would be a waste to die without seeing the essence of this work…!」

Michi said.

She dumps the red whip and throwing knife on the floor.

「…Why?」

Kudou Haruka’s surprised.

「Once again…you want to fight with me bare hands?

Michi ignores her sister and head to the four followers.

「…Come! 」

As if sliding around…Michi heads to the four people.

「I will take down the four of you…!」

Michi approached without hesitation and the four Karate girls trembled…

「You see…humans have a sense of distance where they will reflexively refuse when stepped in by others…!」

Margo-san said.

「That’s basically the range where you stretch your hand straight. Everyone hates『others』entering that zone. Their『survival instinct』sends a signal of『danger』…!」

Michi invades the refusal distance of one of the Karate girls!

「…Hii!」

The Karate girl reflexively thrust out her fist to Michi…!

…Then!

The girl’s body flies in the air and her shoulder falls on the floor!

Michi used the momentum of the fist to throw her off!

「…You can be passive properly. Ladies?」

Michi’s cold eyes fuel the fear of the three remaining Karate girls.

「…Toaaaaa!!」

They attack Michi all at once!

「…Suu…haa…suuu…!!!!!!」

Michi’s body shakes like jellyfish in the waves, she evades the three people’s attack swaying.

「…Aaahnnn…doouuuu…toroaaaaa…!」

Michi scoops from down the ankle of one girl’s kicking leg…!

She twists the joint of the elbow stretched out by the another girl…!

At the moment the final girl tried to grasp Michi…her body flipped and she thrust the girl’s throat from below…

「…Gueeeeeee!!!」

The three girl’s anguished screams overlap.

Each of them fell on the floor and groan in pain…!

「…The four of them are now unable to fight. As an athlete, I didn’t give them any injury to hinder them so it’ll be fixed after a week rest. Please continue to practicing with your friends after this」

Shoulder…ankle…elbow…holding down the throat, Michi expressionlessly talked to the suffering Karate girls.

「…You may have been tempted by Kudou Haruka but, if you experience this, you’ll go back to the world of sports」

Margo-san told the girls.

「You have rules, and fight one-on-one on a place where there is a referee, don’t you? Our world doesn’t have that. There’s no fouls nor referee. And…the number of opponents would differ in time and place…!」

Smiling…Margo-san looks at Kudou Haruka.

「Michi and I have been training 1 vs. many. In addition…you have to protect someone…!」

…That’s right.

Margo-san kept hunting delinquents and Yakuza at night town.

…She takes down multiple opponents while protecting Nei-san.

So that was an actual training…

「…S-Scary」

Yukino clings to me.

…Seriously.

I embrace Yukino’s shoulder tightly.

「Now then…Aneue」

Michi once again looks up her sister.

「…『Kudou style ancient marital arts』 secret is on the breathing method」

Again, she waveringly…shaking irregularly apprach her sister.

「The whole secret of the martial arts is to…feel the enemy’s『Qi』interrupting that『Qi』and create a『gap』and and attack…」

…『Qi』?

「Look…Japanese likes to say『read the air』don’t they?」

Margo-san smiles at me.

「In that case the『Qi』flows in the『Air』 Humans are『individuals』who hold separate wills, but they’re a『en masse creature』who needs to live in『groups』 Therefore they take care of their『qi』so they can communicate with other people’s『qi』 『Group』that conforms a matching『qi』 The ability to sense『Qi』and synchronize themselves is a power every human is born with…!」

「Then…the essence of『qi』is breathing2 Match the『breathing』with the opponent…match the rhythm of the pulse. Those who completely synchronize their『qi』synchronizes the biological body rhythm itself…!」

Margo-san…Michi?!

What are you guys talking about?

I don’t get it.

「Consequently…the mystery of martial arts is to synchronize the 『qi』with the enemy and freely『detach』from the synchronization」

Michi said.

「Drawing your opponent to your own『qi』world…and swallowing your opponent I guess. That is the『qi』synchronization. Then…at the moment, they’re swallowed in, you can strike them by withdrawing yourself from the synchronization…and taking the enemy’s gap to attack」

…Margo-san.

I see, Margo-san’s fighting style is always surprising the enemy.

She creates a gap in their mind and reap it quickly.

「But…『Kudou style ancient martial arts』is different…!」

Michi’s body sways again.

「『Kuodu style ancient martial arts』never synchronizes with the enemy’s『qi』 Refusing to match the『qi』…they always shift the focus of the opponent’s『qi』 Therefore…we can do this special breathing other schools can’t immitate…!」

Shurururu…suuu…suuhahahahaaaa…suuu…suuu…!

An irregular…unstable breathing.

Michi’s『breath』extends to the darkness with an eerie rhythm…

「Father seems to be fooling around when fighting because…the essence of this is to not let the enemy realize your breathing method」

Wearing a fancy dress on purpose…strange weapons and and clumsy manner…

It is so the enemy won’t notice the special breathing method…

「Then…aneue. You will receive our ancestral skills with your life…!」

Michi’s body bends…!

She jumped to her sister’s bosom at a tremendous speed!

「…hyaaaaaa!!!」

The frightened sister thrusts out her right fist in reflex…!

Kudou Haruka’s right arm bent on an impossible direction!

「Gya!!」

It’s my first time hearing the sound of people’s bone breaking

「Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!」

Yukino clings to me.

Margo-san and Minaho-neesan calmly watches.

「Prepare yourself!!!」

Michi’s hand approaches Kudou Haruka’s neck!

…Shit!

If this continues, Michi would really kill her sister…!

I have to stop her!

But…Yukino’s clinging is getting on my way…!

I can’t move quickly…!!

「You two! What are you doing!!!」

A woman’s scream came from the stairs…!

「Don’t move…I’ll shoot!!」

In the middle of the stairway…a woman holding a postol…!

…That is.

「Michiii…stop this!!!!!!!」

That is…

Michi and Haruka’s mother…

Kouzuki security service general security department…Kudou Etsuko.

「…Michi, stop」

Using the gap Kudou mama created…I speak to Michi.

「The enemy’s not killed yet however?」

Michi ignores her own mother holding a gun and answered me.

「I said『with the intent to kill』…I didn’t tell you to『kill』!」

Michi lowers her hand aiming at her sister’s windpipe…

「I follow Master’s orders」

Then, she throws down her elder sister’s body on the theater basement floor like throwing garbage

「…Bugaaaaaaaaaaa!!」

Kuodu Haruka with a fractured right arm screamed loudly.

「What have you done!」

Kudou mama rushes over her daughter in hurry…

「Even though I told you so much not to fight Haruka seriously…!」

…Does that mean?

Kudou mama…she’s Kudou papa’s childhood friend.

Of course…she knows all of『Kuodu style ancient martial arts』

Even what happens if Michi seriously fight her sister…

「Aneue has become my『enemy』…」

「Do you intend to kill your sister!」

「…If it’s to protect my lord then there’s no other way」

「Don’t be stupid!」

Michi’s mother pulled her.

Michi didn’t avoid it.

「…You’re just like that man… He can ignore his own family members just for『Kudou style ancient martial arts』and irrelevant matter!」

Kudou mama scolds Michi with a demon look.

「I’m the successor of『Kudou style ancient martial arts』before being your daughter…」

Michi answered without changing her complexion.

「If you’re the『enemy』of my lord…even if it’s my sister, mother, even father, I will fight them…!」

「…You’re Crazy」

Kudou mama insults Michi.

「…Haruka, are you okay?」

The mother calls out the sister whose arm is broken by the little sister.

「I just broke the bone in the upper arm, it’ll be fixed right away. It’ll take more than half a year to recover but…she can still go Karate」

Margo-san said with a smile.

「A guard of a『prostitution organization』shouldn’t speak that proud!」

Kudou mama turns her anger to Margo-san.

「What about you?…You’re just an employee of a security company aren’t you? Don’t be so arrogant as you’re not someone who’s not even stuffing her face on the underground world」

「I’m an employee of Kouzukiu security service! I’m different from you…!」

Kudou mama turns her disdain to『Kuromori』…

「…A woman who’s having an affair with another man than her husband shouldn’t be selfish」

Michi tells her mother.

「You’re just a child, don’t criticize your parents!」

Kudou mama tried to slap Michi again…!

…But.

This time, Michi avoid her mother’s hand.

She poked her mother’s neck.

Kuodu mama then fell on her back…

「Michiiiii…yoouuuu…!」

Kuodu Haruka looks up at her sister while enduring the pain in her arm.

「Even though you’re that strong…you’ve been hiding that from me all this time?」

Kudou Haruka sheds tears of regret.

It seems that she can’t agree that she lost to her sister with an overwhelming power difference.

「I was ordered by this one to not win against Aneue」

Michi calls her mother『this one』

She no longer wants to admit Kudou Etsuko as her mother.

「Mother…why…?!」

Kudou Haruka looks up at her mother while crying.

「This girl is a child of『Kudou style ancient martial arts』 This girl has been thinking the way of『Kudou style』since she was born. Even though nobody taught her, she understood how to fight using『Kudou style』…no, no matter how much I taught her, she can’t understand the rules of ordinary combat sports. She’s a girl who can’t do anything but『Kudou style』…!」

Does that mean?

「…I’m not interested in fighting as a sport. A definite 1 on 1, time limit, foul moves…I can’t understand the judgement of a refereee. Is that even related to real『combat』…!」

Michi’s only interested in『actual combat』killing each other seriously.

「This girl’s a genius. He said. There’s no one as precocious as this child among the successors of『Kudou style ancient martial arts』…but」

Kudou mama speaks hatefully…

「This girl’s power can only be used in the『underground world』at current times. She’s a meaningless genius…!」

Kudou Haruka looks up at her sister.

「Then…her not winning on a karate match against me…」

Margo-san speaks.

「Michi-san’s already an adult so she tries to respect the rules of a Karate match. Therefore, she’s confused. Michi looks for a way to beat down the opponent surely regardless of the rules. That is largely framed by the martial arts of karate so she can’t do it as she want, she’ll lose」

「Yes…I can’t move freely in Karate’s frame」

Michi confessed.

「Michi…since when you were convinced that you could win against me?」

The tree years older elder sister asked her little sister.

Michi…

「Ever since I was at the age of consciousness, I never felt inferior to Aneue…!」

「You thought that I was weaker ever since you were born? You’ve always been making fun of me all this time…!」

Tears of frustration and hate falls down.

「…I’m very sorry」

Michi bows her head to her sister.

「Either way…this world is impossible for you. You should go back to the world of sports with your friends」

Margo-san spoke coldly to Kudou Haruka.

「Dammit…everyone knew and mocked me for being weak…dammit!」

Kuodu Haruka trembles as she cry.

「Either way, my talent is only this far…I’m so weak that I can’t even beat my little sister…!」

「Since I knew this would happen…I told Michi to not fight Haruka seriously and yet…!」

Kudou mama glares at Margo-san and Minaho-neesan.

「…I hate you all. I’ll never forgive you」

Margo-san…

「No…her weakness isn’t her talent or her body」

Kudou mama and the elder daughter looks up at Margo-san with eyes of anger.

「Her weakness is her heart」

…No

…Heart?

Even Michi’s not strong at all…

「Michi…」

Michi reacts to my call.

「Yes…Master?」

「Throw away your house at this moment…dedicate your life to me and Misuzu」

「…Certainly」

Michi turned to her mother and sister.

「Farewell. Thank you for raising me this far. I express my gratitude to the two of you」

「Michi…what are you saying?」

The mother’s surprised.

「I have completely become the『Kudou style ancient martial arts』successor, both in body and mind. I can no longer go back to you, my『family』anymore」

Michi…

「Please dispose all of my personal belongings. I’m sorry for giving you trouble…!」

「Michi…don’t be ridiculous!」

Her sister shouts.

「As a warrior…I met my lord to devote my life to. I will follow this road. Stay in good health…!」

I…

「Misuzu and I will be taking Michi. She’ll be living for our sake. She’ll give birth to my child…!」

Michi who’s been expressionless towards her mother and sister…had her spine shivered.

「…Master!!!」

Michi earlier said that the 『original『Kudou style martial arts』is turning oneself to a『lethal weapon』with no will』

In short…Michi hasn’t thought how should she use her overwhelming combat power on her own.

As a warrior…she believes to dedicate all her power to her lord.

It is as Misuzu said…

Michi needs a person to『dominate』her

If there’s no one…Michi will be crushed by her own power.

「Stay by Misuzu and my side. You only need to think about Misuzu and me」

「Yes…certainly」

「Don’t make that face…I’ll treat you the same as my friends. You want to be loved by Misuzu and me don’t you?」

…Michi

「Yes…master」

「Then, take an attitude that would please Misuzu and me…our pleasure is your joy. Isn’t that right…Michi!」

「…I will bear that in mind」

then…Michi smiled clumsily.

Well…this is fine for a first time.

「Let’s kiss…Michi」

I embrace Michi.

「Please…my everything is Master’s. Please do as you like」

I pile my lips with Michi.,

Kudou mama and her the elder sister looked at us bitterly.

「I’ll never forgive you all…I’ll use everything to take you down…『Kuromori』…!」

Kudou mama speaks her curst to Minaho-neesan instead of me.

「We don’t intend to ask forgiveness from anyone however…」

Minaho-neesan replied with cold eyes.

「We are risking our lives for our own survival. If Michi-san isn’t under his and Misuzu-san’s rule…then we won’t be accepting her…!」

「Kuodu Michi-san…welcome to『Kuromori』!」

Nei-san said with a smile.

…Michi

「…Thank you」

She said and bowed her head.

◇　◇　◇

Kudou Mama called the medical team of Kouzuki security service.

The four Karate girls and Kudou Haruka received emergency treatment.

Kudou Haruka’s broken arm is braced.

The other girls also had the parts Michi hurt, fixed.

「I think it would be painful but…we can’t make a fuss in the theater right now. Walk on your feet and get out of the building. Okay?」

udou mama told her daughter and the girls.

It’s before the opening of the『Japanese traditional dance symposium』」

They can’t call in ambulance in the theater…

They had to be taken by the Kouzuki security service personnel outside in a place where the performers and the guards from famous houses can’t see.

It’ll hurt the honor of the company…

「I’m sorry…mother」

Kudou Haruka apologized only to her own mother.

「It’s okay…director Yamaoka had prepared a car for you all」

Using that car…Kudou Haruka and others would be brought to the hospital.

「By the way, Haruka-san!」

Nei-san calls her.

「…You do remember your first promise, don’t you?! Ushishishi」

The first promise…

If she lost to her sister…Kudou Haruka would be a prostitute of『Kuromori』only once.

「…What?」

Kudou mama shows strong vigilance…

Kudou Haruka…

「Even I intend to stay in the Karate. I won’t go back to what I said…!」

The karate girl who had her arm broken by her sister swore to fulfil her promise.

1. That’s breathing sounds ↩

2. This is Hamon ↩