A Bro's Life (AGG-ish Anime Bro Quest)

"Yamato-sama? Where are we going?"

You slow your pace as you walk down the aisle of the audience stands you're in. Around you other students are talking with each other, moving to and fro for one reason or another, and chaperones are either standing to watch over the kids or sitting somewhere in the audience. Below you all was a single, eight by eight meter matted square set up for the bouts between the schools. They were already sweeping the square arena down for the next group. Who, if you're reading the brackets projected on the large television screen above you correctly, would include your brother and students of Susanoo High.

You turn to regard Yameko, the Kitsune in her student disguise while walking by your side. She keeps looking from you to the rest of the students in the audience, head tilting every which way. She turns back around to view where the two of you were seated. For whatever reason, you were assigned a seat right in between Yameko and Munagi. Looking back, you could see that your Chess Club's President was on her phone, likely speaking with a relative.

Yameko frowns, "Shouldn't we go back? After all, isn't Lord Hayato up next?"

You nod your head, "Yes. But we have at least five minutes and counting before his match begins. Within that time, I would like to speak with that Estella woman from the assembly yesterday. She has piqued my interest."

"Oh?" a smug grin comes over Yameko's face, "And why, exactly, would that be? Yamato-sama?"

"She was away from school for more than a year," you begin, recalling all the information you heard from before, "and, supposedly, hadn't been in contact with the school for sometime. Any other student would've been welcomed back, but not with that amount of pomp and circumstance. Even an alumni would be hard pressed to be given such a red carpet celebration of their return. I wish to know why the school gave her such a welcoming."

Yameko's grin faltered. She tilted her head to the side with a hum, "I see. And what do you think is the reason?"

"Either her connections to her family company is a key component to Raijin's prosperity, or she is a rather bright mind that comes along once in a lifetime. If its the latter, then I would wish to speak with such a person. I believe the two of us could share a great amount of insight with each other."

"And if she proves to be the former?"

"Then this shall be the only time we interact with her."

Yameko nods at your words. Then she steps closer to you, resting her head against your shoulder, "Well then, I hope you won't mind if I rest my head a little. Would you?"

"It is no trouble to me," you state as you turn your attention back to the audience. With your full focus on the seats it doesn't take you long to find where the wheelchair bound woman resides. What does surprise you is how her seat is closest to the edge of the stands. If she were any closer, she could lean over the edge to shout down into the arena.

...And the fact that there are six seats around her that are completely empty. She is set up in the center with three seats to either side of her. Two of them currently have occupants. To her right is the blond woman from before. You believe Hayato said her name was Irina. She's laying back in her seat, arms spread outward across the back of it while her legs are crossed in front of her. However, considering who she is, you do not believe she is "lazing about" as they say. She is likely on guard for any possible occurrence during this Tournament.

On Estella's left is someone else you recognize, but in a different capacity.

The Student Council President, Mitsuhide Furai.

He's in the Raijin standard male uniform this time. Instead of the strange getup from when you first met him. You make your way down an aisle towards them with Yameko laying against your arm. As anticipated, Irina is the first to notice your approach. She lazily waves a hand your way, "Heads up, Prinzessin. We've got more company coming. Looks like you were right to ask for extra seating."

Estella looks up to see you and Mitsuhide follows her gaze. When you lock eyes with the Student Council President, he scowls up at you. Estella, on the other hand, gives you a soft smile.

"Ah, hello there. Hmm...you are the other Nagai Brother? Yamato, I believe," Estella says while tilting her head in thought.

"That is correct," you get to the end of the aisle before bowing in greeting, "My name is Nagai Yamato. Brother to Nagai Hayato. It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Estella Baudelaire, and your bodyguard Irina."

Estella waves a hand in front of her face, "Oh, there's no need for formalities. Call me Estella-senpai. It is truly alright."

"I'd be careful about that, Baudelaire," Mitsuhide says, eyes not leaving you for a moment, "This boy is not entirely what he seems."

"You know him, Mitsuhide?"

"We have met before and spoke at length," you answer for the Student Council President. You bow to him as well, "I certainly hope you are doing well, Mitsuhide. And, rest assured, my brother has accepted the apology letter you wrote. So, all is forgiven as far as I am concerned."

"You...you really...hmph," Mitsuhide turns away from you, crossing his arms as he does so, "Fine then. But don't think this settles things between us."

"Oooohhhh, this sounds spicy," Irina leans forward, placing an elbow on her knee and holding her head in her hands, "Mind telling us what this is all about?"

"We had a...disagreement on a few things," you explain with a shrug.

That seems to satisfy her, as Irina immediately changes the subject, "And who's the young lady? She seems rather close to you."

Yameko pulls away before curtseying to your senpais, "Greetings. My name is Hina Shiho. I am a first year at Raijin. Yamato-sama is a dear friend of mine."

"Sama?" Estella, Irina, and Mitsuhide all say in unison. They all turn to you with varying emotions. Mistuhide with shock and hints of disgust. Estella with a more calculating gaze. And Irina....she seems to be smiling for whatever reason.

You, once again, shrug, "She is the one who chose to give me the honorific. I see no reason to correct her for it."

"You sure it's not just because you happen to like hearing her call you, 'Master'?" Irina's grin gets wider.

You shake your head, "Why would I enjoy such a thing? It is merely what she's chosen to call me."

...

You believe you said something wrong.

Because everyone is staring at you as if you have grown a second head.

Even Yameko.

Estella clears her throat to break the tension in the air. She folds her hand over her prosthetic, tilting her head at the seats next to Mitsuhide, "Well, since you're here. How about you both take a seat? I believe that-"

"Here you are!"

You feel a hand on your shoulder. Next thing you know, you are forced away from Yameko by a familiar hand. Sure enough, Munagi places herself between the two of you. Her expression tells you that she is not pleased with your decision to leave her behind, "Why did you leave me to come here, Yamato? Our seats are not meant to be next to our senpais!"

She turns to Estella, shifting her expression to one of apologetic worry. She bows deeply, "I am so sorry about this, Estella-senpai. I am supposed to be watching over him, but he sometimes gets away from me."

Estella tilts her head, "You know him as well, Munagi?"

"He is a part of my Chess Club."

"Oh, so he's the prodigy you mentioned to me on the way to this Tournament?"

"Indeed he is," Munagi straightens herself up, a proud smile on her face.

Estella smiles, "Then allow me to say that it is good to see that the person you like is a gentlemen such as Yamato."

Munagi's expression falls. Her face rapidly turns a deep shade of red. She quickly replies, "That is-I-I do not like him! He is-is-is just my fellow club member! No more, no less!"

Irina rubs at her eyes, "Is this...is this really happening? Am I...Am I really seeing a...Princess! You have got to hire him too! We need to see how this ends!"

Estella turns to Irina, an unamused expression on her face, "You wish for me to employee both of the Nagai Brothers?"

"Yes!"

"And, why is that?"

"Hayato's obvious, but this kid? This kid's forming a har-"

[Multiple Checks Passed by Yamato, Munagi, Mitsuhide, Estella, Irina, and Yameko]

"It's starting."

You, Estella, Yameko, Munagi, Irina, and Mitsuhide all speak in unison.

You quickly take a seat, Mitsuhide leaving his own to make room for Munagi. She's on your right. Yameko is on your left. Mitsuhide sits down next to Irina's left. You all turn your attention to the arena below. The referee and judges have already begun to take their places. The tension in the stands increases by tenfold. From the right side of the arena come the Susanoo High students. There are three, as expected. One is female while the other two are male. They enter the room in a triangle formation, the female fighter at the front. Judging by the white gi and blue sash she's wearing, she is their Karate fighter. One of the males is in Kendo gear, while the other has on short pants and black gloves. Likely the MMA fighter.

From the left side steps your brother. He's followed by two other students. You don't recognize them, but that doesn't matter much. The fact that they're each carrying Kendo and MMA gear in their arms does. Your brother wears a standard white Karate gi with a red sash around his waist. He takes a moment to wave at the audience, a confident smile on his face as always.

"Kid's confident. Ready for a fight," Irina posits.

"As are his opponents. They're just not showing it," Mitsuhide supplies.

"How do you believe your brother will fare here, Yamato?" Munagi asks you.

"He has a come a long way. I have full faith that he will triumph," you say with the utmost certainty.

"I certainly am looking forward to seeing him in action," Estella admits, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hayato steps up to mat to meet his opponent in the center. The Susanoo High student does the same. The two of them stop in the middle of the mat, bow to each other, then take up a stance. The ref takes a moment to explain the rules to everyone. Then with cry of "SHOBU HAJIME!" from the ref, it begins.

[Karate Skill Check: 101 + 30 (Mixed Work Of Art) = 131 VS DC: 80 -20 (Impregnable Defense) = 60]

[Success! +3 XP]

"Do you believe Lord Hayato will go easy on his opponent as she is a woman?" Yameko asks you.

"Don't count on that," Irina taps her temple, "I took that kid's measure when I first saw him. He's the type that believes in fighting everyone equally. Man or woman, he'll knock 'em out if given the chance."

"You have told me that your brother is used to street brawls, Yamato," Munagi says, not taking her eyes off the arena, "Are you certain he will not attempt something dishonorable here?"

"My brother knows the rules. He will fight within them."

"He certainly seems to be," Estella observes, "he has only been blocking using his arms or knees. I can see what he's doing though. He's setting his opponent up. Waiting for the right moment to-"

"Throw her to the mat," Mitsuhide explains as your brother does just that. Hayato throws a punch towards her chest, but stops just before connecting. The ref calls "Yame!", and Hayato is swiftly awarded three points.

"An Ippon at the start of the match? Risky, but worthwhile."

"Guy's got five more points to go."

"The match has started again."

"He's being more offensive this time. His opponent seems to have guessed his strategy though. She is completely focused on blocking any attempts at a Jodan or Chudan. She won't fall for another Ippon so easily."

"Do not be so certain, Hina. Hayato knows that his opponent is on guard for those maneuvers. Thus he will go for a-"

"A Jodan Kick," you say just as your brother's foot comes up and hooks around his opponents neck. The ref calls it in your brother's favor, giving him six points.

The match ends rather quickly after that. A single Chudan Kick is all it takes for your brother to get the last two points he needs. The judges quickly call the match in favor of Raijin.

Irina whistles, "Your bro's damn good, Yamato. Not better than me, or some of the people I've met. But he's got the right stuff to get there."

"Indeed. Perhaps I will have to take the idea of hiring him seriously," Estella states as the participants bow to each other. Your brother walks over to his side of the arena, already taking his gi off while the one carrying his kendo gear gets ready. Estella turns towards you, "Do you believe he would take my offer?"

"It is a possibility. But," you cut your eyes at Estella, "I will have to see whether your company is worth working for."

"Oh, trust me kid. Working under the Princess? Best decision I've ever made," Irina states with a warm smile.

You simply hum then get ready to watch the next match.

---

As always, I hope you all enjoy.

Next up will be the Kendo and MMA fights from Hayato's perspective.

And, yes, all of them literally stopped what they were doing to play Narrator for Hayato's fight.

"I-I-I apologize for this, Nagai-san."

You pay the female Midono twin no mind as you take off your Karate gi. Her brother has set up a medical curtain to give you two some privacy. Not that you really think you need it. You're just taking off your gi. Your pants are staying on.

"Not sure what you're apologizing for," you say while grabbing the Kendo gear from her arms. As you're putting on your headgear, you notice that her face is flushed, "You need some water over there?"

"N-N-N-No," she squeaks out while staring at your chest for some reason. Her hands seem to be trembling a little, which isn't good for the gear she's supposed to be holding. Seeing this you move over and put one arm around her waist. You ignore her squeak and gently coax her onto the ground. Only when she's on her knees do you stand back up.

You nod, "There. Now you can rest while I put my stuff on."

You start doing so, mind going over exactly how you're going to handle the next match.

It's Kendo, which means you'll be getting a Shinai to fight with. You were focusing on the Karate Fighter too much to really pay attention to the others. Granted that's less because you actually had to try to win back there. More because you had to try to avoid going too far.

Not that Susanoo's Karate Participant wasn't good. Just from that one bout, you're pretty sure she could give Sakura-senpai a good scrap. Could certainly lay Hose out if they were both only allowed to use Karate. But...well...you were just better.

Way better.

But you didn't want to make it look like that. Hard to say that when you didn't even let her get a single point. But you at least made sure to block her strikes and give her openings to exploit. Even if you did win without taking a severe hit. And did manage to get an Ippon on her in the first exchange. And...

...

[Feelings: 35]

You'll be sure to find after all your matches are over. Talk with her to make sure she's OK.

"Nagai-san? Are you ready?" you hear Sohei's voice from outside the curtain, "Your opponent is waiting for you."

Damn, you were caught up in your thoughts. Good thing you manged to get all your gear on. You double check all the straps and be sure nothing too tight. Wouldn't be able to give your best if you couldn't move or breathe in this thing. You tap your helmet a few times, happy that you can still see...mostly fine out of this thing. Fine enough to win the fight anyway. Thanks to Seteke-senpai for helping you get used to wearing this thing.

"I'm ready, Sohei. Drop the curtain. Lets do this," you say with pure confidence in your voice.

You wish Yato was here. He would probably give you some words of encouragement. Everyone else was in the audience, but you think they were all a bit too focused on the matches to cheer. Maybe they were nervous? Who knew. Point is that you had to leave the guy behind in a locker. You didn't like it, but you didn't want to risk them calling you out for wearing your own gloves to the fight. Last thing you need is the school you're up against to say you were cheating.

Sohei steps through the curtain and holds your Shinai out to you. You thank him with a nod while taking the wooden blade in your hand. The familiar weight calms any nerves you may have had as you walk out of the opening. You briefly hear Sohei asking his sister what happened, but you put it out of your mind the moment you see the arena.

From there the world falls away.

There's only you.

Your opponent.

And the three referees.

You walk to the middle of the arena. Your Shinai is held at your side. As is your opponent's. You can't see any specific features to tell much about them. Their gear hides everything save their build. Which you think is that of a male? You're not sure. But they hold their own Shinai well. Their grip is loose enough to be flexible, but tight enough to not drop the weapon.

They're as ready for this as you are.

Good.

You should both have fun here.

The refs step up. You return the bow your opponent gives you.

You both get into the correct stance. One foot forward. One back. Your Shinai's held in both your hands. The tips nearly touching in the center of the ring.

The refs lift up their flags. Yours is red, your opponent's is white.

You take a breath.

"HAJIME!"

[Kendo Skill Check: 101 + 30 (Mixed Work Of Art) + 10 (Kenjutsu) = 141 VS DC 85 - 20 (Impregnable Defense) = 65. Success!]

[+3 XP]

Your opponent attacks you first.

And you can already tell you're better.

You can see their strike coming from a mile away. The way their shoulders tense and start pulling their weapon up. The way their right foot stomps forward in preparation for an overhead attack. Likely saw your match with the Karate Fighter. Figured they'd take a page from your book and go for an unorthodox attack.

You could get a point right here and now.

Step in, crouch to one knee, move your blade horizontally, then hit their wrist. An easy Kote-bu.

But that would be too much. Need to make this believable.

Instead you shuffle back to let their strike hit air. They're quick to recover, bringing their blade up and to the side. Going for a Do-bu, a hit to your torso. You let the attack come, stepping into the attack while holding your own weapon horizontally. With a cry of your own you jab forward tap right where their throat would be...if the helmet wasn't in the way.

Their sword is inches from your torso.

But you hit.

So...

One of the refs lifts his red flag so show you got the point.

If there's any cheering for that, you don't hear it.

That was a risky play. If you were any slower, or a bit off on your timing, their Shinai would've hit you. But you lucked out. And got a Tsuki-bu.

Now you just need to get one more point.

Then it's on to the MMA fight.

Both you and your opponent relax your postures. You move back to the center of the ring. You both take up your stances again. Then the refs call for it to begin again.

This time you both go on the offensive. Your weapons both come down in overhead swings, locking together as you battle for dominance. Shoving is prohibited in a match like this. So you can't just push him off balance. Thus you only let the lock go on for a few moments. Then you disengage, as does your opponent. They're being defensive now. Waiting for you to make the next moves.

You're happy to oblige this time.

You move in with a stab aiming for their torso. They knock your blade away, hoping to send it off course and leave you off balance. Against anyone else, that would've worked.

Unfortunately for them-

[Iron Grip Activated]

-you're not just anyone else.

Your attack misses but you remain standing. You turn your blade horizontal and slash towards your opponent. They move their Shinai over to block...but then you reposition your strike so it hits a bit higher than their torso.

Right on their wrists.

There's another sound of wood hitting armor.

The second referee raises his red flag.

This time, you do hear the cheering. It's mostly coming from the left side of the stands where your club is. Out the corner of your eye you swear you can see Hose standing up with a sign with your fully name on it in bright red letters.

That's nice of him. Wonder when he had the time to make it.

You bow to your opponent. They do the same. Then the two of you turn and start walking back to your respective sides. You're already taking your helmet off by the time you get back to Sohei and Midono. Sohei is crouched next to his sister, the girl laying on the ground with a dopey smile on her face. He shoots you a worried expression as you get near, "Nagai-san. I fear there is something wrong with my sister. Her face is flushed and she isn't responding to my words. Apologies, but could I please take her to find a medical professional?"

"Don't have to ask me, dude. Take care of your sister. I don't need to do much anyway," you shrug, already moving to where your MMA gear is. It's really just some shorts, shin-guards, gloves, and footpads for you to wear. You don't get a shirt but that's fine. You don't need one. You get your Kendo gear off pretty quickly, not wanting to waste anytime before you get to the next fight.

"You're certain?" Sohei asks, watching as you pull up your shorts, "I could simply-"

"Your sister is more important than this. Go," you say without looking back at him. Mixed Martial Arts is what you're best at. And it's the last match. Might as well go for a strong finish.

Sohei doesn't argue after that. He picks up his sister in his arms, bows to you, then heads for the entrance doors. You wave to him as you put your gloves on.

...Huh.

Feels kind of weird to have gloves that don't talk to you.

You stand up and make your way to the arena. This time you're the first one ready for the next fight. A whistle echoes through the silent room, drawing everyone's attention to Irina in the stand to your left. The blonde woman whistles again before waving towards you. Estella taps her companion on the shoulder, which makes Irina settle down.

...Huh. Your brother's there too.

He's sitting in the same row as Irina and Estella.

And Munagi.

And the Student Council President.

And a disguised Yameko.

....You'd say your brother's got game, but you're pretty sure that this was an accident rather than on purpose.

The sound of footsteps on the mat draw your attention back to the fight. The MMA fight steps into the ring along with you. His black hair is tied in a top knot on his head, while his muscled abs and biceps glisten in the building's lights. Guessing he was training before he got up here. His black MMA gear is identical to your own. His sharp eyes stare you down, a glint of anticipation within them. His lips are held together in a determined frown as he mentally prepares himself.

You simply smile at him.

Always nice to see someone else who likes MMA.

The referees step up to the ring. They make it clear that this match is going until either knock out or someone surrenders. You can surrender by either tapping the mat three times, or yelling it out for everyone to hear. Though something tells you that neither of you are even considering surrender as a possibility. Call it a hunch. But just staring into his eyes tells you he won't back down.

This is going to knock out.

Just the way you'd like it.

The ref asks if the two of you are ready. You both nod in unison. Then you bow to each other.

He moves his arms and right leg up. A kickboxing stance.

You lean forward and hold your fists up. A boxing stance.

You're gonna end this in one blow.

"HAJIME!"

[MMA Check: 101 + 30 (Mixed Work Of Art) = 131 VS DC 80 - 10 (Impregnable Defense) = 70. Success!]

[+3 XP]

The match is over in a blur.

His right leg shoots out, aiming straight at your head. Planning to stop your advance as you dash in low. You block it with your left arm and keep moving in, eyes locked on his solar plexus. He sees you coming and recovers quickly. His right leg snaps backwards a second later. He moves it up while moving his arms down, standing on one leg as his other becomes a defensive wall.

Exactly what you wanted.

With a short intake of breath you stamp your right foot forward. You tense your right arm and sending it shooting upwards towards his block.

Normally, this would be a mistake.

The type of block he's using is one of the hardest to get through in a fight. Bent leg is usually big enough to cover the stomach and solar plexus, while the elbows and arms keep the rest of the upper body safe. Any attempt at a punch or kick would hit the knee or elbows. Those types of blows aren't usually that damaging, and if the aggressor aims incorrectly they could end up jabbing the end of an elbow into their fist.

If your uppercut were a normal one, it would be stopped in its tracks. And you'd be left wide open.

However, yours is not a normal uppercut.

This is one with as much strength as you can manage to put into it without passing into the supernatural realm.

So, when it hits the man's block?

There's an audible shock that shoots through your arm at the point of impact. But rather than be stopped, you just keep on going. You rise up as your opponent's defense is blown wide open. Your fist connects with his chin for the briefest of moments. You catch a glimpse of his eyes widening in shock as his sent flying backwards. His body lifts off the ground, sweat flying from his face in droplets.

Then he hits the floor a second later.

The ref is quick to check on him as you land on your feet. There's a few seconds as he checks your opponent's pulse and breathing.

Then he holds up a hand.

"Knock out! Raijin Academy takes the victory!"

This time the cheering is uproarious.

The entire audience starts clapping and cheering for you. Specifically, those who came from Raijin Academy and aren't in Susanoo. Though you do see a few of their students clapping for you.

But what you really want to see is...

You turn to check on Yamato.

He's giving you a thumbs up and nodding his head.

You return his gesture and smile with one of your own.

[Susanoo High Match Result: Total Victory!]

[+5 XP]

---

You've got some downtime before the next match. Sensei says that you may spend it how you wish.

Current AP: 2

Options may be limited while Tournament Event is ongoing.

[] Find Yamato. You want to hang with your brother. (Yamato SL)

[] Find the other Sole Participant. You want to see who it is. (???)

[] Spend some time with Yato. Tell him about the fights. (Yato Talks)

[] Go see some of the Jindai Girls. You're interested in finding out why they're your rivals. (???; Possibly New SLs)

[] You think you saw Elizabeth around here somewhere. Maybe she's thought of a story now? (Elizabeth SL)

[] Yameko's usually hanging around Yamato. But you should be able to find some time to speak with her when she's not. (Yameko SL)

[] Maybe find Irina and talk with her one-on-one? You can't get the wink she gave you out of your head. (Irina SL Unlock)

[] Finding Estella could be fun. Hear what she thought of your fights. (Estella SL Unlock)

[] Your Senpai and Sensei probably have some stuff to talk with you about regarding the tournament. (Hose SL, Sensei Hazma SL Unlock)

[] Walk around. Maybe there's something interesting to see. (???)

[] You should go check out one of the other schools. You can't watch their match, but you can see who they are (Possibly New SLs, ???).
- [] Find Susanoo. You just fought them.
- [] Find Amaterasu High. Interesting name.
- [] Find the Satsuma School. Sounds like they could be cool.
- [] Find Tosa Academy. Pretty name.

---

Note: No, not choosing to check out Susanoo will not make Hayato not go and comfort the Karate Fighter.

He'll do that regardless.