After Four Months
"Satoru, wake up. It's ten in the morning, and you need to catch your train at eleven if you want to reach Tokyo today," my aunt shouted.
"Yeah, I am getting up, and get the car ready. I will be down in five," I said with a voice that woke up just now.
I got up, completed folding my bed, took my bag, and went down. My aunt was sitting in the car already.
I rushed in with my luggage, and the car started. We both sat in the back. She was wearing a kimono as usual, and suddenly she said,
"Satoru, listen to me. When you go back, behave like how you used to behave when you were a kid, okay? Don't go around causing trouble for your grandpa, okay?"
"Yeah, I won't cause any trouble," I answered, nodding my head.
"And take care of your grandpa, okay?" she asked.
"If you care for your dad that much, come and visit him once in a while," I replied.
"I would love to do that, but I can't," she answered.
"Did you send the parcel that I asked you to send to my dad's shop?"
"Yes."
"Okay, wake me up once we reach the station."
I said it and went back to sleep.
After some time, she woke me up as we reached the station and my aunt told me to go to the platform where the train will arrive.
The announcement said that the train would arrive within five minutes, and I barely managed to get into the train.
The Shinkansen left Hakodate Station. It's the middle of November, and the city was filled with snow. It's a bit sad leaving like that after staying for four months, and I wanted to stay there a bit longer, but the old people won't let me stay there.
I think the three also want to see me, and I need to explain about me going offline for four months. I don't think they will let me off with just an apology. Well, I don't plan to beg them to forgive me.
It would be afternoon by the time I reached Tokyo, so I thought to sleep again once more.
After four hours of journey, I finally reached Tokyo Station, but before going to the headquarters, I needed to eat the things that I missed, so I headed to Ameyoko Market and ate takoyaki, sashimi, yakitori, yakisoba, ramen, and many more.
After finishing all those, the time was five in the evening. If I started then, it would take at least an hour to reach the headquarters, so I took a cab and started.
I don't know why, but I felt a bit sleepy and decided to take a nap.
The driver woke me up after reaching the headquarters.
I got out, and the time was half past six, but my grandpa asked me to meet him at six, so I was half an hour late.
I don't think he will let me off easily, but I should report to him that I arrived.
I entered the headquarters, and when I was going towards the elevator, the receptionist stopped me and asked me who I was and why I came there.
She was the same old receptionist, but I didn't understand why she couldn't remember me.
That was kind of funny. She didn't see me for four months, and she forgot my face?
She asked me whom I came to meet, and I said my grandpa's name.
She asked,
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, he's the one who asked me to meet him," I replied.
"Where are you from, and what's your name?" she asked while picking up the landline.
"Well, just tell him that I came from Hakodate. He'll understand."
I said that, and she made the call.
After that, she spoke with him, and after the call ended, she told me to head to the tenth floor.
I said thank you and left the reception and headed to my grandpa's room.
The whole tenth floor was bustling. I don't know the reason why, but I think all the prefecture captains are here.
I reached his room, knocked on it twice, and entered.
He was sitting alone in his room.
I walked in, and he said,
"So, you're finally here. I asked you to be here at six, but you are late on your first day back. I can't tolerate your insolence."
"Tch, I just arrived, and you started nagging me. Can't you just leave me this once? I am tired from the journey, so tell me what you want to tell me. I need to head back and rest."
I said it with an irritated voice while walking in.
"Shut it, brat. You don't have the pleasure of taking rest, and I know that you took rest for two hours after reaching here, so go down and practice with the others."
He said it in his usual tone.
"You had your men follow me? Now you can't even trust me?"
I said with a surprised tone.
"Well, how can I? After what you have done four months back, anyone in my position would do something like this."
He answered.
"Don't do things like this again if you want me to do what you want. I am not the one who needs you; you are the one who needs me, so behave properly with me."
I said it with an angry and arrogant tone.
He got up, shouting,
"Brat! You are the one who needs to behave. Who do you think I am? Do you know how much the remaining two and I had to go through to keep you from getting kicked out of the Association?"
"Okay, stop it. I understand. That's why you sent me away? Now it will make me look like a coward in front of the others. What should I even tell them?"
I cut him in the middle, saying these.
"We told them that it was your punishment for crossing the line, and I didn't want to send you. That hag didn't back out from getting you kicked out. She accepted on one condition: that is, to send you somewhere else until the tournament starts, and when you return, you should have a fair fight with her grandson—"
I interrupted him again, saying,
"So, if that's what she wants, I will give it to her."
I said confidently.
"You don't even have experience with ki users, so take a week's time and defeat him. He isn't the one whom you took out sneakily."
He said in a worried tone with a worried face.
"You, do you think I am your youngest grandkid? Or do you think I spent these four months doing nothing? Just mind your business, and I will take care of those two. And where are 'they' training?"
I asked.
"That's what I am talking about. You need to change your attitude, and no one is at the same level as before. Your friends are with the other kids training in the JSA training grounds. Do you need a drive?"
He asked with affection.
"Yes, I need a drive."
I said coldly.
"Okay, I will drop you off myself, so let's go quickly."
He spoke.
"Okay, just come quickly."
I said, getting up from my chair.
"I am all done," he said and took his overcoat, hat, and his walking stick.
We both went down together, and a car was waiting for us at the entrance. We entered it, and the car started to move.
Once it started moving, he said, "Will you go directly to the training grounds, or will you go to the Minka?" looking at me from top to bottom.
"No, let's go directly to the training grounds, but why are you asking that?" I asked him.
He looked at me with a confused look and said, "Are you really going to present yourself to others looking like that?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with me?" I questioned.
"Are you really asking me that? Look at you, you are wearing a short and T-shirt. Did you even take a bath?" he asked, looking at me disgustingly.
"See, if you look at me like that, I will jump out of the car, and I took a bath just the day before yesterday, so don't worry," I assured him.
"Really? Are you kidding me?" he asked.
"Ahh! Just stop it, you are making me look like I did some kind of a crime," I said with an angered tone.
"Okay," he said and went silent.
I decided to take another nap and closed my eyes, and after a half-hour journey we got there and my grandpa woke me up.
I left my luggage in the car as he told me that the driver would take it to the Minka.
The car left, and he started walking to the entrance, but suddenly I felt nervous thinking about meeting them after four months. I thought that they wouldn't even talk to me, and that I was fucked.
"What are you doing there sitting like that while putting your hands on your head?" he asked me, turning back.
"What do you think? Will they forgive me for leaving without saying a word and returning like this?" I said in a sad tone.
"Ahh! What am I looking at? My second grandson, who isn't afraid of anything, is afraid to meet his friends? This is a big issue," he said in a mocking way.
"And whose fault do you think this is?" I said while standing up.
"Stop chickening out and hurry up," he said and went in.
I followed him. As we went further in, I could hear the kids shouting and the sounds of the swords clashing.
We both entered the ground. All of them were on the right side of the entrance at the center, as the entrance is to the left of the rings.
I went to the left of my grandpa to hide from my friends.
As we went towards the rings, all of them stopped sparring and walked towards us. They formed lines and stood in silence.
We went to the center of the stadium, and when we reached them they all paid their respects while bowing.
After that, my grandpa started his speech.
"I told you all that a new student will be coming today to join you all, right? The one standing behind me is the one, so please get along with him from now on, okay?"
All of them answered, "Yes!" loudly.
"Come out. Don't hide behind my back as if you are a child. You are grown up now," he said, feeling embarrassed.
"I am not afraid of these people, I am just feeling a little nervous about meeting them," I said and came out feeling shy and stood beside him.
"Now introduce yourself to them," he commanded me.
I got no other option but to obey him in front of all these people.
I closed my eyes and bowed down and said, "I am Fujiwara Satoru, nice to meet you all," and got back up.
All of their faces were shocked, as if they were thinking, Is it the same guy we heard of?
"Now you introduced yourself, right? Let's search for a partner for you to duel and see if you have gotten rusty or not," my grandpa said with a cunning smile on his face.
He looked at all the trainees present there and called a familiar name, and it was "Keiko," to my surprise.
She didn't change at all, the same poker face and the same stunning figure and face.
I don't know what happened, but Keiko looked a lot sexier while she was walking towards us.
She was wearing a tracksuit. Not just her, but all the others in there were wearing the same outfit.
She came near us and stood beside me. She was not even worried or nervous and wasn't even opposing fighting me.
I grabbed my grandpa by his overcoat and pulled him aside and whispered, "I didn't come here to fight her, I came to fight the baldie, but I don't see him here, so I'll just leave and, as you said, I will fight him after a week, okay?"
He then removed my hand and whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder and with a neat, dignified smile, "I already announced that you will spar with her, and can't I get the privilege to see how much you have grown during the four months? I can't go back on my word, and won't they call you a coward if you back off now? So just spar with her."
He said it and went to the trainees and said that the spar would start in ten minutes.
All the other students should go and sit in the audience stands, and the two of us should warm up before the match starts.
He left for the audience stands.
All the students also started moving.
It was quite noisy as they were all chatting about me, and someone from the crowd said, "You came pretty quickly for your training. Where did you hide all these months, kitty?" laughing.
Another person said, "If you are that curious, why don't you ask your grandma?"
The second voice felt a lot familiar, so I walked in the direction of the voice, and it was Kenji who said it.
He was facing a guy with a buzz cut, piercings, and a height shorter than me, and that face looked a lot familiar.
He turned his head, facing me, and said, "You, don't you remember me?" with an irritated face.
I got a feeling that I saw him somewhere before, but I can't remember him or where I met him.
He then walked towards me and said, "You have grown a lot, kid. Now do you remember me?"
I remembered him suddenly and said with a surprised expression, "Oh! I remember you. You are the baldie, how could I forget you? I was just confused a little. How are you? Is your hand alright?"
He didn't get angry at all, as if he knew I was trying to agitate him.
He smiled and said, "My arm? It's perfectly fine, see for yourself," and he removed the glove on his hand.
It was stitched back, as there were marks left behind. I guess that was the reason why he was wearing a glove.
"So, you got it stitched, huh? Pretty impressive, can you move it like before?" I asked him.
He answered while putting back the glove, "You'll see for yourself once you spar with me, so don't rush."
"You are as cocky as always," I said, looking away from him.
"You sound even cockier than me for someone who has returned after four months, and shave your beard and moustache before coming here tomorrow," he said while leaving.
Who does he think he is, ordering people around?
Kenji and Akiko were just behind us staring at me.
I couldn't say anything to them, so I walked away to fetch myself a sword and warm up a little.
All the trainees left the ground, and Keiko started warming up already. She's taking this spar a little too seriously.
I just got here today and I have to fight her? What a tragedy.
I don't think I can win against her.
There's only one solution for this.
The time was up, and both of us were asked to get to our positions.
We both got to our positions, and the referee blew the whistle.
Quickly, I raised both of my arms, dropped the sword, and said, "I surrender."