I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga - Chapter 73: Fuma Ninja

“Welcome back, Master!”

It felt like déjà vu.

Suppressing the innate aversion and cringe, I entered the café, greeted by the familiar setting, unchanged since my visit two months ago.

Leading the way into the café, Senior Fuma approached a maid who was clearing a table recently vacated by customers.

“Manager, this is Kim Yu-seong, the one I mentioned before.”

“Oh my, the one who defeated the ‘God of Destruction’?”

Turning her head as she spoke, I recognized her face.

“Ah.”

It was the black-haired maid who had guided Sasha and me before.

Recognizing my face, she covered her mouth with her palm in surprise.

“The one from before…”

I quickly bowed my head and introduced myself.

“I’m Kim Yu-seong.”

“I’m Fuma Kaori.”

“Wait, Fuma?”

Hearing the familiar surname, I turned to Senior Fuma, who nodded and said,

“The manager is my cousin. In fact, all the maids working here are kunoichi1 from the Fuma Clan.”

Hearing this significant piece of information, I looked around the café.

“Everyone, follow me! Yummy, yummy~ Moe Moe Kyun♡”

“I-It’s not like I brought this because I like you or anything!”

“Oh my, do you want to try the cake I baked? How cute.”

“Listen to my song, meow!”

“All these people are actually ninjas?”

I felt my mind grow faint.

Senior Fuma led me to a room inside the café.

With a single metal table in the center and cabinets lined up, it seemed like a break room for the maids.

“Sit here. What would you like to drink? We have tea, coffee, juice, and soda.”

“I’ll have a cider, please.”

“Got it.”

Senior Fuma asked me to wait a moment, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Left alone, I awkwardly sat down and eventually took out my smartphone.

The messaging app, usually quiet due to my lack of friends, was filled with messages from my junior, Nao.

I was reading and replying to each message when suddenly…

Bang!

“Ah! That was so much fun!”

Again, a familiar-looking maid appeared.

With her brown hair fluttering in the wind, she wore a cat-ear headband and an apron adorned with distinctive cat-paw prints.

Holding a cigarette in her mouth, she entered the break room without much thought and froze like a statue upon seeing me seated there.

“Uh? Oh? This area is off-limits to non-staff, meow?”

She hastily spat out the cigarette and started to stammer an excuse, but then Senior Fuma returned and asked in a puzzled tone,

“What are you doing at the door, Sister Hyoneko?”

Then, Hyoneko, the cat maid, quickly clung to her.

“Help me out here, Yukika!”

“…?”

Senior Fuma’s eyes conveyed a questioning look.

I shook my head and pointed to the cigarette on the floor.

Upon seeing it, Fuma’s eyebrows narrowed.

“So, you were originally the vocalist of an indie band?”

“Yes.”

Fuma Hyoneko, with a candid expression, shared her story.

She had dreamt of becoming a singer and had moved from the countryside to Tokyo, but her dreams and passion alone weren’t enough to survive in the tough environment of Tokyo.

So, she worked part-time at this cafe, run by her cousin, to make ends meet when she didn’t have live performances.

After all, one must do what is necessary to survive; it isn’t something to be judged for.

I said I would act as if I hadn’t seen anything, and Ms. Hyoneko looked at me gratefully.

“You… are such a good guy!”

Then she turned to Senior Fuma and said,

“Yukika! You have to catch him! A guy like this isn’t common!”

“What… what are you talking about?! You silly sister!”

Senior Fuma blushed at her words, cleared her throat, and then looked at me.

“Anyway, the reason I called you here today is because I’m ready to tell you about the hidden world.”

Her serious tone made me straighten up.

It was a story about the ‘Scramble Love’ universe, unknown to me, so I listened intently, not wanting to miss a single word.

Clunk!

Senior Fuma, who briefly rose from her seat, brought back a package with foreign stamps from her cabinet.

As if handling something precious, she carefully untied the knots around the box and took a deep breath before pulling out the item inside.

“This is called ‘Mirror of True Essence.’ It shows the nature of one’s qi when they look into this mirror.”

Hyoneko, who was beside me, chimed in,

“It’s an artifact invented during China’s Ming Dynasty, but it’s so rare now that hardly anyone makes it anymore, even in its place of origin.”

“Is this why you said it took you a long time to prepare?”

Senior Fuma nodded in response to my question.

“I had to get permission from the elders back home, but acquiring this item itself was quite a challenge.”

Senior Fuma said this as she handed me the Mirror of True Essence.

“Touch it once. You’ll be able to feel the qi within your body.”

With a tense expression, I nodded and cautiously touched the Mirror of True Essence she offered.

Thump!

At that moment, my previously calm heart throbbed loudly.

It was a sensation similar to what I felt when I took the red pill given by Senior Fuma before.

But it was a bit different from that time.

If the battle with Sasha’s father, Ivan, felt like a boiling volcano, now it was like a dormant volcano.

I felt a tickling sensation in my chest and something warm stirring inside me.

Perhaps this was the ‘qi’ that Senior Fuma mentioned.

Observing my condition, Senior Fuma spoke,

“Kim Yuseong, you have a constitution known as ‘Extreme Yang Constitution.’”

“Extreme Yang Constitution…?”

“Simply put, it means you produce much more Yang Qi than the average person. In Yin-Yang theory, Yang represents masculinity, so your extraordinary strength at such a young age could be attributed to your constitution.”

Hearing Senior Fuma’s explanation, I felt dizzy.

‘Scramble Love’ was supposed to be a romantic comedy universe, but it had a backstory like something out of a martial arts manga.

It was beyond anything I had vaguely imagined.

“Ordinarily, it takes a very long time and rigorous training for a person to handle qi. However, you showed the ability to freely control the qi in your body during the fight with Ivan, the Russian ‘God of Destruction.’ Even with the aid of Spiritual Manifestation, such a feat is usually impossible.”

“What exactly is this ‘Qi’ you’re talking about, Senior?”

“It’s the power originating from what people commonly refer to as the soul, or ‘spirit.’ In the hidden world, those who manipulate qi are known as ‘martial artists.’”

Having read many manga, I roughly understood what she was talking about.

“I roughly understand what you’re saying, Senior. But what’s the connection between my ability to control qi and this hidden world?”

Senior Fuma nodded and explained,

“The hidden world itself is an order created by those who manipulate ‘Qi.’ Historical figures and great people you know have been closely related to this hidden world for a long time, which is why they could wield such power and influence.”

It sounded like a plot from a boy’s manga—a power ruling nations in secret, unknown to ordinary people, existing for a very long time.

“Kim Yu-seong, you are certainly not an ordinary person. But since you have obtained power beyond what an ordinary person can even imagine, you can no longer remain just an ordinary person. It all started the day you defeated Ivan, the Russian ‘God of Destruction.’”

“But you yourself said that the power I showed back then was just a one-time thing.”

Senior Fuma nodded in agreement.

“True, that’s correct. However, to those who witnessed it, that detail isn’t important. What matters to them is the fact that you defeated Ivan and ascended as a God in the hidden world.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means those seeking honor and power will come after you in succession. By defeating you, who defeated Ivan, they can prove themselves as the true strong ones.”

Back then, it was more or less a fight for survival.

But now, that fact has come back like a boomerang, endangering my life once again.

“So, what should I do now?”

Senior Fuma spoke in a firm tone,

“Become stronger. So strong that no one can touch you.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“Indeed. Just going to the gym as you are now won’t guarantee victory against the ‘real’ ones, not just the average thugs. That’s why I have a proposal for you.”

“What’s your proposal?”

Senior Fuma took a deep breath, looked me straight in the eyes, and said,

“Kim Yu-seong, become the successor of the Fuma-style assassination technique.”

ED/N: A female ninja