Yuji, now encased in the mascot suit, pushed through the Handicrafts Club members—who were letting out squeals of delight at his appearance—and waddled toward us with measured, heavy steps.
...He was being treated exactly like a mascot at a theme park or a tourist trap.
"Yes, yes. As far as normal walking goes, there don't seem to be any problems so far."
"Hiiragi-san..."
I couldn't help but shoot a reproachful look at Hiiragi-san as she stood beside me, appraising the quality of the costume. I mean... seriously?
However, completely unfazed by my gaze, Hiiragi-san spoke to Yuji.
"How does it feel, Hirose-kun? Is anything catching or stretching too much? If something's bothering you, let me know and I’ll fix it right away."
"...Can I ask for just one thing, then?"
"What is it?"
Asked for his input, Yuji lifted the bear-faced hood—the incredibly adorable bear hood—and made his request in a flat, deadpan voice.
"It’s the look of this hood. Can we do something about it? You know, maybe tone down the cartoonishness and make it more realistic..."
"Request denied."
"D-Denied?"
"Yes. We reworked that hood countless times. If it doesn't interfere with your movement, we aren't changing it."
"..."
Yuji stared at Hiiragi-san for a moment after she shot him down with a straight face. Then, he shook his head slightly and looked toward Mika and Saori-chan. Following his lead, I looked over too, only to find the two of them wearing crestfallen, almost tragic expressions.
"Ugh..."
Overcome with guilt at their sorrowful gazes, Yuji let out an awkward groan and looked away. It wasn't really something he needed to feel bad about, but when they made faces like that, it was probably impossible to tell them to their faces that he hated the look.
"So, Hirose-kun. Anything else? If not, I’d like to see you move around a bit..."
"..."
Yuji's shoulders slumped in resignation as he began performing light movements, resembling radio calisthenics, while still in the suit.
And then...
"...It doesn't seem to be an issue for light movement."
"I see. That's good. Then... Kokonoe-kun?"
"Y-Yes!"
When Hiiragi-san turned her eyes on me, I reflexively snapped to attention, my face twitching with tension.
"? What’s wrong, Kokonoe-kun? You seem strangely on edge..."
"N-No, it’s nothing. What is it, Hiiragi-san?"
"...Well, whatever. Listen, would you mind sparring with Hirose-kun for a bit? I want to check the suit’s durability during combat."
As she spoke, Hiiragi-san pointed toward the back of the Clothing Lab....Wait, Hiiragi-san. This room is packed with worktables; there’s no space to spar here.
When I shot her a questioning look, she nodded slightly as if she'd already considered that.
"Ideally, we’d do this somewhere wide like the field or the courtyard, but if we show off the bear suit to a crowd now, it’ll ruin the surprise during the actual event. That wouldn't be ideal for us, would it?"
...True. Just like she said, exposing the suit in the courtyard or the field now would kill the impact of the sports festival. But if we spar here, won't word get out via the Handicrafts Club anyway?
I looked toward the club members, only to see them already pulling out their phones and snapping photos of Yuji... Hey, what are you doing without asking?!
"Hiiragi-san, they’re taking a ton of photos! Is that okay?!"
"Yes, still photos are fine. If anything, it’s a good way to generate some hype beforehand."
"...Hype?"
In contrast to my flustered state, Hiiragi-san smiled faintly and insisted it wasn't a problem....Wait, isn't that the opposite of what she just said?
Confused, I tilted my head. Hiiragi-san held up her right index finger to explain.
"What I don't want people to see yet is Hirose-kun moving in the suit."
"Moving...?"
"Exactly. What they’re taking now are photos, not videos. When they talk to other people about seeing you two spar, they’ll use those photos as proof. If people hear that the cute bear in these photos is going to perform an incredible demonstration at the sports festival... they’ll be intrigued, won't they? Especially since there won't be any video of the actual movements to satisfy their curiosity."
...I see. So that was the plan. If rumors of how impressive it is start spreading before the sports festival, the level of attention on the day will be massive. Especially since our club is new and lacks name recognition... we need little tricks like this.
I nodded, convinced by her logic.
"So, please. It might be a bit restrictive, but a light spar here shouldn't be a problem for the two of you, right?"
"Y-Yeah. I guess..."
"Fortunately, the worktables in the Clothing Lab aren't bolted down. If we move the desks, we can clear out a decent space."
With that, Hiiragi-san hooked her left hand under the edge of a worktable and lifted it effortlessly. These tables were built for stability and were quite heavy... but apparently, that didn't matter to her.
I glanced at Yuji, then gave Hiiragi-san a nod of consent.
"Got it. Let’s... get ready, then."
"Yeah." "Okay!" "Yes!"
After giving the Handicrafts Club a quick heads-up, we teamed up to move the worktables.
In the makeshift arena created in the back half of the Clothing Lab, Yuji and I faced each other in silence, watched by Mika, Saori, and the Handicrafts Club members—who had been strictly forbidden from filming.
Yuji had the adorable bear hood pulled low. With only his hands visible due to the suit's structure, he looked like a bear standing in a menacing guardian pose.
"Yuji... you okay?"
"...Yeah."
"...Right."
I couldn't see his face behind the hood, but his slumped shoulders made him look depressed, so I checked in on him. However, his short reply didn't sound very 'okay.' Was it my imagination, or had the highlights in the bear hood's eyes completely vanished?
As we stood there, Hiiragi-san called out to us.
"Are you both ready?"
"Yeah. I’m good, Hiiragi-san."
"...Yeah, I’m ready too."
"Good. We’re short on time, so let’s get started. And Hirose-kun, we’re only checking for issues, so don't do anything reckless that might damage the suit. You too, Kokonoe-kun."
"...I know. I won't break it."
"Roger."
Don't break it, huh... Well, her concern was valid. If Yuji and I moved for real, even if the bear fur held up, the parts sewn together with regular cloth would likely rip. Based on his earlier movements, the range of motion seemed fine for normal activities, but there was no telling what would happen once we got serious.
Yeah... I could easily see the crotch area tearing if someone threw a high kick.
"Please be careful. Now then..."
Hiiragi-san opened her hands to shoulder-width in front of her chest and...
"Begin!"
She clapped her hands together, the sharp sound of the Kashiwade echoing through the lab. At the signal, Yuji and I raised our guards to chest height, watching for an opening.
"..." "..."
Wait, did the eyes of the bear hood just flash?
As the thought crossed my mind, Yuji muttered under his breath.
"...Here I come."
In an instant, Yuji lunged into my range in a single, low-profile stride. Because I’d been distracted by the hood, my reaction was a split-second slow, allowing him to close the distance.
"...Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, Yuji unleashed a right punch aimed upward at my jaw. Wait, a lead uppercut?! Hey! This is supposed to be a light spar to check the suit's condition! Why are you trying to take my head off right out of the gate?!
I leaned back sharply, barely dodging the fist. It whistled past my face, grazing a few strands of my bangs as it passed over my head.
"...Tch."
Hey, I heard that! You just clicked your tongue! What the hell?! Was he actually trying to knock me out? I couldn't see his face through the hood, but the bear's eyes had taken on the look of a predator on the hunt.
Since my balance was shaken from the dodge, Yuji followed up ruthlessly. He let fly a sharp low kick, aiming to sweep my left ankle.
"!"
I reflexively kicked off the floor and jumped back, landing right against the wall of the Clothing Lab. I fixed him with a sharp glare, staying on guard for any further pursuit. Sensing that I was now taking this seriously, Yuji didn't press his advantage and instead slowly reset his stance.
A bit annoyed by his calm composure, I decided to take the initiative. I kicked off the floor and stepped straight into his range, throwing a right punch at his chest.
"..."
Since it was a straightforward attack with no feints, Yuji parried it easily. However, I’d anticipated the parry and immediately leaned into a left elbow strike toward his chest—but Yuji blocked it with a right elbow strike of his own. We ended up in a clinch, elbows locked and pressing against each other. This was perfect.
I lowered my voice so Mika and the others wouldn't hear and complained about his previous attacks.
"Hey, Yuji! This is a spar to check the suit! What was with those attacks?! Why are you trying to end this immediately?!"
"..."
Yuji didn't respond to my protest. Instead, he silently put more power into his elbow, pushing back.
"Yuji!"
When I pressed him again, raising my voice slightly, he let out a small sigh before finally answering.
"...I’m just venting. Sorry, Daiki, but you’re going to have to deal with it for a minute!"
"What?! Hey, wait—!"
Hearing that he was just taking his frustrations out on me left me speechless for a second, but then I panicked. Yuji pressed his left palm against my stomach and relaxed his elbow while applying force. Relaxing the arm while the palm is in contact with the target... he was planning to use that move he’d learned from Juzo-san. The zero-range strike—an attack delivered from a state of total contact.
I tried to jump back to put distance between us, but the shock of his "venting" comment had caused a momentary lapse in my concentration, and the sudden release of pressure from his arm threw off my balance. I was a step too slow.
"Hah!"
"!?"
Realizing I couldn't retreat in time, I reflexively tensed my core to brace for the impact. However, Yuji's zero-range strike was even more powerful than I’d expected. His palm strike pierced right through my guard and rattled my internal organs. I stumbled back, clutching my aching stomach. That actually hurt, damn it! Yuji, just how much stress were you bottling up over this suit?! I glared at him, genuinely annoyed.
The bear suit, which had looked so cute a few minutes ago, was now radiating an intimidation aura even more intense than the actual Big Bear it had been made from. Was it just me, or were the bear hood's eyes bloodshot? Does that thing change based on the wearer's mental state?
"..." "..."
I stopped rubbing my stomach, raised my guard, and glared at Yuji as I measured the distance.
Then, to pay him back for earlier...
"Hah!"
I stepped in fast and unleashed a high kick toward the side of his head—a blind spot created by the low hood. As expected, Yuji reacted to the obvious frontal attack and tried to counter.
"Hah!"
Yuji dodged the high kick by leaning his upper body back, then unleashed a front kick to return the favor. Exactly as I’d planned.
The moment he threw that kick, the sound of something tearing echoed through the Clothing Lab.
"Stop!"
Hiiragi-san's sharp command rang out the instant the sound was heard. Yuji’s front kick stopped just inches from my stomach. While I’d suspected this might happen before we even started, I couldn't help but smirk at him, satisfied that my plan had worked.
"..."
Hiiragi-san walked silently toward Yuji, who was still frozen in his kicking posture.
He'd put me through enough pain just to vent; now he could enjoy getting chewed out for breaking the suit he was specifically told to be careful with.
"Hirose-kun? I believe I told you not to break the costume before we started, didn't I?"
"A-Ah. Yeah, you did..."
"Then what is this? The crotch is completely ripped open..."
"I-I'm sorry!"
Yuji bowed his head deeply, apologizing to the quietly fuming Hiiragi-san. I’m pretty sure it was just my imagination that the bear hood's eyes looked terrified.
"And Kokonoe-kun?"
"Y-Yes!"
Crap, it spread to me.
"I told you not to do anything that would break it either, didn't I? Why did you intentionally bait him into a move that would tear the suit?"
"Uh, well, you see..."
I couldn't exactly say I was getting revenge for him using me as a punching bag, so I stammered. Hiiragi-san’s eyebrows twitched into a dangerous angle, and she pointed at the floor.
"Both of you, seiza."
Eh?
"I said seiza."
Y-Yes, ma'am.
Overpowered by her sheer presence, Yuji and I submissively sat in seiza on the floor where she pointed. Once she was satisfied, the lecture began.
Since we had broken the suit after being explicitly told not to, we couldn't even offer a defense. We just kept bowing our heads and apologizing profusely. Sigh, I definitely picked the wrong way to get back at him...
Hiiragi-san spent a good while explaining exactly how difficult it was to process the hide and assemble the suit, but eventually, Mika and Saori managed to talk her down. She finally calmed down and ordered Yuji to get out of the suit so she could start on the repairs and modifications.
Afterward...
"Sorry about that, Daiki. For taking my frustration out on you..."
"No, it’s my fault too. I’m sorry for baiting you into breaking it."
While we were moving the desks back to their original spots, we both apologized for our behavior during the spar.
Good grief... between the pain and the lecture, that was a total disaster.