Chapter 148: Help!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: Help!
The next day.
As was my habit, I woke up at 4 AM, only to fall into despair when I realized my body still hadn't returned to normal.
It was Friday, and school would start again on Monday, which meant I only had about three days left.
The last time I took that medicine, my body definitely went back to normal after about three days. I had no idea why I was still stuck like this.
I guess I have no choice.
For now, all I could do was stall for as long as possible.
Before my parents woke up, I snuck out into the living room. I placed the box of vegetables I’d brought home yesterday on the dining table and left a note.
[These are vegetables I got for helping out at my senpai’s family farm. Feel free to use them.]
Then, I woke up Saya, who was still deep in a sweet slumber, and went out for a morning jog.
「Ugh, I’m sleepy…」
For a ghost, she sure was a strange one, loving to sleep at night.
I watched Saya float in the air, rubbing her eyes, then started a light jog.
"Hah, hah, hah, hah."
My body felt heavier than usual.
It was probably because I’d turned into a child.
About two years of hard work had vanished in an instant, but looking back, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought.
Since I’d already been down this road once, I was confident I could build up my muscles much more efficiently if I started over from scratch.
Is this what they call going back to basics?
A course that would normally take me 30 minutes took twice as long—a full hour. Feeling my breath catch in my throat, I collapsed onto the grass.
The morning sun had yet to rise, and the sky was only just beginning to glow with a faint, dim light.
Saya, who had been floating idly in the air, asked me with a fed-up expression.
「Why do you work out so hard?」
"Just because. I like it."
At first, I had started exercising to navigate the unpredictable rom-com world where anything could happen. But now, I just did it because I enjoyed it.
There’s a term in exercise called a "runner's high." It’s said that while it’s grueling until you reach a certain point, once you cross that line, your brain releases endorphins, making you feel happy.
I was experiencing that runner's high through weightlifting.
After hearing my explanation, Saya said.
「You know that’s an exercise addiction.」
"I know."
After replying, I waited until my breathing evened out before bolting upright.
My entire body was drenched in sweat.
It seemed the high-intensity cardio I usually did was too much for my current body to handle.
I drank some water from a tap, then found a deserted clearing and began my Hayate training.
"Hup!"
Hayate is composed of seven distinct movements.
The first form, Kamaitachi, was originally a technique similar to an iaijutsu draw-and-slash, meant to strike an opponent's neck when they let their guard down, assuming you were unarmed.
Of course, without imbuing it with ki, it was nothing more than a simple knife-hand strike.
It wasn't like I was actually going to kill someone in a romantic comedy world, so I would probably keep it sealed away most of the time.
The next move I was to learn after Kamaitachi was the second form: Hayate (Gale).
It was a one-hit-kill technique where you rushed forward at high speed and tore out the enemy's throat.
As expected of a martial art developed for assassination, both techniques boasted a vicious level of lethality.
I wondered if this was really appropriate for a peaceful rom-com world, but then again, considering the classic Shonen Jump tendency to drift into a battle series, it didn't seem all that strange.
Have I unknowingly been influenced by this world's logic?
The thought sent a slight shiver down my spine.
Fortunately, Hayate shared some similarities with a technique I already knew from Baji Quan, the Yimunjeongju.
In short, it was about closing the distance in the blink of an eye and grabbing the opponent by the throat.
It was easier to understand than Kamaitachi, which I hadn't been able to grasp at first.
I continued practicing Hayate until the sun rose, then decided to stop when I saw people starting to gather in the park.
It wasn't like today was my only chance.
"Well… I should head home now."
Honestly, I felt a bit hopeless.
Even though my parents spent most of the day at the store, I wasn't confident I could avoid running into them even once while at home.
Still, I had to go back to eat breakfast and take a shower.
With a face full of worry, I decided to head home with Saya.
*
"I'm home…"
I said quietly, assessing the situation inside.
Thankfully, my parents didn't seem to be home.
I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and saw that the vegetable box was gone.
It looked like my mother had seen the note I left.
I drank a glass of barley tea and then quickly took a shower.
Afterward, I threw together a quick meal of instant curry, then changed my clothes to go out again.
Saya, who had been watching me, asked.
「You’re going out again?」
"Yeah. First, I need to do something about my body. Then I can go see Ryuji."
「Then let’s go quickly.」
Her attitude did a complete 180. Just a moment ago, she was being so negative.
I let out a hollow laugh, looking at her shameless face, and picked up my phone from the desk.
In a situation like this, there was only one person I could ask for help.
'Alexandra Ivanovna Romanova.'
I tapped Sasha's name in my contacts.
The line rang for a moment, and then…
Click!
[Kim Yoo-Sung? What’s going on all of a sudden?]
Sasha's voice, which felt like I hadn't heard it in a long time, came through the receiver.
*
The meeting place Sasha designated was a luxury hotel near Akihabara.
It seemed she was living here, having rented out the entire top-floor suite.
Truly a level of extravagance a commoner couldn't even conceive of.
When I gave Sasha's name at the front desk on the first floor, a staff member guided me with impeccable courtesy.
I took the elevator straight to the top floor.
Ding!
As the doors slid open, the first thing I saw was the massive body of Boris, one of Ivan's subordinates.
I'd thought it before, but he was truly enormous.
In my current, much shorter state, I had to take several large steps back just to see his face.
He stood there with his usual blank expression, but his eyebrows twitched when he saw me.
A moment later, he spoke in a gruff voice as if nothing had happened.
"Follow me(atashi)."
Surprisingly, it seemed Boris had learned Japanese in the time I hadn't seen him.
His pronunciation was a bit awkward, but I could understand him.
However, it seemed he'd learned the language from watching anime, as he spoke like a high school girl.
It was probably Sasha's otaku influence. It was amusing, so I decided to let it be.
He'd probably be mortified when he found out the truth later.
I followed Boris down a short hallway, and soon a spacious living room came into view.
Sasha was there, sitting on a sofa with a relaxed expression.
"You're here, Kim Yoo-Sung."
She turned her head as she spoke, then froze.
She had spotted my shrunken form.
"You really… have gotten smaller."
I let out a small sigh.
"What would I possibly gain from lying about something like this?"
Ignoring me, Sasha stood up, brought her face close, and spoke with fascination.
"Your smaller form isn't half bad. Though I do prefer the muscular version."
I leaned back to avoid her overly close face, only to realize my escape route was blocked.
Just then, Saya, who was beside me, spoke.
「Want me to help?」
I nodded frantically, and she blew a puff of icy breath near Sasha's ear.
Sasha's body instantly froze solid.
I used that opening to quickly slip out of the trap her arms had formed.
Five seconds later, Sasha seemed to be able to move again. She looked down at her own body, mystified.
"What did you just do to me?"
"I didn't do anything."
It was the truth.
It wasn't me; it was Saya.
Sasha stared at me as if interrogating me, then finally let out a small sigh.
"Well, I suppose I'll find out the details soon enough. For now, have a seat."
I sat on the sofa as she suggested.
Meanwhile, Saya was wandering around the suite, looking at everything with a fascinated expression.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Ah, I'm not picky."
"In that case, I'll have some black tea prepared."
At Sasha's nod, Boris headed into the kitchen.
"Now, let's get to the point…"
Sasha sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and asked.
"Would you care to tell me how your body ended up in this state?"
I nodded and began to speak.
"It's a bit of a long story. It all started when I went to a ninja village at the invitation of my school senior, Fuma-senpai…"
"Ninja!"
Sasha reacted to the specific word.
"Are you perhaps talking about that kunoichi we saw last time?"
It seemed Fuma-senpai had left a strong impression on Sasha during their first meeting.
"That's her."
In any case, the fact that she didn't question the word "ninja" made explaining things much easier.
"I went to the ninja village, and Fuma-senpai's grandfather ordered me to get rid of the Yukionna on the mountain behind the village."
"Wow! A Yukionna!"
…She doesn't look the type, but she's surprisingly generous with her reactions.
I can barely get a word in.