Hopelessly wandering through this small town, searching for something resembling a basketball club, I decided to ask the locals. I didn't think they'd be particularly talkative, but I had to find Kojo today. I didn't want to waste an entire day for nothing.
Not far from me, I spotted a bookstore and stepped inside.Near the entrance of this old yet well-maintained place, an elderly woman with glasses sat, diligently writing something in a notebook.
"Um… hello." — I broke the peaceful silence.
The woman lifted her head, curiously examined me, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Hello, and welcome to Kitamura Bookstore. Tell me, how can I help you, young man? Are you looking for school literature? We have all the books from the school curriculum."
"Well— excuse me, but I'm not interested in books right now. I need help."
The shopkeeper looked at me in surprise, then shifted her tone to a more serious one.
"You've recently moved here, haven't you? I can hear it in your accent—you're not a local. How can I help you, boy?"
"Do you know where I can find a basketball club?"
"I was born and raised here, lived for 65 years, and I've never heard of a basketball club. Sorry, I can't help you."
A waste of time. After saying goodbye to the bookstore owner, I headed for the exit.
"Hey, young man. People don't play basketball here, but there's a sports gym. Go straight toward the center, keep your eye on the right side, and you'll see a wooden sign that says 'Sports Club.'"
I thanked her and made my way to that place. Upon spotting the wooden sign she had mentioned, I took a look around. This is a gym? From the outside, it looked like a traditional Japanese house with paper sliding doors.
I stepped inside and was greeted by a vast open space. It was filled with various workout machines—treadmills, weightlifting stations, kettlebells, and dumbbells. So it really was a gym.
At the far end of the room, I saw a massive, gray-haired man with a thick beard, dressed in a tracksuit. He looked to be around two meters tall and in decent physical shape. He was speaking with two guys around my age, who were also in tracksuits. Judging by their exhausted, sweaty faces, the tall man must be their coach.
Damn, what a giant. Well, might as well work out a bit. I wonder how much I can bench press. The last time I did this was about two years ago when I was visiting an athlete friend.
I approached a bench press station, loaded some weights onto the bar, and started lifting.
"One… t-wo… th-ree… fo—"
A shiver ran down my spine. The giant man had stopped right next to me. He was staring directly into my eyes with a stern gaze. He placed his hand on the bar I was lifting. Now this is seriously unsettling.
"I don't know you, stranger. Tell me, boy, who gave you permission to use this equipment?"
"I-I… uhh…"
He started pressing the bar downward. I could feel my strength fading. Any second now, the 70-kilogram barbell would drop onto my ribs and crush them.
"Ko-jo… I'm lo-looking… for Kojo…" I choked out.
The man's expression changed immediately. He lifted the barbell off me and helped me up.
"I see… So why are you looking for Kojo, kid?"
"Do you know him? I need to talk to him. My aunt Tomo sent me to find him."
The coach's face changed again, this time lighting up with joy.
"So Tomo finally has a family member visiting, huh?Kid, my name is Kojo Namura. Sorry for the… warm welcome." — he said, scratching his beard awkwardly.
"It's fine… I probably wouldn't have managed more than six reps anyway. Listen, Aunt Tomo sent me to you about a job. She is not capable of providing for both of us. She said you might have something for me."
Coach Namura rubbed his beard thoughtfully for a moment, then gave me a smile.
"I've got a few yen for you, but you'll have to clean the gym."
Well… Just a week ago, I was a promising Tokyo student, a straight-A scholar. I could've become an influential, well-paid lawyer, married Lia, bought myself a sports Toyota…
A janitor… That's your destiny now, Isao. Ha-ha.
"Alright…" I replied in a dull voice.
"Come on, show some enthusiasm, young man. You'll like it here. Maybe we'll even make a real man out of you."
"Can you teach me how to fight, Coach?"
"Absolutely not. That's not what I meant. Maybe we'll train you. Look at you—so skinny, and all beaten up too. It's a sad sight."
He was serious.
"So, tell me, how's life in Tokyo? What brings you all the way to our remote little town? Don't tell me you came all this way just for Tomo's delicious ramen?"
We talked for a while. I briefly told him what had happened to me. I mentioned Aunt Tomo's health.
Kojo scratched his beard thoughtfully, looked at me, and scratched it again.
"I see…" he concluded."Come with me, I'll show you something."
I followed him to a small boxing ring in the corner of the gym. It looked neglected, clearly unused for a long time, but still kept clean.
"Raise your hands. Listen, the most important thing in any fight, any brawl, is keeping your distance. Especially if you don't know how to fight."
I listened carefully, following his instructions.
"Don't let anyone get too close. Keep at least an arm's length between you and your opponent. If they come toward you, push them back…"
He went on explaining tactics and distance control before concluding:
"If a fight is unavoidable, hit first.If your opponent is stronger, hit first and run."
Coach Namura was so engrossed in his explanations that he didn't notice how late it had gotten. When he finally realized it was getting dark outside, the fire in his eyes dimmed slightly.
"Isao, you should probably head back to your aunt. I'll be expecting you tomorrow. Come after school—I'll need some help."
I had gotten so into the training that I hadn't noticed how late it was either.
.
"Thank you, Coach Namura. See you tomorrow."
"Oh, and kid—avoid getting into any fights for now. I don't think you're ready for that yet. And say hi to your aunt from old Kojo."
I heard his voice as I headed out.
The walk home was long—I needed to hurry before it got completely dark.
I thought about Aya. I had promised her I wouldn't let those students mess with me anymore. Not that I really cared about myself…But she might get into trouble because of me now. She was so brave, damn it. I really liked that about her. But now those three idiots won't leave her alone. I'll have to think of something tomorrow.
I reached the familiar path leading home—but something felt different.
Near the turn stood a black car. A very expensive, premium car. I hadn't seen anything like it around here, but Tokyo was full of them.
Wait, Tokyo?
I immediately ran up the trail toward the house. As I approached, I saw the front door slowly open. A bald young man in a sleek black suit stepped out.
"SURPRISE! HEH-HEH… HELLO, ISAO! HELLOOOO~"
His voice trembled, but not with fear. More like… excitement.This guy gave off the vibe of a complete lunatic.
"Ha-ha-ha… IT'S YOU! COME HERE, KID, I WON'T HURT YOU, I PROMISE!"
Lia's father had sent another hound after me…They found me. That fast? How?
"Who are you?" I dared to ask. My heart pounded, my knees trembled. Get it together, Isao.
"YOU! You know exactly who I am, Isao Takeda. Tell me, are you scared? YOU MUST BE TERRIFIED, KID! I won't hurt you, DON'T BE AFRAID! Heh-heh…"
I saw him pull something from his pocket and hide it behind his back.
"Where's Aunt Tomo? What did you do to her?"
"AHAHAHAHAH!!! You should be worrying about yourself, boy! I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER! HE WANTED ME TO TOY WITH YOU FIRST! HA-HA!"
He lunged at me. He was armed. Some kind of short stick—what kind of weapon was that?
Doesn't matter. I'm not running. I have to fight.