(If I don't have Shimizu Akira... I...)
The thought surfaced uncontrollably, carrying a hint of desperate, last-ditch despair—as long as she could stay, as long as he would continue protecting her, no matter what it was... it seemed she... would be willing to do anything.
The words stuck in her throat, burning the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn't force them out. She could only bite her lower lip hard, a film of moisture clouding her eyes.
Just as she was about to abandon all naive thoughts and voice that pleading, request—
The laptop abruptly delivered a line that almost perfectly overlapped with the thoughts in her heart:
"If I don't have Saki... I! What do I have to do for you to come back?!"
"As long as it's something I can do! I'll do anything!"
Karuizawa Kei froze, her gaze involuntarily locking onto the screen.
Shimizu Akira didn't notice her reaction but followed the plot with an unconscious critical comment: "This Soyo is something else too, begging Saki so shamelessly, throwing all dignity out the window? Really... they're all something else. Can't she just forget about the other person? Besides, she did something wrong too, right? Instead of apologizing to Tomori and the others first, she runs to find Saki? What's that about?"
"..." Karuizawa Kei felt as if she'd been nailed to the spot, her blood seeming to slow for a beat.
So... that's what he thought.
He clearly looked down on that girl named Soyo.
But just moments ago, she had been about to say the exact same words, prepared to cast aside all dignity to beg him.
An intense wave of relief washed over her—thank goodness she hesitated those few seconds, otherwise things would have spiraled out of control.
He said Soyo was in the wrong... was he implying that she was the one who had done wrong in this situation?
Yes.
On Tuesday, she had indeed skipped training without notifying the seniors and had taken several more days off after that.
Even Matsushita Chiaki had advised her to cherish the opportunity to join the boxing club, saying the seniors would protect her properly.
So, did Shimizu Akira mean... she should go apologize to the seniors first, instead of coming here to beg him?
As this thought emerged, Karuizawa Kei's cheeks grew warm.
She suddenly remembered the club president's smiling face on the day she joined, when he said "You're one of us now," and her heart felt a faint sting.
"I'm sorry... I was wrong about this. I shouldn't have come to you first." Once this thought solidified, Karuizawa Kei hung her head.
"..." This time, it was Shimizu Akira who was taken aback.
Based on this classmate's usual temperament, he expected her to continue begging shamelessly. He hadn't anticipated her suddenly admitting fault.
"Actually, the people you should apologize to are..." He started to follow up, but Karuizawa Kei interrupted him.
"The seniors in the boxing club, right?!" She lifted her head abruptly, a dawning clarity still in her eyes. "I didn't follow the rules, I skipped training without permission, I took so many days off... I'll go back to the boxing club this afternoon and explain things clearly to the president and everyone else. I'll do my absolute best to stay in the boxing club."
This made Shimizu Akira raise an eyebrow.
He looked at the screen—Soyo in the anime was still crying and begging—while the girl before him seemed to have suddenly overcome her stubbornness. He couldn't help but view her in a slightly better light.
"Figured it out?" he asked.
Karuizawa Kei pressed her lips together and nodded. "Mhm."
She paused, then added, "And... I can't be like that girl in the anime, doing things that just make people laugh at me."
Hearing this, Shimizu Akira couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
"Then... what about our contract..." Karuizawa Kei spoke hesitantly, her voice dropping again.
Shimizu Akira closed the anime and turned to look at her. "As long as you stay in the boxing club, I'll naturally honor the agreement."
He paused, then added, "However, I'll handle yesterday's matter for you. Don't worry about it."
Karuizawa Kei was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously, a bit of light finally returning to her eyes. "Okay! Thank you, Shimizu!"
This time, she didn't drag her feet. She turned and walked towards the door.
As her hand touched the doorknob, she glanced back at the frozen image on the screen and suddenly said softly, "Actually... Soyo probably was just too afraid of losing her. That person named Saki must have been very important to her, right?"
Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.
The door clicked softly shut, and the room returned to quiet.
"Didn't expect her to be quite straightforward this time."
Karuizawa Kei actively realizing her mistake, even sincerely admitting fault and finally thanking him earnestly—this truly exceeded his expectations.
If she could maintain this level of clarity, then it wouldn't be impossible for him to continue protecting her.
Recognizing a fault and being able to correct it is a great virtue, after all.
Who hasn't made a few mistakes?
He glanced at the paused anime screen; Soyo remained with her tear-reddened eyes.
Then he recalled Karuizawa Kei's determined expression moments ago when she said, "stay in the boxing club."
He suddenly felt that this classmate was far more clear-headed than Soyo.
"So, can she really still stay in the boxing club by next Monday?"
Shimizu Akira remembered the intel he saw this morning, which stated clearly: Next Monday, Karuizawa Kei will be formally dismissed by the boxing club.
He was momentarily uncertain—could the change in Karuizawa Kei just now actually alter this predetermined intel? Or was everything already set in stone, unchangeable by anyone?
However, in his view, the boxing club president, Satō-senpai, was actually quite tolerant towards his kōhai.
During the confrontation with Class 1-C last time, the president had said "out of respect for Yamada," and he often treated club members to meals; he wasn't particularly strict.
Since Karuizawa Kei had already taken so many consecutive days off, yet the president hadn't dismissed her immediately but set the dismissal for next Monday—perhaps this itself was him waiting for her to proactively come forward and explain her reasons?
If that were the case, then Karuizawa Kei's newfound determination might actually come in handy.
"Well, but Soyo did end up staying in MyGo in the end, and later slowly started acting more like a normal person. As for Saki, based on what we've seen so far, she really doesn't seem like someone who considers others. In short, she doesn't seem human." Shimizu Akira muttered this, his gaze returning to the screen as he watched episode after episode until he finished the first season.
"So, is this development in the second season trying to redeem Saki? That's piqued my curiosity a bit."
He patiently watched until the end of the second season's third episode. Watching Tōgō Saki transform into "Haki Saki," putting intense pressure on Wakana Mutsumi, her aggressive attitude finally broke through his patience—"What the hell is this plot?!" He couldn't hold back a low curse, his irritation rising with the storyline. "Saki, are you even human?!"