Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"Hey, old man!" Suzumiya Momiji asked, annoyed. "Why are you so concerned about my love life? Besides, it's my right to stay in Kamurocho, isn't it?"

"Well, that's true." The owner sighed with relief and continued cooking the noodles. "Young lady, take your time eating. Young man, just tell me if you want another bowl."

While Suzumiya Kame was eating her noodles, Kyushu Makoto asked curiously, "Kame-nee, the owner said you dropped out of high school to come here... is that true?"

“Slurp~ Yeah.” Ryoumiya Momiji didn’t intend to hide it anymore: “This is normal, right? My family used to be a mess. My alcoholic father beat people every day, and my mother would just hold me and cry. So I started hanging out with shady classmates in high school. By the time I came to my senses, I had already run away from home and was working here.”

"It really wasn't easy..." Kyushu Makoto lowered his head and sighed regretfully.

Unlike the Yanhuang Kingdom, where students "dedicate their youth to the college entrance examination," the Wano Country encourages teenagers to enter the workforce after graduating from high school and provides them with a certain level of vocational skills training during their high school years.

Against this backdrop of "relaxed education," many high school graduates with questionable character end up as despised thugs or enter the sex industry, making a living by selling their bodies.

Therefore, the phenomenon of "dropping out of high school to become a hostess" is quite common in Wano Country.

"What's that saying again? Kamurocho is a concentration camp for rotten people, everyone's just as rotten~" Suzumiya Kame shook her head and cheerfully sang a rhyme:

"Xiao Chunchuan looks very young. Did he also drop out of high school to become a prostitute?"

Kyushu Makoto shook his head and casually made up a lie: "I'm not a prostitute, I just help out with odd jobs. Besides, I'm doing this to earn money for university."

"Wow...that sounds amazing..." Suzumiya Kame immediately showed an envious expression: "I didn't know you had such lofty ambitions!"

Universities in Wano Country are very expensive, and the entrance requirements for prestigious universities are even more astonishing, making them unaffordable for most families.

The university's operational goals are also very clear—we only serve the elite and geniuses; you commoners only need to be literate and readable, don't try to take advantage of us.

Even so, many ordinary students still study hard, hoping to get into a prestigious university and achieve enlightenment.

However, Kyushu Cheng had no desire to compete with those academic high-achievers—of course, the word "pretend" didn't exist in his life either—he knew he wasn't cut out to be an academic high-achiever. He just wanted to work hard to save money after graduating from high school to open a martial arts school, pass on his master's martial arts, and one day return to his master as a "martial arts master" to make him proud of him.

Therefore, he needs to conserve his energy and strengthen his frail body while studying at Xiujin Academy, and at the same time pay more attention to relevant connections and opportunities.

“But then again…” Suddenly, Suzumiya Momiji asked with a serious expression, “Someone like you who’s determined to go to university must look down on a shallow woman like me, right?”

"What does this mean?" Kyushu Makoto frowned, surprised. "Why do you think of yourself as a shallow woman?"

"Well~ a woman like me who's willing to rot in Kamurocho must be pretty shallow, right~" Suzumiya Momiji's expression didn't change; she was just staring blankly at the char siu in her bowl.

"Koharukawa is amazing~ Even though he's fallen into Kamurocho just like me, he can still hold his head high, and his eyes are shining like stars."

"Why don't you set a life goal for yourself too?" Kyushu Makoto asked curiously, leaning on the table. "If you have lofty ideals, you won't be a superficial woman, right?"

"It's not that easy," Suzumiya Kame chuckled self-deprecatingly, covering her mouth. "Hasn't Harukawa heard? Those who get trapped in Kamurocho can never escape."

The bartender, upon hearing this, leaned over the counter and said, "There's no need to think of Kamurocho as so terrifying. Young lady, you're actually making quite a bit of money now, aren't you? As long as you find a way to save more money, you'll be able to leave here soon. Then, you can find a proper job and live a normal life."

Suzumiya Momiji stuck out her tongue playfully and said, "No way~ I don't have any special skills, so I can't do any 'proper work'!"

"Oh well, whatever you want..." The shopkeeper seemed unfazed, probably having heard this kind of talk before: "But if you can leave Kamurocho, I'll be genuinely happy for you."

Suzumiya Kame stretched and comforted herself, "Looking on the bright side, my job pays so well, and the old man's ramen is delicious. If I leave Kamurocho, I won't be able to eat it anymore, right?"

As she spoke, she raised the bowl and drank the soup at the bottom of the bowl in one gulp, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Check, please. Put Harukawa's portion on my tab too!" Suzumiya Momiji slapped two thousand-yen bills on the table, picked up her handbag, and got up to leave.

"Thank you for the hospitality." Kyushu Seiya stood up, nodded slightly to the owner, and left with Suzumiya Momiji.

Suzumiya Kamo also lives in a residential area of ​​Kamurocho, but not in the same area as Kyushu Makoto.

Kyushu Makoto escorted her back to her apartment building, encountering several drunkards and thugs along the way. However, they were lucky; those dangerous individuals showed no intention of harassing them.

"Thank you for today." Suzumiya Momiji gave a slight bow, then casually took out her phone.

"Xiao Chunchuan, shall we exchange contact information?"

"Why?" Kyushu Makoto asked.

They were not on the same path, and even if they became friends, it would be of no benefit to each other. Besides, a mere act of saving his life was as insignificant as a favor to Kyushu Makoto, and he did not expect her to repay him.

"Well, we guess we're a bit destined to meet today, and Harukawa is a really interesting person~"

Suzumiya Kasumi laughed lightly. The night breeze ruffled the tips of her pale golden hair, and the scent of roses and wine once again wafted into Kyushu Makoto's nostrils, mixed with a hint of pork bone soup, though it wasn't as pungent as before.

"And I'm also really curious to see if you can get into university and escape from Kamurocho~"

Kyushu Makoto was taken aback.

"Alright, since you're so curious, I'll show you." After a moment, Kyushu Makoto smiled, took out his phone, and exchanged phone numbers with her.

Although he won't go to university, he will one day escape from Kamurocho and realize his dream.

"Oh, right, I'll take you to other restaurants next time~" Looking at the newly added phone number, Suzumiya Kame smiled happily:

"I also know a few great restaurants... Don't worry, they're all good value for money and won't disappoint you!"

"Then I'll look forward to it a little, Momiji-nee." Kyushu Makoto nodded, then added with concern, "Prepare some self-defense weapons when you get home. If you encounter any danger again, you can call me."

"Hi~ Goodnight, Chuncheon handsome guy~"

Suzumiya Kasumi made a heart shape with her hands, turned around and went upstairs, leaving him with only her elegant back view.

24. The News Department's Provocation

For the next few days, Kyushu Makoto continued his simple and unpretentious daily life, going to school during the day and working at night.

Every day at noon and after school, he and the three delinquents would train Mizuhashi together, helping him to transform into a real man as soon as possible. Mizuhashi seemed to enjoy the time he spent with them.

After get off work, he went to "Kyushu Ichibanboshi" a few more times on a whim and ran into Momiji again.

She mentioned that she would take Kyushu Makoto to a Cantonese restaurant in Kamurocho's Chinatown sometime in a while. Upon hearing this, the restaurant owner grumbled unhappily, "That so-called Dongchang cuisine is nowhere near as good as my ramen!" This caused the entire restaurant to burst into laughter.

"Mizuhashi-kun, this is for you." During lunch break, Kyushu Makoto gave Mizuhashi a fashion magazine as encouragement.

"Even a petite guy like you can find rugged style to suit you. Go home and learn how to dress well, and strive to become a real man!"

"Eh... okay, thank you Kyushu-senpai!" Mizuhashi Eiji was flattered as he accepted the magazine, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

"I'm so sorry! This is the first time I've ever received a gift from someone, and I really don't know how to repay you!"

"Aren't we friends? Don't be so formal." Kyushu Makoto patted Mizuhashi's shoulder and smiled.

"If you have any good stuff in the future, you can share it with me, so we won't owe each other anything."

At this moment, Tang Zegui mysteriously pulled out a set of CDs and stuffed them into the hands of his junior, Mizuhashi.

“This is…” Eiji Mizuhashi’s gaze fell on the cover of the CD case, but then his face suddenly turned red.

The cover of the CD case features a hot woman in a black leather bodysuit, looking provocatively at the camera. Below the cover is a line of large text: "SHK-1008: 3000 Times Sharper! Infiltrator Series 1-5 Collection".

"This...this is..." Mizuhashi Eiji was so ashamed that he couldn't speak coherently. His fair neck skin instantly turned pink, and his head was practically steaming. He almost wanted to throw the CD case off the roof.

"As a true man, one must learn to appreciate this kind of work of art!" Tang Zegui said with his hands on his hips, quite proudly.

"This is my favorite series, and it's the debut work of the popular mature actress 'Kaori Kaori'! Go back and appreciate it carefully; you'll definitely become an outstanding man!"

Kyushu Makoto slapped Tang Zeqi on the head, displeased, and said, "What are you doing? Openly distributing Silver Grey Serenade items, don't you know that's illegal?"

"Oh dear! What are you saying, Kyushu-kun?" Takayuki Karasawa covered his head, looking aggrieved. "I bought this legitimately in Akihabara! It shouldn't be a problem to give it away, right?"

“Well, although we had an adult upperclassman buy it for us, theoretically this kind of thing shouldn’t be considered a contraband, right?” Suzuki Yuujin, who was standing next to him, was also confused: “But I heard that in Yanhuang Country across the sea, this kind of video is illegal.”

Kyushu Makoto suddenly realized, "Oh right! This isn't Yanhuang, so it's not illegal... Sorry, I was being too sensitive."

"Um... thank you, I'll watch it when I get back..." Mizuhashi chuckled awkwardly and reluctantly stuffed the CD collection into his bag.

After everyone had enjoyed a leisurely and happy lunch break, Kyushu Makoto escorted his junior, Mizuhashi, back to his classroom.

Thanks to Mr. Jiangniao's help, all of Mizuhashi's desks and chairs have been replaced with brand new ones.

One day, Mizuhashi will become a real man, stronger than any other man, and will no longer be bullied... Kyushu Makoto hopes for that day.

As soon as Kyushu Makoto returned to the classroom, a female classmate suddenly stopped him:

"Kyushu-kun, the newspaper club would like to interview you after school. Are you free?"

Kyushu Makoto remembers that this classmate's surname was Koizumi and that he was a member of the school's news club.

The "News Department" at Xiujin Academy is a club responsible for recording current events and gossip on campus and then publishing them in the school newspaper.

Because they control a valuable resource called "the right to speak on news" and have the authority to manage campus online forums, the news department is also a privileged class in the school, with a status comparable to the student union.

"Of course, but I have something to do after school, so I can't interview for too long." Kyushu Makoto, being a warm-hearted person by nature, naturally nodded in agreement.

"No problem, it won't take up too much time for Kyushu-kun~" Koizumi-kun turned her head slightly and gave a slightly sinister smile.

......

After school, Makoto Kyushu followed Koizumi to an activity room.

The activity room was very clean, with a desk and two chairs facing each other in the center of the room.

A female student was sitting on one of the chairs; judging from her school uniform, she was probably a third-year student.

This senior student has a dashing short black haircut, tied with a red knot on the left side, a high nose bridge, and quite heroic features.

Her figure resembled that of a gymnast, with slender and well-proportioned limbs. Beneath the plaid skirt, her legs showed subtle muscle definition, firm yet beautiful.

Kyushu Makoto noticed that this senior had almond-shaped eyes with slightly upturned corners, and her gaze was as sharp and piercing as that of a predatory bird, making him feel uneasy.

There was a boy next to the senior student holding a notebook and pen; he was probably her partner in taking notes.

"Nice to meet you, Kyushu-san~" The senior student nodded slightly and began to introduce herself:

"My name is Karasukawa Sakifumi, I'm a third-year student, and I'm also the current head of the newspaper club."