I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

“Fuma-ryu Assassination Fist?”
When I asked back with a dazed expression, Senior Fuma nodded.
“It’s an assassination technique passed down through a single line for 500 years. One of the Fuma clan’s secret arts dating back to the Sengoku period.”

Even just hearing the background, I could tell it was no ordinary martial art.
In shounen manga, any martial art described as being passed down through a single line was always ridiculously powerful. It was basically a rule.
But there was one part I couldn’t just overlook.

“If it’s passed through a single line… does that mean only one person per generation learns it?”
“That’s right. The head of the Fuma clan has always learned two assassination arts: and . My father… the 17th generation Fuma Kotaro, mastered both completely and was revered in the underworld as the .”
“Then why are you offering something so precious… to me?”

At that, Senior Fuma answered seriously.
“Because of the Fuma-ryu Assassination Fist was meant from the start to be learned by a ‘superhuman’.”
“Superhuman?”

“The name Fuma Kotaro is an inherited title passed down by the heads of the Fuma clan. And the ninja who is to become the clan head undergoes brutal training from childhood to become something beyond human.”
Hyoneko chimed in from the side.
“The only Fuma Kotaro recorded in historical texts was the fifth generation. The description of his appearance was like this: seven shaku tall, covered in muscle, eyebrows curved from below upward, and four molars that jutted out like an ogre’s.”

“Isn’t that an exaggeration?”
“Well, old historical accounts tend to be exaggerated, sure. But the fact that the heads of the Fuma clan were all superhuman is absolutely true. And because only certain people could learn the techniques, sometimes they’d take outsiders as disciples to ensure the legacy lived on. That’s exactly why we’re making this offer to you. Right now, there’s no one left in the Fuma clan who can learn .”
After hearing them both, I asked carefully,

“Then… is your father, the 17th generation head, deceased?”
Senior Fuma shook her head casually.
“No, he left home ten years ago because he didn’t want to remarry. Haven’t heard from him since. He’s probably living fine somewhere.”
“Then doesn’t that mean I don’t have to learn it?”

“But until he returns, I have a duty as the acting head to continue the clan’s traditions. That’s why I’m making the offer. With your , you might be able to learn the assassination fist even without any special training.”
“…Can I take some time to think about it?”
“As much as you want. Take your time. Marriage is a lifelong matter, after all—it’s not something to decide impulsively.”

I nodded at the gracious offer, then replied,
“Thank you… Wait, huh? Marriage?”
Senior Fuma tilted her head.

“Didn’t I say it earlier? It’s a secret art passed through a single line.”
“You did.”
“Which means, if you learn the Fuma-ryu Assassination Fist, that also means you’ll become our clan’s son-in-law.”

“……”
My brain short-circuited from the unexpected remark.
We’ve been going full martial-arts-mode until now, so why are we suddenly switching back to rom-com energy right here?

***
“I’m sorry.”
No matter how you look at it, I hadn’t expected marriage to be brought up so suddenly, so I declined Senior Fuma’s offer outright.

Her expression stiffened, and she asked again,
“Is it because you don’t like me? I’d like to think I’m fairly confident in my appearance. I’ve even taken full bridal training.”
There was a weird kind of pressure behind her words.

“N-No, that’s not the problem.”
I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) shook my hand as I said that, then added,
“I really do appreciate the offer. But I’m not sure learning martial arts is absolutely necessary for me to get stronger. It’s the middle of the school term, and I don’t really have the time… plus, I’m already plenty strong, aren’t I?”

As I said that, I flexed my arm a bit to emphasize my muscle.
Hyoneko let out a quiet, impressed “Oooh!”
Senior Fuma, too, seemed briefly stunned—perhaps remembering our 1-on-1 sparring match—but soon shook her head.

“Sure, you could defeat most opponents in your current state. But what if you were up against one of the Seven Grand Martial Artists? Besides Ivan, the Destruction God, and my father Fuma Kotaro, there are still five other overwhelmingly powerful martial artists in the world. If they come after you, your current strength won’t be enough.”
“Isn’t that something that could be resolved through conversation?”
“Conversation?”

“Yes. I mean, I don’t think I have to fight every single person who shows up.”
“…That’s… something I hadn’t considered.”
“And not just for me—don’t you want to marry someone you actually love, Senior? I think I’d rather get married after a normal romantic relationship, not something based on terms and conditions.”

After hearing my words, Senior Fuma looked like someone who had just experienced a major revelation.
I stood up.
“I really do appreciate the offer today. But I don’t think I can accept it.”

I bowed deeply, then turned to Hyoneko.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, wait! Take this!”

Hyoneko handed me the item I had touched earlier—the .
“Once someone uses it, it’s bound to them. Since you’ve already touched it, no one else can use it now. So just take it.”
“Isn’t it valuable?”

“It is. But honestly, it was meant to be a bribe anyway, so it’s fine. Yukika and I will explain things to the elders back home, so just pretend you didn’t hear anything today.”
“…Understood.”
“The real way to use the is to channel your ki into it while looking into the reflection. That’ll reveal what kind of ability you have.”

Saying that, Hyoneko gave me a light push on the back.
“Next time, let’s meet as just customer and employee.”
I told the still-seated Senior Fuma that I was leaving, and quietly exited the maid café.

***
Fuma Yukika was a rigid person.
Unlike her father, who had left their hometown because he couldn’t forget his late wife, she believed she could give up her body for the sake of the clan’s restoration.

She had been raised that way and lived believing it was the right thing.
After becoming acting clan head at the age of eight in place of her departed father, she never missed a single day of bone-breaking training.
Through that, she had mastered , the Fuma-ryu Assassination Sword.

And to preserve the other martial art, , she needed to find someone to marry into the family.
Using that as an excuse, she had come to Tokyo to escape her suffocating rural life.
At first, she had been overjoyed.

She could finally meet the cousins who had left the countryside to earn money.
But the girl she was back then and the person she was now were in completely different positions.
As the acting head of the Fuma clan, she had to act accordingly.

And so, whether she realized it or not, she was constantly being pressured to show results.
She kept up with her studies by day, worked part-time at night to pay her living expenses, and occasionally handled underworld matters to prove her worth as acting head.
Three years passed in a blur, and now she was on the verge of graduating.

In about eight more months, she would have to return to the stifling countryside.
That thought made her a little sad, but Fuma Yukika had no intention of shirking her duties.
Doing so would make her just like her father—the one who had abandoned everything and left.

And so, living like a cog in the wheel for the sake of the clan’s revival, her entire routine was completely overturned—
—when she met the boy named Kim Yu-seong.
***

The weekend came and went.
On Saturday, I went to the maid café in Akihabara and met with Senior Fuma. On Sunday, I met with my group members and went grocery shopping together at a large supermarket.
And during that process, I learned something interesting: Sakamoto Ryuji, the protagonist, lived surprisingly close to me.

I had known he lived in the same neighborhood ever since he came over to my place for a meal, but I hadn’t realized it was this close.
If you walked straight for about five minutes from the intersection in front of my house, you’d reach the fancy apartment complex Sakamoto lived in. Honestly, it was close enough to say we could trip and land at each other’s doors.
And it wasn’t just me who found this discovery amusing—Sakamoto seemed equally surprised.

“We live this close, and we’ve never seen each other before?”
“…Right?”
Honestly, I was confused too.

From what I heard, even our subway boarding times weren’t that different.
But since we’d never crossed paths before, it felt like something that couldn’t just be chalked up to coincidence.
Anyway, I left home a little earlier than usual, and after chatting with Sakamoto on the subway, we were joined by Rika, who had come from the next car over.

His little sister kept sneaking glances at us from beside him, but I pretended not to notice and checked the schedule on my smartphone.
Today was finally the day we were heading to Chiba—for the Forest Training School.