How has it only been 11 days? (Final Chapter)

Kasumi was able to beat up everyone in the MMA club quite easily. However, they said that it "didn't count" because they weren't "in the ring". They said that she "entered the room and immediately started swinging."

"It was the element of surprise," Kasumi said, standing over the dozen or so bodies.

"There isn't an element of surprise in MMA," said Keiji Tainka, "The fights are planned, and there's an obvious start to the fights."

"Really? That's unrealistic. You have to be ready at all times for a fight. You never know when it's going to start."

"No, you can usually tell when a fight is going to start. Unless you punch someone in the face out of the blue, there's usually something that leads up to it."

"I guess that's the normal situation, but it doesn't work that way all of the time. You always have to be ready."

"That's more like self-defense rather than MMA. The point of MMA is to find out who's the best fighter. Not who can beat up a room of unsuspecting people the fastest."

"That sounds like who's the best fighter."

"No, it isn't. That isn't a fair fight."

"Life isn't fair. The main point of life is succeeding despite that. None of you could restraint me or knock me out within the time it took me to knock out all of you."

One of the other guys lifted his head off the floor.

"You know, she is kinda right. It should've been possible to stop her, but we couldn't do it. Her ability to not be stopped is a great skill. Many great fighters had the ability to dodge attacks and knock their opponents out quickly."

"Shut up," Keiji said, "The mere shock of her suddenly punching everyone was enough of a distraction. We don't know her true ability unless she actually fights one of us in the ring."

"Okay, then," Kasumi said, "Who wants to fight me?"

"No one can find you fairly right now," Keiji said, painfully getting himself off the ground. "We'll find another day or something."

"Let's get this straight. I won today."

"Not really. Yes, you knocked out a bunch of guys today, but that doesn't mean that you can hold your own against a prepared opponent. However, I will admit that you can punch hard and quick."

"I will show you what I can do later," Kasumi said, "Don't underestimate me, however."

"I will try not to. Either way..... Ugh, Ryouta. What in the actual hell."

"What's going on," Kasumi said, turning around, "Hey, Yuri what are you doing here?"

Yuri and Ryouta were standing at the entrance to the MMA club.

"Hey, Keiji," Ryouta said, "This morning, I got in trouble for wearing my disguise in school, and Yuri figured out my secret identity. So, my plan didn't work out, but we decided to end this the old-fashioned way."

"Godammit, Ryouta," Keiji said, "We literally ate lunch together. Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I forgot to."

"Dammit." Keiji turned to Kasumi. "You might be wondering what's going on."

"Yuri got an enemy, and they are going to fight?"

"Are you just going to accept that?"

"I know Yuri enough to know that I shouldn't bother questioning her. But the one thing that I wonder about is is this allowed? They are literally fighting in school."

"Well, the MMA club has a second purpose. We got a reputation for being a 'dueling' club. Don't ask me how. I wasn't there, but at some point, our student council and teachers decided that it was a good idea to allow 'duels'. You know, to resolve conflicts. Honestly, it rarely happens, and the conflict is usually resolved before they enter the ring."

"That doesn't sound right. Duels were used with guns. Fights depend on the strength and skill of the players. That means that there can be a great disparity between the fighters. Guns don't have those kinds of problems."

"I think the logic is more like are you willing to get hurt for your opinion? Unless there's a massive difference between the players, both of them are going to get hurt. And talking about that..." Keiji looked at the fighters. Ryouta was a full head and a half taller than Yuri, and Yuri didn't look like she had much muscle or anything. "Are you sure this isn't completely one-sided?"

"I trust Yuri," Kasumi said, "If she wants to go with it, there she goes."

"Okay," Keiji said, "I guess you two should get in the ring."

"Okay, then," Ryouta said, "You are going down, Yuri."

Yuri and Ryouta entered the ring. One of the other members of the MMA club also walked in as the referee.

"Hey, Kasumi!" Risa greeted.

"Risa! How did you find your way here?" Kasumi said.

"I heard about the fight and hurried over here."

"How did you hear about the fight? Literally, no one left the room."

"I have my ways. Who's winning?"

"Well, the fight hasn't started yet, but I think Yuri is winning."

"You do have confidence in Yuri, Kasumi," Keiji said, "I bet it's just because you are her friend."

"No, I have confidence in Yuri. She's very strong despite appearances. It's like how the smallest dog packs the strongest bite."

"Biting isn't allowed in MMA. Also, I think the phrase you are thinking of is 'The smallest dog barks the loudest.'"

"That probably makes more sense, but I believe that Yuri has the advantage here. She's a good fighter."

"Frankly, I don't see it. Ryouta isn't a bad fighter. Technically, we are breaking some MMA rules here. Yuri and Ryouta are definitely not in the same weight class."

"Wait until you see what happens."

The referee just finishing explaining the rules of the match. He stepped back, and the two fighters stepped away from each other.

"Yuri," Ryouta said, pointing at the girl, "If you lose against me, you have to fall in love with me."

Keiji facepalmed.

"He's just going directly for it," he said.

"He wants to date Yuri?" Kasumi asked.

"No," Keiji said, "He wants her to fall in love with him so that he can reject her."

"That's stupid."

"You aren't the first one to say that."

"Yuri," Ryouta said, still pointing at her, "What do you say to that?"

"Okay," Yuri said.

"Now that the bets are placed. We can-"

"Hey!" Kasumi yelled, "What if she wins?"

"Clearly that isn't necessary," Ryouta said, shooting a posed look, "For I'm certain that I'm going to-"

"Fried chicken," Yuri interrupted.

Ryouta paused.

"You want fried chicken?" he said.

Yuri nodded.

"Like a bucket of fried chicken?"

Yuri paused and then nodded.

"Well, it's useless because the match is already decided for m-"

"Hey, we need to start the fight," the referee said.

"Okay." Ryouta slumped into a more natural and comfortable stance.

"I want a clean fight between you two!" yelled the referee, "MATCH BEGIN!"

Everyone watched the ring as time slowed down. The two fighters stood still for a single instant. The mood between them was tense and heavy. The air froze between them. Everyone waited in that instant for something to happen, and in that instant, before the fight truly began, Yuri smirked as if she thought of something funny.

THE END