"Huh?"
Garou sat up straight. He had been laying down on a mat, enjoying the cloudy atmosphere on the rooftop.
He looked at the high school building far away with a shocked expression.
"He did it…"
*RING RING RING RING*
The teacher entered classroom 2-C as soon as the bell rang. Today, he planned to finish the chapter he was currently teaching.
*WHOOSH*
The classroom was empty. He checked his schedule to see if he was in the right room.
'No mistake there…' He thought, 'It is my hour…'
'So where are the students…?'
*SILENCE*
His eyes strained as he stared longer at the empty classroom bathed in white light, flooding through the window from the cloudy sky.
*Rumble*
The sky rumbled.
…
*Rumble*
The cafeteria was noisy. The staff had left the scene, most likely to call the teachers.
Satoru stood there, waiting for Issei to get up.
"Did you guys feel it…?" Saji said in disbelief, "When he punched Izo's brother…"
"Premature Intent," Koneko said.
"Or Pseudo-Intent," Kiba said.
""Wh-what?!"" Katase and Murayama said in unison.
"No, no…!"
Rias rushed past them towards the rubble, where Issei lay sprawled, half-hidden due to the furniture, but Akeno and Sona pulled her back.
"?!"
"Think rationally, Rias," Sona said, "This isn't like before…"
"I'm sorry, Buchou," Akeno said, "Now that he has shown intent, it is clear he is part of the supernatural world. We can't let you directly meddle with someone without knowing who they are."
Rias understood what they were saying, but the fact that she was the one who had roped Issei into this mess wasn't allowing her to calm down.
Izo was glaring holes into Issei's half-hidden sprawled figure.
"Please, calm down, Buchou," Kiba said, pointing, "Look."
The students surrounded Satoru, looking ready to pounce on him at any moment's notice.
He looked at them and said-
"I do not wish to fight you."
That sentence caught them off guard but also made them angry.
"What? Scared of us now?!"
"You are going down, you motherf****r!"
"…"
Satoru was conflicted about how to deal with them. After all, he had pummeled them countless times just to prove he was superior. Even if Satoru were to fight all of them now, he was sure he would lose, not just because of the sheer number of these guys but also because of his sense of guilt.
"Even if he has Pseudo-Intent, he shouldn't be able to take on that many at once," Kiba said, "We'll wait for our chance and take Hyoudou Issei out-"
Shift
Clink Clatter
"Holy Satan…" Saji said, "Is this guy for real?"
Issei got up from the pile, shaking his legs and upper body like a wet animal to remove bits of rubble.
…...
That was one hell of a punch, not gonna lie. My forehead is burning. There's a bit of pain too-
Drip
… Okay, totally bleeding. My uniform is a total mess. It's a good thing I'm wearing this full-sleeved T-shirt (cuz they still can't see my scars).
I looked at Hiro Satoru who seems… relieved?
Ah, I see what's going on… They had surrounded him. Damn, the kids are already learning. I'm glad they didn't run away the moment I went down. Daddy is proud.
But, seriously this guy, Hiro… what's up with all these green waves around him? His eyes too…
[Ophis]
I should ask her.
… No response.
… Is she seriously asleep right now?
… Well…
step step
We stepped closer for round two. The others thankfully backed down. Seeing his concentrated expression, I can't help but get my hopes up…
Thump Thump
… This excitement…
...
… … I was standing in front of an old arcade punching machine.
Hyoudou Issei, 15 years old, final year of middle school
I gazed at the entrance of the building for a few seconds.
No one came…
It was common knowledge that you don't go to this area in this locality, or something bad will happen to you. I'm sure these idiots who were kissing the floor right now were responsible for those rumors.
I had barged into the hideout of a local gang made up of college students.
In that old building, they had all sorts of arcade machines, pool tables, and even claw machines.
Among those, one really stood out to me. A punching machine, you know the ones that give you a score based on your power?
It wasn't my first time seeing those machines. I had tried them once during my first and last visit to an amusement park. My score at that time was 512 which seemed to shock people nearby, but I wasn't much thrilled by the result.
So, even that day, when I casually punched the machine in the hideout, I didn't expect anything.
Thwack
Shilick
761…
… what?
I was sure the machine was faulty. It looked really old too.
But…
Slightly curious...
What score will it show if I use… max power? Maybe because it's old, it might break… Well, who else is gonna use this now? A little more…
THWACK
874…
With just a little more strength the score is… yep, this one is faulty.
But… what about full power? Will I get 1000? Is this max 999? Perhaps the machine will break?
I was so damn curious then…
I loosened my wrist and pulled my hand back up for a massive blow.
THUMP THUMP
THUMP THUMP
Will it break? …
THUMP THUMP
It is the same excitement I am feeling right now, seeing this guy.
How much can he handle? He looks confident so surely- Surely- It looks like he gained his confidence back- Does it mean it's gonna get interesting? Wow, should I try for a one-hit KO- How about a slow build up- or a fast one- How about- How about…
… My mind just won't shut up.
…..
Issei's eyes switched from blue to red and back to blue.
Hiro got into a boxing stance and started to bounce lightly on his feet.
Issei swung his right arm.
BLOCK
Hiro blocked the blow. But Issei pulled down his arm and slapped him on the cheek,
Graze
Hiro turned his head to reduce the impact and immediately threw a straight.
WHOOSH
Issei barely dodged it by ducking outside the punch and pushed Hiro away with his shoulder.
'His speed and power…' Issei thought.
It has definitely gone up by a few stages. Issei was almost hit by that straight right now. Satoru didn't seem impatient like before and was now calculating his moves. His eyes were burning with passion.
'Defeating Hyoudou Issei'… was the only objective in his mind right now.
And witnessing that emerald fire in his eyes, Hyoudou Issei came up with an idea…
THUMP THUMP
'I'll only use one kick at max for the rest of the fight…'
The reasons behind that decision were simple: One, to not blow out the fire in Satoru's eyes, and two because Issei was afraid that Satoru might 'break' like that old arcade machine.
step step
Hiro stepped diagonally closer.
I squared myself against him, in the Wing-Chun fighting stance.
We closed the distance and-
…
CRACK
RUMBLE
The thunder roared angrily. The rain was drizzling.
FLASH
The lightning illuminated the school in an eerie way.
CRACK
BOOOM
The thunder followed.
...
… RATTLE
The cafeteria windows rattled. However, the students didn't notice it. Perhaps they were mistaking its cause to be-
WHAM
SHATTER
BOOM
WHAM
The sounds from inside…
"… Are those sounds really made by human fists?"
Issei and Hiro clocked each other in the jaw.
THWACK
"M-must be the halls…"
Issei dodged an uppercut and a follow-up overhand punch, which landed on a table behind Issei.
BREAK
SHATTER
The table broke down.
"… Or not."
Issei grabbed Hiro's sleeve, his waist, and threw him to the floor using his hip, attempting a submission-
WHAM
Hiro arced his leg and kicked the side of Issei's head.
.
Huff
Huff
Both of them were excited, their stamina whittling down fast.
"… You could have landed a kick there," Satoru said, "actually huff you had many chances to land one of your vicious kicks."
"In this fight huff," Issei said, "I will only kick you once."
Satoru would be lying if he said that didn't hurt his pride but he knew… without that handicap, he wouldn't last much longer against him.
"… I see," he said, "I will try my best not to disappoint."
Issei's eyes went wide, upon hearing that statement.
'Dayum,' he thought, 'this is almost like watching a child grow into a man in real-time.'
(Author's note: He is referring to that fast-forward seedling to plant growth transition video.)
Satoru tackled Issei but Issei shifted his weight forward negating it, following up with a quick succession of elbow strikes to the back.
GRIT
Satoru gritted his teeth. His eyes burned more fiercely as he powered through the pain. Following a roar, he pressured Issei's body with his head and shoulder making him fall.
!
Even Issei was taken aback by that strength.
Hiro didn't waste a moment and went for it.
GRAB
Issei caught the first punch but couldn't stop the two punches that followed, from the other hand. He turned his head, barely missing the third one, and clocked him in the jaw with his free hand. He grabbed the back of Hiro's head and headbutted him in the nose, quickly pushed him away, and kicked up to his feet.
Drip drip
Satoru covered his nose and mouth.
"That one caught me by surprise," Issei said, "Didn't know you could tackle."
Hiro grinned.
"My master insisted that I learned it," he said.
He went for another tackle. Issei sidestepped- Satoru's hands hit the floor.
whoosh
Issei narrowly dodged a scorpion kick…
This guy… he copied my capoeira scorpion setup from earlier…?
But there is a fatal weakness to the scorpion kick, if it misses, you are pretty much defenseless.
Issei grabbed the unbalanced Satoru by his arm and collar and threw him into a pillar nearby. Satoru winced but got up without wasting time.
He did a charge with unsteady steps and Issei grabbed his sleeves and deflected him in another direction. He rolled to his back, laughing.
"So… this is the difference between us, huh?"
For a moment Issei panicked, believing he had broken his spirit but suddenly-
FWIP
Satoru removed his uniform shirt and the undershirt beneath it and threw them away.
"How are you going to grab me now?" Satoru said, grinning.
He was drenched in sweat and Issei's palms were sweaty from all this fighting too…
STRETCH
Issei couldn't help but smile (or whatever the thing he just did was called).
"whistle whistle," Issei whistled, "You are under arrest for public nudity, sir. Haha!"
Satoru let out a laugh and charged for another tackle.
WHAM
Issei felt his legs skid under the force. He tried to push him down before he made him fall over-
Slip
!
Issei's hand wasn't able to put power properly due to Satoru's slippery body.
Satoru grabbed Issei firmly by his clothes and lifted him-
"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH"
Threw him towards the last table nearby.
CRASH
"… Argh… for god's sake… stop copying me, bastard..."
Satoru smiled and got ready for another tackle.
"…"
…
Issei looked at his full sleeves, which were hiding his scars. The right sleeve was a little torn from the fighting. Suddenly, the other sounds of the noisy cafeteria hit him like a truck.
People are watching… I can't show this to them no matter what. They will brand me as someone scary again. I can do this, I can win with my punches and I can also use knees, they aren't technically kicks, I also have elbows, headbutts, swipes, also one kick, I also have- I also have- I also… I snapped back to my senses and did a fierce backroll, evading Satoru's tackle.
Seriously this boxer-kickboxer bastard… can't he just throw punches and kicks like a normal one? He almost ripped my sleeves, what would he do if it had torn and my scars were on full display-
… Hold on…
"Hey, suddenly you are not focused here at all," Satoru said, frowning, "What happened?"
Stop living in other's heads already.
… Those are the words I said to him but…
… Shit… This is an awful feeling.
…
Two huge irises glowed golden-yellow in the darkness
…
"… Fine," Issei said, getting up, "let's do this your way."
FWIP
Throw
Issei threw his uniform shirt away, closely followed by-
!
There was a collective gasp when Issei removed his T-shirt.
…...
"What?!" Saji exclaimed, "Okay, so he can fight a human with pseudo-intent without having one himself, and now this! What is up with his body?! Was he tortured or something?!"
He turned towards Izo, hoping for an explanation but he kept his mouth shut.
"Saji, voice down," Sona said, clearly displeased by his burst.
"Tortured…?" Rias trailed off.
"Isn't it..." Kiba said, squinting
...
"There are lots of knife wounds…" Katase said.
It was not just them, everyone else in the cafeteria was equally taken aback.
Issei got into a grappling position.
He didn't care about other's reactions and was only focused on Satoru who appeared to be caught off guard as well.
"… Holy crap…" He laughed nervously, "Just who in the world am I fighting right now? Haha… Damn! I can't wait to pummel you now!"
He also got into position. They both screamed like animals and tackled each other.
WHAM
This had suddenly turned into a dog fight.
'Make sure to use this opportunity well.'
Satoru and Issei got into a clinch.
'Now I understand why master said that… 'There was hardly anyone more fitting to break my viewpoints than this guy,'
Issei smacked down his arms shifted his upper body below his guard and-
WHAM
Rammed him into the pillar behind Hiro with a tackle.
Satoru winced.
'But that doesn't mean…'
He kicked off the pillar and slammed Issei once again into the ground.
"Keuk!"
Splinters from the broken furniture pierced into Issei's bare back.
'I am gonna let you win!'
WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM
Issei endured the barrage of punches with his forearms.
But the position from which Hiro was punching pretty much left Issei's legs free.
!
'Could it be that he is trying to make me use my kick?'
'Seriously…'
… Issei's eyes burned red.
SMACK
Issei broke Hiro's momentum by grabbing his hands, and swiping them away, followed by a palm strike to Hiro's chin, pushing it back just enough to-
LOCK
Get Satoru's head in range for grabbing with his legs.
SLAM
Issei slammed his head down to the floor.
Slash Pierce
Now it was Hiro's turn to get pierced by the splinters.
He gritted his teeth and rolled in a desperate attempt to free himself from Issei.
Issei's hold loosened momentarily as more splinters pierced him due to the roll. Hiro used that window of opportunity to free himself.
He pried away Issei's legs, rolled in the opposite direction, and got up in a swift motion, clutching his neck, and his chest heaving.
"You know…" Issei said, getting up, "Perhaps it was a bad idea to remove the shirt…"
"Tell me about it…" Hiro said plucking the splinters from his body.
…..
They both looked at each other.
Issei widened his stance and Hiro adopted his boxing stance again, this time without hopping.
Rumble
The sky rumbled.
They both inched closer.
FLASH
The lightning illuminated the cafeteria. The emerald and blue eyes glared at each other.
""HAAAHHHHHHH!""
They both roared at each other and charged.
BOOOM
Their fists clashed as the sound of thunder roared.
Issei parried Satoru's punch to his side, redirected his cross with his other hand, put pressure on his neck with the arm, and attempted an elbow lock.
STRUGGLE
But Satoru struggled his arm away before it was locked, turned and-
WHAM
Elbow to Issei's temple. Satoru moved his body forward and-
THWACK
Back-kick. Issei cushioned the power by stepping back as soon as Satoru changed position, grabbed his leg, tucked it inside his arm, and swept his other leg away, making him fall.
Satoru attempted to pincer Issei's arm with both legs, but Issei quickly let go of his leg. Satoru backrolled onto his feet and utilized their distance to perform a tornado kick, which Issei barely managed to dodge.
FLASH
The lightning flashed again.
Issei's eyes burned red.
He covered Satoru's incoming punch with his elbow, covered it with his other hand and-
WHACK
Hammer-fisted Satoru's face.
PULL
Pulled his hand with the covering hand and-
CRACK
Elbow to the nose.
RUMBLE
The thunder roared.
Faster
Issei ducked a punch, blocked a kick with his leg, evaded a follow-up kick, and blocked an elbow with his elbow.
The tempo was rising.
Faster
Elbow, duck, block.
WHAM
Backstep, Dempsey Roll,
WHAM WHAM
A two-piece, shoulder-push
WHAM
Uppercut, overhand punch to the chest.
Satoru took many rapid steps backward, trying to reduce Issei's pressing momentum.
Issei's eyes glowed blue momentarily, and he punched Satoru's surprise knee down.
Satoru was unable to keep up with Issei's momentum.
'H-He's nuts!'
FEINT
Feint uppercut-
"KEUK!"
Left hook to the body.
Inside block to the forearm, hammer fist to the face, elbow to incoming punch, and another shoulder push.
Satoru took a few more forced steps back under the relentless attacks, his guard completely open now. Issei jump-turned, lifting his knees… 360 degrees…
… Tornado Kick.
The final kick was here.
The turn, the form…
The kick drew an arc in the air.
Issei's eyes flickered back and forth from red to blue…
… To Golden Yellow.
…
... …
Two golden eyes were glaring at me…
Something was moving back and forth- the shadow suddenly stood still.
Small glitters of gold glowed in the darkness and started to accumulate around it.
Is that a… tail?
The tail, as if dipped in paint, drew an arc in the air.A Golden Arc…
…
FLASH
The lightning illuminated Satoru's fear-struck face.
Issei's eyes went wide.
TWIST
Issei changed his kick trajectory mid-air by twisting his leg, grazing Satoru's face.
CRACK BOOOOOM
The thunder followed, rattling the windows once more.
Drip
Blood flowed down Satoru's face…
He fell on his butt, shocked.
'If that shit had landed properly…'
He shuddered.
Satoru gritted his teeth but said,
"… I lost."
A few moments of silence… followed by-
"… HELL YEAAAHHHHHHH!"
The students roared in victory.
…
The cheers filled my ears as I exhaled heavily…
What was that at the end…?
I looked around. Everyone was clapping for me.
I picked up my shirts and threw Satoru's over to him.
"Thanks…" He said in a low voice.
"…"
I looked at Rias, who averted her eyes.
"…"
Since everyone's eyes are on me right now…
"Listen up."
Why not?
The cheers died.
"Many of you might already know that Gremory-senpai and I broke up this morning," I said loud and clear.
Rias looked at me with confused eyes.
Issei… what are you doing?
She seemed to ask me.
"The truth is we were only pretending to be dating!"
The cafeteria burst into whispers. Satoru was looking at me with his mouth agape.
Many looked at Rias, but her eyes were fixed on mine.
I did a slight nod.
Play along.
That was the intended message behind it.
"Why do you think we did that?"
Most of the students looked at Satoru.
"Hiro Satoru was a reason, but there was another reason: you."
I raised my hands before they could react.
"Hear me out. She is pretty, and I understand the desire to ask her out. But the focus here is, why did she and I pretend to go out in the first place? Is it simply because of Hiro Satoru or you all, or is there something more?"
The students looked at each other, confused.
Rias looked at me anxiously.
"That's right, some of you might have guessed it… she has a crush on someone!"
"WHAT!?"
The reaction was as violent as I expected. Katase and Murayama turned their necks towards Rias so fast that they almost snapped.
Rias' eyes widened in realization.
"Of course, it isn't me. According to my knowledge, it is someone from her hometown. But the question is, why hide it?"
I turned 180 degrees for dramatic effect.
"Because she was afraid of how you all would react if you knew, and yeah, you guys proved her fears right. Question: How many of you threatened me online?"
I tried to meet the eyes of people in the crowd.
"It is one thing to admire someone but another to trap them with your expectations."
… I really hate giving speeches, but if I don't do this here… there is no stopping them. With Satoru gone, Rias' school life will become even more difficult than right now with all the students constantly asking her out.
"Since Hiro Satoru is no longer in your path, what are you going to do?"
Silence filled the cafeteria.
"Even though you know she has someone in her heart, are you still going to relentlessly chase after her? Or do you have enough guts to let it all go and wish her the best?"
"The choice is yours."
There was no applause for my speech, which is… well, meh.
Rias seems to be blown away and relieved at the same time.
SMILE
… … Damn... is she really a devil? I don't think even angels have such a smile. I tried to reciprocate and hey… seems like I succeeded… or perhaps she was just being nice about my attempt… Damn, this is GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
I slung Satoru's arm over my shoulder and lifted him to his feet.
"?! What are you…?" He asked.
"You can hardly stand up, right?" I said.
I know how much you got beat up (cuz I was the one who did it).
Everyone parted to let us through. I am sure we might get suspended for a few weeks due to what we did to the cafeteria.
"By the way," I said, "Your family will take care of the repair costs, right?"
"…"
…..
The sky was bathed in orange colour.
"Jesus! From where did you learn to fight like that man?!" Matsuda asked excitedly.
We were at the hospital. By 'we' I mean, Matsuda, Motohama, and Hiro Satoru (he was in another room, a VIP room that is). Both of them were covered in bandages. The doctor said it would take them at least 2 weeks to recover. As for me, well… a few more scratches to add to the crew.
"I could ask the same- Wait, how did you even see the fight anyway?"
Motohama showed me his phone.
Title: Hiro Satoru vs Hyoudou Issei!
… I want to find out which bastard took the video and uploaded it to the forum… Is this bitch crazy?! GOD, I hope none of the board members are in the forum.
… Then again, it might not matter because 'we' already got suspended for only 2 weeks for doing all the diabolical shit in the cafeteria. Things did get way out of hand. This time it was too difficult for the board to ignore Hiro's activities, not only because the damage to the cafeteria was too big to ignore but also because of the agitated student body. I think riling up the students was the right answer, now they will know how to stand up for themselves, at least I hope. Hiro, his gang (who were treated by the school nurse by the way), and the board members got away with what they did only because the student body let them.
The missing piece in this scenario was neither fixing the corrupt board nor Hiro Satoru himself but the attitude of the students themselves towards such problems.
Knock Knock
A visitor?
The three of us turned to look at the door.
It was Rias Gremory.
…...
The cool evening breeze flowed through the window, making her hair sway, slightly in the hallway.
"Thank you."
She said it so sincerely that I felt kind of embarrassed.
"And here I was worrying whether my last action was uncalled for," I said.
I mean what I did was modify her initial plan, which was to pretend to be going out with someone. This time I made the guy whom she was going to be 'anonymous', someone far away so that people cannot lash out as they did with a 'visible' target, like me. That was what went through my head as I announced those words to the students. But then again, who am I to make such a decision for her? She might have had a different solution and I decided unilaterally so I was a bit conflicted inside.
She shook her head.
"That was a better solution than making someone pretend to be my boyfriend, what I did before was just literally paint a target on you."
She grabbed my hand.
"I'm sorry," she said, "Everything that happened today was my fault."
She stared at my hand with a guilt-ridden face, most likely because of my index finger. The fingernail broke during the fight and is bandaged now. There were some scratches as well.
Her fault, huh? … I mean it was kinda her fault. OKAY! OKAY! Geez… I mean the whole point he came looking for me was because she was going out with me. But that wouldn't have happened if I didn't accept her proposal in the first place and yeah I was kinda hoping for it… and also I kicked him first… Yeah, I am the one at fault. B-but look at all the good things that happened! The students learned how to stand up for themselves, I put Hiro in place, and they all learned not to underestimate the duo and…
... At this point, I am just defending myself.
I put my hand on over hers.
"Let's look at the positive side of things, shall we?"
I removed her hand from the top of mine and slowly freed both my hands from her clasp (cuz it was getting all weird…)
"What ends well, uh ends well…"
(Attempted quote: All's well that ends well, Yeah I had to google that )
She laughed.
Yeah, I don't think she needs to know that logically I am the one at fault. I mean, it didn't look like she needed to hear logic right now. Now, now I am not washing my hands off this but… everything ended well so yeah, stop overthinking.
She faced me with another beautiful smile. Her red hair and blue eyes looked stunning in the golden evening light. She is slightly shorter than me.
"Issei, would you like to join my club?"
… Yo, what?... First of all, is she sticking with my first name? I mean… isn't it over?
"I… I am afraid I would have to decline… Gremory-senpai."
Her face drooped. Yeah, go ahead and sue me. I mean, come on, I am supposed to be a vigilante, remember? And about calling her last name… well uh… I just wanted her to know that our relationship currently was undefined. We had no reason to call each other by first name.
"… I see."
She looked down for a moment but, brightened her expression, and extended her hand towards me.
"I know we started on the wrong step but can we start over as friends?"
Now that… is definitely cool of her.
"Of course, Gremory-san."
"I would appreciate it if you would call me by my first name."
"Rias-san."
She smiled. "I will stick with Issei-kun, then."
… Even with Matsuda and Motohama, we never had a moment like this. This reminds me of Rin. But…
"About the amusement park trip-" she started.
"Rias-san, there is one thing I have to tell you," I said, "Earlier I said, let's look at the positive side of things, for me the most positive thing was-"
Whoosh
… "I see," Rias said, with a smile.
She swiped her hair to the side.
"Would you like to have lunch once in a while?" She asked.
"Of course, I will pay for the food next time."
She giggled.
"Buchou."
It was Himejima Akeno. She seems to have come for Rias.
"Looks like I have to go," Rias said with a cheerful look, "See you at school~"
"If I don't get expelled, yeah," I said, waving.
Rias giggled again and left. Her friend, Akeno Himejima, however, gave me a short bow leaving.
I exhaled heavily, looking at the sky.
Now then…
For me, the most positive thing was…
I opened the doors of the room.
It was a realization…
"Matsuda, Motohama."
They both turned their heads towards me.
"Let's go to the amusement park together sometime."
...
So, that's it for today. This is the end of the arc.
Don't hesitate to show your appreciation towards your friends and loved ones. I feel like most of us take them for granted. You don't necessarily have to verbally say how much you appreciate them (I mean if you can, that would be cool too) but you can 'show' it too. Like how Issei did. This is something that came up in my mind while writing this. I think the story was impacted by this thought as well. Dw, this is an action series and something like this won't be brought up too often (at least I don't plan to).
I next update might take a bit longer than the usual 2-week schedule. So, thanks for reading. Peace out.