(3rd PoV)
As Hajime and Manabu took their stance, the MMA club president shouted, "Begin!"
While Manabu stood his ground, Hajime rushed at him.
Manabu grabbed the punch, but was surprised by the strength behind him.
Just by this exchange alone, he got to know that Hajime has more physical strength than him despite being two years younger.
Hajime pulled back his punch which Manabu had grabbed, and for not being thrown off, Manabu had to abandon the grip and let go.
But he still delivered a kick aiming for the kness, and Hajime collapsed on the ground after the painful kick.
"Ugghhh..."
Hajime was frustrated. Really frustrated. He was bragging about having developed an Anti-Horikita-senpai fighting style in his mind, yet he still couldn't do anything.
In fact, he lost so terribly.
He gritted his teeth and tried to wobbly get up. His knees were hurting and his legs weren't listening to him properly.
Manabu sighed and extended his hand.
"Your strength surprised me. Physically, you are already stronger than me. But you still need to work on your skills."
Hearing this made Hajime even more mad.
Horikita Manabu can say that 'you are good in one area, but not in other' to others.
Yet, he never praised his own sister for working so hard and getting over-achieving grades and PE.
He will never praise her and guide to improve on other things that she is lacking. He will just either coldly ignore her or scold her for trying to copy him.
When everyone around her has told her to be more like her all her life.
And, is trying to copy an older sibling really bad? It's just a natural thing. Every younger sibling tries to copy the older one, especially in cases of over-exhausted and emotionally absent parents like the Horikitas.
"Hayato! Get up!"
As Hajime heard Suzune's voice amongst all the snickers for getting one-shotted so terribly, he took Manabu's hand.
But instead of getting up, he pulled him down.
Manabu didn't expect that Hajime of all people will do this after he has already lost fair and square.
So, Manabu unceremoniously fell down on the stage.
"Boo! Loser! You lost already!"
The audience boo'ed, but Hajime didn't care as he watched Manabu looking at him with shock.
"I won't accept any praise from you."
After having dragged Manabu down, Hajime started getting up wobbly, and Suzune came to support him.
She also didn't expect him to pull her brother down.
She was impressed that he even managed to do that.
"I told you that you stand no chance."
"Yeah yeah. I lost. Though I don't think I will be able to walk for a while. Horikita-senpai is really cruel."
"Then you would have complained that he wasn't taking it seriously."
She sighed and glanced at her brother, who has also gotten up.
Her brother is indeed a little cruel. She wouldn't have minded if he did it to her. But he strangely felt a little angry that he did it to Hayato.
At the very least, attacking the knees mean that even he felt threatened by Hayato. That he couldn't give Hayato time or any opening.
She still couldn't meet her brother's eyes, but put Hayato's hand around her and started getting off the stage.
"Ughh..."
Even walking with support was hurting Hayato.
So Suzune sighed and lifted him off his feet.
"H-hey! What are you doing!?"
"Stop flailing around! You are heavy!"
Without caring about how the whole gymnasium was looking at them, and without caring about his protests, she princess carried him and got off the stage, and then placed him on a nearby chair that Tachibana brought.
"Are we in some rom-com or something?"
"Man, I think I want my girlfriend to princess-carry me."
"Pfft! As if you will ever get a girlfriend, you fatass! Even if you did, who will princess carry you? She will die under your weight!"
"I hope all couples explode!"
Amidst all the murmurs, Nagumo looked at Hajime Hayato and Horikita-senpai's sister with interest.
"Horikita-senpai was a little excessive huh? Must be because he doesn't like his sister's boyfriend."
Nagumo mocked Hajime Hayato, but seeing Suzune's glare, he simply handed her the first aid kit.
"I have called the school nurse, she will come take a look. Or do you want to go to the clinic? I am not going to carry a guy, but Suzune can carry you like a princess."
Suzune glared at him harder, and said, "I didn't give you the permission to call me by my first name."
"Well, there are two Horikitas. So it can get confusing."
Nagumo shrugged without a care.
"Then just don't talk to me and scram."
"Hahaha! I guess you only want your boyfriend to call you by first name huh? Wow~ I didn't expect the sister of Horikita-senpai of all people to be romantic."
"Nagumo-kun, go and help the football club. Stop bothering them."
Tachibana glared at him with very obvious hostility, and Nagumo just smirked and left after making eye contact with Hajime Hayato, who has been staring at him silently during the whole exchange.
Even after Nagumo provoked him by using his girlfriend's first name, he didn't show any reaction. He was just hiding his face in embarrassment, but secretly observing him.
No wonder Horikita-senpai felt threatened enough to use such a move on him. That guy is definitely not normal.
Well, things will get interesting.
When Nagumo was gone, Hajime removed his hands from his face, and rolled over his pants to the knees for Suzune to see.
"There doesn't seem to be any serious injury."
"Yeah. I am feeling fine now."
"Stop lying."
"Your princess carry was magical. It healed me."
His pain was actually gone. Having grown up with Horikitas next door, he has developed a surprisingly good pain tolerance. Afterall, he got beaten up by Manabu and Suzune all the time when challenging them. It's only an year ago when he entered his incredible growth spurt has he surpassed Suzune in their fights.
Suzune nodded and said, "Then I guess I don't need to carry you all the way to the dorms."
"Ow ow! It really hurts!"
She scoffed at his act and glanced back at the school nurse who just arrived, letting her check him up.
"There is swelling, especially on your right knee. Don't do any sports for a week which puts pressure on your knees. Don't walk too much. And show me your knee after a week in the infirmary."
She sprayed his knees with a pain relief spray, and said, "I don't think it is very serious, put if there is any big issue, go to the hospital."
"Thank you sensei."
"Don't mind it."
Saying that, she left.
So, Suzune sighed.
"I guess since you are prohibited from walking too much, I will carry you."
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