The audience in attendance kept cheering, their excitement over the fight not going away, as the scene of Kousuke coming to life again and defeating Megumi was a comeback story only seen to them in movies. Everyone couldn't believe the fight had that much emotional backing driving the two, not just being master and student but how much it meant for Kousuke to surpass her and himself. The Instructors saluted Kousuke's effort, the tears of joy at his passion to win won them over. Not one of them had doubts that he was the strongest in the school, the students couldn't stop chanting Kousuke's name with pride either. Everyone in attendance praised him without fail.
Tatsuya was smiling from the excitement of the match, and he was inspired to write a song about it. So much so he started writing it down immediately with the glee of a child on Christmas opening the presents they had waited for. Ryuji didn't want to admit or show it, but even he teared up clapping at Kousuke's fiery spirit. He was not bothered anymore by the loss on opening day, the level of respect for him right now was genuine, something he rarely did unless it was someone he acknowledged with honesty.
Hiro smiled in satisfaction at the amazing moves of the Gouki Ryu, the moves were truly magnificent to him, including the flame that was used on Megumi in the end which Kousuke created. That version of it felt like a pure flame on par with the purple holy fire only Headmaster Retsu used. The radiance it displayed was a beautiful display he was happy to have seen in his lifetime. Ren smirked before walking off, he wanted to be alone to reflect on his match and Kousuke's victory over Megumi.
"Oy Ren, where are you going, man?" Ryuji asked.
He didn't respond, he was silent as ever. Ryuji shrugged it off, he figured maybe Ren just wanted to go home already.
'Sensei, you were avenged. That woman suffered defeat finally. Hayashi Kousuke, I look forward to fighting you in the future.' Ren looked back at Kousuke with approving eyes, he felt relief like a weight was off his shoulders.
Kousuke let out a hard sigh of relief. He was utterly exhausted from the match, his legs trembled from the exhaustion, and he began to fall backward with his strength gone to keep himself up. Itsuki and the girls thought he would hit his head on the ground since he couldn't stop himself from falling anymore with how tired he was. They were ready to run down and help him immediately before he hurt himself from the fall.
Ryuji ran up and caught him before he could hit the ground just in time relieving the girls of the worry. Kousuke was surprised, they weren't friends or got along all that well, and it felt random for him to help out.
"Huh, what are you doing?" Kousuke asked being caught off guard by Ryuji helping him.
"Oh stop complaining. You're exhausted aren't ya? It only feels right to help you out right now. Can't have it on my conscience if I let you fall."
Kousuke didn't know what to say. Ryuji being nice to him was a surprise in itself. He wasn't good at saying thanks in situations like this, so he decided to mess with Ryuji a bit since that came naturally.
"Oh ho, mister tough guy being nice to me for once. Out of character for you huh? Does that mean I'm forgiven for embarrassing you on opening day and for using your head as a springboard at the mall hahaha?"
"URUSAI!!!!" Ryuji shouted at him, telling him to shut up after he tried to be nice.
Ryuji popped a vein on his forehead from that remark. Kousuke could still get under his skin easily even when exhausted. The two stopped with their antics, and as they both gave small chuckles after that, their beef was over, just their respect for their strengths was now present.
Tatsuya came from behind as well, he wanted to help Kousuke get back to the locker room.
"Hey, I know we just met now but your 'melody' in that fight was awesome. I look forward to your music. Nay, Senpai." Tatsuya gave a playful smile with his remark and thumbs up. Even if they were the same age he still called Kousuke his Senpai since he was at the school in the beginning and was superior to him in his strengths.
The boys walked off to the locker room but stopped when Tatsuya pointed out a small detail.
"Hmm, hey didn't you have a ribbon on your neck earlier? Did it fall off?"
Kousuke panicked, he felt his neck, and Itsuki's ribbon was gone. He looked around on the ground he was standing on, but it was nowhere to be seen.
'No, where is it? Where did it go? It's not here, where is it? That's an important treasure to me, where is it, where's Itsuki's ribbon?'
"Oy, forget something."
Kousuke and the boys looked behind them, Megumi was standing there holding the ribbon in her hands. She began to walk up to the boys, and they all stood nervously with sweat running down their faces afraid she would attack them. With how exhausted Kousuke was and weak compared to her for Ryuji and the rest the idea that she was going to fight them was a bad scenario. Maybe she was sore she lost in the fight or still had lingering effects of her flame magic.
However, she didn't do that though. She instead tied the ribbon back on Kousuke's neck. Kousuke was confused, he didn't see that coming, she did something nice for him after he beat her badly at the end of the fight.
"That's important to you, isn't it? It fell off at the end of the fight. You really should just put that in a locket or something if you don't want to lose it again."
Megumi began to walk off, and Kousuke shook off Ryuji and Tatsuya to bow to Megumi.
"Shishou, thank you. Thank you for everything." Kousuke called out thanking Megumi despite her personality. He didn't hate her, he honestly did treasure her for everything she did for him. To him, she was the only family he had left for now next to Mana, a wild family member, but still family regardless.
"Huh, who's your Master? Not me for sure."
Kousuke raised his head still in the bowing position to look at Megumi.
"You beat me Kousuke. I'm not your Master anymore. We're equals for now. You better keep up your training, you slack off I'll rip off your manhood and feed it to you."
'Can she just compliment someone for once without sounding like a jerk?'
"But, you can still call me Onee-Sama if you want." Kousuke looked at Megumi, she had an honest look on her face. He couldn't help but think she looked cool, even beautiful at that moment.
"Let's eat some barbecue ribs when you're free, now that I'm sure I'm fired for this. Jiyane Toranoko."
Megumi put her hands behind her head and walked off. Kousuke couldn't help but feel emotional at the sight.
He started crying as he bowed his head again, he hadn't cried that hard since Akane died. His heart felt warmth and relief, this moment was important to him.
"Arigato, hontou ni arigato, Megumi Nee-Sama." He said softly and weakly trying to keep it together. Itsuki and the others could see how much she meant to him to thanked her wholeheartedly despite everything that had just happened which made them feel like he did for a second.
The boys helped Kousuke up again when he started leaning toward the ground during his bowing. They started heading off to the locker room before anything else distracted them along the way.
Megumi walked up to the Instructors, they were silent for a moment as she approached.
"Guess I'm fired for sure. Well, let's go out and celebrate anyway. Is anyone up for some hamburger steak and sake? Yankee here is buying." Megumi looked at Barnaby with a mischievous stare, tricking him into a position to pay for a lot of food.
"Qué!!? Why me, you caused all that mayhem. And what's with you anyway? Are you some kinda of Jekyll and Hyde woman? Hey, I'm talking to you."
Megumi walked off smiling mischievously as the others followed behind her scolding her incoherently. Barnaby kept up his complaining during the walk-off spouting everything he had held back the whole time. Megumi turned her head slightly to see Kousuke one more time, she felt pride in seeing him make friends after beating her.
'Kousuke looks like you're not alone anymore. I'm happy for you.' She continued her walk off with Gentaro looking at the boys seeing what she was happy about, giving his look of approval.
In the locker the medics were bandaging up Kousuke, he was whining a bit as he was being treated with every healing salve, needle injection, and even therapeutic massaging. Ryuji laughed at the sight of his complaining, Tatsuya was on his phone texting his agency with lyrics for the fight he witnessed, humming a beat to himself while doing so.
Hiro walked in, cleaning the lenses on his new glasses, he had an announcement for the boys.
"You two leave. He needs to rest up."
"Eh, why us?" Tatsuya questioned at the random request from Hiro.
"Just leave, the whys ' not important." Ryuji didn't say a word but he could tell Hiro had something important to do for Kousuke. Ryuji grabbed Tatsuya to get him out of the room. Tatsuya was complaining about why he was suddenly in a headlock, and Ryuji just ignored it. Hiro took his leave as well, he saw what he was trying to do with the incoming scene down the hallway.
Running down in a panic were Itsuki, Rina, and Natsume. They were rushing to see Kousuke.
Ryuji figured that's why Hiro was helping him out, he wanted to give Kousuke some space for the girls to check on him.
"So you're a nice guy after all." Ryuji joked to Hiro noting a shift in his personality a bit.
"Hmph, nothing nice about it. Just doing what I think is right in this situation. It's not our place to interfere with their happiness."
Ryuji laughed, Hiro wasn't the only one who was acting out of character today.
"Hmm, what, is something wrong here?" Tatsuya questioned.
"Oh shut it pretty boy. We're out of here."
"Itttai, hey, not so tight you're crushing my head."
The boys walked and headed out, even if they couldn't see it from far away they could feel it.
The girls made it to the room, and they hugged Kousuke tightly with tears of joy, Kousuke felt happy as well. He didn't leave them behind, he felt like he had earned his second chance in life finally. Seeing the happiness in their embrace, it was worth coming back, even though he let out a small tear, the happiness he wished for before his first death was here with him, and he was loving it with all honesty.
In the clouds where Kousuke was when he died the black silhouette of the Hunter Monarch was walking alone. He was approached by other silhouettes, one of a bird, a turtle, and a dragon. Each of them looked at the Hunter Monarch with contempt and question.
"What are you waiting for? You found your Partner to contract with. Hurry up and make the bond." The turtle silhouette said with a snake around its body staring down the Hunter Monarch, its voice that of an older man with slow speech tones.
The Hunter Monarch didn't respond, it stood its ground silent.
"Ankou will make their move soon now that our barrier is weakening even more, the boy will need your strength. We can't afford to let them get to him. Stop wasting time and make contact." The bird silhouette commanded with the voice of a woman with overflowing confidence.
The Hunter Monarch continued his silence. He would not answer them.
The dragon silhouette's red eyes shone, he would not let this go on as is. His voice was that of a cold Emperor, one whom loyal subjects would fear if angered.
"Byakurai, as the Hunter Monarch, Lord of the Wilds, you must fight alongside your chosen Partner and aid him in battle. If you continue this ignorant display of pride you will suffer the consequences. Thus I, Rekkamaru, the Legend Monarch, Lord of the Divine Beasts, command you."
Byakurai didn't listen, he turned to walk off from his comrades. All of them were at their wits' end with his stubbornness and pride. Byakurai stopped to speak to them. His voice sounded the youngest of the four as if he were in his mid-thirties with a gruff tone in it, the tone of someone who had lost too many loved ones, living with a vengeance in his heart.
"I will do things my way. I won't follow a child who got lucky in his fight. My partner will always be the one who saved my last child while you did nothing for my other cubs and mate. Do what you want. You're old and weak in my opinion."
Byakurai continued his walk, the other Monarchs couldn't stand his arrogance. He was the youngest of them and the newly crowned Monarch, but he was powerful, his strength was needed for what was to come.
"What shall we do Rekkamaru? We have yet to bond with our chosen ones. Their awakening has not yet been birthed, he is the only one right now and he won't follow through. How will we make him see action?"The bird silhouette asked.
Rekkamaru was quiet. He too was stumped on what to do to convince Byakurai to change his mind.
"Let him do as he pleases, he may be young, but he hates Ankou more than any of us."
The Monarchs looked below them. Talking to them was a beautiful young woman, the true form of the old woman who kept helping Kousuke.
"Is that your decision then as our Speaker? Do you believe that is the right call?" The turtle silhouette questioned.
"Yes, Stone Monarch. He may be young and brash. But he won't let you down. Ankou killed his mate, your former Monarch in arms and sister, almost all of his children, and his former Partner as well. If any Monarch wishes death on Ankou and their servants the most, it's him."
The Monarchs looked at each other in agreement, they trusted their Speaker's opinion with absolute confidence.
"Very well our Speaker, we leave it in your hands Jabi. Don't let that stubborn tiger do as he pleases for too long. Even we have our limits to his arrogance." Rekkamaru noted to her. Jabi wouldn't let them down. She never did since she was chosen as their Speaker when her calling came.
Jabi nodded in agreement, the Monarchs vanished within the clouds. She turned to look at Byakurai continuing his solitary walk.
'Byakurai, times running out. You and Kousuke need to meet soon. Otherwise, what was all your pain for?'