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After school, the classroom gradually emptied.
Akira was tidying up the textbooks on his desk when a faint voice suddenly came from beside him. "Um... Shimizu-kun, I've already sent you the photos. Also, you gave too many points. You really didn't need to give so many—I don't usually spend many points."
He turned his head and saw Sakura looking down slightly.
"Just take it, consider it payment for editing the photos." Akira nodded.
He'd actually seen the photos during the second period that afternoon.
Sakura had sent him two versions: one specially processed with a white background, and another a normal picture with clouds as the background.
Speaking of Photoshop skills, her technique was truly impressive. Even the subtle light and shadow transitions were handled perfectly. And, by the way, the cowlick on his head was completely removed by her.
"Oh... then I, I understand. I'll listen to you, Shimizu-kun." Sakura paused, no longer refusing, and obediently agreed.
Akira looked at her docile appearance and suddenly felt that her personality was a bit too meek. As if with just a little persistence from him, she'd immediately abandon her own thoughts and accept everything.
Sakura gave off the impression of a particularly obedient and well-behaved girl.
If she truly fell in love with someone, she'd probably obediently do whatever unreasonable requests the other person made.
Forget about Class D, it'd be hard to find such a compliant girl even across all four grades.
Having promised Club President Sato, he was supposed to report to the boxing club after dinner.
However, before that, he planned to go to a sporting goods store first.
He didn't know much about choosing boxing gloves, so he simply called Club President Sato.
Following the club president's advice, he chose a pair of gloves from a famous brand.
When he tried them on in the store, the leather felt a bit stiff to his fingertips.
After all, he was used to the well-worn old gloves from the boxing club, so switching to a new pair felt a bit awkward.
But the club president said it'd be fine once he got used to them.
He moved his wrists in front of the mirror, looking at the distinct brand logo on the gloves, and silently suppressed the slight discomfort.
Then he went to the front desk and paid.
This pair of gloves cost about eight thousand points, which wasn't too expensive for him, so he paid quickly and decisively, picked up the packaged gloves, and turned to leave the store.
As soon as he reached the store entrance, his phone rang.
He looked down and saw that the caller ID was his manager, Karuizawa.
"Shimizu-kun, where are you right now?"
"I just left the sporting goods store. I bought a pair of boxing gloves."
"You went to buy boxing gloves?! Seriously, you should at least inform me, your manager, about things like this beforehand! I thought you were going to be late."
"Yes, then I'll trouble Manager Karuizawa."
"...Don't call me manager. I've told you how many times already."
Akira hung up the phone, feeling a strange sense of emotion.
Ever since she almost quit the boxing club last time, Karuizawa had never been late again, always arriving on time to do her job.
However, her inherent personality hadn't changed much. Most of the time she was still a bit arrogant, but occasionally she'd cautiously observe his reactions, as if testing his limits.
But over the past month, Karuizawa's reputation in the class had actually been quite good.
Now, her words carried considerable weight among the girls. She was always surrounded by a group of girls willing to follow her instructions.
He recalled scenes often seen during breaks: several brightly dressed girls gathered around her desk, chattering, and when she occasionally looked up and said something, the others would immediately quiet down and listen attentively.
However, in his opinion, this wasn't solely due to Karuizawa's strong negotiation skills. Sato, Matsushita, and Mori had genuinely helped her a lot behind the scenes.
Sato was responsible for "holding the fort." With her nearby, she could always subtly control the situation. Matsushita and Mori had stable temperaments and would quietly offer advice when Karuizawa was occasionally impulsive, or quietly manage logistical chores in an orderly fashion when she was busy coordinating interpersonal relationships.
This combination of one leader and three assistants seemed to form a clever balance, allowing her prestige in the class to steadily rise.
Unlike Kushida and Hirata, Karuizawa rarely interacted with boys other than him, focusing all her energy on managing interpersonal relationships among girls.
He recalled during the last P.E. class when several girls were arguing over team selections. Hirata politely mediated for a long time with no result, and Kushida's smiling attempts to smooth things over also failed to calm them. In the end, it was Karuizawa who frowned and said, "Let's stick to what we agreed on, don't waste time," and the arguing girls immediately fell silent.
This kind of charisma hidden beneath her arrogance indeed had a special quality.
Lost in thought, he'd already reached the entrance of the boxing club.
Sure enough, Karuizawa was standing by the entrance, holding the sign-in sheet. Seeing him approach, she glanced at him, her gaze immediately drawn to the item in his hand. The new blue boxing gloves clearly piqued her curiosity.
"Are those your new boxing gloves?"
"Yes."
"Put them on and let me see. And try a few shadow punches, will you?"
"...Alright." Akira thought for a moment. After all, she was the manager, and as a club member, he didn't have a strong reason to refuse.
He put on the gloves as instructed and slowly swung a few times at the air, his movements looking a bit perfunctory.
"Wait! Are you even putting any effort into it?" Karuizawa immediately frowned, her tone somewhat displeased. "It looks like you're just messing with me."
"I'm quite strong. I've never dared to use my full strength."
"...Really?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him.
"Really." He replied readily.
"..." Karuizawa stared at him for a long time, feeling that he didn't seem to be joking, but his words were clearly a lie. How could anyone not dare to use their full strength? Was he some kind of One-Punch Man?
Karuizawa muttered to herself, clearly not buying the explanation.
However, she didn't dwell on it and then casually asked, "By the way, what do you think of Sudo-kun? How's your relationship with him?"
"Average, we haven't talked much." Akira replied.
He truly had no real connection with Sudo. They weren't even friends.
"Is that so?" Karuizawa's tense lips relaxed slightly upon hearing this, and the hint of worry in her eyes faded.
Actually, at noon, Kushida and Hirata had specifically sought her out, asking her to inquire about witnesses for the Sudo incident.
She didn't immediately agree at the time, not because she was unwilling to help, but mainly because she wanted to ask Akira about his relationship with Sudo.
Now that she heard him say that, she finally felt a bit more confident. At least she didn't have to worry about displeasing him if she did something.
...
When Karuizawa and Akira entered the boxing club, Club President Sato happened to be walking toward them. He immediately noticed the new boxing gloves in Akira's hand, a satisfied expression on his face, and nodded repeatedly. "Excellent, excellent, it looks like the new boxing gloves have arrived."
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and pressed on. "By the way, the photos? Did you bring them?"
"Yes, I'll send them to you now." Akira responded, taking out his phone, finding the photos, and preparing to send them.
Karuizawa, standing nearby, immediately leaned over curiously to look. As soon as her gaze fell on the screen, she couldn't help but exclaim, "...Why is your cowlick gone in this photo?"
"Oh, it was Photoshopped out." Akira answered candidly.
"Hahaha... what is this?" Karuizawa laughed. "Sakura-san actually edited your hair for you? Didn't she just take your picture?!"
"Wait... how do you know about this?" Akira immediately looked up, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
"Ahem... why shouldn't I know?" Karuizawa coughed lightly to cover her fluster, then instantly raised her chin and retorted self-righteously. "You two were so conspicuous when you went out, and Sakura-san was holding a camera. It was obvious you went to take pictures. Is that so hard to figure out?"
Of course, she wouldn't tell Akira that she actually always subtly paid attention to his movements in class.
At noon, she'd already noticed him and Sakura going out to take pictures.
Also, she'd seen that Akira often talked to his deskmate, Horikita.
Sometimes she couldn't help but overthink: Are these two dating? If they really got together, would he no longer be willing to protect her in the future? This possibility wasn't nonexistent.
Although she'd now joined the boxing club and had the upperclassmen looking out for her, there was no clear agreement, which always made her feel a lack of solid reliance.
Akira's personal promise of protection made her feel more at ease.
"The photos are well taken, and the boxing gloves are ready." Club President Sato nodded, then changed the subject. "Speaking of which, just a moment ago, the freshmen group already decided the final winner. How about this, the exhibition match next Tuesday will be between the two of you."
Saying this, he turned and called out toward the side of the ring. "Hey, you, come here for a moment!"
A dark-skinned foreign male student, well over six feet tall, responded and walked over. He was wearing sunglasses, and his build looked exceptionally sturdy.
"The opponent is Albert, from Class 1-C. You two should know each other, right?" Club President Sato raised his hand to introduce. "Shimizu, he'll be your opponent next Tuesday."
Akira naturally knew Albert.
He was a student from Class 1-C.
As first-year freshmen both in the boxing club, even if he didn't come to the club often, they'd certainly met.
Because Akira mostly trained by himself in the dorm and rarely showed up at the boxing club, Albert had almost become the most outstanding freshman. Just looking at his physique, you could tell. His height, over six feet, was considered top-tier in the entire club. Akira had never seen anyone taller than him.
This person could speak Japanese, but his accent was a bit halting, and occasionally when he got excited while boxing, a few English phrases would suddenly pop out of his mouth.
Sometimes, he'd also communicate in short English phrases.
According to the club president, he was the strongest person among the freshmen in terms of overall ability, besides Akira.
He had a quiet personality, rarely spoke, and the gaze behind his sunglasses always seemed a bit distant.
As for his specific ethnicity, Akira wasn't sure. He only vaguely recalled hearing upperclassmen mention in casual conversation that he seemed to be mixed-race.
He suddenly grew curious. When he watched the surveillance during the first month, Ryuuen had already completely taken control of Class C. So, did that mean Albert also had to obey his orders?
He wondered how Ryuuen managed to subdue such a large man.
Just looking at their physiques, he really didn't think Ryuuen was a match for Albert. The size difference between them was too obvious.
"Well, speaking of which, your two weights aren't even in the same league." Club President Sato noticed the disparity and said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "Normally, it wouldn't be fair to Shimizu, but it's just an exhibition match, so don't take it too seriously."
He deliberately emphasized, "Both of you remember, don't hit too hard, just go easy. The main thing is to make it exciting, understand what I mean?"
As he said this, his gaze unconsciously lingered on Akira for a few extra seconds.
"OK..." Albert remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, his voice deep.
"Alright." Akira calmly agreed, his gaze sweeping over the opponent's muscular arms, and he generally had an idea.
It seemed it was just an exhibition match.
However, since the opponent was from Class C, he still needed to be careful.