Stealing Spree

Upon arriving at the Boxing Gym, I was greeted by Hisa-jii who looked like he was in a good mood. "Young lad, wait a moment."

Despite his age, he still looked like a fierce old man who had yet to retire from boxing, but today, he had a twinkle in his eye that made me curious.

"What is it, Hisa-jii?" I cautiously asked as he rummaged through a drawer behind the counter, his movements surprisingly agile for his age.

"Oh. Did Inaho-chan tell you about the news?" He finally turned around with a newspaper in hand. "Look here," He pointed at the article about a young prodigy in boxing who had been making waves in the underground scene.

"What about him?" I questioned, leaning over the counter to get a better look at the article. Don't tell me he wanted me to fight him?

"This kid's got potential," Hisa-jii said, his voice filled with excitement. "He's been beating some of the strongest opponents out there, and he's not even in his twenties yet."

"Well, that's a prodigy for you." I nodded, scanning the article quickly. It wasn't every day that Hisa-jii talked about someone with such enthusiasm, so the young boxer must be outstanding.

But somehow, it felt like he was doing this to make me more interested in boxing. Because I kept refusing his offer to be trained as a pro and instead opted to just become a part-time instructor for newbies, he had been looking for ways to stir my interest in the sport again. And this article, this might just be his latest attempt.

"So, young lad, aren't you at least interested if you can make the same wave?" The old man smirked at me, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a coach spotting a potential star pupil.

Suddenly, Ayu appeared from inside the gym, her ponytailed hair, which she put up to prevent it from becoming too disheveled, was swinging as she walked over to us. She was already in her usual outfit as one of the boxing instructors in this gym and perhaps hearing Hisa-jii from inside, she went to pick me up before I got stalled by his enthusiastic rant.

"Hisa-jii, don't bore him with that," She said with a laugh, placing a hand on the old man's shoulder. "Ruki still has his class to teach. Tell him about it later."

"What are you saying, Inaho-chan? I'm not boring him! Aren't you curious?" Hisa-jii retorted good-naturedly as he waved the newspaper at me.

I shrugged and put on a casual smile before answering, "Sure, I'm a little interested in the scene. But Hisa-jii, we already had this talk before. I'd already made my choice regarding my involvement in the sport."

Ayu shook her head as she smiled apologetically at me. Most likely because she forgot to tell me about this. "Don't worry about it. Hisa-jii's just really excited about this new guy making a name. He wanted to bring up someone who can contend."

After a few more back and forth with the old man, Ayu brought me inside. She's going to be watching me from the side again. Even from afar, I could already see my 'students' who signed up for my program. Then in the space next to them were Marika and Sena. The latter helped the former with her stance and punches.

When they saw me entering, they both turned in my direction and waved with matching enthusiasm. Sena looked so focused, and Marika looked like she was trying her best to keep up with Sena's instructions. The sight of them together brought a smile to my face.

While Ayu moved to let my students know that I'd arrived, I quickly went to the changing room and changed into my training attire.

Today is the 5th lesson. Once again, we're halfway through this program and luckily, everyone is still filled with enthusiasm.

Word of mouth is really too strong because according to Ayu, there are already people who reserved a spot in the next program even though the current one isn't over yet.

Anyway, I soon started my lesson and everything went smoothly. Marika joined up halfway through and I helped her with some of the sets she couldn't finish.

As for Sena, she just continued her training on the other side while Ayu assisted me throughout the lesson.

Luckily, nothing major really turned up.

The class ended with the usual round of appreciation from my students. The housewives tried to ask me about more lessons, or rather, supplemental lessons for their children like Ichihara-san. But as always, I told them that it's not that easy considering I still have school to worry about. That will always get them since they have no idea I'm not a college student yet. They just assumed that I was.

In any case, I'm glad that everyone is still truly improving even though the core of the lessons is the most basic stuff. Maybe it's because of how I'm teaching them, but it's more likely because of their eagerness to learn.

After that, I spent my remaining time in the gym with Marika, Sena, and Ayu.

Ayu brought up the news that Hisa-jii had been so excited about as well as an update on Sena's career. She now had scheduled sparring sessions with other female boxers aiming for the pro scene. Furthermore, there was that competition that she was prepping for. Now that the Inter-High was over, she could focus more on that.

"So, Ruki. Don't look too worried. The sparring won't be too serious. Just a few rounds to get a feel of a college-level boxer." Sena put on an impish smile but the excitement in her eyes was clear. She's been looking forward to stepping up on a ring and fighting someone at her level. Their previous training camp gathered similar talents like her but at that time, they focused on building their skills rather than going head-to-head.

"You say that but... you know how much of a worrywart I am, right? When will it happen?" I pulled her in my arms and sat her down on my lap.

We're now in the privacy of Ayu's office so it's fine to act this intimate. Marika took a seat next to me, silently leaning on my shoulder while listening to our conversation.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Sena said as she placed her hand over mine and squeezed it. "I've learned a lot from your guidance, Ruki. And with Marika's support and Ayu-nee's training, I'm more than prepared."

"Alright. I won't say anything else. I'll just do what I do best. Pamper you." I smilingly shook my head before kissing her forehead.

Sena pouted at that, most likely thinking I would go for her lips.

"Well, you know, I've got to save the best for later," I whispered in her ear, making her cheeks flush red.

Just like this, we talked about other topics, but it remained grounded in boxing. I had Ayu and Sena who were more of a boxing fanatic than an enthusiast, after all. On the other hand, Marika was just happy to be there as she sneakily hugged me.

In the end, I pampered all three women just like last time, making use of the privacy of Ayu's office.

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