The Childhood Friend I Had Grown Distant From Started Acting a Little Strange

Chapter 2

After school, I was at a boxing gym in the next town.

I punched the sandbag relentlessly without thinking. In the past, my wrist hurt after a few punches, but maybe I grew a bit.

I threw punches in a one-two rhythm, changed position, and threw another one-two. Sometimes, I added a third punch or changed the angle. I kept varying the pattern to avoid monotony.

Each punch made a crisp sound, and it felt good.

“You still throw great punches, Yuma-kun,” a short-haired woman said to me. Sweat dripped from her cheeks, proof she was moving earlier.

“Kiyomi-san, good evening,” I replied.

“Good evening. Did you grow taller again?” she asked.

“Did I?” I responded.

This woman was Sahala Kiyomi-san, a university student attending a nearby college. She joined this gym because it was close to her home.

We joined around the same time, so we talked often and became familiar.

“You’re already a high schooler, huh? Time flies so fast. You were so small back then,” she said.

“But we met when I was in my third year of junior high, right?” I pointed out.

“That just means we shared some intense times. You don’t get a maiden’s heart when I avoid saying it outright. You’re still a kid,” she teased.

“Maiden…?” I questioned.

“A woman is always a maiden!” she declared.

Oops, I messed up by bringing up age with a woman.

“Sorry, Kiyomi-san is a lovely maiden!” I apologized.

“Good enough. But seriously, with that much skill, don’t you want to aim for amateur or pro? This gym has those courses, right?” she asked.

“Nope,” I answered.

This gym had a fitness course and an amateur course. Kiyomi-san and I were in the fitness course.

Truthfully, someone invited me to join the amateur course, but I declined. The reason was simple.

“I just can’t hit people,” I admitted.

It wasn’t about trauma. I always disliked fighting or violence, so even in a sport, I couldn’t get excited about hurting someone. I just wasn’t suited for it.

“Plus, if I changed courses, I couldn’t talk to you, Kiyomi-san,” I added.

I wanted to cherish this connection we built.

“Oh, I see. If that’s the case, can’t be helped,” she said, nodding.

“Kiyomi-san?” I noticed her face was red. Was it hot? No, it felt like normal temperature.

“Getting told something so straightforward makes this big sister shy,” she said.

Straightforward? Wait, did I say something embarrassing?

Heat rushed to my face. Ugh, so embarrassing.

“Shall we get back to it?” I suggested.

“Yeah, let’s do that!” she agreed.

In the awkward atmosphere, I punched the bag to distract myself.

—

While shaking the bag, I walked under the darkening sky.

It was already 6 p.m. I needed to make dinner soon. As I thought this, a message arrived on my app.

My dad sent a short message: “I’ll be home around 10 p.m.” I replied just as shortly: “Got it.” We weren’t on bad terms; we just got curt in texts.

10 p.m., huh? Fried food got soggy if left out, so maybe curry and a simple salad would do. I sent that plan, and a thumbs-up sticker came back. I pocketed my phone and started walking again.

Man, I said something embarrassing today. We managed to talk normally afterward, but if it was someone else, they might’ve distanced themselves. I needed to choose my words better.

Could it be that Maya disliked me because of stuff like this? If so, did I hurt her without realizing it?

“If so, I’m sorry…” I muttered.

If that was true, no wonder she disliked me. I decided not to talk to her until I could be more aware. Not that she talked to me anyway. Sigh.

As I thought this, my house came into view. I needed to prepare dinner soon. But then…

“Huh?” I heard voices. Were people arguing?

I quickened my pace toward the sound. Wasn’t this near Maya’s house?

I saw two figures in the distance. They were definitely arguing. The voices sounded like a guy and a girl, maybe a lovers’ quarrel? But the girl’s voice sounded familiar.

“Cut it out already!” the girl shouted.

“What’s wrong? You hate me that much?” the guy yelled back.

As I got closer, I saw clearly. The girl was Maya, and a blond guy about our age grabbed her arm. The guy was… Shimura, from our class, right?

No time to think. She was clearly uncomfortable, and I had to help. Even if she hated me, that wasn’t a reason to abandon her.

“Stop it. Yuki’s uncomfortable,” I said.

I almost called her Maya. Close call.

“Who the hell are you? Stay out of it!” Shimura snapped.

“Ah…” Maya gasped.

“We’re in the same class, you know,” I said.

Shimura, furious, let go of Maya and swung a fist at my face.

It was an amateur punch, no problem. I tilted my head to dodge and threw a counterpunch at Shimura’s face, stopping just before it hit.

“You…!” he stammered.