Shiyon launched yet another lightning-fast punch towards Yuuto's face.
'Too wide. I'll target his gut...' Yuuto keenly observed the punch as it whizzed barely a centimeter from his face, skillfully dodging it and lunging forward, his arms poised in a boxer's stance.
"AA-AHH! I SAW IT! PILLOW ACTUALLY DODGED ANIKI'S LIGHTNING PUNCH!"
Yuuto then dropped his stance lower, aiming a punch at the side of Shiyon's abdomen—a shot aimed at the kidney!
But in a fraction of a second, instead of finding Shiyon's exposed side, Yuuto saw a knee hurtling towards him.
'Damn it! He—'
"Baited you~ <3"
Yet, Yuuto didn't back down.
'...I'll make it so that it won't matter, asshole..!'
He straightened his posture, quickly positioning his elbow over Shiyon's advancing knee. But that alone wasn't enough to halt the knee's progress. So, instead of retreating, Yuuto leaned into the momentum, launching a ragged uppercut towards Shiyon's chin.
"O-oH~?!" Shiyon's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the punch targeting his chin. From a professional standpoint, it was a messy, unorthodox attempt. But even he recognized—
'If that lands... I'm in a tight spot, haha~!'
With that thought, Shiyon hastily drew his head back as far as he could—but it wasn't sufficient! Yuuto's knuckles grazed Shiyon's chin, connecting, albeit partially.
However, the impact sent Shiyon's head snapping upwards as he stumbled backward, momentarily thrown off balance.
On the other side, Yuuto, reeling from his own hasty maneuver, struggled to maintain his stance, wobbling for just a second before awkwardly righting himself back to a standing position. Shiyon, too, was quickly regathering his composure.
Yuuto cast a quick glance at his elbow.
'His kicks... They're dangerous.' He thought as he could feel his elbow still shaking from Shiyon's knee.
"W-WHAT!!!? PILLOW'S FIST ACTUALLY LANDED!?" Konro exclaimed, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief.
"ANIKI!! STOP MESSING AROUND AND TAKE DOWN THAT CLOWN!!!" Gon shouted, his voice echoing with defiance.
"Gon." Shiyon's voice cut through the commotion, noticeably softer yet carrying an undeniable edge.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm..." he began, his presence suddenly emanating an aura that hadn't been felt in ages.
The unmistakable thirst for violence.
"...But shut up for a minute. I'm busy," Shiyon stated, his eyes gleaming with the intensity of a predator.
Gon and his entourage could only nod, their voices silenced by a mix of fear and respect. It was a reminder of the days when Shiyon's rule was absolute, a reign marked by an iron fist.
"Now then~.. where were we, Saku—" Shiyon barely had time to turn before Yuuto was already on him, closing the distance with determined strides.
"You talk too much, prick." Yuuto declared, his gaze calm but sharp as he stepped into Shiyon's personal space, arms raised in a boxer's guard and launching a straight right towards Shiyon's face.
"Ooh!? Coming at me like that!?" Shiyon exclaimed, narrowly evading the punch, feeling it graze the edge of his ear.
'I need to get close. He tends to favor his legs in tight quarters... But I'd rather take a knee than a kick. Something tells me his kicks are going to be a nightmare tomorrow...' Yuuto mused, unleashing a left hook.
"Hmph!" Shiyon grunted, dodging the hook with a swift side-step and reaching out to grab Yuuto's shirt.
"Consider this payback, cunt." Yuuto shot back, adjusting his stance as he was seized.
Without hesitation, Shiyon yanked him closer.
'This could get tricky... He's got grappling skills too!?' Yuuto realized with a hint of concern.
"Hahaha... You might be onto something there~!" Shiyon chuckled, his excitement palpable as he forcefully pulled Yuuto towards him, preparing for a body slam with a swift pivot.
"T-THERE IT IS!! ANIKI'S SIGNATURE MOVE!!! HE TOOK DOWN PAPER HIGH'S BOSS WITH THAT!!" The onlookers roared. Sendo watched in silence.
"PILLOW IS DONE FOR!!!" the crowd jeered, convinced of Yuuto's imminent defeat.
...Which is why they were rather shocked of what happened next.
The moment Yuuto was lifted off the ground, he swiftly wrapped his legs around Shiyon's waist and attempted a chokehold.
However, it was only partly successful. Shiyon quickly blocked one of Yuuto's arms with his elbow, preventing it from fully encircling his throat. Meanwhile, his grip remained firm on Yuuto's shirt.
The onlookers were in disbelief. "Impossible!! They're... Equally matched!? That anime pillow and Aniki are on the same level?! I thought he was just some hermit otaku!"
"Don't be an idiot!! Aniki is unrivaled! So what if Pillow's got some skills? It's all part of Aniki's strategy!"
"But... Gon-san, look at them... They're in a deadlock...! Aniki has only ever been matched like this when facing a King from another school! And even then, he quickly overcame and dominated. But now... They're still locked in combat!"
"FUCK... SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!!! ANIKI WON'T BE DEFEATED, JUST WATCH!!" Gon erupted, his voice a storm of denial. The intensity of the battle, the unexpected prowess of a good-for-nothing recluse against their indomitable Aniki, had them on edge. The air crackled with tension, each moment stretching into eternity as two forces of nature clashed, neither willing to yield.
"Sakurai-chun..!!" Shiyon managed through a grunt, "While I'm flattered you're finally warming up to me, this is getting a bit intense... We only met yesterday, after all... Mind letting go?~?"
"You first, Organ Harvester...!"
"...Then, at the same time~!!" Shiyon proposed. Instinctively, they both released their holds, deftly moving out of each other's grasp.
"Sakurai-chun. That reaction time... Is not something you can get with sheer talent. You're... Used to fists flying at your face, eh?"
"And you're used to cum flying at yours," Yuuto replied in defiance.
"...Cute. I'd really rather you would not hate me, though. I'm starting to think you weren't held back because your scores were bad~..."
Shiyon: 'This guy... He's not giving it his all!'
Yuuto: 'This bastard... He's not using all he's got!'
The crowd was riled up by Yuuto's sharp words, but their respect for Shiyon's wish to keep the conflict between them held their anger in check.
Sendo, in contrast, observed the skirmish with a calm, analytical eye, undisturbed by the insults being hurled.
"Aaah!! This guy!! He's really pushing his luck talking to Aniki like that!" The two students Sendo had subdued earlier voiced their frustration.
One of them looked up to Sendo, noticing his composed demeanor, "Sendo-kun, aren't you angry?! How can you stay calm when this fucker disrespects Aniki like that?!" He asked, bewildered.
Yet, Sendo remained unfazed.
"He's not da' type ta' get worked up over these kinda words. If he ain't mad, neither am I," Sendo responded coolly.
"S-...Sendo..." They muttered, taken aback.
"He's pretty straightforward, isn't he? Our Sendo-kun." The student observed, a hint of admiration in his tone.
They began to relax a bit.
"Look at Aniki's face. He's not even upset," Sendo pointed out, prompting them to watch more closely.
"Aniki looks like... He's actually enjoying this," Sendo added, a slight smirk on his face as he still held Yuuto's phone.
Following Sendo's cue, they turned their gaze to Shiyon, searching for the enjoyment Sendo mentioned.
"Hah."
"How could we forget... Aniki loves a good fight!" one of the students exclaimed, his spirits lifted.
"...But... I didn't expect it from Anime Pillow in the slightest..."
"So, Sakurai-chun, which school did you come from? Being the previous top dog around these parts, I might know it—"
"Not telling," Yuuto casually, yet swiftly replied.
"I really wanna know, though~" Shiyon insisted,
"Better get used to disappointment, then." Yuuto retorted.
Shiyon couldn't help but laugh loudly, filled with genuine amusement. "Sen-chun told me about you... I guessed you've been in quite a few scraps before you landed in our little INK Public School. But this..." his smile turned a touch darker, his gaze sharpening, "...This makes me curious... who's really been in more fights between the two of us~ <3"
TO BE CONTINUED IN: Anti-NTR Man Vs Organ Harvester, Finale