Stealing Spree

Chapter 2279: Stronger Ichihara-san

 n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ten minutes later, Marika showed up like she promised. When I asked her if she saw

something different outside, she pulled me to a corner and whispered, "I don't see anyone but I feel watched, Ruki-kun. Will you be okay?"

Concern couldn't be hidden from Marika's face. That's why I put on a reassuring smile as I lightly pinched her cheek.

"Nothing will happen. Even if they try something, I'm confident to get out of it. I told you, if Ichihara Jun has his family's back, I also have my parents." I said, trying to ease her worries.

Marika nodded but her eyes remained clouded with concern. "But what if they do something to you, Ruki-kun?"

"They won't. I promise. Come on, we can't let Koharu-chan notice there's something wrong. She's looking forward to this." I confidently said before I pulled her back to Koharu-chan where the sound of her punches hitting the sandbag echoed through the room.

Marika nodded and took a deep breath before plastering a smile on her face.

"Sensei, look! I can make it move now!" Upon seeing us returning, Koharu-chan stopped punching as she pointed at the swaying sandbag in front of her. It was truly moving albeit barely. Her punches weren't heavy enough to lift it but it was still impressive nonetheless. Looks like she's not skipping on the daily training exercise I set for her.

"Good job, Koharu-chan. Keep it up and you'll be knocking your cousin over in no time," I playfully encouraged her.

Marika giggled at my side, her face softening slightly. It seemed my attempt to lighten the mood had worked, at least for the moment.

"Yes, sensei! Can I punch more?" Koharu's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Her eagerness was infectious but... this wasn't the lesson I prepared for her. Punching a sandbag was for improving the force behind her punches and stabilizing her form or trying out different combinations.

At her current state, that's still too early for her.

"Sorry, no. But don't worry, I'll let you punch on my mitts later. For now, you and Marika will be doing jump ropes. I want you to do at least 30 loops without making a mistake or pausing." I said with a smile as I handed them the jump ropes from the equipment I brought with me.

Marika looked at me with a cute pout but she didn't complain. Instead, she pinched my side before saying, "Ruki-kun, must you be so good at diverting my attention?"

I simply smiled and patted her head which was enough to ease that pout. But she's right. I was just trying to take her mind away from her concern.

Koharu, on the other hand, nodded eagerly as she took the rope from me. "Okay, I'll try my best."

Mhm... Although she's so eager to punch something, she still listens to my instructions.

"Good. Although I said you cannot pause during it, you could catch your breath before restarting again when you make a mistake. I'll also keep watch to assist you whenever you need it." I encouraged the girls as I took a position nearby to keep an eye on them.

"Okay. But sensei, this isn't included in your set exercises. Can you tell me the benefit of this to my training?" Koharu asked curiously as she started to swing the rope over her head.

"Jump ropes are excellent for improving your agility and endurance. It's also a good cardio workout that will help in your overall boxing performance. Also, you will feel easier to finish the footwork exercise as your agility and coordination improve."

Hearing that explanation, Koharu nodded with a look of determination in her eyes. She began to jump, the rope moving smoothly under her feet. Marika followed suit but only after pouting at me again.

Just like this, the next fifteen or so minutes were spent with the two of them jumping ropes while I timed them, occasionally providing tips on how to keep their rhythm and correct their forms. Their breathing gradually grew heavier as beads of sweat started to form on their foreheads. However, they didn't stop as they were both eager to perfectly finish the task I set.

Halfway through it, Ichihara-san showed up, checking up on us as she brought snacks and refreshments.

I thought she was also going to join today but I noticed that she was preoccupied by something. It probably had to do with all the issues cropping up lately.

After a few more tries, I had the two girls take a break for a while, handing them the

refreshments and the snacks that Ichihara-san prepared.

Then, I stepped out of the room to check on Ichihara-san who already returned to the kitchen.

"Sensei? What's wrong?" she asked upon sensing my approach.

I first took a glance at the door, trying to sense if there was someone outside the door. Obviously, that resulted in nothing as it was impossible to sense someone from this distance.

I then turned to Ichihara-san and answered, "Just checking on you, Ichihara-san. I believe you're aware of what's happening by now, right? Marika, me and our stand against the Ichihara Family."

Ichihara-san hesitated for a moment before nodding, "That child told me. My husband is giving you a hard time, isn't he? He also asked if I could find a replacement for you. I hope you can understand him. It concerns their family."

As I expected, she's not kept in the dark about everything. But then again, she's probably also getting squeezed in the middle of this issue. On one hand, her previous wish of getting out of here was probably still strong. However, she's still his housewife. If it's his decision, she couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps, if not for Koharu objecting, she would follow his words.

"I understand, Ichihara-san. And it's not your fault. This all started with me taking Marika from your... nephew. Now it escalated to this. As much as I want to continue instructing Koharu-chan, you should consider listening to him if you feel like my issue is going to affect you. I believe it will be for the best to protect her."

I could be called heartless and whatnot before but in this case, I didn't want someone like this pair of mother and daughter to get dragged into something they shouldn't be a part of.

Ichihara-san stared at me as a soft smile landed on her lips, "Thank you for your concern, Onoda-sensei. I can totally understand why Marika-san has chosen you over Jun-kun. But please, continue guiding Koharu. You're not dragging us into anything."

Upon saying that, Ichihara-san returned to what she was doing.

I thought of saying something more but I held back. I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for her. Looks like she had grown stronger than the first we conversed. There was no sense of helplessness or weakness in her voice anymore. Even the way she moved in the kitchen was filled with confidence.

I turned around and started walking back to the training room.

However, I had just taken two steps when the door opened. And there, the suited man who was Ichihara-san's husband and Ichihara Jun's guardian stepped inside.

Even though Ichihara-san walked over to greet him back right away. His calculating eyes beneath his spectacles focused on me.

Ah. Is this his move? Is he going to confront me here for not giving the apology he demanded to Ichihara Jun?