November 8, 1985 — 21:35
Today, after closing up the dojo, I was called over by Sensei. He said he wanted to speak with me privately, just the two of us. I wonder what this could be about? Joining him for training is one thing, but asking for a personal talk is quite unusual for Sensei.
Sensei... Ryusho Kazama-sensei. My mentor in martial arts and my guide in life.
It has been over fifty years since I first met Sensei. Back then, I was still just a child—not merely in age, but in mindset as well. My original reason for wanting to learn martial arts in the first place was simply because I had lost a fight to a boy.
The martial art my grandfather introduced to me was this very Kazama-ryu Aikijujutsu. When I first laid eyes on Sensei... well, to put it bluntly, I didn't think he looked strong at all. After all, he was older than my grandfather, and at the time, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary old man.
When I first joined, I couldn't comprehend the art either. I had begged and pleaded to enroll in Shingen-ryu Kung Fu instead, so at first, I even harbored some resentment toward my grandfather. Of course, looking back now, I am profoundly grateful to him.
I still remember the day I first called him "Sensei" with genuine, deep-seated reverence from the bottom of my heart.
That was... yes, about a month after I had entered the dojo.
While I was practicing as usual—still harboring doubts about whether this martial art was actually useful—a dojo challenger arrived. Since Sensei was a former Floor Master at Heavens Arena, the challenger had likely come to make a name for himself by defeating him.
The challenger was a towering brute over two meters tall, rippling with muscle. In contrast, Sensei was a frail, slender old man of about 170 centimeters. There's no way he can win, I thought. Yet Sensei shattered my expectations with effortless ease.
No matter how many times the brute threw punches, not a single fist reached Sensei. Instead, the giant was repeatedly flipped through the air and gently guided to the floor. The moment the giant grabbed Sensei by the collar, he was already flat on his back. It was a sight that looked like pure magic... and it was at that exact moment that I became utterly captivated by the beauty of Kazama-ryu.
I truly felt blessed from the depths of my heart to have become Sensei's first disciple.
The years that followed were filled with sheer joy. Once I understood its principles, pursuing the essence of Ju (gentleness and yielding) became immensely fulfilling. Sensei praised me, saying I had great potential, and wishing to earn more of his praise, I devoted myself to training even harder.
Seeing my revered Sensei suffer his very first defeat was a tremendous shock to me...
His battle against that bastard Nete... Chairman Netero was so terrifyingly fierce that my immature self couldn't even begin to comprehend it. After that match, Sensei and Chairman Netero hit it off immediately, and from then on, they became lifelong rivals who constantly pushed each other to new heights...
I firmly believe that one day, Sensei will use that old geez... Chairman Netero as a stepping stone to ascend to the ultimate zenith of martial arts. In fact, in their match just one month ago, Sensei achieved a brilliant victory. Even now, I can vividly recall the frustrated look on that muscular cutesy girl... Biscuit-san's face when Chairman Netero lost.
...Ah! I ended up completely lost in nostalgic memories. I cannot keep Sensei waiting any longer. I must hurry to the main hall.
"Sensei, my apologies for the delay."
"Ah, think nothing of it. Thank you for locking up."
"Not at all, it was no trouble. So, Sensei, what was it that you wished to speak about?"
"Indeed. Linna, I bestow this upon you. Please accept it."
"This is... the Certificate of Full Transmission (Menkyo Kaiden)?! But Sensei, there is still so much I have yet to learn from you!"
"Linna. I have passed on everything I possess to you. Accepting this Menkyo Kaiden is the duty of a disciple who has earned her master's recognition."
"However! I still cannot hold a candle to—"
"—Do not misunderstand, Linna."
"...Eh?"
"It is true that I have imparted all my knowledge to you. That is why I grant you Menkyo Kaiden. However... mistaking the receipt of this scroll for having reached the pinnacle of martial arts is nothing more than hubris."
"...!"
"Even when I received Menkyo Kaiden from my own master, I was far more unrefined than I am today. Even after accumulating countless years of relentless discipline, I still cannot claim to have mastered martial arts... This is not the finish line of your path. It is a brand new beginning. Do not become complacent; continue to devote yourself with even greater diligence."
"Sensei...! Ah, I am utterly ashamed of my own immaturity... I humbly and gratefully accept this Certificate of Full Transmission."
"Good... Actually, there is one more matter I must discuss with you."
"One more... matter?"
"Yes. This is a personal favor I ask of you. ...I want you to become the successor of this dojo."
"—?! What are you saying?! Sensei, even if it is a request from you... this dojo is your life's dream! As someone who has only just realized her own shortcomings, I am far from worthy! There are others far better suited than I!"
"I beg of you, Linna. I'd like to enjoy a peaceful retirement soon. It is precisely because it is you that I ask this. Because you are my very first disciple, and the one I trust most in this world."
"S-Sensei...! ...I understand. This unworthy disciple shall accept this duty with all her heart and soul."
"Thank you... Do not shoulder too much burden alone. You will do wonderfully... Let us end our talk here for tonight... We shouldn't let the hour grow too late."
"...Sensei?"
"What is the matter? You must not keep your family waiting. Be careful on your way home in the dark."
"Geez... When you treat me like a child like that from time to time, how am I ever supposed to feel like a full-fledged adult?"
"Hm... My apologies. Having been alone in this world with no kin of my own, I have always thought of my disciples as my own children."
"Eh?"
"Especially you, being my very first disciple... Having watched over you since your childhood, I suppose it just comes naturally... If it bothered you, I am sorry."
"No! If you think of us in that way, Sensei, all of us disciples feel nothing but immense pride! There is no reason whatsoever for it to bother me!"
"Then I am glad... Let us call it a night. Tomorrow will be the formal unveiling of the new master of the dojo. Try not to be too nervous."
"Yes. Good night, Sensei."
"Yes. Good night."
...To think our conversation would take such a turn...! I might be too excited to sleep tonight...
Ah, before I knew it, tears were streaming down my cheeks... This won't do. Do people simply grow more sentimental with age?
November 11, 1985 — 01:25
The succession of the dojo went smoothly, and Sensei was finally able to rest comfortably. He promised to drop by from time to time to oversee our sparring. It was a joyous occasion. Nothing was amiss.
And yet...
...What could this be...? This unease in my chest will not subside... I don't know why, but I feel an overwhelming urge to go to the dojo right this instant... Even though no one should be there at such an ungodly hour...
Driven by sheer anxiety, I leaped over the dojo gates and rushed into the main hall... And there...
"Sensei?! Please pull yourself together, Sensei!!"
Sensei was collapsed on the floor in the depths of the dojo...
His breathing had stopped?! His heart... was not beating!!
I immediately contacted Menfil General Hospital!
I began CPR while waiting for the ambulance to arrive!
Sensei! Please don't die, Sensei! Sensei!!
...Despite all desperate measures, Sensei departed from this world on that very day...
Sensei... why did you pass away with such a look of unfulfilled regret on your face...?
Was it... was it truly that agonizing of a regret that you could not reach the absolute summit of martial arts in this life...?
Sensei... I will inherit your will... I swear that I will reach the peak of martial arts that you always aspired to achieve...
So... please, I beg of you, rest in peace...
◆
November 11, 1985 — 15:28
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
...Phew. Ten thousand punches of gratitude completed.
...Shall I go for another ten thousand? Curse that Ryusho. To think he smoothly snatched victory right out of my hands last month...!
Claiming I was careless is nothing more than a pathetic excuse... Good grief, the way he reads my intent is so sharp it's as if he possesses Satori (enlightenment) or something. Normally he's just an old training fanatic, but the moment a battle begins, he instantly turns into a completely different beast.
Still... that Penetration Palm of his was devastatingly effective.
It's a technique designed not for external destruction, but internal devastation—and when infused with an astronomical volume of aura, it genuinely turns into a one-hit kill... Normally, focusing aura right before impact is the fundamental secret of combat, but his Penetration Palm concentrates aura after making contact.
Through a unique striking mechanic, he drives a shockwave straight into the opponent's interior from the palm. He then channels aura inward along with that shockwave... If taken head-on, it would kill anyone on the spot!!
A standard Gyo strike can be blocked with Gyo, but against that move, one must focus their internal aura to absorb and mitigate the shock. Even though he supposedly held back, I couldn't eat a proper meal for three whole days...
Ngh. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil... I'll be sure to pay him back in full during our next match.
With that decided, I'd better keep training. After all, one cannot fight off old age forever. Without constant conditioning, the body declines in an instant.
"Chairman! We have an emergency!"
Oho? Beans, is it? What has happened?
"What is all the ruckus about? Did some directive come down from the government?"
"N-No. The truth is... it's..."
...?!
"Wh-What did you say?! R-Ryusho... is dead?!"
I-Impossible! What nonsense are you spouting out of nowhere...?!
November 13, 1985 — 14:20
...Ryusho... Did you really have to go and die on me...?
You damn fool... Winning against me and then running away into the afterlife like that...!!
Who... Who am I supposed to fight from now on?
I never once imagined that those dreamlike days would ever come to an end...
No, it just means we are human after all. An end comes for everyone. I knew that full well, yet I simply avoided thinking about it...
Ryusho...
November 15, 1985
Two days have passed since Ryusho's funeral. I have zero motivation for anything... The daily training I never missed for a single day, the duties of the Association—I cannot bring myself to touch any of it.
Phew. I feel as though I've aged decades all at once...
"Chairman. Um, a letter has arrived for you..."
"...Just leave it over there. I'll read it later."
"Um, the thing is... it's a letter from Lord Ryusho..."
"What did you say?! Bring it here immediately!!"
A letter from Ryusho?! What on earth could this mean?!
This handwriting... It is undeniably Ryusho's! The date it was sent was... one week ago?
The contents... Written on a single sheet of paper in Ryusho's brushwork were only four words:
"Do not neglect your training."
...That is all...?
Do not neglect your training, huh...? Hehehe. That bastard Ryusho... he read my feelings to a sickeningly accurate degree.
Very well! You can sit up in the afterlife and grit your teeth while you watch me stand at the absolute summit of martial arts!
Wash your neck and wait for me, Ryusho!!
Ryusho Kazama. Passed away on November 11, 1985.
His funeral was attended by his disciples, Hunter Association Chairman Isaac Netero, and countless dignitaries from across the world. However, it is said that not a single relative or blood relation was present among them.
Ryusho Kazama—a martial artist hailed as a living legend.
If one attempts to trace the footprints of his life, his trail abruptly ends in the island nation of Japon, the birthplace of Kazama-ryu. Where he was before that, where he came from—no one in this world knows his past.
—Excerpt from "Approaching the Mystery of Legendary Martial Artist Ryusho Kazama"