Haruna calmed down after he explained once again why he was choosing the MMA Club, though she still looked at him with a slight pout which confused him a little bit.
"Geez, why are you looking at me like that? I told you, I'm not doing it to fight more," he said softly.
"....I still don't like it. It's not going to help the rumors about you!"
"Rumors? Oh, is that what this is about?"
"I thought I'd talk to you about doing something about them, but here you are doing everything you can to make them worse," she muttered.
Airi and Greeny wisely took a step back, following behind them. It was best to just let them discuss it, since they already knew what Reiji's stance was on his reputation.
"Well, what exactly were you planning?" he asked curiously.
"I'm not sure? Maybe just slowly tell people that you aren't that bad and hang out with you so that people realize that's true? I didn't think that far honestly."
"Hmmm.... I don't really see the point in doing that. It's not like people will instantly believe you, and they might even think I coerced you to say that for me. But the main thing is, Haruna, I genuinely don't care about the rumors you know?"
"Huh? Why not??? Everyone looks at you in fear and they talk a lot of shit behind your back!"
"Like I said before, most of the rumors aren't exactly incorrect, they're just exaggerated or lack context. And why should I care about what they say behind my back? As long as my friends don't believe it, isn't that enough?"
"But...."
"Look, have I caused any major issues in the past week or so? No, right? I don't plan on doing things like that anymore either, so it's best to just mind my own business and let the rumors die down on their own. Even if they don't, those who care enough to look at the current me, are the only ones I should care about," Reiji shrugged.
He had thought extensively about what to do with his undeserved reputation, but then he looked at Greeny and Airi who had realized that he wasn't who the rumors said he was (literally) and started hanging out with him.
This was like a light bulb moment. Why try to convince others that you've changed, when you can show them with your actions? Those worth befriending will understand this, and those who refuse to acknowledge it simply shouldn't be a factor.
It was as simple as that.
"....You sound like a grandpa Reiji-tan," Haruna giggled, after a few seconds of contemplative silence.
"RIGHT? RIGHT? BOTH OF US THINK THE SAME!"
Airi, who had been quiet so far, suddenly jumped into the conversation. Greeny also started nodding like a bobblehead with a knowing smile.
"Reiji-kun a-always talks like that, it's s-so funny," he stammered.
"I'm actually going to pop a vein one of these days because of you!" Reiji snapped, walking away a little faster.
The three of them chuckled and followed along, reaching the Fighting Club's room. All the various practitions shared one massive clubroom, with each one having it's own area for sessions.
This was because there weren't that many people looking to join such clubs, so the school merged them in a way that they each still had their autonomy, but would be able to practice with other clubs for more practical experience.
So when they entered the room, a huge hall came into view, with various gym equipment aligned neatly in one corner, fighting rings in another corner, a meeting hall with tables and chairs in the third, and changing rooms in the last one.
It was well organized, and nothing looked out of place, so the four of them studied the quality of the equipment around them with great interest.
"Hey! Are you guys here for the orientation? You're right on time, have a seat over there!"
A senior pointed to the meeting area where there were 13 people already waiting for the session to start. It seemed like a lot compared to the other sessions they had been to, but this was the number of visitors for all the fighting clubs combined.
Not only did they share the clubroom, they merged the orientation as well because they all conducted similar activities, trips, and competitions, with the only difference being the style of combat.
At the front were 8 seniors, presumably from different fields of combat, preparing some documents to hand out. One of them caught sight of Reiji's group and nudged his friend who was wiping the whiteboard clean from the previous session.
"Let's sit over here," Haruna pulled them to a row nearby.
But as they were about to sit down, the senior who was cleaning the board walked up to them with a frown.
"Hey you! Are you that asshole who punched my brother?" He asked aggressively.
The four of them were taken aback, as they turned to look at Reiji who just sat there with a surprised look.
"Ummm.... Probably?" he replied after a moment's hesitation. Though he didn't recognize the person in front of him, it definitely sounded like something his predecessor would do.
"What the fuck do you mean 'probably'? Did you or didn't you?" the senior hissed, his voice getting a little louder.
"Look man, I don't even know who you are. If I did hit your brother, I apologize okay? I do feel bad about it," Reiji replied in a low tone.
"Haaah? Feel bad? You piece of shi-"
"NAKAMURA! WE'RE ABOUT TO START, COME ON!"
The guys up front called up Nakamura, but even with the name Reiji had no idea who his brother was. He had fought with quite a few people after all.
Nakamura gave him a glare but walked off, not forgetting to sneak in one final comment.
"This isn't over, don't leave after the session," he sneered as he left.
Haruna, Airi, and Greeny looked at Reiji with a complicated expression, unsure of how they should react. Reiji rubbed his forehead in exasperation, annoyed at having to deal with this.
"Woooow Reiji-tan, did you really punch his brother?"
"....I don't know."
"Pfft, you weren't joking? You really don't know? How many people have you punched?" Airi giggled as she adjusted her glasses.
Reiji sighed but he couldn't stop the slight smile from blooming on his face. He was kind of happy that they just teased him instead of being mad about the situation.
"I'll just apologize properly after the session, hopefully he'll understand."
"He seems pretty buff though, what if he doesn't want to talk and just attacks you?" Haruna turned to the senior at the front who was still glaring at Reiji, noting his burly body and murderous look.
"Nah, he probably won't do that. He's not the old me after all," Reiji joked, earning a laugh from them.
They refocused on the ongoing session, Reiji listening intently at the pitch that the senior was giving.
"So like I said, even though we share the same room we won't actually interfere much with each other unless it's for cross-combat practice. You can see yourselves just how expansive the room is, and the equipment is also of the highest quality!"
"Yes, Souhei High's fighting clubs are all very renowned. We have performed well over the last 5 Club Fest Tournaments, and employ world-class coaches who used to be professionals. We guarantee to give you the care and attention you deserve, as long as you put in the effort."
"Most of our members have gotten into Souhei High through sports scholarships, but don't let that deter you. We don't have any requirements for joining aside from making sure to attend all the practice sessions. Even if you're a complete newbie, learning self-defense or simply wanting to have fun through an intense activity is nothing to be ashamed of!"
Each senior took turns to present the essence of their club, encouraging everyone interested to join.
Since they didn't really use up a lot of resources, aside from the initial investment in the equipment, you didn't need to pass a test or have trained before to enter the clubs.
Reiji himself was more interested in the Club Fest Tournament that they mentioned, as that was the final reason he had decided to choose the MMA Club, but they didn't go into much detail about it.
Probably because everyone in the audience was a newbie and would likely not get to enter it anyway.
"Now, just to show you what you will be learning over the course of the year, we will spar lightly with each other in the ring," a senior grinned, which caught the attention of everyone in the audience.
Nakamura, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly lit up. His eyes gleamed with undisguised anger and mockery as his face twisted in an evil grin.
"Hey, why don't we do something a little different? Why not spar with someone from the audience, to show them firsthand the level they can reach if they join us?" he announced loudly.
Then he turned to Reiji, who had already guessed his intentions.
"Hmmm, you look like you've fought before? How about it, want to give it a shot?"
All four of them frowned heavily, clearly aware of Nakamura's plan.
'Haha, this fucker is picking a fight... with me?'