The night air outside Minato Bayside Gym is cool, the hum of distant traffic drifting over the empty street. Maruyama walks briskly ahead, keys dangling loosely in his hand.
Noguchi trails behind, slouched with his hands buried in his pockets, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.
"Man…" he whistles low, rubbing at his cheek. "That Sekino guy's no joke. And that's just number eight in the nation. Makes me wonder, how strong's the champ, huh?"
Maruyama doesn't slow. "Too early for you to be thinking about championship belts."
Noguchi chuckles, shrugging. "Belts don't matter. What matters is the chance to stand in front of the champ. Test myself. Still…" he grins wider, eyes narrowing with mischief, "…they say prize money's bigger for champions, yeah? Way bigger than what Club Abyss pays. Speaking of, mind giving me a ride there?"
