I’m Not Gay!

As Reiji and Yui walked up to the middle where a group of men and women holding clipboards were standing, the same senior from the MMA Club that had protected him from the sharks trying to poach him after his spar with Nakamura Senpai ran up to them.

"Hey, Junior! I'm so happy to see you, I've been dreaming of this day ever since I saw that spar! Whenever I'm in bed, I think of those moves for inspiration!"

His eyes were shining as he held Reiji tightly by the shoulders, moving him around with glee.

"...Senior, I like women."

"Ah? Good for you?" he replied with a confused look.

"Who are those people?" Reiji asked with a sigh, gesturing towards the people with the clipboards.

"Oh, those are the coaches for each club. For our MMA Club, we'll be taught by Nishimura Sensei over there," the senior said, pointing to a thin-looking man with gray hair slicked back, wearing a tracksuit.

But Reiji wasn't fooled by his seemingly frail appearance and old age. From the veins popping on his neck and the sharp gaze, he exuded an aura that made people subconsciously nervous around him.

'He's definitely hiding a well-trained body under those loose clothes.'

Once everyone had gathered around, the group of coaches clapped loudly to quiet down the last remnants of conversations.

"We have a total of 84 new members across all of the martial arts clubs, and we collectively welcome you to the place that will change your lives. Whether you are part of the Judo club or the Karate club, the specific area doesn't matter. Our top-class coaches have designed strict regimens for each one of you, to bring out every last drop of potential hiding in your bodies," a female coach wearing a taekwondo dobok announced loudly.

Another coach, wearing a karate gi continued.

"Some of you may have joined simply as a way to work out, others seek a form of self defense. Regardless of your intentions, we will make all of you capable fighters that are disciplined and honorable," she said with determination.

Then the MMA club's coach, who the senior had pointed out, took the baton.

"The first tournament will take place next month, with only schools in this city taking part. We don't expect any of the new members to be capable of participating in such a short time, but that doesn't mean it is impossible. We prioritize skill and ability over everything else, let alone something as ridiculous as seniority. If you earn it, you will fight. You will fight for glory, purpose, and most importantly, for growth."

All of the students in the hall, from freshmen to seniors, listened closely with bright and excited eyes. The blood-boiling introduction had them all worked up, with some even bouncing up and down in place, eager to get started.

The coaches then each split up and went to their respective training areas, each one large enough to accommodate over 50 people without being uncomfortable.

"Now, join the area of your club and your coach will debrief you on the specific training you will each follow!"

The students started dispersing, and Yui tugged at his sleeve sadly.

"Hey, can't you join the Taekwondo Club? If I had a choice I'd switch to MMA, but it's too late for me now..." she pouted.

Reiji laughed softly and patted her head.

He couldn't help it, it was just so fluffy!

"MMA is a better fit for me. We're still in the same hall, so it's not gonna be that bad. Come over whenever they give you breaks and we can still hang out," he whispered.

Yui looked a little disappointed but brightened up again when she heard the last part. After a quick goodbye, she scampered off to her club's training section which wasn't far at all.

'I can't believe this adorable little thing is a fucking monster in the ring.....'

Memories of the game reminded him just how ferocious she was. He shook his head and followed the senior, who was waiting for him at the side.

He led Reiji to the changing room first and handed him a black tracksuit with his name and the school's name on the back in gold letters. The front said 'MMA Club' on his chest, also in gold.

It was extremely comfortable, and he liked the color scheme. After changing, they both walked towards their training area.

"By the way Senpai, I still haven't gotten your name."

"Huh, did I not tell you?"

"You were too preoccupied with trying to keep me in the MMA Club last week," Reiji chuckled.

The senior scratched his chin in slight embarrassment.

"You can't blame me! Nishimura Sensei would've skinned me alive if he found out I let you slip through.... Anyway, my name is Fujita Naoki but you can address me with whatever feels comfortable."

"Okay, I'll call you Fujita Senpai."

They came to the MMA Club's area and saw that there were only 15 people there, and he was the only freshman. Considering that across all of the martial arts clubs there were 300 students, the MMA club was extremely small.

The coach was hunched over his clipboard checking something, so Reiji took the opportunity to ask.

"Why is our club much smaller than the others?"

Fujita Senpai rubbed his chin, taking his time to think before answering.

"Well.... MMA itself is a very strange practice. Some say it technically isn't a separate martial art and is simply a combination of different disciplines, which is true. Although MMA gives you a lot of flexibility and a well-rounded skillset, it has a much higher learning curve and isn't specialized in one area. Essentially, it takes a lot of time and effort to be as effective as someone who specializes in one martial art, which is why people tend to stay away from it. It's also a sport that focuses on winning and losing, rather than teaching you about discipline or culture. So it's rarer for people to practice it in the East where the other disciplines have a richer history and culture behind it."

Reiji nodded, understanding that point of view. He knew the part about it being an amalgamation of different disciplines, but the cultural aspect was something he hadn't considered.

He had done his research on how difficult and niche it was, but he still went with it because he felt that his body was capable of making the most out of the variety and flexibility it offers.

Others simply couldn't say the same.

"Fujita what are you yapping about back there?"

Nishimura Sensei had straightened up and was glaring in their direction. Then his gaze shifted to Reiji, his cold green eyes studying him up and down, as if he was analyzing everything about him.

"U-Um, Sensei this is Yagami Reiji. The student that I had told you about," Fujita Senpai stammered.

"Hmmm, so you're the kid that beat that Nakamura, huh? Interesting."

Sensei walked up to them and then he started circling Reiji while tapping his clipboard against his palm, occasionally reaching out to touch his arms or back.

"Good height, probably still growing though. Muscles are nice, definitely been working out consistently. But doesn't seem like he's had prior professional training though..."

The coach kept muttering these random sentences to himself, either ignoring or completely unaware of Reiji's obvious discomfort.

"Ok, I like your body, brat! You made the right choice coming to our club, I'll make sure to squeeze every last drop out of you!" he grinned, and Reiji noticed three missing teeth in his mouth.

'....Is everyone secretly gay in this club? Nothing wrong with that, but I feel like there should be a heads-up.'

"Thank...You?" Reiji replied weakly.

Nishimura Sensei nodded and turned to everyone else.

"All of you, you know the drill! Three rounds around the hall and stretch! GET GOING!" he yelled, smacking his clipboard to make a loud sound.

Reiji joined them, realizing that all of the clubs had also started with a jog. A certain man caught his eye in front of him, seeing Nakamura Senpai also running amongst the others.

Sensing someone staring at him, he turned to see Reiji almost next to him. He snapped his head back and reduced his speed on purpose, letting Reiji pass by so that he wouldn't have to be near that monster.

'Damn, did I fuck up his confidence?' Reiji thought wryly.

He saw Yui running up ahead, so he sped up a little to run alongside her.

"How many rounds are you guys running?" he asked as he slowed down.

Yui flinched hard at the sudden conversation, but perked up when she saw who was brave enough to talk to her.

"Four rounds for us. I think the MMA does three because they lift more weights later on," she replied.

The people from the Taekwondo club around her widened their eyes when they saw her smiling.

"Hey, look! Is she smiling?"

"No way! What happened to her permanent frown??"

"Is she going to mess with that poor handsome guy?"

Similar conversations were being whispered around them. Yui's eyes narrowed with rage, her fists clenching tightly as she tried to hold back from pouncing on them.

But her gaze flickered to Reiji, observing his reaction to their gossip. She blinked in puzzlement when she saw the amused grin on his face, looking at her teasingly.

"Don't tell me you're some sort of dictator in your classes," he snickered.

Internally she breathed a sigh of relief, but externally she punched his arm lightly with a pout.

"Don't call your girlfriend a dictator!

It was Reiji's turn to flinch, his exasperation clear.

"Are you seriously still on that??"

"Hehe, what're you going to do about it?" she chuckled with a dangerous glint.

"....I'm gonna run."

Reiji took off, racing past the people jogging in front of him as Yui watched in bewilderment. Then she smiled and chased after him, playing a mini-game of cat and mouse.

"You can't get away from me!"