Allen let go of his hand, a sincere smile on his face.
Although Allen might not be able to defeat Baki right now, going even with him wasn't an issue.
As long as he fought Baki, he might gain his genuine approval, and once he had the Fighting Genius talent, Allen wouldn't be far from meeting the evolution requirements for Hanma Blood.
"Baki-kun, could we spar after school?"
Allen directly issued a challenge to Baki, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just clear enough for the surrounding classmates to hear.
The classroom instantly fell silent for a second, then all eyes in the room focused on the two of them, followed by a sudden burst of whispers.
"What's going on? Is this like a Hot-Blooded High School movie? Is Allen-kun going to be the top of Tokyo Den High School?" A boy with black-rimmed glasses pushed up his frames, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement.
"Baki-kun is someone who can easily handle delinquents from outside school! Allen-kun probably isn't his match, right? And he looks so refined; I don't think it's a fighting invitation, maybe it's for a fighting game?"
"What? Allen-kun is asking Baki-kun on a date? Why do handsome men always attract each other?" The girls whispered, their eyes sparkling with gossip.
The students in the classroom kept chattering, completely failing to understand why this usually inconspicuous transfer student had suddenly challenged the rumored tough fighter Baki-kun to a spar.
Baki himself seemed surprised by the invitation; he widened his eyes slightly, looking at Allen with a hint of confusion.
He didn't think Allen was inviting him to fight, as from his appearance, Allen-kun clearly looked like a gentle, ordinary student.
"Why… me?" Just as Baki was still wondering.
Ding ding ding!
With the ringing of the class bell, the previously noisy classroom quickly quieted down.
A tall, thin middle-aged man walked quickly into the classroom, holding a stack of test papers.
He was Yamamoto Hidetaka, the physical education teacher at Tokyo Den High School.
Yamamoto Hidetaka walked to the podium, scanned the classroom, and finally his gaze lingered on Allen and Baki for a moment.
He seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere in the classroom.
"Today we're doing physical fitness tests." Yamamoto Hidetaka clapped his hands.
"Everyone change into your sportswear and gather on the field!"
As Yamamoto Hidetaka walked out of the classroom, students rose one after another, and the classroom became noisy again.
Baki was about to leave his seat when he saw Allen approaching him again.
"My invitation just now, I was serious." Allen lowered his voice, a friendly smile on his face.
"I want to ask you for some pointers on fighting techniques."
Baki frowned slightly, carefully observing the young man in front of him. Allen's build was well-proportioned, but there were no signs of intense training, and his fingers were long and clean, not looking like someone who often clenched his fists.
"Are you sure? I'll go all out." Baki responded briefly.
Allen nodded, "Thank you. I've taught myself some fighting, so I want to find a master to verify it."
Baki was silent for a moment, assuming this transfer student was just playing around like a boy, but he never refused a fighting invitation.
"After school, the open space behind the gymnasium." After Baki finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the classroom.
In the changing room, several boys from the class surrounded Allen, who was changing into his sportswear.
"Hey, hey, Allen-kun, you're not really going to fight Baki, are you?" A boy with dyed blonde hair gesticulated wildly in front of Allen.
"That guy is a monster who beat up all the delinquent groups outside of school! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Allen calmly said, while changing into his sportswear:
"Thanks for your concern. I've had a little training too, so I want to ask him for some pointers."
The other boys looked at the calm Allen, exchanging glances. They suddenly felt they knew too little about this usually unremarkable classmate.
On the sports field, Yamamoto Hidetaka was announcing the physical test items.
"As discussed last class, we will now begin the physical tests: 100 meters, softball throw, running long jump, pull-ups, and 1500 meters."
Groans rose and fell, but only Allen and Baki remained calm.
"He's serious."
"This is terrible."
"I don't want to run 1500 meters."
With a series of whistles, the 100-meter test quickly came to Allen and Baki's group.
Allen stood at the starting line, slightly stretching his ankles. He felt curious gazes from all directions; everyone wanted to see what was special about this transfer student who had suddenly challenged Baki Hanma.
Baki stood in the adjacent lane, looking a bit dazed. This was, surprisingly, his first time participating in a physical test.
"Ready—!" Yamamoto Hidetaka held a whistle in his mouth.
Except for Allen and Baki, the other students had already taken their ready positions.
Allen took a deep breath, focusing his attention on the track. He wanted to see what level he had reached now.
"Toot—!"
The moment the whistle blew, Allen shot out like an arrow from a bow. His start was astonishingly fast; before other runners could react, they felt a whooshing sound by their ears.
The spectators only saw a blur, and Allen had already reached the finish line.
The surrounding classmates let out gasps of surprise.
"So fast!"
"What's up with that transfer student?"
"He must have broken the world record, right?"
"6.83 seconds!!!" Yamamoto Hidetaka looked at the stopwatch in his hand in shock, his voice trembling.
Yamamoto Hidetaka rubbed his eyes, reconfirming the number 6.83 seconds on the stopwatch. This result had already broken the world record.
He looked disbelievingly at Allen, who stood at the finish line, breathing steadily as if nothing had happened, as if he were looking at an alien creature.
"Hey, hey, that's impossible, right?" A boy's mouth hung open.
"Bolt's world record is only 9.58 seconds!"
"Idiot, with that speed just now, six seconds is absolutely possible!"
A classmate next to him slapped the back of his head hard.
"But this result is too exaggerated…"
Baki, who had flown up due to overexertion, looked in surprise at Allen, who had already completed the test.
Although he didn't know why Allen showed no signs of training, his intuition as a fighter told him that this transfer student's strength was definitely not simple.
Yamamoto Hidetaka's trembling hand almost couldn't hold the stopwatch. He repeatedly confirmed the incredible number.
"This is impossible…" Yamamoto Hidetaka muttered, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"The stopwatch must be broken."
"Teacher, do you need to test again?" Allen walked over, his breathing as steady as if he had just taken a stroll.
Yamamoto Hidetaka swallowed, nodded, cleared the track, called over the other physical education teachers, and had Allen run the 100 meters again.
Baki stood at the front of the onlookers, arms crossed, his sharp eyes fixed on Allen.
Although he had just gotten a perfect zero due to overexertion from not knowing how to do a running start, this did not affect his ability to observe his opponent.
"Ready—!" Yamamoto Hidetaka's voice was somewhat shaky.