175. The Black Belt Genius (1)

"Dude... What did you do?" Tooro asked, leaping out of his seat as soon as the bell rang to signal the first break.

For three continuous periods, it looked like he was sitting on a pile of sharp needles, acting completely restless as if he was holding something back.

It was obviously his curiosity and glee, both of which had filled up inside of him to the brim.

"....I lost a bet, and I fulfilled my end of the deal. I'm a man of my word," Riku replied softly, but the entire class heard it because everyone had zipped their lips just to hear his response.

"Yeah, right! You never go through with your bets, so what changed this time??"

"No reason, just felt like it."

Seeing him put on a straight face and brushing it off as if it was no big deal, despite the clear trembling in his legs, Tooro's smile grew so wide that a certain smiling villain would ask for tips.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe."

".....I will slap you into another dimension," Riku warned with a low growl.

"As long as the other dimension still has you with this haircut, I'll gladly accept it any day of the week."

"Please tell me this won't be a running thing..."

Tooro threw his arm over his shoulder and leaned down with a grin.

"Riku, my bestest friend in this bright, amazing world, you should know better than that."

"Ugh....."

Reiji 'eavesdropped' on them with a very interested expression.

Unintentionally, of course.

The class was so quiet aside from their conversation that you could literally hear a pin drop.

'Did he really lose a bet?'

No other explanation would fit the bill, aside from the small possibility that some thugs held him down and forced the haircut onto him.

But Riku had also been acting strange as of late, and something told him that there was more to this.

Unlike last time, when Riku had accidentally fallen into mud and earned the almost universal teasing from everyone around him, there weren't many people poking fun at him this time.

Maybe it was because everyone could see that he hadn't seemed to have gotten the haircut willingly, there was more pity than any other emotion once the initial shock had faded away.

Aside from Tooro and a couple of other students who were somewhat close to him, nobody approached Riku to get in a few jabs.

"Hey, do you want me to lend you some hair gel? We can spruce up the style of this lone tuft of hair, and I promise you'll look like an idol once I'm done!" Tooro giggled.

".....Keep talking, and I'll sneak into your house at night and give you the same haircut. I still have the spare key, remember?" Riku threatened with a glare.

".....I apologize."

***

"Guys, what the hell was up with Kazama's hair?" Airi asked as she laid down the blanket on the rooftop with a gossipy glint in her eyes.

Haruna frowned slightly and shook her head.

".....I have no idea, nor do I really want to know."

"Huh? What happened?"

Ren looked lost since the poor dude was in a whole different classroom, so he had no idea what they were talking about.

"K-Kazama-san got the R9 haircut. I think someone posted a picture online, i-if you want to check."

The burly boy took out his phone and checked the forum as fast as he could, his eyes widening with a dumbfounded expression.

"What the hell? Why would he do something like this?"

"He probably lost a bet or something," Haruna sighed, unpacking the food everyone had brought.

"Hmph. He doesn't fulfill our bet, but then goes out and upholds some other one? How is that fair??" Airi grumbled.

Once the food was distributed, they all started to dig in with relish, momentarily distracted by the great variety that everyone had pitched in today.

But the topic wasn't so easy to move on from.

"My guess is that he offended someone he shouldn't have, and then paid the consequences."

"I-I feel kinda bad for him...." Greeny mumbled softly.

"...I don't particularly care, but can we not talk about him?"

Everyone turned to Hina, who had spoken up for the first time.

She shrank away a little at the sudden attention, but then they all nodded.

"You're right," Haruna said. "Let's just talk about something else."

"Yep. I heard the martial arts tournament is next week. Reiji-san, are you still gonna participate with that wound?" Ren inquired.

"Umm...I'm not sure yet. I'll have to check with my coach at clubs today," Reiji replied.

"You better not fight!" Haruna huffed, putting down the food in her hands. "You still haven't healed properly."

"I know, you don't have to worry about me aggravating the injury."

He didn't have concrete plans yet, but he had a suggestion he wanted to run by Nishimura Sensei later today.

It was highly unlikely that he'd agree, but he still had to take the chance.

That's why Reiji didn't care so much about whatever Riku's issue was; he had more pressing thoughts at hand.

Plus, he had something far more interesting to look forward to after school today.

It was finally time for Yui's black belt graduation test.

***

Reiji sprinted through the hallway, navigating past the crowd of people that had already built up as fast as he could after the final bell rang.

He'd promised to meet Yui outside the training hall before clubs started.

Her graduation exam would start right after today's session ended, and he intended to stay with her for support, but she still requested to meet earlier.

The exam was going to be extremely difficult, so even though she was confident in her skills, it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

With the whole belt system in various martial arts being more comprehensive in this world due to the comparatively greater focus on physical abilities, both the prestige and difficulty of the process were nothing to laugh at.

Especially when you factor in her age.

Reiji wiped a small bead of sweat that had built up from the running and waited outside the hall, wondering if she would be successful.

In the game, Yui did eventually show off her black belt in some events where she got into a physical fight, but that was shown much later in the plot.

He had no idea when she had earned it in the first place.

"Reijiiiii!"

A lively redhead came bounding towards him in a rush, her backpack swinging in the air as she carried a singular strap in her hand.

Yui stopped just short of leaping into his arms, screeching to a half-hearted halt at the last second.

But her awkward expression was replaced with a bright grin as she looked up at Reiji.

"I'm so excited that I can't stop jumping around!" she laughed.

".....I thought you'd be nervous," Reiji replied wryly.

"Nervous? Me? Why would I be? I'm about to get my black belt!"

Yui's confused face was nowhere near a facade, staring at him like she was asking, 'what the hell would I be nervous about?'

"You do know you have to pass a test, right?"

"Yeah, but it'll be super easy!"

Her eyes were filled with unshakeable confidence, and Reiji's own anxiousness about her results subsided almost instantly.

'.....Who am I kidding? How could she fail something like this?'

"Oi! Yagami! Stop flirting and get inside!" a loud voice echoes through, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He glanced at Nishimura Sensei standing inside the gym with his arms crossed and sighed.

"Let's go. We'll talk again before your exam."

"Okay....."

They separated to head towards their respective changing rooms, and Reiji put on his black tracksuit quickly.

His wound had been healing well lately, and there was barely any pain unless he poked at the cut, which gave him some reassurance.

He could also move it normally without wincing.

After stepping out, he jogged towards the MMA Club's gathering and joined the small group of people that had already arrived and were listening to Nishimura Sensei's 'briefing' about the tournament next week.

"We've lost the championship to those brats from Oshima High for three straight years, and if that happens again this time, I'll beat your asses with a stick until it turns purple, is that clear?" he roared.

"Yes, Sir!" everyone responded.

"....You all sound like a bunch of sissies. Why is everyone so quiet? Do you all seriously want that spanking?? I asked you if that was CLEAR!?"

"YES, SIR!"

"Good! Now ten laps, get to it. Yagami, come talk to me for a second."

As the other members started their jogs, Reiji walked over to Sensei, who was reading a piece of paper.

"....Three fucking years. For three years, we've lost to Oshima High. Do you know how embarrassing that is?" he spat, his wrinkles deepening with the angry grimace.

"Um, isn't Oshima High a sports-focused school? Wouldn't the fighters with the best potential enroll there automatically?" Reiji asked.

Oshima High School was a somewhat major side-story in the game.

If the player chose any sports-based club, regardless of what it was, there would be tasks, events, and goals geared towards their rivals at that school, which is why Reiji was well aware of its existence.

Well, aside from the fact that his stepbrother attended the school as well.

"So?" Nishimura Sensei asked with a deadpan look. "Souhei High has me, the best coach in the country! Why should we lose to that pig-headed old man at Oshima?"

'...Aha, so it's a rivalry issue on this side as well.'

"I see," Reiji replied, though his lips were curled with amusement.

"How's your injury?"

"It's better, but not fully healed."

"Tch....Then we'll lose this year as well, huh? That bastard is going to think I'm backing out, especially after I bragged to him not too long ago."

"Actually.....I had a suggestion I wanted to make," Reiji spoke, overcoming his hesitation.

Nishimura Sensei raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue.

"What if.....I fight with one hand?"

"....Oh no, did your brain get injured as well?"

***

A/N

Riku's R9 image is now available in the image collection. It's titled IYKYK :)