My Pro Boxer System

After my training, I walked back home with Yuki walking slowly beside me. She walked with her arms folded while looking around.

"This is a nice neighborhood you live in," she suddenly said.

"It's pretty average," I responded, then decided to ask her something. "Why don't you go to school?"

A frown immediately appeared on her face.

"Don't ask me that. We aren't friends."

She shot me down coldly. We walked in silence until we arrived at my house. I left her outside while I went in to get ready for school.

About an hour later, I left the house with Thalia. Yuki was still outside, standing a good distance from my house; enough so that Thalia wouldn't notice her.

From the look she was giving us, I could tell that she was annoyed about waiting. She did a horrible job trailing behind us. If Thalia had been a little more observant and wasn't blabbering on about her day, she would have noticed Yuki tailing us. She looked like that raccoon-dog from that one anime who always leaves part of its body exposed when it hid.

When we arrived at Thalia's middle school, I promptly waved her off and continued on my way to school, not paying much mind to the girl stalking me with a bloodthirsty look in her eyes.

I wondered if she was going to lurk outside my school too.

When I got to class, I greeted Cassian and Ken.

"Man, what happened yesterday? You didn't come to practice. Was it another family emergency?" Cassian asked.

"Yeah, it was. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys; I just had to leave so suddenly."

[You liar.] Alexa's annoying voice rang in my head. [I wonder when you'll have your character development and stop being so shameless with your lies.]

Technically, it wasn't a lie. I did think Thalia was in danger, which was why I rushed off yesterday in the first place.

"Is everything alright?" Ken asked. "If you need help with anything, you know you can ask us, right?"

Just then, Adam walked up to us and slung his arm over my shoulder.

"Did you guys tell him?" he asked, addressing Cassian and Ken.

"Oh, I forgot," Cassian said, but just as he was about to explain, Adam cut him off. He had an unusually bright smile on his face.

"We're hanging out at the mall today. Kiki is gonna be there, and she's bringing along some of her friends."

"I'm sorry, but I won't make it," I quickly said. With the boxing club, the daily quest I hadn't completed yet, and the match scheduled for tonight, I doubted I would have time for anything else.

"Oh, come on, man," Adam protested, almost begging. "It has to be the four of us since Kiki said she'll be bringing along three of her friends. Without you, one of the girls will be left hanging. Do you really want some poor girl to sit alone just because you said you have better things to do."

"I'm sorry, man. With everything that's going on, I've already made up my mind. Maybe next time, but this time I won't make it. I have a lot going on at the moment."

Adam's shoulders visibly slumped when he heard my answer, but after a while, his cheerful personality returned.

"I understand. But next time, I'm not taking any excuses," he sighed sternly.

When classes were over, I went to the boxing club to do my training for the day. When we arrived, the coach singled me out and gave me an earful about skipping training yesterday. Ivy was also standing off to the side as the coach scolded me, and for some reason, she looked like a disappointed mother.

After I apologized to the coach for skipping practice, we began our training. Apparently, yesterday was the day the first years got the chance to spar in the ring, and I missed it completely. The coach took pity on me, donned his boxing mitts, and called me into the ring with him.

We practiced simple combinations of one-two punches and gradually picked up speed from there. For an old man, the coach was surprisingly fast. Well, at least his hands were. His feet were still lagging behind.

"Wow, your punches have really improved since the last time you fought," the coach commented, but for some reason, he was speaking especially loudly. "You have improved a lot! Great job!!"

As he spoke, I could feel dozens of eyes on me, and I immediately understood what he was trying to do.

That sneaky bastard.

"None of the other first years can hold a candle to you!"

Cassian, who was lifting weights, paused for a second and stared at us. Ken, who was on the treadmill, glanced at me while he ran. I understood what the coach was doing, and in a way, I respected it. Rivalry between athletes is a good way to motivate a team.

Even though we were friends, neither Ken nor Cassian wanted me to surpass them, nor did I want them to surpass me. The coach was planting a seed for all three of us to grow.

Training wrapped up relatively early compared to most days. The coach and I were still in the ring while the others began packing up. Soon, he suggested we stop. He was breathing heavily. I was impressed; for an old man, he had a lot of stamina.

He took off his mitts and was about to step out of the ring until I stopped him.

"Can I borrow those for a while?" I asked, pointing to the boxing mitts.

He stared at me with a confused expression for a moment. By the look he was giving me, I could tell he was going to say no, but then he glanced around the room, and a smile morphed on his face.

"Take care of them. They're very precious to me." He took off his boxing mitts and handed them to me. He then placed a hand on my shoulder. "These mitts have been very talkative lately; I was wondering why."

I got the feeling he wasn't talking about the mitts. With a cheerful smile, he exited the ring and went into the locker room. The gym was empty, as everyone had gone to the locker room to shower and change. The only person left in the room was Ivy, who was packing up her stuff to leave.

Just as she was about to leave, I touched her on the shoulder, which startled her a little.

"Liam, is everything okay?" she asked, looking a bit puzzled.

I handed her the boxing gloves I had just been wearing.

"Come spar with me," I said.

"I'm sorry, I can't—"

Before she could refuse, I took hold of her hand and led her to the ring.

"Let's hurry before they're ready to close the gym."