Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980

On Kazuma's side, he had expected the ground to be littered with fallen delinquents by now.

But in reality, after knocking down just five of them, the rest had already scattered like frightened birds.

Shouldering his wooden sword, Kazuma strolled up to the wide-eyed metal bat guy, looking thoroughly unsatisfied.

"A-are you a monster…?" the bat-wielding delinquent finally managed to stammer.

"Not at all. I'm just a friend of justice who happened to be passing by."

Kazuma had been wanting to use that line for ages.

Truthfully, fighting this lot hadn't even been a warm-up for him.

No way this was going to raise his Combat Proficiency level.

If he were to gauge them in online game terms, these delinquents were gray-name mobs—worthless for loot or EXP.

Kazuma didn't bother wasting words. He swung his wooden sword in a wide arc and cracked it down on the guy's head, mirroring the way the punk had just used his metal bat on Ikeda Shigeru.

The guy dropped like a stone.

Kazuma glanced back toward Chiyoko and the others. "Hey, you all alright?"

"We're fine!" Chiyoko's voice called out. "Should we call the police?"

"Yeah, and an ambulance too," Kazuma replied, shooting a glance at Ikeda, who lay face down on the ground.

Based on his experience, if someone died, the status tag above their head would disappear. Since Ikeda's tag was still there, he was probably just unconscious.

Just then, car headlights swept across the park entrance.

Kazuma looked over and saw a Lincoln pulling up—Nanjo-san's family car.

She had insisted on walking with them to the used bookstore, so the Lincoln must've been tailing them the whole way.

It seemed Butler Suzuki had judged that she wasn't in any real danger and thus chose not to intervene earlier.

In fact, from the butler's perspective, he probably welcomed Nanjo-san going through such "trials," as long as they weren't truly life-threatening.

Kazuma then spotted Butler Suzuki pulling a radio-like device from the car, speaking into it.

Meanwhile, Chiyoko, iinchō, and Nanjo-san were running toward him.

Clearly, they had left the police and ambulance calls to Suzuki.

Kazuma couldn't help thinking: Damn rich people.

Nanjo-san was carrying a case—likely a medical kit from the Lincoln.

When the girls reached him, Nanjo-san immediately knelt beside Ikeda with the kit.

Kazuma hurried over, turning Ikeda onto his back and propping him against a tree.

Nanjo-san opened the kit and began expertly cleaning the wounds on his face.

"You're pretty good at this," Kazuma remarked.

"I take care of the younger members in the kendo club all the time," she replied, deftly using tweezers to pick up a cotton ball, dipping it in alcohol to disinfect the wounds she'd already rinsed with saline.

The moment the cotton touched the wound, Ikeda winced awake.

Blinking at Nanjo-san, he asked in confusion, "…Did I die and go to heaven?"

"Sorry to disappoint, you're still very much alive," Kazuma said.

Ikeda followed the voice, staring at Kazuma for a second before it clicked. He immediately tried to stand.

"Sit. Let Nanjo-san finish disinfecting your wounds," Kazuma ordered sternly. "Bite down and bear it. No whining."

"Yes, sir!" Ikeda gritted his teeth, looking like a man facing execution.

Nanjo-san swiftly finished treating him and packed up the kit. Then she turned to Kazuma.

"You should've jumped in sooner if you were going to help. Why wait until he was already beaten down?"

"Yeah, Bro," Chiyoko chimed in. "You just stood there watching. I thought you weren't going to help at all."

Kazuma glanced at Nanjo-san, then at his sister, and finally at iinchō.

"You thinking the same thing?"

"I wasn't going to ask since they already did, but since you brought it up… yes, I also think you should've stepped in earlier."

Kazuma shook his head. "You just don't get it."

His gaze returned to Ikeda's battered face—a face so swollen it'd probably take a month or two to heal.

In truth, when the bat-wielder had been pummeling Ikeda, Kazuma hadn't given it much conscious thought. He'd instinctively chosen to watch rather than intervene.

But now, reflecting on it, he understood why.

Life experience shapes character.

That night in the rain, when he had crossed a bottomless chasm alone, had left a deep mark on Kazuma's soul.

That singular experience had forged the man known as the Lone Dragon.

And now, Kazuma poured that life lesson into burning words.

"In this life, it's great when someone lends a helping hand," he began, his voice low and weathered—nothing like that of a seventeen-year-old.

"But a true man doesn't pin his hopes on others' help.

"A man must always be ready to face anything alone—be it blade-lined mountains or dragon-infested pits.

"To challenge, to bear the burden alone—that's the essence of manhood.

"No matter how many times you're knocked down, as long as there's breath left in your body, you get back up. Grit your teeth. If you have to, bite your own tongue and use the pain to push forward.

"Only death can truly defeat a man. As long as you refuse to surrender, you can always rise again. Your only true ally is yourself."

Kazuma gently patted Ikeda's shoulder.

"So you did well today. You fought with your own strength and earned a beautiful victory! You weren't beaten. You didn't lose to those monsters or their metal bat!

"You might look a mess—but you won. I, Kiryu Kazuma, recognize you as a true man."

With that, Kazuma extended his right hand.

Ikeda quickly wiped away fresh tears, took a deep breath, and gripped Kazuma's hand tightly.

"Don't lose from here on out either! Don't lose to that bastard called 'Life'! Believe in yourself, believe that you can get back up again and again—that you'll triumph in the end!

"And believe in me, who believes in you! Got it?"

Using every ounce of strength, Ikeda shouted, "Got it!"

"I'll be waiting for the day you've saved up enough tuition to join the dojo. And I believe that for you now, this challenge is nothing!"

Kazuma locked eyes with Ikeda, gripping his hand with all his might—passing on his strength and trust.

Distant sirens echoed—finally, the police were arriving.

Kazuma let go and stepped back.

"I'll tell the police this was justified self-defense. Doesn't look like these guys can afford a lawyer anyway. Should be fine."

"About that," Butler Suzuki's voice interjected.

"I believe the Nanjo family's legal department can offer a little assistance. As a witness, I personally saw the entire… ahem, misdeeds of these scoundrels—and the bravery of this young man."

The old butler glanced at Ikeda, though his expression remained neutral.

Beside him, Nanjo Honami gazed dreamily at Kazuma.

(End of Chapter)

Hey everyone!

So I've been asked to pick up where the last translator left off on Monster Hunter Grand Assembly. They've already uploaded the first 40 chapters, but life got busy for them, so they handed the project over to me.

I'll be continuing the rest of the story from here—hope you enjoy it!

Story Summary

[Let characters from different worlds become hunters and save the day!]

The world is full of monsters that defy common sense—some are keystones of their ecosystems, while others are outright destroyers. And whenever such creatures appear, hunters rise to face them.

Hunters are strong, brave, and righteous guardians of nature… except when things go a little sideways.

Hunters, united in camaraderie (aka ganging up on the monster).

Hunters, steadfast and unyielding (aka carting endlessly).

Hunters, protectors of the environment (aka loot hoarders).

Join our Monster Hunter Assembly! You could be the next legendary guardian of nature!

Old Joseph Joestar: "Kars! A single signal arrow calls forth an army! Your next line will be—"

Shield Hero: "Heavy bowguns turn fights into turn-based RPGs."

Kazuma: "As a Long Sword main, not carting is the victory!"