Muten Natsu realized that what had started as a simple Konsō was heading in a much more complicated and troublesome direction.
"He suddenly started introducing himself. This feels like it's going to take forever..."
"No matter what he does, Sueyoshi just can't seem to do it right. I'm always the one saving him when he gets bullied." Kyōma glanced at Sueyoshi. "But my grades weren't as good as his, so I couldn't go to the same middle school. I was worried he'd keep getting picked on, so I took him to learn boxing."
"Rather than always helping him, it's better to help him become brave on his own." Rukia Kuchiki nodded in approval. "That really is a good method."
Muten Natsu muttered,
"It'd be even better if it actually worked."
"But I never expected him to genuinely fall in love with boxing. He always says he didn't start practicing because he wanted revenge for being bullied." Kyōma looked at Sueyoshi helplessly. "He thinks boxing is a pure sport, one where you pray for your opponent before the match, then praise each other's courage afterward..."
Muten Natsu pointed at the unconscious Sueyoshi.
"So this is the price of love?"
Kyōma protested loudly,
"You've been butting in from the very beginning! Can't you show a little respect for someone else's passion?"
"I do have a way to make sure you can't hear me interrupting. Want to try it?" Muten Natsu raised his hand, signaling that he was about to perform Konsō. "And speaking of respect, after learning boxing, he still got beaten up this badly. I really don't know who's disrespecting boxing here."
"Muten~" Orihime Inoue tugged on Muten Natsu's sleeve.
"Fine..." Muten Natsu waved a hand. "Skip the details. What outcome do you actually want?"
"I want Sueyoshi to make it safely to tomorrow's match, and then win." Kyōma shouted, "That's his wish, and it's mine too!"
"Simple. I'll help." Muten Natsu held out his hand. "Go on with peace of mind."
"I already told you I can't relax! Especially not with a promise from someone like you!" Kyōma darted backward. "I've got a feeling the second you send me off, you'll turn around and leave him to fend for himself!"
Muten Natsu clicked his tongue.
"You were thinking that, weren't you! I knew it! I've seen plenty of people like you!"
"I've seen plenty like you too. First you want to see him step into the ring, then you want to see him win. After one win, you'll want to see a second. Then you'll want to see him fall in love, get married, have kids..." Muten Natsu reminded him, "But your soul won't last that long. Before then, you'll turn into a monster that feeds on souls, and the first person you kill might be him."
"Just once! Once is enough..." Kyōma clenched his fists. "That was the promise we made while we were alive... the promise I couldn't keep."
Rukia Kuchiki tilted her head toward Muten Natsu.
"If it's only one day..."
"My arm's getting tired from holding it up." As the black bandages wrapped back around his arm, Muten Natsu waved his hand. "I'll send you off some other day."
"And where am I supposed to find you some other day? Aren't you worried I'll run off?" Kyōma said. "Why don't you just come with us, just in case?"
Muten Natsu fell silent for a moment.
"I still think sending you off right now would be less trouble."
"Rukia," Orihime Inoue said, blinking her big eyes, "have you ever watched boxing?"
"Actually, no..." Rukia Kuchiki was suddenly interested. "Is it fun?"
"I haven't seen it either. Whether it's fun or not, we'll only know after watching it." Orihime Inoue smiled. "Right, Muten?"
Muten Natsu said nothing for a moment.
"Anyway, let's treat Sueyoshi first."
Orihime Inoue unfolded her Sōten Kisshun and began healing him.
Sueyoshi's injuries quickly disappeared. He slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at Muten Natsu and the others.
"Who are you...? Ah! Inoue-san... Muten Natsu!!!"
Muten Natsu clicked his tongue.
"How come you use my full name when it's me?"
"I... I'm sorry... I..." Sueyoshi suddenly froze and patted himself all over. "My injuries...?"
"They're gone. Hurry up and get ready for tomorrow's match." Muten Natsu patted him on the back. "I've never been to the boxing club before anyway. Take me there."
"O, okay."
Sueyoshi had plenty of questions, but he didn't dare ask. He could only do as Muten Natsu said and lead the way.
"So this is the club."
Rukia Kuchiki looked around curiously. There were all kinds of punching bags and training equipment, along with dumbbells, treadmills, and other machines used to help boxers build strength, improve stamina, and condition their bodies overall.
The arrival of Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue caught the boxing coach's attention, and he enthusiastically started introducing the club's facilities.
Sueyoshi took the chance to put some distance between himself and Muten Natsu's group, then found a place to train by himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, Muten Natsu kept watching him. Once Sueyoshi put on his gloves, his gaze noticeably changed. His punches were clean and properly formed, and every blow made the heavy bag bend.
Judging by the power and speed of his punches, dealing with those three guys from earlier should have been easy for him.
And yet he'd been bullied that badly. It seemed Kyōma had been right. Sueyoshi truly saw boxing as a pure sport, not as a tool for fighting or throwing his weight around.
"Hey, Sueyoshi." A thickset young man with a fierce face walked over. "Come do a round with me."
Sueyoshi looked troubled.
"Tachikawa, I've got a match tomorrow..."
"That's exactly why you need some real sparring before the match!" Tachikawa grabbed him and dragged him into the ring. "Come on!"
"He finally got in the ring!" Even though Sueyoshi couldn't see or hear him, Kyōma cheered him on from behind. "Show them what your fists can really do! Let them see..."
Sueyoshi raised both arms in front of himself and awkwardly dodged Tachikawa's punches.
Forget showing the power of his fists. Sueyoshi could not even throw a proper counterattack. He was being beaten passively the whole time.
"Hey, hey! What the hell is this?" Tachikawa slammed several punches into Sueyoshi in a row. "At this level, you think you can win tomorrow? You might as well give me your spot! I'm ten thousand times better than a weakling like you. I only slacked off a little in practice, so why was I the one who got disqualified?"
The more Tachikawa talked, the angrier he got, and the heavier his punches became.
Sueyoshi's dodging and defense fell apart more and more. Several punches landed solidly, and his right eye was already starting to swell shut.
"You idiot!" Kyōma roared. "Hit him back!"
"Give it up." Muten Natsu noticed what was wrong with Sueyoshi. "Whenever his opponent's fist comes at him, he closes his eyes."
"What?"
"Not just his eyes. The muscles in his body tense up instinctively too..." Muten Natsu pointed out the heart of the issue. "After years of being bullied without fighting back, he's developed a conditioned reflex. The moment someone swings at him, he automatically braces to be hit."