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"Iā¦" Akane hesitated upon hearing Coach Togo's words.
"What's this? You're ignoring me now? Is that it?" Coach Togo's face darkened, revealing his earlier friendliness had been nothing but an act.
"Akane, you should head back to class,"Hikari interjected calmly.
"Since Hikari-kun says soā¦ then I'll go back first."
Akane nodded obediently, grateful to Hikari for stepping in.
She cast him a thankful glance before turning and walking out of the warehouse.
Once Akane had left, Hikari spoke coolly, "Now that she's gone, Coach Togo, is there something you want to say?"
"Hehā¦ it's not much, really. I just wanted to ask for a favor," Coach Togo began, standing up from the floor and moving closer to Hikari.
Towering over Hikari, the coach lowered his head slightly, rubbing his hands together with a false smile plastered across his face. "I've apologized to you, and I've promised not to trouble Akane and the others in the future. Soā¦ about that video on your phoneācouldn't you justā¦ delete it?"
Hikari chuckled knowingly. "Coach Togo, you're an adult. You must realize that if I delete the video, you won't feel the need to hold up your end of the bargain anymore."
Coach Togo forced an awkward smile. "Right, right. My mistake. I hadn't thought of that. I apologize forāHEY, GIVE IT TO ME!"
In the middle of his feigned apology, Coach Togo lunged at Hikari, his large hand reaching for the phone.
But then, in a flashā
A hand clamped down on Coach Togo's, stopping him in his tracks.
Smack!
Coach Togo stared at Hikari's hand, which had firmly seized his own. Disbelief flashed across his face.
Hikari wasn't exactly muscular, just an average-looking guy. Yet, with one hand, he'd effortlessly restrained Coach Togo's full-strength grab.
"I figured you wouldn't play nice," Hikari said with a slight smile.
Coach Togo struggled, but Hikari's grip was unyielding, as if his wrist were locked in a vice.
"Whereā¦ where did you get this strength?"
As he asked, Coach Togo's left hand tightened into a fist, ready to take a swing at Hikari. But Hikari simply twisted his wrist slightly.
"AAAGH!"
The silence of the warehouse shattered with Coach Togo's agonized scream.
Hikari's casual twist had snapped the coach's wrist.
Coach Togo's once powerful hand now bent backward, grotesquely folded at a sharp angle, skin clinging tightly around his mangled wrist. His hand appeared as if it belonged to an injured man missing his hand entirely.
Pain overwhelmed him, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow. He was nearly on the brink of fainting.
Were it not for his sturdy physique, Coach Togo would likely have already passed out. But even so, he was pale as a ghost, drenched in sweat. Forcing himself to endure the pain, he looked at Hikari with a pitiful expression, eyes pleading.
"I-I'm sorryā¦"
"I shouldn't have tried to take your phone, Hikari-kun. Pleaseā¦ forgive meā¦"
"I really know my mistakeā¦"
"I'll do whatever you say from now on, just pleaseā¦ let me goā¦"
Hikari regarded him with a faint smile, his thin lips curling up slightly. "Fine. I'll let you go this time."
"Butā¦ for your rudeness, I'll need a littleā¦ compensation."
At his words, Coach Togo suddenly felt an excruciating pain in a place most men would dread.
"AAAHHH!!!"
His scream echoed through the warehouse, piercing and filled with agony. This pain was even worse than the breaking of his wristāa pain that seemed to strike at the core of his very existence as a man.
The agony radiating from his groin completely overshadowed his broken wrist, rendering him nearly numb to it.
Hikari released his grip, letting the coach collapse onto the floor. Rolling back and forth in agony, Coach Togo soon passed out.
Now, lying on the ground, the area around the coach's groin was soaked in a disturbing mix of red and yellow. The smell of urine and blood filled the air, tainting the floor beneath him.
Hikari glanced down at the man with a cold expression, calculating the best way to ensure this incident ended discreetly. Having made up his mind, he turned and walked out of the warehouse.
ā
As Hikari exited the warehouse, ready to return to class, he suddenly paused.
A familiar figure was standing by the doorway.
Akane was leaning against the wall, her face blank, staring at him in shock.
Hikari frowned slightly. "Akane?"
Hearing his voice, Akane snapped out of her daze and answered quickly, "Yes, Hikari-kun! It's me! Is-is everything alright?"
Hikari raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? I told you to leave earlier, didn't I?"
Seeing his indifferent expression, Akane rushed to explain, "I-I was worried about you. Leaving you alone with Coach Togo in the warehouse seemed too dangerous."
"So, I decided to wait by the door. I thought if he tried to hurt you, I could call for help immediately."
She glanced away, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to watchā¦ I justā¦ I wanted to make sure you'd be safe."
Hikari looked at her, surprised. He hadn't expected her to be this sharp.
But thinking back, it made sense. In the original story, Akane had proven herself more resilient than someone like Natsuha. Perhaps her misfortunes came only from being too fixated on Katase Shouya.
A girl with a sharp mind and a strong heartāit wasn't hard to see how she might have ended up here.
"I don't care if you saw anything or not. The matter's resolved. Let's go back."
"Oh, rightā¦ Let's go back together," she said shyly, glancing over at him. "My class is right next to yours."
"Sure," Hikari replied, taking the lead.
"Um, Hikari-kunā¦ youā¦ you were amazing."
Akane, struggling to contain her admiration, finally spoke up as she followed closely behind him.
She had stayed behind out of worry that Hikari would be overpowered. But she'd ended up witnessing him thoroughly overpowering Coach Togo. It was a display of strength that left her stunned.
Despite being a high school student, Hikari had subdued a grown man as large and powerful as Coach Togo with just one hand. It was truly awe-inspiring.
Most people are naturally drawn to strength, and while Akane didn't instantly fall for Hikari, her admiration for him had undoubtedly grown. Being saved by him, combined with seeing his remarkable strength, made her feelings shift to respect and awe.
"I'm not as incredible as you think," he replied calmly. "Besides, Akane, you already have a boyfriend, don't you? Staying this close to meā¦ isn't that a problem?"
Akane looked up, a bit flustered. She stammered, "Actuallyā¦ I don't have a boyfriend. And it's not a big deal. We're just classmates, after all."
"Coach Togo was terrifying. Iā¦ I feel a bit safer with you nearby, Hikari-kun."
Seeing that Hikari didn't react negatively to her explanation, Akane smiled, moving a little closer.
She wasn't lying; she normally wouldn't stand so close to other boys. Even with Katase Shouya, they'd never gotten close in a formal relationship, held back by the baseball club's rules. They were simply friends with the promise of something more in the future.
After all, they were still in that ambiguous stage of more than friends but not yet lovers. [T/N: I know boys, too complex mechanism of relationship for us.]
But the fear and emptiness she'd felt under Coach Togo's intimidation had left her shaken, needing someone to rely on. Hikari's timely arrival had been like a guardian's hand reaching out to steady her frightened heart.
āāāāāāāāāāāāā
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