Stealing Spree

Upon arriving at the Boxing Gym, even before we could go to change into our training outfits, I already noticed that, just like what Coach Ayu told me earlier, the enrollees in my program had their enthusiasm at the maximum.

As soon as they spotted me emerging from the double door, Be it the children, the mothers or the five idiots, they all cheered upon my arrival as though they were welcoming a celebrity.

And because of the resulting commotion, the other regular gym members looked at me funnily. Furthermore, the girls who arrived with me quickly distanced themselves, letting me bask in that clamor alone. Laughing among themselves in one corner.

Good thing, this wasn’t a situation where I would be embarrassed. More than that, I was more confused as to what they had eaten to do this.

Nonetheless, I played along with what they were trying to pull. I scratched my cheek lightly and put on an embarrassed smile as I went over to where they were gathered.

Walking forward to welcome me was none other than the representative among the mothers and perhaps children, Ichihara-san.

Ah. Right. I took a look at her registration and found out that her given name is Natsuha. Not that I’m going to use that… But going by the characters in her name, she seemed to be the one who named her daughter Koharu.

They both contained a character from the four seasons. Summer and spring.

“Onoda-sensei, we’re looking forward to your last two lessons. It’s a shame that it’s impossible to ask for an extension… but we learned a lot. Especially our children.” With a vibrant smile on her lips, she voiced out what probably everyone wanted to say.

Most of them were already in their training outfit and as always, the woman takes the cake when it comes to who had the best figure among them.

Uhh… Looks like even if this was the ninth time seeing her – eighth in that skin-tight outfit – a brief moment where I couldn’t help but admire her figure always happened.

“I’m glad that’s the case, Ichihara-san. And I’m honestly grateful for trusting a young man like me. Everyone persevered with the lessons and no one dropped out.” I bowed my head slightly in gratitude which resulted in more appreciative words from the other mothers and those kids.

In any case, for her to say it like this, she’s forgetting that she asked me to be her daughter’s personal trainer last week. Or perhaps she’s just playing along as well. She probably didn’t tell the others that she made that kind of move. She’d get competition in trying to hire me, after all.

“It’s because sensei made sure that it won’t be as hard as the usual ones.” She answered and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

“Honestly, I also incorporated my own training regimen so… you can say that I somehow personalized these lessons to fit those like me. Prioritizing small gains over an immediate result.”

“My… Is that so? It’s no wonder we adapted to it. The result is too clear to our eyes.” Ichihara-san intently stared at me, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. “If it worked for you. Then surely, it will also work for everyone.”

Well, for sure that’s not for everyone. Some had a different reason for sticking to my program.

Namely, the five idiots.

Spying them at the back of the crowd of enrollees, I could see that they really followed my advice last week. They got a haircut and styled themselves differently than normal without being too excessive.

Obviously, the result was a far cry from mine.

Although they didn’t transform into hunks right away, they at least managed to remove the tag ‘losers’ or ‘nerds’ on their backs. Whether they could get girls like that, I had no idea.

At the moment, the five were looking at me with reverence. Maybe they’re already treating my advice like a gospel they wanted to follow to the end. Who knows?

“You’re overpraising me, Ichihara-san.” I acted a little embarrassed again, which made them laugh once more. Seeing their usually confident Instructor acting differently than normal was probably a blast.

“By the way, I’m going to change, can I ask you to keep everyone in line in the meantime?” To prevent it from becoming a non-stop throwing of flattery, I changed the subject and returned to my usual expression. I also gestured to my girls, who were still amusedly watching me, to follow me in.

“Absolutely.” Ichihara-san readily accepted. She turned around and had them gather back to the area allocated for my program.

Before walking to the changing room with my girls, I took a moment to search the surrounding area for one particular figure. However, I failed to see her…

Coach Ayu wasn’t around. That’s why I had no choice but to ask Ichihara-san for that.

I forgot to ask Sena about her earlier. Our conversation on the way here was focused on Yua’s modeling gig this coming week.

Is she really avoiding me or just embarrassed to meet me? Either of the two, I must say… I’m definitely missing her presence here. No one was glaring at me and acting annoyed at everything I do.

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Perhaps knowing that this was the last week of the program made them more enthusiastic than normal. A lot of them already had visible changes despite only taking lessons two times a week…

And that’s because they followed my instruction to continue the not-so-exhausting set of exercises to slowly build their stamina and muscles. As for the basics of boxing themselves, it all comes down to jab, straight and footwork.

There’s also the fundamental skill of using one’s whole weight in delivering a powerful punch. Although they couldn’t use that kind of punch in an everyday situation, it could also be applied in other cases.

As I walked to them one by one while I got them to maintain their stance, I praised those who were doing well and corrected those who weren't. And when I saw someone already shaking from head to toe, I would let them take a break to calm their muscles down.

Since we already went over every single lesson that I prepared for the past eight lessons, the last lessons now only consist of reviewing everything they learned and incorporating it into their bodies. This way, even after their lessons ended, they wouldn’t forget the experience.

I mean, there were those who, after a training program, would let loose with the liberating feeling of not doing the same set of exercises. What they learned would then slowly deteriorate into nothingness until they had to take up another program again… it’s like an endless cycle.

Although not everyone was like that, their number was the majority.

“That’s a nice form, Madam. I can see that you’re already accustomed to all this sweating.” Stopping by the area of the mothers, I also didn’t hold back on giving praise.

And as the lady heard that, she giggled shyly and said, “It is as you say, sensei. My husband is also very happy to see me lose weight. But at the same time, he’s scared I will punch him out of the blue.”

I reacted with a laugh. “That’s… amazing, madam. Please don’t punch him though. He might come here and complain to me.”

“You’re funny, sensei. He won’t. If he ever comes here, it will be to be your student.” The woman winked and those who heard our conversation also laughed at it. Some even mentioned that they experienced the same thing.

Well, as long as they’re satisfied with the lessons.

While all this was happening, my girls, who couldn’t fit in the program anymore, we're all looking on from the other side along with Sena.

They all looked adorable as they longingly stared out while also doing the exercises. If not for maintaining my identity as the Instructor, I would instantly run to them and spoil them one by one or two by two.

Just like this, the two hours of the ninth lesson quickly passed. However, until the end, I failed to see the shadow of Coach Ayu.