Previously~
…
‘This doesn’t look too good…’ Ryu knew he was thinking the obvious at this point…
‘I didn’t think people’s faces could change like that…!’ He thought, a bit worried by his earlier decision…
He slowly got up to his feet, brushing a few crumbs from his uniform before looking at the red-haired youth in front of him.
The tension in the air had become noticeably heavier, and even the students nearby had started paying attention.
Ryu raised both hands slightly, trying to diffuse the situation before it got any worse: “Hey, let’s just calm down.
You don’t need to do whatever you’re about to do.
I’m not trying to cause any trouble…”
The red-haired youth stared at him for a moment before scoffing: “Shut the fuck up!”
His voice had completely lost its earlier playfulness: “I should’ve never tried reasoning with a fucking nobody like you.” The bully chided himself.
Ryu was taken aback by how quickly the mood had shifted.
He instinctively stepped backwards, his eyes flicking toward the two boys behind the main bully.
They immediately stepped forward as well, cutting off any easy way out…
‘…Crap.’ Ryu thought.
He raised his hands again, trying to keep his voice steady: “Look, there’s really no reason for this.
I don’t even know the girl you’re talking about, so-”
He didn’t finish.
The red-haired youth suddenly dashed forward.
Ryu’s eyes widened: ‘What the-!?’
The movement was so fast that his brain barely had time to register it.
Before he could react, something slammed into his stomach with enough force to completely knock the breath out of him.
“Kh-!”
Ryu’s body folded forward, his eyes widening as a wave of pain shot through him: “Cough!
Cough!”
He stumbled backward before dropping to his knees, his hands instinctively clutching his stomach.
The lunch he’d been enjoying moments ago came back up as he coughed violently, leaving him struggling to catch his breath;
‘What…
was that…?’
He barely had time to recover before a hand grabbed his hair and yanked him upward.
“U-Ugh–!”
The red-haired youth pulled Ryu toward him before striking him across the face.
Ryu’s head snapped to the side, and another blow followed before he could properly recover.
“Ah–!”
Again.
Blam!
And again.
Blam!
…
Ryu couldn’t even properly defend himself.
His arms came up instinctively, trying to protect his head as the attacks continued for several moments…
The sound of each impact made the atmosphere around them increasingly uncomfortable.
Even the youth’s own friends began exchanging uneasy glances.
What had started as intimidation had quickly gone far beyond what they had expected.
One of them swallowed nervously and whispered: “He’s…
not gonna kill him, is he?”
The other didn’t bother to answer.
But, he looked just as concerned as the one who asked to begin with…
Eventually, the red-haired youth stopped.
He stood there breathing heavily, shaking the blood off his fist slightly before letting go.
Ryu just collapsed onto the ground.
The red haired youth looked down at him with an irritated expression, then spat beside him, saying: “I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
He turned away: ” Come on.
We’re leaving.”
His friends hesitated for a moment before following him.
Ryu remained motionless on the ground.
The footsteps gradually grew quieter…
Ryu’s fingers twitched…
He planted one hand against the ground.
‘…No.’ Ryu’s arm trembled…
With only a single thought coursing through his mind: ‘N-Not…
yet.’
He slowly and forcefully pushed himself upward…
It was as if his body was forcing itself to go upwards…
His breathing was visibly uneven, his body aching from the assault, but somehow, something inside him refused to let him remain down…
As if it were some kind of indictment.
Behind him, the red-haired youth suddenly heard movement…
He then stopped: “…Huh?”
He slowly turned around, and as he did, his expression changed…
In front of him, the same kid he had beaten bloody and bear death, was standing…
Despite how his entire body seemed to be fighting against itself as he forced himself upright, his legs trembling beneath him.
Yet somehow, he remained standing…
A faint violet aura surrounded his body…
It was barely visible, almost like a distortion in the air, and completely imperceptible to ordinary human senses.
The red-haired youth stared: ‘What the fuck…?’
His eyes widened: ‘How the hell is he…’
Ryu lifted his head…
His eyes were filled with a strange determination he hadn’t possessed just moments earlier.
“Like hell…!”Ryu slowly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand: “Am…
I…
gonna go down to a fucker like you-!”
To hell with them just being kids.
They needed to learn some manners!
Without him knowing, something inside him surged.
A confidence he wasn’t even aware of flared within his very being, like some kind of door was bursting open..
He didn’t understand it.
Ryu didn’t know where it came from…
In fact, he only knew that his body suddenly felt capable of moving once again.
Ryu planted his foot forward.
Then he ran.
He pushed himself as hard as he could, every remaining ounce of energy going into his movement.
“RAAAH!!!!” He shouted.
His fist shot forwards.
The red-haired youth’s eyes widened before he quickly moved his head aside.
Ryu’s punch passed harmlessly by…
He staggered slightly from the momentum.
“…”
The youth stared at him.
‘…That’s it?’ He thought.
For a brief moment, he wondered if whatever he’d seen earlier had simply been a fluke…
“You’re still trying?” He stepped forward.
Ryu barely had time to react before another punch struck him.
Then another.
And another.
Ryu stumbled backward with each impact, but something strange happened yet again…
He didn’t fall.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward again: “Ugh!”
Another blow landed.
Ryu staggered…
Then, he charged again.
The red-haired youth’s expression slowly changed: ‘Just what the hell is with this guy!?’
Ryu was moving much differently now.
Not dramatically.
Not enough for anyone else to notice immediately.
But there was something there.
A finesse that kept growing…
He was getting faster.
His movements were becoming more grounded.
The more he fought, the more his body seemed to adapt…
Ryu swung again.
The red-haired youth moved to dodge, but this time, the punch came much faster than before: ‘What–!?’ He thought, confused.
He had barely managed to raise his arms in time.
Not expecting the fist to come at such speeds…
However…
Fwish-!
Ryu’s fist stopped short of him…
For a moment, everything had become quiet.
Ryu stared at his opponent.
The red-haired youth stared back.
Then…
Thud~
Ryu’s legs gave out.
“…H-Huh?” The red haired youth looked puzzled.
Ryu’s vision suddenly blurred.
He dropped forward, his strength finally leaving him.
The dust beneath him shifted as he hit the ground.
Silence…
The red-haired youth remained frozen, staring down at him.
His friends exchanged confused looks;
“What…
was that?” One of them asked.
However, nobody had an answer.
Whatever had happened to Ryu, none of them understood it…
The red-haired youth clenched his fists: “Tch!
Forget it!”
He quickly turned away: “Let’s just go.”
…
The group quickly left the area, leaving Ryu lying alone where he had fallen.
None of them noticed the faint violet aura slowly fading from around his body…
.
.
.
End