Not a detective

Page 136

Summer of the Crimson Ray: Chapter Forty-One - Subduing the Enemy

Yes, Riku Asakawa only realized this after seeing Yukie.

This time, he decided to see all the villagers as his classmates again, and instead of thinking about fighting them, he wanted to save them.

Upon hearing this, Yukie smiled, tightened her grip on Asakawa Riku's hand, and said tenderly:

“Brother… just like when you were on the snow mountain, you trusted me without any reason.”

Even though the "Snow Woman" and Yukie looked very similar, and even though Yukie was the most suspicious one, Riku Asakawa did not act rashly at the time, but maintained his trust.

This might be criticized by some, who might think he's just a fool, but Riku Asakawa wants to stick to his principles.

"You really are a kind person... That's wonderful."

"Let's go."

Asakawa Riku felt a little embarrassed, as if he were praising himself.

As dusk fell and night deepened, it was getting late, so he hurried toward his next destination.

...

"Hey...! Where did this outsider come from! Get out of the village!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno stood up, raised his eyebrows, and glared at him.

Yes, the second person Asakawa Riku approached was that delinquent with spiky hair.

And his companions, these male students who were entrenched in a corner of the village, seemed to be playing a role similar to "village bullies," or perhaps they were the "guardians" of the village.

...In short, it was armed force. You could see they were holding many harpoons, and they all stood up with their leader, wary of Asakawa Riku who was walking alone.

These people were mostly the ones who attacked him most fiercely at the Red Ray Festival. Although ordinary villagers would also become fanatical, the main attacks came from them.

Asakawa Riku simply smiled:

"I'm here to make friends, everyone. Can we be friends?"

"...What a joke! I didn't hear the village chief say that any outsiders would come here! You suspicious fellow, you must be here to ruin our important ceremony!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno was clearly not so easy to deal with, and he pointed at Asakawa Riku while cursing.

Is it because the basic level of favorability is not high enough?

But since Asakawa Riku had come here, he had naturally already thought of a plan. He waved his hand, indicating that Yukie should wait for him here.

Then, he stepped forward and said, "Let's solve this like men do. Let's have a fight. If I win... you'll all listen to me, okay?"

"What a courage!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno laughed loudly, but judging from his expression, he didn't seem to dislike this approach: "Alright, let's have a one-on-one fight then. I'd like to see what gives you the right to say such things!"

The next second, Asakawa Riku appeared in front of him, his speed as if time had been cut off, the distance suddenly shortened, catching him off guard.

"……What!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno was taken aback, and he subconsciously took a step back.

"So you agree... But it doesn't have to be a one-on-one fight, I don't care if you bring a few of you."

Asakawa Riku stood before him with great martial virtue, but did not make a move: "Come on, I'll let you hit me first."

Or maybe this guy just has a habit of farting.

"...How dare you look down on me!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno smacked his lips hard, threw away the harpoon in his hand, swung his arm in a wide arc, gathered his strength, roared, and suddenly aimed at Asakawa Riku's head to smash it down—!

boom!

It sounded like the heavy thud of a hammer hitting a wall, not very loud, as if everything was absorbed into it.

Asakawa Riku's profile perfectly absorbed Miyazaki Tatsuno's fist without any deformation, and he even maintained a smile.

Before Miyazaki Tatsuno could even feel the pain from the fist, his forehead tasted the bitter fruit first.

"Well!!"

Asakawa Riku simply tilted his head forward at an angle and delivered a solid headbutt, knocking the guy down without even moving his hands or feet.

Miyazaki Tatsuno was thrown off balance by the huge impact, falling backward uncontrollably to the ground with a sloppy tumble.

"This guy... dared to talk to the boss!!"

"Attack together! He said it wasn't a one-on-one fight!"

"Ahhhh!"

Instantly, the surrounding delinquents couldn't sit still any longer and charged towards him angrily, shouting as they did so.

Asakawa Riku glanced around and noticed that although these guys were all angry, they had all dropped their harpoons and were not charging at him with their weapons.

This shows... it's still within the realm of fighting. Facing formidable enemies, they maintain their fighting spirit and courage, yet also uphold rules and boundaries; these guys aren't inherently bad.

But Asakawa Riku's way of dealing with a respectable opponent is naturally to go all out—

"Then let me show you..."

click -

boom--

clatter--

With a few crisp sounds, his figure weaved through the crowd, touching each person for only a moment before moving on to the next.

This "zigzag line" passed through all the opponents rushing towards it, and as Asakawa Riku finished clapping, they all fell down.

"You...! I've lost! Don't be impulsive!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno had just gotten up from the ground, still shouting words of trying to break up the fight, but he was too late; Asakawa Riku had already dealt with everyone.

However, like him, none of them were injured. Asakawa Riku controlled his strength, subtly neutralizing their ability to resist for just a few minutes with precision and meticulousness.

This is what martial artists should do.

In the second cycle, he single-handedly controlled more than 180 students on the entire island. This time, it's only a dozen or so people, nothing special.

But how could Miyazaki Tatsuno know such a thing? In his eyes, Asakawa Riku, who was calm and collected at this moment, was simply a creature from another dimension...

"How...how did you do that...?"

"It's just basic martial arts."

Asakawa Riku turned around, flashing a bright, toothy smile: "So, want to learn?"

"Learn...learn?"

Miyazaki Tatsuno stammered nervously, feeling his breathing quicken: "Can I learn...? Can I really become that strong? Is it true...?"

"I can teach you, but how much you learn depends on yourselves. We'll talk about it after we leave the island... And I have one condition."

Asakawa Riku scanned them: "Power must be used for good. If I discover anyone committing evil, I will punish you even more severely."

Through his observations at school, he discovered that this group of delinquent students, aside from not attending school properly, hadn't done anything truly immoral or illegal, nor had they bullied or oppressed classmates like the previous group. After arriving on the island, he found that their violence was also for maintaining village order and discipline, and for resisting outsiders...

Perhaps these people are surprisingly to his liking.

Moreover, if you've accidentally blown someone's head off, you're always thinking about how best to make amends...

"Hey you guys, did you hear that?! What are you still doing lying on the ground? Get up right now!!"

Miyazaki Tatsuno had no idea what Asakawa Riku was thinking. He was overjoyed and shouted to his underlings, "Quick, thank our new boss!"

"Thank you... thank you, big brother!!"

These guys pulled each other to their feet in twos and threes, bowed deeply, and made sparse and disorderly sounds, but shouted very loudly.

Asakawa Riku walked away into the distance, a helpless smile on his face.

"So... there's no big brother on this island..."

Summer of the Red Stingray: Chapter Forty-Two - Persuasion

The Red Stingray Festival reached its climax.

Village chief Kato Mio, holding a wooden cane, climbed the steps one by one and reached the highest platform in the village.

She was still wearing glasses that didn't fit the occasion, and her hair was styled in the braids common among literary girls, but she looked serious, even somewhat devout.

Behind them followed the teacher, who had transformed into an "elder." They had also forgotten their original identities and become devout believers in the village.

And now, we come to the core of the festival: the ritual.

When she stood on the high platform, the villagers held their breath and looked over—

Then, Kato Mio put down her cane, stretched out her hands, and began to chant as if it were a matter of course:

"—Do stingrays really exist?"

The abrupt sound interrupted her first word.

Kato Mio immediately felt absurdity and anger. She stopped singing and looked in the direction of the sound behind her.

That was actually Riku Asakawa.

The boy stood among the elders. He hadn't actually hidden his movements; he had just walked onto the stage with them.

But no one noticed him. Even though he was shirtless and very conspicuous, he seemed to blend into the night. No one could detect him unless he spoke up.

He slowly walked up to Kato Mio, his expression calm, yet exuding an aura that was hard to ignore, which suddenly unfolded.

"—Do stingrays really exist?"

It was repeated again.

Instantly, all the villagers below the stage heard his words—

"You bastard! What are you saying!"

"You wretched outsider! Where did you come from?!"

"Pull him down! Don't let him disrupt the ceremony!"

The angry clamor transformed into sharp curses that soared to the sky, relentlessly denouncing Asakawa Riku's blasphemy and even wanting to drag him off the stage and devour him alive.

Riku Asakawa laughed when he saw this hellish, demonic scene.

...That's how you create a lively "celebration" atmosphere.

He knew that although the villagers were angry because he had defiled their noble and venerable belief in the red stingray.

But these villagers couldn't do anything to him. No matter how angry they were, they hadn't received the "Red Stingray Festival" buff; they were just ordinary villagers and wouldn't gain any power.

This was precisely Asakawa Riku's plan.

"Village Chief, I am an ignorant outsider. I don't know what a red stingray is. I have many questions about the beliefs here. Can you answer them for me?"

He stared at Kato Mio with genuine sincerity, without a trace of mockery in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, the elders who had surrounded him from behind, especially Teacher Songshan, had no choice but to stop what they were doing and were at a loss for what to do with him.

Kato Mio paused for a moment, hesitated for a second, looked at the elders, and then slowly turned around:

"okay."

Yes, as long as you show a sincere attitude of seeking advice, you can continue the story without triggering a battle. This is Asakawa Riku's plan.

He had already tried, but violence could not stop the "Red Stingray Ritual." Even if he tied their hands and gagged them, he could not completely stop the ritual from taking place. If he was not careful, he himself might even be affected by the "divine state" here. Therefore, he had to change his approach and use "language" to defeat them head-on.

Kato Mio spoke with a wary tone, carefully choosing her words:

"So, stranger, what exactly do you want to know?"

"...I want to know what a red stingray actually is?"

"Lord Red Ray is—"

“I already know those things.”

Asakawa Riku rudely interrupted her story, and of course, he wouldn't let her continue: "I already know about the gods lost on the shore, the form of the red fish, and the story of returning to the ocean and transforming into the sea, but after hearing all this, to be honest, I still can't understand what the red stingray really is. Do you understand?"

Seemingly angered by his nitpicking questioning, Kato Mio frowned:

"Lord Red Ray is our faith, the god who protects the village and this island, nothing more. We are holding this celebration tonight to sing and dance in honor of Lord Red Ray."