Chapter "Vows And Determination"

The next morning, Hisashi slowly opened his eyes to find himself in his apartment, with Hanae and Subaru by his side.

Subaru, seated next to him, asked with concern, "Hey, how are you feeling?" Hisashi remained silent, his thoughts elsewhere.

Hanae, seated beside him, chimed in, "Are you okay? What happened to you?" Hisashi, still trying to make sense of things, sat up and asked, "What's going on?"

Subaru, surprised, inquired, "You don't remember anything?" Hisashi shook his head, indicating his confusion.

Both Hanae and Subaru stood up, exchanging worried glances. Hanae's voice rose with concern, "Have you lost your memory?" While Subaru, taken aback, exclaimed, "Seriously?”

Hisashi reassured them, saying, "I'm okay, guys. I just can't remember what happened last night."

Subaru recounted, "I called you, and you mentioned you were on your way back home. We waited for hours, getting more and more worried. Eventually, we decided to search for you. Thankfully, we found you lying on the side of the road.”

Confusion clouded Hisashi's expression as he struggled to recall, but suddenly, flashbacks flooded his mind: the altercation with the beggar, the sudden strike to his neck. His eyes widened in realization, and he instinctively reached for his pocket, only to find his wallet missing.

Under his breath, Hisashi muttered, "That son of a..." Subaru noticed his reaction and asked, "What happened? Did you get robbed or something?”

Hisashi nodded in agreement, saying, "Yeah, something like that." Hanae expressed her relief, "Thank God you're okay."

Hisashi grimaced, "That same beggar has robbed me twice now." Hanae suggested, "Twice? We should file a report against him."

Hisashi shook his head determinedly, "No, I'll catch him and teach him a lesson myself." Subaru nodded, "Yeah, okay, but first, which dojo are you representing in this year's almighty tournament?" Hisashi's eyes widened in realization.

Hanae's excitement was palpable as she asked, "Yeah, tell us." However, Hisashi's tone turned serious as he replied, "Subaru, find me another job."

Subaru's eyes widened in realization, while Hanae appeared confused as she questioned, "Why another job?" Subaru hesitated before whispering, "Didn't you get admission in any dojo?" Hanae was stunned by this revelation.

Hisashi rose to his feet, determined. "I'll start looking for jobs now. Subaru, let me know about any available openings," he declared.

Hanae voiced her suspicions, "I'm sure Taiga is behind this."

Subaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Taiga?" he exclaimed.

Hisashi waved off the speculation. "Forget about Taiga for now, Subaru. My priority is finding a job. Please help me with that," he urged.

"I'm certain it's Taiga; he's just seeking revenge," Hanae asserted.

Subaru's expression twisted with anger as he shouted, "Revenge for what?"

Hisashi intervened, "Forget about it, Subaru," he said firmly.

Rising to her feet with determination, Hanae insisted, "No, he needs to understand." She turned to Subaru, her gaze unwavering, and began to explain. "Todoka was a friend from my middle school days. A few days ago, he confessed his feelings for me, but I turned him down. After that, Todoka and other students from Ryugari-Sha started harassing me. Hisashi intervened, beat up Todoka, and we ran away. To take revenge the Ryugari-Sha students blocked his admission to their dojo and any other dojo.”

Subaru's voice was laced with anger as he exclaimed, "And you never thought to tell me any of this?"

Hisashi calmly replied, "It's okay. I started the fight, and they sought revenge. We're square now.”

Subaru's tone hardened as he declared, "No, you are not. You did nothing wrong, and what they're doing is wrong, and I won't stand for it. I'll speak to Todoka and Taiga, and if they refuse to listen, I'll take it up with Sensei Kosuke." Rising to his feet, he turned to Hisashi and vowed, "I'll ensure you compete and triumph in this tournament. That's my word.”

Hisashi smiled gratefully and replied, "Thank you, Subaru. But for now, my main focus is finding a job. Once I do, I'll dedicate myself to earning as much as I can."

Rising to her feet, Hanae offered her assistance, saying, "Don't worry, Hisashi. I'll help you search for a job." Hisashi nodded appreciatively, and Hanae quickly added, "You must be hungry. Give me five minutes, and I'll bring something for us to eat." With a nod, Hisashi watched as Hanae hurried into the kitchen.

Subaru remained standing, his expression contorted with anger. Inside, a fierce determination burned. "Taiga," he thought, "if you're the reason behind Hisashi's rejection from every dojo, then it's between you and me. Just us, on the karate field. That's where I'll settle the score for Hisashi." His eyes glinted with resolve as he simmered with pent-up fury.