Ryushia, the Gym Menace
"The reason we've come to the Holy Kingdom this time is to apprehend the apostate Luman — and to conduct joint intensive training at the same time."
"...Saintess, I take it you enjoyed Blade of Annihilation?"
"Caught me. Lmao."
Following the Pope's request for support, we arrived in the Holy Kingdom. With the Holy Armor Unit and the gym both having come under attack, the nation's defenses were dangerously thin.
"Hnn..."
"That guy's just over there lifting weights by himself."
Thud.
Even while everyone was gathered talking, Earth, the Earth Dragon, was silently pumping iron. He'd come along on this mission, but he showed no particular interest in actually working with us.
"The Empire got attacked too. Don't we need to go there?"
"They'll handle their own defense. All they requested was that we hunt down the culprit — Redanis."
"So they just want to catch the perpetrator and restore their prestige. The princess was throwing a fit, saying they absolutely had to catch them, right?"
At any rate, the enemy attacks weren't over. The Dragon Empire would only fortify its defenses further, so it likely wouldn't be invaded again — but the Holy Kingdom's fighting strength had been badly weakened. The point of being here was to prepare for a possible raid, and to temper ourselves in the process.
"Haha!! A gym like this will take your physical and mental strength to the next level!"
"Whoaaa..."
And the personal trainer running the session was Saintess Elia.
"Alright, let's see your form."
"H-huh? I'm fine, I don't need—"
The Saintess flashed a grin and stepped up behind Arkis, who was waving her off —
"You were free to walk in. Walking out is another matter."
"Fuck."
Got her.
The poor young lady had been seized by a Spartan instructor.
"Go lower!!! Lower!!! Like you're taking a dump!!!!"
"GYAAAAAAAH..."
Arkis, already slender to begin with, was shouldering a load well over a hundred kilograms, her legs trembling as she barely managed to keep squatting.
"Straighten your back!! You'll get hurt like that! Eyes forward, and squeeze those legs!"
"Hahk... p-please... stop..."
"Just one more!!!!"
Elia's workout clothes were quite the sight, admittedly — but I found myself wanting to look away from that hellish spectacle.
"Come on, come on! Watch how I do it!"
She pulled the faltering Arkis out of the way, then took the bar herself and started her set.
"Hnn... haah!"
Her form was textbook — as precise and measured as a sword dance, and especially striking for it.
"Oh damn. That ass."
Of course, the sturdy undercurve of her backside spilling out of those shorts was especially spectacular. They said her hips were in the same league as Ryushia's... which tracked.
"Jinwoo, Elia's training with the young lady, so I suppose we'll have to work out together?"
"Hm?"
I'd been spacing out watching when the person in question walked over and spoke up. Let's see, everyone else...
"Hyah! Hah!"
Iflata was exercising adorably with a pair of pink dumbbells.
"..."
Clack-clack-clack.
Maestro had pulled out a wooden marionette entirely and set it to auto-hunt.
"Oooh!! My mademoiselle! Why are you doing this to me!"
"Shut up. Try being a little more manly."
"Oh no!!!!"
"Ah. I leveled up."
Honestly, it was amazing that method even produced a leveling effect.
Anyway, if Earth was off working out on his own over there...
"Come to think of it, where are the professors?"
"Mm... about that..."
"...Tarkan. So you were alive."
According to Ryushia, Professor Vagina had muttered that to herself and then abruptly taken a leave of absence.
"Having my friend become an enemy isn't exactly a pleasant situation."
Professor Lamia, her expression dark, hadn't come out of her private quarters.
"Other people are other people's business! Let's just focus on what we need to do!"
"Yeah..."
She'd said this game's story wasn't a hopeful one — which meant getting stronger was the only way to survive. Just as Ryushia said, I needed to start building this body, starting now.
"Alright! I'll spot you, so let's start with a sixty-kilo bench press!"
"Ah... no, I'm fine, really."
There was just one very large problem.
"Lie right down! Grab the bar, and tell me when you're ready!"
"..."
The situation was this: I was lying on the bench, and Ryushia was standing by right above my head. And what did that mean, exactly?
"...!!!"
"What's wrong?"
It meant Ryushia's crotch was a few centimeters from my face.
"Haaahk..."
A sight rivaling any adult video unfolded right before my eyes. Her luscious peaks caught the light and cast deep shadows, and even the beads of sweat clinging to her smooth waist were laid utterly bare.
And then...
Was I seeing things, or was it actually true she wasn't wearing any panties?
The thin leggings had burrowed into that tightly pressed cleft, and the suffocating outline of that crack burned itself deep into my brain.
"Did someone put up a peach-scented diffuser around here..."
"What are you talking about in the middle of a workout?"
On top of everything, a peach fragrance kept tickling the tip of my nose.
...I'm going to lose my goddamn mind.
"Rest's over! Let's do another fifteen!!"
"Yeah..."
And the torture went on.
"Nnngh...!!"
"Just a little more! Straighten those arms!"
The heavy bar was one thing — but the way those swaying breasts and that round behind moved made me zone out completely, and before I knew it my eyes had gone bloodshot all on their own.
Right in front of my face, that plump, squishy... pussy...
"FIGHTIIIIING!!!!"
"Oh my! Shouting a battle cry all of a sudden — how impressive!"
Lee Jinwoo, you crazy bastard, get a grip!!!
"Hah... hah..."
I forcibly shoved the filthy thoughts aside and kept my muscles moving without rest. I'd almost gone into heat over the leggings of the woman(?) spotting me, like some bastard worse than a beast.
So I reminded myself why I was here.
I was weak.
Without Ryushia's help I would have died off in the early game — but thanks to her, I'd gained countless comrades and overcome powerful enemies.
And me? I was still weak. All I was really good at was dodging attacks. In the fight against Maestro I'd been little more than a distraction, and against Tarkan the Glow Dragon had taken MVP.
There might come a time when Ryushia could no longer keep watching over me.
Which was why...
"Looking great! Your pace is perfect! Just three more!"
I didn't want to disappoint the woman (who was also a man) standing over me with that lewd yet innocent face.
Ryushia might see me as nothing more than a close friend and comrade — but I would live up to her expectations, no matter what. Even if she stood right in front of me, completely unguarded, putting that seductive body on full display, tempting me and tormenting me — I would endure it.
Johnson!!! Hold it together!!!
"Alright! Shall we do lower body next?"
"Ah."
I take it back.
I was not going to survive this.
"Here, I'll go first, so make sure you spot me properly, okay?"
"..."
This was an emergency. Ryushia had the bar across her shoulders and her hips pushed all the way back — close enough that she was almost, almost touching me.
"Excuse me? You need to come a little closer to spot me!"
"Uh... yeah."
I had no choice but to step in at her scolding.
"Whoa."
Beneath her hair tied high in a ponytail, Ryushia's white nape glistened, moist enough that beads of sweat seemed ready to form.
"Haa... hnn..."
Her form was letter-perfect. Her breathing was even, her face pointed straight ahead, and her posture never broke. On top of that, she was hoisting two hundred kilograms for twenty reps a set, as if it were nothing.
"Th-this is dangerous."
Standing hesitantly at her back, though, I couldn't stop noticing the damp, sweat-warm scent of her body, and the soft skin that hovered just shy of contact.
"Hoo... hng..."
"Hahk...!!"
Every time Ryushia pushed her hips back, a dizzying tension shot through me — and the rumor that she had the second most voluptuous hips in the entire Academy, after the Saintess, echoed in my ears.
Even on the Academy's community board, Genesis Time, posts about her — including plenty of sexual harassment — kept going up. Watching her sway that enormous backside in front of a grown man was, frankly, infuriating in its own right.
"Ryushia."
"Yes?"
So, out of concern for her, I said something.
"I wish you'd take a little better care of your body."
Fssht.
Worried she'd become the target of other men's filthy stares, I took off my jacket and carefully draped it over her shoulders. It was oversized, so it should cover down to her hips just fine.
"My body? I don't drink or smoke, I sleep well and eat well — what are you talking about?"
...She was so completely unguarded. I didn't want some other guy stealing her at this rate.
"From now on, wear something looser when you come out."
"Mm... okay."
I'd said it, so things should get a little better now, right?
Bounce!!
"Haa... haa... hng... hnn..."
To cut to the chase: it did not get better at all. Covering her upper body with the windbreaker was fine — except those enormous breasts were putting on a violent bouncing exhibition.
"..."
"Whoa..."
The men running on the treadmills beside us were staring, completely zoned out.
Ziiip.
"Haa... I'm exhausted..."
Finished with her ten-kilometer run, Ryushia was pouring sweat as she stripped the jacket right off.
Fwoooosh!
A rich, feminine body scent billowed out along with curling wisps of steam.
"Put it back on."
"B-but it's too hot..."
"Put it on."
"Hiiing..."
Ryushia whined, but I absolutely could not give in. This was about stopping her from unconsciously spraying seductive pheromones at every other man in the room and causing an incident.
"Still, the leotard's definitely more comfortable."
"Ah."
Now that I thought about it, I'd forgotten the most important thing. She already walked around in everyday clothes that left her ass and the small of her back completely exposed, so this was probably pointless.
"Ryushia, have you ever thought about changing your outfit..."
"I'm sorry, but the leotard's just too comfortable. I don't think I can. If I had my way, I'd wear it for the rest of my life!"
"..."
I had absolutely no idea what to do with this lewd friend of mine.