Part 103: Chapter 4 Extra Study Material

Chapter 4 Extra Study Material

Chapter 4 only had one death. Here are the concluding parts of Sakura Oogami's free time arc.



It shall perhaps be time to tell you about it soon...
...Tell me about what?



...About the man who is stronger than me.
Eh...?



It is a story I have not told anyone before, yet I feel I can speak to you about.
But, are you serious? Is there really someone stronger than you?



He is my lifetime rival.
He is a man who only fights out in the wild, therefore he is not widely known in the professional fighting circles. And yet...
...He is, undoubtedly, the strongest man on Earth.
We have traded fists more than once, and I have always lost.
I...Is he really that strong?



We live in an era where fighting has turned into a science.
It is researched. Advances are made. It has even been established as a popular sport.
It is an era where such cheap concepts as "invincible" are gone. He who holds the newest techniques wins.



Nevertheless, that man has never been scientifically trained.
All he ever did was fight out there in the real world.
It is as if he is making a mockery of the rest of us. There is not a single person who can defeat him.
In a field such as ours, where "lucky punches" exist, it is natural for anyone to gain some loses.
Nevertheless, this man never loses.
He has never trained in any modern technique, yet he cannot be defeated by even the most scholarly of us.
I...Is he even human?



His name is Kenichiro.
He was raised by a legendary assassin clan. It appears they consider him their heir. At least, that is what he told me.

A legendary assassin clan... That's incredible on so many levels.



But, that is not all. I have not yet presented the real problem.
...Will you listen to me without laughing?
L...Laughing?
W...Why would I laugh?



Your reaction tells me one thing.
I am certain that you will laugh!!
...Huh?



...I require more time to prepare myself.
B...But...!



I ask for your patience. I may not look the part, but I have one too.
...I too have a maiden's heart.



Without saying another word, Oogami-san walked away. But...

"A maiden's heart"...?



* * *
* * *
* * *





Naegi. Have you made your resolution yet?
...Eh?



Have you resolved not to laugh at what I am about to tell you...?
Are you talking about that Kenichiro guy?
I already told you I'm not going to laugh...



Please accompany me to my room. We shall continue our discussion there.
We require privacy.

...Eh? Oogami-san's room?



I followed Oogami-san to her room.



Oogami-san's room... It's just what I expected it to be.

But... I'm a little nerve-wrecked, being alone in a room with a girl.

In Oogami-san's case, it's a completely different type of nerve wrecking, though.



How long are you planning to fidget around?
Ah, I'm sorry...!



I shall begin my story now.
It's about this Kenichiro-san, isn't it? The strongest man on Earth...



Indeed. My lifetime rival. And also...



M...My...
My first... lover.
First lover...?



...Are you laughing?
...No! Not at all!

I mean, I didn't expect these words to come out of her mouth, but...

It took you a long time to gather your courage and tell me about it...
There's no way I'd laugh at something like that!



............
I may have done you a great disservice, thinking so little of you.



I apologize, Naegi.
N...No, you don't have to apologize...



I was scared you were going to make fun of me...
...Wouldn't you be correct in doing so? The thought that a woman built like myself could be involved with matters of "love"...



No. Even being shy as I have been about this matter is a disgusting feminine quality...
But... aren't you a woman, Oogami-san?
I mean, it's just natural there's some part of you that's feminine.



But, for one such as myself, aiming for the position of the strongest person on Earth...
You shouldn't have to turn into a man just because you want to be strong, should you?



Keh...!!
...Eh? What's wrong?



I...It is nothing... You have just sparked an old memory.
I was once told the very same thing by Kenichiro...
You have simply... brought that memory back.



I cannot help but recall his words even now.
He said my true nature was a feminine one... I shall carry his words with me always.

Eh...? The way she speaks...

It sounds as if he's...

Um, could this Kenichiro-san have already...



He is fighting.
That sure was definitive!



He is fighting... a disease.
...Eh?



They said he had no more than six months to live.
Nevertheless, six months have passed and he still lives. He is still fighting.
This is his way. He shall not lose to sickness. I am certain he will win this fight as well.
I have accepted him as the strongest person on Earth... And so I have faith that he will win.
O...Oogami-san...
I went to visit him at the hospital... just once.
He was thin and pale. It was as if I was looking at a different person. And this is what he said to me:
He said, "Just for a while, I entrust the title of the 'strongest person on Earth' to you."
He asked me to never lose a fight until he is strong enough to take the title back.



He did not have to ask. I intend to keep the title safe until he regains his strength.
And then, when he is strong again...
I must be as strong as I can by that time. I still have to defeat him in a fight.
That is why... I must get stronger.
I see... so that's what happened...



That is the reason I aim to become the strongest person on Earth.
I am sorry for making you listen to such a long story.



...It is peculiar. I am not sure why I told it to you.
Perhaps it is because you remind me of Kenichiro...
Eh? Me?



Yes. You are a lot like him. Perhaps not in physical strength, but I feel there is another strength you both possess. A true strength.
T...True strength? I don't think I...



Do not try to be modest. You are strong. I am an expert on such matters.
...Am I not?
S...Sure...



And finally, the last remaining pin-up picture from the official artbook, Kenichiro.



There's actually one more official picture of him, on the back of one of the comics anthologies. The cover was drawn by Rui Komatsuzaki, who (for those who can't remember) is the character designer and drew all the other official art for the game.