Chapter 9: Martial Arts Club

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Against my better judgment, I came to the gym at the appointed time for the martial arts club meeting. Even before pushing open the doors and entering, I could hear some students shouting their kiai.

The place was huge, having enough space for two basketball courts, gymnastics bars, and even an indoor rockclimbing wall. There were bleachers on either side that could be collapsed or pulled out when needed. For the moment, they were back against the walls out of the way. Large rubber mats were laid down so people could spar without slamming onto the hardwood floor.

I stood in the entryway and observed what was going on. Some students wore a traditional gi with a colored belt to show their rank. Others just stuck to modern athletic wear.

Most people were focused on a pair of tall and muscular boys about to face off. One had messy ginger hair and wore a black gi with white footpads. The other was blonde and had a mesh tanktop and boxing shorts. He slipped on a pair of gloves and smacked them together.

The atmosphere grew tense as they took their positions. The boxer kid hopped back and forth, shifting his weight between one leg and the other. His opponent stood with quiet confidence. He slipped a mouthpiece in and bowed before he readied his stance. A third-year glanced between them, then chopped down an arm, signaling to start.

Both exploded into action, unleashing a storm of strikes, blocks, and dodges. There was no slow warm up or probing moves, they just went for it. I wasn’t knowledgeable when it came to martial arts, but I could tell they were experienced. The blonde one predictably used the quick jabs and lethal haymakers you’d expect from a boxer. His opponent fought with an eastern style that combined both fists and kicking.

I noticed that neither were using a helmet or pads other than the bare minimum. When the boxer managed to land a solid hit to his opponent’s cheek, he sent him reeling and stumbling down to one knee. The kid took it like a champ though. He simply spat out some blood and rose for another round.

The others watching didn’t bat an eye at this. On the contrary, they were hyped up and hungry for more. Fucking christ. Was this an after-school activity or a semi-sanctioned fight club?

Screw this, I’m leaving. A hit like that would easily floor me and probably put me in the hospital too. If I stayed, I might get roped into a match with one of these freaks.

I turned, about to hightail it out of there, but at some point Alicia had appeared behind my back. This girl was a baleful specter ready to drag me to hell. She flashed that impish smile of hers and spoke with a playful lilt.

“What’s the matter, Izzy? You weren’t thinking of running off were you?”

“Course not, I was just– Izzy?” I halted mid-sentence once I heard the nickname. Uh-uh, no way. Something cute coming from Alicia’s mouth was just creepy. “Is that really what you’re calling me now? What’s wrong with ‘Isaac’?”

The girl deflated a little. “I thought I’d try it out, but it didn’t feel right. Guess I’ll just have to stick with ‘loser’.”

“You know what, Izzy’s fine. Izzy’s great actually. I love it.”

“Really? Well, since you said so~.”

She perked up as if she had been waiting for that. I’d been tricked into agreeing to something stupid again. Was she a master of manipulation or was I just that easy?

Instead of the usual school uniform, Alicia wore a sports bra and black leggings. Her hands were wrapped with gauze. She kept the familiar high ponytail, but there was something different about her eyes. More feral. Like the barely restrained crazy that lay behind was off the leash. The girl was in her element.

“Come on, let’s grab a mat and warm up. I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

She threw a few punches at a phantom opponent, then stepped forward and unleashed one more, her fist stopping an inch before my nose. Without being given the option to refuse, Alicia grabbed my arm and dragged me behind her.

We claimed a spot and she took the position opposite me. I watched her perform a few stretches. Since I didn’t really know what I was doing, I imitated her.

There was some commotion as the other fight reached a conclusion. It ended with the blonde guy landing a blow that sent the ginger kid down and too dizzy to get up again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he suffered a concussion. With that over, some of the spectators turned their attention to me and Alicia.

She’d finished her stretches and bounced impatiently while she waited for me. “Let’s go already.” The girl ran her tongue across her front teeth and grinned like a maniac. She gazed at me with the hunger of a lion eyeing the lame gazelle at the back of the herd.

“Listen… Go easy, alright? You’re just showing off so they’ll let you in the club. There’s no reason to take it too serious.” I presented her with a reasonable argument for why she shouldn’t use everything she had to beat me into the ground.

Without giving a reply, Alicia dashed forward. She closed the distance in an instant. Before I even understood what was happening, she’d already grabbed my arm and spun, throwing me over her shoulder. I landed flat on my back with a thwack, unable to do anything but stare upwards with a dumb, dazed look.

Despite the ease of it, Alicia happily gloated her victory. She triumphantly planted a foot on my chest and posed like a big game hunter showing off their kill. The onlookers chuckled with amusement at my expense.

“You’re gonna have to focus up, Izzy. You don’t wanna make it too easy for me, right? Unless… Ew, don’t tell me you actually like getting stepped on?” Her nose scrunched up with disgust as if looking at a bug.

“Not a chance,” I denied and pushed her leg away.

She offered a hand and helped me up. I got back to my feet, ready to give it another try. Rolling my shoulders, I hunkered down to prepare. That first time, I wasn’t ready. Now that I was serious and knew what she was going to do, I’d–

Thwack!

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“That’s 2-0,” Alicia chimed, helpfully keeping count after she once again had me sprawled out on the floor.

The rest of our sparring matches ended much the same. At least I improved, going from lasting just a few seconds to a little over a minute by the end. Some might say using my superior reach to hold her wrists and stay at arm's length was unsportsmanlike, but I think it’s called being strategic. It worked didn’t it? For a while, anyway. She headbutt me when I refused to let go.

I sat with my head tipped back, holding a wadded up paper towel to my nose to stem the bleeding. Alicia stood off to the side with her arms crossed, pouting when I glared her way.

“I said I was sorry, didn’t I?” She rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks.

I didn’t dignify that with a response. “Remind me to never help you with anything ever again.”

“Whatever. At least you got a good workout. What were you going to do otherwise? Sit in your dorm like a nerd?”

“No. …Maybe. I don’t know, but a broken nose isn’t my idea of a good time.”

She was right about one thing. It was a good workout. Even the system agreed.

[Optional Quest: Beginner Fitness - Difficulty: Very Easy]

[Objective: Workout 15 times. (1/15 Completed)]

[Reward: Physique +1]

This was an unexpected bonus. It confirmed there were ways to raise stats other than just the methods from the visual novel. In the game, the player raised their Physique by lifting weights.

Weightlifting, sports, and probably even just going for a morning run would all count as a workout for the system. This was so much easier than memorizing 20 textbooks. Was it because I was only raising Physique to 5 instead of 6? Perhaps the quests became harder the higher the stat.

Before I got too absorbed in pondering the question, Alicia brought my attention back to the conversation.

“It’s not broken, you big baby. So it’s bleeding a little, big whoop. A weakling like you could stand to toughen up and learn to take a hit or two. You fight like a girl.”

What was that supposed to mean? Last I checked, she was a girl. At least she looked like one. Maybe Alicia was actually a demon in disguise given her apparent sadistic side.

“Haha, you said it. You gotta be strong if you want to make it anywhere in life,” an unknown voice interjected.

I looked up and found the blonde boxer kid from earlier hovering nearby. He took one glance my way before brushing me off, his attention on Alicia.

“I watched you fight. You’re not too bad for a freshie. Let me know if you ever need a senior to give you some pointers. Usually I don’t hand them out for free, but I can make an exception for a pretty thing.”

Yikes. I hope he was joking. Even I knew better than to act condescending towards a girl you were trying to hit on. He might fight well, but this guy was a bit too full of himself for his own good. As expected, his smooth advance didn’t quite get the reaction he was hoping for.

“Ugh, who stepped in dog shit? It suddenly stinks over here.” Alicia tried to turn away, but he shifted around to stay in her field of vision.

Blondie didn’t back down. If anything, he only pressed harder after being rejected once. The boy threw his arm over her shoulder and plastered on a charming smile. “Playing hard to get, huh? I like that. The thrill of the chase makes it all the sweeter. Think about it: A handsome guy and you get a leg up on the competition. What’s there to lose?”

I had to hand it to him, he was confident. I could never spout lines like that. And he was nothing if not persistent. But it didn’t do him any favors this time. Alicia was a tough nut to crack.

Her expression made her look like she was resisting the urge to puke. “No thanks.” She scowled and slipped away, putting a good few feet of distance between them.

The guy lost his smile for a second, but he quickly recovered. “Why don’t you spar with me for a few rounds instead of hanging out with the weakling here? A fighter like you deserves a real challenge.”

Why’s he suddenly bringing me into this? What the hell did I do? I’m not the one that shot you down, dude. It’s got nothing to do with me if she doesn’t like your lame pickup lines.

I debated internally whether I should speak up or if it wasn’t worth getting involved. Alicia went off on him before I had the chance. His repeated refusal to take a hint had worn her patience thin.

“Hey asshole. Can you, like, fuck off already? And don’t call him a weakling.”

“Why not? It’s true. Didn’t you do the same thing?”

“I can say that cause I know him. It’s different for some random douchebag nobody asked.”

Was that how it worked? Who made this rule? I don’t remember being consulted.

Blondie still wore a cocky grin, but the way his lips twitched showed the cracks in his unflappable facade. He made one last attempt to win Alicia over.

“How about we make a bet? One match. If I win, you come on a date with me. Afterwards, if I like you, I might even agree to take you out on my father’s yacht over summer break.”

I bet this guy and the original Isaac would have got along. He even pulled the “my dad’s rich” card at the end. Didn’t he know this was Rosemont? Everybody’s dad was rich.

The girl had had enough. She absolutely blew her lid. I’d never seen her like this. Not even after that thing with Tatsuya.

“I’ve got a better idea. Get fucking bent you stupid, curly-haired cockbite. I wouldn’t go on a date with you even if you shat gold bars and your dick could cure cancer. Crooked nose Rocky-wannabe. Your bitch ass couldn’t…”

Alicia had such a poetic way with words. When it came to bruising a guy’s ego, she was a master of the craft. It really was something else to watch her work. Where did she get such a vibrant vocabulary? And that lung capacity was crazy. It had been nearly a full minute and she hadn’t stopped to catch her breath.

Maybe we should leave. That vein bulging out of Blondie’s temple looked like it was about to burst, and just about every person in the gym was staring.

“Uh, hey Alicia. You made a strong impression. Let’s get out of here.” I tugged on her sleeve, but failed to gain her attention.

“Oh and another thing. Why the fuck are your eyes so far apart? I’m surprised an inbred piece of trash like you remembers to breathe. And I…”

Okay, she was still going.

I started pulling Alicia towards the exit. She didn’t resist, but offered no assistance either. Putting both arms under her shoulders, I dragged 100 lbs of deadweight while she kept shouting her tirade all the way out the door. I felt like a hospital orderly bringing away a mental patient to be sedated.

It wasn’t until we were well away from the martial arts club that she finally settled down.

“You didn’t have to go so far. I think he got the idea without you berating his looks, personality, fighting skill, personal hygiene, family lineage, dick size…” I counted off on my fingers as I remembered all the different ways Alicia tore into the guy.

“If he did, then he should have backed off earlier.” She huffed, completely unapologetic. “I never hold my tongue towards people who deserve it.”

“Well, let’s just hope your tongue doesn’t stop you from getting in the club.” I sighed with exacerbation, but it felt wrong to criticize her for standing up for me. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Psh, don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t do it for your sake, I just made sure he’d stop hitting on me. Next time, don’t expect any help. Stand up for yourself instead. And don’t go getting the wrong idea, got it?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

We arrived at the academy’s entrance. I had plenty to do tonight if I wanted to make progress on the system’s quests. Alicia seemed busy as well.

Before we parted ways, I thanked her again and gave her a wave. She rolled her eyes and stomped off. The girl simply could not take any praise. I watched her go with an amused smile.