Once Sensei signaled the start of the match, Watanabe struck first. He went straight for my face, but I blocked his fist with my forearm while lifting my leg to intercept his kick to my side.
His footwork and stance were solid—he wasn't just some thug swinging blindly. Not bad.
We created some distance before he came at me again. His punches and kicks were sharp, careful not to leave him open. Each time I moved an arm, he quickly pulled back, anticipating a counter.
For now, I was just studying him. It's always good to know how your opponent fights.
Is there anything worse than a thug who can actually fight? I didn't even want to imagine the poor fools who picked a fight with him. Could he be the ultimate delinquent?
I thought this had dragged on long enough. Up until then I'd just been blocking and dodging, which honestly hadn't been that hard—his speed wasn't anything special. Strength, speed, and reflexes—that's often all you really need to block or evade in a basic exchange. If you have those, victory's yours.
Sensei wanted me to show something beyond karate, and since I couldn't use holds or takedowns, maybe I'd go for something flashy. He'd said he wanted to see a knockout—guess I'd return the favor.
Too arrogant? Maybe. But there's a time for showing off, and this felt like one of them.
Closing the distance, I slipped past his punch aimed at my face. From that angle I drove my left leg into his side. He managed to block—but too late. Before he realized what had happened, my other leg was already in the air, connecting cleanly with his head.
I'd picked up kicking techniques from taekwondo, so it wasn't difficult, especially when your opponent didn't see it coming and dropped their guard—it just looked like a simple kick. If I remember right, the move was called a double bandal chagui. After taking it enough times myself, I'd learned it by experience.
Watanabe froze for a split second before collapsing onto his back. K.O.
"Point for Tsurumi-kun."
The students' faces were full of shock, while Sensei wore a faint smile. Before moving on, he gave a quick explanation of the technique I'd used, along with a way to defend against it. A true professional. Not that the move was impossible—really, it's more common than people think.
I hadn't used much power, so Watanabe regained consciousness after a few seconds, though his face still stung with pain. All he could do was curse under his breath at his loss. People like him just needed to be shown who was stronger, because no matter what they tried, the result would always be the same. The worst enemy of a bully is a stronger bully. The law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest.
With the explanation done, Sensei resumed training, calling up the next student.
"Tanaka-kun, you're up next?"
A bespectacled boy stepped forward and took his position in front of me.
Guess I needed to introduce myself again. Weird custom, but oh well.
"Tsurumi Raiden, pleasure." I added a small wave.
Unlike the last guy, he watched me carefully, as if analyzing how I carried myself. Always good to see how an opponent readies himself.
"Tanaka Hiroki." His words were calm and serious—the right attitude for a fight. Losing control of your emotions never did you any favors.
Sensei raised his hand. "Begin!"
Tanaka's expression stayed neutral, like this was routine, but the intensity in his eyes told me otherwise. In the previous match the first thing I'd done was block and dodge to find the exact moment to counterattack; this time I decided to take the offensive. I closed the distance aiming for his stomach.
Tanaka smiled, as if he'd expected that. He took two steps back and threw a kick at my side—creating distance to attack from a safe position. If I'd rushed in thoughtlessly, I was sure I would have lost. Unfortunately for him, I had good reflexes, so I blocked with my left arm and tried to strike his chest with my right, but he blocked.
After that exchange, we both returned to our starting positions.
Like Watanabe, Tanaka was skilled at what he did—his stance and footwork anticipated his opponent's reactions.
This was fun.
I went back at him, but that time I changed my approach—my only restriction was that I couldn't use locks or takedowns.
He readied himself, anticipating my next move, so I threw a low kick to his leg, then followed with a knee from the other leg which he managed to block with his arms.
He hadn't expected that, so I kept targeting low kicks to his legs; even when he blocked, pairing them with knees to the stomach that he also had to defend proved very tiring.
Tanaka could only keep blocking—if he tried to evade, I intercepted him with a spinning kick that, left unblocked, would have thrown him off balance.
It would've been easier if I could have clinched him to land several knees to the stomach, or grabbed a limb and taken him down from there. Of course, that has pros and cons—if the opponent breaks free, you're exposed.
Tanaka's expression gradually turned annoyed; repeated kicks to the legs build up pain and slow you down.
If he only focused on defense and never counterattacked, waiting for an opening wouldn't help—I knew that from experience.
This was fun; I hadn't had such a decisive match in a long time. Previously, when I won, it had been by a narrow margin—I'd end up drained both physically and mentally.
Facing people who truly knew what they were doing made a short fight unlikely, but if they slipped up and you seized the chance, exceptions happened.
After landing another low kick to his left leg and seeing his delayed reaction, I faked an attack to the side; my leg stopped before making contact and I immediately snapped back to stance. Seeing that, he tried to give it everything and aimed a punch at me, but I turned and ducked slightly to evade, closed the distance, rose, and struck him squarely in the chest with my elbow, rotating my torso to add extra torque.
Tanaka fell onto his back from the impact; unable to cover himself, the point was mine.
"Point to Tsurumi-kun," Sensei exclaimed; for some reason he wore a smile, as if he'd expected his students to be challenged.
Sometimes a loss was necessary for growth.
I approached Tanaka to offer my hand and help him up, but he ignored me and rose on his own. Some people don't accept losing easily; conversely, when you're used to losing, a win feels revitalizing.
As before, Sensei began explaining what had happened and how to recognize and react to a feint.
That gave me two wins in a row. I was on a roll!
Still, those two guys were good at what they did; they had maintained their guard the whole time, they just hadn't expected a different way of attacking from the opponent. If you got too used to one thing, it could backfire.
"Kawasaki-san, you're next."
The last person—she was a girl—stepped into the center of the room. She kept a serious expression; during the earlier matches she had been watching intently.
"For this round it'll be best of two. Agreed?"
We both nodded at Sensei's words. I didn't know what he had in mind to require an extra point to win, but there was probably a reason.
"Tsurumi Raiden." I'm starting to think introducing ourselves by name is more fun than it seems.
"Kawasaki Saki."
Am I the only one who felt a strange familiarity… as if I'd heard that name before? It was true—her surname matched a famous motorcycle brand; that must be why it sounded familiar.
We took our positions to start the fight. Unlike with others, I had no problem facing a girl—I firmly believed in gender equality. Still, I intended to be cautious so I didn't accidentally hurt her. I doubted a woman would be happy if I landed a strike on her face or chest, so I planned to aim for her sides. I'm a gentleman, after all.
As if she had read my mind, she began to speak.
"If you're thinking of holding back, I ask that you don't. If you underestimate me just because I'm a woman, I promise you'll regret it."
Can she read minds? Or was she speaking from experience?
"Begin!"
Kawasaki closed the distance between us. I quickly noticed that both her stance and footwork were solid—expected, really.
The first guy I faced focused more on attacking, while the second leaned on defense, waiting for a counter opportunity. But the most effective approach is a balance between both.
She immediately went for a strike to my face. Given how close we were, I blocked and aimed a punch at her ribs.
As if she had anticipated it, Kawasaki lowered her arm to block while raising her right leg.
I lifted my own leg to block her kick, planning to use that opening to swing with my left arm—but before I realized it, pain shot through my left side. She had used her other leg to land a strike…
All in a single second—an excellent combination.
The power behind her kick threw me off balance, but I managed to steady myself before hitting the ground.
"Huh?"
What just happened?
It seems Kawasaki had used the fake kick to distract me, then took a small hop to land a strike with her left leg.
"Point for Kawasaki," Sensei announced.
The other students had been watching in silence the whole time, but when Kawasaki scored, they were visibly surprised. I joined them.
She hadn't drawn things out or let me read her movements. She went straight in with a clear idea—and I walked right into it.
I can't deny I'm impressed by her kick. Quick and precise, exploiting the brief gap I left open.
If I keep underestimating her, I'll lose. Besides, that kick packed enough power to leave my side aching.
A grin spread across my face. How long has it been since I had this much fun? If I remember right, not since Friday.
Alright—time for a comeback.
"Kawasaki has one point! Begin the next round!" Sensei called, starting the second bout.
I advanced straight at Kawasaki, who raised her guard.
I threw three quick punches at her face. She slipped her head aside, dodging each one flawlessly.
I followed with a knee strike, which she blocked with her hands before countering with a side kick. I raised my forearm to block it.
Good attack, good defense—fast reactions, too. She knows how to respond. She's good!
We both stepped back to gain distance.
She reminds me a lot of my old sparring partners—people who know what they want and have the strength to take it. Intimidating.
Guess it's time to get serious. Besides, she told me not to underestimate her—so I hope she remembers those words.
I launched a flurry of punches and roundhouse kicks, forcing her to block each one to keep from getting exposed.
When she tried to strike back, I blocked every move. In terms of reaction speed, I'm no slouch either.
Her punches and kicks were all perfectly blocked. Bit by bit, she stopped trying to block them altogether, since I put enough force behind each strike to hurt if she did.
One thing to keep in mind—the difference in strength.
So each time she dodged, I punished her with low kicks to her leg.
That was close.
Just then, she fired a straight kick at me. I slipped to the side to dodge—it could've ended the match if it landed.
Kawasaki rushed at me, capitalizing on my brief opening.
I met her with a kick that she blocked. I spun and sent another kick from the same leg toward her opposite side—she blocked that too.
But that was her mistake. I spun once more, and with my back turned, I leapt lightly and drove a kick straight into her stomach just as she readied to strike.
Unprepared to take the hit, she was knocked flat on her back.
"Point for Tsurumi-kun."
It was a good exchange of blows—she's really skilled.
After a few seconds, Kawasaki got back on her feet, raising her guard for the final match.
"The next point will decide the winner. Begin!"
Neither of us moved from our stance, both carefully reading the other's possible moves.
This is seriously exciting!
Breaking the tension, I advanced toward her with steady steps, keeping my guard high.
Kawasaki waited patiently for my next move.
I threw a couple of punches, which she dodged with ease, countering with kicks to my stomach that I sidestepped.
I followed up with a kick to her leg that rose toward her head on impact, but she reacted in time to block.
As I reset my stance, I launched two spinning kicks, one leg after the other, but she slipped past them with upper body movement.
Before I could return to position, she struck back with a side kick aimed at my head.
I raised my forearms to block, but since my footing wasn't steady, the impact forced me back and nearly dropped me.
I managed to stabilize, but Kawasaki gave me no time to recover.
Her punches and kicks came fast, and I barely managed to block them. Out of position, it felt like she was cornering me.
If this kept up, I'd lose. She wasn't giving me a single second to breathe.
Sometimes, taking a risk is the only way to finish a fight.
Right now, a single mistake would end it—and at this point, I chose to go all in.
Kawasaki launched another kick at my head. I had no intention of blocking, and from where I stood, dodging sideways was impossible.
If I retreated now, I'd gain nothing. That left me with only one option.
Just as her leg grazed past my head, I ducked at the last second. With her balance thrown off, she was left wide open. I have to admit—Kawasaki was really good. She managed to pin me down so easily.
She tried to bring her arms up to block my punch, probably thinking it was my final move. But it was only a feint.
I planted that arm on the ground, using it to lift my body and swing a kick toward her other exposed side. Relying on the strength of that arm, I arched back to get the momentum I needed.
My kick staggered Kawasaki, forcing her to one knee. It wasn't strong enough to knock her down completely, given my awkward position.
"Tsurumi-kun is the winner!" Sensei declared to everyone present.
With the match decided, Sensei went over what had happened, the students focused as they tried to learn from it.
I got back up, just as Kawasaki stood as well. I had stayed on the ground a few moments to catch my breath.
It was exhausting—at least mentally. That point system is way more stressful than it seems.
"Nice move," she said, extending her hand to me.
"Same here. You really had me for a moment," I replied, shaking her hand.
Kawasaki was by far the toughest opponent here. Now I understand why Sensei made it best two out of three.
At first, I thought she was just the typical girl with a delinquent look—and she is—but her movements showed real skill.
With our brief exchange finished, I turned my attention back to Sensei's explanation, carefully analyzing every opening that had appeared during the fight.
"So then, Tsurumi-kun," Sensei said, "what do you think of my academy? Interesting place, with good students, isn't it? So, what do you say—want to join?"
Once he finished his explanation, he turned his words toward me, making me the center of attention. Though let's be real—I already was.
"I think the answer's obvious, don't you?"
Sensei began to laugh. "Welcome, Tsurumi-kun. Everyone, give a warm welcome to our new classmate."
Sensei has a rather unusual way of teaching.
"Kawasaki, you'll act as referee. I'm heading to my office to handle Tsurumi-kun's registration paperwork."
"Leave it to me, Sensei." After replying, Kawasaki began calling up the students who wanted to spar, having them step to the front of the room.
"Tsurumi, come with me to finish your registration."
"Sure."
After saying that, I followed Sensei to his office, where he explained a few things, including the schedule and the rules we had to follow.
Though he looks quite serious on the outside, I can tell he enjoys teaching. He's one of those teachers you're lucky to have even once.
"Sensei, may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead," he replied cheerfully while jotting down my details.
"During all the matches, I noticed you never stopped smiling. May I ask why?"
"Kawasaki, Tanaka, and Watanabe haven't lost to anyone except each other, so they've grown a little arrogant."
My guess was right. Adding a loss at the hands of a complete unknown must've been a heavy blow to their egos.
"And seeing a bit of reality against someone who practices something outside karate was the best option, wasn't it?"
"Exactly. When I first saw you, you left a good impression, and you didn't disappoint me. Losing will push them to work harder to improve, and that makes me happy. In the end, a teacher is always glad when he can watch his students grow."
I want to stress that last part. He really is a good teacher, as well as a true professional in what he teaches, because he genuinely cares about his students' progress.
I think the afternoons ahead will be interesting.
End of flashback.