Kick Back [Hanma Shuji]

Prologue

⋆ Although it contains no spoilers beyond the Black Dragon arc, it contains mentions of characters from Brahman (Three Deities arc). 

⋆ Hanma will have an older brother and a sister a year younger than him, also made up by me.

Tags: Violence, Drugs, Romance, Drama

Prologue

Despite the white smoke clouding her vision, she could discern the exact moment her opponent realized she was a girl by the way his eyes narrowed. His pupils darkened, his nostrils dilated, and his haughty smile turned into an indignant grimace.

“You're kidding me, right? You've got to be kidding me.” His displeasure was more than evident.

The referee just rolled his eyes and nodded at Nagi.

“If you don't like it, you can give up. But that counts as a win for her.”

The young woman sighed. After so many times, she was already so used to this kind of behavior that she was not even offended. She knew for a fact that his gesture would change as soon as the fight began.

“Then what about the bets?” Surely he had bet on himself. Although technically it was not allowed, many participants tried to bet through friends or acquaintances. Needless to say, if you got caught, you'd better not set foot in ‘The Basement’ again.

“What do you think?” answered the referee with in bad mood.

“If there is no fight, they should be considered void.”

“If you would stop talking, we could start the fight.”

“But she's a little girl!”

“So what?”

This seemed to catch the man by surprise, who opened and closed his mouth without uttering a word. The audience began to become impatient.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?!”

“Is he really chickening out?”

“What a jerk!”

“Hey, you! Asshole! I bet 20,000 yen on you! Stop playing dumb, or I’ll make sure you regret it!”

The referee smiled mischievously.

“If you're not going to fight, get lost. It looks like your ‘fans’ are looking forward to it.”

The man gritted his teeth and took a step toward him, lowering his voice so that only he and Nagi could hear him.

“Listen, kiddo,” he snorted, hovering over him. “I don't know what crappy school you came out of, but you should get home before your mom finds out you ran away.

“I think I'm not going to stop by home today, but, if you want, I can tell yours when I see her tonight.”

Nagi, who had been trying hard not to laugh at the man's angry faces at the referee's provocations, chuckled. Chōji, the referee, winked at her.

“Then, shall we start, or shall we move on to the next match?”

Furious, the man turned his back on him and moved back to the center of the ring. He then looked Nagi up and down and clicked his tongue condescendingly.

“I think it's a fucking shame to have to beat you up, but, just for the record, it's not my fault. It's yours for getting into this. At least, I'll try not to hit you in the face.”

‘I'm just gonna do the opposite’, she thought. However, she restrained herself from saying it out loud and instead she closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves.