Back at Heavenly Sunrise.
Ippo collapsed onto his back, staring at the ceiling. His chest rose and fell fast, heaving from the extreme workout, his arms trembling even as he lay still.
Takamura sat nearby, towel draped over his shoulders, watching him from the corner of his eye.
"You're gonna be sore tomorrow too." Takamura said. "Worse than today."
Ippo laughed weakly. "I… already am."
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Then Takamura spoke again, quieter this time.
"You know. That guy you're training under… he's not normal."
Ippo turned his head. "Ying?"
"Yeah." Takamura leaned back, eyes looking down.
"Guys like him draw all sorts of trouble. The strong, the dangerous, and the crazy ones. He attracts danger and those near him gets caught in it."
"I'm sure you've felt it already, the aura he exudes even when relaxed."
Ippo thought of the pressure he always felt around Ying. The calm and certainty in his actions.
"I know… He's strong after all." Ippo said.
Takamura snorted. "That's an understatement."
He looked down at Ippo seriously.
"If you keep walking near him, you're gonna see things you can't unsee. Fights that aren't about sport and people who won't stop no matter the costs. Are you prepared for that? If you want to live peacefully, tell him and quit immeadiately. I'm sure he'll understand."
Ippo clenched his fists.
"I still want to train with him... Even knowing that."
Takamura studied him, then laughed once, sharp and amused.
"Idiot." He muttered.
"Yeah, figures. Just a bit of heads up, this world is far darker than you think."
He stood up and tossed Ippo a towel. "Rest up. Tomorrow, we start for real."
"Ehhhh!" Ippo shouted in shock.
"Don't be surprised, I'm just testing you right now." Takamura said with a smirk on his face.
Meanwhile inside a cafe.
A woman in a tracksuit sat at a corner table. She's sipping black tea, when the door opened, bells ringing, looking up she saw Ying walked in.
He wears a blindfold on his face, and a casual attire that is made for outing. He spotted her immediately and took the seat across from her without a word.
Nozomi set her cup down. "You're late."
Ying tilted his head. "Hmm? What are you talking about? It's exactly 12. I arrived right on time for our meeting."
Nozomi crossed her arms, leaning back with a slight frown. "I've been waiting for an hour. Isn't it a common courtesy to arrive early?"
Ying smirked beneath the blindfold.
"Courtesy? For a deal like this?" He gestured vaguely at her. "Besides, you're still wearing the same tracksuit from the arena when we first met. What, you living out of a locker?"
Her eye narrowed and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Mind you, I wear for comfort and this is comfortable and clean. Unlike some people who wear blindfolds like it's fashion week."
Ying chuckled, leaning back in his chair.
"Fashion week? Nah, this is practical. But hey, if tracksuits are your thing, who am I to judge? You pull it off better than most homeless guys I've seen."
Nozomi's twitch turned into a half-smirk.
"Homeless? That's rich coming from a guy who looks like he crawled out of a tattoo parlor. Like the whole blindfold shtick, is that there for style or what?"
Ying lifted a hand. "Nothing like that. It's just easier this way, anyways you showing up an hour early… Are you that worried I wouldn't come?"
She rolled her eyes. "As if. I arrived early because you said you can fix my eye. If this is some joke, I'm walking."
Ying's smirk faded, his tone shifting.
"It's not a joke. I know a guy, he's a crazy doctor but he fixes the impossible. He's done it for me once."
Nozomi leaned forward, interest sharpening.
"For you? What's wrong with your eyes under that thing?"
"Drawback of my abilities." Ying said. "He just lowered some pain management."
She stared at him for a long moment. "So, what's the catch of our deal?"
"Catch? There's nothing."
"You expect me to believe that? As if." She looked at him with deadpan eyes.
"Fine, fine. Just expect my sisters to use the arena."
Nozomi thought it over. "Sisters?" her thoughts drifted aloud and then she nodded. "Deal. But if this is a scam—"
"It's not."
She stood. "Then let's go. I'm done waiting."
Ying shrug his shoulders and stood as well. "Alright."
They left the cafe and hopped inside a car, and then headed north.
The drive was long. Roads twisted into the mountains, trees closing in as the city disappeared.
Nozomi broke the silence. "That doctor. How'd you know him?"
Ying looked out the window. "Some incident happened in the past and we made some dealings, that's all."
Nozomi nodded slowly. "Some incident, huh. Sounds messy."
Ying shrugged. "It was. But it worked and he's not the type to ask questions as long as he's paid appropriately."
She glanced at him. "And what did it cost you?"
"Cash. A favor. The usual stuffs."
She sighed and looked at him in a deadpan look. "If you don't want to say it, just don't."
The car climbed higher, the road narrowing into tight switchbacks. Snow dusted the trees now, the air creeping colder through the cracked window.
"So this Doctor. He's not some mad crazy with a needle, right?"
Ying let out a short breath. "Sorry to dissapoint but he's insane. The good thing is that he fixes things other doctors won't touch, retinal damage, scar tissue, Heck even the brain." He paused. "Don't worry though he knows his stuff."
She clicked her tongue. "Figures." She then scoffed. "Every doctor I met said it was permanent after all."
"They don't have the abilities and wouldn't subject themselves to something that might get them in trouble." Ying said. "Most doctors are like that or rather most people are."
Nozomi stared out at the passing forest, her gaze unfocused for a second before sharpening again.
"That eye ended my career." she said quietly. "One bad hit. Everything after that felt… off and I..."
Ying didn't respond. He just listened.
"My passion is all about fighting and I lost it all, even when I try to fight safe, the underground arena didn't like it. They said, I wasn't interesting enough, not even willing to put on a show."
Nozomi clenches her fist. "I love fighting and if this really fixes my eye... I owe you one." She then looked at Ying in the eye, where she thought his eye is placed under the blindfold with deep, almost solemn intensity.
Ying smiled and nodded at her
After a while, Nozomi spoke again. "Anyways, enough about me, you said sisters. Plural. So are they part of the cult too, adopted by that former leader? your adopted father?"
"Not quite." Ying said. "They are different, much more weird dynamics and strangeness that you'll see very soon."
Nozomi tilted her head, not understanding what Ying is trying to portray.
"I know you're confused but it'll all makes sense when one of my sisters arrive and she had a 'Crown of Eve' with Hina"
Nozomi frowned. "Crown of Eve?"
Ying nodded once. "Yeah. That's what they call it."
"That explains nothing."
"It's not supposed to." He turned his head slightly toward her. "It's something you'll eventually learn, you agreed to our deal afterall."
She scoffed. "Sounds like some cult nonsense."
"Maybe." Ying said calmly. "But if you really want to know, dig into it yourself."
Nozomi went quiet at that.
The car continued climbing, tires crunching over thin ice as the road narrowed even further. Pines crowded the edges, branches heavy with snow. Civilization felt very far away now.
"So let me get this straight." Nozomi said after a moment.
"You've got adopted sisters. All of them are fighters or atleast can fight. One of them will do this 'Crown of Eve' thing and you want me to set their fight using my arena."
"Yes."
"And you're fixing my eye because… What?" She glanced sideways. "You want to see what happens if I step into that mess?"
Ying smiled faintly. "Something like that."
She shook her head. "You're insane."
Ying just smiled at her.
The car slowed.
Ahead, tucked between rock and forest, sat a lone cabin. Smoke curled lazily from a chimney. No signs. No lights beyond a single window glowing warm against the cold.
"This it?" Nozomi asked. "This is the place?"
"Yes."
The driver pulled to a stop and didn't ask questions or made any conversations.
They stepped out into the cold. The air bit instantly, sharp and clean. Nozomi rolled her shoulders, breath fogging in front of her. Before she could say anything else, the cabin door opened.
A thin man stepped out, lab coat flapping in the wind. His smile was wide. Too wide.
"Ying Zheng!" Hanafusa Hajime said cheerfully. "You're late."
Ying tilted his head. "I'm right on time."
===========
AN: If you're wondering, yes it's slow, I'm characterizing people, giving them depth basically but don't worry things will speed up just a bit more chapters. Just need to let the story breathe because the start of the story is too fast for my liking.
So expect a slow burn. I'm trying to make the world feel alive.
Ngl idk if I should include ANs it's just my thought process when I'm writing and nothing substantial to the story.
Leave your suggestions and Criticisms here, Even opinions matter. Have a nice day.
Word Count: 1,594