underground figths.

The canon begins.

It was the first day of class after summer vacation, and Kei's absence furrowed Shogo's brow. He knew Kei's trip wasn't just a stroll; apparently, he had been involved in the conflict in Ivory Coast, facing battles with high-impact weapons, skilled assassins, mercenaries, soldiers, spy agencies, and other martial artists lurking in the shadows.

-Berserker, -  Nijima commented, having heard rumors that one of the fiercest fighters he knew had been beaten to exhaustion.

-Scum, - Shogo responded with his usual disdainful look at Nijima.

-Hahaha, nice to see you, - Nijima said nervously, retreating. - At least Kei has his interests, but he's been ignoring my calls. His last message was, - Keep up with everything we've planned... Shogo will help, just be careful not to provoke him, or he'll beat you to a pulp.' -

-Do you have any idea about Kei? He asked you to handle the business, - Nijima asked.

-He's in Ivory Coast, joined a mercenary group, - Berserker replied.

As Berserker entered Class 2-D for the second period, people backed away. Despite his injuries, his walking manner was intimidating; one eye was covered with a lion patch, and the other had a bandage on the eyebrow, with his left cheek sporting shades of yellow, red, green, and blue.

***

Kenichi ran through the streets toward school, six months after becoming a mid-term transfer student. He had overslept due to his extensive studies, which were not typical of the school. One change since Kei's arrival was that Kenichi had left the karate club and peacefully joined the gardening club.

-Damn, late again! - Kenichi exclaimed.  -I'll end up being the latest one to class this semester if I oversleep again. -

A blonde woman sensed Kenichi's presence behind her and reacted instinctively, spinning around. She inadvertently sent Kenichi flying through the air, crashing to the ground with enough force to scatter all his school supplies.

-My apologies, my body moved on its own, - Kenichi commented.

-Let me help you, - the embarrassed blonde stammered.

Kenichi nervously scratched his head. - Sorry for bothering you, - he said, unaware she was the assailant behind his fall.

-Wait, why did you attack me so suddenly? Were you trying to kill me? - Kenichi asked, panic evident in his eyes.

-I'm sorry, -. the blonde said, blushing with embarrassment. She was a good girl and disliked causing trouble, but her reflexes had taken over.

-But... isn't it normal to strike someone who suddenly appears behind you? - Miu commented. Kenichi couldn't help but recall images of Kei Kazama dominating his fragile spirit with numerous techniques over the past five years.

-Oh no, it's already too late, - Kenichi muttered, checking his watch and realizing he was running extremely late.

-A bad habit, oops, - Miu murmured, looking at the plant book that had fallen to the ground.

Thus began the story, where fate began to correct its course and shape events toward a resolution. From here, Kenichi Shirahama would become Kei Kazama's formidable rival in their early martial arts years, each making their own choices over two years and six months.

-he forgot your book, - Miu said.

Next day.

Miu entered Korko School and saw many nervous delinquents at the entrance, all following a predetermined order. The boy she had met earlier in the morning was in her class. He was calm but nervous, like everyone else, nervously watching the empty chair and the door. Each time the door opened; people held their breath.

The pattern continued the next day. Miu walked and saw Kenichi rushing to class to make it on time. She spotted him sitting on a bench, eating while reading something in a book. For Kenichi, it remained a mystery how this girl always arrived earlier despite his running.

-' After asking about his hobbies and being kind,' I see. Hmph, Blah-blah, 'if you want to make friends, you have to greet us first.' I can't believe it's been six months and I still have no friends... If this keeps up, it'll be just like middle school. Luckily, Kei hasn't shown up and stolen my lunch," Kenichi commented. "This book is really useful for studying how to..." It should have finished the other one.

-' I have your gardening book. It's very useful. Where I live, we have some plants, but they don't last long,' Miu commented from the tree, startling Kenichi, who hadn't seen where Miu was.

-' I must confess, I just transferred here and I don't have any friends. Your book on how to make friends should be great,' Miu said from above the tree.

-' Where...?' muttered Kenichi, looking around.

-'If you don't mind, I'd like to be your friend,' Miu said, appearing above him and executing a jump that landed her sneakers on Kenichi's face, causing him to step back with a footprint on his face from Miu's fall.

-'Have I ever made you angry, ever caused you trouble,' Kenichi said, defeated by everything Miu had done to him, first a punch, and now a kick.

-'Sorry, sorry! It's just that the skirts in this school are very short. I'm so clumsy, and stupid, but speaking of which, I had the same thing happen in the other school. I don't know why I can't be like the rest of the students,' Miu said.

-' It's because you act like an assassin,' Kenichi thought, noticing how the girl reacted, only now realizing the blows she had inflicted on him.

-' I can be your friend,' Miu said nervously, a pretty girl with blue eyes and blonde hair, the most beautiful among the schoolgirls.

Engaging in a tough pose, attempting to appear cool, unaware that she was anything but cool.

-' You can be my friend... because I have a good heart,' Kenichi said.

-' Really? That's great,' Miu said. 'This book is yours. I haven't introduced myself... my name is Furinji Miu, but please call me Miu.' Inside, she thought about the first friendship she had made, a significant event for her, having suffered discrimination at her previous school. She had read the book and managed to make a friend on her first attempt, and she was happy.

-My name is Shirahama Kenichi. Just call me Kenichi, -  Kenichi said.

-Sure, Kenichi-kun. -

The following steps were a self-discovery for both, without touching on martial arts. Kenichi took her to the flower garden to observe everything relevant about the school. Without realizing it, he stayed working in the greenhouse until very late that day. He encountered a little Miu facing bullies, and something started to awaken in Kenichi, the dormant spirit within him, one to take into account, a power that was just what he wanted, a flame that was extinguished.

...