[When was the last time I slept properly?]
[Introduction]
The arena was a vast, deep pit dug beneath an abandoned warehouse on the very edge of the city. The air was thick and heavy, a mixture of dust, heat, sweat, cheap beer, and the taste of blood. Bare light bulbs swayed on rusted chains from the ceiling, casting long, trembling shadows across the dirty earthen floor. From makeshift stands built from scrap metal and old wooden pallets came the low, animal roar of hundreds of throats. People shouted, whistled, and stomped their feet, the thirst for blood was almost palpable.
In the center of this pit stood two girls.
Miyuki was tall, broad-shouldered, and heavily muscled. Her muscles shifted visibly under her skin with every movement. Her hair was tied in two tight buns that bounced like springs. She wore a black sports top and short shorts that barely contained the tension. Opposite her stood Ayako - noticeably smaller and lighter, in a simple white tank top already stained with dust and sweat. Her messy bob haircut clung to her wet face, making her look like a cornered animal.
High above the pit, in a cramped VIP box made of corrugated iron, sat two sponsors. One, a middle-aged man in a cheap suit with a thick gold chain around his neck, leaned forward, greedily staring down.
"I hope I didn't waste all that money," he muttered hoarsely, rubbing his hands together. "This fight better be interesting. I put a lot on Miyuki. Let her finish it quickly and dirty, the way I like it."
The second sponsor said nothing. He only slowly exhaled a stream of cigarette smoke and continued watching below with empty, indifferent eyes, as if he already knew how it would all end.
The referee, an old scarred man with a megaphone, barked once into the microphone. The bell rang.
Miyuki exploded forward like a truck at full speed. Her heavy leg slammed into Ayako's shin with a low kick. A sharp crack echoed through the pit. Ayako collapsed into the dust, coughing and gasping for air. The crowd roared with delight. The girl tried to get up, her eyes burning with insane rage, and charged aggressively at Miyuki.
Miyuki smiled coldly. She caught Ayako mid-run, wrapped her powerful arm around the girl's wrist, and twisted sharply. The loud crack of a broken bone rang out across the entire arena. Ayako screamed in pain.
"Today is your last fight, you idiot," Miyuki said calmly, almost gently, right into her ear. "You should have stayed home and kept quiet."
Ayako dropped to one knee, clutching her broken arm. The crowd erupted. People climbed over the barriers. Fists flew in the stands. The fight immediately spilled beyond the pit. Bottles, dirty rags, and even a few dildos flew into the air. A full-scale brawl had begun.
Miyuki didn't wait. She grabbed Ayako by the hair, drove her foot into the girl's stomach with full force, and hurled her backward. Ayako crashed into the metal fence, which bent and collapsed with a loud metallic screech. The girl choked on dust and pain. Miyuki stepped forward and delivered a precise, heavy kick straight to the head. Ayako's eyes rolled back. She collapsed unconscious, face-first into the dirt.
The crowd surged forward like an uncontrollable wave. The fight was over. The real slaughter had just begun.
Deep underground, in a narrow concrete tunnel where the "Christian fights", illegal no-rules bouts took place, Genzo was training alone. Sweat poured into his eyes and dripped from his chin. He methodically pounded the heavy bag hanging from an old pipe. The dull, heavy thuds echoed off the damp walls.
Suddenly, from above came the distant, muffled roar of the main arena, shouts, crashes, the sound of breaking metal. Genzo stopped, breathing heavily, and walked over to a small ventilation hole in the wall. He peered inside.
"Again…" he said quietly, almost without emotion. "They can't even let me train in peace. Every single time."
In the evening, when the sun had almost set, Genzo stepped into his first fight. It was not on the main arena, but in a small, cramped hall deep inside the underground complex. No one else was there. Only a dim lamp hanging over the makeshift ring and one silent guy in the corner who was supposed to keep score. No spectators, no cheers. Only the sound of gloved fists and the heavy, ragged breathing of two men.
They fought in real boxing gloves. It was an honest sparring session, but without any rules and with only that one silent judge sitting in the shadows.
Genzo started confidently. His punches were accurate and fast, his footwork sharp. He moved well from the side and tried to keep distance. But Akio was noticeably heavier, more experienced, and harder. By the third round Genzo was breathing heavily, his face covered in bruises and cuts. Akio pressed with mass and power. In the end, Akio won on points.
They sat on the edge of the ring, towels around their necks. The hall was almost completely silent. Only water dripped somewhere in the pipes and the lamp hummed quietly.
Akio wiped the blood from his split lip and looked at Genzo.
"Listen… this is your first fight," he said calmly and tiredly. "There are no victories without defeats. That's how life is arranged."
Genzo spat bloody saliva onto the concrete floor and waved his hand dismissively.
"Nothing serious. We're not in a professional ring anyway. Just a street fight. I simply understand my weaknesses better now."
Akio remained silent for a long time, staring at the dirty floor. Then he spoke quietly, almost thoughtfully:
"You know, Genzo… I've been watching Renji lately. He's not himself at all. Cuts all over his body. Plasters in the strangest places. He tries to hide them, but I see. Especially the cuts on his neck. This isn't normal."
Genzo nodded without raising his eyes.
"Yeah. He's definitely being bullied. And bullied hard. I think he's hiding something very serious. Something much worse than ordinary school bullying."
Akio paused, then asked cautiously:
"Don't you think… something happened between him and Aya? You know… sex? Maybe that's why he's so lost?"
Genzo slowly stood up, straightened his back, and wiped his face with the towel.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Alright, I'm heading home. Thanks for the fight, Akio. I need to rest."
Akio nodded. Genzo picked up his bag, zipped it shut, and headed for the exit. The heavy metal door closed behind him with a dull, heavy clang.
Akio remained sitting alone in the dimly lit hall. He stared into the emptiness and thought quietly:
"At this rate, Renji is really going to kill himself… Who the hell set all this up? Maybe Haruto knows what's really happening to him."
Meanwhile, on the school grounds, the sun was slowly dying, painting the sky the color of old bruises. Ria and Ken walked along the dusty path behind the building. Renji was between them. They kicked him again and again, knocking him to the ground.
"Bam! Bam! Gas attack!" Ria laughed, driving her boot into his ribs.
Ken grinned and added a heavy kick to his back.
Renji fell face-first into the dust, coughing and trying to protect himself with his hands. Kaoru walked a few steps behind, arms crossed over her chest, a slight cold smirk on her lips. When Renji fell once again, she calmly stepped forward, sat on him astride, and wrapped her hands tightly around his throat. She squeezed hard, mercilessly.
Ria and Ken stopped and watched with satisfied smiles.
Renji's face quickly turned red, then purple. His eyes began to roll back. His hands weakly scratched at the ground. In the end, he lost consciousness.
Kaoru finally stood up, calmly brushed the dust from her skirt, and adjusted it.
"Let him lie here," she said in a flat voice without any emotion. "I almost killed him this time. He'll wake up… eventually."
The sunset slowly bled across the sky. Genzo walked home after training, his bag hanging heavily from his shoulder. He passed by an old Gothic church. He looked up. Crows cawed loudly from the high spires. Through the half-open doors, monks could be seen moving silently in the gloom. A few nuns slipped out quietly, heads bowed.
Genzo stopped. He stared at the black birds circling the spire for a long time, then whispered almost soundlessly:
"What… what could have gone so wrong? What kind of creature are you…"
A light, cold rain began to fall, thin and almost invisible. The street was completely empty. Thick fog rolled across the asphalt. The sun had fully set. It would not rise again today.