Morning Drills and Academy Gossip
The noble lady slipped into the hideout in a spot where people's eyes wouldn't easily reach. Those who possessed a Soul Fragment and had the Goddess's permission could enter and exit the hideout from anywhere. It wasn't truly possible from absolutely anywhere at any time—there were a few restrictions—but they were the kind that didn't matter much in daily life.
It was early morning… or rather, thanks to Theo being late, it had simply become morning. Because it was morning, Faye and Claire weren't around. It would've been nice to exercise together. I should ask them tomorrow if they'd like to join.
"Luna. Didn't you say we were starting with running today?"
"I did."
The promise Theo and I had made was nothing special—just a morning workout agreement. I needed to get stronger for Faye's favorability. So, training, practice, drills. Simple, right?
On this first day, we'd originally planned to run. No matter what you did, stamina was essential. Even if you just sat at a desk studying all day, you still needed it. Theo nodded at that point too. Seeing how he could handle a staff, he didn't seem like a complete desk-bound type. He probably understood the value of basic fitness.
We'd meant to run, but—
"Do you know what time it is now? If we run normally, we'll be cutting it close to class time and it still won't be enough."
The plan had changed because Theo was late. We had to make the most efficient use of the little time we had left.
"Don't worry. We can still get a solid workout on one body part. We've got enough time for that."
"Hey, Luna. I'm getting a really bad feeling right now."
"It's just your imagination. Come on, see those exercise machines over there? Get in."
"Is this because you're mad I was late…?"
"Get in."
Mad? Of course I was mad. Who wouldn't be after wasting a precious thirty minutes of morning time? But I'd already gotten even with the bomb I'd set up in front of the men's dorm. That should settle it. He had to pay for making me angry, but I wasn't going to drag it out. Once was enough. So this was just strength training. No personal grudges involved. Hehe.
……
"Alright! One more!"
"Ghh… Aaaagh!!"
"No momentum! Again!"
"Aaaagh!!!"
Screams echoed through the empty hideout. Well, not completely empty—earlier the Goddess had popped in asking "What are you doing?" before leaving again.
Theo was drenched in sweat as he lifted the barbell gripped in both hands. I was lifting one beside him too—much heavier than his. Since I used martial arts as my main weapon, I never neglected my own training. Of course, my slender arms could handle more weight than Theo's only because I was a beastman. Our races were literally different.
"Ghh, ugh…"
—Thud.
After finishing the last rep, Theo let out a dying groan and dropped the barbell. My eyebrows twitched violently at the sight. Dropping the barbell was a serious breach of etiquette. But I'd let it slide this once. A medieval fantasy person wouldn't know modern gym manners anyway.
"Hah, hah, huff… Luna. You look like you're thinking something weird…"
"No, I'm not."
How did he know? If he had the leeway to read my expression, I must've gone too easy on him. Ah, of course, "gone easy" referred to his muscles. I wanted to push him harder, but there wasn't time. If we didn't want to be late for class, we had to start getting ready now.
Besides, strength training was just a bonus anyway. Theo was a mage, after all. The muscle work was more of an add-on—training stamina while making sure his hard-earned staff techniques didn't go to waste.
"Let's wash up and go eat. We only worked arms, so your legs are fine, right?"
"They are, but… just a second, let me rest…"
"No time."
"No, seriously. I can barely lift my arms right now… I can't even wash properly like this."
Hmm, that bad? I'd thought someone as trained as Theo could handle this much. Then again, weight training let you go heavier the more muscle you had, so it made sense. This was partly my fault too—I'd kept pushing him when he was already struggling. Wait, if it was my fault, wasn't it just my fault? Quiet. The point of strength training was to squeeze out every last rep. I'd just momentarily forgotten that our day was only beginning.
Urgh, I didn't really want to, but—
"Can't be helped. Fine. I'll help you wash, so hurry up and come."
"Okay. Thanks for helping… Huh?"
Theo stared at me with wide, startled eyes.
"What? Is there another problem?"
"No, it's not that there's a problem, it's just… we're washing together?"
"What are you talking about? Is your head not working because you're tired?"
I'd only trained his arms—why had his head gone limp too?
"R-right? You startled me."
"Of course we're going in together. Washing separately would take twice as long. Then we wouldn't even have time to eat before class."
We'd already settled the "washing together" thing when Faye came over last time. Only a few days had passed and he was already forgetting? His condition was serious. Still, "washing together" and "helping me wash" were clearly different matters. Honestly, I didn't even want to touch him. But this time it was partly my fault, so I'd make an exception. Just this once.
Theo stared blankly at me for a moment, then muttered something incomprehensible.
"Just how long does the effect last?"
Effect? Why was he suddenly talking about effects? Ah, maybe muscle soreness? We'd just finished exercising, so the soreness probably hadn't set in yet, but nothing else came to mind.
"Did the soreness hit already? If so, it'll heal on its own in three days. If it's really bad, get Claire to heal you."
Could healing remove soreness without affecting muscle growth? In the novels I'd read before possessing this body, the settings had all been different. In this world, it was simple: just get healed. Skilled priests could adjust the healing so it didn't interfere with muscle growth. How? I had no idea. But Claire should be able to manage it—she was a former holy knight and a saint candidate, after all.
"No, it's not about soreness… Never mind. Let's go with that."
"What do you mean, 'let's go with that'? If you've got nothing else to say, start walking. I've told you multiple times we don't have time."
I dragged the strangely hesitant Theo toward the bath.
……
"Ugh…! Why won't my arms move at a time like this?!"
"Yeah, yeah. Stop complaining and close your eyes. You're getting soap in them."
Theo made a bit of a fuss, but thanks to rushing, we managed to avoid being late for class.
◆
"…That concludes the announcements. Practical training is important, but don't take your academy grades lightly either. Any other questions?"
……
Professor Ines's gaze swept over the students. No one spoke up. Same as usual. Her announcements were clean and concise. It wasn't a difficult lecture, and any student who couldn't understand simple announcements wouldn't have gotten into the academy in the first place. So the lack of questions was normal.
But today, the atmosphere felt slightly different. It seemed like everyone's attention was elsewhere. Professor Ines's lips curled slightly as she finished.
"Good. Don't treat your morning lectures as basic and slack off."
Step, step.
With those final words, Professor Ines left the classroom. The moment the door closed and her imposing presence vanished, the students swarmed.
"Theo! What was that this morning?"
"I heard Luna waited forever in front of the dorm!"
"They were hugging from the crack of dawn, apparently?"
"What exactly is your relationship?!"
Some students had witnessed the morning incident directly. Others had come after hearing strangely distorted rumors. And some just loved romance gossip. They all converged on Theo for various reasons, their energy so intense it made you wonder how they'd held back while Professor Ines was present.
Even the noble students, who usually maintained distance to preserve their dignity, had stopped talking and were subtly perking up their ears. Imperial Academy students were still energetic twenty-somethings, after all.
"Wait, hold on. What?! What is this?!"
Theo flailed, completely overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of questions. Just as I'd thought, he wasn't used to situations like this. Then again, how many people would be?
It didn't take long for Theo to piece together what was happening from the flood of questions. Realizing the morning's events were the cause, he shot a glare toward my seat, but—
"Where the hell did Luna go?!"
Ehehe. I was the one who'd set this up—did he really think I wouldn't see this coming? I'd left the classroom a long time ago. Almost the exact moment Professor Ines had walked out.
Grinning at the noisy commotion coming from inside, I called out to her.
"Professor. I have a favor to ask."