Chapter 10: — “Street Fight & Sick Rhymes: Part 3”

Kenji stood in the center of the circle, arms crossed. Riku stood next to him, still sore and bruised, but his pride kept him on his feet. On the other side, Otogi and his friends were bouncing to the beat of a loud speaker one of them had pulled out.

“Ready to lose twice in one day?” Otogi sneered.

Kenji smirked. “Only one loser here, and it’s not me.”

Otogi stepped forward, hyped up, and started spitting over the beat:

“You talk big, but you ain’t that tough,

Your lines are weak, your rhymes ain’t rough.

You think you’re hot but you barely flame,

Mess with us again, you’ll leave with shame.”

The crowd echoed with laughter and gasps. Otogi threw his hands up like he already won.

Kenji rolled his eyes, stepped forward and fired back without hesitation:

“Your bars are boring, your crew’s all bark,

Step to me again, and I’ll leave a mark.

Talkin’ like kings, but you rule nothin’,

Just background noise while I’m out here stuntin’.”

The crowd exploded, some even clutching their heads from the heat of the diss.

Otogi’s grin twitched.

Kenji turned to Riku and motioned toward him. “Your turn.”

Riku hesitated but stepped up slowly. “Uh…”

“We’re not scared… of your, uh, group.

Your rhymes are… bad, like… stinky soup.”

Silence. Dead. Silence.

Kenji blinked.

“You… YOU SOLD ME,” he snapped, spinning around. “Stinky soup!? Bro, what?!”

Otogi burst out laughing. “Yo! Is that your sidekick? Lame!” He pointed at Riku, grinning wide. “Guess it’s my turn again.”

He leaned in with venom:

“You brought a clown to the ring, he just proved it,

Tryna throw shade, but y’all can’t even do it.

Step back down, take your L and cry,

Y’all ain’t built for this, so don’t even try.”

The crowd laughed louder than ever, even a few students chanting “OOOH!”

Kenji clenched his jaw. He stepped up again, eyes locked on Otogi.

“You laugh now, but the joke’s on you,

You bark real loud, but your punches ain’t true.

You needed backup to win that fight,

I bring bars solo, and I still shine bright!”

That line hit hard.

The crowd exploded. Cheers. Screams. Someone even shouted, “THAT’S STRAIGHT HEAT!”

Otogi’s smile disappeared completely.

Kenji stepped back, dusting off his shoulders like the battle was already over.

Riku turned to him, ready to thank him, until suddenly, the two boys behind Kenji grabbed him by the arms.

“Yo… what?!” Kenji struggled, caught off guard.

Otogi stepped forward, grinning darkly. He got right in front of Riku.

“You might’ve won that little rap battle,” Otogi said low, “but this ain’t over. Step outta line again and—”

WHAM.

Before he could finish, Riku kicked Otogi straight in the b*lls.

Otogi’s face twisted in pain. His mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach, groaning.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

The two guys froze.

Riku turned toward them, fists clenched.

They ran at him, one swinging wildly.

Riku ducked and kicked the first one hard, knocking him off balance and onto the ground. The second guy rushed in, Riku punched him square in the face, dropping him fast.

Three fights. Three wins.

The crowd went insane.

“RIKU! RIKU! RIKU!” students chanted, throwing their fists in the air. Phones were filming. Everyone was shouting.

Even Kenji, finally free from the hold, leapt forward and grabbed Riku in a half-hug. “Yo!! That was insane! You just smoked all three of them! That was crazy!”

Riku smiled faintly. “Thanks… I guess.”

But his smile didn’t last.

Through the noise, he spotted her… Mika, pushing through the crowd, tears still running down her cheeks, her expression torn with worry.

“Riku!!” she shouted.

She ran to him and threw her arms around his chest, hugging him tight, burying her face into him as she cried.

Riku blinked, caught off guard for a moment, but then wrapped his arms gently around her, resting his chin on top of her head. “It’s okay… I’m alright.”

Sakura and Miyuki followed behind, both looking shocked and shaken.

“Riku… are you okay?” Sakura asked softly.

“You’re hurt,” Miyuki added.

Riku nodded slowly. “I’ll be fine.”

Mika stayed in his arms, trembling. “Don’t do that again… I was so scared…”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding her tighter.

Behind them, the three bullies were groaning on the ground. The crowd had stopped cheering, but their phones were still recording everything, this was going to be all over social media.

Kenji crossed his arms. “So… diss battle, street fight, and a standing ovation. Not a bad day, huh?”

Riku didn’t answer. His mind was full.

Mika still hadn’t let go.