".....What?"
"MMA? Mixed M-Martial Arts?"
Both of them looked at Reiji in a daze, their minds unable to process what they had just heard. Although it made a lot of sense when considering who Reiji was, they still didn't even consider him choosing a fighting-based club after spending some time with him.
"R-Reiji-kun, are you having withdrawal symptoms from fighting? Can you not even go a week without punching someone anymore?" Greeny asked with wide eyes.
".....Yeah, my hands are starting to itch. Wanna help me get through it instead?" Reiji grinned, cracking his knuckles loudly. Greeny flinched a little but he let out a little laugh.
"B-But seriously, why MMA?" he asked.
"No particular reason. It's a good way to stay active, plus even though I want no part of it, I might still get dragged into any mess my family makes, so I need to be able to defend myself."
Reiji wasn't lying, he genuinely wanted to maximize his safety precautions. In the game, OG Reiji sometimes came to school with injuries, and used to take that frustration out on the other students.
Though the wounds were never serious and he wasn't sure if it was simply because his predecessor kept picking fights, he was aware that the Yagami family had a lot of enemies.
And a lot of enemies meant that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he might be targeted in some cases. Reiji's physical specs were off the charts, but he had only received basic self-defense lessons from his father, so his fights usually relied on instinct and raw reflexes.
This was a good chance to get some training and practical experience. Plus, he wanted to make the most out of this new body he was given, letting it rust away was a complete waste.
"Oh.... That actually makes a lot of sense. But why MMA specifically? I think boxing, karate, or taekwondo have more members so aren't they better?" Airi chimed in.
Airi and Greeny both had an understanding look after Reiji's explanation. Especially the latter, who had a contemplative look because he knew what he meant.
"Maybe? But being able to use various techniques is more interesting to me, I want something more versatile," Reiji replied. He had considered the others as well, but he ultimately decided to go with MMA.
There was actually another reason why he chose to pick a fighting club within the school rather than hiring an external trainer, which he could afford to do. But that was something for the future and had no impact in the short-run so he didn't mention it.
"There's no way me or Greeny can do MMA, so I guess we can't be in the same club after all..." Airi looked really disappointed as she said that, her lowered head giving off the illusion of drooping ears because of her pigtails.
"...I'm sorry. But we can hang out after school on other days? And when I make something in cooking class I'll share it with you guys if there's any left over!"
"YES! YOU PROMISED, YOU CAN'T BACK OUT NOW!" she yelled, her emotions switching at light speed.
Reiji just chuckled at her happy demeanor and headed out the door. He wanted to visit the MMA club's orientation just to confirm if it was the right choice or not.
"I'm going to the MMA club now, do you guys wanna come or will you check out something else?" he asked, turning to the two ducklings following after him.
"I wanna come! Maybe they might spar, it could be fun!" Airi grinned.
"M-Me too, since we already decided on the reading club anyway, there's n-no point splitting up."
"Sure, let's go!"
***
On the other side, Haruna and Hina were chatting happily.
"Haruna-chan, let's join the reading club! It sounds so relaxing and easygoing!"
"Err.... Sure, it'll be fun!" Haruna responded, but her forced laugh went unnoticed by Hina.
They each took a pamphlet from the desk for more information about the club and flipped through it while sipping their coffee. As they exited the room, Haruna turned to ask a question.
"Riku-tan is all the way over at the E-Sports club right? It's pretty far so we might not be able to meet, where do you want to go next?"
"Ummm... How about the art club? I overheard someone say that they're letting us paint, which sounds fun! It's also close to the E-Sports club so might be able to get Riku to join!"
But Haruna was a little distracted, she was looking at Reiji's group that was walking away to the opposite side towards the sports building. She zoned out as a various thoughts flashed in her mind, and she made a spontaneous decision.
"Uh, you know what? Why don't you catch up with Riku-tan? I forgot that I have something to do," she mumbled with a soft smile.
"Huh? What happened, did you lose something? I can help you look?"
"Nah, I'll meet you guys a little later, so have fun!" Haruna shouted as she ran off, leaving behind a bewildered Hina who just stood there with a quizzical look.
"....What just happened?"
***
"Wow, the clubrooms here are so much bigger!" Airi exclaimed, looking around at the sports wing.
"Yeah, they need more space after all. Field sports have rooms connected to the actual playing area itself, these are just the ones for the indoor clubs. I also heard that Souhei High gives students who perform well scholarships, that's how much importance they place on sports."
Reiji was also a little excited, so he started rambling again. But a sudden thought made him pause for a split second.
'Wait..... Why am I acting like the info dump character??? Shouldn't that be done by someone else?'
"What's wrong Reiji-kun?"
"Huh? Oh nothing, I'm just excited. Let's go!"
Just as they were about to enter the building, a teasing voice piped up behind them.
"Oho, is Reiji-tan going to join a sports club? Let me guess, is it the Sumo Club?"
All three of them jumped up slightly, turning around to see a a pair of bright green eyes twinkle at them with mischief.
"Y-Yuzuki-san?" Airi squeaked in surprise, her voice pitching a few octaves higher. Greeny just hid behind Reiji in discomfort, which made him sigh.
"What the fuck do you mean Sumo Club? Does that really seem like something that would fit me?" Reiji asked with a glare, though there was no real intensity behind it.
"Who knows? You're very weird Reiji-tan, it wouldn't be that surprising," Haruna giggled with a hand over her mouth, making him roll his eyes.
"What are you even doing here? What happened to your mousy friend?"
"Hey that's mean! Hina-tan isn't a mouse!"
"I'm not trying to be mean Haruna, tell me with a straight face that she doesn't remind you of a mouse or hamster!"
"Um..... Sh-She doesn't?"
"Pfft, see? There was zero confidence behind those words," Reiji grinned.
The other two not involved in the back-and-forth just looked at each other with raised eyebrows. This interaction came out of nowhere and they were baffled.
"Sorry to interrupt.... But what's going on? Since when did you guys know each other well enough to be on first name basis?" Airi finally asked with a burning stare.
Reiji and Haruna exchanged glances and smiled wryly.
"Well....technically yesterday, but it's a long story. All you need to know is that she beat me up with an umbrella and now we're friends," Reiji responded, smirking at the blonde girl who started blushing furiously.
"Huh? Umbrella?"
"REIJI-TAAAAAN!! DON'T TELL THEM THAT, THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Haruna started punching him on the shoulder lightly, her face still red from the embarrassment.
"Why not? The bruises still haven't gone away!"
"Br-Bruises? You really got hurt??" She stopped in astonishment when she heard that.
"What do you think?" Reiji's eyes sparked with a playful flash.
"AARGHH YOU MEANIE!"
As Haruna resumed her ineffective punches, the confusion that Greeny and Airi were currently facing deepened even further. Nothing was making sense, though in all fairness they rarely did when it came to Reiji.
"Anyway! Like I said, we're friends so don't be so wound up you two. And Haruna, why are you here alone? You're usually glued to those two friends of yours."
"Riku-tan went to the E-Sports Club and Hina-tan went looking for him so I was free. I thought I'd join you guys, if that's alright?" Haruna asked, looking towards the Glasses Buddies.
"H-Huh? Um, if Reiji-kun is fine with it, I don't m-mind," Greeny said.
"Sure, why not! The more the merrier, Yuzuki-san!" Airi joined in.
"YAY, LET'S GO THEN!" she yelled, dragging the three into the building.
"You don't even know where we're going though?"
"Oh right, which club are you visiting?"
"MMA, so it's over there," Reiji pointed.
Haruna froze in her tracks, looking back at him with horror.
"WHAT? Don't tell me you're turning back into a delinquent Reiji-tan! After you finally decided to reform? Oh no, what should we do!"
She started pacing back and forth in panic, knocking on her head to try and come up with something. Reiji couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but his eyes twitched in frustration.
'Wow. Now I'm stuck with two sarcastic dunderheads..... Greeny, my lord and savior, thank goodness for you!'
"Y-Yuzuki-san, we're also worried about this! H-Help us talk some sense into him!" Greeny piped in, flailing his arms in dramatic fashion.
'.....Yeah, I'm all alone in this cruel, cruel world.'