"Then, be careful!"
Three and a half meters—exactly two steps away. Nagami opened with his classic low double-leg takedown. Ayanokoji reacted by lowering his center of gravity and pulling his legs back. Nagami charged in, but had to settle for wrapping his arms around Ayanokoji's waist and wrestling for control.
After testing each other, Nagami backed away to break the stalemate. It was easy to get caught in a guillotine choke around the waist, since your hands were closest to the other person's neck. He couldn't afford to get tied up.
"I'm impressed. Given our difference in weight, you're at a big disadvantage, but you're surprisingly strong."
But how will you deal with the difference in our reach?
Nagami threw a few probing jabs, all of which were blocked. He adjusted his footwork and dodged Ayanokoji's counterattack.
After a few exchanges, Nagami began to get used to the distance and started pressing forward.
A right straight, then a left hook. Ayanokoji returned the same punches, but Nagami leaned his head back slightly and dodged them.
Ayanokoji had to use his whole upper body to dodge, while Nagami only had to move his neck. That tiny difference in stamina gradually began to add up.
Before long, Ayanokoji chose to force his way in close. Nagami seized the opening and landed a heavy punch to his ribs, making him retreat slightly.
"To be honest, where did you learn to fight? You're pretty good."
"The White Room. I grew up there."
Ayanokoji closed the distance in an instant, and the fight turned into an intense close-quarters brawl. Sweat slid down their cheeks and soaked their collars, but their movements only grew faster, like two whirlwinds tangled together in an evenly matched struggle.
So he's choosing to rely on technique!
Ayanokoji moved in with a feint. Nagami quickly threw a straight punch at his chest, but Ayanokoji sharply blocked it with his forearm.
In the next instant, Ayanokoji spun and swung an elbow at Nagami's face. The air seemed to whistle. Nagami quickly tilted his head to dodge, then followed up by ramming his shoulder into Ayanokoji's chest and abdomen, trying to throw off his rhythm.
At close range, they fought for the initiative, fists and elbows crossing as their footwork forced them closer until their bodies nearly touched.
Ayanokoji tried to control Nagami's arm, but Nagami hooked it inward and used the leverage to close in, driving a short, powerful knee into Ayanokoji's abdomen.
The blow landed with a heavy impact, but Ayanokoji had anticipated it and met Nagami's knee with his own. They grunted as their kneecaps collided.
Neither of them gave an inch. Ayanokoji drove his shoulder into Nagami's center of gravity and seized the chance to trap his right arm, limiting his ability to punch.
But Nagami decisively twisted his waist and ducked low, quickly stepping behind his opponent with his left foot. He followed through with a sweeping kick at Ayanokoji's calf, forcing him to let go and step back.
The two separated again. The fight briefly settled, though their breathing remained ragged. Neither said a word.
The pace was too fast for them to even trade taunts. The fighting spirit in their eyes burned ever brighter.
Every second of the close-quarters battle was a contest of strategy. The sound of fists and bodies colliding echoed across the rooftop, the pace making everyone's heart race. The rush of punches, footwork, sweat, and breath intertwined in a scene that was both brutal and strangely beautiful.
Ayanokoji was the first to run out of stamina. His movements slowed, and he couldn't defend himself in time in several places. Nagami feinted a punch to his stomach, leaving his face wide open. He struck Ayanokoji's chin, stunning him, then spun into a sweeping kick. Ayanokoji lost his balance.
While Ayanokoji was down and adjusting his posture, Nagami seized the opportunity, closed in on his arm, and immediately applied a ground technique: the armbar.
The lock was in place. There was no escaping it.
The match was decided!
"That was impressive. I give up."
"You weren't bad yourself, even if you were my opponent."
Nagami released the armbar, stood up, and offered Ayanokoji a hand.
Compared to the cannon fodder from Class C, whose hair hadn't even been mussed in battle, the two of them were covered in grime and looked rather worse for wear.
"I bet people will laugh at your hair if they see you on the way back."
"Likewise."
"That was a really satisfying match."
Nagami said.
"I'm not looking forward to a rematch."
Ayanokoji replied.
"It's getting late. You still have a mess to clean up. See you."
"See you."
Ayanokoji nodded.
"Next time we meet, I hope you'll be even stronger."
Nagami turned toward the rooftop exit, delivering a villainous parting line.
"I'm not particularly interested in sparring."
Ayanokoji remained expressionless.
Nagami's lips curled slightly upward, and then he disappeared down the stairs.
Ayanokoji stood still, feeling as though he had forgotten something.
"Little Kikyo, I got myself all dirty just for you. You'd better be properly grateful to me in your heart."
Ignoring Chabashira's puzzled gaze, he quietly walked out of the building. He'd reward himself by doing one extra ten-pull tonight.
Nagami decided to use a gacha pull to calm his excitement.
The second Unlimited Fighting Tournament at Advanced Nurturing High School came to a close.
Champion: Nagami. Runner-up: Ayanokoji.
"Kiyotaka, what happened to your face?"
Sakura looked at the dark spots on Ayanokoji's cheek, which made it look as though he'd been beaten up, and casually asked him about it.
"I accidentally fell while playing basketball and hit my face."
"I see. Be more careful next time. Is your athletic ability really that bad, Kiyotaka?"
Hasebe looked at Ayanokoji with a puzzled expression.
"I'm hopeless at ball games, so I thought I'd go practice. I didn't expect to get hurt."
"I see. That was brave of you, but don't practice anymore, Kiyotaka. If you mess up your face, no girls will like you."
"Mm."
Ayanokoji answered listlessly.
"Kagami, what happened to your face?"
Early in the morning, Ichinose, who often took the same route, asked him.
"Honami, someone accidentally stepped on my face with their soccer cleat while we were playing."
"The players at this school don't seem to play very cleanly."
"As you can see, it hurt for quite a while."
Nagami rubbed the injured area.
"That's awful. Don't take part in such dangerous sports next time, Kagami. Take care of yourself."
"I'll be careful. After all, a handsome guy's face is everyone's shared property."
"Wow! Kagami always finds such unexpected ways to answer questions."
Ichinose was once again amazed by Nagami's outrageous way with words.
"Although you look like someone beat you up, it's hard to imagine anyone at school doing this to you."
"Could there be a genius boxer hiding somewhere at school?"
Ichinose closed her eyes and thought about the possible suspects.
"As you can see, that's impossible. I'm the strongest, after all!"
Nagami clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
From that day on, a rumor spread around school: a mysterious person known as "X" couldn't stand the Bloodthirsty Tiger of Class D's arrogant behavior, so they secretly decided to teach him a lesson. They'd challenged him to a one-on-one fight on the rooftop and beaten him head-on. X had declared that if Nagami used violence again, they'd show up once more and beat him into a pulp.
And so, the world gained another kind and gentle good person.
Before you continue