The cafeteria had turned into a warzone.
Yuto without another word, lunged at Ren with his fist swinging in a wild arc that whistled through the air. Ren ducked just in time, the punch missing his head by just mere inches and completely destroyed a nearby table causing trays, rice and soup to fly away like sharpnel.
Ren didn't hesitate one bit though and he quickly grabbed a metal tray from the floor and used it like a shield. He rammed it straight into Yuto's gut causing the red-haired delinquent to grunt and stumble a step back upon impact.
Heavy cheers rippled through the crowd.
Yuto recovered fast, his eyes shining with a maniac amusement. He snatched a half-finished bowl of ramen off a table and flung it at Ren. The broth splashed across Ren's shoulder, hot enough to sting him back. He wiped the rest from his face, glaring through the haze of steam.
Ren retaliated by grabbing a handful of rice balls from a nearby tray and hurling them like stones.
"Fetch, woof woof! "
Nervous laughters broke out from the sidelines. Yuto swatted the projectiles aside, his grin sharpening into something unhinged. "Cute. "
He grabbed a wooden chair from the floor and swung it with no hesitation. Ren rolled away just as it shattered against the floor. Splinters scattered across the tiles.
Yuto's patience had snapped at Ren mocking last attack as his movements had turned sharper, faster, more deliberate. He seized a food tray and weaponized it like a club, the air hissing each time it cut through.
Ren blocked the first hit with a chair, wood scratching against plastic. He kicked out low as his heel stroke Yuto's knee and forced him down for a split second. Then Ren drove the chair forward, slamming it into Yuto's chest, the sound echoing through the cafeteria. Yuto crashed onto a table with a loud bang.
"Stay down. " Ren muttered, his breath heavy.
But Yuto wasn't done.
The Mad Dog sprang back to his feet, fury blazing behind his half-shadowed eyes. He grabbed Ren by the collar, lifting him off the ground like he was nothing. "You are dead meat. " he hissed, his knuckles tightening.
Panic arose within Ren but his instinct quickly took over. His hand reached out to the nearest table and he snatched a half-eaten bowl of curry. He smashed it across Yuto's face, sauce splattering everywhere.
Yuto roared, stumbling backwards as the spicy curry penetrated his eyes. Ren landed on his feet and kicked him hard in the stomach. Yuto crashed back into the table he had just destroyed.
The room went silent for a heartbeat before a new chaos began.
Yuto rose to his feet and unleashed a wild swing meant for Ren but he missed conpley and landed it squarely into another student. The boy hit the floor, knocked out cold. His friend next to him was left wide-eyed eyes with shock tried to retaliate with a punch to Yuto but he dodged it that hit another guy behind him. Within seconds, shouts filled the room.
It just needed one spark and then the fire spread throughout the cafeteria.
"Hey.. hey, stop! " Shiinchiro shouted, his voice completely swallowed by the new uproar. Hana grabbed Fubuki's wrist, pulling her back toward the entrance as chairs toppled and fists flew.
The cafeteria was now in a full-blown brawl and Ren was caught in the middle of it.
Ren ducked a stray punch, countering with an uppercut that dropped his attacker. Yuto slammed someone through a table. Another student leapt on his back, Yuto shrugged him off and threw him into a cluster of fighters, scattering them like bowling pins.
"REN!" Shiinchiro yelled. "Now's the chance... gotta get out of there.. "
"Too late!" Hana shouted over him. Her face was pale, eyes darting between Yuto and Ren like she was watching two storms collide. "The fight is spreading too fast!"
Yuto tore through the crowd like a force of nature, sending bodies flying as he cleared a path straight for Ren. His voice boomed above the chaos.
"ENOUGH PLAYING AROUND!"
Ren's glare hardened. "I should say the same to you. "
They met in the center of the storm, fists colliding with a thunderous boom that echoed like thunder. The shockwave rattled tables, food splattering like rain.
Ren ducked another swing and countered with a jab to Yuto's ribs. Yuto absorbed it with a growl and slammed his elbow down toward Ren's shoulder. Ren twisted, narrowly dodging it only for another student's fist to fly past his head. He countered automatically, sending that one to the floor.
The fight had transformed from a 1v1 to something of a survival akin to a warzone.
Every move Ren made was fluid, instinctive just like Kaito had taught him.
Keep your center.
Control the distance.
Never lose sight of the target.
But across from him, Yuto was just pure chaos. No fixed stance, no noticeable pattern, just violence and brute precision.
Ren snatched up a broken tabletop and blocked an overhead strike from Yuto's tray-club.
" crack, crack, crack. " The two makeshift weapons clashed again and again echoing in the cafeteria.
Ren swung his weapon low, catching Yuto's shoulder and forcing him to stagger back a step.
Yuto laughed maniacly blood trickling down his lip, his eyes filled with something like joy. "Not bad... Not bad Ryūhara! "
Then he grabbed another student by the shirt, hurled him aside, and came at Ren again but even faster this time. Ren raised the table just in time to deflect the first blow, but Yuto's next attack shattered it in half. The impact reverberated up Ren's arms.
Before Ren could recover, Yuto threw his broken tray straight at him. It struck dead center, knocking the table piece from his grip.
The noise in the cafeteria didn't fade one bit, the students still fighting and shouting in the background but in that moment, there was only Ren and Yuto. Their gazes locked across the mess of overturned chairs and bodies.
Both breathing hard.
Both grinning now.
Yuto took a quick step forward and then vanished.
Ren blinked for a second and he was gone and then with a whoosh, the air around him shifted quickly as Yuto reappeared right in front of him, his fist dragged back for a devastating punch, his eyes wild.
Ren barely managed to raise his arm in time. The blow landed, sending him sliding several feet across the tile, sneakers screeching.
He exhaled sharply, shoulders burning, body coiled and ready.
"Tch…" Ren muttered, half to himself, half to the ghost of his brother echoing in his mind. "So much for no fights on the first day. "
The crowd roared around them.. two names chanted over and over again.
Ren vs. Yuto.
The New Kid vs. The Mad Dog.
Ren flexed his fists. His blood was pumping, his instincts alive.
Their fight was just getting started.