Chapter 156 Ibuki, My Girl-Bro!
The next morning.
Hikigaya, who should have been enjoying a good sleep-in, was forced to wake up early to wash his clothes.
"Damn you, Sakayanagi...
I finally managed to hold out for three days, and you broke my streak!"
Hikigaya was consciously trying to rid himself of the "wife" in his dreams. To this end, during the last few days on the cruise ship, he had been avoiding contact with girls to prevent the "what you think about by day, you dream of by night" effect.
As it turned out, Sakayanagi Arisu was camping out for him when he disembarked, and that very night, she showed up in his dreams!
"Clearly so weak, yet so arrogant."
Hikigaya brushed his teeth seriously in front of the mirror, cleaning inside and out three times. Perhaps it was psychological, but he felt like a certain taste lingered in his mouth.
Lust will be the end of you!
.
.
.
After finishing his morning routine, Hikigaya changed into sportswear and headed out.
At the entrance of the Martial Arts Club, Hikigaya saw his fellow member, Ibuki Mio.
"Yo, Ibuki. You got the captain's message too?"
"Of course! I'm the strongest first-year member!" Ibuki Mio raised her chin with a look of pride.
"Yes, yes... I'd prefer if you took the 'Rookie King' title off my hands." Hikigaya wished nothing more than for her to take the spotlight.
The two entered the club together. Captain Muto and the other members arrived one after another.
"First of all, I want to thank everyone for your cooperation!" Captain Muto was good at polite formalities. "Forgoing your precious dating time and taking time out of your busy schedules to participate in this club training camp."
'But talk as you may, why do you keep looking at me? I'm not busy at all!'
Hikigaya felt speechless.
"People from the Student Council will be coming for an inspection later. This training camp concerns the club's budget allocation, so please stay sharp and give it your all!"
While saying this, Captain Muto bowed ninety degrees to everyone: "I'm counting on you!!"
"Yes, Captain!!!"
Driven by the captain's energy, the club members' spirits soared. Hikigaya followed suit and shouted along a few times. In his mind, he thought: 'It seems the Student Council's authority is even greater than expected; they can even control the club's budget.'
"Hey, Hikigaya, come help me stretch my legs," Ibuki Mio gestured to him.
"Why don't you ask a girl senpai to do it?"
'Even though you're my "girl-bro," shouldn't we try to avoid physical contact?'
"Cut the crap! If I tell you to do it, do it!" Ibuki Mio raised an eyebrow and rested one leg on a wooden platform.
"You should be secretly happy to help a beautiful girl stretch!"
"Heh... looking down on me for just this much?" Hikigaya looked calm. Then, without ceremony, he went right ahead and pressed down on her thigh.
He pressed down step by step from her thigh to her calf. Her skin was smooth and delicate, quite pale, and without a single hair.
"You... you really don't hold back," Ibuki Mio gave him a reproachful glare.
"Didn't you ask for it?" Hikigaya's eyes shifted as he teased, "What? Could it be that Ibuki is shy?"
"Baka~ You're the shy one!" Ibuki Mio snorted coldly.
"Help me stretch my waist too."
"Oh."
Hikigaya moved behind her and placed both hands on her waist. He felt a softness combined with resilience, without a hint of excess fat.
'If I held her waist from behind while outputting code, it would probably be pretty intense... Ahem!'
The image flashing through his mind made Hikigaya's cheeks flush, and he quickly looked away. But he saw Ibuki Mio turn her head, staring at his face with playful eyes, her lips curling into a mocking smile: "Aiyee~ Someone's blushing~~"
"No, I'm not," Hikigaya denied.
"Ha! Still being stubborn." Ibuki Mio looked very proud of herself, saying with certainty: "You were definitely thinking about perverted things just now."
".........No such thing."
"That pause! You're still trying to argue!!"
'Damn! Just a girl-bro, and you're getting cocky?'
Hikigaya was suddenly "enraged" and slapped her rounded backside.
"Mnh?!" Ibuki Mio's eyes widened, and a flush of angry red quickly rushed to her cheeks. "Hikigaya, you're dead!!!"
A high back-kick aimed straight for his face! Hikigaya hurried to block with his arms, then retreated to keep a safe distance.
"Wait? I haven't even warmed up yet..."
But he saw Ibuki Mio had already taken a fighting stance, her limbs tense like a leopardess eyeing her prey.
"Oh-ho!"
"A duel between the two rookies!"
"This is going to be good!"
The sudden confrontation drew the attention of all the club members.
Whoosh~
Ibuki Mio quickly lunged forward with a front kick. Hikigaya pressed his hands down to block.
Ibuki Mio raised her leg again for a series of side kicks. Hikigaya blocked with his left and right hands.
"Mm! Nicely done!" Captain Muto praised. "Among this year's first-years, these two are the best."
"Captain, who do you think will win between them?" a club member asked.
"It's hard to say. Ibuki has been practicing martial arts since she was a child; she has a solid foundation. But after all, she is a girl, and her weight is in the featherweight category—they aren't in the same weight class to begin with. Hikigaya is self-taught. Although he's only practiced for one semester, his talent is unexpectedly good. In terms of weight, he's a lightweight, giving him a definite physical advantage."
Captain Muto commented from a professional perspective. But since it was club training and not a match, it didn't really matter.
"Hikigaya, don't just keep defending! Are you looking down on me?" Ibuki Mio's punches and kicks were fierce.
"Alright, warm-up over. Then I'm coming too."
Hikigaya clenched his fists and threw a decisive straight punch.
Bang! Ibuki Mio blocked with her forearm and elbow, but was still pushed back several steps by the immense force. This had nothing to do with skill; it was purely the difference in weight.
"Again!"
With Ibuki Mio's naturally stubborn personality, she definitely wouldn't admit defeat easily and charged forward again. The two went back and forth, the sound of their limbs clashing echoing through the room.
"Look at them! This is the true spirit of martial arts!" Captain Muto praised loudly.
There were both boys and girls in the club; most boys would maintain a so-called "gentlemanly demeanor" when facing girls, constantly yielding to them or even adopting a non-resistance tactic.
A significant portion of the girls also took it for granted that boys should be lenient. If the boy fought back or used even a bit of force, they would complain about him not knowing how to "be gentle with a lady."
Captain Muto loathed this behavior, believing it went against the martial arts spirit. True respect meant giving your all to face your opponent!
Bang!
Hikigaya's fist slammed into Ibuki Mio's shoulder, and she countered with an elbow strike.
"Cough, cough~ Ibuki, continue?"
"Continue!!"
Both sides retreated, and after catching their breath, they began to grapple and fight once more! The members of the Martial Arts Club cheered one after another, finding the match thrilling to watch.
At the same time, people from the Student Council arrived at the scene.
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