From A Nobody To Gaining A Gift (2)

" If things unfold as they did in my vision, then Shirano will be seriously injured in this fight and could even die. "Itsuki mumbled in a horrifying tone.

Recalling the moment Akira Shirano approached him to thank him for rescuing him and the lunches they shared on the school's rooftop, he mumbled, " I've just made a friend, and I'm not about to let that end. "

" The injuries from last time must have been caused by the same guys standing here today, but how do I stop this fight? "

Analyzing his surroundings, Itsuki realized with horror that he couldn't stop it. Checking his bag for the mask he bought last time, he also realized it was no longer with him.

" Where could I have lost it? "

As he tried to recall, he mumbled softly, " I left it on my bed at home when I was arranging my things. What now? What am I supposed to do? If I don't do something, Shirano is seriously going to die. Is there truly nothing I can do? "

Thinking of closing his bag, Itsuki saw something and wondered, " What's that? "

Taking the thing out from the bag, he gasped, " This is a mask, but it's not mine. Who could this belong to? "

The mask was shaped in a way that the eyes would be noticeable upon wear. Grinning hopefully, " It doesn't matter who this belongs to, because in the end, this is going to help me big time. "

Black to Akira and the assailants, things weren't going well for him. Tackling attack after attack, he was in an unfavorable situation. The assailants on the other hand didn't break a sweat.

" We told you you stand no chance against us. " One of them smirked while the other glared, " Now, kindly hand over the merchandise and we'll let you off! "

" Liar! "

!

Looking behind them, they saw a man wearing a black mask. " Who are you? " The assailants asked in curiosity.

Not paying any mind to their question, he continued as he stared straight at them, " You're not going to keep your word even if he hands you the merchandise, and that's because, once you have the merchandise, you're planning to finish him off, or am I wrong? "

Flabbergasted, one of the assailants asked in anger, " Who are you and how do you know our plans? "

Akira flinched, realizing that they weren't denying the facts. Because Itsuki was standing too far away from him, Akira couldn't hear him clearly and couldn't see his eyes well.

" Give us an answer! Who are you and how did you guess what we were planning? "

Smirking at the question, Itsuki uttered, " I'm a fighter for justice who won't let you carry out your plans. That's all you need to know. "

" A fighter for what now? "

" Did he just say a fighter for justice? "

Laughing at his catchphrase, Itsuki advanced toward the assailants. Stopping right beside Akira, he gazed at him for a few seconds before turning his gaze away.

Taking advantage of their amusement, Itsuki landed them a blow that they felt going through their spine. Scratching their faces, the assailants were irritated at Itsuki for scratching their faces.

Smirking at him, they uttered, " It was wrong of us to underestimate you. You're done, kid! "

Seeing them charging at him, Itsuki signaled Akira through hand signals to move back. Understanding the gesture, he managed to stand and move a few blocks away from the field.

Once he was out of harm's way, Itsuki brilliantly evaded the attacks that would have struck him very hard.

Akira watched in amazement as Itsuki fought the assailants on his behalf. Noticing the uniform was from his school yet again, as last time, he mumbled, " This uniform! Could the one behind that mask be—---------? "

Recalling how strangely Itsuki behaved when he was standing beside him, he mumbled further, " He wouldn't look at me and wouldn't speak a word either. Could he truly be Itsuki as I imagine? If so, how did he come to know where I was and in what trouble I was implicated? "

Back to the fight, Itsuki kept evading every magic attack the assailants threw at him.

" Why are you only evading our attacks and not fighting back? " One of them smirked.

" Was the attack you sneakily landed on us a fluke after all? Is this all you're capable of? "

" You were all talk, and now nothing. If this is the extent of your potential, Kid, then you're not getting out of here alive, I'll tell you that. "

As he kept evading the attacks, Itsuki gazed behind him for a slight second and mumbled silently, " I could end this match with my finishing move, but if I do that, Shirano will figure me out. "

" I'm certain he must already have suspicions about me, but if I were to use that move, he would figure me out. I'd be in a pimple if he did because I'd have no explanation to justify my presence here today, so no matter what, I must keep my identity hidden. I must find a way to end this match without using that move. Are there any other moves I can use besides that one? "

—

Back to Akira, he mumbled, " Why isn't Itsuki using that move? The battle would have ended ages ago if only he'd used it, but why isn't he? "

" Could it be that I'm wrong and he's not Itsuki? " He thought further as he gazed at him sternly.

Back to Itsuki's fight, he recalled his training with his dad, especially one attack his father taught him during his third practice with him.

" This is the pirouette attack. I named it like that due to its difficult execution process. As the name suggests, using this attack may lead to serious consequences, so never use it, understand? "

Staring at his father, he asked, instead of seizing his warning, " What kind of consequences might result if I were to use that attack during a fight? "

" No, Itsuki, you must never use that attack, so don't even think about it. "

The father denied the answer he so thought and that was until Itsuki said, " Please, Dad! You must tell me what the consequences are! A day might come when I might need to defend myself, so I don't want to be in a losing position, so please, Dad, tell me what I risk using this attack! "

Staring at him, his expression was stern and determined. Sighing in defeat, he uttered, " No matter what I say, you won't listen to me anyway, so you might as well listen very carefully. "

Listening attentively, the father uttered, " If you were to use that attack without mere preparation, you might get seriously injured and in the worst-case scenario, you might even lose your leg. Also, you can only execute this move once, so if you were to mix your shot, you wouldn't get another chance to execute it again. "

Explaining the fundamentals of the pirouette attack to Itsuki, he asked sternly, " Knowing the consequences and even the price you'll have to ultimately pay, are you still certain of wanting to learn it? "

Thinking Itsuki would back down after listing him all the after-effects the pirouette attack might cause, he was stunned when he heard him say, even after all he had stipulated, " I'm ready to learn the pirouette attack, Dad, and I'm not backing away until you teach me its full functionality. "

" You're stubborn! " He sighed. " Alright, I'll teach you the pirouette attack, so pay close attention to my movements, understand? "

" Understood, Dad! "

Rewinding to the present, Itsuki moved backward by a few steps. Akira, at that moment, mumbled, " What is he doing? Why is he moving backward? "

" What are you doing, kid? " One of the assailants smirked, followed by the other, " Are you trying to escape from here? "

—

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Itsuki put both his hands on the ground and started pirouetting on himself. Not understanding what he was doing, the assailants strode at him together, but Itsuki still wouldn't move from his initial position.

" This battle is as good as wrapped up already. " They smirked as they were getting ready to land their combined attack on Itsuki.

Akira on the other hand mumbled, " You're all wrong. This isn't him playing. This is a killing move, I'm certain of it. "

Itsuki on the other hand, who was still in the process of executing the pirouette attack, internally mumbled, " I hope this works. "

Within a few seconds, the assailants landed their strongest attacks yet on Itsuki, but contrary to what they were thinking, they didn't reach him, or rather, they couldn't reach him.

" What's going on? " One of the two assailants wondered, followed by the second, " We've successfully landed our attack, so why is he still turning? "

Not only was Itsuki still turning, but he was even faster than before. Also, the more they attacked him, the more injuries they received.

" What in the world? "

Akira mumbled, " I understand now. The move he's executing is an offensive one, meaning that he cannot defend against enemies' attacks. He's counting on that move to finish the match in one strike, but what will he do once they've figured out the weakness of that technique? "

Moving even faster, Itsuki starts advancing in the same position he was initially standing before they stroked him.

Mumbling further, Akira uttered, " Now, I get it. It looks like he's as smart as I expected him to be. He won't let his adversaries figure out the weakness of his technique, because he's planning to take them down with his next attack. "

With things unfolding as Akira predicted, when he got close enough to the assailants, Itsuki landed a massive attack through the pirouette, striking them down in one strike.

" This was amazingly well executed. Just who is he? "