Ishizaki, being a former delinquent, treated fighting as a regular occurrence, both before and after starting high school.
Though he'd been on his best behavior for nearly a year, he hadn't forgotten his fighting skills. In fact, he felt stronger after that year of physical development.
So, even though the punch he just threw looked casual, he was confident that an ordinary person couldn't dodge it.
But this guy named Ayanokouji didn't dodge. Instead, he caught Ishizaki's fist with his hand.
He's a pro.
Subconsciously, Ishizaki tried to pull his hand out of Ayanokouji's grasp. But at that moment, he found that his hand was gripped as if by pliers, and he couldn't get it free.
At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his fist, as if his bones were about to be crushed.
His extensive fighting experience kicked in, and Ishizaki reacted instantly. He ignored his trapped left hand, used it as a support, and, enduring the intense pain, kicked at Ayanokouji with his right leg.
He reasoned that if the opponent was holding his left hand, they couldn't use one of their own hands.
A clever tactic, like diverting the enemy's force by attacking a different point.
And Ishizaki wasn't fighting alone. Yamada, who had been behind Ayanokouji, saw Ishizaki's predicament and immediately threw a punch at Ayanokouji.
Facing both Ishizaki's kick and Yamada's punch simultaneously, Ayanokouji showed no panic. He immediately let go of Ishizaki's trapped fist.
Then, with an elegant, swift turn, he met Yamada's punch with his own clenched left fist, while simultaneously blocking Ishizaki's kick with his right leg.
Even though he was only supported by one leg, Ayanokouji's stance was incredibly stable.
However, Ayanokouji felt a stinging pain in his left arm, from his hand to his shoulder.
Yamada clearly hadn't expected Ayanokouji to block his punch head-on. His eyes behind his dark sunglasses must have been wide with surprise.
Next, Ayanokouji crouched down and swept Ishizaki's legs out from under him with a low sweep, knocking him to the ground. Ishizaki hadn't yet retracted his right leg.
Then, pushing off the ground with his hands, he used his body's rotational momentum to launch a double-footed attack towards Yamada's abdomen.
Yamada had to put his hands together defensively, but even so, he was kicked back with tremendous force, stumbling several steps before crashing into the wall behind him.
As for Ayanokouji, he used the counter-force to spring back to his feet.
In less than a minute of fighting, Ayanokouji had gained the upper hand against the combined attack of Ishizaki and Yamada.
Though Ishizaki and Yamada were in pain, they weren't out of the fight yet.
Ryuen was also stunned by Ayanokouji's display and realized that Ayanokouji hadn't been bluffing.
He was truly intending to defeat him through sheer force.
But seeing Ayanokouji's extraordinary strength, Ryuen didn't feel fear; he felt even more excited.
So that's why you told me that, Kamio?
How much information do you have that I don't know about?
This confirms it, the Class D student Sakayanagi was interested in must indeed be Ayanokouji.
Ryuen hadn't forgotten how Sakayanagi had sent that woman, Kamuro, to call Ayanokouji after the sports festival.
Although he had suspected something along these lines before, seeing Ayanokouji's power on display now confirmed it for Ryuen.
It all fit together perfectly.
Now, his next move was to make this Ayanokouji understand what true violence was!
At this moment, Ishizaki and Yamada had recovered from Ayanokouji's previous attack.
Realizing that Ayanokouji's fighting strength was likely the strongest present, Ryuen stopped underestimating him. He slowly moved his feet while watching Ayanokouji.
Soon, Ryuen, Ishizaki, and Yamada had surrounded Ayanokouji.
"Go!"
At Ryuen's command, Ishizaki and Yamada charged at Ayanokouji from the sides, while Ryuen, not standing idly by, attacked from the front.
Having witnessed Ayanokouji's power, Ishizaki went all out from the start, aiming for Ayanokouji's head.
However, against Ishizaki's straightforward attack, Ayanokouji raised his right leg and kicked Ishizaki in the face, sending him flying.
But at the same time, Yamada rushed towards Ayanokouji with his arms outstretched.
Even though Ayanokouji's strength was comparable to his own, Yamada's physique was far superior. If he could just grab him, Ryuen could take care of the rest.
And Ayanokouji, caught off guard, was indeed grabbed by Yamada.
With his arms pinned, Ayanokouji couldn't move them, no matter how much he twisted left or right. He couldn't break free from the big man's hold.
Seizing this opportunity, Ryuen moved in and landed a hard punch to Ayanokouji's gut, then swung his other fist, aiming for Ayanokouji's face.
However, Ayanokouji reacted incredibly quickly. The punch to his gut seemed to have no effect. With just a slight head turn, he evaded the second punch.
Then, with his back to Yamada, Ayanokouji leaped into the air and kicked Ryuen forcefully in the chest, sending him flying.
Using the momentum from landing on his feet, he bent down and lifted Yamada behind him, slamming his back against the ground.
The intense pain made Yamada instinctively release his grip.
Once free, Ayanokouji immediately punched Yamada in the solar plexus.
With that punch, Yamada, who had been struggling, immediately stopped. Without a doubt, he had been knocked unconscious.
Ayanokouji glanced at Ishizaki. The previous kick seemed to have been too powerful; he was also lying on the ground, motionless, showing no signs of getting up.
To Ayanokouji's surprise, however, Ryuen, who had been sent flying earlier, was now standing up, clutching his chest.
Even though he hadn't used his full strength, that kick must have been brutal, and Ryuen's fall onto the concrete ground couldn't have been pleasant either.
For someone his size to still be able to stand up…
A monster!
Ryuen had a new definition for Ayanokouji: this guy was outstanding in both strength and speed.
Lifting Yamada, who weighed nearly a hundred kilograms, using sheer brute force wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
And he seemed to be very good at handling multiple attackers. They had ganged up on Ayanokouji, but apart from Ryuen's punch, they hadn't managed to injure him at all.
He had also managed to take down their strongest fighter, Albert.
Hey, Kamio, did you know he was this strong?
"Ayanokouji, you're even more formidable than I imagined." Despite the pain all over his body, Ryuen didn't cry out. "I'm starting to believe what you said earlier."
"In that case, can I leave now? Or are you going back on your word?"
"Heh, don't worry, I, Ryuen Kakeru, am a man of my word." Ryuen smiled. "But this isn't enough to defeat me."
"Stop it, you can't win against me."
"You might win this round. But what about tomorrow? And the day after? When you're using your secondary account? Or your main account? I'll be watching you from every angle."
A determined smile spread across Ryuen's face.
"Do you want to win that badly? Aren't you afraid of losing repeatedly?"
"Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything like that. I've never felt it before."
"Is that so? You don't feel fear?"
Is that the source of your confidence?
"The pain ordinary people feel turns into fear afterward, but I don't. I, Ryuen Kakeru, don't experience fear. Let me teach you about it!"
"Really? Then let me experience it."
Saying this, Ayanokouji spread his arms wide, as if inviting Ryuen to attack him.
Of course, Ryuen didn't hesitate. He grabbed Ayanokouji by the shoulders and kicked him in the abdomen.
Then, a punch and a knee strike landed on the same spot.
Perhaps judging that he wouldn't get another chance, Ryuen poured all his strength into each attack.
"So, do you understand now?"
"…Unfortunately, I don't understand anything. It's just pain spreading through my body."
"Are you saying you don't feel fear, just like me?"
"No, Ryuen, it's not like that."
Ayanokouji understood the fear caused by pain all too well. He knew how tragic and terrifying it was to be a loser.
He had witnessed such tragedies countless times, but from a certain day, he no longer felt fear.
Because he understood that only losers felt fear.
If that was the case, then all he had to do was avoid becoming a loser.
"Then let's play a little longer!"
Ryuen tried to attack Ayanokouji again, but a fist landed on his face, and in an instant, the world spun.
"Heh, to have this kind of ability and never show it. Ayanokouji, is it fun to watch other people make fools of themselves in front of you?"
"That's not it. Whether others succeed or fail, it has nothing to do with me."
"How can that be? There's no such thing as a human with no desires!" Ryuen struggled to get up. "In that case, I'll keep beating you! Until you feel fear!"
However, Ayanokouji had no intention of enduring Ryuen's attacks any longer. In an instant, he knocked Ryuen to the ground and straddled him.
"You say you've never felt fear, Ryuen."
As Ayanokouji's fists rained down, Ryuen's eyes swelled, and blood trickled from his lips, yet even so, fear was nowhere to be seen in his eyes.
"Huff, huff… Heh, yeah. I don't feel fear. I've never experienced it, tsk, spit…"
Then, Ryuen found it difficult to speak.
"I've faced twice as many setbacks as others, that's why I understand…"
"Violence can reveal a person's true heart, both the one who hits and the one who gets hit!"
"You win this time. But I've lost before too. I'll settle the score next time."
However, Ayanokouji remained silent, his expressionless face landing blows on Ryuen's face from both sides.
Finally, after one punch, Ryuen lost consciousness.
Looking at Ryuen's last expression before he passed out, Ayanokouji let out a sigh.
He *does* have it.
Fear.
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