Stealing Spree

Surprisingly, the performance of the boxing club today was a lot better than yesterday.

The punches they’d thrown were stronger and their footwork became fluid enough to avoid getting caught in a position of disadvantage. As I was watching it closely, it was as if they had eaten something that boosted their performance.

Thanks to that, they won the first match and only lost by a point in the second match. The third match was a guaranteed win by Sena since none of their opponents reached her level of expertise.

They’re one win away from advancing to the semifinals.

And at the moment, the fourth match was already about to end. The girl from this team had just cornered her opponent. Even without my participation, the cheers already became deafening as everyone anticipated another knockdown. The faces of the girls from the other team were grim. They knew exactly the impending result regardless of whether their fighter in the ring could survive the onslaught or not.

The referee had even started deliberating whether to stop the match or not.

And next to me, Sena, whose expectation of the performance of her clubmates wasn’t that high to begin with, also got taken in by the sight of her senior about to score another knockout for their team.

She started cheering for her as they counted down the last few seconds of the match.

Somehow, from being a mediocre team that was only filled with beginners and hobbyists with little to no hope of winning a team competition, they transformed into this competent team that was about to run for the trophy.

And honestly, I was also convinced that they stepped up in their game. Their performance overall ramped up to another level. From the way I saw it, they simply couldn’t give it their all when they were under a lot of pressure or when their own anxiety about climbing up the ring and exchanging punches with their opponents was limiting their skills.

With that removed from their heads, they showed the results of their training and their passion for the sport.

TING! TING! TING! TING!

As the resounding bell signaling the end of that match echoed across the hall, the referee soon separated the fighters.

And to no one’s surprise, the senior of their boxing club was announced as the winner followed by declaring the overall victory of their team.

Amidst the applause by the audience and the officials alike, Sena and the girls ran to the middle as they started their celebration right there and then.

As for me, I naturally stepped aside to let them bask in that spotlight of victory. Well, even if I still couldn’t care too much about the other members of their club, seeing Sena that excited brought forth a satisfied grin on my face.

Ayu poked fun at me when she noticed that but similarly, she’s just as happy as the others at the result. She even said that she got a little motivated to hone their skills as well or just impart some of her knowledge as a former Olympic-level athlete but with the competition ending within this week, it’s probably going to happen in the future.

A while later, I returned with them to the waiting room where I once again got crowded. Even if I didn’t want to be credited for that win, Sena and the girls from the club were already set on that – like what I observed, the lack of internal pressure or anxiety led them to perform magnificently on stage. And due to that, I was left with no choice but to accept their gratitude.

The bolder ones went to hug me with or without Sena’s permission while the others who were more reserved just stuck to my side, tugging my sleeve and whispering their gratitude.

If I failed to remember their names during the introductions yesterday, I memorized it all by now alongside their faces. But I guess that’s the extent of my interest in them. I’m also glad to be of help to them but there’s really nothing more important to me there than watching Sena inside the ring and spending time with her and Ayu.

While they began changing, I mindfully excused myself to buy drinks for everyone.

I got that compensation from Ichihara Jun so I’m quite loaded to treat more than ten people in that club for a can of juice or soda.

Upon returning, I spent some time with Ayu and Sena before leaving for my next destination.

Honestly, if it’s only up to me, I didn’t want to separate from the two. But knowing that I would be going to Fuyu’s tennis match next, both of them chose not to make it complicated for all of us.

It’s not that they’re being considerate to that girl. It’s their own consideration towards me who would surely be faced with a question mark if Fuyu saw me arriving there with the two of them...

So yeah, there’s no point in making an argument about it anymore. I simply made sure that those few minutes that we were together satiated our desire for each other.

Anyway, I’m well aware that I’m the one creating my own complications... and I just can’t help it.

In the end, I’m still a hopeless nutcase.

On my way to the venue of the tennis match, I sent a message to Fuyu which the girl instantly read and replied. No matter how I tried to spin my head around that, she was definitely waiting for my message for who knows how long. Perhaps ever since I messaged her earlier this morning.

Wait. That’s an exaggeration.

Anyway, it’s a simple exchange but it gave me a clearer direction to take. Instead of going straight to the audience stands, my foot led me to the same spot where I talked to the girl yesterday.

As soon as I arrived at the area, I immediately found Fuyu sitting in a corner with an irritated look.

Why? Because there’s a guy in front of her with a flamboyant grin. Even without hearing what he was saying, the way he moved was nothing short of your usual idiot trying to pick up a girl.

Of course, it’s quite normal. Fuyu is an attractive girl. Her natural beauty which I once described as something like a moon getting eclipsed by Akane’s bright glow will more than likely charm anyone if that girl isn’t around her.

From what I can see, she’s already wearing her tennis attire; a white sleeveless shirt and a skirt. Of course, beneath that skirt won’t be her usual underwear but tight shorts that won’t hinder her ease of movement during the game.

Resting on her legs was a jersey jacket, something she’d probably worn earlier to cover up while walking in plain sight. Still, she got spotted by an idiot here.

As soon as she noticed me coming from the corner, the girl’s annoyed expression melted like white chocolate as an enthusiastic smile bloomed on her lips.

Noticing that change, the guy also looked in my direction. It became his turn to be annoyed. He clicked his tongue and tried to stand his ground as though he was readying himself to face me.

But to his surprise, I ignored him completely and only focused on the girl. I raised my hand to wave at her, to which she responded with a call to my name, “Onoda-kun, you’re finally here.”

“Mhm. I said I’ll be coming to watch you. Did I keep you waiting, Yuuki-san?” Understanding what she wanted to happen, I played along with her as I closed our distance.

Fuyu then stood up and walked past the guy to receive me. Perhaps to further discourage him, the girl didn’t stop at that. As if to show that I was more than just a guy that she was waiting for in this place, the girl ran up to me and decisively clung to me, her face pressed against my chest.

It’s unexpected and a bit excessive in my opinion but I guess this is the route she wants to take. If I’m not wrong, she’s taking this chance to get close to me or she just thought that this would be the easiest way to extract herself from that situation.

Whichever the case, even without my interest in her, I will still help her out. Furthermore, as someone who does this on a regular basis, my arms reflexively wrapped around Fuyu, supporting her body.

The girl reacted to it by a quick glance at my face before becoming flustered and retreating to the comfort of my chest.

Behind her, the guy who was just looking smug earlier was already glaring at me as if I had taken the food out of his mouth.

To answer that, I stared at him with my usual cold, unfeeling eyes.

If he decides to be salty about this, I won’t really mind giving him a swing or two. I haven’t used my fists earlier, after all.

In any case, before the guy could even react, Fuyu who took a deep breath to calm herself down chose this moment to reply to me, “Not at all. I knew you’d come eventually, Onoda-kun. You fulfilled your promise.”