Three weeks later
Inside the dojo, Yang and Katsumi stood facing each other.
"Come on, Yang. It gets predictable after the… hundredth time" Katsumi said, sweat pouring down his body—yet he looked completely unharmed.
Yang, on the other hand, was panting like a dog. One fist coiled back, the other extended toward Katsumi. He looked wrecked—nose bleeding, lip split, hair a mess. He could barely stay upright.
"Don't you know anything besides seiken?" Katsumi added.
"Shut up and come at me," Yang muttered, crooking his finger in challenge.
Katsumi frowned and lunged.
Yang's coiled fist fired forward—
—but Katsumi slipped past it with ease.
Despite the nonstop sparring and the state Yang was in, his seiken tsuki was still just as fast as when he was fresh.
As Katsumi evaded, he swung his left hand toward Yang's chin.
For a split second, the color drained from Yang's eyes
Then his other hand snapped out, striking Katsumi's wrist.
The moment it connected, Katsumi's frown deepened. A strange numbness spread through his arm, as if the nerves had short-circuited.
Yang followed instantly—another sharp strike to the elbow.
Now Katsumi's entire left arm felt like it had melted away, useless and unresponsive.
Before he could process it, Yang's fist was resting lightly against his throat.
"1 to 200… haha, not bad," Yang muttered—
Then he collapsed face-first onto the floor.
Katsumi stood over Yang, his expression still tense.
He flexed his left hand slowly. The numbness faded, sensation creeping back into his fingers.
The door slid open.
Doppo stepped inside and paused, taking in the scene. The floor was soaked with blood and sweat—most of it clearly Yang's.
His gaze settled on the boy lying face-down on the ground.
"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Doppo asked calmly.
Katsumi shrugged. "He insisted, cant really say No for a fellow student ."
Doppo sighed at katsumi words then he looked back down at Yang.
"Yang, one of the school staff wants to see you."
"…"
"Stop pretending to be knocked out. I can tell you're awake."
"…"
Doppo sighed. Seeing no response, he rolled up his sleeve
Before he could do anything, Yang sprang to his feet. "Where is he?"
Katsumi stared at him in disbelief.
Does he have infinite stamina?
Even Katsumi, who had mastered his own endorphin control, found Yang's durability and stamina absurd.
____________
Now Doppo and Yang sat side by side, legs crossed.
In front of them stood a skinny man in a worn, wrinkled suit. He looked nervous—constantly wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, glancing at the door as if afraid it might vanish at any moment.
Between them rested a tray with three cups of tea, thin streams of steam rising making the room even warmer
"...Uh… I was sent by the headmaster to check up on you, and—ah—well, you've been absent for more than ninety days," the staff member said, scratching the side of his neck. His eyes darted around the room before settling back on them.
"Relax, mister. We don't bite," Doppo chuckled. "Here, have some of this. It'll calm your nerves."
He picked up one of the cups and offered it to him "Ah—thanks. I mean, thank you." The man bowed slightly as he accepted the teacup—then downed it in a single gulp then placed the cup back down
"So, boy… what do you say to that?"
Doppo slapped Yang on the back. Yang was mid-sip, and the force made the tea splash straight into his face.
Yang wiped it with his sleeve"Tch… about what? I stopped listening the moment he mentioned school."
"Hoh?"
"I'm not going back to school, old man."
"I didn't say anything about you going to school " Doppo replied calmly. "But just so you know, I won't get off easy if the police find out I've been hiding a missing minor in my dojo."
"But still…"
Doppo placed both hands on Yang's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Yang… do you trust me?"
Trust? Why bring that up now?
Trust had always been complicated. The only person he had ever truly trusted—in all his lives—was Ryu.
Still… Master had saved him. Without him, he would've rotted on the streets until he ran into that big bastard and restarted everything again.
He owed him more than he could repay.
"…I do."
"Then you don't have to worry. Out there, no one would dare mess with a Shinshinkai student. Not even the gangsters chasing you."
Yang's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"It doesn't matter whether I knew or not," Doppo said evenly. "All you have to do is trust me—and keep living your life without fear."
"Yes, Yang-kun, you really don't have to worry. At the school, the head of security is an Olympic-level wrestler. No one would dare mess with—"
The staff member stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the completely stoic expressions on Yang and Doppo's faces.
"So… when does school start?" Yang asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"Ah—about that…" The staff member cleared his throat. "It already started a few months ago. Midterms are happening right now, so you'll have to begin as soon as possible."