She
moved straight ahead without hesitation. Her gaze is fixed on Chihiro's neck,
and the height difference made it difficult to make eye contact.
It
would be harder to detect Chihiro's movements without looking him in the eye,
but it would be possible to grasp him by looking at his body.
「Yaaaa!」
A
kick is coming. A spinning kick - no, a back kick.
It
was used in the previous fight. It could be said to be a memory, but this
technique, which is difficult to catch breathing, is effective against Chihiro.
And
then it hits Chihiro's defending arm.
Its
blow is not light.
So,
he takes a step back, and Aika regains her position in the meantime. As Aika
moves forward again, Chihiro still uses his arm to guard against a front kick.
**a
「Not
done yet!」
Then
came a series of kicks.
Kicks
are often more powerful than fists, but when delivered from the waist, they are
more powerful. Perhaps someone must have thought that now is the time to take a
chance.
But
the combination of a front kick, a spinning kick and a back kick is difficult
to intervene. The timing of the impact is also different from each other, which
makes it difficult to release the guard.
And
no matter how much Chihiro defend himself, the damage accumulates as he is
attacked.
But
gradually, Chihiro’s body becomes fatigued.
It
seems that Aika's aim is to fight a short battle with a series of attacks.
After
all, the power of mind-reading has warned him to a certain extent.
『If
I don't make a decision early, Izumi-kun will probably read everything』
That's
what Aika herself said to him once.
At
that time, he was forced into it just as she wanted, but this time...
...Ahhhh.
A
few minutes later, Aika jumped back and moved away.
It
wasn't that Chihiro had done anything in particular.
Just,
「Izumi-kun,
are you stronger than before?」
「...Well,
I've been training in my spare time」
This
meant that Aika, the attacker, is also getting tired.
Because
of Chihiro's steady defensive stance, none of her attacks could be effective,
and the number of moves she had to make is increasing.
Although
Aika may not be lacking in training, she also has the role of helping the
school doctor. Exercise is not her main focus, and there is a difference
between men and women.
If
it takes a long time, Chihiro has the advantage because of his stamina.
「*exhale*」
Aika
let out a short breath and came at him again.
This
time, Chihiro also moved without being defensive. Rather than relying on his mind
reading, he followed Aika's movements with his eyes and delivered his right
fist with more than his full strength.
*pow*
A
heavy impact reached Chihiro's own arm.
Aika
blocked Chihiro's fist with her arm, but her body still shook from the damage.
Chihiro felt a throbbing pain in her fist, but felt a moment of relief.
「...Yaaaa!」
*slam*
The
sound of a strong kick on the floor echoed through the room.
Then,
Aika's right fist, which is clenched tightly, came at Chihiro and hit his
stomach before he could evade it. Chihiro had to take a few steps backwards as
the weight of the blow exceeded that of the kick.
（What
was that?）
He
knew immediately that he had been hit his technique.
Not
just Maria, but Aika as well.
「...Haha.
This is not a normal thing to do」
As
she said this, Aika pressed her left hand to her right hand. And then, a small
light leaked out, indicating the activation of her healing ability.
「Takatsuki-san...」
The
technique itself could be done by anyone.
Just
like Maria, who has self-healing ability, Aika is relatively suitable for that
technique, but Chihiro didn't expect her to use it.
（Is
this her will?）
Aika
also challenged him to this match because she had something she could not
compromise. That is why she is prepared to do whatever it takes.
And
so, until Aika finished healing, Chihiro spent the time calming himself down.
It's
difficult to move immediately anyway due to the damage he had just sustained,
and he wanted to ease the pain in his right fist too.
Then
they both started moving again.
「...Yaaa!」
Aika
kicked him from behind again.
But
Chihiro is able to time it well, and easily guarded against it.
*boom*
A
heavier impact hit his arm. But seeing how Aika frowned at the impact, she must
have kicked with more than her full strength.
――Now
it's time to decide.
Even
though this is a serious fight, he didn't want to watch Aika hurt any more than
she already had. Then, with that though, Chihiro swung his clenched fist again.
**b
「Kuh...?」
His
fist is just barely blocked.
He
hit her right arm, so it will be difficult for Aika to attack with her right
fist.
And
the same goes for Chihiro.
...Another
blow.
This
time, he swings his left hand and hits her with a greater swing than before.
And...
Aika
narrowly dodges the attack. Not only that, she moves around Chihiro's body and
grabs his arm with her left hand.
「Eh...?」
In
a moment of stunned disbelief, Aika is completely behind Chihiro.
His
left hands that had dropped lifted up and went to Chihiro's neck. Her right arm
was also wrapped around his neck and squeezed tightly.
There
is no time to pay attention to the feeling of her breasts against his back.
「Give
up, Izumi-kun」
Chihiro
heard a low voice in his ear.
If
he didn't give in, she would strangle him like this.
Perhaps,
when Aika was learning striking martial arts, joint techniques were not her
forte. In that case, the degree of restraint is unknown, and if she is not
careful, his life may be in danger.
He
can still speak... but...
「I'm
sorry, but I can't」
「...It's
dangerous. If you die, I can't heal you either」
「But
still」
He
has a special fondness for strangling.
『Everything
you want to do to Nishizaki-san, you can try on me』
『Nishizaki-san's
so unbearable, isn't she?』
Maria
was able to endure Chihiro's choking for a long time.
Chihiro
mocked Riko as she cried out from the chokehold.
That's
why he can't give up so easily.
（And
I don't want to lose this time in a contest of endurance）
「I
don't know」
「Takatsuki-san
too」
Chihiro
slammed the heel of his shoe into Aika's foot, catching her slightly off guard.
「What!?」
The
strength in her arms relaxed. But she didn't let go.
So,
Chihiro tried to step on her foot again, and now Aika let go of her arm.
*cough*
*cough* he turn around. With tears in his eyes, he saw that Aika was watching
Chihiro intently from a few steps away.
「Are
you still going to do it?」
「...Of
course」
He
gripped his left hand tightly. It would take a while for him to regain his breathing,
but he could at least buy some time by swinging it around.
*sigh*
Aika
sighs. And then she runs over, staring straight at Chihiro.
「...huh」
Chihiro
raised his left hand - but quickly returned it to form a guard.
What
came flying at him is a spinning kick.
It's
the most powerful kick of the day, delivered from an extremely excessive
action, but Chihiro manages to catch it.
It
hurts.
His
left arm is screaming. It seems he can't fight with his fists anymore.
「...Why?」
Then.
Aika
moaned and sat down on the floor.
**c
「Why
didn't you attack?」
Chihiro
could see Aika's final attack coming. Thanks to the fact that she looked him
straight in the eye.
And
it was a powerful spinning kick.
He
could have avoided it... and slammed his fist into the body that was
defenseless during the attack motion.
「Because
I was afraid of hurting Takatsuki-san's stomach」
Aika's
eyebrows twitched.
「Are
you going to lose?」
「No...
I did it because you're important to me, because I want Takatsuki-san」
Well,
he blocked the kick with all his might.
Chihiro
could still fight. However, his arms are battered and bruised, but he could
still use his kicks.
「...I
see」
Aika,
on the other hand, remained seated.
She
looked up at Chihiro, somewhat stunned, and said.
「...I'm
done. I've lost, Izumi-kun」
It
was the girl's own declaration of defeat.
The
crowd in the corner of the gallery - Hana sighed in disappointment, Riko
frowned in a complicated way. Maria gave a small smile.
Chihiro
couldn't take in the situation right away.
「Are
you sure?」
Chihiro
asked with a pause, only to be met with a puffed out glare.
「Don't
make me say it again. I lost. Izumi-kun wins」
Tears
welled up in Aika's eyes.
She
was a little surprised by it, then smiled and wiped the tears away.
Then
Maria and the others walked up, and the match between Chihiro and Aika was
over.
Thanks for reading...
