It was so elegant—so very elegant—that Long Aotian felt a little embarrassed.
"Are you unwilling?"
Seeing Long Aotian staring blankly, she looked a little puzzled. Had she struck the wrong pose?
"No, no. It's just that I'm not used to seeing you act like this all of a sudden."
Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curved into a gentle smile, but she didn't say a word. She simply stood there in silence.
"Uh... why don't you sit down first?" Long Aotian said, a little embarrassed to leave her standing. "Then we can talk about how to beat up Ryuen."
A subtle smile flickered across Sakayanagi Arisu's face as Long Aotian's suggestion reached her ears.
She gently lifted the hem of her skirt and sat down with just the right amount of grace. Her movements revealed a natural air of nobility and composure.
Once seated, Sakayanagi Arisu sat with perfect poise and elegance, her legs lightly crossed as she looked toward Long Aotian.
You're being so elegant that you're making me feel rude—or downright uncivilized.
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze fell on Long Aotian's face. Her lips curved slightly, and a hint of amusement seemed to flicker in her eyes, but she held it back. Letting her curiosity come through as a question, she asked, "Do you have a plan?"
"I do. First, I'll go somewhere without cameras. Then I'll let Ryuen know that I was the one who swindled those points from him back then, and get him to bring his underlings over to surround me."
Sakayanagi Arisu gently smoothed the hair falling over her shoulder. A faint smile played on her lips as she spoke in a tone that was both elegant and slightly teasing. "The plan is actually quite simple. All I have to do is tell him that you cleverly 'borrowed' his points back then. That way, his anger will naturally shift to you, won't it?"
Long Aotian shook his head slightly. "That won't work, for starters. Given Ryuen's personality and the class rivalry, he's not going to trust us. At most, he'll get suspicious and have someone investigate me."
"We need Ryuen to find out about this, but we can't be the ones to tell him."
"Then our only option is to bribe someone from Class C to spy on him and tell him. That would make it more believable."
"That works."
Sakayanagi Arisu nodded and spoke softly.
"Wait, this is still the same old habit of relying on schemes." Long Aotian's mind blanked for a moment, and he wondered if he was being stupid. He continued, "Ryuen sometimes goes somewhere without cameras anyway. Why not just go straight there and fight him? There's no need to make things so complicated."
Note: Around this time, Ryuen usually went to karaoke. The incident where he framed Sato was real, and he made the three Class C students' injuries even worse. He beat them up at a karaoke place, which proves that there were no cameras inside.
"...Can you really take on that many people by yourself?"
Sakayanagi Arisu furrowed her brow slightly, looking puzzled and doubtful.
She figured that even if he had performed well in the club, that was their home turf. Going alone to their place and telling them, "You're surrounded," sounded a little ridiculous.
"It's fine. They can't beat me."
Come on, with his cheat ability, he was already practically superhuman in this world. Someone like Superman would be on an entirely different level here.
Sakayanagi Arisu stared at Long Aotian's confident face. After a moment of silence, she said, "If you're that certain, then we'll do it your way."
After that, things were simple. Sakayanagi Arisu had someone keep an eye on Ryuen so they could find a good opportunity later, while Long Aotian had to go to the hospital.
The opportunity came soon enough~
Standing outside the karaoke place were Long Aotian, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Kamuro Masumi.
"When I go in, you two should hold the door shut or wedge something against it."
"Then, when I tell you to come in, you can come in."
Kamuro wore a teasing smile, her lips curving as amusement sparkled in her eyes. She waved a hand and joked, "You really want us to block the door? Then when you get beaten up, you'll be trapped inside with no way out."
Ignoring Kamuro, Long Aotian figured he was going to get beaten up sooner or later anyway. He looked at the cane in Sakayanagi Arisu's hand. He hadn't expected her to still use it, though by now it seemed more like a formality than a necessity.
As if she'd noticed his gaze, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly and said softly, "Be careful."
"Yeah. I'm going in."
With that, Long Aotian turned around, lightly touched the door with his fingertips, opened it, and slipped inside. Then he gently closed it behind him.
Inside, Long Aotian glanced around.
Ryuen, Ibuki, Yamada.
Huh... why were there only three of them?
"?"
The three looked at one another, brows furrowed and faces full of confusion, then all turned to stare at Long Aotian.
"Hey, I'm Long Aotian from Class A. Sakayanagi Arisu sent me here to discuss working together." Long Aotian slowly approached Ryuen, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Oh?" A subtle smile crossed Ryuen's face, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He continued, "Last time, you cost me quite a few points. And now you're coming to me for a partnership?"
"This is interesting." As he spoke, he slowly stood up. Long Aotian was currently looming over him a little.
Long Aotian approached Ryuen and slowly lowered his head.
Yamada followed close behind him, while Ibuki also moved in. The three of them formed a triangle around him.
"Uh, you said..."
Before he could finish speaking, Long Aotian's gaze suddenly sharpened. He clenched his fist, as if gathering tremendous force, and swung it at Ryuen.
A look of shock flashed across Ryuen's face, but he had no time to react.
Long Aotian's body blurred like a nimble leopard. Using the recoil from his punch, he darted past Ryuen, who had fallen onto the sofa, neatly slipping out of their encirclement.
That was dirty!
Long Aotian could have just gone in swinging, but he thought sucker-punching them would be more satisfying. Otherwise, why do you think he'd opened the door so quietly?
Don't think I'm shameless. In the anime, when Ryuen got beaten up, he still said, "I'll always keep an eye on you, no matter what—even when you're going to the bathroom or getting attacked from behind."
Ibuki and Yamada were still lost in their own thoughts and hadn't expected things to change so suddenly.
When they finally recovered from the shock, Yamada's eyes were full of anxiety and concern.
He hurried forward and firmly steadied Ryuen, who was staggering slightly.
Long Aotian wasn't about to let them get away with it. As he broke through their encirclement, he snatched a glass cup from the table. A look of determination flashed in his eyes as he charged at Ryuen.
Seeing this, Ibuki darted forward and quickly stepped in front of Long Aotian. She raised her hands slightly, her eyes full of vigilance and resolve, like an immovable barrier.
When she moved to block him, Long Aotian acted as if he were about to smash the glass cup over her.
Just as the glass cup in Long Aotian's hand was about to hit Ibuki, her pupils suddenly contracted. A flash of alertness and quick reflexes appeared in her eyes as she moved to dodge.
But what awaited her was Long Aotian's left-handed knife-hand strike, which knocked her unconscious.
P.S. I've kept this part relatively simple and toned it down. I didn't want to make it too brutal and upset anyone who likes Ibuki by making Long Aotian seem too cruel.
If you don't believe me, here's what I originally wrote.
But what awaited her was a swift, low sweep to the abdomen that kicked her flying. Her scream made the scene instantly harrowing.
Ryuen had already been helped to his feet by Yamada, but his head was still spinning. Long Aotian had hit him right in the head, though he'd held back. Otherwise, he would've given Ryuen a concussion.
Note: Don't try this in real life. A single punch can cost hundreds of thousands at minimum. Of course, if you really get into a fight with someone, aside from minor scuffles, and it's a life-or-death situation, just aim for their temple.
Yamada slowly approached too, but he was already too late. Ibuki had passed out.
Yamada clenched both fists and took up a fighting stance. When Long Aotian entered his range, he swung his left fist down at him.
As for Yamada's physique, Long Aotian's response was to punch back.
When their fists collided, the air seemed to shudder. Then came a chilling crack, clear as a snapping twig, accompanied by a sharp pop.
Note: Don't try this in real life. Force is mutual, which means that when your fists collide, you both take the same amount of damage.
But it was different for Long Aotian. It was like a child's fist colliding with an adult's. (Cheats are great—everyone who's used one says so.)
Under the force of the impact, Yamada's left arm was wracked with indescribable pain. It was as if the arm no longer belonged to him, torn away by some invisible force.
He clenched his teeth, his lips turning pale as he fought to endure the pain. Fine beads of sweat instantly covered his forehead. His eyes narrowed in agony, and his brow furrowed into a deep crease. Even so, he didn't make a sound, silently bearing it all with a face twisted almost beyond recognition.
What a man!
But then Long Aotian kicked him. He turned sideways, stepping forward with his left foot until it was five centimeters ahead of his right, then kicked out with his right leg. The left-foot movement gave his right leg extra power and extended his reach.
Note: You can use Bruce Lee as a reference. Anyway, this move is pretty brutal. With a little leg training, you really can kick someone flying. A single kick can cost hundreds of thousands, though.
A look of shock flashed through Yamada's eyes, quickly replaced by pain and fear.
When Long Aotian's powerful kick came at him, Yamada's body flew backward like a leaf caught in a gale, beyond his control.
With a loud bang, he slammed into the wall, spat out a mouthful of blood, and passed out.
That left only Ryuen. He was still a little dazed, but by the time he came around, his two underlings were already out of the fight.
Long Aotian didn't care. He threw the glass cup in his right hand at him.
"Argh!" Ryuen raised his hand to block it, but the price was a patch of red, swollen skin.
Ibuki at least knew to dodge, but you blocked it with your hand? Impressive, impressive.
Ryuen glared at Long Aotian with a murderous look, fury blazing in his eyes. "I'll always keep an eye on you!"
Then he suddenly bent down and reached toward the floor with one hand, snatching up a sharp shard of glass.
Leaning forward and pushing off hard with both legs, he charged at Long Aotian like a beast poised to strike, roaring, "You! I'll! Kill! You!"
Long Aotian simply backed away and grabbed a plastic stool, hurling it to knock the glass out of Ryuen's hand.
Long Aotian might have forgotten that he could actually take the hit without getting hurt.
Note: If you get into a fight and someone has a piece of glass or, worse, a knife, just run unless your weapon is longer or gives you an advantage. Even the most skilled martial artist fears a cleaver.
After knocking the glass from his hand, Long Aotian immediately...
I'm not writing any more. The scene was too gruesome.
When Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro came in, they were stunned!
Every one of them looked awful, especially Ryuen...
"Just come over and kick him a few times."
Long Aotian turned to Sakayanagi Arisu and said.
He shook the blood off his hand, then looked at Kamuro with a faint smile and said, "Take me to the hospital later."
Argh!
That was enough to scare Kamuro. He was terrifying.
"? Did you hear me?"
"I heard you."
Kamuro, who had been staring blankly just moments earlier, obediently nodded and replied.
Sakayanagi Arisu quickly kicked him a few times, then stopped abruptly, as though it had all been nothing more than a bit of casual entertainment.
Her face showed no sign of emotion, and her eyes were calm as still water. The faintest smile played on her lips, as if she were mocking how this trivial little episode couldn't possibly disturb her.
Her brows lifted slightly with disdain and scorn, and her eyes shone with intelligence, as though she'd already seen through everything.
Once she stopped, she lightly brushed the dust from her hands, her movements graceful and composed, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Her composure stood in sharp contrast to the tense atmosphere around her, making it hard not to feel a little in awe of her.
Before long, the whole affair was over. Kamuro helped Long Aotian to the hospital, while Sakayanagi Arisu left, satisfied.
Before you continue