Chapter 27: Join My Totally-Not-a-Gang Gang
(Where I Recruit with Punches and Philosophy)
Reina Tachibana didn't get impressed easily.
Sure, guys liked to puff out their chests and throw a few punches, but when it came to actual martial arts?
Real technique?
Discipline?
Training?
Most of them flopped harder than a goldfish on a trampoline.
But this guy—
this Ren-Kisaragi-somehow-living-in-Kaito-Hoshino's-body guy?
He had moves.
One moment, her three main fighters—Ryōhei Sakamoto, the boxer; Tōma Igarashi, the human bulldozer of Judo; and Sora Minazuki, the Capoeira specialist—had been surrounding him from three directions.
The next?
They were a pile of groaning limbs and bruised pride.
Reina watched it all with her arms crossed, expression carefully neutral.
Her eyes, however?
Definitely curious.
This wasn't some normal schoolyard brawl.
Ren fought like he was dancing with chaos and somehow leading the choreography.
His style was—
what was the technical term?
A complete mess.
Except it worked.
Boxing footwork.
Judo throws.
Karate.
Muay Thai.
Grappling.
Moves Reina recognized immediately mixed with things she definitely didn't.
And beneath all of it was the unmistakable experience of somebody who had spent years actually fighting.
She tilted her head as he casually stretched after dropping Sora for the final time.
Self-taught?
No.
Impossible.
Some kind of martial-arts Frankenstein created by a dozen different masters?
That sounded ridiculous.
Unfortunately, so did everything else about him.
Then he looked at her.
That got Reina's attention.
Not because of the usual look.
Not the sleazy one.
Not the smug Oh, you're a girl, how dangerous could you possibly be? nonsense.
She knew that look.
She had kicked that look off more faces than she could remember.
This was different.
Ren looked at her the way one fighter looked at another before a match.
Curious.
Excited.
Challenging.
And, most importantly—
respectful.
He didn't see a girl standing in front of him.
He saw the strongest fighter left.
Reina liked that.
Probably more than she should have.
She cracked her knuckles and stepped forward.
"Well."
Ren smiled.
"Now that you've beaten up my guys," Reina said, "I can't exactly let you walk away without breaking something."
His grin widened like she'd just offered him dessert.
"I don't mind."
He bounced lightly on his feet.
"But that's assuming you can hit me."
Reina's eyebrow twitched.
"I hope you're faster than those guys," Ren continued. "I've been hearing about those legendary kicks all day."
Reina smiled.
"Oh, don't worry."
She settled into her stance.
"You'll be tasting one in about three seconds."
"Bold claim."
"Want me to prove it?"
Ren gave her a tiny nod.
The universal language of martial artists.
Let's dance.
Off to the side, Shōgo pulled out another piece of bubblegum.
"Oh, this is gonna be good."
Haruki looked between them.
"Should we maybe stop—"
Reina's foot blurred through the air.
The wind from the kick snapped Haruki's collar.
He immediately closed his mouth.
Smart kid.
Ren moved his head aside by centimeters.
His eyes widened.
Not with fear.
With excitement.
"Okay…"
He grinned.
"Okay. This is more like it."
And just like that—
the alley became an arena.
Two fighters.
One narrow alley.
No referee.
Just mutual respect, flying kicks, and the very real possibility of somebody needing a dentist afterward.
The alley really wasn't designed for dramatic martial-arts showdowns.
It was narrow.
Dirty.
Trash cans lined one wall.
Old posters peeled away from another.
And one unfortunate stray cat took a single look at what was about to happen and immediately decided another neighborhood seemed healthier.
Reina attacked first.
Her roundhouse tore through the air.
Ren ducked beneath it by barely an inch, his hair moving from the force.
"Fast," he muttered.
Reina landed.
"But not fast enough."
Her eye twitched.
"Then stop smiling and dodge this!"
She twisted.
Her second kick came from the opposite direction.
A hook kick.
Ren leaned backward, the heel passing directly above his nose.
Then he planted one hand against the ground and flipped backward.
He landed.
"Okay, okay."
He raised both hands.
"I felt the wind on that one. Points for drama."
"Keep talking."
"Oh, I plan to."
They began circling.
Reina narrowed her eyes, studying him just as carefully as he studied her.
"Mixed style."
"Yep."
"You just steal every technique you see?"
Ren thought about that.
"Pretty much."
"So you're a martial-arts thief."
"I prefer enthusiastic learner."
Reina lunged.
Ren stepped forward.
Their attacks met.
Her straight punch came toward his face.
His elbow redirected it.
His palm shot toward her chest.
She twisted aside.
Low sweep.
Ren hopped over it.
His knee came down.
She leaned away and spun.
Her heel flew toward his ribs.
Ren barely pulled back.
CLANG!
Her boot smashed into the side of a dumpster.
Metal buckled inward.
Ren stared at the dent.
Then at her.
Then back at the dent.
"…You sure that wasn't meant for my head?"
Reina withdrew her leg with as much dignity as possible.
"I missed on purpose."
"Uh-huh."
"Shut up."
Then both moved.
Fast.
Ren drove forward with a brutal shoulder strike.
Reina blocked but still slid backward from the impact.
Instead of resisting, she used the momentum.
One foot hit the wall.
Then the other.
She launched herself back toward him.
Flying side kick.
Ren's eyes widened.
BOOM!
He crossed both forearms over his chest.
The impact shoved him backward several meters, his shoes scraping lines through the dirt.
"Oof!"
Reina landed.
Ren shook his arms out.
"Okay."
He looked impressed.
"You've definitely broken boards with that."
Reina smirked.
"I've broken ribs with that."
Ren paused.
Then grinned.
"Oh, so we're flirting now?"
She snorted.
"Only if you stay standing."
"I like your standards."
They moved upward.
Reina jumped onto the emergency staircase.
Ren followed immediately.
Metal rattled beneath their feet as they raced upward, exchanging blows between the narrow rails.
Elbow.
Block.
Kick.
Duck.
Ren slipped behind her and reached for a hip throw.
Reina jumped before he could set his balance, planted one boot against the railing, and flipped over him.
She landed three stairs above.
Ren stared.
"That was cool."
"Focus."
"I can do both."
She charged downward.
Double kick.
One aimed high.
One toward his chest.
Ren blocked the first with his forearm.
Ducked the second.
Then smashed a low kick against her supporting leg.
Reina lost balance—
and deliberately fell with it.
She twisted around his ankle.
Ren's eyes widened.
"Whoa!"
He yanked his leg free before she could complete the takedown.
"Tricky."
"You complaining?"
"Complimenting."
He grabbed the railing and flipped over her.
Both dropped back into the alley.
They landed several meters apart.
Crouched.
Breathing harder now.
Bruised.
Grinning.
Reina wiped a trace of blood from her lip.
"You're not bad…"
She straightened.
"…for a complete weirdo."
Ren rolled his shoulder.
"You hit like a truck."
Reina smiled smugly.
"Better."
"Oh, definitely."
That answer apparently annoyed her more than an insult would've.
She stepped forward.
"I'm still breaking something."
"You already cracked my pride."
"Not what I had in mind."
They lunged.
Ren reached for a Muay Thai clinch.
Reina slipped outside his arms.
Kick.
Mid.
Ren blocked.
High.
Blocked again.
Low—
THUMP!
Her shin smashed into his thigh.
Ren hissed.
"Cheap shot."
"Smart shot."
"Fair."
He ducked under her next strike and drove his shoulder into her.
Reina hit the wall.
"Ghk!"
Before Ren could capitalize—
CRACK!
Her forehead smashed into his.
Ren stumbled backward.
Stars appeared.
Possibly actual ones.
They separated.
Both panting.
Both bruised.
Both staring at one another.
Then Reina started laughing.
Ren blinked.
Then he laughed too.
"You're nuts," she said.
"You're violent."
"That's rich coming from you."
"Fair."
They straightened.
Something had changed.
The challenge was still there.
So was the desire to win.
But underneath it now sat something far more important.
Respect.
Reina brushed loose hair away from her face.
"You still want to keep going?"
Ren rotated one shoulder.
"Well…"
His grin returned.
"I still haven't seen your secret finishing move."
"My what?"
"I don't know. Spinning Dragon Kick? Heavenly Foot of Certain Death?"
Reina stared.
"Do you name everything?"
"Most things."
"Maybe I'm saving it for a real opponent."
Ren clutched his chest.
"Ouch."
From the sidelines—
POP!
Shōgo's bubble burst.
"This is better than pay-per-view."
Haruki had gone pale.
"This is illegal, right?"
Nobody answered him.
That probably answered the question.
The alley went quiet again.
Reina and Ren stood facing one another.
Both breathing hard.
Both smiling.
And somehow, without either saying it, both were thinking exactly the same thing.
I want to fight this person again.
Reina wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Her grin said she wasn't finished.
Ren rotated his shoulder and winced.
"That headbutt…"
He rubbed his forehead.
"You hiding metal plates in there?"
"Thick skull."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"Want another?"
Ren chuckled.
"You read my mind."
Round two.
They collided again.
Reina launched a side kick.
Ren knocked it downward with his elbow.
He spun.
Backfist.
His knuckles grazed her cheek.
Reina answered immediately.
She planted one hand against the ground and cartwheeled, her heel swinging toward his head.
Ren dropped low.
The kick passed overhead.
He swept at her legs.
Reina stumbled.
Didn't fall.
"You're slippery," she muttered.
"I moisturize."
Reina stared at him.
"What?"
"I don't know. It sounded better in my head."
She attacked.
Fastest sequence yet.
High feint.
Ren reacted.
Wrong target.
The real kick came low.
THUMP!
It clipped his leg.
Then Reina's foot rose overhead.
Axe kick.
Ren saw it.
Not the kick itself.
The movement.
The weight transfer.
The opening.
He stepped inside.
Caught her leg during the downward motion.
Turned.
Reina's eyes widened.
"Oh—"
Ren used her momentum.
Judo throw.
THUD!
Reina hit the ground.
"Guh!"
But she wasn't done.
Her heel shot toward his face from the ground.
Ren jerked backward.
The boot passed centimeters from his nose.
He jumped away.
And waited.
Reina slowly rose.
Her breathing had become heavy.
One leg trembled slightly.
Sweat ran down her forehead.
Blood marked her lip.
Ren wasn't looking much better.
His cheek was swelling.
His thigh burned.
His ribs remembered every kick she'd landed.
Reina raised her guard.
"If we keep going…"
She inhaled.
"…I'm actually going to kill you."
Ren shook out his arms.
"Fair warning…"
He smiled.
"…I'm having way too much fun."
Reina yelled and charged.
This time Ren didn't rush forward.
He waited.
Watched.
Focused.
She jumped.
Flying kick.
Ren moved sideways.
Not backward.
Not away.
In.
He caught her leg.
Pivoted.
Used her momentum to turn her.
Then drove an elbow into her side—not full force, but hard enough to knock the air from her.
"Gah!"
Before she recovered, Ren slipped behind her.
One arm trapped hers.
His weight shifted.
Grappling lock.
Secure.
Controlled.
Not a choke.
Just nowhere to go.
Reina struggled.
"Tap."
"Never."
"Come on."
"No."
"You know you lost."
"Shut up."
"Very persuasive."
She twisted harder.
Ren tightened the position just enough to stop her.
"Stubborn."
"Let—go!"
"Say it."
"No!"
"Reina."
"Don't use my real name like that!"
Ren sighed.
Then swept her supporting leg.
Instead of slamming her down, he controlled the fall and lowered her onto the pavement.
Carefully.
Like setting down a very angry wildcat.
He crouched beside her.
Tired.
Bruised.
Grinning.
"That's game."
Reina glared upward.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then—
"…You win."
Shōgo whistled.
"Well."
He blew another bubble.
"That was weirdly romantic."
Haruki blinked.
"Did he just gently defeat her?"
Reina's face immediately darkened.
"Shut up."
"Both of you," she added.
Ren stood.
Then extended his hand.
Reina stared at it.
Then at him.
Finally, she took it.
Ren pulled her upright.
"You're strong," he said.
No joke this time.
No teasing.
"I mean it. That was the most fun I've had fighting anyone since coming here."
Reina raised an eyebrow.
"You say that to every girl you throw into concrete?"
"Only the special ones."
She rolled her eyes.
But didn't immediately release his hand.
"Next time," she said, "I'm breaking your nose."
Ren laughed.
"I'll wear a helmet."
Let me just say:
If somebody had told me that morning that I'd end the day fighting a terrifying Taekwondo girl in an alley while fire escapes rattled overhead and old noodle smell drifted from a nearby dumpster—
I would've assumed they were describing some weird side quest.
Yet here I was.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
And grinning like an idiot.
Reina—Nemesis, Queen of Kicks and Arcades—stood across from me looking equal parts annoyed, suspicious, and interested.
Her three fighters had recovered enough to stand nearby.
Tōma looked like his back hated him.
Ryōhei's lip was swollen.
Sora had apparently formed a personal grudge against trash cans.
Perfect time for diplomacy.
"So…"
I stretched my neck.
"Want to join my gang?"
Reina blinked.
"You just beat up my entire team."
"Technically…"
I raised one finger.
"I beat up your entire team and you."
"That isn't better."
"I think it makes the recruitment offer more impressive."
She stared at me.
"You think assault is a job interview?"
"In delinquent culture?"
I shrugged.
"Kind of?"
Nobody supported me.
Cowards.
Reina folded her arms.
"What exactly is your goal, Kaito?"
Right.
Everyone here still knew this body as Kaito Hoshino.
Explaining that part would come later.
"You're not gathering fighters just because you enjoy fighting, are you?"
I opened my mouth.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Don't say yes."
I closed it.
Reina continued.
"What happens after you've got every gang working for you? Arcade tournaments every weekend? Giant turf-war dodgeball?"
…
That sounded amazing.
I stored it for later.
"No."
My smile faded slightly.
"It's more than that."
Reina watched.
So did the others.
"You've seen these gangs," I said. "Most of the people in them aren't actually bad."
Tōma frowned.
Ryōhei listened quietly.
"They're angry. Bored. Competitive. Some want somewhere to belong. Some just like fighting."
Shōgo lifted a hand.
"That one's me."
"Yes, Shōgo."
He nodded.
"Just checking."
I continued.
"But some of them are going to keep going."
My expression hardened.
"Street fights become theft. Extortion. Drugs. Real criminal groups."
Reina's amusement disappeared.
"And once somebody gets deep enough into that…"
I remembered people from my own world.
Young cultivators.
Assassins.
Children raised around violence.
People who made one bad decision and then another because nobody stopped them after the first.
"…getting out becomes harder."
Nobody joked now.
"I want to get there first."
Reina's eyebrows rose slightly.
I pointed around us.
"Bring these groups together. Give them rules. Train them. Let them fight people who actually want to fight instead of terrorizing civilians."
Haruki smiled faintly.
"Give them something to belong to."
I glanced at him.
"Exactly."
Then back to Reina.
"If they're going to follow somebody anyway…"
I smiled.
"…might as well be me."
Tōma blinked.
"That was…"
He hesitated.
"…surprisingly mature."
Ryōhei nodded.
"He doesn't look smart enough to have thought of it."
I turned.
"I heard that."
"You were supposed to."
I sighed.
Traitors everywhere.
"And besides," I continued, "I need leadership experience."
Reina tilted her head.
"For what?"
"Life."
"That explained absolutely nothing."
"Good."
She snorted.
"But there's another reason too."
That caught her attention.
I couldn't tell her about the hidden supernatural world.
Not yet.
Demons.
Magic.
Ki.
Mana.
Whatever other monsters were hiding underneath Earth's normal surface.
If I was going to build something here, I wanted people around me who could eventually handle knowing the truth.
But first I needed to know them.
Trust them.
"I'll tell you when I'm ready."
Reina stared at me.
"And you expect me to join without knowing everything?"
"No."
I stepped closer.
"I expect you to decide whether you trust what you've seen so far."
She was quiet.
For several seconds, I genuinely thought another kick was coming.
Then Reina sighed.
"You're weird, Kaito."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I accepted it as one."
She shook her head.
"But…"
Her mouth curved upward.
"…you're the kind of weird I might be able to work with."
My eyebrows rose.
Was that—
She held out her fist.
"Don't expect me to bow."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Don't expect me to call you Boss."
"We'll negotiate."
"No."
"Leader?"
"No."
"Supreme Commander?"
"Kaito."
"Fine, fine."
She held her fist there.
"If you're serious about all this, I'll walk with you for a while."
Her expression turned challenging again.
"See where this ridiculous road goes."
I bumped my fist against hers.
"Deal."
Shōgo grinned.
Haruki visibly relaxed.
Behind Reina, Tōma, Ryōhei, and Sora exchanged looks.
Sora sighed.
"So I guess we're joining too."
Reina glanced back.
"You don't have to."
Tōma shrugged.
"Somebody has to stop you from kicking him to death next week."
Ryōhei nodded.
"And I want a rematch."
Sora pointed at me.
"I want compensation for the trash can."
"Denied."
"Worth asking."
And just like that—
Nemesis and Predator joined us.
Not bad for one afternoon.
Step one:
Unite the gangs.
Step two:
Train them.
Step three:
Keep a bunch of teenage idiots from turning into actual criminals.
Step four:
…
Profit?
No.
Wait.
Wrong kind of organization.
Anyway.
I had a crew now.
Shōgo.
Reina.
Tōma.
Ryōhei.
Sora.
And Haruki, who technically wasn't a delinquent but was somehow getting dragged into this anyway.
Hermes was going to either be impressed—
or have an aneurysm when he realized I'd recruited an entire gang in one afternoon.
Either way?
Worth it.
Because my little gang wasn't so little anymore.
And the real mission?
That was only beginning.