The faint, golden light of dawn had barely begun to spill across the city streets.
Ren and Sayu stepped off the long jogging track, the rhythm of their footsteps perfectly steady.
Despite the grueling run, they weren’t finished yet.
They finally came to a halt in front of the heavy doors of an underground boxing gym.
Ren wiped a thick bead of sweat from his forehead with his wrist, his chest heaving as he took in a heavy breath.
“Why are we here…?” he asked, panting lightly.
Sayu turned to him, a cool, confident smile playing on her lips.
“Today, your real training happens in here.”
Ren straightened his posture, giving a firm, resolute nod.
“Done.”
Shhhk.
The crisp, distinct sound of Velcro straps being pulled tight echoed through the empty gym.
Sayu stood perfectly still, her breathing calm and her center of gravity flawlessly balanced.
Opposite her, Ren’s expression was laced with intense focus.
His body was warmed up and coiled tight, his mind shifting entirely into combat mode.
Sayu smoothly raised her gloves, setting her stance.
“Attack me.”
Ren exhaled sharply, dropping his stance a few inches lower.
“Alright.”
With a sudden, explosive push-off, Ren closed the distance in a flash.
He threw a textbook straight punch—clean form, devastating speed, and perfect reach.
But—
Swish.
Sayu didn’t block.
She didn’t retreat.
She simply tilted her upper body a single inch to the side, executing an effortless, ghost-like dodge.
Ren’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
‘…I didn’t expect her to be this incredibly fast,’ a sharp thought pierced his mind.
The moment his punch missed, he immediately tried to backstep to reset his guard.
But by the time he pulled his fist back, Sayu had completely vanished from his line of sight.
Ren whipped his head around.
Sayu was already standing perfectly in his blind spot, her stance completely compact.
The next millisecond was pure devastation.
Bam-bam-bam-bam!
Sayu’s fists rained down on him like a violent, unending storm.
Rapid jabs and hooks targeted his face, his chest, his ribs—precise, agonizing strikes coming from every conceivable angle.
Ren desperately raised his guard, trying to block the onslaught.
But the sheer, suffocating pressure of her attacks was so terrifyingly consistent that he was naturally forced to slide backward across the canvas.
Suddenly, Sayu stopped dead in her tracks, cleanly breaking the distance between them.
“Alright, Ren. Tell me,” she said, her voice entirely calm despite the flurry of movement.
“Right now… what exactly do you see besides me?”
Ren blinked, thoroughly confused by the sudden question.
“What kind of question is that…?”
Sayu’s tone grew firm and commanding.
“Answer it.”
Ren rapidly scanned his environment.
“The boxing ring… the punching bags… the dust in the air… the sunlight coming through the windows. That’s it.”
Sayu let out a long sigh, placing a gloved hand against her forehead in mild disappointment.
“You’re physically fit, Ren. You are incredibly skilled,” Sayu explained, her gaze piercing right through him.
“But do you know what your biggest mistake is?”
“During a fight… you see absolutely everything.”
She lowered her hand, pointing directly at his chest.
“Which means you aren’t focusing *solely* on your opponent.”
Ren fell silent, letting the heavy truth of her words sink in.
He gave a slow, quiet nod.
“…Okay.”
Ren closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath.
Inhale…
hold…
exhale.
He consciously cleared his mind.
He let the tension completely drain from his shoulders.
When he opened his eyes again, his focus had violently narrowed.
The ring, the punching bags, the sunlight—it all melted away into the background.
The only thing left in his entire world…
was Sayu.
Ren executed a smooth, flawless step-in and launched a lightning-fast jab.
Instantly, Sayu launched a heavy counter-punch aimed directly at his jaw.
But this time, Ren’s instincts screamed.
Without thinking, he perfectly executed a head slip.
Whoosh.
Sayu’s heavy glove sheared through the air, merely brushing past the strands of his hair.
A proud, radiant glint flashed in Sayu’s eyes.
Immediately, she shifted into a higher gear.
The speed of the spar spiked drastically.
Rapid jabs.
Short, bone-cracking hooks.
Blinding feints.
Ren didn’t back down.
He stepped into the pocket, throwing his own flurries of punches.
Their fists became an absolute blur.
Dodges, deflects, and heavy blocks flowed together in a terrifyingly perfect rhythm.
Their rapid footwork carved light grooves into the training mat.
The heavy, dull thuds of leather colliding with leather echoed continuously through the empty room.
To an outsider, it didn’t even look like a brutal sparring session anymore.
It was a smooth, perfectly balanced, almost beautiful dance of violence.
Back inside the underground boxing gym, the intense sparring session had finally taken its toll.
Ren collapsed onto the canvas, utterly exhausted.
He sat there, his chest heaving as he stared at the ceiling.
Sayu wasn’t entirely unscathed either.
She stood near the ropes, breathing heavily and wiping a slick layer of sweat from her forehead with the back of her glove.
She unlaced her gloves, tossing them aside, and stepped out of the ring.
“Alright. Let’s go home.”
Ren didn’t move from his spot on the floor.
He looked at her, his eyes burning with a sudden, stubborn fire.
“No. I want to go one more round. Without the gloves.”
Sayu stopped.
She looked back at him, a thrilled, wide smile breaking across her face.
“That’s my boy,” she purred, her competitive spirit instantly reigniting.
She stepped right back onto the canvas.
Ren pushed himself up off the floor, his muscles aching but his focus absolute.
They both threw their heavy leather gloves aside, raising their bare fists.
Sayu made the first move, throwing a sharp, testing jab.
Ren read it perfectly, catching her wrist and parrying it cleanly to the side.
Seizing the opening, he loaded his shoulder and threw a heavy, devastating straight punch.
But Sayu was simply too fast.
She effortlessly slipped inside his guard, completely dodging the heavy blow.
Before Ren could even retract his arm or reset his balance, Sayu closed the distance entirely.
She leaned in, her face mere inches from his, and pressed a soft, sudden kiss against his cheek.
Ren completely froze.
His combat instincts short-circuited.
A furious, burning red blush instantly exploded across his face, spreading all the way to the tips of his ears.
Sayu quickly skipped backward, creating distance again.
She placed her hands behind her back, tilting her head with a teasing, triumphant smile.
“Nee~ Ren… did you get a little embarrassed just now?”
Ren immediately slapped a hand over his burning cheek, looking away in sheer panic.
“A-Anyone would get nervous if you just do something like that out of nowhere!”
Sayu just laughed, her carefree and bubbly demeanor completely returning.
“Alright then! Now, let’s go home.”
The grueling 10-kilometer run was finally over.
Ren dragged his heavy feet toward the entrance of his apartment building, completely drained of energy.
The moment he reached the front steps, he came to a dead halt.
Bending over, he grabbed his knees and gasped desperately for air.
Huff…
huff…
Sayu jogged up right beside him, her breathing perfectly steady as if she had just taken a casual stroll in the park.
She peered down at him, a playful, exaggerated pout on her lips.
“Ooooh nooo~ Are you already tired?”
Ren shot her a breathless, pained glare.
“I usually… never run past two kilometers…”
Sayu just laughed cheerfully.
Stepping closer, she slung one of his arms over her shoulder, helping to support his weight.
Ren leaned heavily against her as they limped toward the building doors.
But a fair distance away, hidden by the shadows of the morning streets, a pair of sharp eyes was watching them.
Yeamori stared at the two figures, her gaze narrowing as a dark, suspicious murmur escaped her lips.
“Who… is that girl with Ren?”
A little later, inside Ren’s pristine flat.
Ren sat slumped in a chair, his muscles aching, while Sayu sat comfortably across from him, casually scrolling through her phone.
Without even looking at her, Ren pushed himself up.
“I’m going to go wash up.”
“Hold on.”
Sayu’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
Ren looked back over his shoulder, a hint of dread in his voice.
“Now what?”
A bright, mischievous smile spread across Sayu’s face.
“You’re taking a cold shower.”
He frantically waved his hands in refusal.
“Absolutely not!”
Sayu stared at him, completely unyielding.
“Alright then. Let’s settle this with Rock-Paper-Scissors.”
Ren narrowed his eyes, calculating his odds.
‘There’s no way she can keep winning every single time…
right?’
He raised his fist, initiating the sacred ritual once more.
“Rock. Paper. Scissors!”
The results were locked.
Sayu threw Rock.
Ren threw Scissors.
Ren instantly pointed an accusing finger at her.
“You definitely cheated!”
Sayu stared back at him with a perfectly innocent, deadpan expression.
“How exactly did I cheat?”
Ren faltered, suddenly feeling very nervous under her unblinking gaze.
“I-I mean… uh… whatever, never mind.”
Defeated, he hung his head and dragged himself off to the bathroom to face the freezing water.
A short while later, Ren emerged from the bathroom, toweling his damp hair.
As he walked down the hallway, he froze.
Sitting on the sofa, right next to Sayu…
was Yeamori.
Ren blinked, completely caught off guard.
“Yeamori? You’re here?”
Yeamori crossed her arms, looking at him with a slightly sharp gaze.
“What? Am I not allowed to come over?”
Ren forced a nervous, awkward smile.
“No, no… of course you can.”
Sayu leaned forward, offering Yeamori a bright, friendly smile.
“Nice to meet you, Yeamori! I’m Sayu Morikawa, Ren’s—”
“She’s my cousin!” Ren interrupted loudly, blurting out the first lie that came to his panicked mind.
Yeamori looked at Sayu, her sharp gaze softening slightly at the explanation.
“Oh, okay. I’m Yeamori Arisa, Ren’s friend.”
Sayu looked Yeamori up and down, genuinely impressed by her physique.
“Wow, you’re really fit!”
Yeamori offered a polite, confident smile.
“Yes, I train every single morning. But today, I saw Ren out running with you, so I came over to check on him.”
Ren smiled, trying to play along smoothly.
“Yeah. I’ve officially started training too.”
Satisfied, Yeamori’s smile turned warm.
Sayu stood up, clapping her hands together.
“Alright, I’ll go make us some coffee!”
But Yeamori immediately stood up and extended a hand to stop her.
“No, you sit. I’ll make it.”
A little later, the three of them sat around the dining table, finishing their coffee.
Sayu set her empty cup down with a soft *clink*.
“I’ll be back again tomorrow morning, Ren. Make sure you’re awake!”
Ren gave a weary, gentle nod.
He and Yeamori both stood up to see her off at the entrance.
Standing by the front door, Sayu suddenly stepped forward and pulled Yeamori into a tight, friendly hug.
“It was really nice meeting you!”
Ren watched the exchange, a strange, fleeting sting of jealousy hitting him as he watched them hug.
Then, Sayu turned and hugged Ren too.
“Bye~!”
With a bright wave, she stepped out, and the door clicked shut.
Silence fell over the hallway.
Yeamori slowly turned around and immediately began glaring daggers at Ren.
He flinched, quickly noticing the heavy shift in the atmosphere.
“What… what’s wrong now?”
Yeamori puffed out her cheeks, letting out a highly annoyed, “Hmph…”
Ren felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck.
“Come on, at least tell me what I did!”
Yeamori crossed her arms tightly, her voice tinged with genuine frustration.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to call you?! You didn’t answer a single phone call!”
Ren instantly reached up, grabbing his own ear in a submissive, apologetic gesture.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I’ll pay much better attention next time, okay?!”
Yeamori kept her eyes narrowed in a harsh glare for a few more seconds before finally letting out a soft sigh.
“…Fine.”
She turned on her heel, walking back toward the hallway leading to the kitchen.
“Come on. I’ll make us some lunch.”
Ren followed closely behind her, a warm, relieved smile spreading across his face.
—Chapter 23 End—