Capítulo 37: Yuto Vs. Ayanokoji

Ayanokoji rubbed his jaw, testing the sting as he brought his steady gaze back to Yuto. "Why did you punch me?" His voice was flat, but there was an undercurrent of curiosity, as if he was trying to feign ignorance.

Yuto didn't respond immediately. Instead, he fumbled in his pocket, pulling out another candy stick, slipping it between his lips. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he looked up at the night sky, blinking furiously to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

Ayanokoji stood in silence, observing. There was something almost clinical in his detachment, but even he couldn't ignore the tension crackling in the air between them.

Yuto let out a bitter chuckle, his voice barely above a whisper. "What am I? A baby? Crying over something like this..." His shoulders shook, his eyes glistening in the dim light. The candy stick hung loosely from his mouth as he wiped at the tears that began to trail down his cheeks. His face finally leveled with Ayanokoji's, but there was nothing playful about the smile that stretched across Yuto's face—broken, wide, and tinged with pain.

Without warning, Yuto surged forward, his leg snapping out with terrifying speed. But this time, Ayanokoji was prepared. His left forearm shot up, bracing with his right wrist for extra support just before Yuto's shin slammed into him.

The impact reverberated through his bones, sending a dull, numbing ache through his arm. He quickly backstepped, the memory of the island and Yuto's brutal force flashing in his mind. 'Blocking isn't an option with him,' he realized.

"Yuto," Ayanokoji's voice was cold, sharp as steel, his eyes narrowing slightly, "if you keep attacking me for no reason, I'll be forced to fight back."

"For no reason?" Yuto's expression darkened, a vein pulsing angrily on his temple. A strange sound escaped his throat—a hollow, humorless laugh.

"Ha..."

"Haha…"

"Hahahahaha!" The laugh spilled out of him, strained and jagged like shattered glass. There was nothing joyful in it—just raw, painful emotion. Then, just as suddenly as it began, Yuto's laughter cut off. His chest heaved as he exhaled sharply, and when he spoke again, his voice was low, barely containing the raging turmoil inside him.

"So much for trying to maintain my cool..."

Ayanokoji felt a slight breeze as Yuto charged at him. He didn't block, instead swiftly moving his head to the right, his hand catching Yuto's forearm in a fluid motion. Without wasting a second, Ayanokoji attempted to trip Yuto and force him onto his back. But Yuto, seeing through the move, twisted his leg in an abnormal way—unnaturally flexible, almost triple-jointed—as he threatened to smash Ayanokoji's face with an incoming elbow strike.

Ayanokoji bent backward, his hands touching the ground in a quick recovery, before kicking his legs upward in a handstand. His foot aimed for Yuto's chin, but Yuto narrowly dodged it. Yuto moved in, attempting to grab Ayanokoji's leg mid-air, only to feel a searing pain explode across his left cheek as a second kick connected, sending him stumbling backward.

Ayanokoji effortlessly stood back up from the handstand, his gaze locking onto Yuto. They shared a brief moment of silence.

"You're not going to ask why I did that to you?" Ayanokoji asked, his tone neutral.

Yuto spat out the remaining candy stick in his mouth, his fist clenching tighter. "What's the point of asking questions when you already know the answer?"

His voice dripped with disdain, and his narrowed eyes bore into Ayanokoji. "I don't need idle chatter. Today, my goal is to beat the crap out of your sly ass—then I'll figure out whether I want to cry or not."

With that, Yuto charged again, throwing a powerful jab. Ayanokoji smoothly dodged, following up with a hook, but Yuto saw it coming. As he raised his left forearm to block, his eyes widened, realizing the hook was a feint. He barely avoided a palm strike aimed for his face by twisting his body at the last second.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Yuto lunged forward with a wild punch, his raw strength barreling toward Ayanokoji's face. But Ayanokoji remained composed, his eyes narrowing slightly. At the last moment, he tilted his head just enough to let Yuto's fist brush past his ear, the wind from the strike ruffling his hair.

Yuto's power was terrifying, but it lacked control.

Ayanokoji moved in quickly, delivering a sharp elbow strike to Yuto's ribcage with surgical precision. The hit forced the air out of Yuto's lungs, causing him to grunt in pain.

Yuto retaliated with a punch, but Ayanokoji sidestepped with ease, his expression cold and unreadable. "You're reckless," he remarked, dodging another swing. "Strength without control is meaningless."

Before Yuto could respond, Ayanokoji drove a palm strike into his chest, causing Yuto to groan in pain. Without hesitation, Ayanokoji grabbed Yuto's wrist and yanked it perpendicular to the ground. He kicked Yuto in the chest again, intensifying the pain and sending him crashing to the pavement.

Pinning Yuto's wrist to the ground, Ayanokoji leaned over him. "You mock Sudo for being a musclehead, but what about you? All your punches are just brute force." His voice remained calm, detached. "I thought you knew martial arts—"

"Shut up," Yuto hissed, his voice trembling with emotion.

Ayanokoji ignored him. "Perhaps I misjudged you. You were reckless on the first day, but I thought you—"

"SHUT UP!" Yuto screamed, his voice cracking as he flailed, trying to free himself from Ayanokoji's iron grip.

Ayanokoji finished coldly, "I'm disappointed."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Yuto roared, grabbing a small rock from the ground and hurling it at Ayanokoji's face. Ayanokoji easily dodged it, but in that brief moment of distraction, Yuto twisted free, launching a swift kick that connected with Ayanokoji's side. Ayanokoji's eyes widened slightly as he was forced to stumble back.

Yuto's eyes gleamed with a strange hue—an eerie purple, glowing in the moonlight. A twisted chuckle escaped his lips. "I wanted to beat your ass as the person you hurt, but it seems... uhh.. I'll need some help."

Ayanokoji's brow furrowed, his confusion slight but noticeable. "What... changed?"

Yuto—no, Rei—lunged forward with an unnatural speed, a deadly precision now in his movements. Ayanokoji barely dodged the incoming strike, his eyes widening further. It wasn't the reckless, uncoordinated Yuto he'd been fighting a moment ago. This was something far more dangerous.

Without warning, Rei followed up with a palm strike aimed squarely at Ayanokoji's nose. Ayanokoji's reflexes kicked in, but the blow landed clean, disorienting him. The next strike—a vicious kick to the groin—brought a flicker of genuine pain across Ayanokoji's face.

For the first time, Ayanokoji looked rattled.

Before he could fully recover, Rei's elbow smashed into his temple, sending him stumbling backward. Ayanokoji caught himself, but his expression had changed—his eyes, usually so calm, now betrayed a flicker of genuine surprise.

Rei stood tall, his eyes glowing with power, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

"What changed?" Rei repeated mockingly, his voice dripping with malice.

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[A/n: I hate writing realistics fights scenes between to martial experts. I spent.... 5 hours... thinking and writing if this makes sense or not. And I still think this shit is sucks at bit. It's only satisfactory for me and I want you hear ya'lls opinions]