Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 198: Boy in the Thorns (1)

Dragon Raja 3

Yagyū Jūbei leaped into the air, performing a nimble mid-air defense. Haohmaru stood firm, guarding. As Yagyū landed, he immediately unleashed the “Hasshō Happa” technique. The input for this move had been completed in mid-air, and as soon as he touched the ground, a barrage of slashes formed a wall of blades in front of him, a perfect blend of offense and defense. If Haohmaru wanted to attack in the brief moment Yagyū landed, he’d have to charge into the deadly blade storm and get hurt. Defending would still cost him some health, making Yagyū’s leap worthwhile.

But Haohmaru neither attacked with a heavy strike nor defended. Instead, he suddenly turned.

“Tenha Fūjinzan!” Haohmaru roared as his long sword erupted into an arc of light while spinning.

Secret technique—Tenha Fūjinzan.

Haohmaru charged right into the blade storm of Hasshō Happa, but the blades could not harm him. The first segment of Tenha Fūjinzan rendered him invincible. His sword slashed upward, striking Yagyū Jūbei’s chin, and then Haohmaru spun like a top, every deadly arc of his blade hitting Yagyū. Haohmaru’s rage meter was full, so each strike dealt maximum damage. Yagyū staggered back, his health rapidly draining. Before he reached the edge of the screen, his health bar was completely depleted. Haohmaru soared into the air with a final flurry of slashes, splitting Yagyū’s chest, blood blossoming like flowers.

A massive (Perfect Victory!) appeared on the screen.

Haohmaru defeated Yagyū Jūbei. Uesugi Erii defeated Chisei.

Chisei set down his controller and gently patted Erii on the head. “You predicted my move? That’s why you had Tenha Fūjinzan ready for me? Well done, Erii. Today’s your big win.”

Samurai Shodown II was an old game, and it was the one Gen and Erii played the most. It didn’t have the flashy effects of modern games, but the balance of combos and defense made it a hardcore fighting game. Erii had never beaten Gen before in this game, but today, she timed her Tenha Fūjinzan perfectly, pulling off a stunning reversal. With that kind of foresight, she could dominate even the arcade—if she were ever allowed to visit one.

Erii, expressionless, stared at the screen, mashing the buttons loudly. The glow of the screen made her pupils shimmer faintly.

“Not happy? I swear I didn’t go easy on you today; you won with your own skills,” Gen Chisei said.

Erii was born with a face that seldom showed emotion. Even though playing games with Gen was her favorite activity, she rarely smiled. However, after spending so much time together, Gen could sense her mood changes, mostly by watching her eyes. When she was happy, her gaze would become more lively, taking on the demeanor of a girl next door. Other times, her pupils were smooth and reflective, only mirroring the world around her. Many people who met Erii for the first time thought she looked like a doll—flawless but lifeless. Her eyes, made from the finest glass, unnerved people the longer they stared into them.

“Brother, you weren’t focused,” Erii typed on the screen.

Chisei was taken aback.

He knew Erii was sensitive, so he never lied to her, not even about something as small as playing games. Whenever they played, he always gave it his all, rarely holding back just to make her happy. Erii understood his tactics too well—any form of leniency would be obvious to her. Tonight, however, his mind had been elsewhere. He had made a few rookie mistakes. Yagyū Jūbei’s jump could have been a bit further back to block the Tenha Fūjinzan. Then, once Haohmaru landed, he could’ve followed up with a heavy strike, making him dizzy, and finished the match with a Zessui Getsuga technique. Gen should have won.

Erii had noticed his distraction, which was why she had dared to use Tenha Fūjinzan. But winning against Gen when he wasn’t at his best didn’t give her much satisfaction.

“Yeah, I’ve got something on my mind today. I’ll play with you again after I deal with it,” Gen said, patting her head and standing up to leave.

He was the kind of person who never bothered to explain or make excuses, and that was one of the reasons Erii was so attached to him. Erii was born mute, communicating only through notes. On the third day after meeting Gen, she had left him a note that read, “Brother is lazy.” Tachibana had chuckled, saying that was the highest praise she could give anyone. “She likes you, Chisei,” he had said. Gen scratched his head and replied, “Does she like my laziness?”

Tachibana Masamune was waiting outside the room.

“All the family heads are here. They’re waiting for you to start the meeting,” Tachibana said.

“What’s going on?”

“Just got the news: Anjou is on a plane from Chicago to Tokyo—United Airlines flight UA881. We expected retaliation from the college, but we didn’t think the Principal himself would come.”

Gen was surprised. “Are we sure?”

“Seems so. An hour ago, he updated his Twitter status. He announced it himself.”

“Such an ostentatious move.”

“Hilbert Jean Anjou has always been one for grand gestures.”

“Since we’re here, do you want to go in and see her?” Chisei asked. “She’s playing video games.”

“Let’s leave it for another time; the meeting is more important. We shouldn’t keep the other family heads waiting,” Tachibana replied.

Chisei lightly knocked on the paper door, and from inside, Erii knocked back. This was their usual way of saying goodbye. The room went dark, and the noisy music stopped—it was Erii turning off her game console. Moments later, the glow of fire appeared; she must have lit a candle. Her silhouette was cast on the door as she took off her shrine maiden outfit, revealing a lithe and graceful figure. Neither Chisei nor Tachibana seemed particularly surprised; they simply averted their eyes. Besides playing video games, Erii’s next favorite activity was taking baths. Since Gen wasn’t playing with her, she was getting ready for a bath.

After a moment of hesitation, Gen knocked on the door again. “When this is all over, I’ll take you out. We’ll explore all of Tokyo.”

A folded note slipped out from under the door. In large, hastily written characters, it read: (“Don’t worry, I will behave”).

The elevator took Chisei and Tachibana directly to the conference room. On the table were displayed ancestral swords, armor, and a Buddha statue. Incense smoke spiraled upward from the burner in front of the statue. Around the table, five family heads—Fūma Kōtarō, Ryoma Genichirou, Miyamoto Shio, Sakurai Nanami, and Inuyama Katsu—knelt formally. When Chisei entered, they all bowed slightly in greeting.