Chapter 60: Shadow of the Past
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Shadow of the Past
It was the second day since I started working out with Goto.
Goto, who had once again joined me for a dawn jog, shared his thoughts on the first day while doing lunges in the citizen's park.
"Yesterday was fun! It's been a long time since I've used my body like that, so I was sweating like crazy!"
I was doing sit-ups on a nearby wooden bench and said to Goto.
"Watching you yesterday, it seemed like your cardio is pretty weak compared to your strength. Do you smoke?"
Goto scratched his cheek as if I'd hit a sore spot.
"Actually, the Director pointed that out yesterday, so I decided to quit starting today! Back in the day, I could run much longer than that without any problem!"
"Good call. Smoking is lethal for people who work out."
Whatever his past was, all he had to do was change his lifestyle habits bit by bit.
That way, he could get his original healthy body back.
After finishing 200 reps, I got up from the bench.
Seeing this, Goto said in an urgent voice.
"Just one more set to go! Please wait a moment!"
I said with a wry smile.
"No one's chasing you, so take your time."
"Yes!"
After spending about two days with him, I realized one thing for sure: he wasn't all talk.
*
"Welcome! That Goto kid got here 30 minutes ago and is already working out!"
After school. Unlike yesterday, when I deliberately met Goto in front of his house since he didn't know the way, we decided to meet directly at the gym today.
For me, it was faster to come straight from the station than to stop by my house.
"Hurry up and get changed. I'll check on your workout today, too."
"Yes, sir."
As the Director said, I went into the locker room, changed quickly, and came back out with the duffel bag I'd bought for the gym.
When I approached the Director, I saw Goto working hard on the chest press machine.
"Director."
"Oh, you're here."
Even as he spoke, the Director never took his eyes off Goto's movements.
"Goto, controlling your breathing is crucial during anaerobic exercise. Consciously keep your core engaged."
"Yes, Director!"
It had only been two days, but he was already training in earnest.
The Director stood next to Goto like a tiger of a drill instructor, constantly pointing out his flaws.
"Goto, don't look down on the machines! Guys way smarter than you designed them scientifically!"
"Goto! I told you to breathe properly!"
"Gotooo, last set! You're almost there!"
"Just one! Let's do just one more and then rest!"
"Gotooooo!"
With his constant shouting, I felt like my own ears were about to bleed.
I got chewed out just like that when I first started, too.
Trying to avoid the unusually motivated Director, I snuck over to the treadmills, where Fuma-senpai was already working out.
"Hello."
"Oh, hey."
To be honest, I never thought she'd be this dedicated to coming to the gym.
At first, I wondered if she'd just signed up to follow me, but she was working out much more seriously than I'd expected.
Fuma-senpai, still as mysterious as ever, must have felt my gaze. She tilted her head while jogging slowly on the treadmill and asked.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"No, I was just thinking how dedicated you are."
"Well, I paid good money for this. It'd be a waste not to come every day."
Ah.
It was only then that I remembered Fuma-senpai lived alone and worked a part-time job at a convenience store to cover her living expenses.
If she'd stretched her tight budget to get a gym membership, I'd probably be just as diligent.
I got on the treadmill next to Fuma-senpai and casually asked.
"So, when are you planning to tell me about what you mentioned last time?"
Fuma-senpai glanced around before answering in a low voice.
"About that... the preparations are mostly done. I'm in the final stages, so I'll tell you next week. There's something essential I still haven't been able to get."
"...I understand."
It was about the hidden side of this world.
It could be a crucial piece of information for my survival in the world of Scramble Love, so I wanted to hear it as soon as possible.
Only then could I decide on a course of action for the future.
I didn't know the exact details, but it was certain that the protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji, had powered up immensely. The story becoming more of a battle series was a foregone conclusion.
I had to prepare for it.
Not just for myself, but to protect the people around me.
After a decent 20-minute warm-up jog, I got off the treadmill. Goto, who was following the Director through who-knows-how-many machine exercises, gave me a sly look and said.
"Hyung-nim, working out and going on a date at the same time... you're a real pro."
"It's not the kind of relationship you're thinking of."
"Aw, come on. You two look pretty close for that to be true. Girls usually play hard to get unless it's with someone they like."
Finding his attempts to ship me and Fuma-senpai annoying, I immediately grabbed a weight plate.
"Looks like your workout's getting a little too easy. You even have time to joke around?"
"What? No, sir. My muscles are already squeezed to their limit... Gaaah! Don't add more weight!"
I pretended not to hear him and added the plate, increasing the weight.
"Goto, you know what they say, right?"
"W-what's that?"
"Muscles have to tear to get stronger."
After I said that, I gave him a look that said 'get to it.' Reluctantly, Goto let out a grunt and pulled the handle.
"Nngggh!"
Maybe because he's a beginner, his weight limit is going up fast.
There's a certain satisfaction in watching him grow from the sidelines. I think I finally understand why the Director and the other veterans get so excited whenever a newbie joins.
*
The long-awaited third day of working out with Goto arrived.
Since it was Saturday, there was no school, which meant we'd literally be together all day.
Unlike on weekdays, I didn't need to pack a lunch. So, after warming up in my room with some dumbbell curls, pull-ups, and bench presses, I met up with Goto for our morning jog.
Goto grumbled that every part of his body was sore from yesterday's intense upper body workout.
So when I told him we'd be destroying his lower body today as part of a two-split routine, he looked like he was about to die of happiness.
"Good morning, ma'am!"
"Yes, good morning to you too, Goto-kun."
He'd been showing up for four days straight now, to the point that my mother had memorized his name.
Though, to be fair, the impact he made on the first day was probably just that huge.
Goto, who had managed to get a free meal while I was having my own breakfast, made a slightly unusual request today.
"Hyung-nim, if it's not too much trouble, could you pack up one of your most delicious dishes for me? I want to let my mother try it, too. I'll pay, of course."
I couldn't help but look at Goto in a new light.
It seemed he hadn't forgotten what I'd said about being a good son to his parents.
"If that's the case, just wait a minute. I'll whip something up for you."
I went into the kitchen and put my skills to use for the first time in a while.
There's always a difference in the amount of care you put into making food for yourself versus for others.
With the sincere hope that Goto's mother would enjoy it, I made the Chinese dishes I was most confident in.
The main dish was crab fried rice, with sides of braised pork meatballs, an eight-treasure stir-fry, sweet and sour pork, spicy garlic fried chicken, and chili shrimp.
I packed the food to the brim in the three-tiered lunch box I had used when I tailed Karen on her date.
When I came out with the neatly packed lunch box, Goto, who had been waiting outside, looked astonished.
"Isn't this way too much?!"
"I made plenty so you can eat with your mother. Have it for lunch."
"B-but, the money..."
"It's not on the restaurant menu, so just take it and eat."
With that, I patted Goto on the shoulder.
"Let's meet again around 2 PM. You're free then, right?"
Goto looked at me with a touched expression before replying loudly.
"Yes!"
I told him to get going and went back into the kitchen to clean up the mess I'd made while cooking in a hurry.
My mother, who was in the middle of preparing to open the restaurant, spoke.
"He seems like a good kid at heart. Why does he dress like such a delinquent?"
Hearing that, I gave a vague smile.
"That's just his personal style these days."
Honestly, I never imagined I'd be the one saying something like this.
Maybe I've grown fond of him from spending so much time together.
*
That afternoon.
Goto Kazuya was deeply moved by the Chinese-style lunch box from his Hyung-nim, which he ate with his mother.
In truth, he knew he had been reckless.
A good-for-nothing who only knew how to ride a bike and act tough had suddenly shown up, saying he wanted to become a real man.
How absurd must it have seemed from Hyung-nim's perspective?
But Hyung-nim had accepted him. And he taught him generously.
What a magnificent man.
The true man he had dreamed of and admired since he was a child was, without a doubt, Hyung-nim.
As he reaffirmed his respect for Hyung-nim and was getting ready to leave for his afternoon workout, someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
Goto Kazuya opened the front door in place of his mother, who was busy washing dishes, and his expression hardened unknowingly.
"Hyung-nim, that bastard Mito betrayed us! Please, you have to help us!"
Because standing there in the apartment hallway, injured, were the underlings he had left behind to pursue his dream.