Chapter 38: One sided.
Ayanokoji slowly got to his feet, dusting himself off, his face unreadable as always. His body shifted into a relaxed stance, but his eyes narrowed, analyzing Rei's movements. "I see now..." he muttered under his breath. Without warning, he launched a swift punch, fast enough to blur to the average eye.
But not to Rei.
Rei effortlessly dodged, tilting his head to the side with the barest of movements, his lips curling into a slight, knowing smile. He countered immediately, aiming a punch of his own toward Ayanokoji's jaw. But Ayanokoji twisted at the last moment, sidestepping with minimal effort, avoiding the blow by mere inches.
"You're a split personality," Ayanokoji remarked coolly, his voice devoid of emotion. "It finally makes sense... when you told Kushida, 'We are similar.'"
Rei gave no response, his expression dark and focused.
He surged forward without warning, closing the distance between them. His arms shot out in a grappling move, aiming to trap Ayanokoji in a clinch. But Ayanokoji was just as quick, using Rei's momentum to twist his own body, breaking the grapple with a subtle, fluid motion.
"Let's see if you can keep up this time," Rei whispered, a wild grin spreading across his face.
Ayanokoji wasted no time, launching forward with a precise punch aimed at Rei's temple, the kind of blow that would incapacitate most opponents. But Rei moved like a shadow—fluid, unpredictable. He sidestepped with ease, his movements almost too fast to track. Before Ayanokoji could even retract his arm, Rei was already inside his guard.
A sharp, brutal knee slammed into Ayanokoji's ribs with bone-crushing force. Ayanokoji's breath left his lungs in a painful gasp as his body instinctively recoiled from the blow. He tried to pivot out of danger, but Rei was relentless.
A vicious elbow strike collided with Ayanokoji's cheek, snapping his head to the side. His vision blurred for a split second, but Rei didn't allow him even a moment to recover. With terrifying speed, Rei followed up with a spinning back kick that hit Ayanokoji square in the chest, sending him skidding across the pavement.
Ayanokoji's body slammed against the ground, the impact jarring through his frame. He rolled back onto his feet, ignoring the pain shooting through his side. His eyes focused on Rei, analyzing, calculating. But something was off—Rei's movements weren't just faster; they were impossibly refined, as though he had trained for years in an art that transcended human limits.
"Is that all?" Rei taunted, his grin widening as he slowly advanced. "I thought you knew every martial art. Why are you struggling now?"
Ayanokoji's face remained impassive, though his body tensed as Rei closed in. He darted in, aiming for a leg sweep, Rei saw it coming from a mile away. With a laugh, Rei leapt into the air, spinning gracefully as he dodged the sweep and brought his heel crashing down toward Ayanokoji's head.
Ayanokoji barely managed to raise his arm in time to block the attack, but the force of the blow was enough to send him stumbling back. His arm throbbed, the impact reverberating through his bones. Before he could recover, Rei was already upon him again, throwing a flurry of punches, each one faster and more brutal than the last.
Ayanokoji tried to parry, his hands moving in calculated motions, but he was losing ground fast. Rei's strikes were unpredictable—wild yet controlled. A solid hook smashed into Ayanokoji's jaw, followed by a vicious uppercut that sent him reeling.
Rei wasn't letting up.
With lightning speed, Rei spun behind Ayanokoji and wrapped his arm around his throat, locking him into a chokehold. Ayanokoji's hands shot up, trying to break the grip, but Rei's strength was overwhelming. He tightened the hold, dragging Ayanokoji to the ground with ease.
"Too slow, too weak," Rei whispered into his ear, his voice laced with sadistic glee. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Ayanokoji gritted his teeth, struggling to breathe as Rei's grip constricted his airway. His vision began to blur, but he remained calm, methodically searching for a way out. With a swift twist of his body, he managed to free himself from Rei's chokehold, but as he tried to stand, Rei's knee drove into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him once more.
Ayanokoji staggered, clutching his ribs, but Rei didn't stop. He unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick that connected with Ayanokoji's temple, sending him sprawling to the ground. For the first time, Ayanokoji struggled to rise, his body refusing to cooperate as pain shot through every limb.
Rei stood over him, his violet eyes gleaming with unbridled chaos. "Still think you can keep up, Ayanokoji?"
Ayanokoji staggered to his feet, every fiber of his body screaming in protest, but his face remained emotionless, as if pain was a foreign concept. His vision blurred slightly from the blood trickling down the side of his mouth, yet his eyes stayed cold and detached, unfazed by his own physical state.
But then, without warning, a sharp, burning pain erupted in his chest as Rei's palm strike sent him flying backward. Ayanokoji's back slammed against the pavement with brutal force, his breath stolen from him as he coughed up a spatter of saliva. The agony in his chest was unlike anything he'd felt before.
"What?!" Rei's voice cut through the air, dripping with disdain. "You think I'm some saint, letting you just get back up while I watch?"
Rei—no, Yuto—stood over him, his expression twisted with mockery as he let out a cruel laugh. A sudden, sharp pressure forced Ayanokoji's body down again as Yuto planted his shoe firmly on his chest, pinning him to the ground.
"Ayanokoji!" Yuto gasped in exaggerated shock, his eyes glinting with sadistic amusement. "Do you honestly think you're the main character in some story? Think you're going to pull out some last-minute plot armor?"
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "Pathetic."
Without warning, Yuto's foot smashed into Ayanokoji's already swollen cheek. The pain was sharp, and Ayanokoji's head snapped to the side as his cheek burned and throbbed. But still, his face remained expressionless, his cold eyes locked onto the horizon, never giving Yuto the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Pfft… look at you! Fucking miserable bitch! If you didn't fuck with me, your artificial ass might still calling itself undefeated! But no," Rei spat. "You had to dip your feet into dangerous waters. Now look at you—broken."
For a moment, Yuto seemed to consider spitting on him, his lips curling in disgust. But instead, he sighed, rolling his shoulders as if brushing off the entire fight as nothing more than an exercise.
"Well," he said casually, stretching his arms above his head. "Playtime's over."
Yuto bent down, yanking Ayanokoji's limp, battered body from the ground and dragging him toward a nearby chair facing the sea. Ayanokoji's legs barely held him up as Yuto dropped him unceremoniously into the seat, forcing his beaten frame to slouch forward.
Yuto reached into his pocket, pulling out two candy sticks. With deliberate cruelty, he shoved one into Ayanokoji's mouth. Ayanokoji didn't even resist; his body felt too foreign, too disconnected to care. The cool sweetness of the candy contrasted sharply with the metallic taste of blood on his tongue.
Yuto put the other candy stick into his own mouth, sighing in satisfaction as he leaned back and surveyed the scene—the gentle waves crashing against the shore, the salty breeze sweeping through their hair. A perfect, serene contrast to the violence that had just occurred.
"Ahh," Yuto sighed, stretching one last time. "That feels much better." He looked down at Ayanokoji, grinning widely as he waved his hand lazily. "See you tomorrow, Ayanokoji. Uhh..."
"Actually, I would rather not see your face for a couple of days but whatever."
With that, Yuto turned and walked away, leaving Ayanokoji alone, bruised and broken, his gaze fixed on the vast expanse of the sea.
Ayanokoji sat motionless, his body too damaged to move, his mind racing with questions. 'How does Yuto know about the White Room? What is his connection to me? What's with this split personality? How is he this strong?' Each thought raced through his mind, but there were no immediate answers. Instead everything was silent.
A long, loud silence.
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of the ocean as it rustled through Ayanokoji's hair. The waves gently lapped at the shore, their rhythmic sound soft and calming. For the first time, Ayanokoji's mind went silent.
I lost.
As the waves continued to crash, Ayanokoji's chest filled with a foreign emotion, something that gnawed at him, though he couldn't place it. His lips curled ever so slightly, a rare, almost imperceptible smirk forming as he stared at the endless sea.
"I lost..." he whispered, tasting the words, letting them settle into his mind.
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[A/n: Yea nah! That was 1500 words, half a chapter bigger, I want that 10 reveiw now!]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
kreakerss
kreakerss Well, I tried to make it nice...
Chapter 39: Starting over.
Yuto opened the door to his room, the quiet click of the latch echoing louder than it should. No, it wasn't the door. The world around him was just too quiet. He stepped inside, letting the door fall shut behind him. His feet moved on autopilot, carrying him to the center of the room, where he stood still.
Tick… tock…
The soft ticking of the clock filled the silence, each second a reminder of the time slipping away. Yuto's eyes scanned the room, his chest tightening. Without warning, a surge of emotion overwhelmed him. He screamed, grabbing a ceramic decoration and hurling it against the wall, the crash of shattered pieces filling the void. But the destruction wasn't enough.
"Why?!" he yelled, yanking the blanket off the bed and throwing it to the floor. His voice cracked with frustration, the rawness of his emotions spilling out. "Why did this happen to me?!"
He kicked the door, the bedframe, anything his feet could reach, as if trying to expel the chaos raging inside him. The pillow flew across the room, landing in the kitchen with a dull thud.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, he stopped. His breath came in ragged gasps as he looked around, the wreckage of his room staring back at him. The mess reflected the storm within.
Yuto collapsed to the floor, leaning against the edge of the bed. His knees pulled up, arms limp at his sides. His voice, now barely a whisper, broke the silence. "Why did it turn out like this?"
He stared blankly at the ceiling, the weight of everything pressing down on him. "I wish I could start over..."
Start over...
His breath caught. Something shifted in his mind, a flicker of something new—or maybe something old. His eyes widened, and slowly, a playful, unsettling grin crept onto his face.
"Start over..."
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Class D had a morning like any other. The girls flocked around Kei, the boys talked in a circle about girls and games, and Ayanokoji—despite sporting a face that looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a professional boxer—gazed out the window as usual, pretending he didn't notice the stares.
Horikita, though, was off her game. She stared blankly at a book, the pages untouched since the start of the class. It was painfully obvious she hadn't absorbed a single word.
"Oy, Ayanokoji!" Ike called out, interrupting the silence. "Man! What happened to you? You look like you've been run over by a truck! Did Class C jump you or something?" He leaned closer, clearly fishing for gossip.
Ayanokoji flinched, opening his mouth to respond—when suddenly, the door burst open with a bang.
"GUYS!" Yukimura yelled as he sprinted into the classroom, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
"What the hell, Yukimura?" Sato drawled from his desk, barely glancing up. "Why're you shouting like that? It's too early for drama, man."
"It's Kazuki! He's—" Yukimura stammered, and Horikita's eyes widened instantly.
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"EHH?! What do you mean I can't do this?! I paid money to stay here!" Yuto groaned, visibly annoyed as Hirata politely tried to reason with him.
Yuto dug into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop wrapper, popping the candy into his mouth like it was a stress reliever. "This is my copium, I swear...," he mumbled, the stick wagging as he spoke to himself.
"I paid 50,000 points to sit in this classroom for five days, Hirata! Fifty-thousand!" He grumbled
Hirata, ever the diplomat, tried again. "Kazuki-kun, you can't just—"
"Hey, Ichinose!" Yuto interrupted with a cheeky grin, waving at the girl standing awkwardly behind Hirata. "Talk some sense into them, will ya? I mean, I'm practically one of you guys now!"
Ichinose chuckled awkwardly, clearly not sure what to do. "Well… he did pay 50,000 points…" she murmured, glancing at Kanzaki beside her, who could only manage a stiff nod.
"Wait, Yuto!" Ike suddenly chimed in, barging into the conversation like a kid who just found out his friend has candy. "Where'd you get that kinda money? You're still in Class D, aren't you? How'd you get so rich?!" His voice was filled with envy, his eyes practically glowing.
"Tsk, tsk." Yuto smirked, dramatically leaning back in his chair and putting his legs up on the desk, as if he owned the place. "Ever wonder what life would be like if Kazuki Yuto was in Class B?"
"Kazuki-kun!" Hirata sighed, rubbing his temples. "This prank has gone too far. Why are you doing this?"
Kushida, hovering nearby, looked genuinely concerned. "K-Kazuki-kun, are you… tired of us?" Her voice was soft, almost hurt.
Yuto sighed theatrically, pulling the lollipop from his mouth. "Nah, I've got nothing against you guys. I just need some time away from… certain people." His eyes flicked to the side, but no one missed the implication.
Kei, who'd been quietly watching from the sidelines, finally snapped. "Geez… Someone go get Horikita! He'll come running back like a puppy the second she calls his name." The other students nodded in agreement, some even chuckling.
"I'll go get her—" Sato offered, stepping forward, but Yuto raised a hand, cutting her off with a dramatic flair.
"Don't bother." He plastered on a sad, yet somehow mischievous smile, looking down as if contemplating the deepest of existential crises. "I won't be listening to her anytime soon."
The air in the room grew tense, the laughter fading into awkward silence. Hirata coughed. "Maybe Kazuki-kun just needs some space. We should give him time to cool down." He gestured for everyone to leave, and they hesitantly began to trickle out, one by one, until only Kei was left.
Kei narrowed her eyes at Yuto, who sighed as if he'd been expecting this.
"Hey… can we talk?" she asked.
Yuto rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "Come on then, out with it."
Yuto walked out of the class with an annoyed expression as Kei led him to a random, inconspicuous staircase. Then again, knowing Kei, it was probably the least inconspicuous spot in the school. Typical.
Once they were alone, Kei crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Well?"
Yuto leaned back lazily against the wall. "Well, what?"
"What 'what'?! What happened!?"
Yuto groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I already told you, I'm starting over—"
"No! Not that!" Kei cut him off, her frustration bubbling. "What happened to Kiyotaka? How did he end up looking like a piñata that got into a fight with a baseball bat? What's going on between you two? And why the hell aren't you talking to Horikita?!"
Yuto blinked, taken aback. "Whoa, slow down! That's like five questions in one go! My brain's still processing." He made a show of tapping his head, as if he had to reboot. "Okay, okay, let's start with Kiyo-chan—I mean, Ayanokoji. I might have roughed him up... just a little."
Kei's eyes widened like saucers. "A little?! The guy looks like a walking bruise! He's practically a purple balloon with legs!"
Yuto snorted, trying (and failing) to hide his grin. "Yeah, well... we had a disagreement."
Kei narrowed her eyes before reaching out and flicking him on the forehead. "Are you even in there? Who turns their friend into a piñata over a disagreement? Did you have too much sugar again? Oh my God—do you have high blood pressure?!"
"No, stop it," Yuto said, trying to swat her hand away as she patted his back like a concerned mother checking for a fever.
"Enough!" Yuto finally snapped, crossing his arms in mock indignation. He then glanced at her, a sly smile forming. "As for why I'm not talking to Horikita…" Kei perked up at the mention of Horikita, Not Suzune. Yuto paused for dramatic effect, smiling warmly at her.
"That's none of your business!" he said, poking her forehead lightly, before walking off with a grin.
Kei's jaw dropped. "YOU—"
But Yuto was already gone, leaving Kei fuming and confused.
She bit her lip as she muttered a curse.
"That bastard.."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
kreakerss
kreakerss
Yes! I did increase the size of the chapters to around 1500 words, thank me with power stone if you wish!
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