A Misunderstanding

His arms were still raised in an X-shaped guard.

After being hit twice in such a short time, large red marks had already appeared on his forearms.

"Your reactions are quick." Tanaka Yukishin drew back his right leg after the kick, the folds of his track pants falling loose as his muscles relaxed. "But your intention to rush in is too obvious."

Koenji shook out his numb arm and pulled off the sports headband soaked with sweat.

Golden locks fell over his forehead, and his entire presence changed abruptly.

His broad, forceful stance shifted into a soft cat stance, his palms slowly circling before his chest as if pushing a millstone.

This time, he rushed in without warning.

His feet touched the ground three times, his body changing direction three times in a single second.

While the spectators' retinas still held the afterimages, Koenji had already closed in on his opponent.

His left hand formed a tiger claw aimed at the throat, while his right elbow, packed with force, targeted the ribs.

Tanaka Yukishin sucked in his breath and tightened his abdomen, his shoulders twitching as his elbow swept through like a scimitar.

The wisdom of combat lay in playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses.

So what if you could change direction and accelerate? I'm bulkier than you. You can't take me head-on.

The head-on counter caused Koenji Rokusuke's attack to falter for an instant.

He pushed off with his legs and shifted sideways, abandoning the tiger claw as he accelerated his right elbow.

Tanaka Yukishin raised his left knee at an angle and thrust it out, deflecting the elbow strike as his left fist slipped through the layers of defense and struck his opponent in the face.

"Smack!"

The moment his fist met Koenji's cheekbone, Koenji flew backward like a kite with its string cut, but just before he could fall off the ring, he caught the edge rope with one hand.

Using the rebound from the ropes, he flipped through the air. He landed in a bow stance, absorbing the force, and two blackened streaks scraped across the floor.

A bright red drop of blood fell from his nose onto the white ropes, yet Koenji's grin only grew wider.

He wiped his face, leaving several thin streaks of blood across his cheek.

"Just as I expected. I can't break through your defense at all."

Tanaka Yukishin shook out his wrist, his gaze turning slightly more serious.

"Your hybrid martial arts style... did you create it yourself?"

He wasn't particularly interested in martial arts; firearms were simply too powerful.

If he had spare time to train, he'd be better off cultivating his mental strength.

Still, Koenji Rokusuke's tricks were certainly interesting.

"I picked up a little from more than a dozen different styles."

Koenji resumed his starting stance, this time combining a standard boxing stance with Jeet Kune Do's guard.

"But it looks like none of it works on Tanaka-kun."

"This has been fun already." For the first time, Tanaka Yukishin lowered his center of gravity of his own accord. "As a bit of entertainment, anyway."

Before the words had even left his mouth, the ring erupted with a thunderous crash.

Before anyone could react, the two figures had already collided, leaving only afterimages.

Koenji unleashed a storm of jabs, each one aimed precisely at vital points like the liver and temples. His unpredictable kicks added another dimension to his assault.

Tanaka Yukishin was like a reef amid a storm, always managing to block with precision half a second before the punches and kicks could reach him.

The instant his thirty-seventh attack was slapped aside, Koenji suddenly changed his fist into an open hand, his fingers hooking toward his opponent's elbow joint.

The feint finally made Tanaka Yukishin retreat half a step, but that was all. His trapped arm suddenly twisted like a snake shedding its skin, and he grabbed Koenji's wrist, flipping him over his shoulder.

"Boom!"

The ring shook with a thunderous crash as Koenji's back slammed into the floor.

But he immediately curled up and rolled away, creating distance before his opponent could follow up.

The Boxing Club President even whistled at how perfectly he executed the breakfall.

"Do you want to keep going?" Tanaka Yukishin asked, watching his opponent struggle to his feet. "You can't raise your left hand anymore, can you?"

Koenji's dangling left arm was trembling unnaturally.

"I really can't beat him."

Chapter 24: 24. A Misunderstanding

After the Boxing Club's event ended, Tanaka Yukishin received the corresponding points.

Looking at the balance, which had already exceeded ten million, he grinned as he did the math.

After he finished earning points from the remaining twenty-odd clubs, his final total should be around fifty million.

After all, not every club had such a generous budget.

On top of that, he'd start receiving friendship fees next month.

He estimated he'd get three to six million a month.

Twelve months a year.

He had so many points, he could never spend them all. Never.

Just then, a new point payment notification popped up.

Tanaka Yukishin opened it and saw that the payer was Kiryuin Fuuka.

"Senpai, I didn't defeat those three. I don't deserve this three hundred thousand."

Even as he said that,

there was absolutely no trace of embarrassment on Tanaka Yukishin's smiling face.

"It's an admission fee."

An admission fee?

Tanaka Yukishin had thought she was paying him to avoid trouble.

When his verbal attacks had failed to work again,

Tanaka Yukishin had already decided what to do next.

There were still plenty of clubs that had changed their minds because Kiryuin Fuuka had egged them on.

He could go a little harder during the lessons, then pin the blame on her in front of everyone.

Kiryuin Fuuka would inevitably take the fall.

If they couldn't beat Tanaka Yukishin, surely they could beat you, Kiryuin Fuuka?

Even if you could handle one club, what about multiple clubs?

As things stood, there was no need to do that.

She was still just a kid.

Though from a girl's perspective, she was a bit too lively.

But since she seemed sensible enough,

he could give her a chance and let her mend her ways.

The great hero Guo Jing had once said, "To realize one's mistakes and reform is the greatest virtue."

So he wouldn't beat her down with a single blow.

Tanaka Yukishin would never admit it was because she was pretty and had long, snow-white hair that was especially appealing to people from China.

The main thing was that she knew how to behave.

Besides, compared to her, Kudo, that burly guy from the MMA Club, was obviously nowhere near as pleasant to look at as a beautiful tour guide.

"Got it. See you at the restaurant later."

Once everything was over, there was still plenty of time.

He made plans to meet the senpai at the restaurant around dinner time.

The D Class students found a private room in the shopping district and sang karaoke.

Generally speaking, when men and women in Japan went out together, as long as they didn't run into a scumbag or a gold digger,

they split the costs, each paying their own share.

Even if there were playboys or scheming women around, they wouldn't be so shortsighted as to stoop to taking advantage over such a small amount.

But Tanaka Yukishin now had a fortune in points, and his girlfriend, Karuizawa Kei, was the group leader.

Wanting to help his girlfriend show off a little, he covered all the expenses himself.

Tanaka Yukishin went to the front desk.

As it happened, Class 1-B was having a group outing.

Class 1-B's leader, Ichinose Honami, had control of the class's finances.

Expenses for a group outing like this naturally came from the class fund.

The two showed their student card terminals at the front desk and scanned the payment machine in the clerk's hand.

Ichinose Honami was observant. Even in a karaoke venue filled with swaying colored lights,

she clearly saw the balance in Tanaka Yukishin's account.

She counted silently.

One, two, three, four... five... six, seven, eight!?

Eight digits. Tens of millions.

So he was a senpai.

After all, the four first-year classes had a total of 160 students.

Even if each person had 100,000 points, that only added up to 16 million.

The four classes were competitors.

There was no way the other three classes had pooled their points and handed 10 million to one person.

But remembering how the senpai had ignored and brushed her off when she'd tried to gather information earlier,

she hesitated over whether she should ask Tanaka Yukishin.

Watching him turn around, she finally made up her mind.

If she asked, she might not get an answer, but if she didn't ask, she definitely wouldn't.

"Senpai, I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B."

"May I ask you a question?"

Ichinose Honami?

Oh, Fat Honami.

Hearing a cute girl's voice calling after him,

Tanaka Yukishin turned around and studied the girl before him.

Her pink hair flowed down like a drifting cloud, changing into all sorts of colors beneath the swirling lights of the karaoke venue.

Her blue eyes seemed as all-embracing as the sea.

Beneath her cute face, the most praiseworthy feature was her well-developed figure.

Her curvaceous body was wrapped in her school uniform.

Tanaka Yukishin's appetite stirred at the sight.

Fat Honami. The name suited her.

But she thought I was a senpai?