"Hahaha, this old man will pass," Erioh laughed, waving his hand. "It's late. You've come a long way, Mr. Gusion. Our clan can't be ungracious hosts. How about we eat and rest for now? Tomorrow I'll arrange for our best to spar with you."
Gusion smiled. "Then I'll gladly accept your hospitality. Just so you know, I eat a lot."
He knew things should progress step by step. He wasn't here to challenge the Kure clan, but to learn their techniques—no reason to disrespect the clan leader.
Though the Kure clan were assassins, they were principled and respected the strong. Since he'd beaten Raian fair and square, they wouldn't use dirty tricks against him.
Poisoning the food was unlikely. More likely, he'd get a taste of their assassination arts.
"There's a bit of time before dinner. I have some clan matters to handle, so I'll leave you with Fusui for a tour. Remember, Gusion is our honored guest. Don't let anyone bother him."
Fusui nodded, still a little shaken. She had just thought her reckless brother was about to be killed.
With the clan leader's word, everyone quickly dispersed, leaving only Gusion and Fusui.
"Let's go, Mr. Gusion. I'll show you around. Our clan grounds are pretty big."
Fusui led the way.
"It is. Assassination must be a lucrative business..." Gusion mused. The Kure clan not only had a city, but their core compound was huge, filled with traditional Japanese buildings and high-end materials.
Besides the indoor dojo, there were many outdoor training grounds. Even as the sun set, many figures could be seen sparring.
"Not really," Fusui hesitated, then added, "We just have a lot of business partnerships... Anyway, thank you."
Gusion was confused, then realized. "Oh, you're welcome. I told you, I'm not here to kill anyone. I wouldn't have gone further even if you hadn't shouted."
Honestly, even if he'd killed Raian in the match, the Kure clan probably wouldn't have done anything—after all, it was a fair spar, and he'd already held back several times.
But he was here to learn the Removal technique. If he killed their top talent, there'd be no chance to learn it.
As he wondered how to broach the subject of technique exchange at dinner, Gusion suddenly sensed something. "So soon? Looks like I get to experience assassination arts right away—interesting."
He dodged sideways, avoiding an attack from behind, then reached out and grabbed the assailant's neck.
But the feel under his hand was unexpectedly soft, making him pause.
In that instant of hesitation, bandaged long legs wrapped around his neck, pulling him close, while the attacker grabbed his shirt, dragging them closer.
In the sunset's glow, Gusion finally saw: a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl in a sailor uniform, with long dark-purple hair and a beautiful face, her black eyes shining with excitement.
"I want to have your babies!"
She declared.
Gusion: ???
Instinctively, his grip tightened, making the girl's face turn red.
"Mr. Gusion! Stop!" Fusui shouted. "That's the clan leader's great-granddaughter!"
Bang—!
Gusion didn't twist her fragile neck, but flung her aside, sending her crashing into the corridor wall.
The girl—Karura—didn't even seem scared by her near-death experience. Coughing, she stood up, ignoring Fusui's help, her eyes still shining with excitement as she looked at Gusion.
"Grandfather always said that bearing strong children is the clan's duty."
Her gaze roamed over Gusion. "Gusion-sama, you're strong. I'm Karura. Be my husband!"
Gusion's brain short-circuited. After a moment, he recovered.
He knew of Karura—Erioh's great-granddaughter, a rare genius of the Kure clan, already able to Removal 85% of her potential at a young age.
This high schooler's logic was a bit odd—obsessed with having children with strong people. In the original story, she instantly fell for the protagonist Tokita Ohma, and pestered him for ages.
He'd miscalculated...
Gusion had forgotten it was summer break—of course, Karura would be home. And he'd just shown overwhelming strength in front of her...
Rubbing his forehead, Gusion raised a hand, palm-out: "Wait... don't come any closer!"
He had no intention of entangling himself with an underage girl in this world. That would be bad in every possible way.
Thinking it over, Gusion dropped his hand and released his full killing intent. "Don't come near me. Next time it won't just be a wall."
He figured scaring her off would do the trick.
But Karura's behavior made him realize another issue. Would the Kure clan ask for something excessive in return for a deal? After all, they liked to marry strong outsiders to improve their bloodline.
As a young, powerful martial artist, was his chastity at risk here?
"Gusion-sama, let's have kids!"
As Gusion pondered, Karura shouted, tossing her clothes aside to reveal her youthful naked body, ready to leap at him.
Bang—!
The next moment, Karura was slammed into the wall again.
Gusion, exasperated, looked at her, then at Fusui. "How do you raise your kids?"
Fusui looked embarrassed, helping Karura up. "Karura, the clan leader said not to bother Gusion. Calm down."
"Bother? I'm not bothering him—I just want to have his babies."
Karura looked genuinely confused, leaving Fusui at a loss.
The Kure clan really did have this tradition. Honestly, Fusui could guess the clan leader's intentions: with a strong guest like Gusion, it'd be a shame not to get his seed.
She even wondered if, since she was in charge of Gusion's tour, perhaps she'd be expected to entertain him tonight.
But she hadn't expected Karura to be so direct.
The situation was awkward—Gusion disliked Karura's actions, and if the clan leader found out, there would be hell to pay.
The clan leader was famous for doting on his great-granddaughter. If he heard she wanted to have children with Gusion, he'd explode.
"Miss Fusui, I'm a bit hungry. Can we eat?"
Gusion changed the subject. He wasn't a literal monk, but he'd always been self-disciplined, focused on martial arts and revenge for his master and senior.
His master had taught him: in a company-dominated world, relationships are messy—human nature's animal side magnified. Martial artists must control their desires, or they become beasts.
Not that they can't enjoy love, but they must treat it seriously, not carelessly.
So Gusion remained self-disciplined. A long road with martial arts for the company was enough—at least, for now.