Did You Two Really Do It???
Health Project × Lene Collaboration
Talk Category • 2,814 Watching • 00:54:51
“First of all, Miss Lene, how much do you know about Pilates?”
“...I don’t know a single thing.”
I was hearing the word “Pilates” for the very first time right here. What kind of exercise was it supposed to be, anyway? From what Harum had been saying earlier and the flood of messages in the chat, it sounded insanely difficult.
Harum continued in her clear, professional tone.
“To explain Pilates simply, it’s an exercise created by a German physical trainer named Joseph Hubertus Pilates. It combines the principles of yoga, ballet, and various training methods, originally developed for rehabilitation and correction.”
She lay down straight on the mat spread across the floor.
“Because it was made for rehabilitation and correction, one of its main features is using the entire body’s muscles in perfect balance. With that said, let’s start with one of the most basic moves—the Hundred.”
She inhaled slowly and lifted her legs.
“Raise your feet like this… and lift your head at the same time to look at your toes. Then, as you exhale, swing your arms up high over your thighs and lower them just short of touching the floor… Repeating this a hundred times is the Hundred posture.”
After finishing her demonstration, Harum stood up and pointed at the mat behind me.
“Then would you like to try it yourself, Miss Lene? If your form is off, I’ll correct you.”
I nodded and lay down on the mat, inhaling slowly.
“We know what all of you want, but it really can’t be helped… Please understand even if it’s disappointing.”
While I was lying there breathing, Harum took over hosting the stream. She was probably responding to the viewers begging her to film me.
“But everyone, when I first met Miss Lene today, I was genuinely shocked. It looks like she’s been taking care of herself consistently on her own.”
Liar. You were shocked in a completely different way.
I swallowed that thought and copied the posture Harum had just shown.
“Is… is this how it’s done…?”
“...Wow. Yes. It’s perfect. The Hundred is one of the foundational Pilates postures, yet it’s also called the flower of Pilates because it’s so incredibly difficult. It’s great for your health, but still… you’re doing it in textbook form. Normally we’d do all one hundred reps, but due to time constraints we’ll only do twenty.”
“Okay…”
I repeated the posture twenty times exactly as Harum instructed. She kept letting out sounds of amazement.
“Miss Lene. You haven’t actually taken Pilates lessons before, right?”
“No…”
“How is your form this perfect…?”
I literally learned the exercise existed today. …But was it really that hard? It just felt like I was waving my arms around a bit. Well, if the expert said so, it must be true.
After finishing the twenty repetitions of the Hundred and standing up, Harum clapped her hands.
“Miss Lene. It’s not like you have zero exercise experience, is it?”
“Right. I’ve been doing it consistently since I was young…”
If I had to be precise, it was closer to training than exercise. The blessing that maintained my body adjusted to my “limit.” In other words, the stronger I became, the stronger the blessing became. So my daily routine had been training alone and then sparring with the Holy Knights. After returning to Earth, my physical limit had dropped to match this world, but the fact that I could still handle that warhammer suggested I was still stronger than most people.
“No, everyone, it really is amazing. Pilates has a strong image as a diet exercise, but as I explained earlier, it was originally created for rehabilitation and correction. Even people who work out regularly find it extremely difficult to perform with perfect form.”
“Hmph. I’m not showing you.”
There were some requests I simply could not grant.
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“Umm…. Yes. I think imagining that much is fine.”
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“Um, M-Miss Lene? Are you sure it’s okay to say that…?”
“Yes…?”
“No, the chat is…”
“These people are always like this…”
“Ah, I see…”
“Yes…”
I already knew that in the end it was all just their usual over-the-top reaction and there wouldn’t be any real problem. If I had to name something that was actually bothering me right now, it was the gym itself. Having to avoid making direct eye contact with people in front of me, constantly feeling their gazes on me—honestly, I wanted to run away immediately. The only reason I was able to endure it at all was thanks to the chaotic energy in the chat.
“...Well then, shall we move on to the next posture?”
“Yes…”
After brushing off that small commotion, Harum taught me several other Pilates moves. Roll-up. Rollover. One-leg circle. Double-leg stretch. There were some annoying ones, but none that were particularly difficult.
“What the…?”
At some point Harum started looking at me with a puzzled expression. Was there something strange?
“Miss Lene.”
“Yes…?”
“Just a moment. Could you turn the camera for me?”
“Huh? …Eek?!”
“H-Harum, ma’am…?”
“Wow… this is incredible.”
Harum lightly lifted the hem of the dress shirt I was wearing and began touching my body. What? Why is she doing this?!
“Miss Lene. Have you been exercising right up until recently?”
“I’ve been resting for a y-year…? But, um…”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s just so fascinating…. Miss Lene, I’m sorry to ask, but could you tighten your core for me?”
“M-My core…?”
“Yes. There’s something I want to check.”
Harum’s tone made it clear she wasn’t going to back off unless I did it, so I squeezed my eyes shut and tensed my abdomen.
“Whoa, Miss Lene. Are you sure you took a whole year off? You haven’t even been doing light exercises at home?”
“I-It’s not like I did nothing at all…!”
It was just the occasional simple movement when I was bored and had nothing else to do. Satisfied with my answer, Harum finally stepped back.
“I’m truly sorry. It’s just that in all the time I’ve been doing this, you’re the first person I’ve seen with this kind of body…”
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“You know what I mean, everyone? I kept telling you that Pilates postures aren’t easy at all, right? But Miss Lene isn’t getting tired at all, so I got curious… Um, how should I put this? I touched Miss Lene’s body a little?”
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“But this is really… to put it simply, your core muscles are no joke. At first I just thought you must have trained a lot, but… wow, you’re incredibly healthy. And yet your skin isn’t damaged at all and there are no stiff areas… I’m actually getting jealous.”
“Thank you…”
“Um…. I think most women would want a body like yours, Miss Lene.”
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“If it’s all right with you, could you tell me later what kind of training you’ve been doing?”
…I probably shouldn’t say I can’t, right? No, that wouldn’t work.