Macho Man Doesn't want a Slice-of-Life

"You left the unit two years ago. Still working as a merc?"

"Yeah, but I was recently hired by Iwami Heavy Industries." Muteba laughed. "They offered a huge sum, said I'd be someone's fighter. Between the woman and the money, I agreed."

"I'm guessing the woman was the bigger draw."

Rinji remembered clearly—back then, whenever his team went off to visit certain establishments, Muteba's expenses were always the highest.

He once looked at the expense report and genuinely doubted whether any normal person could spend that much in a nightclub. How could one man blow through that amount in a single night?

Still, Rinji signed off on the reimbursement.

They parted ways after Rinji transferred to the Middle East operations division, and Muteba became a free agent again.

"Speaking of Iwami Heavy Industries... aren't they in the arms business too? But all sales are under IW control." Rinji smiled. "Didn't expect you to end up working for them."

"I refused at first. But the money was too good." Muteba grinned darkly.

Then he remembered something and asked, "Are you a fighter too, Lieutenant?"

If Rinji was one of the competitors, Muteba would withdraw from the Kengan matches immediately.

After spending time with him years ago, Muteba knew Rinji's strength. It was something no normal human could handle.

Unlike most fighters who sought victory, Muteba sought survival. That was the mercenary mindset—maximize gains and minimize risk.

Fighting Rinji was not a calculated risk—it was a suicide mission.

"No need to worry. I'm not a fighter."

"That's a relief."

Muteba smiled and finally noticed Karura beside Rinji.

"Not bad, Lieutenant. Got yourself a girlfriend?"

"Yep."

"Heh, you've finally reached the age where you need a woman, huh?"

"Don't lump me in with guys like you who gets rock hard with every girl they see. We're just dating for now," Rinji laughed. "Killing requires efficiency—dating is all about the process."

That said, Rinji was also the type who'd go straight to the marriage office if someone confessed to him. His understanding of romance was purely theoretical.

Incidentally, most of that theory came from Ishigami Yu.

"Then I'll leave you to enjoy the process." Muteba chuckled and turned to leave.

He wanted to reminisce more with his former superior, but clearly now wasn't the time.

The main tournament still had a long way to go.

---

When Rinji brought Karura to the deck, they arrived just in time for sunrise.

The ocean sunrise was breathtaking, the eastern sky stained with vibrant orange and red.

The two stood at the railing, watching the sun slowly rise.

To be honest, neither of them cared much for the scenery. If they hadn't become a couple, neither would've bothered coming out. What they really cared about—was each other.

Rinji stared at the sun for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to Karura.

Maybe it was the sunlight, but his cheeks reddened slightly. He gently touched the back of her hand with his own, then mustered his courage and held it.

He glanced at Karura's reaction—she didn't seem to mind at all.

Which made sense. She was already aiming to make babies. Holding hands was nothing to her.

"Oh, right."

Karura turned to him and said, "Can you send me a copy of that photo we took together?"

"Of course."

Rinji let go of Karura's hand, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and opened the photo album.

After the two exchanged LINE accounts, Rinji sent Karura the photo they had taken together.

Karura smiled happily after receiving it, her finger tapping the phone screen repeatedly.

"What's up?"

"Since Rinji is my future husband, I need to let people know."

Karura held her phone screen up to Rinji.

She had posted their photo on Twitter, complete with some youthful and lively emoji-filled text announcing that she had a boyfriend.

Though she lacked common sense in some areas, she was still a high school girl in her prime. With the influence of her surroundings, she was familiar with these trendy things.

"I see… Oh right, I forgot I should post something too."

Rinji slapped his forehead, picked up his phone, and posted the photo as a status update with the caption: "I finally found a girlfriend, hahahaha (^_^*)"

"Send."

The post was now live on his feed.

"Mm, perfect."

It was just past sunrise, around 5:00 AM. Everyone was probably still asleep, so replies would take a few hours.

"Well then, Karura, it's about time we head back," Rinji said with a smile. "If we don't return soon, your great-grandfather might start worrying."

"Okay. Will Rinji come to my room?" Karura asked expectantly.

"Uh… next time."

Truthfully, Rinji was still very cautious about that sort of thing.

---

Around noon, 12:00 PM, Rinji woke up in his room just in time for lunch.

Having just gotten a girlfriend, he had been so excited alone in his room that he couldn't fall asleep. Fortunately, he eventually did doze off.

There were still a few hours until they arrived at their destination. The upcoming main event was the real highlight… though all Rinji really wanted was to go home and register their marriage, Karura seemed genuinely excited about the Kengan matches.

She had clearly said she enjoyed watching him knock people out.

So he stayed.

"Haah… what time is it now…"

Rinji yawned and reached for his phone beside the bed.

And what he saw was alarming—dozens of missed calls.

"Huh?"