Three months later.
I really have no talent.
I kinda expected this but to see the extent of my lack is gut wrenching
For three straight months, I'd been grinding the basics, yet I saw no progress at all. The me now was the same as the me from three months ago
except I'd put on a little muscle. Not much, but still better than the skeleton I used to be.
"Huff… huff…"
Whoosh. Whoosh.
I kept practicing seiken tsuki, punching at empty air.
It was the only technique that didn't demand much leg movement—unlike the zaki and uchi techniques which required constant rotation of the feet and knees.
And it was simple.
Who would struggle with something as basic as throwing a punch?
…Me, apparently.
My fists hit like paws.
Seriously, what had the previous owner of this body been doing all his life ?
I turned my head toward Yuzuru. He was resting on the top bunk, calm as ever, while Dai slept below him, snoring so hard the whole room vibrated
Yuzuru was writing.
He'd been working on that book for a month and a half now. Every time I asked him about it, he told me to mind my own business. Still, from the few glances I'd stolen, it seemed like notes—karate techniques, written down for memorization
I didn't understand ,why ?
He had already mastered all of the techniques
I bit my lip in frustration, reopening the cut in the middle of my lips ,blood trickling down past the stitch.
…Damn genius.
Yes, I was jealous—so what? It was unfair. Mastering a martial art in less than a month, then staying here doing nothing but writing some book and bullying me for being slow
I exhaled, looking down at my fists.
Tomorrow's Thursday, and honestly, I'm not eager to attend at all.
It's the week we focus on kicks.
Kicks and leg movement are my kryptonite.
Every time I try doing them, I end up falling on my face
The stiffness in my hip joints locks me up, makes my movements awkward—almost useless
It's like instead of kicking someone, I just place my feet on their face.
My legs don't stink enough to do any damage, and they're not even attractive enough to distract someone who's into feets
So in the end, it's basically the same as inviting whoever I'm fighting to punch me straight in the balls.
"haaaaf."
A loud sigh—almost like a dog's—escaped Yuzuru as he closed the book and set it beside him.
Sniff sniff
"Ugh." He lifted his arm and sniffed his right armpit.
"Finished writing?" I asked.
Yuzuru glanced at me, then nodded. "What about you? Any improvement?" He paused, then waved it off. "No—never mind. I can tell."
This bastard.
Yuzuru jumped down from his bunk, accidentally stepping on Dai's hand, which was dangling over the edge of the bed.
"Kaaah!" Dai jolted awake, clutching his left hand, pain written all over his face. "Ouch, Yuzuru! That hurts!"
"Don't care."
"You're so mean, Yang-chan—look at him." Dai pointed at Yuzuru, then turned his puppy-like eyes toward me.
Why was he telling me that, like I could actually do something about it?
Yuzuru then walked toward the newly renovated door.
It looked at least ten times sturdier than before—I doubt Dai could even leave a dent in it.
As for Yuzuru… I wasn't so sure.
I had never seen him go all out.
" Yamazaki Yuzuru requesting permission to take a bath," Yuzuru said, tapping the door lightly with his knuckle.
Clank!
The iron door swung open with a sharp echo. An officer stood there, his tone flat
"Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
Yuzuro turned his back to him, wrists already ready for the cuffs. But before stepping out, he glanced over his shoulder, eyes landing on Yang.
"Make sure you attend tomorrow's lesson," he said, a faint, knowing smirk pulling at his lips.
"I've got a surprise I think you'll like."
Hmm?
I stared as his back until the door was closed
Attend? And risk not being able to use my legs for a week? Yeah, sure.
__________________
Well, in the end, I attended anyway.
I couldn't sleep last night
curiosity wouldn't let me.
That "surprise" he kept talking about had better be worth it.
Because if it isn't…
I will—
I will pray for his downfall.
Now I was sitting in the gym, my arms wrapped around my knees. Beside me sat the rest of the class.
No sign of Yuzuru anywhere.
I stared ahead as two guys sparred, dueling with kicks only, their hands locked behind their backs.
Each strike echoed sharply through the room.
Master Kuro circled them slowly
like a predator waiting for a mistake to hit them with the new bamboo sword hes holding
The two guys knew it , That was why they instinctively moved their hands behind their backs, even though no one had ordered them to do so.
Finally, the big bald guy won.
The other collapsed to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air. A small slash marked his neck, blood seeping steadily from it. The kick itself hadn't done much damage—if anything, the baldy hadn't been trying to. He'd been aiming to cut him with his toenail.
Master Kuro walked over to the wheezing man and pressed a hand against his neck.
"Masa wins."
He raised a hand toward the officer standing by the door. The officer stepped forward and took the injured man away.
Masa was easily the weirdest person I'd met in this prison.
He never came near me when Dai or Yuzuru were around. But the moment I was alone, he'd appear, asking questions that made no sense at all
Can I fuck you?
Wanna be my woman?
Am I pretty?
I didn't think it was possible for anyone to surpass Dai in retardness
Turns out, I was wrong
Honestly, shouldn't people like this be sent somewhere else?
A mental asylum, maybe or any place that isn't here.
"Damn," I muttered, glancing at the dwarf beside me. "Your boyfriend is crazy."
He didn't have those hollow eyes anymore. He looked… different Almost feminine—in the way his lips moved, the way his eyes rolled, the subtle motion of his hand.
Still, he ignored me completely, as usual.
I didn't care about the attention of this dwarf or any of those low lives swines around him
but unfortunately, another dwarf had his attention fixed on me.
"Yang, step forward," master kuro called. His eyes were fixed on the ... side walls ? I couldnt tell his eyes are so misaligned to the point were one pupil was barely visible under his skin
"Nah, can't do it today. I've got a headache," I shook my head, holding it as if in pain.
Damn it… where is that black-eyed demon?
"Yang," Master Kuro called me again.
I don't have time for any of this.
His eyes told me that.
His eyes also told me just how fucked they are
Still, I didn't want that sword digging into my back.
So I stood up and stepped forward, doing exactly as he ordered.
The bald guy, Masa, walked past me.
"Wait."
Kuro's voice stopped him mid-step. Masa froze, then turned his head toward Kuro, confusion clear on his face.
"You'll fight him."
…Sorry, what?
Then, in an instant, the dull atmosphere of the class shattered.
Cheers erupted ,all of them directed at Masa.
"Yesss! Kill that boy!" the dwarf screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Don't fight—have sex!!"
"Kill him!!"
"Kill him!!"
"Shit in his mouth!!"
The voices piled on one another, a storm of hatred
Why am I this hated?
I honestly don't remember doing anything to deserve it.
"Yooo yooo Masaboy you look as ugly as ever...lets have a fun match and no nail thingy " i said glancing at his pointy toe nail that had some of the previous opponent flesh , then I raised my hand, waiting for a high five " c'mon dont leave me hanging "
He only shot me a glare, then took a step back and settled into a stance
" i vill kill ya "he said with a low voice
His right leg slid forward, left leg set back
his hands placed behind his back.
I just stood there, awkwardly lowering the hand I'd raised for a high five
The master put his right hand in between us
Then he raised it up
The signal to begin.
Masa lunged at Yang instantly, snapping his left leg upward, his right leg sliding back as he aimed straight for yang head. His toenail was angled toward his eyes
I might be slow when it comes to martial arts, but the attack was obvious from his stance. The way he placed his left leg back while his right was forward gave it away completely.
Even so, knowing didn't make it easy.
I barely avoided it, stumbling a step backward as his nail grazed the bridge of my nose
Before his left foot could even touch the ground, Yang lunged forward, tackling him hard and driving him down.
His head slammed into the floor—but the foamy mat absorbed most of the impact, dulling what should've been a brutal blow to the back of his skull.
But Yang's goal was never to pin him.
Masa had intended to gouge out Yang's eye with his toenail.
So Yang did just that
He drove his middle finger straight into Masa's left eye.
Squish.
"GAAAAAAAAAH!! YA SICK FUCK!!"
Masa's right hand shot upward toward Yang's face, wanting to shove him away by the chin.
His fingernails scraped across Yang's jaw, slicing into skin as they slid upward. One nail tore into the corner of his mouth, digging deep into his upper gum.
Yang's teeth snapped forward biting his fingers
Chomp.
"HAAAAAH!"
Masa's scream ripped through the air as pain detonated up his right arm. His index and middle fingers were gone
bitten clean through between Yang's teeth.
Yang spat them out quickly.
The blood-slick pieces hit the floor with a wet thud.
Kuro finally decided to intervene, stepping in and shoving Yang away with slight force.
"Master, what the fuck?! He's cheating!!"
" Is he insane?!"
"Yeah, that smells like solitary confinement for a million years!"
Hateful shouts erupted from the crowd, voices piling over one another as the chaos spread
"Gaaah—gaah—gaaah!!"
Masa, the bald man, kept rolling across the floor, blood spraying his lefts hand finger that was clamped over his left eyes his right hand was flailing around spraying blood everywhere.
Yeah… I'm finished.
Yang closed his eyes.
As he wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve
Why did I go this far?
He had only done it to protect his future self
Yuzuru didnt plan to stay here any longer and dai stupidity was increasing each day
This was his one chance
his only chance to bring the man down
. If Masa hadn't already fought someone before him, the outcome would never have been the same.
The master tried to pin Masa to the ground.
"Calm down—calm down—calm—"
He stopped mid-sentence, realizing it was useless.
Instead, he extended two fingers and pressed them into the back of Masa's neck.
Instantly, Masa's body went limp.
The screaming stopped.
The bleeding from his eye stopped too.
…Huh?
How?
It was as if the man had pressed a switch, turning Masa off.
The master stood up and gave Yang a brief look—just a glance—then shifted his gaze to the officer, who had just returned after escorting the other man to the infirmary.
The officer looked visibly upset, but he said nothing.
He stepped forward and pulled Masa away.
The master then turned his gaze back to us.
"Well done. Go back," he said to Yang.
Yang only blinked in response.
Well done?
It looked like they had the same reaction as I did.
"That's bullshit!!"
"This is unfair!!"
The crowd erupted again, voices overlapping.
Kuro scratched his bald head.
"Unfair?" he said. "Is that what you plan to say when you're fighting someone?"
"But it was supposed to be kicks only today!!"
"Yeah!!"
"It's true," Kuro continued calmly. "It was supposed to be kicks only. But that boy, Masa, is the one who threw that rule out the window the moment he used his nails as a weapon "
"…"
"Anything else?" Master Kuro asked the protestors.
No one answered.
I looked around them.
Every single one of them was glaring at me
every one except Dai, who was staring out the window as if searching for something
" Master, you lied. No one threw a ruler out of the window!!"
I hadn't expected anything from those low-lives anyway.
Hypocritical trash.
They didn't open their mouths when their precious boyfriend was slashing people with his filthy nails like a maniac, but the moment I cheat the same way he does, suddenly I'm the villain.
The thought that people like them would be roaming the streets again in just a few years made my blood boil.
" now tak--
Before the master could finish speaking
The door slammed open.
Followed by a thunderous shout that tore through the room.
"KENJI KUROKAWA!!"
It was Yuzuru.
He stood there grinning from ear to ear, a smile far too wide to be sane. Bloodlust poured off him so thick it was almost visible, pressing down on the air itself. Anyone who looked at him immediately broke into a cold sweat—everyone except the master, who regarded him calmly, and Dai, who was clutching his ear, still reeling from the sheer volume of Yuzuru's shout.
Hell—more than a few had dark stains spreading across their jeans.
Thank god i wasn't one of them
"I challenge you to a fight," Yuzuru said, tapping his chest. "Your Banryuukai against my Banryuukai. Let's see who's really the best."
He pointed at Kuro.
Before anything else could happen, three officers stormed into the room. One slipped behind Yuzuru, locking an arm around his neck, while the other two raised their batons and rushed him.
Yuzuru reacted instantly.
He reached back, clamped his hand onto the testicles of the officer choking him, and squeezed hard.
Grk.
A sickening sound came from below. The officer's eyes rolled back, his body going limp as he collapsed onto Yuzuru's back.
Yuzuru grabbed the unconscious man by the right arm and hurled him over his shoulder, slamming him straight into one of the officers charging from the front.
The other officer didn't hesitate.
Even after seeing what had happened to his colleagues, he swung his baton hard at Yuzuru's face.
The baton connected.
Yuzuru didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.
The impact was nonexistent, like the officer had only tapped his forehead instead of striking it with full force.
Silence followed for a moment
The officer blinked then slowly looked down at his own hand.
His wrist was bent at a wrong angle, snapped. A deep purple bruise was already spreading beneath the skin.
Only then did he start to scream " guhaaaaaaah ! "
No one knew what had really happened.
But Yang had a faint idea.
From time to time, he had seen Yuzuru training his kicks . Each session, they grew faster and sharper until his legs seemed to blur
So what happened to the officer's wrist wasn't some kind magic trick.
It was Yuzuru's kick.
So fast it was invisible.
And all of this from the testicles smashing to slamming and wrist breaking happened within a single breath.
Now the officer was screaming at the top of his lungs, shrill and panicked like a little girl
until Yuzuru kicked him square in the face, silencing him instantly
.
Then Yuzuru walked toward Kuro, his footsteps slow and deliberate, stopping when there were barely two meters between them.
Or a trillion mile, by American measurement.
"Everyone, out" Yuzuru commanded, his voice sharp.
The room emptied in an instant, bodies scrambling over one another just to get away.
No one spared a glance at the officer's body.
Which had already turned to a sickening shade of purple from the relentless stomping.
I was about to bolt with them when Yuzuru shot me a glance.
"Not you" he said. "Stay."
Oh great