Macarons?

"Harder!"

"Faster!"

"Put your back into it!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Stop panting like a dog!"

"Move your body!"

"Haha, I didn't even feel that!"

Reiji gasped for breath as he ducked under a lightning-fast kick, his hair ruffling with the wind caused by the rapid movement. He leaned back to avoid the follow-up kick and took a quick leap forward to respond with his own combination.

Nishimura Sensei pivoted away from the series of hooks and jabs, and then groaned lightly as an unexpected low sweep made him stumble for a split second.

Reiji saw his chance and lunged with even greater speed, a powerful punch aimed at the disoriented old man who was still trying to regain his footing.

'Got him!'

But then, the coach's eyes flashed with a glint.

'....Shit.'

The punch was cleanly avoided as Sensei buckled his knees slightly to give his upper body more flexibility.

However, Reiji's momentum continued to propel him forward, his extended arm already past Sensei's head, who reacted instantly, grabbing hold of the arm and adjusting his body's angle slightly to meet the incoming Reiji.

While still clutching his arm tightly, the coach squatted down slightly and used Reiji's momentum to execute a perfect shoulder throw.

The young man's body curved helplessly, yet beautifully, through the air, landing with a painful thud on the ring's floor.

*WHAM*

"UGHHH!"

Reiji hissed as he clutched his shoulder, wincing at the sharp pain coursing through it.

He looked up at the grinning old man with a mournful glare, rolling over into a more comfortable position as he grumbled internally.

"You're too impatient, an obvious trick like that, and you fell for it like a rat loves cheese," the coach laughed while stretching his arms.

"....That's a stupid analogy."

"Not as stupid as someone who fell for that, hehe."

Reiji rolled his eyes, standing up slowly to nurse his shoulder more carefully.

"In all seriousness, your inexperience in dealing with kicks and grappling techniques has become more obvious. You've improved against the former, but the awkwardness hasn't changed much, so the best way is to keep practicing in these areas so that your versatility increases."

He listened attentively to those words, nodding along as he too felt those shortcomings in the past few spars.

Diverting attention towards grappling wouldn't be very efficient at this point in time, so Reiji decided to prioritize learning how to counter kicks while improving his repertoire before moving on.

The two of them climbed out of the ring, still discussing the next steps he should take.

The others hadn't been watching the spar in order to focus on their own training, so there wasn't as much of a crowd as before.

"Ok, we'll stop here today. Don't forget to keep exercising over the weekend, you know I'll find out if you do!"

"Don't worry, I'm consistent with my routine," Reiji remarked.

He bowed slightly and walked off towards the changing room, wiping his sweaty face with his towel. The intensity had been increasing ever so slightly, so there was no time for him to get used to this level of fatigue.

He took a very quick shower and changed his clothes, walking out to see Yui waiting for him near the entrance while looking down at her phone.

Her back was turned to him, which made Reiji grin as he tiptoed quietly towards her.

'Time for some payback!'

He recalled the way she had snuck up on him and covered his eyes on the first day of MMA club, so this was an opportunity he was not going to miss out on.

As he crept closer to her, he extended his arm slowly to tap her on the shoulder.

But maybe she sensed something, or maybe he wasn't as quiet as he thought he was, but Yui reacted in an instant.

Her right leg shot backwards, the movement appearing as a blur due to the sheer speed aimed right at his groin.

Reiji's eyes widened at the sudden counterattack, sliding his hand sideways to just barely deflect the kick away from his body.

He took a few steps back to create some distance and massaged his throbbing fingers in shock.

Yui's narrowed glare softened immediately when she saw who it was, quickly blocking her mouth in surprise.

"Oh my god, Reiji!!?? I'm so sorry!"

She jogged up and lifted his hand, rubbing it gently with worry laced on her beautiful face.

Reiji blanked out for a brief second, admiring her long and red eyelashes as they blinked with concentration.

He quickly regained his composure and coughed lightly, turning away to avoid looking at her when she was so close to him.

"I-I'm ok, don't worry," he said reassuringly.

Yui looked up with a sorrowful expression, her slightly watery eyes making him stand on edge.

"I'm really sorry.... I didn't know it was you," she whispered.

"Pfft, you're making it seem like you stabbed me with a knife. I'm fine, don't worry too much."

He playfully ruffled her hair, trying to distract her from the unnecessary guilt.

"Besides, I was the one who snuck up on you," he continued a little sheepishly.

"But...."

"That aside, that kick was hella strong! What the hell did you do to gain that much power??"

Yui perked up at the genuine praise, her eyes crescenting when she smiled brightly.

"Hehe, I'm not a red belt for nothing. In fact, I'll be testing for a black belt soon!" she giggled.

"That's insane!"

"Mhm! My sensei said that I can pass easily, so I'll get my belt before the City Tournament!"

"....I think I should start praying for your opponents," Reiji smiled, walking out of the building with Yui.

She bit her lips in joy at those words, holding back another laugh, quickly changing the subject as if she was probably embarrassed at the unfiltered flattery.

"How's your training going?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. My whole body is aching like crazy; that coach isn't human," he groaned.

"Want me to massage you?" she glanced at him slyly, wiggling her fingers in a creepy manner.

"No thanks, I feel like you'll completely lose control."

"That's the point!"

Yui leaned forward and reached out to him, but he sidestepped immediately, and her hands clutched at thin air.

"Tch, you can't run forever!"

Reiji shook his head wryly at her apparent enthusiasm, a helpless sigh escaping his mouth. Seeing that teasing smile that always seemed to target his soft spot was like a breath of fresh air.

'I don't think I even want to run forever...'

Yui was way more endearing than he had ever expected, which wasn't surprising because he had only seen the wrathful and isolated side of her in the game.

Seeing her this cheerful and bubbly made him question a lot of things, but he locked all those questions away firmly.

'Only until I get to the finish line.'

There were things he needed to do.

Obstacles to remove.

And paths to correct.

"Hey, what are you making such a serious face for? Did I go too far?" Yui asked hesitantly.

Reiji snapped out of his thoughts and rolled his eyes at her sarcastically.

"When have you not gone too far?"

"True, so you just have to deal with it!"

Yui stuck her tongue out in a tease as she poked his shoulder repeatedly.

Just then, her phone started ringing in her pocket.

Her face hardened as she pulled it out reluctantly, picking it up after a few seconds of simply staring at the screen.

"Hello?....Ok."

She ended the call and put her phone away, looking back at him with a smile that was so obviously forced that Reiji couldn't help but clench his fist.

'Obstacle #1...'

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just gotta get home soon, but I really don't want to...." she pouted adorably, kicking a tiny pebble out of her way.

Reiji tilted his head and rubbed his chin in mock seriousness.

"Oh, by the way, you want some macarons?" he asked.

"Huh? Where? GIMMEE!!"

Her mood shifted instantly once again, returning to the gleeful excitement she'd expressed before the phone call.

"Oi, calm down, I haven't even made them yet. I promised to bake some for you, remember? So I'll be making some on Saturday, and wanted to see if you'd come over? We can eat some sweets and hang out for a bit."

Yui stopped dead in her tracks, her red eyes locking onto his with a terrifying stillness.

"...Are you proposing to me? I accept!" she squealed, bouncing in place with anticipation.

"LIKE HELL I AM!"

He snorted and started to walk away, forcing the daydreaming girl to run after him.

"Our second date, I can't wait!"

"We haven't even had a first date yet," Reiji chuckled.

"Ah! you said 'yet'! That means it will happen!" Yui pointed out.

'Ah shit, why is she so sharp with things like this?'

"Slip of the tongue, that's all..."

"Our wedding will be in December, under the snowfall and in front of a frozen lake! The honeymoon in Hawaii, a perfect contrast to the cold wedding day!"

Reiji felt a headache coming, watching her in disbelief as she started planning out the future in a completely ridiculous fashion.

'What is even happening right now...'