MTLNOVEL Chapter 216: Ninja Coming In!
At the very moment when the main heroines were gathering at an unknown location to plot a sinister harem plan that Kim Yu-seong knew nothing about.
A wild man with dark purple hair, as if he had just descended from the mountains, was confidently striding through the heart of Tokyo in traditional wooden sandals.
“Miss, sorry, but could I ask you for directions?”
“Yes?”
The office lady, who turned around instinctively at the voice calling her, was startled.
And for good reason—the man standing before her was anything but ordinary.
He was nearly 7 feet (2 meters) tall, with muscles covering his entire body.
The unkempt hair spilling out from beneath the bucket hat and the long beard instinctively evoked the image of a reclusive sage, embodying an air of otherworldly grace.
It was as if a person from the Warring States period had time-slipped straight into the modern era.
“Which subway should I take to get to the address written here?”The office lady, regaining her composure, checked the address on the paper he handed her and kindly explained.
“Oh, for this place, just go straight and transfer to the Odawara Line.”
“Thank you.”
The man tucked the note with “Setagaya Chitose-Funabashi Station” written on it into his pocket and was about to hurry on his way.
However, the office lady, sensing unease in his demeanor, quickly grabbed the sleeve of the departing man.
“Excuse me!”
“…?”
“If you don’t mind, may I guide you? I just have a feeling you might get lost again if I let you go.”
The middle-aged man, realizing that his shabby appearance had caused this misunderstanding, chuckled heartily.
“Hahaha! Miss, I appreciate your concern, but this isn’t my first visit to Tokyo. I may look like this due to certain circumstances, but I’m very much a civilized person.”
As he said this, he playfully winked and handed her something from his pocket.
“It might not be much, but if you ever need help, just call this number.”
In her hand, now holding a card, she looked puzzled.
Problem Solver.
Kazama Kotaro.
That was the name the man currently used.
For a high school senior, November was the time when university entrance exams were just around the corner.
Even those who had set their studies aside usually found themselves opening books at this time.
But for Yukika, who had to continue her ninja family’s business, entrance exams were a completely foreign concept.
“Yukika!”
“Ugh!”
Unlike the 1st and 2nd years, 3rd-year students didn’t get out of school early just because they had morning exams. So Yukika, who was about to eat a rice ball she got from a convenience store yesterday, turned her head with a reluctant expression at the voice suddenly calling from behind.
“What do you want all of a sudden, Ayabe?”
“Aw, just call me Nana~”
The girl who approached so casually was Ayabe Nana, the president of the Ichijo Academy newspaper club.
Originally, they were just acquaintances, but recently, through Kim Yu-seong’s introduction, they started going to the same fitness club, and Nana began sticking to her unilaterally.
Yukika, the former president of the kendo club, had a rather rigid personality, while Ayabe was a free spirit—complete opposites.
But as the saying went, “You can’t spit on a smiling face,” and Yukika wasn’t so harsh as to reject someone who approached her so warmly.
“Why are you eating alone instead of with your friends?”
“…I’m just a light eater by nature. I can’t keep up with other people’s eating pace.”
Indeed, her lunch today consisted only of a rice ball from the convenience store and a bottle of oolong tea.
It was a surprisingly meager meal for a high school girl in her prime.
But after three long years of living alone, Yukika, who had gotten used to saving every penny due to her empty wallet, found this quite satisfying.
After all, it was much better than drinking sugar water or eating konjac three times a day because she couldn’t afford proper meals.
However, not feeling the need to explain all this in detail, Yukika gave a vague excuse and took a bite of the tuna mayo rice ball she had just unwrapped.
Seeing this, Ayabe spoke in disbelief.
“You usually eat so little, yet how do you have such a great figure? Does everything you eat go to your chest? Or is it just superior genetics?”
In fact, Yukika’s body was so glamorous that it made one question if she was truly Japanese.
Her overwhelming figure couldn’t be hidden even under her baggy school uniform.
Coincidentally, Ichijo Academy’s uniform was also a sailor suit, and whenever she stretched, her chest area naturally caused her navel to be exposed.
“I don’t know. I just realized one day that it had already grown.”
If her kendo club junior Karen had heard this, she would have surely wept bitterly, but to Yukika herself, it was no big deal.
Ayabe, who had recently gained some weight and started exercising, was momentarily dumbfounded by Yukika’s “I just realized I was busty,” but she quickly regained her composure and got to the point.
“More importantly, Yukika, are you going to work out tonight? If it’s okay, could you teach me some exercises?”
“Exercises?”
“Yeah. The coach was kind enough to teach me a few things, but it’s tough doing it alone. I’m too scared to ask the male members, and you’re the only one I can think of, Yukika.”
Indeed, with so many experienced members at that fitness club, it would be tough for a regular high school girl to approach them.
“Well, if it’s that…”
“Awesome! Thanks!”
Ayabe clung to Yukika in delight.
Feeling a bit bothered by Ayabe’s overly friendly behavior, Yukika took another bite of her half-eaten rice ball.
After school.
Since she had retired from the kendo club, Yukika had no reason to stay at school late, so she headed straight home.
But today, she had somewhere to stop by before going home.
It was because today was the day of the weekly time sale at the supermarket.
To save on the cost of a shopping bag, Yukika took out the one she had brought from home, slung it over her arm, and ran straight to the shopping district as soon as she got off at the station.
The housewives in this town were so resourceful that if she was too late, there was a chance there wouldn’t be any items left for her to buy.
And as if to prove her ominous feeling right, there was only one carton of 10 eggs left on the shelf in the supermarket’s fresh food section.
But Yukika wasn’t the only one eyeing it.
There was a 40-something housewife who had rushed over after hearing about the time sale.
A 30-something housewife appeared from around the corner, drifting skillfully with her baby stroller.
And a newlywed couple, shopping together during their lovey-dovey phase.
Seeing these formidable rivals, Yukika couldn’t help but gulp.
It was now a race against time.
And soon, all four moved at once.
“Ugh!”
The 40-something housewife, who had been a bit slow at the start, used her overwhelming strength to push her way through the others.
The 30-something housewife’s stroller-driving skills, with her baby on board, were also impressive.
The newlywed couple, relying purely on their physical prowess, was a dark horse in the competition.
But the one who defeated all her competitors and claimed the victory trophy was Yukika.
Because she was a ninja.
No matter how skilled they were, they were no match for Yukika, who had learned the lightning-fast footwork of Lightning Speed, a swift sword technique passed down to the head of the Fuma clan.
‘I won! Tonight’s dinner is rolled omelette!’
Having claimed the special deal of 10 eggs for 100 yen as the victor’s right, Yukika felt the small joy of daily life as she headed straight for the checkout.
With her rather satisfying prize of eggs, Yukika returned to her apartment.
But waiting for her at the stairs of her apartment was an entirely unexpected visitor.
“It’s been a long time, Yuki.”
“……”
Squeeze!
Startled to the point where she almost dropped her bag of eggs, Yukika gripped it tightly and asked in a trembling voice.
“Could it be… Father?”
The answer to her question was brief.
“Yes.”
About ten years ago.
The man who had suddenly disappeared on a day when the world was white with falling snow.
The 17th Fuma Kotaro.
And as the biological father of the current acting head, Fuma Yukika, he spoke with a simple smile.
“I’m hungry. Could you perhaps give me some food?”
In the small room that would be cramped even if just two people lay down.
The father and daughter, reunited after about ten years, silently ate their meal with a small table between them.
The side dishes were rolled omelette, miso soup, and potato stew given by a neighbor—nothing more.
But Fuma Kotaro, having devoured the meal his daughter made as if it were disappearing into thin air, kept fiddling with his beard as if it bothered him, then finally shaved it off while looking in the mirror.
Of course, what he used instead of a razor was his finger.
After all, Fuma Kotaro was a superhuman who had perfectly mastered the Fuma clan’s secret martial art, the Swift Wind.
While he was at it, he also roughly trimmed his wild hair, then plopped down in front of his daughter, who had patiently waited until he finished shaving.
“Well, it’s been a while since we met, so you must have a lot to say. I’ll answer anything, so ask away.”
With her father’s permission, Yukika clutched her trembling heart and asked.
“Why did you suddenly appear?”
For Yukika, this was a question laden with many implications.
After all, her father was a man who hadn’t shown his face to his family for about ten years.
And Fuma Kotaro’s answer was simple.
“Yuki, I came because I wanted to see what kind of guy your husband-to-be is.”