Ken's True Self

"So why exactly did you call me?"

"Just sit down already."

"Huh? Just sa-"

"Sit. Now."

It was the first day of the summer holidays.

Currently, Kazuma sat on a bench in a park with Ken standing in front of him as the sun was gleaming on them.

"Tch." Ken clicked his tongue before sitting down.

"You sure are a brat." Kazuma commented without looking him at him.

Kazuma took a sip from his soda can.

"What do you think of Emma?" Kazuma asked as his eyes got sharper.

"Emma? What I think of her? She's annoying." he answered with a pretentious grin.

Kazuma sighed.

"What?" Ken asked annoyed.

"I'm still your master, you know? As my servant you should never lie to me." Kazuma replied while he threw his phone in the air and caught it with his hand.

"So you're still blackmailing me, huh? I will make sure that you will regret it!" Ken looked at him threateningly.

Kazuma smirked.

"And sent." Kazuma said indifferently as he sent something on his phone."

"H-h-huh? D-did you just sent the recording?!" Ken stood up and was in panic as he grabbed his head with his hands.

"Heh." Kazuma's playful grin got broader.

Thud.

"P-please tell me t-that it is just a prank..." Ken fell on his knees as he looked with hollow eyes at the ground.

"Hm?"

"Sniff... sniff... That's the end... sniff..."

"H-hey, don't tell me that you're crying..." Kazuma was taken aback.

Ken grabbed Kazuma's collar.

"M-my father will kill me! And then, I... I would lose her, too... sniff..."

"Her?" a question mark popped in Kazuma's head while he tried to get Ken off him.

"Y-yes! Sniff... Emma!" Ken admitted as he still cried like a little kid.

Kazuma's playful grin turned into a toothy smile.

"It was a prank." Kazuma said.

"Sniff... huh?" Ken could not comprehend it.

He finally let go of Kazuma and took a step back.

"A p-prank?"

"Yes."

Then, Ken formed a fist, aiming at Kazuma.

"Y-you bast-"

Pow.

"Be quiet."

Before his punch connected, Kazuma reacted fast and punched him.

"Now sit down."

Having no other choice, Ken had to obey.

"You're wondering why I pranked you, right? Well, I just wanted to see the real you."

"R-real me?" Ken was confused as he rubbed the place where he was hit.

"Most people tend to show their real selves if faced with catastrophes. In this case, you showed the real you after I pretended to send the recording which could destroy your life."

"..." Ken was speechless.

"B-but why did you want to see my real me?" Ken asked nervously.

"I'm the one who asks the question, servant." Kazuma stressed the word 'servant' mockingly.

Ken looked at him like a barking dog. But it did not bother Kazuma, who took another sip from his drink without a care in the world.

"Tell me everything about yourself."

"What?" Ken reacted to the question as if it was the most stupid thing he ever heard.

Kazuma, however, did not repeat the question and just gazed at him threateningly.

Ken gulped his saliva down.

"Alright, fine..." Ken gave in.

Ken took a deep breath before he began.

"It will be a long story." Ken warned.

"Just tell me firstly, why you distanced yourself from her in your second year in middle school."

"O-okay."

He took another deep breath.

"Are you pregnant or what?" Kazuma remarked as he slowly became annoyed.

"Fine, fine, I will talk! I did it to make her hate me." he stated.

Ken clenched his fists which he pressed against his legs.

"We two came from powerful families. My and her father are great friends and after they saw that Emma and I were close to each other back then, they decided to engage us."

"How stupid." Kazuma commented shamelessly.

"I know but... at that time I was really happy. When I was young, I was in love with her. At first, I didn't really think that much about it. But when we were in middle school I thought that it may be unfair to Emma. The engagement was basically forced on us. I want her to choose her partner on her own. She should be happy."

Kazuma just continued to stare ahead while Ken was talking.

"I didn't know how Emma felt and I was too scared to ask... Therefore, I decided to make her hate me so that she didn't feel chained anymore by the engagement."

"What do you mean? Couldn't you two just complain to your parents?" Kazuma asked.

"She could do it but not me... Her father really dotes on her and would listen to any of her wishes whereas my father raised me strictly. I gradually began to fear him up to the point where I couldn't speak against him."

"So you thought that behaving like a delinquent would maker her hate you? And what if your father discovers your activity?"

"My father only cares for my grades. As long as I achieve good results at school, he won't care. And Emma, well... You know it, too, right?" She is too kind and pure for this world. As if she would like a delinquent."

"I see." Kazuma said.

"And why did you want to get rid of me so badly that you would even go as far as to kidnap Yui?" he aimed his fierce gaze at Ken.

"..." Ken averted his gaze.

"Explain."

"I... I didn't want you to get too close to Emma..." Ken murmured nervously.

"Are you kidding me?" Kazuma asked with an emotionless expression.

"N-no..."

"..."

Crunch.

The sound of crushing a can was heard before the silence returned.

"So basically you love her but you want her to hate you so that Emma would break up the engagement to choose her own man and to become happy, right? But you still get jealous if someone else gets close to her, right?"

Ken nodded his head slowly.

"Stand up." Kazuma ordered as he also stood up from the bench.

Obeying his command, he slowly got up.

Pow.

As soon as he stood, he was punched in the face by Kazuma.

"W-what was that for?!"

"Because you're stupid."

While Ken rubbed the place he was hit, Kazuma grabbed him by his collar.

"You're irritating me!" Kazuma raised his voice.

"You're just thinking this and that. But if you truly know Emma, then you should know better than anyone that she could never hate somebody!"

"It pains me to say this... But she has only eyes for you..."

The whole time, Ken averted his gaze from him as he gritted his teeth. Deep down, he had to agree with Kazuma's points. Thus, he could only listen ashamed.

Kazuma loosened his grip on him until he finally let go. He turned around with his back facing Ken.

"Didn't you realize, how much you've hurt her by leaving her alone for all these years? You want her to be happy? Don't make me laugh! In the end, you just selfishly decided that she would be more happy without you, however, it was the opposite. She needs you." before he walked away, Kazuma left these words to Ken who looked frustratingly at the ground.

But after he took a few steps, he stopped in his tracks.

With his back still facing Ken, Kazuma raised a fist in the air.

"These will be my last orders to you, servant. First, stop your wannabe delinquent act. Second, stop assuming things on your own. And third, make Emma truly happy." Kazuma listed his orders to Ken as he raised one finger after another according to the numbers of orders.

Then, Kazuma slowly vanished in the horizon.

While he headed home, Kazuma let out a sigh.

"Geez, now I've done it..."

He was annoyed and yet he smiled contentedly.

"But I guess it's better this way."

Kazuma finally accepted the fact that Ken was the one for Emma and not him.

Naturally, it will take him much time until he could even consider forgiving Ken for kidnapping Yui. If he could, he would like to beat Ken up as much as he wanted but he did not.

Kazuma decided to mend the broken bond between Emma and Ken because he wanted free Emma from her sadness. Yes, he only did it because of Emma. To him, she was a friend.

It was official. Kazuma passed the baton back to Ken.

Thud.

Suddenly, someone bumped into his shoulder.

"Oh, sor-"

"Aaahrg! Hey, you twerp! You just broke my damn shoulder!"

Kazuma tried to apologize to the black-haired guy with a bowl cut and golden eyes but he ignored it and cried in agony as he held his shoulder like it actually broke.

It was an act straight out of a book, teaching how to behave like a delinquent.

Kazuma knew this trick.

"Man, just drop your act. I know this trick." Kazuma shrugged his shoulder and was about to head back.

"Heh. You sure are bright. But still, I don't like it if you just walk away as if nothing happened after bumping into my shoulder." the guy let go of his own shoulder and stood tall and proud.

He tried to intimidate Kazuma with his bulky figure and his tattoo on his right arm which he hid previously as he held his shoulder. He cracked his fingers.

Kazuma did not know it yet but his fight against the elite of 'The Owls of Tokyo' already began.