Sano sneered inwardly.
Even if people think I'm being pushy, if you back down now, you'll be seen as a coward and a joke.
At worst, they'll say I'm petty or domineering. That can be flipped around easily. But your cowardice? That'll stick. You'll be laughed at for the next four years.
Manabu stood across from Toru, thoughts racing as he considered how to handle the situation with minimal fallout.
People like to believe they support the weak, but in reality, they tend to follow the strong.
And right now, in Manabu's eyes, Sano was the stronger one.
In Japan, it's customary for subordinates to challenge their superiors, but on the surface, kohai are expected to obey their senpai. Not to mention, Sano had real strength. He wasn't just a powerful karateka—his academic record was top-tier too. Compared to that, Manabu's fifth dan ranking felt like nothing.
When the opponent is stronger, it's natural to submit.
Still, he didn't want to offend Toru, the freshman representative, too harshly.
He planned to end the match quickly without injuring him, then say something like, "I've practiced Karate since I was a kid. It's natural for a beginner to lose."
That way, he'd be following Sano's orders without humiliating Toru too badly. Toru might lose face, but it would be within reason. He was the weaker one, after all.
A sharp glint flashed behind Manabu's glasses as he lowered into a karate stance, one foot pulled back. He said calmly, "Fujiwara-san, do you need time to prepare?"
If you're smart, don't ask for prep time. Losing after preparing would only be more embarrassing.
Just take me on now. Even if you lose, it'll look better. Let me see what kind of person you are.
Unconsciously, Manabu had already placed himself in the position of the strong, simply because Toru was standing there so casually, not even bothering with a stance. He looked like someone who had never trained in martial arts at all.
The club members moved aside, giving the two ample space.
Though everyone expected Toru to lose, they were curious to see how badly it would go.
Despite being a first-year, Manabu was a black belt and had the strength to compete nationally.
Toru, on the other hand, didn't respond. Instead, he asked, "By the way, your name's Horikita Manabu, right?"
Sano had called him that earlier.
"That's right. Is there a problem?"
"Do you have a younger sister?"
Manabu blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Yeah, I do. Fujiwara-san, do we know each other?"
For a moment, he wondered if their families had some connection. The Horikita family wasn't a major household, but they had influence in both political and business circles.
"No, we don't."
Toru's flat response put an end to that line of thought. Manabu figured it was just a passing curiosity.
Since Toru still didn't look like he planned to fight, Manabu offered a polite reminder. "Be careful, Fujiwara-san. This is just a spar."
Swish—
He suddenly lashed out with a whip kick aimed at the side of Toru's knee. Fast, precise, and powerful.
He had thought it through. A blow to the side of the knee wouldn't cause serious injury but would destabilize Toru. Once he fell, Manabu could step forward and claim victory.
Kicks to the chin or face were too risky. He didn't want anyone getting seriously hurt.
Just that one kick already showed Manabu's years of Karate experience. His technique was solid, not for show.
Bang!
There was a loud crack as the kick landed.
But contrary to expectations, Toru didn't budge. He stood unmoving like a mountain.
Manabu, on the other hand, felt a stabbing pain in the back of his foot, like he had kicked solid steel.
Something's wrong!
The thought flashed through his mind and alarm bells blared inside him, but it was already too late.
Toru stepped in with a textbook right straight toward his chin.
In that instant, every hair on Manabu's body stood on end. A primal fear surged through him, instinctive and undeniable. His body froze.
Toru didn't look like a person anymore. He looked like a tiger. A beast breaking out of its cage.
Boom—
The punch smashed into Manabu's chin, lifting him off the ground.
His glasses flew off. Spit shot from his mouth.
His head spun, vision went white, and by the time he hit the floor, he was unconscious. Just like that, he was out cold, curled up like a baby in deep sleep.
And that was with Toru holding back. If he hadn't restrained himself, he could've shattered Manabu's jaw and left him permanently damaged.
The room was dead silent. For a moment, no one even reacted.
They just stared blankly at Manabu lying there, unable to process what they had just seen.
That whip kick had looked strong, but it didn't even make Toru flinch.
And Toru's punch? It had looked almost too standard, like something straight out of a textbook. Almost like a beginner's form.
Yet it sent a black belt flying.
It was so absurd that some people wondered if Manabu had taken a dive or been bribed to lose.
"Horikita-san! Horikita-san, are you okay?!"
A few seconds later, the members finally snapped out of it and rushed to him in panic. Some even pulled out their phones to call an ambulance.
Manabu lay on the ground, dazed and blinking. His usual cold expression was gone, replaced by a goofy grin. Combined with the drool at the corner of his mouth, he truly looked like he'd been punched into a daze.
As the others fussed around him, his vacant gaze slowly returned to normal. He wiped his mouth, forced himself up, held his bruised chin, and with tears in his eyes, muttered,
"I'm fine..."
"Are you sure you don't need a hospital? Horikita-san, you didn't... get punched stupid, did you?"
"No hospital," he croaked.
He glanced at Toru, still rattled.
Only he knew how terrifying that punch really was. It had been perfectly standard in form, but he hadn't even been able to dodge.
He was certain Toru had pulled back at the last second. Otherwise, he'd be in the ER right now—or worse.
Sano crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. He said in a low voice, "So, you were pretending just now."
"You've trained in Karate. Uechi-ryu, right? One of the four main Ryukyuan styles."
Sano came from a Karate family and had studied the art extensively. It didn't take long for him to recognize the form and lineage behind Toru's moves.
Excited now, Sano raised his voice. "Great. Since you know Karate too, let's spar."
He was practically gleeful. Now that it was a match between equals, he wouldn't be accused of bullying. It was a spar between practitioners.
As far as he was concerned, Manabu had simply let his guard down, which was why he got knocked out.
He had intentionally held back so he wouldn't hurt Toru. Who would've thought Toru was hiding his strength?
But so what if he's strong?
I'm a Top 8 finalist in the National Karate Tournament. If I hadn't run into that monster Makoto Kyogoku in the quarterfinals, I could've gone even further.
Which means... I'm practically the runner-up!
"Damn, the president's getting serious."
"Horikita-san is a black belt. Doesn't that mean Fujiwara-san is at least at that level?"
"I think Horikita-san was just careless. If he'd gone all out, Toru might not have stood a chance."
"Who do you think would win, the president or Fujiwara-san?"
"Seriously? You have to ask? The president traded blows with Kyogoku at last year's Nationals. Everyone in the Karate world knows him. Who's Fujiwara-san? Has anyone heard his name?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Exactly. Who was Fujiwara Toru?
Manabu was slowly helped up, still woozy.
He barely registered the chatter around him.
Because only he had truly experienced the pressure from that punch.
That guy's body is built like a monster. The raw presence from that strike... Sano could never make him feel that kind of fear.
He had sparred with Sano before. His strikes were sharp, but they never made him feel like he was staring down a beast.
Now Manabu was genuinely interested. He wanted to know just how strong this Fujiwara Toru really was.
Tokyo University had its share of geniuses, but among them, there were always one or two who made everyone else feel hopeless, the kind that stood at the top and could only be looked up to.
And right now, Haruno's smile grew even wider.
So interesting. This Fujiwara Toru is far too interesting.
Her curiosity was fully awakened.
(To be continued.)