Kidnapping After the Defeat?

Today was an important day. It was the day I could finally prove that all the years of effort had been worth it.

I think, without exaggerating, today was the most important day of my life.

The arena where the fight took place was packed with people shouting, thrilled about the result of the final.

"And the winner is... Minoru Suzuki!" the referee shouted.

The cheers filled the venue with deafening noise.

Yes, this was an important night for me… Too bad I wasn't the one being celebrated. I was lying on the mat, completely exhausted and dizzy after the fight.

Despite my effort… despite all my training, I couldn’t block Suzuki’s hits. The last blow he gave me was so strong it knocked me down, and I couldn’t get back up.

All I could do was watch as the arena crowd roared for my opponent’s victory, and as soon as he had the chance, he turned to me and extended a hand.

"Get up! That was a great fight, you did awesome," Suzuki said.

He’s really a good guy. I can’t be mad at him, even after all this. The only one I should be mad at is myself—for not measuring up.

***

A couple of hours have passed since the fight ended.

The medical staff checked my condition and, although it looked bad, they didn’t find anything serious; they treated a few wounds and told me to rest for a bit before going home. Thank goodness.

To be honest, I should have met with my coach after the match, but I used the medical check and rest as an excuse to avoid him.

Now, I just want to go home and rest, so I hurried out of the place.

The night was cold. Luckily, I brought a hoodie just in case.

"Leaving already?" asked someone behind me.

His voice was a bit deep and stern, but strangely, there was also a hint of empathy in it. It was my coach.

He found me.

"Yeah. I just need to get some rest and—"

"It's okay. You fought well, kid," he interrupted.

"Your opponent was strong, no doubt about it. But don’t let that get you down."

"…Yeah, I get it," I answered with a sigh.

The coach seemed to sigh too.

"We’ll talk about the match tomorrow. You better not miss it."

"Yeah, alright."

After my disheartened reply, the coach said goodbye and went back inside.

"Sorry, coach… I don’t think I can."

My name is Naoya Fujimoto. I’m a university student majoring in culinary arts and a fan of mixed martial arts.

To many people, getting second place in a tournament might sound impressive, but to me, it was just another confirmation that I’d chosen the wrong path.

I have problems with my parents.

Years ago, when I was just about to enter college, they wanted me to study law like my older brother, but I wanted to study cooking. It’s what I loved, what I was passionate about.

The arguments grew more and more frequent over the years until, eventually, I snapped and left home.

I wanted to follow my dreams. My goals.

I stayed at a friend’s place until I managed to get a part-time job and rent a small place. It’s pretty tiny, but perfect for me.

My plan was to save money while working to pay for school. In the end, though, my older brother helped me out so I wouldn’t lose the chance to start studying early.

Even though he became a great lawyer like our parents wanted, he always supported me.

"I should buy him something tomorrow to thank him."

Thanks to my brother’s support, I also had time for MMA, another one of my passions.

I wanted to prove to my parents that I wasn’t wasting my time. I wanted to show them all my effort had been worth it by winning that tournament. It wasn’t a national-level competition or anything, but it was a big step I wanted to take… And yet, I lost miserably.

I think… my parents were right. I should’ve listened to them.

It was while I was thinking about all this that I finally got home—or at least, to the excuse for a home that I live in now.

Seeing the tiny room only made me agree with my parents more.

I’ve been living like this for about three years, but I’ve never felt this place so claustrophobic before.

Sigh

"I should eat something," I muttered.

I took a quick shower, grabbed my cooking utensils, and made something fast.

I’m usually more cheerful when cooking, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I didn’t even play music like I normally do.

"Bon appétit," I said to myself.

I’m usually proud of my seasoning.

Not to brag, but I’m one of the best in my class. But… this time, it tasted like nothing.

I know it’s just a sweet omelet, but even so, it didn’t taste like anything at all.

I don’t know if it’s my mood or if I messed up, but it didn’t help at all.

"Yeah… tomorrow I’ll go talk to them."

I’ve made up my mind.

Tomorrow I’ll go to my parents’ house to apologize.

I’ll have to study law and probably give up martial arts, but… I just don’t measure up anyway. So what’s the point?

I finished dinner quickly, left the dishes in the sink, and collapsed onto the bed.

Usually, there’s some noise around this time because the walls are thin, but oddly, everything was quiet tonight, as if the universe wanted to match my pathetic mood.

I smiled ironically.

"Whatever…" I said before closing my eyes to sleep.

However, my phone buzzed.

When I turned it on, I saw a message from my older brother.

"It must be about the fight… Oh god, no."

I didn’t feel like hearing anything about what happened tonight. I just wanted to sleep, so I put my phone on vibrate and tried to fall asleep again.

It wasn’t hard.

The fatigue from the night, the pain from the recent fight, and the stress about my future all aligned in such a way that falling asleep came easily.

I drifted off into a deep sleep within minutes.

I did what I could.

I tried everything to chase my dreams.

I really did. But… sadly, not all dreams come true.

And with that thought in mind, my consciousness slowly faded into the darkness of the night.

***

“…”

My body felt light. It was like I was floating in pure darkness.

“…ro…”

I still couldn’t move. My body didn’t respond to any of my thoughts. Is this what they call sleep paralysis? Man, this is terrifying!

“He…ro…” said a voice in the distance.

It sounded like a woman’s voice, but I couldn’t hear it clearly. I was too worried about what was happening to me.

Eventually, as I struggled to move my body, I felt my surroundings change.

I couldn’t see it since my eyes were still closed, but I could feel it.

That’s when my back felt stiff… No, it wasn’t my back—it was the mattress. It felt as hard as the floor.

I didn’t understand anything, but luckily I finally managed to open my eyes. Unfortunately, that only made things worse.

I wasn’t in my apartment anymore. Now, the place looked like a crumbling stone room. Basically, ruins.

How the hell did I get here!?

Was I kidnapped or something!?

WHAT IN THE HELL!?

A chill ran down my spine.

I was more anxious and terrified than ever. I don’t understand why anyone would kidnap me, but right now, it seems like the most likely explanation.

Is it because my brother makes a lot of money as a lawyer!? Would they pay ransom for me!?

I don’t know what to do!

"Although... for a kidnapping, where is everyone?" I said to myself, my voice echoing through the fairly large room.

If it really was a kidnapping, they did a terrible job not leaving anyone to guard me.

I had to take this chance to escape!

"I need a weapon."

The kidnappers could be nearby, so I needed something to defend myself.

I ran around the place looking for anything I could use as a weapon. I found a few broken decorations, some books in a language I couldn’t understand, an absurd amount of dust—but no weapons.

Not having anything to defend myself with made me even more nervous, but I still had the option to escape unnoticed.

Yes, I’ll try that.

I headed to the only door in the room. It was dark, but I could see some light coming through, so it wasn’t hard to find.

I tried to open it, but it was stuck, so I had to push it with some force. Luckily, it didn’t make much noise.

"...What is this?" I asked in disbelief.

Earlier I described this place as ruins, and I couldn't have been more right. It looked like the ruins of a huge castle, like something out of the medieval era—or a fantasy series or novel.

It was quite the sight, even in its current state.

Thunk

I turned around quickly.

It sounded like something heavy moving.

Maybe it was just my imagination…

Scrape

Nope, someone is definitely there.

I hid immediately after the second sound. The noise continued, like something—or someone—was rummaging through stuff nearby. I looked around trying to find the source of the sound, and finally, I saw something.

Near a wall, there was someone—someone crouched, going through drawers.

It didn’t seem like they knew I was here.

Maybe one of the kidnappers? Better not find out.

I tried to hide again and wait until they left so I could run, but I wasn’t careful enough.

Thud

I accidentally kicked a rock…

My parents always said I was clumsier than my brother, and while I agreed… I didn’t think I was this clumsy!

At the noise, the person turned around. It was a girl.

She had beautiful blonde hair down to her shoulders, a bit messy—probably from digging around. She wore a loose white shirt, black pants, and brown boots. She also had a green skirt-like cloth and brown leather-looking wrist guards. But what stood out the most were her stunning blue eyes. She was, without a doubt, a beautiful girl.

The sound of birds that had faintly echoed earlier disappeared, and silence took over the place. We locked eyes for only a few seconds, but it felt like hours due to the tension.

She was the first to break the silence.

"BANDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" I screamed back, startled.

The ruins echoed with our screams, and I’m sure there wasn’t a single corner where they couldn’t be heard.

I have no idea what’s going on here…

But I need to get out of here as soon as possible!