It was Monday. As usual, Kiryu Kazuma had come to Etsukawa Girls' to pick up his little sister after school. But he had barely reached the school gates when Chiyoko came sprinting toward him.
"Bro! Something terrible happened! Nanjo-san—she's talking about dropping out!"
Kazuma's mouth fell open. He'd had a hunch last Friday that Nanjo's absence from kendo practice meant she'd been off on some kind of marriage meeting... but he hadn't imagined it would escalate this badly.
Still reeling, he heard a sharp "tsk" sound beside him.
He turned to see iinchō snapping her notebook shut and taking off her glasses.
It was the first time Kazuma had ever seen her without them.
Jingūji Tamamo met his gaze and softly said, "Best of luck."
Kazuma frowned. "Huh?"
At that moment, the screech of brakes rang out behind them.
He turned to see an unremarkable Honda family sedan pulling up.
Butler Suzuki was in the driver's seat. He rolled down the window and called out, "It's urgent. Get in—we'll talk at the dojo."
"Uh... seriously?" Kazuma blinked.
He already had a sinking feeling about what kind of urgent matter this was.
—No way... are they about to drag me into a raid on the Nanjo family?! I haven't even mentally prepared for this...
But despite the snarky thoughts swirling in his head, Kazuma slid into the front passenger seat without hesitation.
Chiyoko was even faster, diving into the back seat. "Is this about Nanjo-senpai?" she asked bluntly.
"It is," Suzuki confirmed. Before Kazuma had even fastened his seatbelt, the car shot off with a roar.
Moments later, at the Kiryu dojo.
Ikeda Shigeru, having just finished his part-time job, was standing at the dojo entrance munching on a meat bun when the sedan screeched in with a fishtail turn, splattering him with mud.
The bite he'd just taken turned his meat bun into a muddy mess.
"Hey!" He might've left his delinquent days behind, but losing his dinner still fired him up. "What the hell—! Wait... Sensei? What's going on?"
The group that piled out of the car had no time to answer. They rushed straight into the dojo.
Ikeda glanced at his ruined bun, sighed, and tossed it to a stray dog watching from nearby with hungry eyes. Then he hurried after them.
Inside the dojo, Butler Suzuki laid out the situation with crisp efficiency—just enough to give Kazuma a clear understanding of what was happening.
Kazuma frowned. "So, she's being forced to marry some scumbag... and they're taking away her chance to go to university? I thought old man Nanjo loved his granddaughter more than anyone."
"Absolutely not!" Suzuki's voice rose. "The master loves the young lady far more than anyone else in the family. But he cannot stand by and let the Nanjo household suffer a serious blow."
Kazuma scratched his head.
Beside him, Ikeda whispered to Chiyoko, "Big Sis, what the heck are they talking about? I don't get it."
"You'll understand once you get into Todai," Chiyoko replied loftily. "Now hush—sit properly."
Ikeda promptly closed his mouth and sat up straight, hands on his knees, obedient as could be.
Kazuma finally tore his gaze from Ikeda and looked back at Suzuki.
"So why come to me? You want me to storm the place and rescue her? You'd be better off doing that yourself."
He wasn't joking. The old butler was a 67th-level karate master. Kazuma was pretty sure, in pure combat ability, he still couldn't match him one-on-one.
Suzuki's expression darkened. "That would be a last resort. Right now, the young lady is extremely determined. If Asakura Yasuzumi pulls anything at tonight's apology banquet at Matsuya, she might very well try to take her own life. That's my assessment.
"If things truly reach the point of no return, I will fight my way in to get her out. In fact, I've already prepared safe accommodations for her for the next five years. But I don't want it to come to that—and I won't be able to stay at her side through the entire banquet. There's a real risk something could happen in an instant, and I wouldn't be able to stop it."
Kazuma nodded gravely.
Had this been the him from when he first transmigrated, he probably would've thought: And what's that got to do with me?
But now... things were different.
Now, he couldn't just stand by while a friend was in danger.
Besides, he was Nanjo Honami's teacher.
A teacher, after all—even if just for one day—is a lifelong mentor.
So there was nothing to hesitate about. This was something he should do. Something he must do.
Not as her boyfriend—but as shihan-dai of the Kiryu dojo, and as her teacher—he had a duty here.
"Tell me what I need to do," Kazuma said in a calm, steady voice. It was the same tone he'd used the day he smashed the Tsuda-gumi.
Suzuki stared at Kiryu Kazuma.
In this seventeen-year-old boy, he sensed a sharp, unyielding spirit.
He had been right all along. The one who could save the young lady wasn't an old man like himself, already halfway to the grave. It was this youth standing before him.
Taking a deep breath, Suzuki began.
"There is a dragon—an old dragon now. Its claws are dulled, its scales falling away, its fangs reduced to a single tooth. It lies weak and coiled in its cave. Though it can still display glimpses of its former might, its era has undoubtedly passed.
"Demons and monsters circle, coveting its treasures and its precious granddaughter. And it no longer has the strength to guard them.
"Each day, it wallows in memories of past glory... each day, it wastes what little time it has left."
Suzuki paused, locking eyes with Kazuma.
"The Nanjo Hiroshi I know would never bow to the likes of that scum. The Nanjo Hiroshi I know held gold beneath his knees!
"The man he is now might earn praise from politicians like Councilman Asakura—but in the past, he would've scoffed at such people. His enemies would never have praised him. They would have feared him!
"The Nanjo dragon is old... but maybe—just maybe—someone can remind him of who he used to be."
Kazuma listened quietly to the butler's speech, gradually piecing together what Suzuki expected of him.
"So I thought you were going to ask me to show off my own worth—to convince him it's worth offending a politician over me."
"Hmph. Do you think a man like Nanjo Hiroshi would risk offending a councilman over a poor shihan-dai from a no-name dojo? Over a seventeen-year-old with an uncertain future?" Suzuki countered. "No one with half a brain would do that. And political animals like Nanjo Masahito certainly wouldn't.
"The only real chance is to make Nanjo Hiroshi remember who he used to be.
"If even you... you cannot do that—then we'll have to resort to the final plan. I promised the young lady: even if it costs me my life, I will save her from a miserable marriage! So I'm begging you—please!"
With that, Suzuki knelt and pressed three fingers together, lowering his forehead to the wooden floor with a sharp crack.
Kazuma clicked his tongue.
Honestly... he had no idea how to remind old man Nanjo of his former self.
But he didn't hesitate.
He decided to ignore the old man's flowery metaphors and approach this practically.
All I need to do is make Nanjo Hiroshi believe that investing in Kiryu Kazuma offers returns ten, a hundred times greater than backing that councilman's son!
And how would he do that? Simple—just talk himself up.
In his past life, Kazuma had been a senior trade representative at a foreign trade firm. Bragging about products to clients was his specialty.
This time, the "product" just happened to be himself.
Clapping his thigh, Kazuma stood up. "Alright! Let's do this!"
Chiyoko instantly jumped to her feet, heading to fetch her sword—but Kazuma stopped her.
"No need for swords tonight. A true man excels both in battle and in words."
Chiyoko blinked. "Bro, you're spouting Chinese again!"
Kazuma pretended not to hear and headed for the door.
"Wait!" Suzuki opened the suitcase he'd been holding. "Here's a suit—tailored to your measurements. It'll ensure you don't look shabby in any setting. I thought—"
"I don't need it!" Kazuma grinned confidently. "Who do you think I am?
"I'm a dragon too. My dragon scales are the finest attire I could wear.
"Lead the way, old man."
Outside the dojo, rain fell softly. The faint fragrance of white plum blossoms lingered in the air.
(End of Chapter)