Yukino's expression was quite interesting at the moment.
At least, that's how it seemed to Haru.
The usually calm girl now had a look of surprise on her face, as if asking, "Who is this person?"
Haru never really lied to her, so he quietly said, "That girl's name is Megumi Kato, and like us, she's a first-year."
Yukino quickly repeated the name in her mind, searching for any memories of her, but there was nothing.
This left her a bit unsettled.
She felt it should be impossible for her not to have some kind of recollection, especially since Haru had met this girl when they were younger. As his true childhood friend, she should've remembered.
Aside from the three famous beauties in their school, there were plenty of other attractive girls at Sobu High School. Yukino couldn't claim to have seen every single one, but if this third "girl" was a beauty, she should have heard of her.
After a brief pause, Yukino shook her head. "I don't know who this Megumi Kato is."
"It's normal that you don't know her. If you don't pay attention, you might not even notice her." Haru joked.
Yukino was confused. "Is he saying the girl is too ordinary to stand out?"
The conversation ended there.
With the cheerleading encouragement from the photography club girls, Haru stepped into the padded fighting area.
Across from him, Oyama Kento had already changed into his training clothes, his expression not quite serious. "Amamiya, make sure to come by more often."
"I will," Haru replied, though he knew that Oyama wasn't asking for more sparring... or maybe he was.
"Alright, I'm coming in now!"
With that, Oyama threw a punch at a tricky angle. Since they were sparring, he didn't use his full strength or speed.
But with Haru's current [Fitness Level 7], it was easy for him to raise his elbow and block the punch, then take two quick steps forward. His hands reached their target with precision.
Oyama's expression tightened.
He realized it—this was a grappling technique!
His extensive fighting experience kicked in, and he braced himself, preparing to counter.
But in the next instant, Haru's arms exploded with overwhelming strength, and Oyama's defensive stance was useless.
In an instant, his vision spun, and with a thud, he was thrown onto the soft mat.
The onlooking karate club members, who had been expecting a casual spar, stood frozen in shock, their mouths agape, while their actions paused as if on cue.
Yukino, too, was momentarily stunned, but then she broke into an excited exclamation: "Amazing."
Yukino, arms crossed and chin resting on her hand, reflected on the scene. "The throw is certainly lethal in one-on-one combat. Even Oyama couldn't defend against it."
Although she practiced Aikido, Yukino had taken an interest in other combat techniques due to Haru's training habits.
She recalled how Haru once joked, "A throw isn't really suitable for real combat because most of the time, you're on a hard surface. If you land a throw, you'll be begging your opponent not to kill you."
[You are exercising, (Fitness) experience +178.]
[You are fighting, (Combat) experience +183.]
Haru glanced at the experience notifications that popped up, pleased.
His judgment had been right.
He looked at Oyama, still stunned, and said, "Senior, you were holding back. I know you were taking it easy on me, but since we're sparring, please take it a bit more seriously."
The karate club members suddenly understood.
"So, the president was letting him win? No wonder he went down so quickly."
"Yeah, I heard Haru took on three bullies by himself, but he's still an amateur. He can't be at our president's level."
Oyama, realizing Haru was giving him an out, cleared his throat and stood up. "Understood. I'll take it more seriously from here on."
In the following rounds, Haru used his agility and physical strength to easily handle Oyama's attacks.
But he didn't forget to let up occasionally. Several times, he intentionally seemed to struggle, causing his experience points to soar.
What surprised him, though, was that in addition to [Fitness] and [Fighting] experience, his [Jumping] skill was also increasing as he dodged.
[Your [Jumping] skill has successfully leveled up.]
[Jumping LV4: (0/1000)]
With the upgrade, Haru noticed subtle changes.
Not only did his jump height improve, but his jump speed did as well.
There was one other odd discovery: it felt as though, if he concentrated his muscle power, he could achieve something like a "double jump," similar to a video game mechanic.
This sparring session had left Oyama both amazed and thrilled.
He was shocked by Haru's physical prowess—his speed, agility, strength, and explosive power were more than enough to crush him.
But on the other hand, he was happy to have sparred with such a high-level opponent. He'd learned a lot.
After another round where the two reached a stalemate, Oyama, panting with excitement, asked, "Amemiya, how do you feel? Can you keep going?"
"Fighting is fun," Haru replied casually.
"Haha, that's what I thought too."
The sparring continued.
The karate club members noticed Haru's insane stamina.
"Senior might not last much longer."
Yukino made a judgment from the sidelines.
Yui, who was watching with some confusion, asked, "Is that so? Amamiya-kun looked like he was about to collapse several times. I was scared a moment ago."
Yukino shook her head gently. "Senior's stamina isn't up to par."
There was one thing she didn't mention to Yui: From what I know about Haru, he's been holding back since the start.
And the outcome was just as she expected.
Three minutes later, Oyama collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, drenched in sweat, and muttering, "Rest, let's rest for a bit."
Haru also took a few breaths, gradually calming down.
But, acting exhausted, he said, "I'm about done, maybe ten more seconds and I'll be on the ground."
Oyama couldn't help but laugh in frustration.
How can I not see that he was holding back?
Before the sparring started, he had been sure of his victory.
But now, if he didn't take a break and continued sparring with Haru…
He'd be the one getting defeated.
Haru sat on the ground to rest, asking, "Shall we continue after a break?"
Although Oyama was exhausted and feeling defeated, he didn't refuse. After all, it was a rare opportunity to spar with such a skilled fighter. It was a good thing for him.
After a short rest, the sounds of their sparring echoed again.
The karate club members, who had been paying close attention, began to zone out as they watched the two go down for rest, only to rise and continue each time.
The thought that lingered in their minds: Is this first-year student, Amamiya, some kind of monster?
Except for Yukino, who was still focused on Haru, the other three girls were yawning.
They had the look of someone numbly watching an endless cycle.
Yukino, her lips pursed, was at the peak of her curiosity.
I want to study his body again.