It was a nice change to sleep on a regular bed after so long. It brought Ren back to the days when he actually had a home and a proper bed, back in his old body called Ethan Parker. But his slumber was interrupted by the sound of somebody munching on something. As he opened his eyes, alarmed by this noise, he gasped, jumping straight to his feet. His eyes immediately darted to his Maken.

"Don’t worry. I come in peace," said the intruder.

It was the same stranger who previously stopped Ren on the street. He was wearing the same black and red kimono, with the wide bamboo hat, and the mask, which was slightly moved so he could enjoy the food that somehow made it to the table in the temporary lodging. Still, the angle of the hat didn’t allow Ren to see the man’s face properly.

There was some rice with meat and a plate with freshly cut fruits. The fact that there was only one bowl and one pair of chopsticks indicated that it was a breakfast prepared for the participant.

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" Ren growled at him, as he slowly began moving toward his weapon.

"I’m a friend. I came to warn you. Something bad will soon happen. This whole tournament is a mistake. Do not participate in it. They will only use you. Those outsiders… They are planning something…"

"I don’t care!" Ren growled again. "Who gave you permission to enter this place? Leave at once!"

"Fine," the man sighed before throwing the last piece of fruit into his mouth and putting the mask correctly in place. Then he pulled out a metal card and placed it on the table before getting up and leaving. "If you change your mind, go to the Hana-Sakana and show this around."

Ren watched him carefully. He rushed to his Maken as soon as he saw the stranger turning around, but the intruder didn’t seem to care, he casually stepped outside. The young warrior charged right after him and burst outside, only to see nothing there. As if the man disappeared into thin air. He didn’t give up, even walking around the house, but there was no trace of this stranger.

Annoyed, Ren returned to his lodging, washed up quickly, with the weapon by his side, and then returned to take a look at the meal. It didn’t appear like it was touched, but he still decided not to take any chances.

He also noticed the strange metal plate. It was engraved and had this real-looking eye in the middle. It surprised him.

"What the heck is this?" He asked aloud, touching the plate, and then his eyes moved to the eye itself. It felt as if it was made from glass or plastic. It was incredibly smooth but definitely not a real eye.

‘Should I throw this? No… I’ll keep it for now,’ he deemed before grabbing it and stuffing it under the pillow on his bed.

Then he got out. The park in front of his house was buzzing with life. The other participants had already come out, and there was quite some ruckus in there.

Ren noticed the already familiar warrior in the white kimono. In front of that individual stood another one. Slightly taller with short, spiky hair and wearing a white, sleeveless tang suit with dark pants. It left his muscular arms exposed. They seemed as if somebody sculpted them out of solid rock, and on top of that, they were covered in tattoos. Mysterious symbols intertwined with one another.

Around the two gathered others who clearly were interested in their conversation.

"I hope we meet in the arena so we can settle this once and for all," said the tattooed warrior.

"I don’t even know what you are talking about," the samurai in white snorted.

"Everybody knows it's either you or me," the tattooed warrior countered.

This prompted Sakura, who was a few steps away, to laugh. Ryoma's eyes immediately darted toward her, and his eyebrows frowned. It was crystal clear that he held a grudge.

"I don’t know anything about this," he responded, but his eyes remained focused on the girl. "And I don’t want to engage in any quarrels here," he added before turning around and leaving.

A young woman with bright red hair, wearing a similar outfit to the tattooed warrior, approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Takashi, you will have your chance. After you beat him, he won't disrespect you anymore," she said.

It was enough to de-escalate the situation. At least that’s how it looked like at first, but then Ren also noticed a woman with ebony hair braided together. She was wearing a tight dark-blue outfit, much different from a regular kimono. It appeared to be designed to not hinder her moves in any way. She stood only a few steps away from where Ryoma was originally standing, and although the warrior left, she remained there, and her eyes were focused on Sakura, throwing daggers at her.

‘I wonder what that is about,’ Ren pondered before his eyes moved away from that scene. He noticed Kazuki sitting on the same bench as yesterday, so he decided to join him.

The youngster with the hump on his back seemed to be keenly observing that gathering as well, so he originally failed to spot Ren.

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"Good morning," the greeting was enough for him to move his attention to the one who decided to disturb his observation.

Kazuki smiled immediately. "Good morning, Ren. Did you sleep well?"

The question brought back the vision of the stranger who invaded his privacy, and even for a moment, he thought about asking Kazuki if he didn’t notice a man who matched the description. But then he decided to hold it for now. ‘I’m not sure if I can trust him yet,’ he deemed.

"Yes. I slept well. How about you?"

"No… I was too nervous about today."

"Yeah… I get that. The others seem so relaxed… I saw you watching that ruckus. Do you know what it was about?" Ren asked.

"I’m not sure. It seems like this man with tattoos wanted to prove he is stronger than the samurai with two swords," Kazuki shrugged his shoulders. "I think one of them is Ryoma Tachibana, and the other is called Takashi Kōri."

"Do you know anything about them?"

"I heard they were strong, and I should be careful about them," Kazuki shrugged his shoulders. "And you? You seem to know their names," he pointed out.

"I don’t know much… I was told that they are strong, but nothing more than that. One uses shinryoku body techniques, whatever that means, and the other uses shinryoku for his swords. I was told he was a genius of sorts," Ren shrugged his shoulders as well. "I had an accident, and I lost my memories, so everything I can tell you comes from a friend of mine, who didn’t really say much."

"Amnesia? That sounds bad… How much did you forget?"

"Almost everything… I had to learn all of it from scratch, so sometimes I ask stupid questions," Ren informed.

"Me too," Kazuki’s eyes suddenly glimmered, then he even smiled. "I sometimes ask stupid questions too. I… I was adopted, and my parents didn’t really introduce me to anything. They were too busy with their work, so I spent a lot of time reading and playing by myself in my room. I’m… I’m scared of people," he confessed. "But I really want to find friends… I just don’t know how," as he spoke, his posture changed. He hunched even deeper, making his body smaller and smaller.

"Hey, I can be your friend," Ren said and smiled at him. "We both are weird and don’t know much about the world, so we can discover it together. What do you say?"

"Yes! I’d like that." The shy smile on Kazuki’s face expanded, changing into a wide grin, which combined with his deeply sunken eyes and ruffled hair, made him look like a quirky character.

"Attention participants of the tournament!" The speakers suddenly burst with a loud, crackling voice. "The tournament will begin shortly. Please prepare! The two first who will face one another in a duel are Ryoma Tachibana," the voice paused for a second, "and Hikari Tachibana. The rest might either stay in a waiting area, preparing for their turn or watch the fight from the stands."

Ren's eyes immediately darted toward the other participants in the center of the park. The warrior in the white kimono proudly walked forward, showing no anxiety about the match. Behind him, visibly nervous but also determined, walked the same girl with hair tied into a bun, who intervened yesterday when the massive guy tried to pick a fight with him.

'So her name is Hikari,' he thought as he watched them, just like others did.

"Are you going to watch the fight?" Kazuki asked, pulling him back from his trance.

"Yeah… I think I should. At least I will know what the others can do… This amnesia of mine is really a pain in the ass," he added, getting up from the bench.

His words made his new friend giggle. He also got up, ready to follow Ren, but they weren't the only ones heading to watch. Everybody seemed to be doing the same, so they joined the larger group.

The members of different clans seemed to stick together, and between those little clusters was plenty of space. Only Ren and Kazuki were two weirdos who ignored this unspoken principle.

Among the two other members of the Noroi clan, Ren spotted one with white hair, just like his. 'That must be this Kaito,' he thought to himself.

The procession ventured further, soon reaching the staircase, and after climbing it up, the two who were about to fight got picked up by the guards, who directed them further, while the rest of the group got only a handful of clues from the guards about where to go.

Ren and the others followed the clues, emerging outside into a special area on the stands which was designated for the participants, their families, and friends. It was not the only such area; on the other side of the stadium was a second one. It was mostly empty, with only a handful of people in very different clothing from the regular citizens of Hikarimura or the clan members. These were clearly the guests from Thessara. Each wore a white cloak with blue edges obscuring their physique, and a large straw hat, which also prevented most from seeing their faces.

Noticing Satoru and Hiroshi, Ren left his new friend and rushed to the two. Kazuki hesitated, clearly considering following him, but in the end, he gave up and found himself a spot on the very edge, close to the entrance.

"How are you today?" Satoru asked as soon as he noticed his adopted son.

Around them, other participants were settling down, joining their friends and families.

"G-good," Ren stuttered, briefly considering saying something about the stranger who woke him up in the morning, but then he bit his tongue.

"Have you eaten?" was the second question of the old man.

"Actually… I didn’t get a chance," Ren chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"Didn’t they feed you? What’s wrong with those people!" Satoru complained.

"I’ll get him something," Hiroshi stated as he got up to leave the two of them.

"You need to eat before your fight. How else are you going to have enough strength to win?" the old man kept complaining.

It made Ren feel awkward, as it was a massive misunderstanding, but after already hiding the truth, he felt it was better to stay silent and let him believe what he wanted. After all, Hiroshi was already going to get him something to eat.

The doctor soon returned, carrying a paper plate with takoyaki on it. He even had a long toothpick to eat them.

"Here," he said, as he gave it to Ren, only to sit right next to him a second more.

The young warrior devoured the food while everybody else around settled. Then a loud gong sound rendered the whole stadium silent. After a brief pause, during which seemingly nothing had happened, the gates on the left and right sides of the arena opened, and from the dark tunnels stepped out the two participants.

Ryoma Tachibana, the samurai in a white kimono, carrying two swords, and Hikari Tachibana, a young woman with her hair tied into a tight bun, with a rapier by the belt of her dark-blue kimono.

"Everybody!" The announcer screamed through the speakers. "Give it up for Ryooooooomaaaaaa Tachiiiiiiiibanaaaaaaa!"

The warrior raised a single hand in the air as he took his final steps before stopping in the middle of the arena.

"And Hiiiiikariiiiiiii Tachiiiiiiiibanaaaaaaa!" The announcer screamed.

The stands erupted into loud cheers twice, as the duel was about to start.