For Origami, this was enough to make her lose her mind. She simply couldn't understand why she had to be the one cursed with such ridiculous bad luck.
No matter how she looked at it, wasn't this kind of misfortune the sort of thing that should befall those damned Spirits? Why her of all people?
She couldn't figure it out.
"This is ridiculous… especially that bastard named Ryuji…"
When she saw Ryuji's wanted poster hanging in a convenience store, Origami unconsciously crushed the plastic water bottle in her hand. Her face remained expressionless as ever, but the sight of her casually crushing the bottle into pieces sent a group of local punks—who'd been planning to flirt with her—scrambling in fear.
She hated being dragged into another world for no reason, but what truly made her life impossible right now was that bastard Ryuji. Because of him, she didn't even dare check into a hotel!
Her heart was seething, but outwardly her expression never changed. Calm, cold, blank—without even the smallest flicker of emotion. For someone like her, true outbursts existed only in her heart.
"Ryuji, you bastard… don't let me catch you."
The bottle crackled in her grip. If it weren't for Ryuji's rampage—if he hadn't drawn so much attention with his killings—the police would never have been combing through cheap inns looking for suspects. She could've stayed hidden, just like on the first day. Instead, now she was forced onto the streets.
The police in Hong Kong had gone mad, scouring the city in their search for him. Small hotels wouldn't even consider letting someone stay without proper identification anymore.
And although many officers secretly sympathized with what Ryuji had done, there was no denying he was openly trampling on the law. Now, even petty thieves or anyone without an ID was being interrogated, sometimes outright detained.
That was why Origami had no choice but to crouch in the shadows of a back alley, avoiding patrols, waiting for the storm to pass.
Ryuji, on the other hand…
He was already across the border, sitting comfortably in a private dining room, having dinner.
The food was decent—nothing extraordinary, but good enough. For Misato, though, it was heavenly. In her world, many ingredients were scarce. Even though her position ensured she could get what she wanted, she never dared indulge so freely.
But here…
Ryuji glanced at Misato, who was gleefully stuffing lobster and every other dish within reach into her mouth. He couldn't help but comment:
"Don't you people have enough supplies in your world?"
"It's not that simple. I don't lack anything—but the world as a whole does. And trust me, getting authentic Chinese food over there is nearly impossible."
Misato grumbled between bites.
Ryuji rolled his eyes.
"I thought Japanese people couldn't handle Chinese food?"
"That's just some of us! Most of it tastes amazing, okay? We're not like Westerners, where the entire food culture is different. If someone says it's bad, that just means they haven't had the real thing yet."
Still chewing, Misato shoved a wedge of watermelon into her mouth as dessert. Ryuji shook his head in disbelief.
He'd already wanted to rant about this back in the Food Wars! world—Japanese cuisine had been almost entirely Westernized. Even though they clung to rice, their attempts at stir-fry were, frankly, an insult to the word.
Even at Totsuki Academy, Chinese cuisine amounted to nothing more than Sichuan dishes. And not even proper ones at that.
Thinking about it, Ryuji suddenly remembered: this world had Stephen Chow—so naturally, The God of Cookery existed here too. Ryuji had no real love for cooking, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to study a little, jot down some recipes.
He opened his map and traced their route. Jusenkyo was in Qinghai, while they were currently in Chongqing, waiting for their flight to Qinghai. A thought struck him.
"When we come back… how about we swing by the Shaolin Temple in Guangdong?"
He stared at the map, considering.
Even if he didn't learn the recipes himself, he could at least record them for Erina. She loved cooking more than anything, and if he happened to show some talent, well, he could always learn too.
Although magic from anime, life force, qi and things like cultivation techniques didn't really fit together, Ryuji was still curious. He wondered whether there might actually be some kind of internal martial arts hidden there…
"Hmm, that's fine. Since it's not far from Hong Kong… but 'Shaolin Temple in Guangdong'?"
Misato lifted her head, slurping noodles while staring at Ryuji like he was an idiot.
"You're not messing with me, are you?"
She was convinced he was just pulling her leg.
"You'll see when we get there. Besides, the food there is really good."
Ryuji didn't elaborate further. The truth was, the place called Dongguan Shaolin Temple didn't sound very legitimate, and the abbot wasn't exactly what you'd call proper…after all, it was a place where chefs were taught how to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?
"You better not be lying to me! The one thing I hate most in this world is a man tricking me with food!"
Misato drained the last of her noodles and glared at him.
"How could I possibly lie to you?"
Ryuji pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open. The hands were still spinning in circles. He sighed.
"When will this thing ever give me a proper reading…"
After eating their fill and resting for a while, the two boarded another plane. On the way, Ryuji glanced at the latest news coverage—the headlines were plastered with his face, branding him as a notorious mass murderer.
He couldn't help but grumble.
"Why is it that in novels, when the protagonist kills hundreds in Hong Kong, it never stirs up trouble… but when I do it, the whole place explodes in chaos?"
Ryuji was reading a novel on his phone and rubbing his temple, as he muttered. Too much math lately had given him a headache.
"In any era, your case would be considered an atrocity," Misato said with a wry smile. "The only reason you slipped out so easily is because Hong Kong police haven't even considered the possibility that you'd flee by plane."
She was right—police thought in straight lines. To them, a fugitive like Ryuji would either lie low or disappear through underground routes. The idea of him boldly boarding a commercial flight hadn't crossed their minds.
Surveillance cameras were in place, of course, but against Misato's laptop, any networked feed was useless. As for the unconnected ones, she'd simply disguised Ryuji with makeup—and thanks to his ability to subtly reshape his face with Life Return, there was no chance of being recognized.
Misato tilted her head, watching him stretch.
"I still think it's incredible. You can actually control your nails, even the muscles on your face, for a while… is that some kind of Chinese martial art?"
Ryuji nodded lazily.
"Not really. It's called Life Return... a special technique from another world."
Misato's eyes lit up with envy. It was an undeniably convenient ability. She wanted to learn it, but she knew she neither had the time nor any guarantee that Ryuji would be able to teach her.
The rest of the journey fell quiet. Not only because the two weren't yet very close, but also because the first-class cabin was full—hardly the place to discuss secrets.
They dozed off for a while, and the plane soon landed safely in Qinghai. When Ryuji looked out the window, he saw nothing but stretches of countryside.
Well, that was to be expected. Even with controlled nuclear fusion available, rural development still needed time. He wasn't surprised, and after buying some supplies with Misato, they set out toward Jusenkyō—the Cursed Springs.
Ryuji busied himself along the way, buying up every newspaper he could find, scanning the headlines. He wanted to know exactly who existed in this world.
With city infrastructure incomplete, taxis were nowhere to be found beyond the urban center. After waiting a while, they finally convinced a farmer with a tractor to give them a ride toward Jusenkyō.
As they rattled along, Misato couldn't hold back her curiosity. She glanced at Ryuji, who was still buried in his newspapers.
"…What exactly are you looking for?"
From the way he carried himself, Misato assumed he knew something about Jusenkyō—that he'd brought her here with purpose. But watching him now, it seemed he was just as uncertain, searching for answers in the newspaper.
"I just feel like… since this world has controllable nuclear fusion, it should naturally be the center of everything. And for such a vast land to not have any storylines—there's no way that's possible."
Ryuji kept flipping through the newspapers, but not a single familiar name appeared. The more he read, the more irritated he became, until finally he turned toward the old farmer driving their tractor.
"Uncle, do you know of any famous people around here? Someone strong—like, really powerful and good at fighting."
The old man glanced at him, Ryuji's words grabbing his attention.
"Gotta say, little Japanese devil, your Chinese is pretty good…"
"..."
Ryuji's expression instantly froze. Misato finally realized why people had been giving them such strange looks whenever she and Ryuji conversed in Japanese.
"I'm Chinese, damn it! Uncle, have you ever seen a Japanese this handsome? At least insult me properly!"
"Then why'd you go and marry a devil woman, huh?"
Ryuji: "..."
He wanted to protest that he had no such relationship with Misato, but the old man wasn't interested in clarifying.
"As for the strongest fighter, that's hard to say… but if you mean strong and famous, you know Yàn Shuāngyīng, right? And that sharpshooter who could, using martial arts, shoot down a Japanese machine gunner from eight hundred li away… what was his name again…"
Yàn Shuāngyīng…
A sniper who used kung fu to fire a gun across hundreds of miles, killing Japanese soldiers in one shot…
Ryuji buried his face in his hands.
Great. So this was one of those timelines—an "Anti-Japanese Superhero" era.
The old man, meanwhile, grew more and more animated as he told stories to Misato... the "real" Japanese devil in their company.
Tales of one man annihilating entire squads of soldiers, of warriors tearing enemies apart with their bare hands, of people who got itchy if they didn't kill dozens of Japanese in a day. Explosives disguised as buns, mantou, even tomatoes—the creativity of demolition geniuses.
By the time the farmer dropped them off at their destination, Misato's eyes had gone completely blank.
"…What the hell is going on in this world?"
She didn't doubt the old man's words for a second. After all, if magic already existed here, so such things were not too difficult to accept.
What she couldn't understand was one thing—if such people existed, then how stupid did Japan's leadership have to be to invade China in the first place?
"Don't overthink it. You Japanese have your own anti-China supermen, don't you? And they still never admit fault," Ryuji said dryly and thought of Tatsuya Shiba patting her shoulder.
Ryuji sighed as he flipped through another newspaper he had bought for the old man.
He did spot many familiar names, but they were strangely altered... half-remembered echoes of people he knew from history. Some figures who should have long been dead were still alive here, and others he had never even heard of existed.
But the problem was…
"There's no real plot point here…"
He had seen a few potential "characters," sure. But names like Qin Huairu, or someone called "Silly Zhu" who'd been arrested for stealing? That just mean the plot of the love ofCourtyard was gone.
And seriously... what was his level compared to that kind of setting? Playing around in a neighborhood drama? That was far beneath him.
Then there was a man named Xia Luo. Ryuji dismissed him out of hand. The guy was irritating, hopeless at playing the game of life. Sure, he made his first pot of gold through singing and dancing—but afterward? No business sense, no ambition. Pathetic.
Any half-decent transmigrator would've done better. Just buying property in Beijing alone would've netted Xia Luo a massive commercial empire…
"No, looks like the only real stories left are in Hong Kong or Japan."
Ryuji sighed softly. China, it seemed, held little promise for him.
What was he supposed to do—go meddle in sitcoms like Big Head Son and Little Head Dad, A Family in the Northeast of China, or Home With Kids?
And even if he did—how the hell would he "break" those plots?
"…So you are hiding something from me, aren't you?" Misato finally pressed. She could tell. Ryuji definitely knew something—something critical. And he was keeping it from her.
"Something like that. But for you, it won't make much of a difference."
Ryuji had no intention of explaining things like "plotlines" to Misato—it would only complicate things.
So without another word, he turned and continued on toward Jusenkyō, the Cursed Springs.
The villages along the way didn't look much different from one another—quiet, scattered, unremarkable. But just as they were about to head toward the next settlement, a man who looked like a village official stopped them.
"You two must be travelers, right? A word of warning—the next place you'll reach is where the Amazons live. If anyone there says to this young lady, 'I don't like your man, let's fight,' she should quickly claim she's a tourist, not a local. Otherwise… well, your male companion will be taken away."
The official smiled as he explained. Ryuji now had a rough idea of what the so-called Amazons were.
They were a female clan in this part of Qinghai, descended from women who had fled war long ago. Over time, distrust of men had taken root. They trained in martial arts, lived separately from men, and often drove the men away. That said, it wasn't as though men were completely absent—married couples simply lived apart from the larger community.
But people had to reproduce, after all. Their method of choosing a partner was simple.
Through combat.
If you could defeat an Amazon, you could marry her, and she would be loyal and obedient. If you lost, but the woman liked you, she might still take you home and deliberately lose to you from time to time whenever she wanted. But if she didn't like you, then you'd never have any chance with her for the rest of your life.
In short, it all came down to one thing—if you wanted the wife of your dreams, you had to be strong enough to win her.
And because of that, the women of this tribe… were terrifyingly powerful.
So, after saying goodbye to the village official, Misato couldn't help but complain under her breath.
"This world is even more chaotic than ours."
For the first time, she began to doubt whether she could actually complete her mission.
"That's just how parallel worlds differ. Which is why I told you—you're not really suited to fight alongside me. You may be strong, but only by human standards. Throwing yourself into battles like these isn't wise."
Ryuji glanced at Misato, whose legs were trembling after walking so far. He sighed, shifted his pack to the front, and crouched down in front of her.
"Come on, I'll carry you. The road ahead is still long—we've got quite a way to go."
Ryuji didn't have any particular thoughts about Misato at the moment. After walking all day, her sweat was noticeable enough, and all he wanted now was to reach Jusenkyo as quickly as possible.
After all, reaching Jusenkyo was non-negotiable for him.
If Misato hadn't insisted on tagging along, he probably would've already made a round trip by now.
"Tch… so frustrating," Misato muttered under her breath.
Misato let out a bitter sigh as she looked at Ryuji, who wasn't even breaking a sweat. Here, she didn't have a driver's license, so she couldn't use a car. If she had been able to drive, she definitely wouldn't have admitted defeat before the gas ran out!
Watching Ryuji's serious expression, Misato finally stopped forcing herself and stepped behind him, leaning onto his back.
But as soon as she pressed herself against him, she couldn't help blurting out,
"Don't you dare take advantage of me!"
"Yes, yes, Lady Katsuragi," Ryuji sighed, gripping her thighs firmly and lifting the voluptuous woman onto his back.
The moment she pressed against him, he felt two generous mounds of softness squeeze against his back. And when her hands tightened on his shoulders, he sensed a faint trace of nervousness in her heart.
She herself didn't seem aware of it. Instead, she brushed her hands across his shoulders in amazement.
"Wow… these muscles are incredible! Bet you're popular with women, huh?"
She was certain of it. With a body like Ryuji's, all he had to do was step into a bar, strip off his shirt, and walk into the dance floor—instantly, countless women's hands would be all over him. And maybe not only women's hands, either.
"Too popular, actually. So don't fall for me. Now hold tight, I'm picking up the pace."
Ryuji bent forward slightly, letting Misato press fully against his back. Her ample chest squashed firmly against him, and the faint fragrance clinging to her skin drifted into his nose.
He had to admit... Misato smelled nice. And more importantly…
This woman was reacting.
With his hands resting against her smooth thighs, Ryuji could clearly feel the muscles in her mature body tightening. After sensing his powerful body and the flood of raw masculine energy radiating from him… her mature body was unconsciously preparing itself.
Especially since Misato had never once considered fighting him him face-to-face. Somewhere deep inside, she instinctively felt she was no match for him. Which was why…
"Mmm…"
The moment Ryuji started running, Misato's arms instinctively wrapped around his chest, clutching his rock-hard muscles. She lifted her head, ready to complain, but her words froze the instant she realized just how fast they were moving.
Even with her on his back, their speed was barely slower than driving a car.
"So fast! You're amazing!"
Misato couldn't help but praise him. She already knew Ryuji was fast and strong, but seeing him carry her like a human vehicle left her genuinely stunned.
If it weren't for the heavy bag on her back forcing her to stay pressed against him, she might have wanted to ride on him just to admire the scenery.
But as the wind brushed past and her body pressed involuntarily against him, Misato suddenly realized something was off.
Her heart was pounding too fast, and a warm, restless heat was stirring in her lower abdomen, stirring dangerous impulses, making her feel… strange.
"Ugh… damn it…"
She instinctively gripped Ryuji tighter, holding on with more force than necessary.
She knew her body's reaction was entirely because of him... because of his powerful presence and energy, she couldn't control herself.
And Ryuji's easygoing yet reliable personality made her like him even more. Being with him didn't feel heavy or suffocating. Despite his outward annoyance with her, he had still brought her along. His irritation wasn't out of malice, but worry—worry that she'd get hurt if she got involved in fights beyond her ability.
This guy…
Misato buried her face against his shoulder, feeling a strange flutter in her chest.
You really are popular with women, huh."
"Haha…"
Ryuji didn't say anything. Whatever Misato was thinking was her own secret. For him, the priority was clear: reach Jusenkyo as quickly as possible, check whether Ranma was still there, and, if so, interfere with his story. If not…
He would collect some of Jusenkyo's mystical spring water.
Ranma's story was simple. During his travels in China, Ranma Saotome accidentally fell into the Drowned Girl Spring, which gave him a condition: cold water turned him into a girl, hot water restored him to a boy. His father, similarly, fell into the Spring of Drowned Panda. Whatever those springs in Qinghai were, they made Ranma's story trivially solvable.
The reason Ranma remained in female form for so long was equally simple: they couldn't afford to visit Jusenkyo again… or the Male Spring.
It was that simple.
Despite these so-called martial artists having considerable power, their combat abilities were not enough to challenge a proper army. Plus, Ranma and his father had no real job, making another trip impossible.
And why didn't they return to the Male Spring after Ranma became female? Also simple: the Male Spring had run dry.
Yes, the reason was that tragically mundane.
As a result, Ranma had to live in this ambiguous state—neither fully male nor female—and several times came dangerously close to being unable to ever revert to a man.
One reason was mystical artifacts that interfered with hot water transformation; another, more practical, was that… a woman who became pregnant could not revert to being a man.
Ranma's misadventures were far from rare. Though he remained pure, there were numerous close calls—several times nearly leading to… complications.
Half of Ranma's story arose from these incidents.
Because his body couldn't marry Akane Tendo properly, he had to carefully navigate relationships. Moreover, his unusual condition turned Akane's followers into entangled participants in Ranma's female-form escapades.
After all, Ranma's female form was not only prettier than Akane, but the formerly straight young man had no qualms about using seduction and clever tactics to manipulate men when in this form.
As the saying goes, "A man understands men best."
In his female form, Ranma was even more attractive than actual women.
Or rather, he could seduce people!
Countless hard-hearted individuals, unaware of his situation, would find themselves utterly flustered by his female form, exposing all sorts of weaknesses.
Yes, that's Ranma—a shameless character through and through!
Even the secret techniques passed down in his family carried the essence of shamelessness.
Ryuji planned to see how things unfolded. If Ranma had already arrived here, he could wait a while, then use the Male Spring to deal with him. If not, he could collect some of the spring water and, after Ranma turned into a girl, hand it over to him.
And Jusenkyo Village wasn't just about the Male and Female Drowning Springs or the Drowning Panda Spring; it had all sorts of miraculous springs. For example, if someone rode a cow, held a snake, and drowned a goose in the water, they'd transform into a powerful monster with the head of a cow and the ability to fly!
Yes, anything that drowned there could turn into a miraculous "XXX Spring," and items dropped in it could even combine in bizarre ways.
It was arguably one of the most broken phenomena in this world.
In other words, if Ryuji really wanted, he could even create a Drowning Phoenix Spring or a Drowning Dragon Spring.
But he felt it wasn't necessary.
Although these springs could transform people, the weakness of hot and cold water was far too obvious. There were workarounds, but Ryuji couldn't be bothered.
Whether it was adapting to a dragon's body or training a new body for combat, it would take time and effort.
As for the Female Spring or other strange springs, he might use them to tease people he didn't like—but never on himself!
He, Ryuji, would never resort to such shady tricks.
While running, using his Observation Haki to scout ahead, Ryuji soon sensed two weak auras, and a village holding a festival ahead. He froze for a moment, and as he crossed the mountain, he saw a girl with braided hair and a panda.
"…What a coincidence?"
Without a doubt, in this place, seeing a girl with braids and a panda could only mean Ranma Saotome and his father, Genma Saotome.
No sooner had Ryuji thought this than he saw the deadly glint in their eyes as they spotted his backpack.
"An opening!"
The red-haired girl, dressed in a Japanese martial arts uniform, shouted and charged at Ryuji without hesitation. Behind her, the panda brandished a sign written in flowing Japanese calligraphy: "Robbery!"
"Eh?!"
Misato screamed, completely unprepared for an attack in this remote place. Ryuji didn't hesitate. He unleashed a burst of fire to adjust his trajectory, then delivered a kick directly at the two charging attackers.
Despite being the protagonist, the Saotome father-and-son duo weren't ones to worry about appearances! When hungry, they'd genuinely steal food from children.
Ryuji didn't care about the food itself, but he wouldn't allow it to be taken. And he also wanted to see the skill level of martial artists in this world.
Yet, he was somewhat disappointed.
In the rush of the moment, neither Ranma nor Genma dodged or even reacted. Both were kicked away violently, slamming into the rocky mountain side.
Ryuji stopped, carefully putting Misato down while remaining alert.
But as the dust settled, he realized his caution had been unnecessary: Ranma and Genma were completely incapable of resisting, unconscious among the rocks.
"Tch… so weak?"
Ryuji was a bit speechless, then looked at Ranma, whose clothes were completely torn.
He knew that Ranma's strength would drop after turning into a woman—both stature and power decrease, and being hungry also lowers one's strength—but he hadn't expected her to be this weak.
Misato quickly stepped in front of Ryuji, using her face to block his view of Ranma.
"Hey! It's already pitiful enough that a girl got knocked out by you, and on top of that you tore her clothes and stared at her body! That's too much!"
Misato looked at Ryuji in disbelief. She genuinely couldn't understand how he could look at a girl's body with such justification!
Only then did Ryuji realize that female Ranma's body was indeed impressive. In terms of sheer proportions, even Misato's figure couldn't compare, and as for the face…
Misato was slightly less attractive than female Ranma.
Well, there was no helping it—Misato was ultimately an older woman!
"That's not a girl! That's a man who got drenched in the Spring of Drowned Girl. We're already in Cursed Spring Village; don't you understand? Besides, they attacked us first."
Still, looking at Ranma lying on the ground, Ryuji couldn't help but frown.
Even though he had one-shot them, Ranma and Genma's strength shouldn't have fallen this far! Catching some rabbits or wild boars should have been a breeze for them.
And, knowing he'd turn into women, why didn't he carry a pot to boil water?
There was a river nearby when they passed; he could've just boiled some water and turned back into men!
So Ryuji couldn't help but comment:
"Strange… their female bodies are so weak, why would they…"
Before he finished, a gust of wind hit him. Ryuji casually turned and dodged a massive hammer.
He avoided it, but Ranma didn't. Already close to regaining consciousness, her head was slammed into a rock by the hammer, leaving Ryuji stunned.
Because…
Because she wasn't dead! Her life force hadn't even weakened!
"How is this possible?"
He muttered, but the attacker spoke up.
"What's impossible about it?! And didn't you just say women are weak?!"
~~~~~~~~~~
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