Chapter 378: The Human Supercomputer and the Spartan's Smile
Sōryūin Shion made a silent vow. When they got home tonight, Sōryūin Akemi was going to be disciplined, thoroughly and properly. First, she would interrogate her little sister and find out what other secrets the girl was hiding. Then, the real punishment would begin. That girl was simply getting too outrageous for her own good.
'Still,'Shion mused, her gaze drifting back to the sparring ring,'I never imagined that the Shopkeeper Ren Ayaka is always talking about would be this skilled in combat. I wonder how she would react if she saw this.'
Lucifer, standing beside her, considered it for a moment. "Doesn't Ayaka-chan claim not to care about that sort of thing? In any case, those girls are probably having a rough time right now. It's their first day back at school after that super-long holiday."
Shion's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Sora, especially, must be struggling. I can't speak for the others, but I have a strong feeling she might just fall asleep right in the middle of class."
"Eh? You think so?" Lucifer tilted her head. "Now that you mention it, she did stay up pretty late playing games last night. Speaking of which..." Her eyes shifted to Hiyama Shunka, who was standing a short distance away, completely lost in her own world. "Miss Hiyama, what are you muttering about over there?"
Shunka didn't seem to hear her, her lips moving in a quiet, continuous stream of words. Curious, Lucifer leaned in closer to listen, and what she heard made her blood run cold.
"Next... pivot left, a jab will follow, slight foot adjustment..."
"Shuffle back... a heavy punch targeting the left bicep... it's a feint, followed by a right jab..."
"Side kick... finish..."
The very instant the words left Hiyama Shunka's mouth, Kaolan Wongsawat crashed to the mat again, felled by a powerful side kick. Lucifer was utterly dumbfounded. Good heavens, was this woman even human?
A disquieting thought settled in Lucifer's mind: the humans in this world were perhaps a bit too extraordinary. Setting aside the professional Combatants, who were a breed apart, one only had to look at students like Sakura Hibiki and Kamisato Ayaka to understand.
Uehara Nana had once mentioned that if Ayaka ever took a solid hit to the abdomen, she would fly into a rage, transforming the fight into a one-sided beatdown. In that state, her punching power could exceed 120 kilograms—a monstrous level of strength for a girl her size.
Then there was that doctor, Hatsumi Sen, who may or may not have already left. That man could supposedly be revived as long as his head remained attached to his body. He had booster devices surgically installed in his heels and had even shaved off a piece of his own thigh bone to fashion a retractable bone sword hidden in his wrist. Yet, for all that, a simple broken arm or leg was still a major injury for him.
And now, there was Hiyama Shunka, who could only be described as a human precision instrument. She had just analyzed Ren's movements in real-time—and succeeded. It was completely, utterly abnormal.
Beyond them, there was Ren himself, an enigma of power. There was Momobami Kirari, whose intellect was a weapon in its own right, and Amou Kirukiru, whose body had been trained into a living weapon. They had all witnessed it on the cruise ship; Kirukiru had casually chopped a glass wine bottle clean in half with a single hand-strike. The cut was so perfectly smooth that Fuji Yumiko had gasped in disbelief.
Lucifer found herself wondering if whatever mythological creator existed had deliberately held back when designing humanity, simply because they were already so frighteningly powerful on their own.
A light, musical voice broke her train of thought. "Wow, Shunka, you're really amazing!" Kurayoshi Rino beamed, her eyes sparkling. "You can even analyze Ren's warm-up movements. That's incredible!"
"Rino..." Hiyama Shunka murmured, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
The sight of Rino's effect on the stoic analyst made Lucifer instinctively take a step back. Good heavens, this woman was terrifying. Her seductive charm was one thing when directed at men, but the fact that it worked just as effectively on women was on another level of dangerous.
"Miss Lucifer," Rino cooed, turning her attention to her next target. "I'm sure Ren has already told you, but I simply must say it myself. You are really, very cute."
Lucifer immediately scrambled to Sōryūin Shion's side, seeking refuge. She had to be careful. If she went out for a day and came home suddenly questioning her preferences, that would be a massive problem!
Uehara Nana, who had been observing the group from the side, finally lost her patience. She slammed the butt of her bamboo sword onto the wooden floor with a loud crack. "You punks!" she roared at her own students. "What are you gawking at?! Get back to practice! Is this the extent of your ambition?! Huh?!"
"Yes, Big Sister!" they all shouted in unison, scrambling back to their drills.
Sōryūin Shion and the others watched the sudden transformation, the corners of their mouths twitching. With a personality like that, could she really find a boyfriend?
Hiyama Shunka was so startled by the outburst that she whispered, "That's... completely Spartan-style teaching..."
Down in the ring, Ren helped Kaolan to his feet. "You've made great progress, Kaolan."
Wiping a trickle of sweat from his chin, Kaolan shook his head. "It's still not enough. I'll be practicing here every day. Feel free to come find me anytime you have a spare moment."
"Hmm," Ren noted with a nod. "It seems you've learned how to balance work and rest. You must have improved a great deal after your time at the Glory Boxing Gym."
Kaolan nodded once more, offered a respectful martial arts bow, and turned to leave. Ren watched him go, twisting his neck to work out a kink. "He really is an unyielding fellow," he said softly, before turning his attention to the gym's owner. "Miss Uehara..."
"Hm? What is it?" she asked, her tone softening slightly now that her students were back in line.
Ren walked over, closing the distance between them. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a low murmur in her ear. "If Kaolan comes by, could you please help me supervise him? I have a specific regimen in mind..." He proceeded to lay out a detailed and rigorous training plan, covering everything from footwork drills to dietary adjustments.
Uehara Nana found herself frozen for a moment, acutely aware of how close he was. His warm breath tickled her ear, and the gentle smile on his face seemed to make her heart skip a beat. She quickly regained her composure, nodding with a professional smile of her own. "You're a very loyal friend."
"Emotions are a resource," Ren replied, his expression sincere. "Once you have them, you must use them with care. That applies to love, family, and friendship all the same."
"Add my contact information," Uehara Nana said, pulling out her phone. "Send me the plan you want to set up later. For now, you should have other things to attend to, right?"
Ren nodded, quickly exchanging contact details with her. He gave a final nod to Lucifer and the others before heading towards the changing room.
Lucifer let out a long sigh. "I can't believe I just spent a whole morning watching two men fight. I feel like that's not exactly a normal way to spend one's time..."
Sōryūin Shion gave her a playful nudge. "Lucifer... you weren't just watching two men fight. You were watching Ren."
"Tsk..." Lucifer clicked her tongue, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "It's two men fighting. If I'm not going to watch my own man, who else would I watch? And don't act so high and mighty, Shion. Weren't you doing the exact same thing?"
Shion simply waved a dismissive hand. "I never denied it. Honestly, Lucifer, you're surprisingly adorable when you're being silly."
"I'm not silly! Shion! We're supposed to be on the same side!"
"Ah... sorry, sorry. It's just a habit."
As they bickered, Ren emerged from the changing room. He hadn't broken much of a sweat, so he'd only needed a quick rinse and a hair wash.
"Miss Uehara, I'll see you next time." He then turned to his other guests. "Miss Hiyama, Miss Kurayoshi, shall we find a place to discuss what you wanted to talk about?"
"Mhm!" the two chimed in unison.
As an excited Kurayoshi Rino eagerly pulled Hiyama Shunka along to follow Ren's group out the door, Uehara Nana stood alone, staring at the new contact on her phone screen. A small, unconscious smile touched her lips. "He might be a playboy," she murmured to herself, "but he's a surprisingly good man... Hehe..."
"Big Sister..." one of her students called out tentatively.
Her smile vanished in an instant. "What are you waiting for?! All of you, get back to practicing!"
"Yes, Big Sister!"
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