Obsessed with the Iron
Immersed in weight training.
Thanks to Ruri's help, it had already been three days since I started pumping iron at the Brilliant Fitness Club.
"Huff, huff…"
"When exerting force here, exhale as you push out the air. Keep your feet in an eleven shape so your form doesn't collapse."
Before I knew it, I was smoothly walking the path to becoming a gym rat.
Squats, bench presses, and deadlifts—the big three of working out.
She'd also introduced me to a variety of other exercises to build muscle, letting me train my body without a hitch.
"One minute rest. Two more sets and we're done. Don't forget to stretch afterward."
"Got it. Thanks for spotting me again today."
I tossed out a quick word of thanks, but Ruri just shook her head like it was nothing worth appreciating.
Getting personal training from a magical girl. Lapis would probably faint if she knew.
In the past six months, I'd gotten to know three magical girls. Who could've imagined a lowly grunt like me pulling off something like that?
Well, Ravi basically outed herself…
From the Silver Unit's perspective, identifying our archenemies—who stood in the way of world conquest—was far from a bad outcome.
Still, my real desire right now was to set aside those complicated issues and just get closer to them.
Even at this moment, Ruri—our enemy on paper—had put together a beginner-friendly routine, making my workout go off without a hitch.
"I worked out pretty hard, but no soreness at all. Guess proper form really reduces the strain on your muscles?"
"Exactly. Focusing on breathing and posture makes training way more efficient."
Having an expert by your side really makes a difference. No wonder people shell out big bucks for gym memberships.
"Working out feels great. Right now, I bet I could take down ten guys easy."
"…Do you really need to knock anyone down?"
"It was a joke—don't make that serious face."
I'd started at the gym half-heartedly, but now that I was in the groove, my confidence was through the roof.
My appetite had picked up too, and I could feel my body getting healthier.
Thwack—thwack—
For the record, Amber had taken a shine to the ping-pong table in the corner of the VIP room and was still rallying back and forth with a robot.
"By the way, this room feels like it's just us in here the whole time."
I wiped the sweat from my brow with a nearby towel and tossed the question out casually.
The general gym downstairs had the occasional customer milling about, but this VIP room dedicated to us was dead empty—not even an ant in sight.
The only visitor was the female staffer who'd shown us in at the start, popping by now and then to tidy the equipment.
"No need to worry about it. This room was made for Brilliant affiliates and magical girls from the get-go."
"Ah, gotcha."
That made sense. Superhuman magical girls needed their privacy too—no surprise they'd get perks like this.
"But are we counted as Brilliant affiliates?"
"You and Amber are the young miss's friends, so of course you qualify."
A straightforward, no-nonsense answer.
She's been surprisingly compliant since my suspicions got cleared up last time. Guess it's because I'm tight with Diamond now.
Maybe her loyalty to her master overrides her sense of justice. Either way, she's even helping me work out—no complaints here.
As long as there's no more hostility, it's all good for me.
"More importantly, that towel you're using right now? It's the one I was using just a minute ago."
"Oh… sorry."
No wonder it smelled nice—I must've grabbed the wrong one by mistake.
I handed it back quick and grabbed a fresh one.
Speaking of which.
Thanks to Ruri sticking with me to the end, I'd gotten a decent read on her daily routine.
Basically, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays: magical girl Mica duty.
On off days, she attends to Diamond or patrols Brilliant subsidiaries to keep the peace.
With her master away on an inspection trip to the neighboring country right now, she's spending the time honing her body at the gym.
A perfectly efficient routine with zero wasted time—but it also made me a little worried about her lifestyle.
Can she really be getting proper rest with that grueling schedule?
Unlike other magical girls, she has no mana, so she confronts monsters with raw physical prowess. Pushing her body even in her spare time—doesn't that wear her down?
"……."
I almost said something out of concern but ended up clamping my mouth shut.
I'm in the Silver Unit—meddling like that would just be hypocritical.
We're not cartoonishly evil like some movie crime syndicate, but the Silver Unit's still one of the bad guys.
Our constant battles right in the middle of the city must be a huge public nuisance to them.
Even as a lowly member, showing misplaced sympathy would just come off as phony.
What really bugged me more was that Guardian organization Ruri mentioned. We'd need to keep a close eye on them.
According to Ravi's testimony, Guardian's boss had modified Ruri's body to boost her combat power…
Well, yeah—without body mods, fighting monsters hand-to-hand would be impossible.
Ironic, though. She got her power at the cost of surgical alterations.
If Silver Unit's like WWE with their flashy villainy out in the open, then Guardian's UFC—shady mods and all. That analogy works.
I finished the last two sets, and Ruri was right there with a sports drink.
"Now for stretching. We focused on lower body today, so let's loosen up your legs first."
"Appreciate it."
She casually touched my legs, guiding me into the right position.
After what Ravi put me through, I'd built up some tolerance, but physical contact with a beauty still felt… oddly thrilling.
We wrapped up stretching just as Amber finished ping-pong and headed our way—perfect timing.
"Speak of the devil. Time to head out."
"Whew, another fulfilling day."
She sauntered off to the showers, glistening with sweat.
That glow didn't look like it came from ping-pong at all.
Maybe I should shower too.
It was summer for once—cold water it is. Felt kinda badass.
Spending my vacation honing my body.
It might seem mundane to others, but to me, it felt deeply fulfilling.
Around the time Jade was getting hooked on weight training.
Sophia was slicing through monsters that had appeared in the city, fully immersed in her magical girl duties.
"Hah!"
Her form, cutting down foes at the speed of light, lived up to her moniker of Flash.
"Whoa, it's Sapphire!"
"First time seeing her in person!"
Onlookers cheered and applauded as they watched.
But despite their cheers, she silently massacred the monsters.
Sophia's mind was elsewhere, detached.
…That should wrap up this area.
Even after clearing the monster horde, she flew off into the sky with a dissatisfied expression.
The culprit? None other than Eclipse's owner, Jade—the first man to capture the heart of a girl who knew nothing of love.
What could he be up to right now?
Until now, the only one Sophia had cherished in her heart was Ravi.
As her precious childhood friend who led her into the magical girl life, it was only natural.
But fixating on a man like this? That was a first.
Just thinking of him made her heart race, her chest tighten with sweet affection.
"Haa…"
Her listless demeanor worried another magical girl enough to step in.
"Sofi! Why don't you call it a day and let me handle the rest?"
The pint-sized magical girl Emerald—nicknamed Emi, small enough to pass for an elementary schooler—declared it proudly.
Sophia knew her own state well enough not to refuse the offer.
"…You sure you'll be okay alone?"
"Of course! No monster can stand up to me!"
She's got that pure charm I lack, Sophia thought, reluctantly nodding.
"Alright, I'm heading out first then. Call if it gets tough."
With a wave goodbye to Emi, she had nothing else to do, so she started home as usual.
But then—
If there's something I want to do, even a little, I should do it right away. It's too late once something happens.
She recalled Jade's sincere advice from their parent-teacher conference and halted mid-step.
Advice she'd never heard from anyone else.
She definitely needed to find a new path suited to her once she retired as a magical girl.
She'd been spending her free time hunting for hobbies since, but nothing had caught her interest.
Isn't there something? A hobby to fill the time.
Lost in thought as she trudged home.
[Brilliant Fitness Club]
Sophia's eyes casually caught the sign for a Brilliant gym.