Chapter 87 - FRUIT!

Fumio, after practicing his water walking skills on the nearshore for the entire morning, he decides to take a break for brunch.

He also realizes that forcing himself to train without seeing progress, is a waste of time and effort.

He is satisfied in his progress in the past three days, and is feeling a bit complacent. After all, he can now stand atop the water until he runs out of spiritual energy.

The high waves are the only ones that are giving him problems. Half the time, he manages to stay balanced, half the time, he is toppled by them.

As soon as he lands back on the beach, he pulls out his phone from his storage ring.

*b-bzzzt*

His phone suddenly vibrates, receiving a text message from Manager Konno.

[Fumio-san. Is the shop available all of tomorrow to book for the girls? The usual arrangement.]

Fumio immediately texts a response.

[Yes ma'am. I'll see you all tomorrow.]

He then taps Red's contact, and sends a text message.

[Boss. Musume46 reserved tomorrow. I'm going back to Nerima tonight.]

.After climbing the cliff, he immediately receives a reply from Red.

[I just arrived in Nerima myself. If you didn't have lunch yet, come over that fancy restaurant a block away from the shop.]

"What the f-? He went back without telling me?" Fumio feels betrayed.

Being able to maintain a running speed that is a bit faster as the fastest fastball from a non-superioris college baseball pitcher, he estimates how quick he can reach Nerima.

[I'll run over there right now, boss. I'll be there in 30-40 minutes.]

He can only shake his head as he sends back a text.

<><><>

Some time later, Fumio is back in Nerima.

After entering the fancy restaurant, he immediately spots Red who is wearing a brown-colored three-piece suit, and Tarou wearing his office outfit, sharing a table.

"Boss. Tarou-san." Fumio greets the two as he joins them.

"You're here." Red acknowledges his arrival.

"Hello there." Tarou also greets, but Fumio spots the man's unease.

"Tarou-san. Sorry about that day. I was just following orders from boss." Fumio smirks, referring to when he knocked Tarou out, from Red's command.

"*sigh* I know." Tarou shakes his head, but he still feels uneasy how easy it took Fumio to take him down.

"Did you wait long?" Fumio asks as he sits down.

"I just got here myself." Tarou says, making Fumio relieved.

"How's Kaoru by the way?" Red asks Tarou, continuing where their chat left off.

"She's healthy now, Kichirou-san. Thanks to you." Tarou reports with a grateful look.

"Uhn." Red simply nods, not worried at all that the man will tell others about him. The man's loyalty to Kaoru, and his willingness to keep the secret to her recovery, made it easy for Red to mark the man's soul with a non-disclosure contract without any consequences.

"But, uh… I don't know if it's too much to ask…" Tarou starts, hesitating.

"Please, speak your mind." Red already has an inkling of what Tarou is about to ask him.

"C-can you convince Kaoru-sama to undergo reconstructive surgery?" Tarou asks.

"Why would I do that?" Red asks.

"I-uh… She seems to trust you very much. Since she woke up, she has almost become a recluse. Her demeanor has also turned very cold. And the bandages…" Tarou shakes his head.

Red smirks, amused at Kaoru's act.

He has already healed Kaoru's skin as a bonus, restoring her beauty. Kaoru simply made use of her incident as a tool to use in her future fight for the clan head position.

'Red-san. Wouldn't it be cool if I wrap myself in bandages? I'd look scary.' He remembers Kaoru's words that night.

"As her doctor, I want the best for her physical and mental health. I would have sent her my plastic surgeon friend..." Red says.

"Why didn't you?" Tarou asks.

"Because it's what she wanted." Red says.

"Don't ask my why she wanted it." He adds to stop Tarou from asking any further.

"I-I see…" Tarou can only drop the matter after receiving an intimidating look from Fumio.

"About the payment." He proceeds to open his briefcase. He then pulls out a stack of file folders from inside and slides them to Red.

Red covers the folders with his spirit sense, and a second later, "Good.", he nods in satisfaction.

"What are those, boss?" Fumio asks, finding the official-looking things interesting.

"Something I'm trying out." Red simply responds.

"…" Tarou gives Red a confused look.

The folders, all 4 of them, are the identities that Tarou gathered during the past month. They all belonged to dead homeless non-superiori and unclaimed dead patients from hospitals; people who had no family and friends to remember them.

Tarou either stopped these identities from getting death certificates, or eliminated their death certificates in records.

Red was planning on handing these identities to Gin, Fumio, Kotone, and Yoshiko. To the three aspiring cultivators especially, in case they expose their abilities to the world in accident.

But due to the events of the past three days, Red found a better use for the fake identities.

"Thank you." Red takes the folders, puts them under the table, and stores them in his storage ring, disguising the action.

He then grabs a small gift box from his storage space and puts it on the table.

The box interests Fumio and Tarou.

Red simply proceeds to open the box, revealing three yellow-skinned fruits inside.

"Hm?" Tarou raises his brows, finding the fruit familiar, but cannot put a name on them.

"These are loquats." Red says.

"L-loquats?" Tarou's brows jump in surprise.

"Well, those are very, very big loquats then. They're as large as pears!" He cannot get over the fruit's size. He also notices that they more colorful, and fragrant than average loquats.

"Oh… sspp. " Fumio meanwhile gulps, craving to eat one. He knows how good the fruits that are grown in Red's gardens taste.

Red then picks one loquat out of the box, and splits it in two.

Tarou's eyes widen at the yellowish gold - like shine of the fruit's flesh.

Saliva starts pooling in his cheeks and thankfully for him, "Have a taste.", he is handed a half of the fruit by Red. The other half goes to Fumio.

"Sure…" Tarou tries his best to not look excited as he takes a bite.

"Mmmmm.." He cannot help but moan at the sweet flavor exploding in his mouth. The tarty flavor of the fruit is also perfect, awakening his taste buds.

"Great, right?" Fumio proudly asks, looking at Tarou's face.

"It's rare too. I don't think loquats are in-season." He adds.

"It is… It is." Tarou nods after swallowing.

"This must be the tastiest fruit I've ever eaten. And trust me, I've eaten all sorts of luxurious fruits grown by the best farmers in the clan." He reviews the taste.

Suddenly, he feels a refreshing feeling coming from his throat and stomach, spreading to the rest of his body.

"W-what…" He is stunned, unsure if what he felt was real.

"It is not your average loquat. It can only be eaten by people whose bodies are at least D-Class in physical strength." Red says.

"Huh…" Tarou processes the information as he eats the rest of the fruit.

"You haven't slept well in this past month. Feeling better?" Red asks.

Tarou immediately connects the dots.

"There's no way…" He stares at Red in disbelief, but he knows that the fruit can be the only thing that made him feel energized.

"This must have been grown by a superioris farmer, right?" He asks.

"Yes. A friend of mine. Don't think about scouting them. They're just as… reclusive and talented as I am." Red already knows what Tarou is thinking.

"O-oh… Okay." Tarou is disappointed.

But he knows, or thinks he knows what Red is really saying.

"So it was those farmers that needed the uhh… folders?" He asks.

"Yes. It's them. You know how highly coveted our talents are." Red nods.

"Uhn." Tarou nods in acknowledgement.

"Are they, by any chance in need for a distributor?" He asks instead.

Red smirks at Tarou looking for a deal.

"These fruits are limited in number. They are not for sale. Can only be exchanged or given out as gifts." Red says.

"A shame, then." Tarou smiles bitterly.

"How about I give you, say… 5 boxes of these? A total of 15 loquats, and some spare for taste tests." Red offers.

"In exchange for?" Tarou is tempted, but the fruits are still fruits. And he has a limit for favors.

"Four more 'folders'. Is it doable?" Red asks.

"I mean… Sure. But… Fruits are very perishable." Tarou is put off by the offer.

"Oh. Okay. Why don't you go home and try it?" Red starts.

"How good is your cardio?" He asks.

Tarou, knowing that Red is a 'doctor', entertains Red.

"I can maintain a 160 kilometer per hour sprint for twenty minutes before I run out of breath." Tarou says.

"*pfft*" Fumio snorts.

"Well? How good is your cardio?" Tarou is offended and challenges him.

"Double the time and speed." Red answers for Fumio to stop Fumio from bragging.

The information meanwhile, shocks Tarou.

"Back to the fruits. Just one of these gives your heart and lungs a 50 percent boost if you work them a 100% that lasts an hour. They also reduce inflammation by 75% for a day on people whose bodies are not enhanced. For superiori like you who have enhanced bodies, it's like steroids without side effects." Red then sees Tarou wear a skeptical expression at the fruit's features.

"That's why I'm giving you this box for free. You can go home, give it a try on your cardio. As for the anti-inflammatory effects, Kaoru can back it up. It's what aided the healing of her skin." He says.

Tarou ponders for a while, before nodding.

"Alright. I trust you. 5 boxes, right?" He asks.

"Yeah."

"How long do they last?"

"Months if properly refrigerated. Just to be safe, just eat one a day."

"Alright. When do you need them?"

"Depends on how long you get them."

Tarou and Red then exchange smiles. They have reached an agreement.

"Alright. I'll call you, Kichirou-san." Tarou says as he stands up.

"Not staying for lunch?" Fumio is taken aback by the man's sudden intention of leaving.

"No. I would love to, but I have a full schedule. If I want to test these fruits' effects, then now it the time." Tarou explains.

"I see. Must be tough for you." Fumio smirks.

Tarou can only shrug.

"Thank you Kichirou-san again for Kaoru-sama." He then turns to Red.

"And for these fruits. I know these are valuable, so taking lunch from you will already be excessive of me."

"It's still business. No need to thank me. I'll be waiting for your call, Tarou-san."

With that, Tarou leaves.

"Alright. Then more for me." Fumio raises his hand in the air to call for a server.

"Don't order." Red says.

"Huh?" Fumio gets disappointed and puts down his hand in confusion.

"Follow me." Red then stands up and leads the way. Fumio can only follow.

As they reach the corner of the restaurant, he frowns as Red stops by a huge table occupied by what he figures is a group of twelve office workers, basing on their outfits.

Fumio is confused as Red is usually not the type to hang around people, much less white-collar workers, much less twelve white-collar workers.

"Sir." The large group stand up and bow shallowly at Red in unison. Fumio is taken aback by the situation.

"Please, sit." Red gestures to them, and they obey.

"Fumio, these are my new employees." He then introduces them to Fumio.

"The 'recruitment' you mentioned?" Fumio asks, enlightened.

"Yes." Red confirms with a nod as he takes a sit.

"Wow. You work quick boss." Fumio nods.

He then turns his attention to the employees and does a shallow bow.

"Well… Nice to meet you all. I'm Fumio. You can all consider me your superior." He smirks at them to establish his dominance.

"Fumio-san. Nice to meet you. You can have my seat. I'll just sit on your lap." One of the employees, a gorgeous looking woman, winks at Fumio with a lip bite.

"A-aherm… There's a vacant seat here." Fumio swallows his embarrassment and sits beside a tall and slender male employee.

"Hello there." He greets the slender employee.

"Nice to meet you, senior. As for a name, you can call me Number 1 for now." The slender man introduces himself as he offers a handshake.

"Strange name, but nice to meet you." Fumio takes the man's hand, but as soon as he does, alarms start blaring in his head, and he gets goosebumps. 'This guy's f*ckin dagnerous' He cannot help but swallow nervously.

His nervousness is removed soon however.

"Let's order, everyone? I'm sure you're all starving after the lengthy… interview process, and eventful… commute.." His apprehension is shut down by Red's unusually light tone.