.

The kendo club was shut tight with no people aside from the guest instructors inside. All the outsiders were sent on their way and informed that the club would be in closed door training until the nationals. This was the excuse that was used to avoid information leaking out about what they had just witnessed.

"Huff… huff…" Kazuya tried hard to catch his breath.

He appeared haggard and tired but still had a smile on his face. Kazuya's and the deep breaths of the four instructors were the only sounds that could be heard in the silent kendo club.

"Point and match goes to Instructor Yon!" Jirou raised his arm and declared Kazuya's loss. His leg was out of bounds due to their last clash in which Kazuya had lost.

"Thank you for the pointers instructor" Kazuya took a deep breath and straightened himself up before bowing politely to the victor.

"Still got it in you to continue later at the dojo boy?" Jirou approached him with Tomoyo who handed him a towel.

"I made sure to save enough energy for you later grandpa Jirou" he smiled with confidence.

"I'll look forward to that later kid" Jirou decided not to mince with words this time and let Kazuya start recovering his stamina for later.

Miyamoto asked some of the members to give the instructors some water and towels before moving to stand with Jirou in the middle of the dueling area to face the club members.

"I'll be honest with all of you, this match was to show you what your two aces are capable of. You are all people of the same club and although rivalries for positions cannot be avoided, each and everyone of you should be aware of what your team can achieve" Jirou spoke to the remaining members, he especially looked at the 5 people who were going to be participating in the nationals.

All of them couldn't help but swallow deeply. The matches that Kazuya had just done in succession were deeply engraved in their minds. They were both in awe and little bit fearful of what they just witnessed. Who could have ever imagined that such a kid would be so ferocious.

Kazuya won two out of four matches against the 4 instructors. It was a feat that Tomoyo who suffered continues defeats against them had not yet achieved. They felt like they weren't watching a kendo match but rather a duel that they could only see on TV.

Nishida and Tomoyo were especially pumped up after witnessing what they did. They were the two who trusted Kazuya the most and were the happiest when he won the seemingly impossible matches.

"Even though I want to boost everyone's confidence, I also want to remind you of something this kid Kazuya once told me. There is never a 100% certainty in battle. Anything can happen and although I want you to enter your matches with confidence, this is a reminder to never be too complacent" he continued.

All of them glanced towards Kazuya a bit surprised. From the time they spent with him, they indeed believed that those words came from him. If he, with all the talent he just showed them had that mentality then all the more should they humble themselves.

The instructors were split up as soon as they were able to recover their breaths. Two of them took two of the participants while the other two were responsible for Tomoyo and Nishida. Like the previous tournament, both Miyamoto and Jirou shared the same view that those two were important factors for the team battles.

Kazuya was aware of what they were planning and he agreed with their opinion so he sat in a silent corner and concentrated on recovering as well as reflecting on what he had just experienced. He had lost two matches out of four yet rather than being depressed, he was in a very good mood.

"(Truly different eras have a way of affecting how one fights)" he thought as he tried to replay his experience with his mind.

Kazuya had chosen to use mana only to enhance his abilities so that he can match his opponents. He figured that he would improve his skills more this way. If he had used too much mana, he would have no way of explaining how he could overpower adults and he would have gained nothing for himself.

Even if he were to use his mana without restraint, he at most, would only be able to win three out of four matches because he still had not improved enough. He would have likely fainted at the fourth match because of mana and stamina deprivation.

"(Still not enough…)" he sighed. Thinking about his conservative expenditure, if he went up against a group of capable people, he would likely be forced to retreat or worse, be captured.

What Mei said about the Kuroganes orchestrating the tragedy that changed his life was still weighing on his mind. If they were to send a direct attack, the current him would have little chance to protect his mother.

He knew the chances of that happening were slim especially after they had just won a convincing victory and getting Lee kicked out of the Kurogane family. They would have no gains aside from gaining the enmity of his grandfather's network of friends and acquaintances but he still couldn't calm himself knowing that he was still incapable of doing it himself.

"(Thankfully this is modern society and we are not in a position that could easily be bullied)" he calmed himself with the thought.

Kazuya wasn't the only person reflecting on the matches that he had with the instructors. Jirou who seemed to be observing the members of the club also thought about how he should handle him when they reach the dojo later.

His first victory showed how quick-witted he was. Kazuya took advantage of the limited vision of his opponent as well as his size to confuse the instructor into losing sight of him. This clearly showed that he was quick not only physically and adapted quite well to the situation he was in.

His second opponent took what he observed from his colleague's defeat and took precaution and didn't let Kazuya take advantage of his vision by keeping a good distance from him. He used his body's superior reach which gave Kazuya some trouble. This forced the boy to unleash his ferocity and forced himself despite the enemy's tight defensive stance.

His third and fourth opponents definitely had the advantage. Both were well versed with the counter defensive style of the Shiroyuki dojo so after battles of attrition, they were able to wear down the ferocious attacks and eventually connected with their counter attacks.

After the battles, Jirou knew that he had still underestimated the boy. He knew that the boy was still holding back since he had felt it in the previous tournament. Kazuya was definitely using the instructors as whetstones to sharpen his skills.

It was then that an idea popped into his mind. It would be something beneficial for Kazuya and his granddaughter as well. He tapped Miyamoto's shoulder and excused himself before taking out his phone to make a call.

--

Kouzuki Headquarters, CEO office.

Kyouko sat on her chair feeling restless. It has already been a while but the changes of her assistant have been becoming more obvious as the days went by. She had a bad feeling and she had complete confidence in her in intuition.

"Hey Mei, be honest with me since it's just the two of us here. What's happening with you?" Kyouko looked at her assistant with concern.

*Klak Klak Klak*

Mei didn't notice Kyouko talking to her and continued concentrating on her work. This made Kyouko even more concerned. Her concentration has been really impressive these days. It reminded her of when they first started working together.

"MEI!" she raised her voice.

"Hmm? What is it boss?" Mei's fingers stopped as she turned to her boss who looked annoyed.

"What's with you? Are you sick?"

"I don't know what you mean? I've never felt healthier"

"It's just the two of us here so you don't have to hide anything. Are you seeing someone?"

"What!? That's absurd! How can I betray my Kazu like that?" she felt the thought was ridiculous and almost laughed out loud.

"But that's what's weird about it! I've been taking Kazuya these past few days to sleep with me and you haven't kicked up a fuss like you would have if you were your normal self" Kyouko mentioned her strongest point.

"I've just been really busy with a few things. Besides, it would be good for both of you if I let Kazu spend some time with you"

"Huh? Why?"

"We had a good talk when we had our date you know. I don't think we need to worry about him anymore. You don't need to continue consulting those doctors about him anymore"

"What do you mean by that!? How come you're only telling me this now?!"

"I told you I've been busy. Anyway, Remember the dream Kazuya had? It was a lot more detailed than we thought and i'm sure it was the cause of his change"

"Dream? That dream where he got abandoned?"

"That's the one. He told me about it in detail and I finally understood" Mei told her another version of the story Kazuya had told her.

Kouzuki Kyouko was the complete opposite of her father. It was probably because of what her father was like that Kyouko turned out to be one of the most practical people Mei knew. She would have not accepted something such as a Kazuya seeing the future with his dream so she changed it to something Kyouko would accept.

"I believe that the dream he had replaced the lost memories so it developed a fear in him. I already explained to him the differences between the dream and how it wouldn't be possible so all he needs now is time. I believe that he would change as soon as he realized that it really is just a dream"

"I want to say good job but you actually hid this from me until I asked!"

"I told you that I've been busy. Besides, I couldn't explain it all to you on my birthday, right?"

"Ugh… I haven't given you a heavy workload so what's been keeping you busy anyway?"

"A few personal stuff and… Yumi-chan is graduating soon and said she wants to learn from me so I'm preparing to take her in. With her capabilities, she would be a great help to you"

"Yumi-chan? Why does it sound like you're training a—"

*RING RING RING*

Kyouko stopped and looked at her phone. Shiroyuki Jirou was calling and after looking at her watch, it was time for him to pick-up Kazuya. She wondered what it was about and picked up the call.

"Yes grandpa Jirou? Did something happen with Kazuya?"

["Nothing happened but I called because of the kid. You already know that the nationals are in a few days right? I want to prepare the little guy for it so I wanted to ask you to let him stay with us until then"]

"Huh? A few days?" Kyouko felt a little hesitant. She didn't want to let Kazuya go.

["Right. People have been saying he's too young even though he's talented so I want to especially prepare him to shut those people up especially after he raises that championship trophy"] Jirou felt Kyouko's hesitation and tried to stir her up.

"They dare doubt my Kazuya! I agree!"

["That's good news. This good son of yours will show them how strong the ties between our two families have haha!"] Jirou was so overjoyed that let a bit of this true intentions slip.

"I'll contact granny Fuji and have her prepare some things to send over later"

["Why don't you join us for dinner too? It's been too long and I'm sure Tomoyo would be glad to see you"]

"Tomoyo-chan?" Kyouko paused. The silent girl barely paid any attention to her so she didn't know where that came from. "Sorry granpa Jirou but I have to work late for a few days so I can watch Kazuya's tournament"

["That's too bad. I'll won't keep you since you're working hard. You don't need to worry about the kid. Kaori is quite fond of him and will take good care of him"]

"Thank you granpa Jirou. I leave Kazuya to you. Take care" She ended the call and found Mei immediately in front of her with a questioning gaze.

"You actually gave Kazuya to the Shiroyukis for a few days!?" she looked quite annoyed.

Kyouko had been missing her interactions with Mei for a while and now she got it. Her decision to let Kazuya stay with the Shiroyuki's invoked an argument that she had been looking for. What Kyouko didn't know that this would last until Kazuya was once again in their midst.

--

Kazuya and Tomoyo were taken by Jirou immediately after his phone call with Kyouko. He took them to the dojo and left the instructors with Miyamoto to train the rest of the students. Kazuya was informed of the arrangements and asked to stop by his place to get a few things. He was surprised that Kyouko had allowed him to stay with them for a few days but couldn't refuse it since it was a done deal.

When they arrived at the dojo, Jirou excused himself to explain the arrangements to Kaori and took Tomoyo with him. This gave Kazuya a little time to himself. He decided to check up on Ousame and his brothers who were diligently training in the dojo building that was especially for their use.

.

"Y-young master!" Ousame shuddered at his arrival and immediately bowed. His brothers did the same although they didn't have the same vigor.

"Looks like you weren't lying when you said that your brothers were quite capable Ousame" Kazuya patted his shoulder. Ousame's brothers were quite startled because they already knew that Ousame had been respectful towards this child but he accepted being talked down on without as much as a twitch.

"Big Bro! I can't accept it! Why are you letting this kid talk down on you like this!? I know he's the one who offered us a new leaf but he's taking it too far!" the man with dyed hair stood up and complained.

Kazuya recognized this person from the profiles he received. This was Ousame's closest brother or his second in command called Mame. He didn't take what was said personally but was rather glad that he showed such loyalty.

"Sta—" Kazuya raised a hand to stop Ousame from speaking. He walked towards the person who glared at him.

"You got a problem with what I said kid?"

"I do" Kazuya smiled at him.

"What are you going to do about I—" Kazuya kicked the man's leg and made him fall to his knee. He gripped the man's neck and raised it upward showing off his strength.

"Looks like Ousame has yet to tell you the story of how we met. The fact that you people are training here means that you've signed the contract, yes?" Kazuya grinned at the person who was slowly losing air in front of him.

"P-please have mercy young master! He was just doing it for my sake so please punish me instead" Ousame slammed his forehead on the wooden floor after seeing the color change on his brother's face. He was running out of air and Kazuya didn't care.

The others who were thinking of helping immediately stopped what they were about to do after their boss lowered his head pleading. They had never seen him so fearful of anyone, not even when he was an active person from the underground world.

Kazuya knew that Ousame genuinely feared him and gained his loyalty through that but his brothers were another thing. This was a great opportunity to show them how he handled things when it came to them so he did not hold back.

"Because of my trust in you I will give you some face Ousame. Don't disappoint me and educate your brothers properly. I won't be this lenient if I see or hear them acting inappropriately especially towards Mei and the employees" Kazuya loosened his grip and threw Mame to the side.

"T-thank you for your mercy"

"You people are no longer people from the underworld so learn some manners. You can act this way with threats and enemies but never with allies"

.