The Seven Generals of "The Covenant"

After leaving Takeshi’s house, Yūto went to Aoi’s house.

It was already late afternoon when he finally arrived at the gate.

From a distance, Yūto saw Aoi already standing there, waiting for him.

“Aoi, I’m sorry I’m late.”

Aoi gave him a small smile.

“It’s okay, Yūto. Actually, I wanted to introduce you to my grandfather.”

“Your grandfather? Masanori Takeda?”

“Yes. He just left for Europe to continue his research.”

“I’m sorry, Aoi. When your grandfather comes back, I’ll meet him."

Aoi paused for a moment before answering.

“It looks like he’ll be staying in Europe for quite a while. He was asked to join a team of experts in Europe. At least, that’s what I heard.”

Yūto nodded slowly.

After that, Yūto and Aoi walked together.

They strolled through the streets, enjoying the peaceful evening atmosphere.

Aoi glanced at Yūto several times before quickly looking away.

“So… When are you going to confess your feelings to me?” she asked shyly.

“Cough… Cough…”

Yūto choked in surprise.

“What?!”

Aoi frowned.

“Why are you pretending you didn’t hear me? Hmph…”

“That’s not it. I mean… Why are you asking me that?”

Aoi stopped walking.

She looked at Yūto seriously.

“Don’t you like me?”

“Hmm… I… I… Hmm…”

Yūto scratched his head awkwardly.

“How am I supposed to explain this? I don’t know what to say.”

Aoi frowned.

“Why can’t you just be straightforward like other guys?”

Yūto remained silent.

Aoi let out a long sigh and smiled, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

“It’s okay. You can answer me whenever you’re ready…”

Aoi turned around.

“I’m going home."

She walked away quickly, trying to hold back her tears.

“But, Aoi. Wait…” Yūto said.

Before he could finish speaking, Aoi was already getting farther away.

Yūto just stood there.

He watched as Aoi’s back slowly disappeared down the street.

“I like you. But I have to finish everything related to "The Covenant" first.”

Yūto clenched his fist.

“I’m sorry, Aoi.”

A few days later…

“Yūto, someone is looking for you outside,” Haruka said.

“Looking for me? Who?”

Haruka thought for a moment.

“Hmm… He didn’t give me his name, but he’s a young man with blue hair and glasses.”

“Blue hair and glasses?”

His eyes widened slightly.

“Don’t tell me…”

Yūto quickly went outside.

Standing in front of the house was a young man with blue hair, smiling.

“Hello, Yūto. It wasn’t difficult to find your house after all…” Sakamoto said.

Sakamoto smiled.

“What are you doing here?” Yūto said.

He opened the door wider.

“I’m not going to fight you."

He was about to close the door.

However, before it could shut completely, Sakamoto stopped it.

“Wait…”

“I just want to give you some information. You might be interested."

Yūto stopped.

“Information? About what?”

Sakamoto looked at him.

“"The Covenant"…”

Yūto fell silent for a moment.

Then he opened the door again.

“Come in…”

Sakamoto entered Haruka’s house, following Yūto.

Shiro, who was eating, immediately noticed Sakamoto’s arrival.

He slowly moved closer to listen to their conversation.

Meanwhile, Haruka was getting ready to leave for her restaurant.

“Shiro, Yūto, I’m going to the restaurant first. If you’re not busy, come and help me later."

“Okay, Auntie,” Yūto replied.

Haruka then left the house.

Sakamoto sat across from Yūto.

However, before they began talking, Sakamoto suddenly smiled.

“"The White Ronin"…”

Yūto looked up.

“That’s you, isn’t it?” Sakamoto said.

“I invited you here to talk about "The Covenant", not "The White Ronin"."

Sakamoto chuckled.

“But if you’re not "The White Ronin', the information I brought wouldn’t be useful. This information is related to him.”

Yūto sighed.

“Alright…”

He looked at Sakamoto calmly.

“Yes, I’m the "White Ronin".”

Sakamoto smiled with satisfaction.

“Just as I thought. From my conversations with Ryu and my grandfather, I already knew you were him.”

“Ryu? He talked about me?”

“Ryu is looking for you."

Shiro, who'd been listening the entire time, suddenly remembered something.

“Oh. Right…”

Shiro joined the conversation.

“A few days ago, Ryu also came to Aunt Haruka’s restaurant. I forgot to tell you, Yūto."

Yūto looked at Shiro.

Then he turned back to Sakamoto.

“Then what did Grandpa Takeshi say about me?”

“He didn’t say that you were the "White Ronin".”

Yūto sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness…”

Then his expression became serious again.

“So, what do you want to tell me about "The Covenant"?”

Sakamoto didn't answer immediately.

He took out several photographs and documents he'd prepared.

“Here…”

He placed them in front of Yūto.

“Take a look.”

Yūto picked up one of the photographs.

“Who are they?”

“The Seven Generals of "The Covenant".”

Sakamoto pointed at each photograph one by one.

“They're the personal guards of "The Dragon Slayer". His real name is Suyou.”

Yūto carefully studied the photographs.

Shiro moved closer to look at the faces in the photographs.

“They’re not all from Japan, huh?” Shiro asked.

“That’s right.”

Sakamoto then listed their names.

Teguh Basuki — Indonesia

Louis de Lacroix — France

Enrique — America

Wenhao Liang — China

Suki Hayabusa — Japan

Jin Hayabusa — Japan

Kaoru Ryuzen — Japan

Shiro suddenly fell silent.

“Kaoru Ryuzen?”

He looked at Sakamoto.

“Is he related to Grandpa Takeshi?”

“Exactly…”

Sakamoto smiled.

“He's my grandfather’s younger brother."

“How do you know all this information?” Yūto asked.

Sakamoto adjusted his glasses.

"Jin Hayabusa. He's my master…”

Shiro immediately took a step back.

Yūto also looked surprised.

“So you’re part of "The Covenant"?!” Shiro asked.

Sakamoto chuckled.

“Haha... Of course not.”

“Then?”

Sakamoto leaned back casually.

“My master offered me a job. He called me.”

One month earlier…

Ring… Ring…

Sakamoto looked at his phone.

His master’s name appeared on the screen.

He answered the call.

“Master?”

“Sakamoto… How are you?”

“I’m fine."

“Sakamoto… Aren’t you bored living in Europe? I got bored myself and came back to Japan.”

“For me, Japan and Europe are equally boring. I never meet any strong opponents."

Jin laughed.

“Hahaha! You really are my best student. If you train a little more, you might truly become unbeatable.”

Sakamoto smiled slightly.

“Why did you call me, Master?”

“I want to offer you a job…”

“A job?”

“Yes. To become a personal guard for "The Covenant".”

“A bodyguard? Who’s the weak person that needs protection?” Sakamoto teased.

“Hahaha... Don’t get me wrong. The leader of "The Covenant" is very strong. His name is Suyou. His title is "The Dragon Slayer".”

Sakamoto raised an eyebrow.

“If he’s strong, why does he need bodyguards?”

“Because his organization is being targeted by several major groups. You know how the mafia business works. Conflicts always happen.”

Sakamoto sighed.

“I’m not really interested."

“The pay is five hundred thousand yen per month."

Sakamoto fell silent.

“Still not interested?” Jin asked.

“Hmm…”

“Think about it, Sakamoto. That’s not a small amount of money. I’ll use it to develop my dojo."

“How long have you been with them, Master?”

“I’ve been with them for more than a year. Now, "The Covenant" is looking for a few more people who are willing to join. There are seven of us.”

“Seven?”

“Send me their information by email, Master. Maybe I know one of them.”

He smiled.

“I’ll send you their information," Jin said.

“Okay. I’ll be in Japan in a few days. I’ll contact you again after I arrive."

“By the way, one of them has a surname similar to yours—Ryuzen.”

'Ryuzen?' Sakamoto thought.

Sakamoto was surprised.

“Thank you, Master”

“See you, Sakamoto.”

The call ended.

At present…

Sakamoto looked at Yūto and Shiro.

“So, you came to Japan to join "The Covenant"?” Yūto asked.

Shiro quickly interrupted.

“No, Yūto. He was just making small talk. You’re too naive, Yūto."

Yūto nodded.

“He was just taking advantage of the opportunity to get information from his master. The information might be useful someday,” Shiro explained.

Yūto nodded.

Sakamoto chuckled.

“Not really. I just want to find strong opponents to fight. And Suyou caught my attention.”

The room fell silent again.

Yūto looked at the photographs once more.

The information Sakamoto had given him was far more valuable than he'd expected.

Yūto lowered his head slightly and smiled.

“This is very valuable information. Thank you, Sakamoto.”

Sakamoto fell silent.

For a moment, he simply stared at Yūto.

There was something in Yūto’s smile.

A sincerity that was difficult to explain.

It was the first time Sakamoto had seen such a genuine smile from someone carrying so much hatred inside him.

‘You really are strong, Yūto. If I were in your position, I might not be as strong as you. Compared to you, the pain I’ve experienced is still much lighter…’ Sakamoto thought.

He then smiled.

“No problem, Yūto."

Yūto looked at the photographs again.

“By the way, how did you know that I was looking for information about "The Covenant"?”

“I talked a lot with my grandfather. He told me why you came to Japan and about your clan being wiped out by "The Covenant"…”

Silence filled the room once again.

No one spoke.

Shiro continued looking at the photographs.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

Ring… Ring…

Sakamoto looked at his phone.

Reika’s name appeared on the screen.

He answered the call.

“Sakamoto… Where are you?!” Reika shouted.

“I’m at a friend’s house,” Sakamoto said, smiling at Yūto.

“A friend? Since when did you have friends in Japan? Why did you leave without telling me?”

Sakamoto chuckled softly.

While he was talking on the phone, Yūto watched him carefully.

For the first time, Yūto realized something.

'The road I’ve chosen is still a long one,' Yūto thought.