That’ll spread through the whole school by tomorrow.

The school day passed in the blink of an eye, and Jun came up to Eiji’s desk.

– So, could you tell me more about this Baranta thing? – he asked.

– Yeah, just sit down first.

Jun sat down at the empty desk in front of Eiji, turning his seat to face him.

– Baranta is a Hungarian martial art that blends hand-to-hand combat with the use of weapons. – Eiji said.

– Weapons? – Jun’s voice thinned.

– Yeah. Sabers, bows, whips and staffs. And no need to be scared, the sabers and staffs are foam-covered, and we won’t use the bows and whips on each other. – Eiji’s tone softened.

– That’s… reassuring… – Jun muttered, unconvinced.

– You’ll see eventually. For now, let’s recruit some members. – Eiji stood up.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.

– Wait for me, Takemura-kun! – Jun scrambled after him.

Eiji took large strides through the hallways, which were still filled with students going home. Jun was slowly falling behind, he started jogging by Eiji.

– Why do you walk so damn fast?! – Jun panted.

– She told me the same thing too… – Eiji muttered to himself.

– Who’s she? – Jun said in an interested tone.

– I forgot her name… You know, the girl that sits by me. – Eiji told Jun.

– Araki-san? – Jun’s voice dropped.

– Yeah, I think that’s her name. – Eiji thought out loud. – Isn’t that the girl you like?

– Yeah… – Jun started walking slower.

Eiji suddenly stopped, turning to face Jun.

– If you’re not going to do anything about it, why are you sulking here? – Eiji scolded in an annoyed tone.

– What? – Jun was startled by Eiji’s sudden attitude.

– You confess to her and live with it, or stop liking her and live with it. Pick one. No regrets. – Eiji’s voice resonated in Jun’s ears.

In Jun’s eyes, Eiji changed, his pointy hair like a flame, and behind his dark eyes, a fire he hadn’t noticed before.

– It’s easy for you to say… – Jun made an excuse, looking away.

Eiji laughed.

– Of course it’s easy for me to say, I don’t have such problems! – his tone sharpened. – So, whatever happens doesn’t affect me. You do you.

Saying this, he turned forward again, striding towards the shoe lockers.

Jun stood there, unable to say a word.

– You want to be left behind? – Eiji said a few steps ahead.

– No. – Jun shook his head and chased after Eiji.

They reached the shoe lockers just as Furuya Dai and Mihara Tamotsu were leaving. Eiji quickly changed his shoes, then bolted after them.

– Why are you running, wait for me! – Jun fumbled with his laces, nearly tripping as he tried to catch up.

Eiji ignored Jun and caught up to Dai and Tamotsu a few meters outside of the door.

The two boys turned at the sound of footsteps. Tamotsu raised a hand in greeting.

– Yo, Takemura-kun. What’s the rush?

– I wanted to talk to the two of you, do you have some time? – Eiji asked, straight to the point.

– What is it? – Dai narrowed his eyes.

– Have you joined any clubs yet? – Eiji asked casually.

– What’s it to you? – Dai got defensive.

Tamotsu chuckled, shaking his head.

– You really are a blockhead, Dai. Didn’t you hear? He started a club. Of course he needs members.

– How was I supposed to know? – Dai clicked his tongue – I just heard something about him beating up this Noguchi guy in the hallways.

– Speaking of him… – Tamotsu noticed Jun approaching from behind Eiji.

– Why did you leave me behind? – he was panting.

– I had to get to the two of them, besides, you’re slow as hell. – Eiji turned to Dai and Tamotsu after. – So, would you be interested?

– I’ll come to a few sessions and I’ll decide if I’ll stay or not. – Tamotsu answered.

– And you? – Eiji turned to Dai.

– Why should I join the club? I don’t even know what it’s about! – Dai crossed his arms, voice sharp.

Suddenly, a smirk appeared on Eiji’s face.

– I thought you would say that, but I have an idea. We’ll battle, and if I win, you join, and if I lose, I’ll stop the club. – he was confident.

– You seem really confident, what kind of battle is it? – a smirk also started forming on Dai’s face.

– We’ll wrestle, the first one to give up loses. But first, let’s go somewhere… quieter. – Eiji started walking in a direction with the others following him.

– Takemura-kun, are you really going to do this? – Jun was fidgeting with his fingers, anxious.

– Of course, I won’t go back on my word. – Eiji held his head up high.

They arrived at the courtyard behind the school. It was empty, with no students in sight.

Eiji stopped in the middle of the courtyard and turned to the others.

– We’re here, is this place alright with you?

– Why wouldn’t it be? – Dai said in a challenging tone.

Eiji started unbuttoning his shirt.

– I would advise you to do the same, you wouldn’t want it getting dusty, would you? – he took it off and handed it to Jun. – Could you take care of this?

– I won’t have to do that, because I will beat you easily. – Dai stood in one place, facing Eiji.

– Are you sure teachers won’t see us? – Jun was glancing around, nervous.

– The teacher’s office looks to the front of the building, so they won’t see us easily. – Eiji explained in a casual tone.

Jun seemed to calm down a bit.

– Damn, I didn’t know that. – Tamotsu was surprised.

– Whatever, when do we start? – Dai was getting impatient.

– Just let me tell you the rules and then we’ll begin, okay? So, the rules are simple, you cannot hit me or choke me with your hand, that’s it. – determination flashed in Eiji’s eyes.

– I’ll be the referee then. – Tamotsu took a step back. – And… start!

– Don’t come crying to me if you lose!

Dai lunged, arms wide, trying to grab Eiji’s torso.

– I won’t. – Eiji took a step back and grabbed the back of Dai’s neck with both hands.

Then he applied some weight and Dai’s spine bent under the pressure, his head forced down as if bowing.

– What… is… this… – he grunted, straining to lift himself.

His hands clawed at Eiji’s wrists, but the grip wouldn’t budge.

– He’s going to snap his neck! – Jun’s eyes were wide open.

– Not if I have to do something about it! – and with that, Dai suddenly bowed forward and took a step back, escaping from Eiji’s hold.

– Nice, I didn’t think you would do that. – Eiji praised.

Dai didn’t say anything, his forehead was full of sweat, his eyes were constantly darting around Eiji.

Eiji had a lean, muscular frame, with each breath his chest would rise and grow in size.

Dai’s eyes suddenly locked onto a target.

– Just shut up already! – he lunged again, now at Eiji’s waist.

Eiji lowered his stance with a calm expression, putting his right arm down and his left in front of his head.

– What could he be trying to do? – Tamotsu looked at Eiji’s stance with a puzzled expression.

– You’re done! – Dai grabbed with both hands around Eiji, locking his right arm to his body.

He tried to stand up, but Eiji suddenly grabbed his left leg with the hanging right hand, and put his left leg behind Dai’s right.

– What? – Dai’s eyes suddenly opened wide as his right leg left the ground.

With a sharp twist, Eiji swept him sideways. Dai hit the ground with a heavy thud, dust lifting into the air all around. He tried to get up but was met with Eiji’s body weight pushing him down while he was pushing Dai’s right leg up, inflicting pain to him.

Dai tried to push Eiji off him, but he wouldn’t budge, he was locked onto Dai’s leg and the pain was slowly getting more and more unbearable.

– Maybe I should give him one last chance, see if he can endure to win… – Eiji suddenly had a thought.

He shifted his body around so that Dai could put him in a choke hold from behind.

– Now all that’s left is for him to notice it… – he didn’t let up on the pin on Dai’s leg.

– He’s made a mistake just now. – Tamotsu noticed Eiji’s position shift.

– What mistake? – Jun was clueless.

Dai was still in pain but when he heard Tamotsu his thoughts suddenly started moving, and then he saw Eiji’s neck so close to him. He put his right arm around it and pressed it with his left arm.

Eiji suddenly let go of his leg and started smirking.

– Good, he noticed at least that much, let’s see how he does now. – Eiji felt the pain in his neck and ignored it for a second.

– I got you now! – Dai was happy, he tightened his grip.

Eiji’s smirk widened.

He put his hands on the back of his head and pressed it forward. Pain suddenly assaulted Dai, Eiji’s chin was digging into his forearm. He let go instinctively, and Eiji quickly got off him and turned Dai around, he was now lying face-down.

Dai tried to push with his hands but Eiji was holding him down firmly, not letting him move at all. Then, suddenly, some of Eiji’s pressure lifted and Dai thought he was free just to feel Eiji’s left arm wrapping around his neck.

Eiji now leaned on him with his body and also pressed his head forward with his right arm.

Dai’s hands clawed weakly at the dirt, his breath rasping as Eiji’s arm tightened around his throat. The grit pressed into his cheek, sweat stinging his eyes. His vision slowly blurred, and his limbs felt heavy.

– I… give up… – Dai could barely say these words.

Eiji released the hold at once and rose to his feet, brushing dust from his chest. A calm grin tugged at his lips.

Dai rolled onto his back, taking deep breaths.

– Damn, that was good, you were great, I-forgot-your-name-kun! – Eiji extended his hand towards Dai.

– It’s Furuya, damn it. – Dai snapped, but he grabbed the hand and let Eiji pull him up.

His shirt clung to him, soaked with sweat and smeared with dust.

– I told you to take it off. – Eiji said matter‑of‑factly, taking his own shirt back from Jun and slipping it on.

– You two nearly gave me a heart attack. – Jun said, sighing.

Tamotsu chuckled, shaking his head.

– Well, a deal’s a deal. Looks like you’ve got yourself another member, Takemura-kun.

Dai wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, still scowling.

– Yeah, yeah. A deal’s a deal. I’ll join your Baranta club. – his voice was grudging, but he began to see Eiji in a brand new light.

– Well, now that that’s over, see you all tomorrow. – Eiji slung his bag over his shoulder and walked off as if nothing had happened.

– Is that… it? – Jun froze, dumbfounded.

– I don’t really think so. Look around. – Tamotsu smirked.

Jun turned, and his stomach dropped. A ring of students had formed around the courtyard, phones raised, whispers buzzing like a hive.

– I can’t believe the foreigner beat Furuya‑kun!

– What was his name again? Takemura?

– Forget his name, did you see his muscles?!

The murmurs swelled as Eiji approached the crowd. But when he reached them, the students fell silent and parted, letting him pass without a word. His footsteps echoed in the hush until he disappeared around the corner.

The moment he was gone, the noise erupted again.

– That’ll spread through the whole school by tomorrow. – Dai muttered, wiping sweat from his brow, his pride still stinging.

Tamotsu chuckled, hands in his pockets

– That’s what happens if you fight with someone that’s way over your level.

Dai scowled, but his eyes lingered on the spot where Eiji had stood, a flicker of reluctant respect breaking through his bitterness.

Author’s note:

Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed this week’s chapter as much as I did writing it.

I look forward to seeing you next week!

With lots of passion,

𐲖𐲉 LE