Chapter 18: The Birth of Rekka

Bonus chapter because I am in the zone

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"Yes, I have. Is that wrong?" Kei said, his voice sounding slightly defensive.

"Chill bro, I'm worried about you," Toya said, trying to ease the tension. "Is there something bothering you? Tell me, maybe I can help."

"Even if you tell me what you can do? You have no money," Kei said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"Are you having financial difficulty? Shouldn't your dad handle this?" Toya asked, his concern growing.

"My dad," Kei chuckled bitterly. "That guy left us with tons of debt and ran away."

"When did this happen?" Toya asked, trying to get a better understanding of the situation.

"A few months ago," Kei said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"How much debt did he leave you with?" Toya asked, his mind racing with the implications of what Kei was telling him.

"1 Billion Yen," Kei said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"That much?!" Toya was surprised by that amount. 'If it's in USD, it should be around 5 to 7 million. Damn, that's a lot.'

"Yeah, and if I don't pay it early, they will come to my house," Kei said, his voice filled with despair.

'No wonder he has been too matured. I thought it was normal just like in Naruto, but if I don't help them early, Kei's mother will likely become a slave. Fuck, what should I do?' Toya thought, his mind racing with ideas.

"How many days do you have left?" Toya asked, trying to assess the situation.

"Two weeks, approximately," Kei said, his voice barely audible. "I don't know what to do now. I have tried many ways to get money, but it's just not enough."

"This is why both of you look tired," Toya said, his heart aching for his friend.

'How can I help them? They are important to me. I don't want them to become a lifeless husk of emotion. My father would not help, and Hikari is out of the picture,' Toya thought, then suddenly, an idea came to his mind. 'Giran. Looks like I have to work early. But if I don't find Giran, other brokers would do. I ain't letting my friend's life get destroyed right in front of my eyes.'

"Kei, wait, I'll find a way. Trust me," Toya said as he left the room, his mind already racing with ideas.

Kei was a bit confused by that statement. "What do-" The door got closed.

"What does he mean by that?" Kei asked himself, his mind racing with possibilities.

As Toya went down the stairs, Ayumi saw him and asked, "Why are you hurrying? Is there something important you need to do?"

"Yes," Toya smiled and said, "Smile, smile."

With that, he left the house, Ayumi just smiled as she heard that. It had been a while since she had heard that coming out of Toya's mouth.

Now, Toya quickly ran to the nearest shop that sold masks before checking his wallet. "I have about ¥99,000. Let's find a mask and gloves," Toya said, his mind already racing with ideas.

He bought the clothes he needed and quickly returned back home.

When he got back to his home, Shoto was surprised to see Toya with a bag of clothes. "Onii-chan, what is that?" Shoto asked, his curiosity piqued.

"New clothes, but by the look on your face, you want something from me?" Toya already guessed what his little brother wanted.

"Umm," Shoto played with his finger. "Do you have something for me?"

"Here, take this," Toya gave him a pack of cards. "I know you like collecting cards of heroes. In this pack, Otou-san is in it."

"Really? Yay, I love you, Onii-chan," Shoto jumped in happiness and hugged his brother before quickly showing it to their mother.

Toya walked in the direction of the stairs and before he headed to his room, he said to his mother by raising his voice, "Okaa-san, can you inform Otou-san that I will not train with him today?"

"Okay," Rei replied, her voice filled with concern for her son.

After a few hours had passed, Enji returned home and cleaned himself up to get ready for dinner. The smell of delicious food wafted through the air as he sat down at the table.

While they were waiting for the food, Rei said, "Toya said he didn't want to train for today. He must have something to do."

"Hmm, maybe he wants to test his new technique? That could be the reason," Enji said, his mind already racing with possibilities.

After they had dinner, Enji asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "Toya, are you making a new technique?"

Toya, who was busy devouring his food, looked up and said, "Yeah, you could say that."

"What technique are you creating?" Natsuo asked, his curiosity piqued.

"It's a secret," Toya said with a smug face, enjoying the attention he was getting.

"Aw, come on, tell me," Natsuo pleaded, his eyes wide with excitement.

Even Shoto jumped in, "Tell us, Onii-chan."

"No," Toya said with a smile, enjoying teasing his younger brothers.

They had a great dinner, talking about various things, and after that, Toya headed back to his home and prepared for what was to come.

"Let's rest a bit and wait until everyone is already asleep," Toya said, his mind already racing with ideas.

12 o'clock hit as everyone in the house was already asleep. Toya woke up and put on his clothes, his heart racing with excitement.

"This will be interesting," Toya said with a grin as he put on the mask, ready for what was to come.

[Image Here]

Toya opened his window stealthily and jumped out, walking away from his home in search of some thugs. He moved quickly, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.

Once he was far enough away from his house, he flew up into the air and headed towards the nearest city. When he arrived, he sat on the ledge of a building, scanning the area like an owl in search of prey.

Then, he spotted a group of men gathering in a dark alleyway. Toya jumped over the ledge, feeling the wind hitting his face as he fell. He created a wave of flame from his palm, landing safely on the ground without injuring himself.

"A kid," the thugs were confused by his sudden arrival.

"Do you know where to find Giran or any other brokers?" Toya asked, his voice firm and confident.

The group of thugs looked at each other and let out a chuckle. "A kid asking us if we know any brokers. Haha, this is a joke. Go home, kid," one of the thugs said, trying to dismiss him.

"Can you just tell me?" Toya said, his voice growing more insistent.

"No, you're still young. Go home," another thug said, trying to intimidate him.

"If you guys don't want to tell me, I'll make you," Toya said, rubbing the back of his hair as he walked towards the thugs.

"See this kid? Who does he think he is?" one of the thugs said, trying to belittle him.

But then, Toya flew right in front of the thugs who had spoken and grabbed the guy's face, slamming him down to the ground. The other thugs were taken aback by his sudden show of strength, unsure of what to do next.