Chapter 1765 Encouragement
Hanabi’s introduction did Sena and Ayu a number. It was as mischievous as it had gotten. Only a goofball like her could even think of that kind of introduction.
With gaping mouths, the two looked at me. They were baffled and had no idea how to react. If they could voice it out, they’d probably blurt out one question to me; “Ruki, care to explain to us what the hell is this?”
Honestly, I also didn’t expect the goofball to start with that. I told her who we would be meeting and here she was, grabbing the chance to have fun again.
Really, this was one thing that wouldn’t change from Hanabi. It’s making me wonder how she would fare in front of Arisa, Elizabeth, or Aoi.
After a few seconds of reveling in their reaction, Hanabi’s lips naughtily curved up. If Sena and Ayu saw that, they'd surely be annoyed by her.
Following that, she inhaled through her nose, relaxing her facial muscles. The smug on her face disappeared and was replaced by an apologetic smile.
She faked a cough to get their attention back.
“Uhm... I’m sorry. Let me correct myself. My name is Hanabi. I’m in Ruki’s care today. It’s nice meeting you.”
The goofball then stepped forward and circled around them, checking the two of them out.
When she returned to my side, her eyes sparkled with interest. She’s probably in awe of their figures. Both Ayu and Sena appeared lean at first glance but underneath their clothes, they have compact muscles as a result of their constant training. They can effortlessly knock out that animal trio earlier if they’re given a free punch to their faces or take them down within a minute if they’re up in the ring with boxing rules. However, if it’s a brawl where anything will be allowed, they have to make sure not to be caught by them. They’re not used to kicking, after all. Otherwise, they can just target their family jewels and it’ll be over right away.
Anyway, enough about that. I pinched the goofball’s cheek before stretching my arm around her hips.
“As you can see, I picked up this goofball outside. And I promised to take care of her today.” Matching the playful tone Hanabi used, I gave that explanation to the two.
Upon hearing that, Sena failed to hold her laughter back while Ayu facepalmed at the absurdity of that statement. As for Hanabi... well, what else can I expect from the goofball? She’s just as amused.
“That’s mean, babe. Do I look like a puppy to you? You picked me up outside? I’m upset.” Acting like she was wronged, Hanabi puffed up her cheeks. Still, she never tried to move away from my grasp.
She’s playing along just as well.
“You’re too pretty to be a puppy, you know? Don’t let Ruki tease you that much. He won’t stop doing that.” Sena walked over and patted Hanabi’s shoulder.
This girl... Is she acting like an older sister? She didn’t know that she was younger than her. Should I tell her? Ah. It’ll be a lot better if she found that out herself.
“Yes, you’re my cute puppy, babe. I’ll brush your hair later. For now, get acquainted with Sena. She can teach you a lot more than I do.” Upon saying that, I let go of her, handing her over to the boxer girl.
It’s great to have fun but she has to do it more to those who will be more receptive, right? If she annoyed the others, it would be bad for them. No matter how great she was at deriving fun out of anything, there was no point if she earned their animosity because of it.
Maybe she already understood that herself. That’s probably the reason why she preferred to be alone rather than in crowds. But now that she got entangled with me, there’s no escaping being involved with my girls.
Sena could only shake her head at what I did but like Nami and the others who could read my intention, a meaningful smile formed from her lips, “Ruki, I’m jealous that she can call you with an endearment but I’ll let that go for now. Leave this puppy to me.”
With that, Sena brought Hanabi back with her to their waiting room.
Left behind with me, Ayu chuckled at that development. She’s also just as confused. Nonetheless, knowing how I do things, she already had a clue about my purpose.
“Ruki, I don’t know what happened but you’re really quick, huh? Akane will also be surprised.” With a sarcastic smile, Ayu walked over and pinched my cheek, expressing her feelings over this matter.
“If I tell you that she’s not my girl yet, will you believe me?”
“That’s nothing new. Don’t you have a few girls like her around? Those close enough to you already and yet, you’re still not sealing the deal with them. I’m also in that position not that long ago.”
I knew she’d understand. Misaki, Azusa, and Kanzaki are like that to me. They’re close enough that I already considered them important but they still fall short compared to the others. There’s also Komoe, Sumire, and Umi.
“Mhm... Even if I’m already interested enough in them to keep them by my side, I can’t simply put them on the same level as you. It’ll take some time for them to understand what it truly means to be in this complex relationship.”
“You’re making this so hard for yourself. Though I can’t blame you for that... If you’re somebody else, they’d be splitting hairs to keep up and make everyone happy. Don’t get burnt out, okay? We’ll be worried.”
“I won’t. Your smiles are enough to energize me. Your affection, even more so.”
“Ugh. Don’t make me blush here. Let’s go. Those girls still need you to release the tension and pressure they’re feeling for this match. You have no one to blame but your natural charm, Ru-kun.”
“I know. But can I also get a boost from my Ayu first? I missed you.”
“This guy... What happened this morning isn’t enough?”
“You know me. My desire is bottomless.” Upon saying that, I quickly moved, catching Ayu in my arms.
While she's still processing it, I already brought her somewhere with more privacy where I could get that boost from her. And despite her small protest, as soon as my lips touched her, Ayu welcomed me wholeheartedly.
When we arrived at the Boxing Club’s waiting room, Sena pouted at me. It didn’t escape her notice that we took our time following them.
As for Hanabi, well, the goofball was already mingling with the members of the club. Her eyes were still as bright as earlier and she was clearly having fun alongside Sena.
Naturally, with my appearance, all the attention focused on me. The girls who were going up in the ring later welcomed me with a gratified smile.
I walked over to them one by one, helping them to expel the tension in their bodies and calming them down. Well, I didn’t touch any of them but some jumped to embrace me as a show of their gratitude.
Hanabi found that amusing while Sena was holding herself back from making them understand that she was my girlfriend. Luckily for them, they also approached Sena to thank her for inviting me again.
Not long after this, the Interhigh staff knocked on the door, informing us that the match was about to start.
After preparing for a while, Hanabi and I followed everyone outside.
Also thanks to the goofball’s positivity infecting everyone, their motivation was at its peak. They all look forward to winning their matches.
Hopefully, that would be the case. It would surely be an honor for them if they got past this stage. In any case, they also knew not to be complacent. They’re aware of the limit of their skills and were already happy to reach the semifinals. Whatever the result of their match today, they probably wouldn’t be as heartbroken as those from Fuyu’s tennis club if they lost.
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