Combat Power

No, what were these two even doing? Were they going to order or not? I'd been standing here for several minutes!

sigh, this is exhausting.

The unnoticed waitress's heart silently shattered, while the two culprits continued waiting for the other to order first.

"By the way, Kamuro, why aren't you ordering?" U Amakusa rested his chin on both hands, his lecherous grin entirely undisguised.

"Before that, shouldn't you answer my question?"

Hold it in. I have to hold it in. In a minute, I'll drag him into a corner and beat him up.

"What question? I don't remember."

He tilted his head and poked his cheek with his index finger, trying to bluff his way out of it.

Her fists clenched. Kamuro felt like she was going to lose her mind if this kept up, but when she thought about what she was going to do in a minute, she felt like laughing.

Yeah, I promise I won't beat you to death. I promise.

"I'll have an orange juice," Kamuro said calmly, her face showing little expression.

"Oh? You come to a café and order orange juice? Kamuro, you're surprisingly cute." U Amakusa chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

Her fists clenched again.

"What makes you think I'm cute?!"

Kamuro tried to keep her expression composed, but her twitching mouth betrayed her.

U Amakusa spread his hands, looking helpless.

"Sure, sure. A kid's taste is pretty good too."

"Are you going to order or not?!"

This is definitely going toward your medical bills. Definitely!

"Then can I get an espresso too?"

"Suit yourself."

Kamuro sucked hard on her straw without a care, her expression indifferent. She had no interest in U Amakusa's request.

Order whatever you want. It's coming out of the money I'm giving you for your medical bills anyway.

"You're so generous."

A brilliant smile instantly spread across U Amakusa's face, and he gave Kamuro a thumbs-up.

U Amakusa called over the waitress and ordered an espresso.

"Are you sure, sir? Just a heads-up: espresso is very bitter."

"I know. So could I have a few packets of sugar too, beautiful miss?" U Amakusa gave the waitress a sweet smile.

U Amakusa hadn't forgotten how he'd made the waitress wait for ages when he first came to the café.

Though she was still smiling, he knew it was just her professional courtesy.

He, U Amakusa, couldn't bring himself to make a beautiful woman unhappy.

"Of course. About how many packets of sugar would you like?"

The waitress kept her professional smile, her tone friendly and gentle.

U Amakusa tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering, "Hmm... let me think. Three should be enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, U Amakusa quickly turned around and gave the waitress his undivided attention.

"Of course, I don't need any if your smile is in the coffee, miss. To me, your smile is the sweetest sugar there is. Just looking at it is enough to send the sweetness through the roof. My little heart can barely take it just thinking about it."

The waitress couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling. "Oh my~ Thanks, little brother. Next time you come in, I'll give you twenty percent off~"

This exaggerated act wasn't going to help U Amakusa win the waitress over. It might even become a funny story for her to share over tea with her best friend.

U Amakusa didn't mind becoming someone else's amusing story. There wasn't a woman who didn't like being complimented, even if it was done this ridiculously.

At least it had cheered her up, hadn't it?

The waitress's promise of twenty percent off was just a polite remark, and U Amakusa didn't take it seriously. He'd achieved his goal, after all. Leaving a bad impression and becoming a funny story were two different things.

Of course, in the end, U Amakusa had one last reminder.

Don't try this unless you're handsome.

Once that wonderful ordering session finally ended, Kamuro, who had already drunk half her orange juice, slowly put down her glass.

Her face was filled with undisguised disdain, and she stared at U Amakusa with icy eyes.

"You really are a perverted scumbag."

"No, no, this is called casting a wide net. What man would turn down a beautiful older sister?"

U Amakusa didn't take offense. He raised his index finger and wagged it casually from side to side, his face piled high with a frivolous smile.

Kamuro's disdain for U Amakusa had grown so intense it was practically tangible.

Yameru! Don't let this guy enjoy himself, hey!

"Gross. Drink up. I hope it's bitter enough to kill you."

"How could it be? I've got sugar, don't I? I don't like my coffee pure bitter." U Amakusa spoke unhurriedly as he added sugar to his coffee in a calm, practiced manner.

"I like things that are bitter but still have some sweetness."

Kamuro didn't understand at all. Still looking disgusted, she said, "Bitter and sweet? What kind of weird taste is that?"

"That's why I said you have a kid's taste."

"No... something's not right..."

Kamuro suddenly realized that U Amakusa seemed to be changing the subject.

"Pervert! You still haven't answered my question. You're a stalker, aren't you?!"

The glass of orange juice in her hand landed on the table with a clunk.

Kamuro was absolutely certain that she hadn't known U Amakusa before—not even heard of him. Never.

sigh, how did we end up back on this topic again?

Oh, crap, she caught on. What do I do? Should I tell her the truth?

U Amakusa set down his coffee too and scratched his head in frustration. He tentatively replied, "If I told you that I knew you in a past life, would you believe me?"

That was such a sleazy, perverted thing to say. Kamuro didn't believe a word of it. If anything, it only made her more convinced that U Amakusa was a stalker.

"I believe you, my ass! You're a stalker, aren't you?! And you even followed me to school. You've really outdone yourself!"

"..."

"Oh, right, right. I'm a stalker."

"I'm reporting you to the school! I'll get them to expel you!"

Kamuro was more inclined to beat U Amakusa up, but his nonchalant attitude had infuriated her and put her in a foul mood.

U Amakusa hurriedly waved his hands and said:

"What proof do you have? You don't have any evidence to report me to the school as a stalker. Besides, it's a fact that you came to the café with me. The security cameras caught everything clearly. From any angle, we look like a couple of soon-to-be lovers who are both into each other."

Kamuro's face flushed red with anger. She stood up and pointed at U Amakusa's nose. "Who would ever be with a pervert like you?!"

sigh, I can't help it. You don't believe me when I tell the truth, and you insist I'm a stalker. All I can do is make something up.

"Hey, hey, don't get worked up. I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush."

Then U Amakusa lowered his voice and beckoned Kamuro to sit down. In a soft, gentle voice, he said, "The truth is, I'm a spy sent here by a neighboring country."

"Huh?"

Kamuro's expression said, Do I look like a three-year-old to you?

"Don't get worked up. Just hear me out. You know this school has a one-hundred-percent rate of students going on to university or finding jobs, right? But that's not the most important part.

"The most important thing is that this school is backed by the government, and every student who graduates from it becomes either an executive at a company or a politician."

"In the future, these students will all become connections to one another. My mission is called the Ten-Year Plan. I'm supposed to build relationships at school or find dirt on people, then use those connections to obtain classified information ten years from now.

"So investigating the students at this school is crucial. That's why I looked through information on most of the students before I came here.

"And you, Kamuro, are in my class. How could I possibly forget your profile? Do you believe me now?"

"I see," Kamuro replied, sitting down with a thoughtful look and resting her chin in her hand, as if she only half understood.

But she broke character in the very next second.

"Like hell I believe you! Do you think I'm easy to fool?!" Kamuro shot to her feet again and put her hands on her hips.

You bastard! Pervert! Scumbag!

U Amakusa shrugged helplessly and said, "Come on, why don't you believe me? Guess I have no choice. I'll tell you the truth."

Then he put on a serious expression.

"The truth is, I'm an alien. I came to Earth to find the energy source that can save my planet, and you have a clue related to it."

At that moment, a cross-shaped vein popped up on Kamuro's forehead like a cell splitting. She reached out, grabbed U Amakusa by the collar, and lifted him bodily off the ground.

?????

Holy crap, this woman's that strong?!

That wasn't actually the case. U Amakusa could feel that this body was powerful—it belonged to someone who knew how to fight.

As for U Amakusa, the reason he'd gone to graduate school was that he didn't want to inherit his family's martial arts school.

He knew Muay Thai and sanda. He'd learned them during his rebellious phase, just because he'd been sick of his father making him practice martial arts every day and beating him up.

In the first year, apart from Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Rokusuke Koenji, the strongest fighter was probably Hayato Kito from Class A.

Of course, that didn't include Albert from Class C. That Nigerian guy relied purely on his powerful natural physique and had no technique to speak of.

Albert might be able to overpower Hayato Kito through sheer physical ability, but to put it bluntly, Ayanokoji and Koenji could take Kito down in an instant.

To put it this way, if Ayanokoji scored 100 points, Albert's physical ability could just about get him to a passing 60, but his fighting technique dragged him back down to around 50.

Ryuen scored 30 points. When Ryuen first subdued Albert, it was his fighting spirit and persistence that did it. Every time, Albert had pinned him to the ground and beaten him badly.

Whether it was his fight with Ayanokoji or his later battle with Hosen, if we were talking about fighting spirit alone, Ryuen was the undisputed god of the original story.

Being tough enough to take a beating was a talent too, so Ryuen's fighting ability could rise from 30 points to around 40.

By comparison, Hayato Kito was reliable but had no outstanding qualities. As Class A's top fighter, his initial rating was 35 points.

In a sparring match against Ryuen, Hayato Kito would win. In a fight to the death, Ryuen would win.