Chapter 29: One Versus Seven (1)

[Kurogane Tsubasa's POV]

The guy's laughter echoed through the alley, and it only widened my smirk. "Pft... Hahahahahaha." Instead of showing fear, he found this all rather amusing. "You sure know how to talk a big game. But I hate to break it to you, it ain't impressing me."

Then, his three buddies jumped in, all having a good laugh at my expense. One of them, a stocky guy with a tough vibe, sneered, "Look at this dude. He looks like a pushover, man."

His friend, who seemed like the loudmouth of the group, added, "Yeah, seriously! He's so skinny, a strong gust of wind would blow him away. Probably spends his days reading manga and watching anime."

The third guy, sporting a sarcastic grin, added, "I bet he's never even thrown a punch in his life. Probably just plays video games and cries when he loses."

They were really laying it on thick, mocking me for my appearance. I didn't think I looked that bad... I'd already ditched my old haircut, that bowl cut, and switched to contacts instead of those thick glasses. But it seemed I still came across as a dork to them. Was it my physique? I wasn't super tall, but I wasn't tiny either. Okay, I might be a bit on the skinny side, but I had some muscle, dammit. These guys needed to rethink their "dork" assessment.

The other three guys with him chimed in.

"Seriously, dude, you look like you're ready for a library session, not a street brawl."

His buddy in the leather jacket joined in the mockery. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's hiding a pocket protector in there somewhere."

The last one added, "This is gonna be a walk in the park. Let's show him how real men handle things."

What? So even my outfit made me look like a dork? I mean, I thought going all black was supposed to be cool.

I glanced at Chinatsu.

"Your appearance is actually pretty cool."

See? These guys were just talking nonsense. Or maybe their fashion sense was so messed up that they didn't even know what was good.

"Enough small talk. Are we gonna do this or what?"

Their apparent leader stepped forward, wearing a smug grin. "Alright, dork-boy, since you're so damn eager to get your butt kicked, let's get this show on the road."

I casually cracked my knuckles.

His leather-clad buddy chimed in, "But don't you worry, we'll try to be gentle. Don't wanna snap those fragile little arms of yours."

I smirked, not feeling threatened in the least. "Oh, thanks for your concern. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

The sarcastic one added, "Tricks? Like pulling out a manga and reading us a bedtime story? Or are you gonna surprise us with some anime move? What are you, a third-grader? Oh, wait, maybe you are, 'cause you sure look like one! Hahahaha!"

"Hahaha." I laughed sarcastically, then peeled off my hoodie jacket and handed it to Chinatsu. Now, I was left wearing just my white t-shirt. I didn't want to risk getting Natsumi's gift dirty, especially not in a street fight. "I might just use a few of those moves. Now, let's see... which character should I mimic?"

"What? You planning to stall or what?" The leather jacket guy, who, despite criticizing my fashion sense, had his own peculiar style, taunted. "Too bad for you, you ain't got that luxury!" He lunged at me with a punch so slow it made me want to yawn.

I easily dodged his slow punch.

"Is that all you got?" I taunted.

"What?" He looked a bit confused, wondering why I had dodged his punch, but confusion quickly turned to anger. "Don't get cocky just because you dodged one!" He lunged at me again. Frankly, his attacks were so sluggish that even someone with basic martial arts skills could dodge them. Heck, even Chinatsu could dodge them. His punches weren't just slow either; they were comically predictable.

So, I dodged his second attempt.

I couldn't help but shake my head at this. "Man, your punches are about as predictable as a Monday morning alarm clock," I remarked, my voice tinged with a touch of amusement. "I mean, seriously, you wind up like you're about to launch a fireworks display. Your whole body tenses up, and your eyes give away your intentions a mile away. It's like you're telegraphing your moves with a neon sign."

"Wh-What are you?" He paused for a moment to looked at me with shock expression before he regained his usual demeanor.

As he launched yet another slow punch, I effortlessly sidestepped it. He nearly lost his balance due to the excessive momentum, teetering dangerously close to falling flat on his face, but somehow managed to stay upright.

"See, right there, you leaned to the left a bit before throwing that punch. If I can read your moves that easily, you're in for a rough day, my dude." My grin widened, and I added, "You might want to consider some unpredictability in your fighting style. Otherwise, this'll be over before you know it."

He closed in on me, unleashing a flurry of punches. Just like before, they were painfully predictable. I dodged each attack effortlessly.

"Nghhh?! Why can't I land a hit?!"

I couldn't help but savor the moment. This guy was practically serving up his punches on a silver platter.

"Well, for starters," I said, casually swaying to the side as he made another clumsy attempt to strike me, "you telegraph your moves way too much. It's like watching a slow-motion replay."

His frustration was evident as he gritted his teeth. "You're just a punk, and I'm gonna show you!"

He lunged at me again, but this time I didn't just dodge. Instead, I gracefully ducked under his punch, letting it sail harmlessly over my head. "And that," I continued, standing upright, "is another problem. You're too focused on landing that one big punch. You need some variety."

Now, it was my turn to take the offensive. With a quick sidestep, I positioned myself behind him and gave him a light tap on the back, just enough to throw him off balance. He stumbled forward, nearly losing his footing.

"Balance, dude," I advised, circling around him like a seasoned boxer. "You're like a human Jenga tower waiting to collapse."

His face was a mix of anger and bewilderment as he struggled to regain his composure. "You won't make a fool out of me!"

But the truth was, he was doing a pretty good job of that himself.