At some point, the news that Kiyomizu had joined the boxing club spread throughout the class. He keenly noticed a subtle change in the way his classmates looked at him. The boxing club was truly a top-tier club at this school. Combat sports clubs like this, much like the gyaru girls in a class, carried a natural deterrent effect. After all, no one wanted to get knocked out with a single punch over a simple argument. However, Kiyomizu himself preferred to reason with people. If a problem could be solved through communication, he would never resort to violence.
"Kiyomizu-kun!" Kei Karuizawa approached his desk with a radiant smile. "When is the next boxing club match?"
Lately, the class's top gyaru had been finding reasons to strike up conversations with him. From the sparkle in her eyes, it was clear she was particularly interested in the sport of boxing.
"Two seniors are sparring next week," Kiyomizu replied simply.
"So, how many normal people can you take on at once?" Kei leaned on his desk, her eyes shining with excitement.
"..." Kiyomizu didn't understand why she was so curious about this, but he answered truthfully, "Three to five shouldn't be a problem."
With his physique, even before he started boxing, handling a few untrained individuals would have been easy.
"So cool!" Kei clapped her hands in excitement. "When you throw a straight punch, does it make a 'whoosh whoosh' sound like in the movies?"
"That's to coordinate with your breathing and maintain rhythm. Beginners do that, yes."
Kiyomizu suddenly realized that Kei Karuizawa seemed even more talkative than usual today. The girl's delicate face was filled with a natural admiration. Even though Kiyomizu could sense the deliberate flattery in her words, he found it hard to be annoyed. After all, who could refuse a conversation with a cute girl? This probably proved the old saying: a man's tolerance for a woman is often directly proportional to her looks.
However, he vaguely remembered that on the first day of school, Karuizawa had seemed quite close to Yosuke Hirata. Kiyomizu discreetly glanced to the other side of the classroom. The handsome guy who had joined the soccer club was also surrounded by admiring classmates. As if sensing his gaze, Hirata turned and gave him a cheerful, open smile.
(He saw Karuizawa talking to me and didn't react at all... It seems they're not in that kind of relationship.)
Thinking this, Kiyomizu suddenly recalled a detail—since their conversation at the beginning of the school year, Karuizawa and Hirata hadn't really interacted much in class. Instead, it was Karuizawa who had been trying to get closer to him lately.
(Could it be... she wants me as a bodyguard?)
This thought left a strange, complicated feeling in Kiyomizu's mind. While being liked by a cute girl was certainly pleasant, being seen as a tool to be used was another matter entirely. In this day and age, no one wanted to be the naive nice guy.
"Are you that interested in the boxing club, Karuizawa-san?" Kushida Kikyo, who had been silent for a while, asked from the side.
"Ah~ I'm not really interested in boxing itself!" Karuizawa cupped her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling. "I just think guys look super cool when they show off their muscles while boxing!"
"That's not a very pure motive, is it~" Kushida winked.
"Hehe, what's wrong with liking guys with good bodies!" Karuizawa retorted righteously, even throwing a wink at Kiyomizu.
But inside, Kiyomizu was as calm as still water. In his eyes, Karuizawa's enthusiasm seemed more like a deliberate attempt to get closer to him to find a "protector."
"Well then, see you next time, Kiyomizu-kun!" As she was leaving, Karuizawa's slender fingers "unintentionally" brushed against his abs. She then widened her eyes in an exaggerated way, though the tips of her ears turned a faint crimson. "Wow! So firm!"
(Huh? That reaction... doesn't seem like something an experienced gyaru would do.)
(Could it be... she doesn't actually have much experience with guys?)
(But then again, did she just blatantly grope me?)
The stirrings of adolescence were never a one-way street—girls were just as curious about and attracted to boys' bodies. Girls could be just as hormonal about muscular men.
However, Kiyomizu's attention was suddenly drawn to a piece of paper on his desk. The note had appeared out of nowhere, as if from thin air.
—Who put this here?
The question flashed through his mind. But now was clearly not the right time to investigate, as Kushida was standing right next to his seat, watching him with her clear eyes.
"What's wrong?" Kushida seemed to have noticed his strange behavior.
"Nothing," Kiyomizu said casually, pocketing the folded note. He decided to examine it later when he was alone.
He changed the subject. "By the way, Kushida-san, do you have any good ways to relieve stress?"
Kushida's eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by the sudden question. "...Eh? Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"No particular reason, I just wanted to hear your advice."
"I see... For me, just seeing my classmates happy makes me happy. So... I don't really need to de-stress!"
The corner of Kiyomizu's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "...Alright, as long as you're happy." Just trying to think from Kushida's perspective made him feel mentally exhausted. It felt like she was putting on an act.
As usual, Kushida Kikyo extended an invitation to Suzune Horikita. "Horikita-san, want to get some coffee together?"
"No, thank you," Horikita replied curtly without even looking up.
Kushida's smile didn't waver. She just sighed lightly. "That's a shame~" She then turned to the other girls, and soon the classroom was filled with their cheerful laughter as they walked away.
Just when Kiyomizu thought the interlude was over, Suzune Horikita's gaze suddenly locked onto him, her tone eerily calm. "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Kiyomizu's fingers froze on his desk. He slowly looked up, wondering if he had misheard. The perpetually aloof Suzune Horikita was asking for his dinner preference?
-------
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