Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter3 (section)

=== Part 2 ===

Kazuma was leisurely enjoying his dessert on the 67th story of Yokohama’s Landmark Tower, the hotel on Royal Street that came closest to the skies.

Be it a threat or a coax, Kazuma intended to squander off all the cash he obtained by any means possible, no matter how evil or horrendous said methods may be.

However, as though to mock this sadistic decision, his hand phone rang. Kazuma looked, irritated, at the hand phone on the table.

Pirorororororororo

Staring at his consistently ringing hand phone, Kazuma cursed himself.

''Why did I forget to set it to voicemail?''

Even with that said, Kazuma could not just turn off his phone.

Pirorororororororo

The monotonous ringing continued. Kazuma did not pick up the phone, instead mentally listing all the people who know his number, one by one, trying to avoid reality. 

Pirorororororororo

“Ahhh! It’s too noisy!”

He finally gave up, and pressed the button to receive the call.

“Who is it?”

Kazuma did not bother to hide his unhappiness. He used a very rude tone, which was sent to the ears of the person at the other end through electronic waves.

”Watashi (It is me)” <!--no idea how the exact way he answer this.-->

The other party was even ruder. Upon hearing the caller's voice, Kazuma immediately regretted his decision to pick up the phone from the bottom of his heart, as it was the voice he least wanted to hear in the world.

“Oh, Mr. Watashi? What a weird name. Did we meet somewhere before?”

”Quit joking around with me” 

Though Kazuma tried to joke his way around this, the voice in the phone spoke just as arrogantly as before. Kazuma took a deep breath and prepared himself to duel with the man who had abandoned him in the past.

“It has been a long time. I wonder, can I still call you 'Father'?”





Genma’s voice caused his memories of the past to painfully reawaken.

''I was still Kazuma Kannagi back then, who was pathetically weak.''

''Back then, I could never defy my father. I could only mindlessly listen to his orders to continue training, even though he knew I had no talent.''

“You lost?”

It was neither a question nor verification. It was an unbelievably calm sentence that surpassed anger and disappointment, one dealt a great blow upon the pitiful loser.

“You lost to some twelve-year old girl?”

The voice repeated, as though speaking purposely.

“……I am……Really sorry……”

The boy placed his forehead on the tatami, squeezing out a very weak voice. The man did not answer, merely glaring at the shivering boy with ice cold eyes.

“……So be it. It was a mistake to even want to train you to be a Enjutsu practitioner.”

The man mercilessly gave up on the boy. But somehow, the boy seemed happy about that.

“You don’t need to practice Enjutsu anymore from now on.”

The boy, about to faint at first, suddenly brightened. The man, upon verification, said the most crucial sentence.

“Someone who is not an Enjutsu practitioner has no need to stay in the Kannagi family.”

“……Huh?”

The smile on the boy’s face hardened. The man continued talking as though it was a natural thing to do.

“From today on, you are no longer my son. Get lost! Go to some other place!”

“……What……Fath……Father!”

“I am no longer your 'Father'.”

The man said coldly.

“Get out of my presence immediately.”

With that blunt statement, the man walked out of the room without another glance at the boy.

“Fath…Father! Please wait!”

The man looked down emotionlessly on the boy who hugged his arm, tossing him away. The boy was thrown so hard that he almost hit the wall.

”Fath…Father! Father!”

The boy was unable to stand up and could only cry out in pain and misery. He reached out his hand, but was unable to touch anything. Even so, the boy refused to give up and continued to extend his arm.

“Father!!!!!!”

The man walked away without even turning his head.

There was no one who could reply to this boy who had lost everything now......





"Call me whatever you want."

The voice that would remain blunt even unto the verge of death pulls Kazuma back to reality.

“How about Gen-chan?”

“Why did you come back to Japan?”

Ignoring Kazuma’s cheeky response, Genma brought out the main topic.

“I believe the youngest child of the Yuuki family should have mentioned that I came back 'on a whim.' Didn’t you hear?”

“......Surrender! It is not too late!”

“You guys seem to be treating me like the criminal. I didn't come here to find trouble with the Kannagi family, but if you guys come knocking on my door, I won’t be merciful.”

The chat was more of two people talking on their own than a conversation. After all, a conversation requires people to understand, or at least try to understand, each other and give something like a reaction. However, the phrase “understand each other” didn’t seem to apply to these two.

“Do you think you can win against the Kannagi family?”

“No one will know unless I try, right?”

Kazuma realized that he was no longer afraid of Genma like he was in the past. Through this newfound arrogance, Kazuma felt a certain sense of warmth from the absence of fear.

''(This stubborn old man didn’t change a bit…)''

Kazuma stopped paying attention to whatever Genma may have been saying at the other end of the phone, indulging himself in his own emotions.

“Kazuma, are you listening?!”

Genma raised his voice. Four years ago, Kazuma might have been kneeling next to the phone begging for forgiveness. Their relationship was one of absolute orders followed with absolute obedience.

“Huh? Oh, of course I'm listening. What is it?”

The sound of Genma's deep sigh came out of the phone as he said,

“I must meet with you. I am going over to you now, is that okay?”

''(Good chance.)''

Kazuma needed to clarify one thing ever since he heard his father’s voice again after four years.

''(I want to know whether I have surpassed that man... Whether I have become stronger than the man who ordered me around in the past. No matter how, I must verify this.)''

“No, now is not a convenient time.”

Kazuma kept his expanding emotions within his heart. Without changing his cheeky way of speech, he said,

“Tonight at twelve, let’s meet in <!--Minato-no-Mieru Oka Koen, 法蘭西山-->French Hill.”

“What kind of time is that? The park would have closed long ago!”

“Then no one will come to interrupt, right?”

With those words, Kazuma's tone suddenly changed.

“So you really want to kill me... I accept your challenge, then.”

''To Genma, I was nothing but a failed product. He wouldn’t go easy even when executing punishment on me.''

“I realized what you took me as since four years ago. However, I am no longer that little boy. I won't let you order me around anymore.”

“...Foolish kid. Fine, then. I shall let you understand the limitations of your own strength.”

Genma replied arrogantly. Even though he knew clearly that his son has misunderstood him, he was unable to think of any other reply.

“I shall look forward to it then, 'Father'.”

After bidding farewell with excitement, Kazuma ended the call. He switched his phone off immediately and threw it at the desk beside him.

However, the phone missed the intended target and rolled onto the floor.

Looking at his trembling left hand, Kazuma gave a bitter smile. His left hand was shaking so much that he could not control its strength, but he was not ashamed of that.

''(Yeah, of course I'm scared. After all, I am challenging the strongest practitioner of the Kannagi clan.)''

He clenched his left fist tightly, as though intending to trap his fear within it.

''No matter how afraid I am, I must not run away. To truly sever all ties with the Kannagi clan and to surpass the old me, I must perform the “ritual” of defeating my father, who symbolizes my past.''

He did not hate Genma. In fact, now he found the stubbornness in Genma rather pleasant.

''But this and that are two different matters. This is something I cannot give in to, no matter what.''

The trembling stopped. With a determination beyond the fear he felt in his tightly held left fist, Kazuma muttered to himself,

“I will not run or hide anymore. Nor will I go easy on you...... [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Oyaji|oyaji]].”