Chapter 589. Epilogue Part 3 – Your Name (Main story end)

『 You’re a dull man. But, that shows how tough your spirit is 』

Kyouko-san who returned to Japan temporarily to have a fight with Rei-chan during the summer vacation tells me.

We were at the mansion’s dining room.

Everyone just had dinner at past seven in the evening.

When Kyouko-san’s here, Edie doesn’t get close to the dining room.

Nei, Agnes, and Mana should be playing with her on the other room.

Megu and Katsuko-nee are in the kitchen.

Minaho-neesan, Margo-san, and Ruriko aren’t back yet. I think they went to Jii-chan’s house.

『 Toughness is essential, both physically and mentally 』

Seems like women raised in Brazil can bear the heat of summer in Tokyo.

She’s wearing a green tank top and white hot pants as she gulps down beer.

『 Don’t take her seriously, Kyouko-san’s just teasing you 』

Katsuko-nee carries a small bowl of snacks from the kitchen to Kyouko-san then tells me.

『 Puhaaa!! I knew it, drinking Japanese beer makes me feel like I’m back in this mansion! 』

Kyouko-san said.

『 Do you like the beer from Japan? 』

I asked.

『 Not really. One should enjoy the taste of alcohol for each country. You drink them on the same land, as it’s the best refinement is according to the climate of the country and the culture of the community living there 』

Kyouko-san says.

『 That’s why I drink Japanese beer when in Japan. That’s all there is to it 」

I see. People who travel around the world say deep things.

『 Well, that’s just my opinion, you don’t have to take it seriously. There are also people who eat what they usually do no matter where they are in the world. But, actually, there’s a cola and burger chain store anywhere in the world but their taste slightly different in some countries. They match it to the taste of each country. After all, the people making it are the residents of that country. The flavor would change as expected. 』

I guess.

『 The people coming from the foreign country just have the misunderstanding that “the taste of the people on this country is inferior” They’re a foreigner, so they don’t know that the tastes of the people living in there are different from theirs. Only idiots think that their taste is the global standard 』

Kyouko-san drinks beer again

『 Oh my, how was my story for this dull yet tough-hearted guy? 』

Kyouko-san says while having Katsuko-nee pour in another beer to her class.

Yeah, the label’s upside down now.

『 Oh right, I just remembered! 』

Kyouko-san smiles.

『 It’s very essential for jobs like ours to have toughness. It’s about the foundation, I mean, if your heart and body isn’t tough, you’ll die right away 』

Well, that’s true, but.

She’s in contact with the people in the underground society around the world.

Becoming hostile, or friends, or sometimes, betrayals.

『 But you see, toughness is a bit different from being able to take a hit 』

Kyouko-san?

『 It’s impossible for someone to be unhurt as long as they live. No matter how careful one is, they occasionally will have unforeseen injuries. Humans can’t live undamaged 』

Kyouko-san shows me her back.

『 Look, I’ve got a lot of scratches, can you see it? 』

There’s a huge white scar in between her shoulder blades.

『 Was that done by an enemy? 』

I asked.

『 Unyaa, it was more of a tangle of an innocent girl back then 』

What?

『 It was a combat knife. I went to bed completely unalert, so I almost died! 』

I-I see.

『 After all, to understand a woman’s heart, you have to cut on the back and wound them at one point, that’s how it felt back then 』

Kyouko-san drinks beer again while shaking her head.

『 Don’t take it seriously. That was just an episode of Kawashima Yuzo 』

Katsuko-nee smiles wryly.

『 Geez, Katsuko, you don’t have to expose it, I was getting on the great parts 』

Kyouko-san chuckles.

『 You still have work in the kitchen, right? I feel sorry for Megumi-chan, she’s alone over there 』

『 Yes, sure 』

Katsuko-nee smiles at me and returns to the kitchen.

Then, Kyouko-san.

『 Let’s go back on our topic, shall we? 』

She places the glass on the table and speaks with a straight look.

『 Ah, okay 』

I’m startled with the change of atmosphere.

『 Do you remember what we were talking until now? 』

『 Err, humans can’t stay unhurt. Also, toughness and resilience are different? 』

『 Okay, you seem to be loosening up, good, good 』

Kyouko-san smiles at me.

『 Have you ever seen a boxer who’s strong and has a face with no damage? 』

『 No 』

『 See? If you’re hit, then your face will swell. For each game, the athlete gets hit more, and their face gradually gets swollen. The damage accumulates 』

Ah, I see.

『 But, those who have the skill to hit the opponent and not receive as much don’t have much swell in their face. Of course, they won’t end up with no damage. It’s just a matter of proportion of receiving the opponent’s punches 』

Kyouko-san drinks beer again then pours one for herself.

『 Then, there’s also brain damage to consider. Those who were beaten up in the face has more damage in their brain. That damage will also accumulate. The possibility of suffering punch drunk syndrome increases 』

Okay.

『 Therefore, even the strong boxers who endure receiving punches from their opponent will, of course, have lower lifespan. No matter how resilient you are, the damage in the body will stay. Even if you’re originally healthy, the damage will accumulate. In the end, it’s much better to have skills of avoiding the punches as much as possible. As a result, players who aren’t hit in their faces attain greater success 』

So it’s like that.

『 Therefore, you can’t just be resilient. You need to dodge as many punches as possible. People who can do that are tough, that’s what I think 』

Kyouko-san said.

『 It’s not just in the boxing world but also in real life. If you fight against someone in a real fight, you need to be prepared to take at least one or two punches by surprise, right? It’s inevitable. Just like the scar on my back. There will be attacks you can never evade 』

Unavoidable.

『 Of course, you can’t be knocked out after one or two surprise attacks. If you’re defeated from the first attack, then you have no worth in surviving. I assert that 』

Kyouko-san looks straight to my eyes and say.

『 Therefore, what’s important is the next punch. You can take the first two or three surprise attacks, but you can’t receive more than that. You can’t guard either, you have to dodge them all. If the punch doesn’t hit, then the damage won’t increase 』

You won’t take more damage if you’re not hit.

『 In boxing. Those who think that taking hits is equal to being tough is just an idiot. Just because they’re sturdy, they try to endure the punch even after the surprise ones, they get more damaged. Even though they think they can control the damage, in reality, the damage is accumulating more and more. Eventually, they’ll collapse 』

I see. They can’t bear it.

There’s a limit to one’s mind and body.

『 The young ones believe that they can recover after taking a rest, but there are a lot of things that don’t go back to what they were before 』

Kyouko-san shows her back to me once again.

『 I can’t shoot with my left hand because of this injury. Back then, I can shoot the target accurately with either side using a pistol. I’ve been trained to go that far. But, it’s impossible now. My left hand can only be used for feints. I’m no longer able to do something that was certain before 』

Kyouko-san grips her hand tightly.

I can’t see anything unusual with her left hand.

However, when it comes to accuracy work like shooting, Kyouko-san feels like she can’t be confident with it.

『 For knife throwing, I can throw as much with my right. But soon, this will also be failing 』

Kyouko-san laughs.

『 If you grow older, you’ll gradually be unable to do what you were able to when you were young. I’m aware of it. You’re still in your teens so you can’t understand that feeling, right? 』

『 Ah, yes 』

『 No, don’t say it, I just want to say this. It’s the elder’s work to talk to the young ones 』

Kyouko-san drinks more beer.

『 Everyone’s born unhurt. But, no matter how careful the parents are, the child will grow with some wounds. Both in mind and body. As long as humans live, their injuries will increase 』

Wounds.

My wound.

Our family’s wound.

『 Then, one has to heal that wound received. It can be cured by the family, friends, or even a lover. But, no matter how much you treat them, a new wound will appear 』

As long as you’re alive, you’ll be hit by something by surprise, and your wounds will increase.

『 Children who grew up in a harsh environment