Stealing Spree

The first match ended without any hiccups. Despite it not becoming as impactful to hype -up the audience, it still successfully sparked the crowd to root for either girl.

They fought for two rounds as per the rules – in consideration of everyone’s stamina.

Like I had previously guessed, it turned out to be quite a fair fight. The girl from Sena’s club stood her ground in the middle of the ring, taking on a defensive stance.

It’s pretty much Ayu’s style but without the proper training to successively hit a counterattack.

From my little knowledge about it, it seemed to just be a response to how aggressive her opponent was.

Even in the first second of the first round, her opponent lunged at her with a huge swing. Not expecting that, she almost lost her balance even if she successfully defended herself to it.

And that dictated the flow of their match.

In the end, it was a bit underwhelming because of the clear divide between their fighting styles. Regrettably, with the round scores becoming the basis of who won the match, the winner was declared to be the girl from the other school.

To be fair, I had the same evaluation.

Shaking off the nerves wasn’t enough to give her the boost she needed to come triumphant.

“Too bad. She’s already in her 3rd year. Quitting the club and focusing on getting into the college of her choice will possibly be her next focus.” Akane commented at my side as we watched the girl go back to their side looking all depressed from her loss.

Sena and the other members quickly ran to comfort her but obviously, it had little to no effect.

“That’s how it is for a lot of students. Only those who have passion for their respective sports will aim to continue after high school. Satsuki and Yuuki-san might be a few examples but given that there is still a lot of time before we graduate, their minds can still change.”

Akane nodded, agreeing to my words.

I checked on the other girls and sure enough, even if they’re not really into boxing and were just here because of me, they couldn’t help but be sympathetic toward that senior.

After a few minutes of break, the second match began.

It went almost the same as the first match but the overall impression from the audience was positive.

They traded blows concisely enough for everyone to follow their movements.

The squeaking of their shoe from atop the ring and the slapping sounds generated from their punches maintained the heat and tension in the whole venue.

Because of their previous loss, it was noticeably much quieter on our side – including those others from their school who came to watch.

Nonetheless, the second girl who’s supposed to be a 2nd year senior fought a lot better than the first one.

While she also went into a defensive stance quite early on, she probably learned the lesson to take advantage of counter opportunities which landed her punches on her opponent's gear-protected head and built body.

Due to that, even if there was no knockdown again, the result of the match expectedly went into her favor.

Because of that win, the sullen mood on our side significantly improved as cheers as loud as someone’s screaming gradually pierced the hall.

“Psh. I don’t see why they’re going out of their way to take up this sport. Is it fun getting hurt?”

Amidst those cheers, I heard the girl on my right airing out her dissatisfaction, or rather, her opinion of the sport itself.

Of course, she had already recovered from earlier, and given that my focus was fully on the matches, she probably tried to see what the buzz was about.

Unfortunately, the appeal of boxing failed to land on her.

“It’s not about getting hurt, senpai. It’s to triumph against their adversary. Also, it’s a sport where your whole body has to be fit otherwise, you’ll be kissing the floor after getting hit once.”

“So? I still don’t get the appeal. Are they in it for the fact that they can hit other people?”

This girl… I guess if I look at it from her perspective, the sport truly promotes that kind of vibe. That’s why it’s not that popular in our country. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop people who were passionate about it.

If Sena or Ayu heard this girl talking, either they would explain to her their side or break her misconception.

“I guess that’s a fair evaluation. And I know that not everyone will be a fan of the sport.”

“Uh. Don’t mind me. I’m only speaking to myself.”

Ah. She probably thought she was speaking out of line. But then again, this was new. Is she being careful with her words now?

Thinking about it, she probably didn’t want to start an argument on this. And that’s why she remained quiet in her seat for the most part.

Well, isn’t she adorably behaving quite well? Should I tease her again?

“Yeah, right. So, will you continue to watch, senpai?”

“... Do I have a choice?”

“I mean, no one is forcing you to stay. But you see, I’ll appreciate it if you stick around more and cheer alongside us.”

For sure, even if she walked out of this venue, Nao wouldn’t say anything. She just got dragged here. It’d be unfair if we also forbade her from leaving.

In any case, upon hearing what I said, her ears seemingly perked up and her mood noticeably improved.

“It can’t be helped then… I’ll do this favor for you.”

“How nice of you… Shall I reward you, senpai?”

“Shut up. I’m not expecting anything from you.”

“You say that… but are you sure you don’t want anything?”

As I trailed my voice there, Sena who was set for the third match was already about to come up the ring.

And because of that, before Saionji could respond to my question, my entire focus already shifted away to the front.

As I promised, I am here to cheer for my girl. Likewise, Akane and the other girls also became more enthusiastic as they watched Sena get up there with sparkling confidence. Unlike the first two girls from their school, she exuded the vibe of a fighter. Many became mesmerized by her.

For some reason, my eyes focused more on her legs, making sure that nothing was leaking from her crotch.

When Sena turned her head in our direction, the girl mischievously raised her gloved hand to her mouth, covering her enticing smile that was enough to send some of the male audience cheering for her – whether it was from their school or not.

Outside the ring, Ayu was shaking her head at that but when she also looked in our direction and saw my enthusiasm at cheering for the girl, the woman almost broke into laughter.

Am I doing it comically?

Maybe.

But then again, it was probably more accurate to say that I was exaggerating a lot when it came to cheering for the girl.

Before long, I could feel a lot of eyes landing on my back, possibly cringing at me.

Meh. Who cares about their opinion?

Anyway, I naturally stopped soon when the two boxers finally stood face to face.

“Junior, how shameless can you be?” Saionji commented again once I settled back down in my seat.

Then on my other side, Akane who was giggling at my display responded to her, “Oh, Saionji-san, you’ll never find the ceiling of husband’s shamelessness. You better get used to him soon or else, you’ll always draw the short end of the stick.”

“Ugh… No way. He’ll fold to me soon.”

This girl’s confidence was really something else.

Akane gave a hearty laugh and didn’t reply anymore.

On the other hand, since I remained silent there, Saionji tugged at my sleeve. Possibly hoping to hear my thoughts.

What should I do with her?

Well, I’ll think about that later. The bell for the start of the third match had already rang.