Chapter 22: Going All Out
On a wide mat, Hayato and Sasaki faced each other. The elites of the security company surrounded them, watching the two with bated breath. President Yasumoto was also observing quietly from a short distance away, his arms crossed.
After a moment of silence, Sasaki, a former martial artist, quickly stepped in. His movements were efficient and precise. But before his attack could reach Hayato, my figure had already shifted sideways. His movement was completely imperceptible.
“Wha—!?”
Sasaki let out a surprised gasp. He immediately regained his stance and launched a series of attacks—his well-honed signature moves, often used in matches. But none of his attacks reached me. I dodged them all with minimal movements, moving as naturally as flowing water.
He sees right through me. How should I attack? If I stop to think, a counterattack will come. No good. Keep moving. His thoughts raced, and Sasaki kept moving. In response, I dealt with him with light, effortless movements.
Three minutes later, Sasaki was on his knees, breathing heavily. He hadn’t managed to land a single effective blow; on the contrary, he had been thrown to the floor multiple times by my counterattacks.
One man had sweat pouring from his forehead like a waterfall, while the other was merely catching his breath slightly. The outcome was obvious at a glance.
“I’m next.”
Tanaka, formerly of the Self-Defense Forces, stepped forward. A fighting spirit burned in his eyes. He was smaller in build than Sasaki, but he was confident in his stamina.
“Please.”
I replied with a smile. There was no tension in my expression; in fact, there was even a hint of enjoyment.
Tanaka cautiously closed the distance, then suddenly grabbed my arm. This was a favorite tactic of his, a master of grappling techniques. But his expression, thinking he had a firm grip, changed to one of surprise.
“Wha—!?”
The arm he had grabbed didn’t move, as if it were made of rock. Tanaka tried to pull with all his might, but I didn’t budge an inch. On the contrary, a gleam of amusement was in my eyes.
I used Tanaka’s grip against him, instantly breaking his stance. He hurriedly tried to roll away on the floor, but my movements were even faster. I wouldn’t let him escape.
Sasaki, who had been watching the match while catching his breath, was astounded.
What was that movement? It was a move not found in any textbook he had learned from his varied experiences in striking, grappling, and mixed martial arts. A technique with no wasted motion, specialized for real combat, purely for the sake of “winning.” It was different from the movements of any martial artist he had ever seen.
My fighting style was almost entirely self-taught through actual combat—techniques honed over ten years in life-or-death battles in another world. They weren’t taught by anyone; they were unique movements I devised myself to survive. That’s why they don’t conform to any set forms and are difficult to predict.
And now, in the midst of battle, I was absorbing Sasaki’s and Tanaka’s movements. The ability to see through an opponent’s techniques and utilize them myself. An aptitude for learning. It was one of my special skills, cultivated through countless battles in the other world.
“Kuh!”
Tanaka dropped to his knees. Sweat poured from his entire body, and he was gasping for breath. Just facing me exerted tremendous pressure. The stamina drain from that alone was intense. Even for him, who was confident in his physical strength, it was considerably tough.
In contrast, I remained standing, perfectly composed. My breathing was undisturbed, and I had barely broken a sweat.
During the match, I was remembering a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time. Pure enjoyment. The joy of moving my body. The thrill of competing in skill, not a fight to the death.
For several months after returning from the other world, I had unconsciously suppressed my power. I had been trying to return to being an ordinary person. But it was no longer possible. Now, I was rediscovering the joy of moving my body with all my might. The ten years I spent in the other world had drastically changed my mind and body.
“I’m next.”
Suzuki, a former member of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Assault Team, announced himself. As a member of Shield Agent Security Co., Ltd., he couldn’t just keep losing. He had to show some pride. A challenging glint was in his eyes.
“Please.”
I accepted with a smile. Inside, the joy of battle was swelling. I can still go on!
The one-on-one matches continued; when one challenger fell, another appeared. Despite the consecutive battles, I showed no signs of fatigue; rather, it seemed my movements grew more refined with each fight. A look of pure enjoyment was on my face.
“Hayato-san, may we increase the number of people?”
Finally, they proposed to challenge me as a group. They had realized they had no chance of winning one-on-one.
“Please, go ahead.”
I replied, thinking it sounded interesting. The number of challengers increased—two, then three, then four. They coordinated their efforts, attacking me from various angles. Even so, I saw through all their attacks and responded with skillful movements, sometimes even causing them to collide with each other.
In the end, everyone in the training room was challenging me. Nearly ten elite members challenged me, employing various tactics. But the result remained the same.
The challengers gradually collapsed from exhaustion, unable to recover their stamina in time. When the last one fell to the floor, I alone remained standing, murmuring with satisfaction.
“Phew. That was fun.”
I was experiencing a sense of fulfillment for the first time since returning from the other world. The exhilarating feeling of moving my body to its fullest and demonstrating my abilities. It felt as if it was liberating my mind and body.
Just as I thought, it’s impossible for me to keep suppressing my abilities.
I realized my own condition. If I don’t let it out like this, it’s not good for me mentally or physically. I need a place where I can regularly go all out. And this security company, which Tsuyoshi introduced me to, might just be the ideal environment for me in that sense.
“I’m astonished! Your skills are beyond anything I imagined!”
President Yasumoto, who had been watching the matches, spoke to me, his voice tinged with excitement. His expression showed pure surprise and respect.
“With this, instructing others should be no problem.”
I made a slightly troubled expression.
“That might actually be a bit of a problem.”
For me, actual combat experience was the best teacher. I did have a master once, but I mostly just learned the basics of fighting monsters. I learned almost everything through real battles and developed my own fighting style. Although I did train a kingdom’s knight order for about half a year, I never learned proper teaching methods.
I doubted whether someone like me truly had anything to teach others. I confessed this to President Yasumoto, being vague about things like my experiences in the other world.
“In that case, perhaps you could just repeat practical sparring sessions like today. I believe there’s a lot they can learn from that.”
My eyes lit up at his suggestion.
“In that case, I’d be delighted.”
Sparring-style training like today was more than welcome for me. In fact, I wanted to ask them to let me do it proactively.
“Then, let’s proceed with that.”
President Yasumoto nodded, looking satisfied.
“Sato-san, we’d like you to come here several days a week and conduct practical training sessions with our employees. In addition, we hope you’ll share any special techniques or knowledge you possess, to the extent possible.”
And so, my job description was decided. I would face those receiving instruction in practical sparring, and we would hone our skills together. That became the role entrusted to me.
I became a full-time employee of Shield Agent Security Co., Ltd., spending my days regularly competing in skill against the bodyguards.
The employees, who were initially overwhelmed by my strength, gradually grew accustomed to my methods and began to show a proactive attitude towards learning.
I, in turn, taught them about the observation skills and danger perception abilities I had learned in the other world, and shared insights on how to fight enemies. Of course, I didn’t mention my experiences in the other world, instead framing them as “things I learned from my master” or “experiences gained overseas.”
Conversely, I also learned a great deal about the security company’s know-how regarding personal protection: methods for establishing organized security systems and various techniques for ensuring the safety of VIPs. I also eagerly absorbed knowledge about security systems utilizing modern technology.