7 Chapter 07 - New Challenger

The next day.

Miyako is observing Yōta closely when he wakes up.

"Oh!" Miyako faux a surprised face and leans back, "I saw your sleeping face and accidentally fantasized about our married life."

"It must be wonderful." Yōta yawned and slowly brings his body to sit up. "Good morning, Miyako-san."

"It is." Miyako nods her head and smiles brightly, "Good morning, Yōta. I love you."

"It's really nice to be loved by a beautiful girl like you." Yōta said as he gets out of the futon.

Miyako giggles in response and help Yōta to clean and fold the futon, "Yes, you should be grateful."

"I am."

Miyako stilled in her place when she hears that, there's something different with Yōta today, she noticed. It's like he starts to openly accepting her affection.

It's quite nice to be honest.

But before she can ask what's the occassion, Yōta's already leaving the room and headed to the bathroom.

With a shake of her head, she puts the futon inside the closet and then starts to put out Yōta's uniform carefully on the tatami floor before she smiles and starts sniffing her love's underwear.

She's currently in need to refills the Yōtacium to starts her day. She still low on it even after she sniffed Yōta's scent when he's sleeping earlier.

-Scene Change-

After eating their breakfast Yōta, Yamato, Shōichi, Gakuto and Miyako heads to school together as usual.

They also meet Takuya in mid-way from the dorm. Six of them are currently walking by the river.

"Do any of you guys want to take a nap by the river?" Shōichi suddenly asked as he slowly staggers to his feet, still feeling sleepy.

"I thought so too yesterday." Yōta chimed in while stretching both his arms upwards.

Shōichi grins in response, "Then let's do it. It's good once in a while, right?"

"Once in a while, my ass." Yōta retorts.

Takuya also nods his head at that, "You're always like that, Capt."

"What? Nobody wants to skip school with me?" Shōichi pouted childishly at the group behind him.

Gakuto shakes his head firmly, "We have PE in the first period today, so it's my time to show off."

"Is there really no one who want to join me?" Shōichi whines before he suddenly snaps his fingers and points a finger at everyone, "Anyone have a whistle?"

"Of course. It's a necessity for a breeder." Miyako nods her head while showing her whistle to Shōichi.

"I have one here." Yōta takes the whistle from his front pocket.

Gakuto snorts and twirls the whistle by the cord that's affixed to it, "Me too. It's because is entertaining."

"Here's mine." Yamato dangles the whistle between his fingers to show it for everyone to see.

"I don't." Takuya shakes his head. While it's true that the whistle is entertaining, he doesn't have any heart to treat Kazuko like a dog, that's why he doesn't have the whistle like others.

"Can you call for Wanko?" Shōichi excitedly asked.

"Sure." Yōta is the one who answered and then he blows the whistle with unique pattern. Unlike the others who simply blows the whistle to call Kazuko.

Yōta on the other side used a different way of blowing to differentiate his call from the others. Kazuko is the one who suggested this to him since she wants to know when Yōta is calling for her through this whistle.

The sound of the whistle echoes through the area.

"She's here already." Takuya commented from the side as he looks up ahead.

Kazuko comes running from the distance.

"Waii~ Yōta! Did you call for me!?" She excitedly jumps around as she grabs Yōta's hand with her ponytail wagging behind her like a dog wagging their tail when they feel happy or excited. "Oh! Good morning, everyone!" Finally realizing the group are looking at her, she greets all of her friends.

"Yes, I did." Yōta smiled gently at the girl's antics. He starts petting her head, running his fingers over the girl's scalp.

She rumbles happily at the gesture and leans her head even more to the palm that give her the best attention she could have.

"Yo, Wanko. Good morning." Shōichi greets Kazuko back as he raised one of his hands .

"Oh, you're the popular guy for the wrong reasons!" Kazuko points a finger at Shōichi.

Shōichi raised his eyebrows while pointing himself, "Me? Really?"

Kazuko pursed her lips and throws a high kick to Shōichi who evades it by jumping backward, "I wasted a bit of milk because of you!"

"How were you raised to kick someone out of the blue blue for no reason!?"

"It's the Yōta's teachings. I let my body do the talking!" She puffs her chest out.

Yōta puffs his chest out as well beside Kazuko, showing how proud he is for Kazuko. Both are looking so smug side by side right now.

"So, it's your fault, you Wankoism!" Shōichi points an accused finger at Yōta who simply laughed it off, "Anyway, it's good that you come right away when we blow the whistle. It's great."

"Come on! You guys made me this way!" Kazuko puffed her cheeks at the group who simply smiling in response.

Everyone thought it would be fun to train her. That's why they started to train the poor girl from the young age, because of that she's pretty much trained enough to follow any order like a good dog.

"I come properly, so come on." She looks up to Yōta with eyes full of expectation.

"Here, beef jerky for a good girl." Yōta takes out a wrapped beef jerky from his front pocket and gives it to the excited youngest Kawakami.

"Yay! You're the best, Yōta!"

Kazuko jumps toward Yōta and gives the man a big hug. Meanwhile man in question had the biggest dopey smile ever on his face as he lets out a creepy voice.

It's the sound of combination between moan and laugh.

While the others kinda creeped out by that, Kazuko on the other side doesn't really mind that, she's kinda already getting used when Yōta suddenly became like this when she hugs him.

Letting the creepy man to pats her head while hugging her from behind, they started to walk with Kazuko leading Yōta by the hand as she nibbles the beef jerky in her mouth.

"Jealousy..." Miyako mutters to herself as she bites her nail while looking at the duo in front of her.

"Man, this is so embarrassing..." Gakuto covers his face while distancing himself from Yōta and Kazuko.

"I agree with you." Takuya nods his head.

"Just let them be." Yamato shakes his head and eats the mint candy that Reiko gave to him this morning.

"Man, Yōta turns into an idiot when Kazuko gives him a hug is never gets old." Shōichi laughed at the scene like usual. His sleepiness suddenly gone somewhere else.

But then again, when you're together with boisterous group like this, you can't really stay sleepy for long.

"Oh, what is this?" Momoyo suddenly appeared out of nowhere and looks at the usual group, but her gaze pointed to Yōta and Kazuko, "Look at this idiot. He has the biggest dopey smile I've ever seen in life." She shakes her head in fond manner before she flicks the swordsman's forehead, "Secret Technique – Forehead Flick."

It's power is strong enough to blown his head backward and bring the creepy man back into his sense. He stumbles backward as well, trying so hard to balance his body to not fall on his butt.

"What the actual fuck was that for!?" Yōta screams in pain as he covers the red forehead with his hand.

"Onee-sama!" Kazuko happily greets her big sister and hugs her.

The oldest Kawakami reciprocates the gesture and pats her little sister's head with affection. Just like Yōta, she adores the youngest Kawakami so much.

"Man, you're so tough. Even after received that, you're still standing like it's nothing." Yamato commented from the side as he looks toward Yōta in wonder.

As much as he knows, the technique that his Nee-san just used is pretty dangerous. He once seen her deflecting a bullet by using that technique and this man just eat the full force of it like a champion.

"Yeah, even I doubt Gakuto would still be conscious after receiving that." Takuya nods his head in agreement.

"Hey!"

Shōichi suddenly sighs and slumps dejectedly, "... Everyone's here. So just let's go to the school."

Takuya nods in response, "Yeah. There's no point in skipping school and having Oni-Kojima keep an eye on you."

"It's April, so she must be pumped up as the homeroom teacher too." Gakuto chimed in while crossing his arms.

"In that perspective, I'm quite envious of you 2-S. You have Beard-sensei as your homeroom, I bet you guys are taking slow there." Yamato said.

Miyako hummed in response, "Yes, we are. Beard-sensei is pretty lazy and love to throw his responsibility to class rep so he can take it easy."

"Man, you guys sure are taking it easy there." Gakuto raised his eyebrows at that.

"Well, just let's go." Yamato said as he takes the lead, but Shōichi suddenly dashes forward, passing him by and stop in front of them.

"Yamato. It's my duty as Capt to give the command, don't try to steal it." He pointed an accused finger at Yamato before sporting a big grin on his face, "Let's go! The ferocious Kazama Family will sortie! Lead the way, Wanko! Strike fear into people!"

"Leave it to me!" Kazuko replied as she jumps high and kicks the empty air before she lands perfectly on the ground, "Follow after me!"

"Charge!"

While the group's following after their mascot and leader, they could clearly hear Yōta's loud scream and a happy laugh from Momoyo reverberating in the background

"Stop pushing your boobs on me!"

"Hahaha! Just admit it that you like it!"

"AHHH!!!"

"Damn it, that glasses is so lucky! I want Momo-senpai pushes her boobs on me too!" Gakuto's crying a river as he bites his uniform to hold himself from screaming and cursing loudly at the swordsman in the back.

Takuya doesn't say anything but he pats his best friend's back in comfort manner.

All seven of them, with Momoyo's getting piggyback by Yōta, start walking by the river.

"Hm? There's someone by the bridge watching us." Miyako suddenly said as she looks at the bridge not far away from them.

"A man, huh...?" Momoyo commented from Yōta's back as she observes the man, "He does martial arts."

Kazuko plops her fist on top of her other palm, "Oh! Is he waiting for you, Onee-sama?"

"Another challenger, huh?"

Momoyo grins widely in response and jumps off from Yōta's back much to the swordsman's delight, "Interesting. Those guys from yesterday were boring."

Unlike yesterday's group of thugs, a man wearing a dogi is waiting all by himself. He's clearly looking at Momoyo with so much focus, just the way he regulates his breath and Ki, is showing how good he is at martial arts.

"Are you Kawakami Momoyo-san?" The man ask in confident manner.

"Indeed." Momoyo nods her head in response.

"I am Kumono Jyuuzou, a pursuer of martial arts!" Jyuuzou said as he does the natural stance in a way to greet Momoyo, "I wanted to fight the renowed Tesshin-sensei of the Kawakami Temple, but he told me that I cannot fight him unless I beat you first."

"That's how it works." Momoyo smiles.

"Fufufu... Fufufufu... Fuhahahaha!" He suddenly does three-part laugh much to everyone's confusion, "Kawakami Tesshin is nothing but rumors, huh?"

"Hm?"

"Isn't that right?" He sneers, "It is utterly insane to have me fight such a beautiful female student..." He trails off as he stares at Momoyo's body language closely, "!?"

'What is with this girl...!? She has no openings...! And her body may look limber at first, but it is unbelievable trained!'

'She may look like a normal beautiful girl to an ordinary person, but I understand her unreasonable strength.'

"How rude of me!!" The man suddenly bow his body deep towards Momoyo, showing how sincere he is right now, "Forgive me!!"

"You are a strong martial artist! There's no doubt! Please have a match with me!"

Momoyo hummed and looks pretty pleased by the sudden change of the man's manner in front of her as she laughs in delight, "Certainly... Fufufu."

Having people to fight always bring Goddess of War's mood over the moon. And she's going to fight seriously in response to his determination.

"When and where would you like to fight?" Jyuuzou asked.

Momoyo hummed before she drops her hands to the side and taps the ground with her feet, "Right here, right now. Let's start right away. I'm fine with these clothes."

Upon noticing the Goddess of War is currently standing in front of a man wearing a dogi, a crowd suddenly gather around them again, clearly curious about what's happening.

"It's a formal match this time. Keep the crowd away." Momoyo looks over her shoulder and gives a sign to the group.

Everyone nods their heads in response.

"All right, it's not for show today."

"No spectators allowed. Go to school."

While the others are working to keep the crowd away from the area, Yōta simply stands there and suddenly a pressure coming out from him, scaring the crowd away and make them flee in rush.

He simply exerts his own willpower over others to scare them off, it's instinctively making them want to move far away from Yōta.

This action bring the attention of Momoyo and Jyuuzou to him.

"That young man is...?"

Momoyo smiles in Yōta's direction, "Nagakura Yōta, the Young Emperor of today's generation."

"So that's the strongest youth swordsman, huh... Not trying to be rude, but he looks mediocre." Jyuuzou said as he observes the swordsman from his position. No matter how he sees it, the young man looks mediocre at best. "His physique, his breath pattern, his body language, everything about him looks mediocre. But that aura he exerted... that's not a normal swordsman would have... That young man is so weird... His entire being is so contradictory..."

Momoyo couldn't stopped the smile to form on her face right now when she heard that. Yes, she knows how weird Yōta is in martial artists' eyes.

When the first time they set their eyes upon him, what they could see is a mediocre man with a prowess that's not worthy to note.

Only his aura alone that wasn't nothing like a mediocre man would have. It's an aura of veteran warriors would have.

It's an aura of master.

An aura that even Sword Saint, Mayuzumi Taisei couldn't achieved. It's the sole reason why Mayuzumi Yukie suddenly requested a duel between him and her back in the day.

Even her gramps, Kawakami Tesshin, already admitted how contradictory Nagakura Yōta is as a martial artist and swordsman.

Behind that mediocre mask, a monster is living beneath it that will only awake when you poke it the wrong way.

The Kawakamis also already understand what makes the young man to have this kind of condition, the young man himself already told them the reason.

But it's a story for another time.

"I still don't know how you did that, but good job." Yamato gives a big thumb up to the swordsman who did the same.

"Man, I wish I can do that too." Shōichi pouted as he crosses his hands. With that kind of power, he could easily scare a people away by glaring at them. How cool is that!?

He even once seen Yōta used that to knock people out. Can you believe that!?

He simply glared at them and people starts to fall down one by one, unconscious. That's just so cool!

"It's starting." Takuya said, and it's bring the attention of the group to Momoyo and Jyuuzou.

"I can't wait." Kazuko smiled widely as she tries to hold herself back from cheering her Onee-sama. She won't hinder the match by being loud.

Jyuuzou and Momoyo stands face to face by the river. The tension slowly building up and up more with Jyuuzou starts to regulate his breath pattern and Momoyo simply stands there in easy-going manner.

"Kiiieeee!!!" The man suddenly yells like a bird and takes his Kung-Fu stance.

"..."

Everyone who's watching that couldn't stopped themselves to deadpanned at the weird yell and stance.

Even Momoyo looks so unimpressed by that.

'I can see the more I strain my eyes...' The man thought as he observes Momoyo for one final time, '... She's a monster. She's so strong. That the strongest opponent I've fought can't even be used for comparison... How can she be so strong at such young age...!?'

"... I see that you're ready. May I attack?" Momoyo suddenly asked in proper manner as she cracks her fingers and draws her right hand back.

"What!?" Jyuuzou looks startled when Momoyo suddenly speaks before he stutters a confirmation, "Y-Yes."

"Haa!"

"PAAGYAA!!!"

It looked as if lightning flashed sideways. And without even can do anything, the challenger has been blown ten meters away, he's been knocked unconscious with one punch.

"There's the match." Miyako said as she raise her round board with '10 points' written on it.

"I saw it coming." Yōta smiles wryly at the sight.

Momoyo straightens herself out and bows to him, showing her respect to her opponent after battle.

"See my Onee-sama? Isn't she amazing!?" Kazuko finally explodes and cheered for her beloved Onee-sama as she jumps around like a dog on sugar rush.

"We know. So stop jumping around like that. So embarrassing." Yamato said as he takes a few distance away from the dog.

"Yes she is." Yōta chuckles and stops Kazuko from jumping around by holding her armpits and the youngest Kawakami squeaks out in surprise, "Let's make this one to be the strongest too so she can stands beside her beloved Onee-sama."

Kazuko giggles in response and squealed like a kid as Yōta raised her up high, praising her a lot, making the girl gets butterflies in her stomach.

"Hello?" Momoyo brings her phone to her ear, "Yeah, it's me. A guy who challenged me is unconscious by the river. Take care of him."

"It ended so fast like usual." Miyako commented from the side as she twirls her hair in boredom.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, Kawakami Children." Momoyo waved her hand in chirpy manner as she approached the group.

"N-N-N-Nice job, Boss." Gakuto stutters out as he slowly backs away from the Goddess of War. That lightning punch is hella scary.

"You're backing away, Gakuto." Takuya retorts from the side.

"I've contacted my place." Momoyo said while showing her phone before she stuffs it inside her school bag.

Kazuko nods understandingly before she jumps off from Yōta's hold and skipping her way to her Onee-sama, "Then he should be picked up in about ten minutes."

Momoyo smiles and gently pats Kazuko's head.

She takes care of people who formally challenge her. But the ones who lack manners are punished in a way that goes their rudeness.

"It was easy again today." Takuya hummed as he looks at the figure of the unconscious challenger not far away from them, "You never lose."

"... Yeah, you're right." Momoyo mutters under her breath as her gaze dropped down, she looks very unhappy right now.

Only Yōta who noticed that. He understands what Momoyo feels right now. Sitting alone atop the mountain must feel so lonely. She's feeling nothing when fighting nowadays, because it's so easy for her to win.

She feels sad, she loves fighting, she loves martial arts, she loves this world of fighting with every fiber of her being. That's for sure.

But nowadays, fighting is getting boring for her. After her last battle with Kuki Ageha, there's nothing that can make her to feel the joy of fighting like in the past.

But she still believes there'll be someone out there that will force her to go all out, force her to go wild, force her to remembers what fighting feels like.

"One of these days, I'll bring you down." Yōta suddenly said and Momoyo raised her head to see Yōta's determined look directed at her. Her whole body was feel like it was hit by lightning, she simply can't stops herself from trembling in excitement, "I still have a beef with you for drawing nipples on my glasses in our middle school days, after all."

"Wow, dude, you're still holding a grudge over that small thing?" Gakuto raised his eyebrows.

"Small thing you say!? She's freaking drawn them nipples with permanent marker!! And you said that small thing!?" Yōta shakes Gakuto up and down in anger. "And the worst thing of all, she used PINK markers!!! How can you say that was a small thing, huh!!?"

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! So stop shaking me!"

"Not gonna lie, I laugh my ass off that day. The best day ever, hahaha!" Shōichi on the other side clutches his stomach while laughing when he remembers the event as well.

He was there when Momoyo draws the nipples on Yōta's glasses when the man was sleeping in classroom.

"Have to agree with that. That was really funny." Yamato chuckles.

"Yes, imagine my surprise when I'm back from the cafetaria, I saw Yōta's wearing a glasses with pink nipples drawing on them." Takuya holds his laugh by burying his lower face to his arm.

"I'm sorry, Yōkkun, but I'm with them." Kazuko covers her mouth while trying to hold her laugh, but fail to do so. Beside her, Miyako also enters a fit of giggles.

"See!? Just see what you've done!? I'll definitely gonna bring you down!" Yōta shouted in frustration as he grabs his head, "I'll give you the best fight you'll ever experience and then defeat you!"

Unnoticed by everyone, Momoyo's smile growing bigger and bigger by every strong declaration Yōta made.

"Yes, of course." Momoyo chuckles and tries to pushes the flutter she's feeling in her heart and stomach away right now, but with no success at all, "I'll wait for that day to happen."

"Yeah, just you wait!"

"Good!" Momoyo nods her head in joy, the sad feeling that she just felt back then already gone completely without a trace, "Let's go to school! There's the radio show today, everyone!"

With newfound spirit, she leads the group to cross the Bridge of Weirdos.