Muscles on Full Display
Muscles gleamed into view. "Fitness club, huh."
Sophia, who had popped into Brilliant Fitness Club on a whim, scanned her surroundings with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
Her family home had the bare minimum equipment to fend off sedentary woes, but a full-on gym like this? Probably her first time.
"Come to think of it, Chairman Brilliant did say to use it freely."
Diamond's father and the head of the world-spanning Brilliant conglomerate. He was also the shadowy benefactor propping up the Magical Girl Association from behind the scenes—a true heavyweight in the corporate world.
For a man like that to vouch for the place personally, it would've been weirder if it wasn't massive.
Sophia's visit was pure impulse, sparked by a fleeting thought of her sponsor, Chairman Brilliant.
"He did say moving your body is the best way to clear stray thoughts, right?"
She recalled a line from some celebrity's autobiography.
Lately, her mind had been crammed full of thoughts about Jade, leaving her tossing and turning through sleepless nights.
She wasn't fully aware of it herself, but her feelings for him were steadily swelling inside her.
So with a casual plan to sweat out the nonsense, she headed for the entrance.
Moments later, a staff member spotted her and approached with a prompt greeting.
"Welcome, Sophia. We'll escort you to the VIP room right away."
"...Y-yes. Thank you."
Brilliant's staff would have the faces of every magical girl memorized by now.
Sophia followed without a hint of doubt as the employee led her to the top floor.
Whirr—
The automatic door slid open, revealing a sight that left her jaw on the floor.
Dozens of workout machines so advanced she couldn't even guess their functions lined the space.
Towels for the taking, bottomless sports drinks on tap, even protein shakes to bulk up those gains.
"We're open 24/7 as standard, but staff might step away occasionally. Just hit the call bell at the counter if needed."
"......"
Born into wealth, Sophia was no stranger to luxury.
But the sheer intensity of this unfamiliar space overwhelmed her, and the round-the-clock, no-days-off policy hit like a mini shockwave.
"Great, I'm at the gym... but where do I even start?"
Calling the staff back from the first-floor counter felt rude.
Sophia wandered aimlessly, stamping her feet in frustration, until she spotted a familiar face in the corner.
"Oh? Amber?"
"Huh? Sophia! What brings you here?"
Amber paused her table tennis frenzy at the call and bounded over.
After a quick hello, they swapped stories about why they were there.
"Dunno the details, but Diamond must've hooked me up with VIP status. Perks of friendship, right?"
"Heh."
VIP at a Brilliant global empire spot carried serious weight—not just here, but across most of their venues.
It was a glimpse into Diamond's generous, big-hearted side, handing out those privileges without hesitation.
"Oh, and senpai's here too. He's showering over there right now."
"Jade too..."
Sophia's heart thudded hard at the words.
How many times had she dreamed of him during this break? Of crossing paths in some private space.
Stumbling into him at this random gym felt like fate itself.
As if drawn by a spell, she drifted toward the showers—just in time for footsteps to echo.
"Phew. Feels refreshing."
"J-Jade?!"
Fresh from the shower, water droplets clung to his half-naked body everywhere.
If it had been some average guy's build, Sophia might not have flipped out this hard.
But this was the man haunting her every waking moment, stripped bare before her eyes. No wonder she couldn't hide her fluster.
"Hey, Sophia. Here to work out too?"
He greeted her casually, like it was nothing, driving her to the brink of madness.
"Forget greetings—put some clothes on—!"
She slapped a hand over her mouth before "please!" could escape.
For a pure girl shielded from anything spicy, this was like a kid cracking open an adult mag for the first time—
"Jade's body is like this..."
His Cafe Eclipse uniform always hid his frame, so the gap hit like a critical strike.
Jade had lived a desk-bound life back in Korea, far from fitness.
But Ruri's custom efficient training over the past few days had honed his body impressively.
"Senpai, even if it's just us, isn't wandering out in pants post-shower a bit much?"
"You're right. Gave Sophia an eyeful."
Their banter fell on deaf ears.
She desperately drank in his bare torso, burning the image into her brain.
But the overwhelming excitement proved too much—
"Sophia, you sound kinda short of breath—"
Before he finished, she blacked out and crumpled.
I laid the nosebleed-exhausted Sophia on a plush chair and nursed her back to consciousness.
(Ruri had jetted off to attend Diamond, who was back from overseas, so she was home now.)
"Ahem. Thanks for carrying me."
"...You sure you're okay?"
"Yes. Probably just some built-up fatigue."
She seemed like her usual self at a glance, but those dark circles screamed forced composure.
Something big enough to wreck her sleep, maybe.
"Um, Jade... do you have workout experience?"
Topic pivot? She tossed me a weird question out of nowhere.
"Not really? More of a desk jockey."
Athleticism's never been my strong suit. Kicked a soccer ball wrong in middle school once and got reamed for three days straight. Trained my ass off after that, got decent at soccer, but other sports? Still noob level.
Curious why she'd ask, I stared—
"Um... your muscles look pretty developed. Never noticed at the cafe since you always wear long sleeves."
"Oh yeah, I thought the same. Was totally average just days ago."
Amber chimed in like she'd been dying to say it.
Makes sense. Lived gym-free forever, then bam—ripped after a week?
Seeing it up close daily, she'd notice the change for sure.
"Something about my skeleton being primed for it, so gains come quick. Ruri explained it that way."
She'd rattled off stuff about male hormones and whatnot, green with envy.
Heard women struggle more to build muscle physically.
No mana, fighting on the front lines—bad muscle efficiency would be a huge handicap.
"Talk about blessed. I gain weight just looking at food."
"You crash right after eating, that's why."
Ms. "Potato chips in my bed daily" playing victim? Classic.
"What were you, 55kg?"
"Gah! How do you even know that?!"
"Use my scale, you think I won't notice? It logs everything."
Didn't mean she was fat or anything.
I like 'em slender, but too skinny feels off—her current build's perfect.
"Hey, Sophia, if you're free, swing by often? We kill time here anyway."
Tossed the invite her way amid our dumb chat.
"I pretty much come daily if I can. Got nothing else going on."
Forcing my way back to Silver Unit would just paint a target on my back for the grunts.
Better bulk up for intimidation factor—fewer overt threats that way.
Kinda childish, but a year of that life roughs up your edges.
"Th-then... should I join you? Been wanting to move lately anyway..."
"Sounds good. Way more fun with familiar faces."
Cardio solo is soul-crushingly boring. Worse, no earbuds here—no tunes.
Friends nearby? Chit-chat and motivation. Her jumping in was killer news.
"I'll show you form and machine basics. Picked up some from Ruri."
"...Please do."
She nodded with a small smile.
Felt like the first real grin from her in ages.