That furious kick did land—but there was a layer in between: a sit-up mat covered in the chalk powder that Watanabe Tetsu had purposely thrown aside earlier.
Shizuru's face hit it directly.
Tetsu clutched his aching waist with his left hand, quickly widening the distance between them. His right hand grabbed anything he could reach and hurled it without hesitation.
At the same time, he shouted:
"Miss Shizuru! I don't know how well you did in chemistry class! Quicklime reacts with water and immediately heats up to over 300°C! You'd better watch your eyes and your tongue!"
"Courting death!"
Shizuru's rage boiled hotter than chalk meeting water.
Tears were already streaming from her eyes, but she forced them open and charged straight toward Tetsu.
"I'll kill you!"
Tetsu, who had been avoiding direct clashes all this time, now had nowhere to run.
The two exchanged blows at high speed—attack after attack, dodge after dodge.
Chalk dust and gray powder swirled through the beams of sunlight like storm-tossed clouds, surging like a rolling sea.
Yuki Miki watched with a soft exhale of interest, as though she were watching a 3D movie.
Tetsu dodged or blocked every strike, but his arms and legs throbbed with numb pain.
He had no doubt that if he pulled up his sleeves or pant legs right now, they'd be completely black-and-blue.
But Shizuru wasn't having an easy time either.
Tetsu was clever, diligent, and never slacked off—someone destined for greatness. Of course he wouldn't forget such a basic chemical reaction.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from Shizuru's eyes, the heat steadily rising.
An ordinary person would have been on the ground long ago, screaming while clutching their face.
But Shizuru wasn't some Olympic judo champion—she was a trained killer raised by the Yuki family.
Her heart was as ruthless as steel.
She was determined to kill Watanabe Tetsu even if she had to do it on sheer grit alone.
Tetsu felt his limbs growing slow from the pain. He knew he couldn't keep this up.
If she landed even one solid punch or kick, he would be done—completely unable to fight.
After that, the only thing waiting for him was death.
When Shizuru's tears forced her eyes shut for a split second, she took a weakened blow to the face.
Tetsu seized that instant—he swung his right hand, still coated with chalk powder, and pressed it hard against her eyes.
"AAAH!"
Even Shizuru couldn't fight human instinct.
She staggered back instantly, covering her eyes and screaming.
That move wouldn't blind her, but chalk powder in the eyes certainly wouldn't feel pleasant.
Tetsu wasn't unscathed either.
Shizuru's punch had nearly twisted his face sideways, and his mouth tasted entirely of blood.
Fortunately, he brushed his teeth every morning and night—his teeth were solid, and none were in danger of falling out.
Fueled by pain, Tetsu's desperation turned into strength.
He grabbed a pole vaulting pole and swung it hard toward Shizuru.
But Shizuru, relying solely on the sound of the wind and pure instinct, caught the pole in a backward grip.
Tetsu's face tightened.
His master-level kickboxing instincts kicked in, and without thinking he clamped the pole under his arm and wrapped the loose end several times around his arm.
Just as he expected, the moment he finished, a tremendous force yanked the pole from the other end.
Thankfully, he had reacted quickly.
If Shizuru had taken the pole, he would've been in deep trouble.
From the corner of his eye, Tetsu spotted all the basketballs and soccer balls he had thrown earlier.
Without worrying about accuracy, he kicked every single one toward Shizuru.
Some hit, some missed.
In his mind, only a few actually struck her head.
At first, Shizuru looked slightly embarrassed, but Tetsu's strength was simply too weak.
She could've taken those hits directly to the face and only felt mild discomfort.
Enduring the burning pain in her eyes, Shizuru gripped the pole with both hands, ready to rip it away from him.
She had no idea she was falling right into Tetsu's trap.
Because aside from basketballs and soccer balls… there were shot puts.
Tetsu kept his left hand wrapped around the pole even as it was being tugged away.
He bent down, grabbed a shot put, and hurled it with all the brute force he could muster.
Unfortunately, his strength was weak and his aim wasn't great.
Instead of her head, the heavy shot put struck Shizuru square in the chest.
But that was enough.
"BAM!"
The shot put hit the ground with a dull thud right as Shizuru collapsed.
Tetsu panted heavily.
The pole slipped from under his arm, and his strength nearly failed him.
Ten seconds later, he swallowed hard, looking at Shizuru lying on the floor groaning.
Then he picked up the shot put again.
He didn't dare get too close.
With little strength and poor aim, he targeted the largest surface area—her upper body.
The shot put dipped midair…
By sheer luck, it smashed straight into her ankle.
"AAAH!"
Shizuru shrieked—but didn't move.
It looked like she had completely lost the ability to fight.
Tetsu staggered toward the slowly rolling shot put.
"For this moment," he said breathlessly, "do you know how much I've endured, Miss Shizuru?"
He stopped the shot put with his foot, bent down, and picked it up despite the pain.
He didn't want to hit a woman.
He didn't want to kill.
More accurately—he feared killing.
Fear was natural.
But Watanabe Tetsu had long since decided: he would simply do what had to be done.
The black-suited bodyguards were stunned.
The Young Lady's personal bodyguard—Shizuru, the strongest among them—had been defeated by a student?
Even if the terrain played a role… even if she underestimated him…
A loss was a loss.
They glanced at Yuki Miki, waiting for her orders.
But Yuki Miki simply stared at Tetsu holding the shot put, expressionless.
Tetsu kept watching Shizuru carefully.
He was on the verge of victory—he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
He continued speaking:
"Up at six every morning.
Half an hour of dumbbells.
At six-thirty, the second set of radio calisthenics.
Seven to eight, memorizing English and Japanese.
Eight-thirty to eleven at the library reading biographies.
Two to four in the afternoon—studying biology, modern society, math, and art.
Seven at night—fifty-meter pool. Even if I thought I'd die, I had to swim ten laps.
Nine o'clock, English radio while lifting weights or doing push-ups.
Do you know how I survived that?!"
The bodyguards exchanged strange looks.
"Enough."
The once motionless Shizuru suddenly sat up.
Her left hand covered her left eye; her right eye barely opened a thin slit.
"Clack. Clack, clack, clack."
Tetsu dropped the shot put as he saw the gun in Shizuru's right hand.
He raised both hands.
"Uh… isn't this a little extreme?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Yuki Miki burst out laughing, pressing both hands to her slim stomach.
After a long laugh, she waved her hand.
Shizuru holstered her gun, slumping against a basket of basketballs, eyes shut tight, face contorted with pain.
"Take the medicine," Yuki Miki said.
It took Shizuru a moment to realize she was being addressed.
She fumbled for her medicine box, took out a healing pill, and swallowed it.
Within moments—
Her swollen, tear-stained eyes, bleeding lips, and numb ankle all returned to normal.
She shot upright, glaring murderously at Tetsu.
Come again. This time I'll kill you.
That was what her expression said.
Tetsu wasn't stupid.
He looked straight at Yuki Miki.
"Miss Yuki…?"
"Continue."
"…Huh?"
"Hahaha!"
Yuki Miki doubled over again.
"The look on your pale little face is adorable—I love it!"
She took a long breath and said happily:
"I'm in a great mood today, so I'll let you off.
Next time I'm in a bad mood, I'll kill you."
She stood, walked to Shizuru, and picked up the medicine she'd been holding, examining it carefully.
"Miss… I'm sorry."
Shizuru bowed.
"If you lose again next time… whether you can be cured will depend entirely on the doctor's skill."
Shizuru remembered her immobilized ankle and nearly ruined eye earlier.
"Please rest assured, Miss!"
Yuki Miki slipped the medicine into her school skirt pocket and left the equipment room without another glance.
Shizuru and the bodyguards silently followed.
Once everyone was gone, Watanabe Tetsu collapsed onto the sit-up mat.
Chalk dust still swirled in the sunlight.
Equipment was scattered everywhere.
The chair Yuki Miki had sat on remained in its place.
Outside the newly opened warehouse doors, a crow cawed.
Finally—he was alive.