"That was quite the spectacle. Never thought you'd have that much confidence in your skills," said Ryuuen.
"Wait, do you mean that these two turned the table on you?" Ibuki worriedly asked Ryuuen.
"Are you serious, Ibuki?" Kiyotaka spoke up.
"Wha-?"
"Ryuuen has always been one to use violence. Do you think I'd voluntarily allow him to create a situation where he could act out without repercussion?"
"Huh?" Ibuki tilted her head in confusion.
Ryuuen seemed doubtful as well. "What do you even mean by that, Ayanokouji? I set this all up."
Kiyotaka let out a sigh before explaining. "This confrontation here was determined long in advance. I knew that once we reached a stalemate, Ryuuen Kakeru would resort to violence to settle things."
"If I never intended to reveal my identity, I wouldn't have used Manabe during the sports festival. You could easily trace her back to Karuizawa," Kiyotaka continued. "You were convinced of a link between Karuizawa and I. You had Class C students tail my classmates and openly moved against Kouenji. Hoping to put pressure on X. You must have enjoyed yourself greatly."
"Heh. You say some pretty interesting stuff, you know. You purposefully made it look like I had you in the palm of my hand," Ryuuen replied.
"No. You were always dancing in mine."
"You really are clever, Ayanokouji. I never had an advantage to begin with. Now I'm in trouble. What should we do, Ibuki?" Ryuuen said happily.
"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Ibuki raged.
Something inside Ibuki snapped, seeing her frustration finally spill out. She launched a kick at Kiyotaka. Completely disregarding myself.
Ibuki took a couple steps forward, closing the distance between herself and Kiyotaka, and kicked again, leaving almost no room to dodge.
She seemed to know what she was doing. She would definitely beat Horikita in a fight.
But Kiyotaka seamlessly evaded all her kicks. She stopped her assault for a moment and clicked her tongue in frustration.
"What are you?" Ibuki asked.
"You really don't know?"
"You piss me off. I don't know why, but you always do!"
She leaped at Kiyotaka once more.
Kiyotaka seemingly didn't want to drag out the fight any longer. At his first chance, he grabbed Ibuki by the neck and slammed her into the ground, making sure not to slam her head as it wasn't necessary.
Her eyes widened for a moment before she stopped moving entirely.
Ibuki, Albert, and Ishizaki lay collapsed on the ground. While Karuizawa couldn't even muster a word at the sight.
"Another boring moron who couldn't keep up," I said as I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I've got to admit I never expected this out of any Class D trash. I've clearly underestimated you." Ryuuen clapped with genuine respect as he walked toward us.
"You're not just clever, Ayanokouji, but can deal out violence when needed. And you," Ryuuen looked toward me. "I thought you were some half-baked, ball-less, leader who'd piss himself at any real conflict. But looks like I'll get to toy with you some more later. Do you know what I'd like to say now?"
"Nope," Kiyotaka replied.
"Physical strength alone doesn't determine victory or defeat. You gotta be tough on the inside, too!" Ryuuen yelled at us ecstatically.
"Show me something worth getting excited over, Ryuuen!" I yelled back.
Ryuuen adjusted his stance to be lower to the ground, then thrust his left fist toward Kiyotaka, aiming for his abdomen. Kiyotaka leaped back in anticipation, but Ryuuen continued his pressure by jabbing with his right arm.
"You won't lay a hit on me, Ryuuen," Kiyotaka told him.
Ryuuen seemed to be purely focused on Kiyotaka, using that as an opportunity, I reached out and grabbed Ryuuen by his hair. He instinctively reached back and pushed my arm away.
But that brief moment of distraction gave Kiyotaka ample amount of time to launch a hard kick to his side.
"Gah!"
Ryuuen let out a grunt of pain. But he didn't seem to back down. It was a serious hit to the side. I was honestly a little impressed at his determination to stay standing.
"You think I haven't had my share of mismatch opponents?! This is just starting to get fun!" Ryuuen laughed even louder now.
Once again, he charged Kiyotaka, holding nothing back. From my perspective, his movements weren't as refined as a trained fighter's. Clearly, a self-taught style shaped by his experience. No one could evade Ryuuen's attacks forever, just because of his sheer experience and relentlessness.
"Why don't you fight more often, eh, Ayanokouji?" Ryuuen asked.
"I have my reasons."
"After I beat ya, then you can tell me about them."
"Do you truly believe you are going to win?" Kiyotaka questioned.
"You two might win this time. But what about tomorrow? Or a week from now? Or when you're in the middle of a piss? I'll make both of your lives here a living hell! I'll come after you when you least expect it."
"Show me how much of a challenge you really are," I replied.
"Aren't you afraid of losing?" Kiyotaka asked his own question.
"I've never felt fear once in my life."
"No fear, huh?" Kiyotaka remarked.
"You understand once you know true pain," Ryuuen replied. "Pain gives way to fear for ordinary people."
"Teach me about pain, then."
"With pleasure!" Ryuuen said.
I delivered a swift, hard kick to Ryuuen's back as he spoke to Kiyotaka. He had lost focus on his opponent as he jousted with Kiyotaka.
The kick landed with a strong, thud, as it forced Ryuuen to stagger forward to Kiyotaka.
Instead of trying to regain his balance, Ryuuen used the momentum from the kick to grab onto Kiyotaka's shoulders and drive his knee into his stomach.
"Kiyotaka!" Karuizawa screamed out of concern.
"Understand now?"
"Unfortunately, I do not. This is merely pain," Kiyotaka replied.
"You say you're the same as me? You don't feel fear?" Ryuuen asked.
"That's not what I'm saying."
"Then let's continue some more!" Ryuuen showered Kiyotaka with blows, concentrating on his abdomen.
I went to step in, but something strange caught my eye. While Ryuuen was relentless with his attacks, they were quite simple and repetitive ones. Anyone with some sort of intelligence could easily dodge his strikes. But Kiyotaka wasn't. Was he trying to incur psychological defeat on Ryuuen by demonstrating the sheer power difference between the two, or something else?
"What's the matter? Aren't you gonna play, Ayanokouji? Why aren't you dodging these easy attacks?" Ryuuen bickered.
"I was testing a hypothesis. I truly wanted to see whether I could feel the fear you had talked about," he replied.
"You've got some nerve to be condescending in a situation like this, you freak!"
Kiyotaka was playing some mind games with Ryuuen. Taunting him with their extreme difference in power, but it also seemed like Kiyotaka was genuinely curious about what Ryuuen was preaching.
Nevertheless, Ryuuen didn't back down, despite the vast difference in ability, Ryuuen didn't give up.
"Where'd you get this kinda strength, Ayanokouji? This isn't normal for a high schooler."
Ayanokouji closed the distance to Ryuuen, as did I from his blind side.
"All this hidden power, but to keep it hidden," Ryuuen said. "You must have enjoyed looking down on us scum. Did it feel good?"
"I don't look down on others. Whether they fail or succeed has nothing to do with me."
Ryuuen pushed back his hair, laughing a little in response. "Guess I'll just have to teach you what true fear feels like!"
Ryuuen shifted his stance, preparing to drive his knee into Kiyotaka's head. Before he could, I threw a punch at the unprotected right side of his head from behind.
Before the blow could land, Ryuuen used his whole arm to protect his head from the blow.
"I haven't forgotten about you," he muttered.
Kiyotaka took this as his opportunity to strike, and he landed a vicious right hook directly to his face.
"Gah!"
It was such a strong strike that anyone normally would've been incapacitated from it. But Ryuuen just stumbled backward.
He fell back onto one knee on the concrete, using one of his hands to try and keep his balance.
Kiyotaka and I continued a flurry of kicks and punches on Ryuuen.
He tried to stumble back up to his feet and guard himself, but the coordination of our attacks was too much for him to handle.
"You said you've never felt fear, didn't you, Ryuuen?" Kiyotaka asked as we momentarily stopped the beatdown.
"Ah... ah... heh, that's right. I don't know fear. I've never known it."
Ryuuen's breath was labored now. His face was bruised, his eyes nearly swollen shut. But he still fought back. His strength was gone, all he could do was weakly swing at the air.
Kiyotaka delivered a powerful blow to his solar plexus.
"Ugh..! I'm a confident fighter, but it's not like I've never lost before. It's because I've lost so many times more than others that- gah!"
I punched him multiple times, alternating between left and right. Blood started to trickle down from his mouth, but he still sat there confidently.
"Violence shows the true nature of everyone. Who are the ones doing the beating and the ones being beaten." Ryuuen let out a weak chuckle. "Ah, ahhh... Ha... This must be fun for you two. You can afford to be cocky with your abilities. You're free. You can do whatever you please. Show me, Ayanokouji..."
Kiyotaka hit him once again, knocking him onto his back. Not leaving him a minute to breathe, Kiyotaka pounced on him and continued with a flurry of lefts and rights.
"Heh. What's the matter? You seem confused, Ayanokouji. I won't give up unless you choke the life out of me, nothing will change!"
He was provoking Kiyotaka. But it didn't seem to phase him. All he did was keep swinging.
I watched Ryuuen's face contort in pain as I stood above the two.
"Ow... that hurts. But it's just pain... nothing else."
His eyes remained the same as I saw them when I first entered the rooftop. He believed in his absolute victory. He may lose this battle, but he'd win the war.
"Go ahead! Enjoy this temporary delight! Your victory is right in front of you," he taunted. "It feels good, right? It feels good to stand above everyone around you, doesn't it? But lurking under all that pleasure... is fear!"
Kiyotaka didn't respond, he just continued landing vicious punches on Ryuuen.
"Do you want to win? Do you want to lose? What are you feeling, Ayanokouji?"
No response.
"Are you angry? Excited? Frustrated? Tell me!"
Kiyotaka only continued to land blows against Ryuuen. He continued to punch him, over, and over, and over again. "
"Yes, that's it, Ryuuen. Now you see, don't you?"
Ryuuen looked at Kiyotaka in utter despair.
He landed one final blow, more powerful than any other, and Ryuuen was finally knocked unconscious. Kiyotaka slowly got off his limp body and stood.
His hands were seared with blood as he stood over Ryuuen's motionless body. Whether that be Ryuuen's or his own blood, I couldn't guess.
But the decisive battle on the rooftop had almost come to a close.
Kiyotaka shifted his gaze to his other objective: Karuizawa Kei.
"Sorry. I put you into a difficult situation. Are you hurt?" Kiyotaka asked her.
"I'm... fine. Just cold. I've lost feeling in some places..."
Kiyotaka offered her his hand. Probably to judge how cold she really was.
"Are you disillusioned by me now?"
"Of course! You betrayed me since the beginning."
"I suppose you are right. So why not sell me out then?"
It was a fair question. All of this could have been over if Kei sold out Kiyotaka early on. She wouldn't have any troubles, and who would want to save someone who betrayed them.
"For my own sake. That's all," Kei answered. Then she suddenly collapsed into Kiyotaka's arms, trembling. "I was scared! So scared!"
"That doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that, from now on, your curse has been lifted. No one can use your past against you anymore. You've become who you always wanted to be." Kiyotaka spoke softly to Kei. "I hurt you. I won't ask for your forgiveness. But if anything happens to you again, I'll save you."
Kiyotaka had achieved what he wanted from Kei. An utter and complete dependence on him. By delaying his arrival, Kiyotaka had shored up her belief that she could hold onto her faith to the very last moment. Kei was a valuable pawn for Kiyotaka. He intended to make sure she stayed under his control.
It was a stellar move.
"Kiyo... taka..." Kei mumbled as she further embraced Ayanokouji.
"A few steps below us, the student council president- well, the former- and Chabashira-sensei are waiting. They somewhat understand the circumstances, they should be able to handle things, including taking care of you."
"O-okay, what about you?" Kei asked.
"There's still some business to take care of," Kiyotaka replied as he directed his gaze toward me.
Kei got up from the concrete and walked to the exit of the rooftop.
I walked toward the rooftop entrance to collect my umbrella before Kiyotaka and I finished our business.
"Akio..." Kei spoke to me as I walked past her.
"I don't care about you right now," I replied.
I couldn't see Kei's reaction, but she was definitely shocked knowing her regular behavior.
But she left the rooftop without another word.
"We can't leave them like this," I said to Kiyotaka.
If anyone for some reason went on the rooftop, it would be quite alarming to see four unconscious first years scattered about. It would be even worse if a staff member or teacher had found them.
We gently awoke all of them, saving Ryuuen for last.
"Tch..."
"Finally awake," I said.
"Do you really think this is over?"
"It is."
"I'll use any... means necessary to win..." Ryuuen started to sit up. "Even if that means... all-out war."
"Will you report us to the school?"
"That would be really low... But if I did. I could make it seem like you set a trap for us."
"That wouldn't work," Kiyotaka spoke up. "The former student council president is waiting on those stairs as we speak. He may not know all the details, but it's obvious you set up the trap. Especially since you were caught on video spray painting the camera, while I was elsewhere. I have alibis to prove it."
"So you could've had a third party witness everything... but you decided not to?" Ryuuen asked.
"I knew you wouldn't stop attacking me until I struck you at least once."
"You think I'll just lay down and accept defeat?"
"Yes. There's a reason why I defeated you, Ryuuen. You chose the order of your opponents poorly. If you had sunk your teeth into Kanzaki and Ichinose, or Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, you might've been closer to my level when you challenged me. But your curiosity overwhelmed you."
Ryuuen offered a bitter smile. "That's one way of going about it."
"I'd like to say I'd be happy with a rematch. But I'm done taking center stage. Focus your efforts on someone else."
"Since you had this witness, that means your keeping that card in play to use against us in the future if needed," Ryuuen said. "Even if it means admitting your identity and Karuizawa's past."
"I'd like to avoid that situation, but yes."
"I wouldn't be the only one to be hurt by it. Ishizaki, Albert, and Ibuki too."
"Your overconfidence in relying on my identity and Karuizawa's past was your undoing. If you had been more calculating, you would've either mounted a larger attack or had more lookouts."
"So, Class C is in trouble as long as I'm here, huh?" he asked.
"Not exactly. As long as you make no more attempts to attack us, I won't use this incident to advance myself."
"I'm not a complete idiot. If Class C corners you again, you'll report this to the school."
"Maybe," Kiyotaka said. "But what will you do? You can't undo what happened here."
"Shut up. My fight with you is finished. My own battle is over too."
Ryuuen looked at Ibuki and the rest of his companions on the roof then took out his phone and typed something.
SNAP!
Everyone's attention snapped toward me from my sudden action.
"What the hell was that for?" Ibuki asked.
I let the canopy that I had broken off from my 'umbrella' drop to the ground below me.
"This world is not fair. Often, fools, cowards, liars, and the selfish hide in high places. People tend to forget that the only thing that really exists in this world is hatred, pain, and suffering. It's a constant cycle that everyone is forced to partake in," I said.
I stood above the bashed Ryuuen as he gripped his phone in hand.
Ryuuen didn't answer me, as his eyes were glued to the item in my hand.
"You know, having a little ingenuity isn't a bad thing. It helped me get this here without anyone batting an eye."
I slowly pulled off the saya to my katana as everyone looked on in shock and fear.
A small ray of light broke through the heavy clouds above us as it illuminated the blue hamon with a fire pattern on the blade.
No one dared to make a move now, as they all stood frozen in fear, observing what I would do next.
"It was pretty easy to take the canopy of an umbrella and add it on to this. After all, there are quite a few katana-shaped umbrellas for purchase on campus and around the world. It may be a niche product, and I may just look like a nerd carrying it, but it served its purpose."
I placed the tip of my blade above Ryuuen's hand that held his phone.
"You don't think this scheme of yours won't go unpunished?" I asked.
"What does this matter to you? Class D has won this. I even plan to drop out."
"Tch, that's where you're wrong," I replied and crouched down to Ryuuen's level. "I know you're transferring your Private Points to Ibuki. And even if you were to drop out, that still leaves a large sum of Private Points within Class C. And that can't happen."
"Like I would just hand this over to you," Ryuuen spat back at me.
"Fighting to the very end," I brought the blade to face directly between us. "You've lost Ryuuen, you hold nothing over Ayanokouji or myself. You're nothing but scum at the bottom of the barrel now, but you still act as if you are the ruler of all."
I slowly moved the blade closer to Ryuuen.
"What you need to know is fear. Not some stupid childish fear of snakes or spiders. But true, unbridled fear. Fear of losing everything in life and then, losing your own life."
I continued to move the blade closer until the cool metal rested only millimeters from his neck.
"You need to suffer more, Ryuuen. It helps build character."
I stared into Ryuuen's eyes, they dashed from side to side, hoping for a way out of this situation. There was a new sense of fear instilled in Ryuuen, one from Ayanokouji and one from myself. A fear of the heartless people around you and a fear of death.
"My bad," I said as I stood back up and pulled the blade away from Ryuuen. "I guess old habits die hard, right?"
I proceeded to kick Ryuuen's phone out of his hand and pick it up from the floor.
"Now, it might seem suspicious to transfer this many Private Points at once. So, I'll delegate it to different accounts and return it to my own. We can call it even now," I explained.
After doing so, I dropped the phone back into Ryuuen's lap.
I picked the saya of my katana back up and put it into its sheath. I also clumsily tried to wrap the canopy I had broken off around the sword and return it to its original state.
"Now," I continued. "I'm sure what happened up here will stay between us, right?"
Ibuki and Albert only looked at me in shock. But Ishizaki answered for the group. "Y-yes. It will."
I stood by the entrance to the rooftop and gestured for the Class C delinquents to leave the rooftop first.
Ryuuen wiped off some blood from his face and shakily stood up to leave.
Before he left the roof, I gave him one more piece of advice.
"Don't ever think less of me again."
Ryuuen only offered me a sadistic grin in response.
"And, one more thing," I continued. "I'd reconsider dropping out. You make school life so much more enjoyable."
"Why would I listen to you," Ryuuen replied.
"If you leave without knowing why you lost, you won't grow," Kiyotaka added.
"Huh?"
"Are you really fine not knowing why you lost?"
"Don't try to save me now. Neither of you have anything to gain by keeping me here."
"It'll work to Class D's advantage to have you crush the other classes. Besides, the contract you have in place with Katsuragi will remain, and Class A will continue to hemorrhage points, even if you just lost a significant amount of them. If you suddenly drop out, other classes will assume 'X' beat you, and that's trouble for me."
Ryuuen didn't reply but turned to face Ibuki instead. "Here's what happened today. I tried to punish the four of you for your failings, but you turned the tables on me and forced me to withdraw."
"Are... are you sure?" Ibuki asked.
"Don't worry," I added. "Like I said before, what happened up here stays up here. Nothing is forcing your withdrawal, Ryuuen. But you should reconsider."
"Don't try to stop me. I don't trust any of you," snapped Ryuuen.
With those final words, he opened the door and vanished from our sight.
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AN's:
hello! sorry its been so long since the last post i hope this makes up for the wait.
merry late christmas to you all! I hope it was special for everyone!
sorry the break was so long, preparation for uni finals is no joke, but it paid off since i did pretty well lol
i missed updating this story for you all and ill do my best to keep the content rolling
you're all the best!
APPLE FACT:
did you know apples will ripen 6-10 times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated?
until next time, apple gang