Jealousy Twisted People Beyond Recognition

It was Saturday. After finishing his daily training with Inoue Ryushi, who stuck to him like a plaster, Shinnosuke found himself with nothing to do... The two lay sprawled on the grass by the river.

"Ryu... what do you guys usually do?"

Inoue Ryushi held a blade of grass between his teeth and thought for a moment.

"Play cards, play pachinko..."

Shinnosuke rolled around on the ground, bored. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he remembered the business card Mr. Sakaki had given him last time!

"That's it! How about we go see Kenichi?"

A terrifying figure appeared in Inoue Ryushi's mind...

"Uh... my stomach suddenly feels a little funny... I'll just head back fir—ow, ow, ow! Let go, you bastard!!"

Shinnosuke dragged Inoue Ryushi toward the address on the business card. It wasn't too far, about two or three kilometers away.

Before long, Shinnosuke followed the signs to "Ryozanpaku." Looking at the building before him, he was suddenly reminded of an old Kyoto courtyard house, full of Huaxia style.

The double doors alone were three meters tall. Inoue Ryushi swallowed and stepped forward to knock. What kind of door was this? What door sounded solid when you knocked on it...? This place didn't look normal. Maybe they should leave...

He looked back at Shinnosuke, only to find him brimming with excitement. The corner of his mouth twitched. Damn it, looks like we can't leave...

Inoue Ryushi stepped forward and tried to push the doors open. He strained, but huh? They didn't budge? He pushed harder. Hmm? Still nothing...

Shinnosuke grew impatient watching from the side.

"How come you can't even push a door open? It's not like it opens outward..."

Shinnosuke stepped forward, braced both hands against one side of the doors, and pushed hard. The doors still didn't move an inch... Damn it, I refuse to believe this!

Shinnosuke took off his jacket and tossed it to Inoue Ryushi. He rolled his neck, making the trapezius muscles on his shoulders ripple. He hadn't tested his strength since it went up by two last time, so this was the perfect chance to try it out!

He braced both hands against the door again, muscles bulging all over his body, and pushed! The door, over three meters tall, slowly began to move. Inoue Ryushi stared at the gap in shock. The door was at least half a meter thick!

Even more surprising was that Shinnosuke had actually managed to move it. Ryushi had just used all his strength and hadn't been able to budge it an inch...

Shinnosuke suddenly felt the pressure on his hands ease, and the door slowly swung open before him. Just then, a voice came from behind him.

"Impressive strength... So, young men, what can I do for you?"

Shinnosuke turned around and saw an old man over two meters tall, with blond hair and a long beard. His bulging muscles stretched his robe tight against his body...

Shinnosuke rubbed his eyes and looked again. Hmm... a blond old man covered in muscles, who then pushed the door open with one hand, as easily as if he were opening the door to a public restroom...

Inoue Ryushi was already sitting on the ground beside him, staring blankly as he mumbled.

"...You might not believe this... I'm hallucinating. I actually saw an old man covered in muscles... It must be because I stayed up late watching Dragon Ball last night..."

Shinnosuke quickly came to his senses and slapped Inoue Ryushi awake. Then he hurriedly bowed to the blond old man and handed him the business card from his pocket.

"Hello, I'm Shirahama Kenichi's friend. I came to look around. Mr. Sakaki gave me this business card."

The blond old man gave him a kindly smile.

"Oh! You're the young man Akisame and the others mentioned. Come on in!"

He stepped into the dojo ahead of them. Shinnosuke saw Inoue Ryushi sitting on the ground in a daze, holding his face. This guy's such a pain. I never should've brought him, he thought. Then he grabbed Ryushi by the collar and dragged him into the dojo.

"Gah... you're choking me... let go... gah..."

The blond old man shouted into the dojo, making Shinnosuke and Inoue Ryushi's eardrums ache.

"Kenichi!!! Your friends are here!!!"

Shirahama Kenichi, who was striking a training post, stopped when he heard the dojo master's voice and picked up a towel to wipe away his sweat.

"...Is it Niijima?"

Nearby, Miu Furinji, dressed in an apron, took a sip of tea.

"Probably not. Grandpa nearly killed Niijima when he saw him last time... because Grandpa thought he looked like an alien."

"..."

Even from a distance, Shirahama Kenichi could see Shinnosuke's trademark grin. His white teeth were dazzling in the light.

The two ran into each other almost every morning and evening, and they had grown closer and closer. One was shy, while the other was carefree.

"Ah! Shinnosuke and Ryushi! What brought you here all of a sudden?"

Kenichi was thrilled. Given his personality, he didn't have many friends, much less friends who shared his interests!

"Yo! Haven't seen you in days, Kenichi."

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen either of you these past few days. Did something happen?"

Inoue Ryushi spoke up and explained what had happened over the past few days. Kenichi was very surprised to hear it.

"So... has your body recovered now?"

Shinnosuke scratched his head and said unconcernedly,

"I felt fine by the third day, but the doctor wouldn't let me leave, so I was held up for several days."

Kenichi led the two of them to the sitting room, and the three sat down side by side. Miu Furinji came out from the back and brought Shinnosuke and Ryushi two cups of tea.

"Whew... that's good. Oh, let me introduce you. This is the dojo master's granddaughter, Miu Furinji."

"Hello, I'm Miu Furinji. I'm also Kenichi's classmate. I hope we can get along."

Inoue Ryushi stared blankly at the blond girl with a ponytail before him, and a blaze of jealousy flared up in his heart.

He pulled Shirahama Kenichi over and said through gritted teeth,

"You bastard... and here I thought you were my friend. You've been living with such a cute girl every day! Why didn't you let me have a mental preparation! Damn it, I'm so jealous!!!"

The corner of Shinnosuke's mouth twitched. Jealousy twisted people beyond recognition.

Just then, a series of violent impacts suddenly rang out from the backyard.

"Ah... perfect timing. Let me introduce you to my teachers."