Chapter 4

Grraaaagh…!

Hah! Gah! Ngah…!

Don’t shout so much, Tetsu. You’re gonna hurt your throat. This isn’t some tokusatsu show…

‘S dangerous to strain yourself too much—You could hurt your opponent.

The punches and kicks of someone who does karate are just as deadly as any other weapon. It’s good enough to just take a stab at their weak points with calm precision.

Ossu! Everything you teach me is always so helpful, Taishou… ☆

That’s just what my pa told me. He was a black belt too, yanno.

I actually used to keep my mouth shut up, so he actually told me to start yellin’ so I’d intimidate my opponent.

Seriously? So you’ve always been the strong and silent type then ♪

I’m just bad at talkin’. It’s why I can’t talk my way outta trouble and end up gettin’ into fights.

Anyway, I don’t mind if we do this while we spar, but let’s talk a bit. Tetsu, how much do you know about the Dragon King Competition?

Um? Uhh, it’s a battle that’s been passed down through the martial arts clubs for generations?

It’s celebrated as Yumenosaki’s most violent Dream Fes!

Which is why it wasn’t recognized as an official Dream Fes back in the spring, and why we had to hold it as an unauthorized B1 instead.

Don’t act like you weren’t involved. You organized the whole thing, Tetsu.

Yeah, I did. But I just recreated it based on the records left behind by the karate club.

I found a book bound up Japanese-style, and I was wondering if there were any secret techniques in there.

I shoulda gotten rid of that thing as soon as I could. You got so excited when you saw it that you just had to go and plan a Dragon King Competition, huh.

I was shocked, honestly. Around that time, you were actin’ all quiet…

You were all sorts of depressed, so I didn’t expect all that energy so suddenly.

Ahaha~ I wasn’t really depressed, it was more that I was frustrated ‘cause nothing was going how I wanted it to go.

I felt stuck, but then I saw the Dragon King Competition in that record and thought “This is it!”

A wild, flashy competition where I could bring out every ounce of passion I’ve got…

I wanted to go all out and get rid of that hazy feeling in my chest.

But then the student council butt in ‘cause they didn’t approve of it, and… the Dragon King Competition was called off. I ended up getting even more stressed out than before.

You’d just started school, so you couldn’t’ve known how Yumenosaki works.

So you prolly held that Dragon King Competition without even thinking about it.

I’m still mad about it, y’know. Seriously, what’s wrong with it? It’s a Dream Fes backed by tradition and passed down through the karate club for generations, isn’t it?

I can’t just roll over and follow the rules the student council just made up outta nowhere. I’m not gonna just pretend it never happened.

I guess that makes me sound like a selfish little kid, but…

Akatsuki is a unit that’s supposed to value tradition, so why would they do something to ruin this?

Tetsu. The history of the Dragon King Competition is shorter than you think. It’s not something you can really call a “tradition.”

We just said it’s been around for a long time to give it some weight… But really, it only started up in my generation.

Wait, for real…? But that record of the Dragon King Competition said something like it’s been around since Yumenosaki was first founded?

If everything you read in a book was true, we’d be livin’ in some futuristic city with flyin’ cars right now.

It’s good to be an honest guy, but you shouldn’t just take everything at face value so much.

Not everyone in this world is a good, upstanding person who never lies or cheats.

It takes more than brute strength to keep the bad guys and swindlers at bay.

Well, it’s not like I’m in any position to be lecturin’ ya. I was a pretty violent guy before—My only value was in how hard I could pack a punch.

Nah, I was a full-on delinquent. An unrestrained punk.

I was pretty well known around these parts. Everyone was scared of me, and before I was in Akatsuki no one would come near me.

Yumenosaki’s an idol training school, so because of where it is, it’s filled with all kinds of sheltered rich kids.

A punk like me stood out like a sore thumb against that.

But then someone thought up a way to get some good use out of a guy like me. And so he used me to his advantage.

You remember the rules for the Dragon King Competition right, Tetsu?

Basically it’s a one-on-one live showdown. But during your performance, you’re allowed to interfere with your opponent… and physical violence is allowed.

Did ya ever stop to think why there was a ridiculous rule like that?

They call ‘em “showdowns,” but we’re idols—we’re supposed to stick to singin’ and dancin’.

Something like violence has no place in your typical live, and there’s no use complainin’ if ya get kicked out over it.

But in the Dragon King Competition, violence is allowed as part of the rules.

Didn’t you ever think about why?

Um… I always thought it was a rule to test your bravery. So men could compete with other men for supremacy.

I’m sure that’s what it looks like. Well, that’s how we presented it anyways, and the records are exaggerated and prettied up for that reason.

But in reality, there’s nothin’ manly about it. There were some nasty ulterior motives behind it all.