The man whose strength stood out even amidst the whole student body was vigorously plunging through the forest.
There is only one goal. To take down 2-D’s Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Considering this uninhabited island test, no, considering common sense, violent actions aren’t recommendable.
However, unlike the school that had security cameras everywhere, in this uninhabited island there was no surveillance.
With just the wristwatches attached to their bodies, it wasn’t possible to verify specific facts.
The encirclement suggested by Tsubaki Sakurako.
He didn’t have any interest towards such a thing from the outset, but he had a reason to tag along with the plan.
In this vast uninhabited island, finding a single human being isn’t simple.
Not only would one have to repeatedly use GPS searches, if someone obstructs you it would all be for nothing.
If someone were to take command, they could be useful to remove such an obstruction.
Precisely because he thought that, Housen decided to pretend to follow Tsubaki’s orders.
It was all for the sake of finding Ayanokouji in a 1-on-1 situation where no one would be able to interrupt them without putting in effort himself.
When there was only a small distance left from Ayanokouji, Housen threw away his transceiver.
He showed his intent to ignore Tsubaki’s orders from here on out.
Producing his own tablet, he used a GPS search and closed the last stretch of distance.
With his own eyes, he verified that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was at a position 300 meters away from him.
He was far away from the other 1st year students more than anyone else.
Just a bit more.
Housen was quickly reflecting on his happiness that came because he was going to be able to fight him for real.
However-
As if to block that Housen-kun’s route, someone’s GPS signal intercepted his line of sight.
It was just a coincidence. Thinking that, Housen didn’t even verify who it was.
Just beyond his line of vision, his goal of seizing Ayanokouji was within reach.
“I found you, Ayanokouji-senpai!”
Ayanokouji noticed Housen from his shout that didn't hold back his excitement and turned back.
“Housen huh.”
He quietly looked at Housen and stopped walking.
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
“I thought you would come to meet me earlier. You’re more quiet than I expected.”
“That’s because someone blocking you when you’re trying to do something is a turn-off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know that Nanase came to tattle on me and give you a kind warning.”
“I sec. You deliberately set aside time for Nanase to tell me about the attack one day earlier?”
“I thought it was gonna be a cheap trick that I wouldn’t like, but it turned out to be convenient for me. She was useful.”
Housen said as he forcefully gripped his hands and bumped his fists together.
One could believe without a doubt that the real fight would start within 10 seconds from now.
“That’s unreasonable you know? Housen.”
“Aa?”
In this place that should have been a 1-on-1 situation, one man without even a shadow stood to block him.
“You get lost now. You’re in the way.”
As if this man had foreseen that Housen would appear, he had been lying in wait.
Ayanokouji’s eyes quickly met with that man’s, and he disappeared into the forest.
Housen wanted to chase him right away, but it would be difficult to ignore the man in front of him.
“What’s a bastard like you doing here? -Ryuuen.”
“That’s my line, Housen. You shouldn’t have any business here right?”
From that brief comment from Ryuuen, Housen immediately understood the situation.
“Aa? ...Ha, have my thoughts somehow been leaked somewhere along the line?”
Housen, who understood the situation, gave a cheerful laugh.
“So the other 1st years being captured by 2nd years wasn’t a coincidence.”
The company dispatched by Tsubaki in order to corner Ayanokouji were all piled on by 2nd years and stopped moving from their places.
All that pointed to the existence of someone controlling the 2nd years just as Tsubaki was controlling the 1st years.
“Was it you? No, I don’t get that feeling.”
Had Ryuuen been giving the commands, a tablet and a transceiver would be indispensible.
But Ryuuen didn’t even seem to be carrying a backpack.
Besides, giving orders to several groups while fighting in the front lines would be difficult.
“Have you finished gathering your thoughts yet?”
“I dunno. But how I’m gonna move is something that has nothing to do with you.”
Though he understood the situation, he couldn’t understand why Ryuuen had become one of the people who was protecting Ayanokouji from expulsion.
“Unfortunately, it docs have something to do with me.”
While shallowly laughing, Ryuuen starts walking towards Housen.
“I’d been doing a lot of things and now my pocket has gone cold. Now I’m like a mercenary who only complies because he has to.”
“Money, huh. But are you think that you can stop me?”
“What, are you thinking that I can’t stop you?”
Point-blank range. At a distance so close that they would touch if they extended their arms, the 2 smiled ominously.
The one who struck first was Ryuuen. Keeping Housen in his sight, he turned his clenched left fist to Housen. Since the power difference from the difference in their builds was obvious, it was an attack that aimed for the jaw.
“Otto... That’s quite a misbehaved left hand.”
Despite having the first move taken from him, Housen hadn’t been neglect the fight. He lightly stopped Ryuuen’s left hand in front of his chest, opened his mouth and laughed.
“You stink. Don’t spew your breathe on me, gorilla.”
“Only your mouth is first-class. Why don’t you show me the pride and strength of a 2nd year? Eh?!”
When he thought that he had let go of his captured left hand, his enemy instantly gripped his arm again and pulled it in.
Then Housen struck his forehead with his own forehead.
“!!”
That unexpected violent strike shook Ryuuen’s brain and made him stumble significantly.
It’s not as if Ryuuen had no experience.
Rather than that, he had many achievements fighting face-to-face that couldn’t compare to a regular delinquent.
However, Housen in front of him had already exceeded that several times over.
“Oraa!”
Ryuuen, unable to turn his body in order to dodge, took Housen’s kick just like that on his abdomen. His back, having been knocked down to the ground, presented a huge opening. But Housen only laughed where he was without moving.
“You barked so loudly but 10 seconds haven’t even passed yet you know?
Don’t make me laugh.”
“Ha... you have a really fucking hard head. Are you sure that’s not a rock?
Damn gorilla.”
Immediately standing back up, Ryuuen said things that could be interpreted as a challenge towards Housen.
Hearing that, as if amazed Housen scratched the back of his head.
“Looks like like I really overestimated you. Sure enough you’re not even worth talking about.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone who can satisfy you there though.”
“There is. Ayanokouji easily walked away from behind you. Now let me go”
“Ah?”
Ryuuen, hearing those words from Housen, stopped smiling for the first time.
“What? Do you know something, Housen?”
“Do I know something? Aah, the fact that you’re as weak as you look?”
“I thought that there were only a few people who knew about that guy’s other side. I never would’ve thought that we had that in common.”
As if they understood each other, monologues resembling a conversation piled up.
“For the first time, you’re interesting me, Housen. When and where did you do it, and who won?”
“Are you infatuated with Ayanokouji too, Ryuuen?”
The biggest reason Ryuuen was continuing to stay in this school was to get revenge on Ayanokouji.
Because of that, whether from a fight or anything else, he wouldn't allow Ayanokouji to be beaten.
Even if it were by Housen in front of him, in a fight beyond the level of high-schoolers.
Housen perceived that passion mixed with something that resembled killing intent and snorted.
“Relax. My fight with him never finished, no, or should I say it never started?”
Stretching his neck to the right and to the left and letting his bones pop, he approached Ryuuen.
“I haven’t seen anyone who could calmly stop my fists until now after all.
No, to begin with, I don’t think I’ll sec anyone who can get stabbed with a knife without even showing pain from here on out.”
Knife, stabbed. Hearing those words, Ryuuen immediately dug up memories in his mind.
The memory of when Ayanokouji temporarily wore a bandage over his hand that covered a scar.
“Tch, looks like he’s having an awful lot of fun without me.”
Even as he caught two blows from his fists, Ryuuen’s eyes never stopped looking at Housen for a second.
Even seeing something so ominous, Housen continued approaching him without feeling wary.
In the first place, he never held anything like conceit or negligience towards a fight. Just normal combat readiness.
All the more since the enemy in front of him was Ryuuen, who he shared a bad reputation with in middle school.
He kicked the ground and closed the distance with a speed unthinkable for such a large body. Ryuuen, who had been making to guard his face, was knocked down, and a fist was plunged into his face.
His arm moved so strongly that if he weren’t guarding himself, it wouldn't be unusual for his nose to have been broken.
Not long after he had stood up, Ryuuen was again knocked down to the ground.
Housen internally ascertained that the difference between their strengths was obvious in this 1-on-1 fight.
Ryuuen immediately tried to raise his upper body, but a kick was vigorously thrown at his face as if it was waiting for that moment, knocking him throwing him on his back.
“You're pretty busy with sleeping and waking up huh?”
Just under 1 minute after the fight started, the result was obvious to anyone who saw it.
“Do you really think so you asshole...”
“Hahaa! It’s as I thought Ryuuen! You’re only on this level!”
Housen seemed happy when he yelled that, but at the same time it could’ve been called a marking.
From the start, the difference in their fighting potentials was big enough for a turn-around to be impossible.
Despite that, Ryuuen’s will to fight showed no signs of bending. Housen’s heart broke when his fighting opponent was 80% knocked down with just one blow. Another 10% was bluffing. And the last 10% was despairing when he took the 2nd and 3rd blows.
However, his eyes couldn’t see a single change in the eyes of Ryuuen before him even while he took damage.
Because of that, he tried to to use words to make him understand the difference in power and yield.
In reply to that mental attack, Ryuuen takes a one-step lead.
“This is kinda fun, but do you think you’ve already won?”
Even while in pain, Ryuuen raised his torso with an indestructible grin.
“Don’t make me laugh. As if you qualify as my enemy.”
Housen came right in front of him, gripped Ryuuen’s collar and raised it.
“In the end, you’re a man who can’t get shit done unless he uses someone else.”
“Winning in these 1-on-l fights isn’t everything you know? The truth is when we were in middle school, your and my views of the world wouldn’t
change.”
Despite the situation, Ryuuen tries to shake Housen.
“Yeah, you would always sneak around and avoid any direct confrontations.
What terrifying power.”
Though it’s not as if his attempt to shake him was completely meaningless, it wasn’t on the level of damaging him.
Housen’s position, possessing overwhelming fighting supremacy, didn’t change.
Then, Ryuuen made a big movement with his left hand while captured.
Then he brought that hand to Housen’s side and threw the soil he had in his grip at his eyes.
“Agh!”
Though he was taken by surprise with that attack, Housen defended himself with his hand until the dirt cleared.
“You’re naive!”
“Is that right?!”
This time using his right hand, he launched the sand stored even there at Housen’s eyes.
“I said you’re naive!”
Housen avoided his left hand and the sand launched from there with his hand without difficulty.
Ever since he lifted Ryuuen, he had been paying attention to his clenched fists.
“After all, the worth of the techniques a small fry leans on in fights has already been decided!”
This time right after being retaliated against, Housen quickly hit the left side of Ryuuen’s face.
It was a jab-like punch that placed more importance on speed than power.
That was aimed at the left side this time, then equally again on the right side.
Strikes like a boxer hitting a sandbag repeatedly.
While being beaten intensely enough to lose consciousness, the light in Ryuuen’s eyes pierces Housen’s pupils for a second. Right after, Housen’s field of vision, which was looking at Ryuuen getting beaten hard enough to be blown away, wavered for a second.
“...hagh!”
Ryuuen, twisting his body even while being done in, launched a rotating kick just before he was knocked down.
Although only a little bit it grazed Housen’s chin. Not having intended to take even 1 more hit, Housen was irritated. He gripped Ryuuen’s bangs and raised them.
“Are you satisfied with hitting me once? Ah?! I’ll kill you!”
When he was struck for the 7th time, an alert rang from Ryuuen’s wrist watch.
“Hahaha! You’re pretending to be fine but that alert means your body is reaching its limit doesn’t it? It looks like your wristwatch is way more honest than you!”
The wristwatch had been monitoring abnormalities in things like heart rates and raised an alert.
“You’re really, a gorilla, aren’t you... At least I’ll acknowledge your pride in fighting...”
Housen took that praise as a surrender, smiled in triumph and let go of his bangs. Unable to stay conscious, Ryuuen fell to the ground just like that.
The warning alert meaninglessly echoes throughout the forest.
“Looks like the warning alert is beeping. Doesn't that mean you’re going to reach your limit soon? It’s okay to show it you know?”
“Ha... you’re kidding. Isn’t this wristwatch just broken?”
Ryuuen lowered his eyes to his wristwatch and grinned, but anyone could see that he had obviously taken a lot of damage.
Seeing that unsightly figure, Housen spat at his feet like he was bored.
“See ya Ryuuen. You weren’t fun to fight.”
“Hold up. I’m curious why you think you’ve won.”
“Aah?”
“Have I told you I’ve lost even once?”
Housen felt nothing but amazement and made to walk past him, but his attention had been attracted for a moment and he decided not to. The eyes of the one who looked like he was one-sidedly teasing him, just like his words hadn’t yet died.
“At least I’ll acknowledge your mental fortitude. But you know... it’s not like I can keep doing this forever!”
Humans are creatures who are weak to pain.
No matter how tough they act, if they were to be struck by intense power such as the one released by Housen’s fists, pain would follow for anyone.
It’s just a matter of how much they can endure.
Not to mention that when have to endure, it’s impossible to overturn an overwhelming difference in power.
Without losing composure despite the warning alert ringing for a second time, Ryuuen was given precise measures of pain.
Receiving countless strikes from Housen, Ryuuen’s wristwatch automatically changed to the emergency alert. At this rate if left alone for more than 5 minutes, employees and a medical team would come to this place.
“Your body is honest. That’s enough, accept this hopeless situation already.”
“Ah—... the pain is numb enough to feel good...”
Right now, without turning his eyes to his wristwatch even once, he stood up as he smiled ominously.
Right here and right now, Housen learned that Ryuuen had indomitable mental fortitude.
“What the fuck are you? Why do you persist even though it’s taking all you have just to stand? There shouldn’t be a merit to keep being stubborn here.”
As if it were an alarm clock, he brought his wristwatch which was ringing a piercing emergency alert to his cars for a moment.
“Keep being stubborn? Haa, your way of thinking is mistaken.”
At this time Housen had thought that Ryuuen would cut off his emergency alert directly.
But without ever cutting off his emergency alert, Ryuuen dropped his arms and inserted his hands into both of his pockets.
“The fight’s still not over.”
“Are you insane...? if you don’t call the school here, you’ll have to retire you know?”
“So as the one who made me retire, you’d get expelled?”
If these circumstances were seen by the school, Ryuuen asked how they would judge it.
Housen received a slight kick to the chin. He had almost no wounds.
The probability that the school would interpret this as one-sided violence couldn't be ignored.
“Since you can’t measure up as an opponent you intend to play the victim?
How lame. You’re lame, Ryuuen.”
Looking at the situation, this could have been taken as a reversal of their positions, but Housen didn’t falter from something like that.
From the beginning he had decided to make Ayanokouji surrender with violence, though he had passed by their place.
“If the school is so scary then shouldn’t you just go back?”
“Spewing shit.”
Judging that intentionally triggering the emergency alert had been Ryuuen’s strategy, Housen once again steps forward.
“My GPS in particular is off. Killing you before the school gets here would be no problem.”
Even if the school were to hurry to this place, they would have at least 30 minutes.
“Kuku, come at me.”
Housen still wasn’t scared. Ryuuen welcomed him without even taking his hand out from his pocket.
“If you don’t even feel like protecting yourself, go to sleep already!”
Not wanting to waste anymore time than this, Housen clenched his right fist.
Ryuuen took out both of his hands from his pocket, but those hands were still clenched shut.
“Don’t think of using cheap tricks on me!”
Housen intuitively guessed that Ryuuen was holding on to something in, but he didn’t make to stop at all.
In order to crack his will and break it, he sent a right straight towards Ryuuen with all his might.
Seeing that, Ryuuen accepted it upfront without opening either of his fists.
Housen’s arm had tried to crack open his guard, but right after that-
“Doryaaa!”
From a blind spot within the forest, two shadows jumped out and took Housen’s back.
“Wha-?!”
It was natural for Housen to be surprised from the bottom of his heart. He hadn’t felt any sign of them.
When he had used a GPS search a few minutes ago, nobody but Ayanokouji and Ryuuen was within the vicinity.
Even if they headed here right after their fight had began, they wouldn’t have had a chance to make it.
Despite that, 2 men had captured Housen’s arms. They were like ghosts.
It would have been one thing if it were just Ishizaki, but Albert, possessing strength that wasn’t inferior to Housen’s had also jumped onto him. Just as one would expect, even Housen could no longer keep moving forward.
Albert had his dominant right arm while Ishizaki held back his left arm on the other side.
“The fuck is thiiis!!”
Though he struggled frantically, even Housen couldn’t easily shake both of them off from his arms.
The next instant, what was reflected in Housen’s eyes was Ryuuen lowering his guard and laughing uncannily.
“It’s simple. The wristwatch gets broken, it won’t be detected by the GPS.”
From early on, Ishizaki and Albert had disabled their GPS’ functions and accompanied Ryuuen.
Housen learned that when he thought this was going to be a 1-on-1 fight, he had already walked into Ryuuen’s plan.
“Do you really intend to fight me 3-on-l? Aah?!”
“Don’t bark so loudly, gorilla. Your execution starts here you know?”
Once again, Ryuuen threw his clenched fists at Housen’s face without a hint of hesitation.
Even when Housen’s face bent to the right and to the left, he kept repeating on and on until his legs dug into the ground.
While bearing the trembling of his knees Housen continued to howl, but without being able to move his hands even once, he kept on getting beaten.
Before long, Housen collapsed to the ground off the damage he had accumulated.
When Housen’s head came to a spot that was just right, Ryuuen held it down with both hands and repeatedly struck with his knee. He was partial to his nose.
“Gah...!”
Raising a voice that didn’t come out, Housen fell on his back for the first time. Ryuuen signaled the 2 with his eyes, and they held down his arms just like they did when he was standing.
“Gorillas don’t usually wear handcuffs. Well, you’ve done a lot to me, Housen.”
Fixing his hair, Ryuuen straddled Housen from above.
“Looking, down on me... this shitty bastard!”
“Looking down on you? Ha, what the heck do you mean?”
“I said you’re a shitty small fry who can’t even fight me 1-on-l!”
“Kuku, don’t make me laugh. I’m not stupid enough to take on a gorilla 1-on-1.”
Saying such while laughing, Ryuuen raised his hand.
And then without wavering he struck Housen’s face with it.
“Ah right, rest assured Housen. I won’t tell you to cry. Nothing will change even if you apologize after all.”
Even as he is being beaten while completely defenseless, Housen was not weak to taking damage here. Instead, he got angrier and struggled more. Albert and Ishizaki wisely kept restraining him.
“Shithead!! Move, small fries!!”
“Don’t struggle so much, the cooking only starts from here you know? I’ll come and give you a great massage so enjoy yourself down there.”
Ryuuen’s fist descended twice and thrice, but far from spitting out words of surrender Housen continued howling.
“As expected you have nothing but pride in fighting.”
Whether it be on the physical or mental front, Housen showed what he had been so proud of when it came to fights.
If only it were 3-on-l from the beginning.
Ryuuen’s team would have a hard time winning by themselves.
That just showed the strength of Housen, the man who was currently at their mercy.
But when it came to fights, the victor was often decided in an moment’s decision.
The difference in a punch or in falling down was like light and darkness.
A second’s negligience or self-conceit could have the tables be turned on you. After that Ryuuen lynched Housen repeatedly and one-sidedly. As one would expect, even Housen would lose power in his body.
“Rude. My arm has started to hurt.”
“Haa, haa... shithead...”
He tried to free his dominant right arm from Albert, but it had no effect.
“To think that you had an underling like this... it was beyond my expectations.”
Housen glared at Albert who wouldn’t lose to him in terms of raw poer.
“Yo big boy. Why do you serve under someone like Ryuuen? Ah?”
The fact that Albert had pure fighting strength that surpassed that of Ryuuen was obvious.
“Well, you’re right when you say that Albert is a man who I can’t win against in 1 or 2 fights no matter how hard I try.”
“So why?”
“You don’t get it Housen. Simple superhuman strength you can brag about doesn’t mean you stand at the top.”
Even if he was told such an explanation, Housen, usually having fought alone, was unable to understand it completely.
“Kuku. Well, in Albert’s case it’s just a matter of simple camaraderie though.”
Although they didn’t like meaningless fights, Ryuuen’s class judged that following him was their best course of action.
Precisely because of that, they lent him hands that wouldn’t hesitate to do unethical things every once in a while. There were times when Ryuuen temporarily harmed his comrades as part of his plans, but believing that it was ultimately for the sake of the class, he decided to keep following him. He was originally a kind-hearted man that didn’t like violence.
“Don’t think you’ve won with this Ryuuen!”
“I can never agree with you. The shape I’m in means my loss. But for me, something like the method doesn’t matter. Whoever is left standing at the end is the winner.”
Ryuuen had never shared in the beautiful sentiment of having a 1-on-l fight.
For him, Housen’s provocations were meaningless. Rather than that, he accepted them as the grief of the loser and basked in delight.
“J, sh, shit...!”
Having been struck several tens of times, even Housen was approaching his limit. Even if his arms had not been suppressed, it wouldn’t have been easy to beat Ryuuen.
“I’ll remember this... even if you win here, bastard, I’ll kill you right away next time I see you.”
“Though I don’t intend to be retaliated against by a gorilla... if you’re gonna do it do it well ok? Winning isn’t so simple. Even if you send me flying, if that results in you getting expelled, it’s your loss.”
“Spewing shit-!”
Ryuuen’s complete straight hit Housen’s cheak and reaped his consciousness.
Since the match was concluded with Housen’s fainting, Ryuuen stood up.
“Fu-... that was a bone-breaking fight.”
Wiping away the blood on his fist, Ryuuen looked up at the sky and exhaled a tired breath.
“Yeah, but what a formidable guy... I really did think that he was a monster.”
“Fighting someone like this upfront would have just been idiotic.”
Albert agreed with those words and nodded.
“You guys also did well.”
As if to talk about how rough this fight was, Ryuuen gave words of appreciation.
“N, no! We only supported you! Right, Albert?!”
Neither Ishizaki nor Albert had any large wounds that stood out.
That was because Ryuuen had decided that those 2 couldn’t be harmed after dragging them into this fight.
That’s because if more people had been injured, this fight wouldn’t have ended as a mere fight.
“You guys, leave soon. It wouldn’t be weird for facility members to arrive here at any time now.”
A reasonable amount of time had passed since Ryuuen’s wristwatch rang the emergency alert.
“Uh, what about Ryuuen-san...?”
“Well, this is just how it is. Even if I said I wanted to continue, they wouldn’t let me do that so easily.”
Like the unconscious Housen, the wounds that Ryuuen had received were as serious as they should be.
“I’ll retire with Housen like this.”
“Is that okay?”
“I’ve entrusted everything that needs to be done to Katsuragi. Though it’s become hard to get into the top 3.”
If they had let Housen go here, it would’ve been possible for him to come after Ayanokouji again.
And if the wounded ringleader, Ryuuen, had disappeared from this place, that would in itself become a problem.
They would make this out to have been a 1-on-1 fight between Ryuuen and Housen and retire together.
That was the outline, but he had also judged from the start that this was the cleanest way to do it.
“...That is, unfortunate.”
By yesterday, Ryuuen and Katsuragi’s group was in 5th place. Though it’s not much there was still a chance for them to remain in the top ranks. Ishizaki lamented that.
“Not really, even.”
As if he remembered something, Ryuuen smiled thinly.
Not knowing why he did, Ishizaki and Albert looked at each other.
“I’ll tell you about it. Just go for now.”
Ishizaki and Albert both wanted to avoid falling behind as much as possible in returning to their group.
For that reason, they had to exchange their wristwatches and meet their group as soon as possible.
After the 2 ran off towards the starting point together, Ryuuen used Housen’s body as a makeshift bench, sat down on it and lost consciousness.
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