Chapter 42 - Today, I'll Take You On
The junior high school girl, Fukuzawa Haruna, was indeed the third daughter of the Fukuzawa Family. Seeing Kitahara Hideji and recalling Fuyumi’s swollen eyes and weakened appearance from last night, she couldn’t help but glance at him again before changing her words, “Please wait here, I’ll ask the others.”
Kitahara Hideji didn’t suspect anything and simply thought she was being considerate due to her young age. He thanked her and took a seat as she suggested.
Fukuzawa Haruna turned and went to the back room, then to the partially open kitchen. She returned with a cup of tea and calmly said, “Please have some!”
Impressed by her manners, Kitahara Hideji thanked her again. He had walked quite a bit and was indeed feeling a bit thirsty, so he took a big sip.
However, the moment the tea touched his lips, he felt something was off. It tasted bitter with a hint of astringency and a sour aftertaste. He didn’t want to spit it out in embarrassment, but upon closely examining the teacup, he noticed the words, “Item: Tea with Drugs” floating near it.
He was startled and alarmed. What was going on? Was this still the 21st century? Were there still shady establishments operating like this? Was he being targeted like some modern version of “Sun Erniang” or “Human-Flesh Bun” incidents?
He couldn’t bring himself to swallow the tea and didn’t want to show any fear or confusion. He discreetly spat the tea into his sleeve. Glancing at Fukuzawa Haruna, he saw her quietly closing the shop’s door, as if preparing to deal with an unwanted guest.
Kitahara Hideji immediately became cautious, surveying the surroundings, wary of several burly men suddenly rushing out to drag him to the back kitchen, where they would gut him, remove his organs, drain his blood, and strip his skin, all while smiling at him.
He put on a brave face and said, “If you’re not sure, I’ll go ask somewhere else first.”
Saying that, he stood up, planning to leave. He didn’t want to get involved in unknown troubles and thought it best to leave before things got serious. If it really was a shady establishment, the police would handle it, and he didn’t need to take any risks.
Fukuzawa Haruna turned her head back and saw that his teacup was nearly empty, but he remained expressionless. It seemed that there weren’t many things in the world that could move her emotionally. She said softly, “Please finish the tea and take a rest. I’ll make a call to check.”
She blocked the door and refused to let Kitahara Hideji leave, casually taking out her phone to delay him while observing his expression.
Kitahara Hideji immediately understood that the situation wasn’t going to end well today. He didn’t stop his steps and insisted on leaving. However, Fukuzawa Haruna swiftly picked up a long-handled broom from beside the door, calmly looking at him and softly saying, “I told you to wait!”
There was movement near the entrance to the kitchen hallway, and Kitahara Hideji glanced sideways to see two identical little girls coming out, each holding a wooden stick with a playful smile.
This place really was a shady establishment!
Kitahara Hideji cursed inwardly and reached out to grab the broom in Haruna’s hand. He didn’t intend to harm anyone; he just wanted to leave. It was their territory, and there were a few children here now. Who knew how many more would appear later? Besides, no one else was around at the moment. What if this was a new version of extortion? Their parents might turn the tables later, and he would have to pay for medical expenses at the very least if the police got involved.
However, as they say, the tiger does not harm those who don’t offend it, but once provoked, it becomes dangerous. Although Fukuzawa Haruna appeared calm, she wielded the long-handled broom with surprising agility. With a sweep, she easily deflected his grab and thrust the broom towards his chest, forcing him to retreat several steps.
Kitahara Hideji was truly surprised. During his time in Japan, it seemed like every girl knew how to wield various weapons. They were truly skilled and impressive. He rubbed his wrist, realizing he couldn’t use his Ancient Swordsmanship skill without a weapon. In a direct fight, he wasn’t particularly strong. He also noticed the two younger girls behind him, both holding wooden sticks, advancing towards him with hostile intent. He was really in a difficult situation.
He decided to step aside and find a weapon to defend himself. Fukuzawa Haruna didn’t pursue him, but instead, blocked the door. There were only two exits from the main hall, and she covered one while the two sisters guarded the other. There was no escape for a scoundrel who bullied their elder sister.
She calmly instructed, “Natsuo, Natsuha, don’t get too close. Just block the door. He’s taken powerful laxatives, and he won’t last more than a few minutes.”
Fukuzawa Natsuo and Fukuzawa Natsuha obediently took a few steps back. One of them (it was hard to tell them apart as they looked exactly the same) giggled and said, “Haruna-nee, this time we’re being obedient and helping you. Don’t forget to give us extra pocket money later!”
The other one nodded in agreement and said, “Give us each an extra 500 yen per week, or we’ll turn against you next time.”
Ignoring their demand, Fukuzawa Haruna kept her focus on Kitahara Hideji, guarding against any sudden outbursts from him. She didn’t want a direct confrontation with him; she only wanted to buy time. After all, both she and her sisters, Haruna-nee, were still young and didn’t have much strength. Moreover, she had witnessed the power of the powerful laxative when Fukuzawa Yukari, the “Wonderwoman,” took it. Within five minutes, she was incapacitated by the severe diarrhea. It was impossible for an ordinary person to resist its effects.
Of course, Haruna was aware that the most violent wave of pain would be the one Kitahara Hideji would have to endure. She had to be careful and cautious.
Kitahara Hideji had found a soft wooden stick, probably used for carrying water buckets, and was leaning against the kitchen wall with it. His face had turned grim by now, as he looked at Fukuzawa Haruna calmly and asked, “What do you want from me?”
He didn’t want trouble, but he also wasn’t afraid of it. If someone wanted to harm him for no reason, he didn’t mind leaving, but if they thought he was an easy target to be taken advantage of, he was ready to fight back.
Fukuzawa Haruna remained equally composed and softly replied, “You don’t need to know!” She was not one to talk much, and after saying this sentence, she fell silent. Natsuo and Natsuha beside her became curious and asked, “Haruna-nee, how should we deal with him?”
Haruna answered matter-of-factly, “Give him a beating and throw him into the garbage heap behind the street!” Growing up in this neighborhood, she appeared refined and gentle on the surface, but when it came to fighting, she had no hesitation—street fights were a common occurrence, and if a fight broke out, it broke out. What could anyone do about it? There were no eyewitnesses, and if he claimed he was beaten, who would believe him? Even if something went wrong, the three of them were all underage, and what consequences could they possibly face? Today, they needed to vent their anger for their Onee-san!
Fukuzawa Family’s reputation should never be taken lightly! No one could harm their most respected Onee-san and get away with it!
Of course, she didn’t mention Onee-san’s name to avoid any possibility of him going to school to report her—seeing how handsome he looked, he would probably go and report her!
Her command was given decisively, and Natsuo and Natsuha were not good children either. They immediately became excited, their faces showing the eagerness to fight. They probably had their share of fights with kids their age outside as well.
Seeing that reasoning with them was futile and the other party was acting arrogantly, Kitahara Hideji held the stick firmly and walked towards the door. With a weapon in hand, he felt more confident and ready to take on whoever came his way.
Life is full of unexpected challenges, and if you can’t avoid them, you must face them head-on!
Fukuzawa Haruna calculated the time and found it strange that he still seemed steady on his feet. Considering that he had only consumed half a cup of the suspected drug, she suspected that the effects might take a bit longer to kick in. Determined to continue stalling for time, she held the long-handled broom forward, assuming the Chūdan-shiki stance.
Kitahara Hideji’s wooden stick came into contact with her broom, and Fukuzawa Haruna swiftly attempted to knock his stick away. However, her strength was far from Fukuzawa Yukari’s or even Fuyumi’s level. Kitahara Hideji easily parried the attack, countering with a horizontal strike that forced her back a step. He followed up with a “roll the sword” move, knocking her broom aside and then swiftly striking her wrist, causing the broom to fall to the ground. Not stopping there, he inserted the wooden stick under her ribs, trying to push her aside.
Natsuo and Natsuha, seeing that Kitahara Hideji had already started, and Haruna-nee was quickly being overpowered, acted in sync, silently wielding their long sticks to strike at Kitahara Hideji’s head and lower back—extremely sneaky moves.
However, Kitahara Hideji seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He swiftly turned around, using Haruna as a shield. Natsuo and Natsuha were clearly experienced in fighting too, as they instantly adjusted their strikes to avoid hitting their sister. One aimed for Kitahara Hideji’s face, trying to obstruct his vision, while the other targeted his wrist, attempting to free their sister first before further actions.
Haruna exerted all her strength. Though she couldn’t gain a foothold due to Kitahara Hideji’s clever evasion, she desperately clamped his wooden stick under her ribs to create opportunities for her two younger sisters.
The three sisters, united in purpose, had a certain level of skill and seamless cooperation. If it were an ordinary adult, they might have been able to beat them even without resorting to drugs. However, Kitahara Hideji’s combat prowess was honed through numerous battles in the Meditative Battle system. He had “died” close to a hundred times, gaining experience and an overall advantage in physical fitness. The outcome was clear in an instant – using clever techniques, he managed to flip Haruna onto Natsuha’s head, causing the two sisters to collide and fall like a rolling gourd. He then disarmed Natsuo and pulled Haruna up to slam her back to the ground.
Haruna’s ambush had failed, and she was now lying defeated on the ground. While her expression remained calm, a hint of slight panic appeared in her eyes as she protected her sisters. She asked with doubt, “You didn’t drink the tea?”
He had obviously consumed only half of it!
She was trying to figure out the reason for her failure; this wasn’t what she had planned. According to her script, Kitahara Hideji, this pretty-boy, should have fallen apart without a fight after a slight delay.
Kitahara Hideji pointed the stick at her head and chuckled, “Next time, try the drug on yourself first before using it on others. The tea tasted foul… Enough with the nonsense, tell me why you tried to ambush me, and bring your elders out!”
Now leaning against the door, he was no longer in a hurry and intended to settle the score with this shady establishment.
Haruna regained her composure, remaining silent but regretting her actions. This was her first time using drugs on someone, and she should remember this lesson for the future. Natsuo and Natsuha, huddled together, seemed more resentful than afraid as they blamed Haruna, “We told you we couldn’t handle it, but you insisted on doing it yourself. Now, what should we do?”
“Yeah, we couldn’t even beat Onee-sama and Yu-nee, so how could we manage this? Haruna-nee, you really messed up! I said we should have informed Onee-sama and Yu-nee beforehand!”
They shifted the blame, and Kitahara Hideji hesitated for a moment before sensing something amiss. He couldn’t help but point the stick at Natsuo and Natsuha, asking, “Are you both from the Fukuzawa family?”
Could it be that Onee-sama and Yu-nee is referring to Little Radish and Yukari?
The door behind Kitahara Hideji was suddenly pushed open with great force, and an angry voice shouted, “Why are you closing the door? Do you want our family business to do even worse?”
Kitahara Hideji turned around and saw a giant paper bag filled with fresh vegetables. Below the bag were two small, short legs, black knee-length socks, and shiny round leather shoes.
The bag moved aside, revealing half of Fukuzawa Fuyumi’s face. When she saw Kitahara Hideji, she was momentarily stunned. Then, her eyes fell on the stick in his hand and the trembling figures of her three sisters below it. Her eyes instantly turned red, and she angrily yelled, “You dared to attack me, and now you even came to attack my sisters in our own home! You…you’re despicable! Today, I’ll take you on!”
The sight of her sisters in danger provoked her anger, and she was ready to confront Kitahara Hideji.