The person who attacked me was none other than one of my classmates from the academy.
And putting a few pieces together, the other one getting up must be Watanabe.
"Tch, even with the two of us, we couldn't bring you down. You're too skilled." Tanaka sighed.
"Answer the damn question! What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
I couldn't come up with any reason for this.
Watanabe, who had also revealed his face, stood beside Tanaka.
"She's really tough — that kick to the stomach still hurts."
I stared at them, waiting for an answer.
"You know, Kawasaki, this week was the best one yet. Without you around, Watanabe and I became the center of attention. You have no idea how good that felt." He looked at me as if that were his real reason.
"Huh!? What does that even have to do with me?"
"It's obvious how out of it you are — always looking over your shoulder at us, you can't even see it, can you."
"I won't understand unless you say it plainly!"
What are they thinking? Are they idiots?
"Since you came you've only improved — are you some kind of genius or what?" he spat. "Before you arrived, Watanabe and I had been training for years, so how can a rookie who's only been with us for a couple of weeks beat us so easily?"
"It's unfair that because you react better you shot to the top, acting all high-and-mighty about pointing out our mistakes. And it's not just us — the other students too. Do you think they put up with you? Someone so arrogant who looks down on others! You're nothing but a nuisance!" Watanabe added, glaring at me with contempt.
When I enrolled a year ago, I dedicated myself to learning and training. I always paid attention to what others told me, though I never wanted to bother them by asking for help. I focused mostly on self-study, and because of that, it was only a matter of time before I managed to beat those two, who were among the best students.
So I chose to point out their mistakes so they could improve and fix them. And since I was grateful to the other students who didn't hesitate to help me when I arrived, I also pointed out their errors so they could get better. But I never intended to be arrogant.
Do they really all dislike me…?
I sighed.
"It's a shame, but having them say it a second time doesn't bother me," I said without changing my expression.
The first time wasn't pleasant, but I got used to the idea then, so it doesn't matter now.
"See? It's that selfish, repulsive attitude that makes everyone find you annoying, and this past week without you was the best. We had fun, things went smoothly, and without you Tsurumi kept to himself instead of bothering people — everyone won."
How much more of their nonsense do I have to listen to?
"Fine if you had fun without me." I smiled. "But I have no intention of not attending, and you aren't anyone to stop me!"
Who the hell do they think they are telling me what I can or can't do?
Is that really reason enough to attack me like this? Are these two sane?
"Maybe you're right, but when we didn't know what to do, Tsurumi's words gave us the answer: if you're injured, you can't attend. So today, since there were no classes, we planned to injure you so you'd give up coming."
Did Tsurumi tell them?
I see…
They're all the same… When you try to trust them, they just use you and throw you away when you're no longer useful. Maybe I was the only idiot who enjoyed these past few days — my mistake.
I clenched my fist tight.
"Just because they want more attention and to be the center of everything to boost their stupid egos, they decided to hurt me? Are they out of their minds?" I snapped.
"You wouldn't understand..."
"Of course I do. It stung them that a girl beat them, that some newcomer who improved fast started giving them advice. I only wanted to have fun training with them, but what did I get? They wanted to injure me, and worst of all, they're underestimating me. If they want to be the damn center of attention, they could try going after that idiot Tsurumi — but they're so scared of him they chose to get rid of me instead. Let me guess: because I'm a girl, right?"
I'd had enough. Some people won't get it unless you explain it to them with a few blows.
Besides, since I'd uncovered their stupid plan, I didn't think they'd let me walk away — but lucky for them, I wasn't planning to leave.
"Think whatever you want, Kawasaki!" Tanaka replied, uninterested.
I stared at them and they stared back.
"Let's settle this the way we know how!" I didn't care what their reason had been; I would never forgive them for attacking me with intent to hurt — especially over something so stupid.
I moved toward Tanaka without hesitation. Both of them braced, ready to counterattack.
When I was one step away, I planted my foot and twisted my body, sending a kick into Watanabe's side as he tried to strike me. I used that opening to jab Tanaka in the face with my elbow. He could react, but he'd never outpaced me at that; if he already knew my style, there was no reason for me to hold back.
At the academy we trained with rules, but on the street there were none. With my left hand I grabbed Watanabe by the hair and slammed my other fist into his face, sending him flying to the ground. I ducked to avoid Tanaka's kick; he didn't waste the opportunity and attacked, though his nose was bleeding.
"You're slow, you leave way too many openings, and above all — you're an idiot!" I grabbed him by the collar and drove a knee into his stomach.
"You're a...!" His word was cut off when my fist crashed into his face. I didn't stop; I followed with another punch, pinning him with his back against a wall. I started pounding Tanaka's face over and over, giving him no chance to cover up.
"You disgust me!" I kicked him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. With his back against the wall he could only take more.
"Kawasaki!!!" Watanabe, who had already gotten back to his feet, lunged at me. I shifted my upper body to dodge his blow, seized his arm with both hands and drove a knee into his stomach.
"I always thought you were dumb, not an idiot — I was wrong." My hands moved to his head, I grabbed it, and I drove several knees into his stomach. Watanabe could only growl in pain, unable to free himself.
"That's it." I stepped back and immediately drove my fist into his face, followed by an upward strike to the chin, finishing with a kick to the chest that sent him flying into a nearby wall. He collapsed to his knees before crumpling to the ground.
Even injured, I hadn't planned to lose to these two — especially not now that I was in perfect condition. I wouldn't lose to people who refused to improve and kept repeating the same mistakes. I looked down at the pair on the floor. They should have been smart enough to know they couldn't beat me in speed or reflexes; I'd always been better than them.
Now I felt more relaxed. I did a few light stretches.
"Don't you dare run." I turned after taking a few steps.
"Don't get up—for your own good." I wasn't someone who enjoyed preying on the weak, and Tanaka was having trouble getting to his feet.
"Shut up, you fucking bitch — bet you sleep with Sensei, right, bitch!" he sneered. I started walking toward him. I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up in front of me.
"Say it again, if you're so brave, you son of b..."
For a moment I forgot a basic rule: never get emotional in a fight. When you did, you made mistakes — and that was my mistake.
It was too late when I saw Tanaka smile, reach into his pocket, and press something against my stomach. Although I shoved him to create distance, a jolt ripped through me and I groaned, my limbs refusing to obey. I hadn't seen that Tanaka had brought a stun gun; even though I pushed him away, I had been too slow and took the shock.
A violent jolt ran through my body—the pain was sharp, like needles driving into my skin all at once. My muscles convulsed involuntarily.
All I could let out was a strangled cry. My vision blurred, my legs began to give, and I swayed—I couldn't keep my balance. It was as if my body wouldn't respond. The pain remained where I'd been hit; the shock had stunned me, and no matter how I tried to focus my mind to push through it, I couldn't.
With nothing to brace myself on, I fell to the ground. I started breathing deeply, trying to calm a heart that felt ready to race out of my chest.
"Did you think I'd come without something to use against you?"
I watched Tanaka climb on top of me, his fist slamming into my face.
A week earlier Tsurumi had hit me square in the face and knocked me down, but Tanaka's blow hurt so much more.
"Who do you think you are, acting superior to me? You're nobody!"
He kept punching my face repeatedly, and because my body was still numb, I couldn't defend myself. The shock made each hit feel like it ripped deeper.
After a short while, Tanaka got off me, but Watanabe—now on his feet—came over and kicked me in the face. I couldn't see it, but I felt blood welling from my lip.
"Defend yourself now, come on, do it!" he jeered as he started stomping on my stomach.
All I could do was grunt in pain; my body wouldn't respond even if I wanted to scream.
"What's wrong, Kawasaki—did the cat eat your tongue?" Tanaka taunted as he stepped on my hand.
I should have beaten them until I was sure they were knocked out—this is what happens for being too soft with scum like them… The pain only kept getting worse.
Still, little by little, that odd numbness began to fade. I moved away from the shock as soon as I could react, so the effects should be short-lived. Or at least that's what I wanted to convince myself.
"G—go… to… hell…" I croaked, aching and barely audible.
"What did you say, Kawasaki? Speak up—I can't hear you," Tanaka mocked, leaning in. Thanks for being a cocky idiot who repeats the same mistakes.
"I said… GO TO HELL!" I roared. I grabbed his head and smashed my forehead into his nose.
If they'd attacked me with that thing from the start, I wouldn't have been able to do anything—but I had already beaten them earlier, which made their movements and reactions slower because of the weight they carried. I noticed drops of blood from Tanaka's nose as he fell backward, clutching his face in pain. If I had broken his nose with my elbow before, this time I shattered it.
Watanabe closed the distance and kicked me, but I used my arms to protect my head and redirected the impact, spinning my body back. I braced against the wall and pushed myself to my feet. My body wanted to scream, but now that the weakness had mostly faded, I forced myself to finish these two before I complained about the pain.
I moved my head to the side to dodge Watanabe's punch; his fist slammed into the wall and hurt him from the force. I used that to my advantage and drove my right fist into his stomach. My other hand was injured, so I couldn't use it properly.
Watanabe staggered back from the blow—and that was the end for him. I raised my right knee, then extended the rest of my leg while twisting my body and kicked Watanabe in the head with everything I had. His body collapsed to the ground like a sack of meat, lying motionless.
After that, I started gasping for air; my body felt twice as heavy. All the pain from the strikes I'd taken while immobilized was catching up to me. I gritted my teeth and tried to push through the agony. It was difficult. I leaned on the wall to keep from collapsing, feeling my legs lose the strength to hold me upright.
I turned my gaze to the two of them: Watanabe lay unconscious on the floor and Tanaka was still writhing in pain.
There was nothing more for me to do—continuing made no sense, and even if I tried to think about what would happen next, I didn't think I could right then.
Slowly, I began to walk, using the wall for support. My injuries weren't that severe on paper, but the pain insisted otherwise.
"W-where do you think you're going... bitch!"
When I turned my head, I saw Tanaka manage to stand, holding that stupid weapon he'd used on me. Despite the blood still pouring from his nose, he ignored it, intent on finishing this with me.
The calm look that usually sat on his face was completely gone; he looked deranged, his eyes bloodshot—and I was squarely in his sights.
To think I used to train alongside this psycho.
Feeling every ache in my body, I forced myself to stand properly and focused—the first move would decide everything.
Even like this, I wouldn't give up. The only person I could trust was myself; today had made that clear.
They could all go to hell. I didn't need anyone!
Just as I readied myself to finish that idiot, a voice made my body freeze.
Even if I'd been in peak condition, I couldn't have done anything against him. Still...
"Bastard!!!"
That didn't stop me from trying. With the last of my strength I lunged, but the punch aimed at his face was caught easily.
"Looks like you're having fun, huh? Why didn't you invite me to join?" he said, smiling in that same unnerving calm tone.