Chapter 172: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka: I Don't Want to Be a Tool Anymore!
"Shimizu, after several days of discussion between myself and the other members of the boxing club, we have unanimously decided to have you compete in this month's exhibition match!"
Shimizu Akira had just taken the elevator to the fourth floor and was pulling his phone out of his pocket when President Sato's voice suddenly crackled through the receiver.
"Huh? Me?!" Shimizu Akira was stunned for a moment and replied subconsciously.
"Yes! The exhibition match is set for next Tuesday! You know as well as I do that the students are already tired of seeing us old-timers fight. It's time to push you newcomers out into the spotlight! Among the freshmen, your physical fitness is the most outstanding, so naturally, we chose you. Don't worry, it's just an exhibition match—it's not a 'live-fire' brawl. Just relax," President Sato explained on the other end of the line.
"Oh, right, the boxing club won't mistreat you. The appearance fee will be 50,000 private points, and after the match, we'll give you an extra commission based on the number of attendees and the crowd's reaction," he added, his tone carrying a bit of temptation.
Shimizu Akira followed up: "Then who is my opponent? It won't be a second or third-year senior, will it?"
"Don't worry, it's a first-year just like you. As for who exactly, we have to wait for the selection after school tomorrow to decide," President Sato replied.
"In short, the boxing club places great importance on this exhibition match." President Sato's voice was full of energy. "Send me a selfie of yourself in the next day or two. It needs to look spirited and handsome! I need it for the flyers to attract more students to come and watch.
Also, get your boxing gloves ready. You were still using that old pair from the club last month, right? They're heavily worn. Buy a new pair for yourself. Even though it's just an exhibition, seeing tattered gloves is a real turn-off; it'll affect the audience's perception to some extent.
And come to the boxing club tomorrow evening to show your face. After all, the opponent needs to know who they're competing against, right?"
Having finished his instructions, President Sato hung up the phone.
Shimizu Akira thought about it; he really should buy a new pair of gloves.
The pair he used last month had been used for a long time, and the paint on the surface had peeled off significantly.
Since it was an exhibition match, it would definitely be more about the performance.
Wearing worn-out gloves would certainly have a negative impact on the visual experience.
As for a selfie!
He didn't have any on hand at the moment.
It seemed he would need to find some time to go to a photo studio.
Suddenly, he remembered that Sakura Airi seemed to have a camera.
'I'll find some time tomorrow to ask her for help with a photo.
After all, she's a professional gravure idol; her photography skills should be very reliable.'
Shimizu Akira quickly settled on this plan.
Of course, he would give her a proper return gift—perhaps a meal, or he could just transfer some points.
As for whether she would refuse...
There was no rush for that. If she really refused, he would just find another way.
It was just a matter of asking.
The matter of the boxing gloves wouldn't be as simple; he had to go to a professional sporting goods store. After all, he had to try them on in person and carefully select the right size based on his palm size. This trip was unavoidable.
Having made up his mind, Shimizu Akira continued walking toward his dorm room.
His gaze swept around casually, only to see a man standing at the door of Room 401—Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's room—next door.
As he walked closer, he recognized him as his classmate, Sudo Ken.
Sudo Ken was pulling a key card out of his pocket, seemingly intending to place it against Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's door handle.
From the looks of it, he intended to use the card to open Ayanokouji's room.
"Sudo-kun," Shimizu Akira couldn't help but ask, "How do you have Ayanokouji-kun's key card? Did he permit it himself?"
He clearly remembered the front desk staff saying on the first day of school that whether they were a couple or friends, a person could only hold someone else's key card with the explicit permission of the owner.
He really hadn't expected that someone like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who seemed so steady and detached, would be on such good terms with Sudo Ken as to hand over his key card.
Sudo Ken scratched his head and replied somewhat awkwardly, "No! This is a spare key card that Ike, Yamauchi, and I discussed and had made ourselves. This room is now our squad's gathering place... Actually, I've run into a big~ trouble."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka also heard the commotion outside, and the door was pulled open with a "click."
He looked at Sudo Ken with a look of slight confusion.
"Save me, Ayanokouji!" Seeing this, Sudo Ken immediately pleaded for help with a bitter face.
"Wait, put your business aside for a second and give me that spare key card you had made." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka reached out first, wanting to take back his card.
"Huh? Why should I?" Sudo Ken retorted with a righteous face.
"I spent my own points to buy this key card, so naturally it should belong to me!"
"What kind of logic is that? That doesn't make any sense at all!" Hearing this, Shimizu Akira immediately frowned.
"Even if you had the key card made yourself, it doesn't mean it's legitimate for you to be holding it!"
The other party's words were truly outrageous. If one followed his logic, even a thief could legitimately duplicate a key.
He couldn't help but sharpen his tone: "For example, if someone else were holding a spare key to your room, would you feel at ease? Besides, you're here to ask Ayanokouji-kun for help, right? Shouldn't you lower your attitude and ask him properly?"
Sudo Ken was choked by the question. He opened his mouth to argue, but after thinking about it, he realized he was indeed here to beg for a favor. He lowered his head, fished the key card out of his pocket, and handed it over. "Uh... Well, here's the key card back then." He scratched the back of his head, his voice becoming muddled.
"I also just heard from Ike and Yamauchi that it was fine to do this... Anyway, sorry about that."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained leaning against the doorframe. After taking back his spare key card, his fingertips lightly brushed the edge of the card. His gaze fell calmly on Sudo Ken, his tone devoid of emotion. "...Who else has a spare key card to my room?"
Sudo Ken felt inexplicably intimidated by that gaze. He felt as if Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had suddenly become a different person; the aura around him had turned several degrees colder. He swallowed his spit and answered honestly, "Only Ike and Yamauchi have the others."
"...Is that so?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka nodded slightly, then his tone took a sudden turn. "Then, what price do you intend to pay in exchange for my help?"
"Huh?! But I can't produce any points! After all, the points haven't been distributed yet this month!" Sudo Ken was completely dumbfounded; his mouth hung open for a long time without a reaction.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's gaze swept over him indifferently as he repeated: "I don't want to be a tool."
This caused Shimizu Akira to take another look at Ayanokouji.
If he remembered correctly, those were the same words he had said to Ayanokouji last month.
"Aren't we friends?!" Sudo grew anxious.
"Friendship doesn't mean being able to be unilaterally exploited." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's voice still had no ups or downs.
Looking at Sudo Ken's fallen face, Ayanokouji remained silent for a moment before adding one more sentence: "You can go look for Hirata-kun and Kushida-san for this matter. The two of them should be able to help you solve the problem."
There was no emotion in his tone—neither urgency nor perfunctoriness. It was more like he was stating a simple fact.
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