Chapter 10: A Strange Classmate (2)

His coldness bothered her slightly. She realized that she shouldn't pursue him. For some unknown reason, she felt comfortable talking to him. She didn't know why he was able to talk to her like that or why she didn't seem bothered by it. He walked to the park's benches and sat. He took out something from the bag. It was a sandwich he bought at a convenience store. The sandwich was a simple ham sandwich filled with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mustard, pickles, and mayonnaise. It wasn't much, but it smelled good.

Yuuto began eating the sandwich, ignoring Ayame as he sat across from him, staring straight ahead at the fountain in the middle of the park. She decided to sit on the park bench with him. She sat on the leftmost edge of the bench, away from Yuuto. Yuuto took out another sandwich, and as he was about to eat it, he wrapped it back again and threw it in Ayame's direction. She caught it without a thought. "Here," he told her. "Why?" Ayame asked in confusion, "Give it back if you don't want it." Yuuto said as she looked at the sandwich, which was still wrapped in packaging. "It looks pretty good, actually."

"Just take it," he insisted again. Ayame unwrapped the packaging and ate it. "Thanks.", she said with her mouth stuffed with food." She devoured the food, causing her to choke a little. Yuuto took out a small bottle of water. "Here, drink this..."

She did as he told her. "Hey, don't drink it all. I only have one bottle.", Yuuto told her. Ayame drank some of the water before she finished eating the sandwich. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. "That was a good sandwich," she told Yuuto with a grin on her face. He took the bottle and drank the remaining water.

"Why do you have such strength and skill at fighting? I've never seen someone fight off those many upperclassmen with weapons unarmed," she asked, curious about his story. He stared at her, eyes staring straight into hers, "Well... I happened to meet a tourist who turned out to be a master of Muay Thai." He explained. "He taught me "If you want to kill, use Muay Thai!!" and that I should use my knees and elbows as much as possible." She smiled when she heard his explanation. "Wow~ that's amazing, Yuuto!" Ayame responded. "But I don't understand. Why did you not join a school that focuses on martial arts? You might be able to go pro from there." she continued. "I just wanted to become strong. Plus, I prefer street fighting. No rules, no gloves, just pure and unadulterated carnage.", he said as he looked into the sky, avoiding her stare. "What about you? Why did you choose this backwater school?" He asked her.

"Ummm.." Ayame was caught entirely off guard by Yuuto's question. She hesitated for a while, wondering what to say, but decided to tell him the truth. "To be honest, It was because of my father's work. So we bought a new place and transferred to the nearest school".

Ayame and Yuuto talked until it was already evening. She had melted the ice that isolated Yuuto. She had been so engrossed in talking with him. She wondered why she cared so much about him? They were just two strangers that happened to meet in school for just a few weeks. "It's already late. My mom is probably home now. Goodbye Yuuto!! Next time, teach me, Muay Thai, okay?" she announced, getting up quickly.

The dream was slowly falling apart as Ayame was beginning to wake up.

...

"Call... my name..."

"Please... call..."

"My name..."

A whisper from the darkness echoed throughout the empty space.

Unfortunately, Ayame could not hear the voice, begging for her help.

***

Ayame woke up. She was in a hospital.

She looked around and saw people sleeping next to her bed. She noticed her dad sitting beside her bed, looking down at her. He sighed when he saw that she was awake. He reached forward and caressed her cheek gently. "You were really reckless. What were you thinking? We told you not to return to that park..." she heard her mother speak as she stepped into her view. "...and you're alright now? Thank god...you're awake."

Ayame stood up and removed the IV fluid from her arm. "Ayame!? What are you doing? Your wounds aren't healed yet..." her mother exclaimed. "It's none of your business," she said coldly. She walked to the door and attempted to exit the hospital while her mother tried to find a doctor or nurse to stop her daughter from leaving. But before she could make her way past the doorway, three men blocked her while a woman held a syringe with a liquid inside it, mostly like a sedative or some kind of tranquilizer.

Ayame activated Meikyou Shisui before the three men could restrain her. The men lunged at her, intending to knock her to the ground, but Ayame evaded before doing a straight knee kick on the man's jaw. He was knocked to the floor and groaned as the remaining men tried to grab Ayame. Ayame evaded their attacks by pivoting sideward or moving backward.

Her mother looked surprised. "A... Ayame?! What are you doing?!" She asked as she ran over.

Seeing the opportunity to attack, Ayame ducked down and grabbed the back of the man's lower leg, knocking him to the ground. She did not allow the man to recover and followed up with three swift strikes, striking on his chin and nose. He fell unconscious on the ground. The last man tried to run away and call for backup, but he lost his balance as Ayame struck his lower leg. He crumpled on the floor. Ayame then finished him with an elbow to the nose. Blood spurted out of his nostrils, and he was out cold.

With everything accomplished, Ayame looked toward her mother, who was standing near the doorway, watching her with shock on her face. She exited the hospital, ignoring the staff and her mother's shouts behind her.

She knew where the hospital was, so she could just walk back to the school campus. The distance was quite far, and it would most likely take several minutes or an hour to reach the school campus.

Ayame did not care how far it was, "I need more power," she whispered to herself as she moved toward the direction of the school campus. The anger on her face was palpable. She wanted to kill that girl who destroyed the park and stabbed her in her chest. And if anyone else was involved, she intended to finish them too. Her goal was revenge against those responsible for the destruction of the park and insulting her memory of Yuuto.

But first things first, she needed to heal her injuries and understand the concept of cultivation even more.

She arrived at the campus.

When she got closer to the school building, she found that someone was waiting outside for her.

He wore black clothing, which seemed to blend perfectly with the night sky. His hair was silver-white, almost like a wolf's.

His eyes were deep blue and piercing as they gazed upon her. He was tall and slender.

There was something familiar about this guy.

She immediately remembered he was the same guy she had met on the road after the entrance ceremony. He was the same guy who was fighting and later killed the cultivator.

He suddenly walked closer to Ayame. As he approached her, she felt the release of adrenaline in her body and the fight-or-flight response kick in. "This guy... is he here to kill me because I saw him killing a cultivator?"

As she thought these thoughts, the mysterious man came closer and grabbed her hand tightly. He stared intensely into Ayame's eyes as though trying to read her mind. Then he spoke, "Don't be afraid, little one."

"Little...? How old do you think I am!?" Ayame demanded angrily as she pulled away from his grip.

The man smiled faintly and replied, "Your age does not matter much to us. You have potential beyond our imagination." He placed a finger on her forehead. There was no pain or discomfort. It was just like touching a human being, only stronger. "You possess incredible strength but also a great weakness. We will help you grow strong enough to defeat all enemies."

"I gave you a copy of the Asura Warpath Sutra and Divine Origin Manual inside your head. It will accelerate your cultivation, but only if you can endure the excruciating pain that comes along with it. This process cannot be undone once started. If you don't want to experience any pain, do not practice it." the man explained. Ayame nodded slowly, knowing what she must do next. "Before that, who the hell are you? Why are you helping me?" she asked the mystery man.

The man smiled again and extended his hand toward Ayame. "My name is Lin Feng. And the reason I am helping you is that you are the one who can fulfill my dream." A glint in his eyes showed that he was happy. "What dream?" Ayame asked curiously. Lin Feng lowered his head slightly and answered, "We wish to see the world burn." With those words, Lin Feng disappeared right before Ayame's eyes.

He was gone.

Ayame tried to enter the campus when she was blocked by the guards.

"ID, please." One of them said.

Ayame frowned and said. "I have to get past. I'm a student here".

They stared at her blankly for a few seconds.