Reclaiming My Awesome Muscles at Dawn
Getting up early at the crack of dawn to hustle isn't as easy as it sounds. But for a farmer boy from the countryside, rising with the sun was the most basic routine of all. At first, it was fine, but then schoolwork piled on, and I kept getting dragged into one mess after another, so I started lingering in bed longer and longer.
On top of that, my roommate Meru Lume—who turns out to be a vampire—was crashing hard during the day sometimes, birthing the ultimate sleepyhead duo. Today, too, I shoved off Lume, who was clinging to me super tight and nuzzling my neck like a total koala, and got ready to head out for my morning workout. What was I hiding? I'd promised my friends we'd all hit the gym Ephemera had opened up for free.
She'd even covered the expansions, repairs, and maintenance with her overflowing points. But if I broke something? I'd probably have to shell out to fix it myself. Anyway, thanks to our top-student superstar, we had a proper place to train now, so we'd decided to meet up regularly like our study group...
"If you're thinking of going out without shaving your armpit hair, kill me first!!!!!!"
As I crossed the dorm doorway—which the Grand Duke had turned into a full-on prison by merging with the space itself—he let out a howl. Hell's warlord, one of the overlords, the embodiment of [Change] that governs all transformations... he swore on his rank to make me shave those pits if it killed him. His resistance was no joke; it was ferocious.
Even Void Mask handed me a razor out of nowhere, suggesting I trim it down a bit, so I had no choice but to shave. "Can I go now?"
"Put something on top!!!!!!"
The Grand Duke roared like he was about to breathe fire. He was so loud that Lume woke up, and she grabbed me when I tried to head out in what even I had to admit was insane attire—basically deranged.
"I get wanting to show off those gorgeous cherry blossoms and declare spring's here, but if you don't cover up, I'll show you what a real vampire rampage looks like."
"I'll wear it..."
And so, throwing on a tank top over my workout clothes, I shuffled off to the gym in a half-asleep daze. Was it that I wasn't fully awake? Or maybe this girl's body just needed more sleep. "Gotta shower after the workout..."
I swept my bangs back with a headband, towel in hand, waddling like a penguin.
"Whoa, it's still dark out, but she's so black she stands out from a mile away."
"You know that applies to me too, right?"
Ignoring Kali's hurt expression, Beatus dug in their ear. "You covered up the milk jugs? Thought you'd go without—finally learned some civilization, farm girl?"
"Was gonna, but they said they'd kill me if I did."
"If you'd come like that, I'd have killed you."
As a sensitive succubus/incubus type, I could tell our class guys were suffering sleepless nights from it—you'd never understand my pain. Beatus shuddered in disgust and herded the group along. "Everyone's here—let's get moving and work out already."
"Huh?"
Following her, I sensed a weird presence and glanced back. Long centipede legs poked out from behind a tree. Yep... the type who quietly stalks her crush. So shy. 'Should've brought a bento if I knew we'd bump into her like this.' I'd prepped a packed lunch thinking she'd show at lunchtime, and now I regretted not grabbing it. Eh, I could always swing by after class. Giving her space, I headed into the gym.
I figured it'd be just us at this hour, but Ephemera was there alone, pumping iron. She had barbells bigger than her head loaded up on both sides and was doing squats.
"Huff... huff..."
"Does top rank come with a curse that kills you if you slack off...?"
"I couldn't live like that... She knows moderation, so that's why she's knight material."
Beatus and Kali recoiled at Ephemera, who trained like a maniac every single day without rest. Library? Studying. Gym? Working out. Eating? Reading. Before bed? Probably memorizing vocab lying down, with words plastered on the dorm ceiling. Her whole lifestyle was on another level—I gave up trying to beat her right quick. If a hardcore effort freak like that hates you for meddling about their grind, it's your fault, right?
"Alright! Squats for me too!!"
"No way... Start with the pink dumbbells."
"I can do it!!"
Beatus brushed me off, so I eyed the dumbbells on the floor... the dumbbells... Were they magnetized? The 10kg ones wouldn't budge. Beatus and I stared in silence.
"Not dissing you—worried."
"Got stamina but no strength—why?"
I could run the track for 12 hours straight without tiring, but ironically, girl body meant my muscles had straight-up evaporated. Stuck trading blows with the pink dumbbells like a loser, I flopped over bawling. "My manly pride!!!!"
"Come on, ignore it and let's train."
"Hehe, facilities for big suin too—top-notch~"
"Don't get too predictable or they adapt—mix in some curveballs now and then."
"What're you even saying!!"
Grumbling at the Grand Duke's advice, I tussled with the pink dumbbells. Thirty minutes in, my arms melted like jelly, and I surrendered pathetically. My face burned beet red—I wanted to shove it in a hole like an ostrich.
"Urk... Let's do bodyweight stuff... Planks! I can do those!"
"Back when I was a guy, I could hold 'em for 10 hours...!!"
"Hips too high, scapulae sticking out."
"Ack! Ahh...! Hnngh...!"
The moans from this chick making the morning workout guys blush... Nah, it was me gasping for air, whimpering unconsciously. [Change] tilted his head—did Mom do it too? Was foxing out under strain a witch trait?
"This nest is nice and perky."
"It's heavy—get off!!"
"One crow's maybe 10-11 times lighter than your tits..."
"Fucking heavy!!"
"You have packed on some pounds lately."
Planks turned into full-body torture after two minutes—arms gave out from weak strength. Shouldn't my back hurt? Nah, probably the chest weight. Flipping over to stare at the ceiling crushed my lungs, so I forced myself up and collapsed forward, panting.
"At this rate... when am I picking up a sword again..."
"Bringing protein? Hilarious."
"I'm seriously considering gear—shut it."
I chugged the protein, but tiny mouth meant it dribbled down my chest. "Was dying of thirst!!" The Grand Duke dunked his whole head in—not just beak—and slurped. I was too wiped to even complain.
While I flailed around, others trained. "Flat bench press!! Barbells? Cool!"
Our commoner rep Yamucha Aranemu was crushing heavy upper-body lifts. Not losing to Ephemera, he gripped a massive barbell and heaved it up. Girls around snuck peeks—blatantly.
Jealous...! A guy showing off chiseled upper-body gains while pressing? Even dudes envy that hotness! Good trainers are bros, and this was prime learning— I sidled up. "Yamucha bro, teach me your routine~"
Huffing with it overhead when I spoke, Yamucha's face froze. My chest made distance tricky... accidental deadly weight add-on. But manly Yamucha wouldn't scream or play weak with girls watching.
"Rawr!!!"
Arms ballooned, veins popped. Neck bulging, he gritted and pressed—shoving my chest away—barely racking it.
"S-sorry... did I bump you?"
"Too light—didn't notice. Here to train?"
Could've died, but he smiled, panting, and handed me water...! Grand Duke teared up at the pride-packed youth. "Planks wreck me... can't even lift small dumbbells."
"No rush—take it slow. Want help?"
"Please!!"
Others chimed in to assist as Yamucha wiped sweat—then scorpion girl wedged between us. "Hey, Tina? Don't you hate working out? Wiyu, this is our classmate Zeke Giratina."
"Ahh... Got it. Everything clicks now."
I eyed Tina with narrowed gaze; she stared back, eyes slitted. Beef between them? Yamucha tactfully ignored and refocused—prime distraction time, so muscles it was.
Leaving him be, I pulled Tina aside. "Honestly, that bento was a bit salty."
"That's not the only issue...!! It was for me!"
"Yeah, I know... Sob... Thought my peak popularity day had arrived... You like Yamucha, huh."
Our Zeke had cozied up to me—Yamucha's club buddy—via bento to win favor!! She'd scoped my constant "broke and hungry" whines and picked the perfect gift! Then use me to get close to him.
"I'm sharp as hell."
"Bullshit."
"You were just trying to seduce Yamucha with those massive tits!! I saw you shove 'em in!!"
"I didn't shove!! They're just too big—I can't control 'em!!"
"Can't control 'em, huh. Know how it feels getting headbutted by these every step?"
Seemed she mistook me for flirting since I looked girl—about to explain when Beatus butted in, squishing my chest. "Mine are big too!!"
Tina trembled at mine, then yelled. We three stared—but hers looked smaller than Beatus's... We said nothing, but Beatus stomped our insteps—Kali's and mine.
"Pointless big tits can distort smaller ones. As a succubus/incubus, I'll check. Kali, help."
"Sure."
"Mm, perfect slope. 100% cliff."
"No better expert than Beatus."
Too perfect to deny, Beatus hopped down. Half-goat instincts make cliffs killer, she said—averting eyes from dead-fish Zeke.
"Enough boob talk!! We're same year! And I'm just friends with Yamucha! Don't worry—I won't steal him!"
"Urghhh..."
"Looks like acceptance, but what can ya do against a monster chewing venom and razors? Gotta resign."
Beatus's final nail: Tina wordlessly sobbed into Kali's arms. Too true—Kali smacked her, bump rising; Beatus duck-lipped grumbling.
An hour of solid grinding later. Consistent workouts since enrollment—maybe some gains? Posed in the mirror.
"...Black magic?"
Kali muttered low. Beatus reacted next—eyes on my head. A 100kg barbell plate, no business up there, dropped from the ceiling.
"Wiyu!!"
"Hehehe."
Clang!! Too late—smashed straight into my skull.
"Ooh, looking a bit more manly muscled...!"
"....."
"...."
"Eh? You call me?"
"...Nah, keep going."
Then—thunk—it fell from my head, clipping my pinky toe. Expression unchanged, I scratched under my chest itchily. Wiyu Witchcraft.
"This won't be on my tab, right?"
She fretted only over the mangled plate.