Clubs: Fighting and Brawling

The club presidents would probably need to sound him out a few times before they could make a decision.

How interesting. I couldn't believe I'd run into something like this.

Kiryuin Fuuka wasn't in a hurry anymore.

They could handle the other business later, but missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of one person taking on every sports club would be something to regret for the rest of her life.

"I understand. I'll take you there. The strongest sports clubs are Swimming, MMA, and Track and Field. There are more than ten other clubs as well. Which one do you want to visit first?"

"Then let's go in the order of MMA, Track and Field, and Swimming."

Tanaka Yukishin wasn't surprised by the white-haired girl's change of heart.

The curiosity and anticipation in her eyes were practically on fire.

He felt like he'd met a lot of strange people today.

There was the Blond Narcissist Koenji Rokusuke, the upside-down-world Karuizawa Kei, the moody and irritable Kamuro Masumi, and now the white-haired, violet-eyed beauty who was enjoying the show.

Was it a coincidence, or was it the result of the Child of Destiny's influence?

As she led the way, Kiryuin Fuuka introduced him to the clubs.

The official process was for club recruitment to begin on the afternoon of the second day of school.

Each club would send representatives to the auditorium, and the new students could choose which one to join based on their interests and needs.

If they didn't want to join an existing club, they could start one themselves.

Because the school was fully self-contained, it had relaxed the restrictions in this regard.

It didn't follow the usual school rules of requiring three people for a hobby group and five for a club.

Just three people could establish a club, and they'd even be given a classroom to use as their clubroom.

The club building was split into two wings. The one they'd entered was solely for club meetings.

Sports clubs, for example, held their activities in the appropriate facilities.

The Track and Field Club met at the track, the Basketball Club on the basketball court, and the Swimming Club at the pool...

The other wing housed academic and miscellaneous clubs, whose clubrooms also served as their activity spaces.

The clubrooms were open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tanaka Yukishin nodded along as he listened, and already had a plan for what to do next.

First, he'd visit the three strongest clubs, challenge them one by one, and beat them.

Then he'd have them act as intermediaries and pass his demands on to the other clubs, so he could fight them all at once.

As payment for acting as intermediaries, he'd charge them one less month of protection money?

Well, he'd ask how much their monthly budget was first. He'd hate to give up too much.

The payment could wait.

On the fifth floor, Kiryuin Fuuka pushed open the door to the MMA Club.

Inside the clubroom, stacks of cardboard boxes nearly swallowed up the low table by the window. The usually tidy wooden floor was now covered in scattered footprints, and half of an unsecured recruitment poster dangled from the air conditioner.

The MMA Club's room was usually lively only during its regular weekly meeting on Wednesdays.

At other times, a few members might occasionally sneak in for a break, while everyone else trained and sparred at the club's activity venue.

Finding someone usually came down to luck. Either you sent ten messages through the student ID terminal and got no reply, or, like now, you showed up in person and walked in.

"The form template's up to version five!" A girl with a high ponytail stretched onto her toes to place a pile of documents atop a precarious stack of papers. The club badge on her chest glinted in the sunlight. "The president says we need to add a psychological test to the membership application, based on last year's dropout rate among new members after six months."

Behind her, a boy pulled a bundle of glow sticks from the bottom of a box. At her words, he nearly knocked over the display of trophies from previous years. "More work again? I joined the MMA Club to learn how to fight, not to be a laborer. I've already burned out for the club three times this week."

The whiteboard against the wall was covered in tightly packed schedule notes, with bright yellow sticky notes labeled "Supplies Checklist" and "Contingency Plan."

The person in front of the computer suddenly turned around. Charts flashed across his blue-light glasses. "Another 160 new students are coming in, half boys and half girls. Based on previous years' conversion rates, we need to prepare at least twenty welcome gifts."

The sound of the door opening made all three turn to look.

"Oh, Fuuka. We don't have time to hang out today. Maybe next time."

"Maybe not. Kiryuin might have something else to discuss."

"Could be. There's a boy behind her."

They greeted her, then went back to their work.

Suddenly, three crisp claps rang out in the room.

Kiryuin Fuuka walked to the middle of the clubroom and folded her arms. Her uniform skirt swayed gently with the movement.

"Hanai, you've got it wrong." She deliberately drew out her words, tracing an elegant arc in the air with her fingertip before pointing behind her.

"The person looking for you is the first-year Tanaka Yukishin behind me. He's a genius who figured out the school's educational philosophy on his very first day, and now he's here to collect guidance fees and protection money from you sports clubs."

Kiryuin Fuuka fanned the flames with a smug, wicked grin.

"I really don't have time, Fuuka. We're busy preparing for club recruitment. Go on ahead, and once we're done, I'll treat you to three scoops of ice cream."

Seeing her friend show up just to cause trouble, Shiraishi Hanai put down her documents and started pushing her out.

"Wait, wait!" Bracing both hands against the doorframe, Kiryuin Fuuka resisted the push from behind and hurried Tanaka Yukishin along. "I say, underclassman, it's time to step up. If you don't prove yourself now, they'll kick you out. I'm telling you, once Hanai gets going in this overtime hell, she turns into a demon if anyone interrupts her!"

Shiraishi Hanai stopped pushing and gave Kiryuin Fuuka a hard smack on the back.

I only didn't go shopping with you. Did you really have to ruin my reputation?

"Ow, that hurts!"

Kiryuin Fuuka rubbed her back, sucking in breaths.

Hanai was being way too mean. She wouldn't forgive her unless she got two three-scoop ice creams.

"Exactly. Kiryuin, if you'd said anything else, the three of us might have believed you. Saying he figured out the school's educational philosophy is one thing; that could just mean this underclassman is clever. But protection money? Forgive me for saying so, but he doesn't look very strong."

The boy who'd burned out took advantage of Shiraishi Hanai turning away to sneak in a brief rest.

But soon, under Kiryuin Fuuka's gaze, he pressed his palms together and bowed slightly in apology.

He was completely exhausted. Shiraishi was taking her work so seriously that both he and the bespectacled boy had been pushed to hurry up too.

Shiraishi always radiated an air of boundless energy and determination.

The president was a demon. Knowing he couldn't handle girls like Shiraishi Hanai, he'd deliberately assigned her as the supervisor.

This was bad. With tomorrow's recruitment and the follow-up work, he'd have to burn out at least twice more this week.

The bespectacled boy said nothing and just kept working.

Clubs: Fighting and Brawling

"It's true, everyone. For example, I should be able to take down both the president and vice president of the MMA Club in a minute."

Tanaka Yukishin had wanted to gather all three clubs and deal with them at once.

But judging by everyone's reaction, they probably wouldn't agree unless he demonstrated his ability.

"Hey, hey, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that!"

Realizing he had a good excuse to escape the overtime hell, the exhausted boy, Sakura Sae, promptly stepped forward.

Whether Tanaka Yukishin could beat him had nothing to do with Sakura.

After exchanging a few glances, Tanaka Yukishin smiled knowingly.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to take me to the MMA Club's training venue, senpai. By the way, do you know anyone in the Track and Field Club or Swimming Club?"

The bespectacled boy seized the opportunity and followed along like a shadow.

"My name's Hiratsuka Kaoru. I know people in both clubs. Also, if you really are as strong as you say, I can introduce you to a beautiful girl. She's really gorgeous."

"Kaoru, you're trying to recommend your older sister again? She—"

Sakura Sae started to make the introduction in his usual blunt manner, but Hiratsuka Kaoru clapped a hand over his mouth before he could get more than a few words out.

You bastard. I'm finding a man for my sister, so don't you dare interrupt.

After his friend gave him an emphatic look, Sakura Sae blinked to show he understood.

"You two are really close. You can even get affectionate in front of all these people. Could it be that you're—"

Tanaka Yukishin didn't get to finish.

Thump, thump, thump. The sound of someone pounding on a table rang out.

Shiraishi Hanai drew everyone's attention back, went behind her companions, grabbed them by the collars, and dragged them back.

"Fuuka, take the underclassman to the club's training venue. I'll message the president."

Save us, save us...

Ignoring the pleading looks from Hiratsuka Kaoru and Sakura Sae, Kiryuin Fuuka waved goodbye.

After walking for a while, the two arrived at the MMA Club.

About thirty students were working out with various exercise machines off to one side. On the large mat in the center, several pairs were sparring, exchanging punches, kicks, and body blows.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat.

Tanaka Yukishin asked with a puzzled expression, "Senpai, I know MMA is a comprehensive fighting style, and I understand it takes a strong body to support it. But shouldn't an MMA club focus more on practicing different fighting techniques, like striking, ground fighting, judo, and boxing? Why does this place feel more like a giant gym?"

A muscular man who'd just finished strength training chimed in.

"Underclassman, you don't understand. Learning and using techniques depends more on having someone to guide you through the basics. Unlike working out, where you can do pretty much anything as long as you don't overdo it or go wild."

"We're having an open training session right now."

As he spoke, the muscular man sized up Tanaka Yukishin.

That physique looked a little weak. His fundamentals were poor.

He wasn't suited to joining the MMA Club.

But since he'd come with Kiryuin from the Boxing Club, he'd put it more gently.

He'd suggest that Tanaka Yukishin spend some time building up his body first, then come back once he'd gotten stronger.

"All right, Nishijima Ryoichi. Hanai should've told you. When's your president getting here?"

Kiryuin Fuuka was disappointed that she couldn't immediately see the spectacle she'd been hoping for.

Nishijima Ryoichi looked confused.

"So this is the genius underclassman?"

When the president had notified him that someone was coming to challenge the club, he'd imagined a peerless beast of a man. Instead, it was just a pretty boy.

But if he was a genius, surely he wasn't blind to reality.

Was he a technical fighter, then?

Still puzzled, Nishijima Ryoichi led them to the lounge beside the training area, then passed the news on to the others present.

They cleared the large mat in the middle of the venue ahead of time.

A few minutes later, the others arrived.

But the members had crowded around the mat until it was completely surrounded.

The MMA Club president, Matsuzaka Tomohito, and vice president, Charle, exchanged glances. They decided not to send the spectators away, and agreed to have the vice president go first, followed by the president.

It was a common approach: vice president first, then president. If they won, all the better. If they lost, the club could still save face.

Charle was a tall, powerfully built Black man.

Thanks to his natural physical advantages and his love of working out, he was nearly unbeatable in the club.

"I'll skip the small talk. Look at the difference in our builds, then answer me again: are you sure you want to challenge the club, underclassman?"

"Are you sure?"

"To avoid any pointless disputes, we'll have Kiryuin act as the referee. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course."