The Price of a Meatball
"Louder!"
"One!"
"Harder!"
"Two!"
Whoosh, whoosh! As I punched the air, the dinosaur-paw sleeves covering my hands fluttered in the wind.
Watching from the side, Rain shook her head and sighed. Right after afternoon training ended, Shine, Rain, and I had changed into animal onesies and gathered together again. Victor was with us, too.
"Too weak."
I hung my head in silence. Just as Victor had suggested, Rain had begun to train me. But I didn't possess the kind of physical strength required to unleash monstrous power like Rain could.
"Should I... start taking protein?" I muttered, recalling the strawberry-flavored powder I'd seen in Victor's room. I hadn't known what it was at first, but now I did. That delicious powder was a supplement meant to help build muscle.
"No," Rain said, shaking her head as she fell back into her stance. "A strong body comes from a strong mind!"
With a spirited shout, Rain thrust her fist straight forward. Whoosh—crack! The moment her fist struck the empty air, it produced a sharp, explosive sound. I stared with my mouth agape, completely unable to reconcile her terrifying display with the adorable yellow chick onesie she was wearing.
"Hey, Rain... how are you so strong?" I asked, staring at her slender arms. It was a natural question. How could someone with such a young—no, fragile-looking—body exert such immense power?
"Training!" Rain declared proudly, as if I had asked the most obvious question in the world.
Watching from the sidelines, Victor clicked his tongue and chimed in. "Rain has exceptional control over water. If there are impurities mixed in, her control drops drastically, but the water inside her own body is a different story."
"Huh?" When I failed to grasp his explanation, Victor kindly elaborated. "How do ordinary ability users unleash explosive physical capabilities? Assuming they aren't physical enhancement types, that is."
"Well..."
"It's possible if their ability is directly linked to their physical body. Lightning-type abilities, or water-type abilities like Rain's, fall into this category."
Victor stood up and raised his fist. Staring into the empty air, he suddenly threw a punch. Whoosh—crack! His lightning-fast strike produced a small sonic boom, just like Rain's had. His fist moved so quickly that my eyes couldn't even track it.
"How lightning-type users utilize superhuman strength... you should know this, shouldn't you?"
I nodded blankly. It was the same during the fight on the road, and during my very first exam. The brain subconsciously places limits on the body to protect it. But for a lightning-type user, those limits can be bypassed by artificially manipulating the brain's electrical signals.
"But doing that injures the body," I pointed out.
And it was true. When I entered the Origin State on the road, my arms and legs were ruined after only a few movements. If I had maintained that state any longer, my legs would have surely been torn to shreds.
"And that's why you need me!" Rain shouted proudly, cutting in front of Victor.
"You?"
"Yep."
"I'll leave her physical conditioning to you, Rain," Victor said. With that, he scooped up Shine, who was dozing off next to us, tucked her under his arm, and walked out of the room. Her long, plush dinosaur tail dragged along the floor.
"Ah! Wait! Let me go!" Shine's voice, dripping with irritation, echoed from beyond the closed door.
Left alone in the room, Rain looked at me, her eyes sparkling.
"Jeff!"
"Yeah?"
"Your answer should be, 'Yes, ma'am!'"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good."
Satisfied with my response, Rain nodded with a faint smile. I let out a quiet sigh. Rain's demands weren't actually that complicated. It was just that my body wasn't capable of executing them properly.
"Push-ups! One hundred reps!"
"Eek!"
Sweating profusely, I began to pump my arms. One, two, three, four... As the count rose, my arms trembled violently, and sweat poured down my forehead. Finally, with a flushed face and ragged breath, I collapsed onto the floor.
"One hundred!"
"No, Jeff. You've only done twenty."
"It felt like a hundred..."
"Jeff, if you don't train hard, your body won't be able to take the strain."
"Yeah, I get what you mean. But I don't see how this relates to you, Rain. You don't even have the same ability as me."
"The principle is different, but the result is similar. In my case, I forcibly accelerate the circulation of the blood in my body to boost my metabolism and gain explosive physical power."
I nodded, understanding her point that despite having completely different abilities, the end result was much the same.
"Someone like Victor doesn't really need this method, but for me, it's a crucial skill. Which means my mastery over physical control is actually much higher."
"I see."
"We're going to focus on how to move without injuring yourself, how to train efficiently, and targeting the areas that are most prone to injury!"
As she spoke, Rain patted my back as I lay flat on the floor. The plush dinosaur spikes on my hood were mercilessly ruffled by her hands.
"Up you get! You still have eighty more to go!"
Cheep, cheep. The noisy chick's voice rang in my ears. Grimacing, I pushed myself back up. Though my brief rest had restored some of my strength, I couldn't manage another twenty straight reps like before. In the end, by breaking them down into sets of ten with plenty of rest in between, I finally managed to complete the hundred push-ups Rain demanded.
"Done!"
As I panted heavily, trying to catch my breath, Rain approached and wiped the sweat from my face. The tiny handkerchief held in her small hand carried a refreshing scent. As she meticulously dabbed at my forehead, cheeks, and neck, I stared at the door Victor and Shine had exited through.
"Why did he take Shine?"
"Who knows? Maybe he figured my training style wouldn't suit her."
"You think so?"
"Yep."
As I spent more time training with Rain, I suddenly realized it was dinner time.
Dinner! Dinner was the glorious hour when I could eat actual, delicious food. It was the only time of the day when Amy didn't pack a lunchbox for us. The single hour of the day when delicious food was permitted. Drooling slightly, I scrambled to my feet.
"Jeff, you still have fifty more reps."
"But... it's dinner time..."
"No food until you finish all fifty."
I looked toward the exit of the training hall with a tearful face. The afternoon training session had ended long ago, leaving the hall completely deserted. Rain's face as she giggled softly looked absolutely terrifying.
Whining, I forced my body to move. My stomach muscles burned. It hurt so much. Muscles I didn't even know existed screamed in agony.
"One hundred!"
"Yay!"
The moment I hit the hundredth rep, I spread my arms wide and collapsed flat on my back. I couldn't move another inch. My mouth hung open, desperately gasping for air. Pant, pant.
"Let's do some more after dinner!"
At Rain's horrifying words, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Dragging my exhausted body to the cafeteria, I spotted a rather unusual pair. Shine was sitting side-by-side with Victor, eating dinner. Sensing my arrival immediately, she leaped up from her seat and called out.
"Jeff!"
Dinosaur-Shine bounded toward me, her long plush tail swaying left and right with every step. Since she didn't have her hood up, her white hair fluttered beautifully behind her.
"Hey, Shine."
She threw her arms wide and hugged me tight. Her touch was incredibly gentle, as if she was carefully making sure not to hurt me.
"How was training?"
"Good."
Holding me close, Shine glanced at Rain standing beside me. Their eyes met in midair. Without a single word, Rain and Shine exchanged a silent nod.
"Perfect," Shine murmured.
"What's perfect?"
What on earth had just passed between them? Feeling a sudden pang of exclusion at their silent understanding, I quickly questioned them. But neither of them gave me an answer.
"Hey, what is it? What's going on? Tell me too!"
"Jeff, you must be hungry. Let's eat."
Shine took my hand and pulled me toward the table where Victor was sitting. Victor, who was in the middle of eating, gave me a brief wave. By the time my cheeks puffed up with pouty dissatisfaction, Shine had already guided me into the seat next to her.
"What are you having?" Victor asked.
"Oh, um... pork cutlet, please."
It was an unexpected question from him. Upon hearing my answer, he naturally stood up and headed toward the ordering kiosk.
"That's not actually Victor, is it?" Rain muttered, staring in disbelief. She watched his retreating back for a moment before scurrying off to the kiosk herself.
While watching the two of them order, my gaze drifted to Shine's plate. She was eating spaghetti. The tangy aroma of tomato sauce tickled my nose. The long, glossy noodles looked incredibly appetizing, to say nothing of the meatballs resting on top. Gulping, I looked up at Shine.
"Do you want some?"
"Yes!"
At my enthusiastic reply, Shine smiled brightly and lifted her fork. My expectations soared. My heart fluttered with intense anticipation.
"Here."
She speared the absolute smallest meatball on her plate and held it out to me.
"Um, Shine..."
Can't I have a bigger one? I wanted to ask, but the words caught in my throat. Shine nudged the fork closer to my lips, urging me to eat.
Nom. I took the meatball from her fork. The moment I bit into it, the savory flavor burst in my mouth, and my exhausted face instantly melted into bliss. It felt as though all the fatigue built up from a grueling day of training was washing away.
"Is it good?"
"Yes!"
It was really, really, really delicious. Shine chuckled softly, then speared the largest meatball on her plate and popped it into her own mouth. I watched in tragic silence as the giant meatball vanished. As I stared blankly, Shine's fork moved again. This time, she picked up another massive meatball. Chomp. She chewed on it happily.
"Want some more?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"In exchange, give me a kiss on the cheek."
It was a bold demand, delivered so naturally that my brain momentarily short-circuited.
"Y-you want a what?"
"A kiss. Right here on the cheek." Shine speared another large meatball and held it out. "You want to eat it, don't you? Hurry up."
"But... this is..."
"It's not weird at all. Family members do this all the time."
"Well, yeah, but..."
I glanced around to check our surroundings. Over by the kiosk, Rain and Victor seemed to be having some sort of issue. Rain was repeatedly kicking Victor's shin as he stood there like a statue, completely ignoring her. It looked like it would take them a while to get back.
"O-okay..." I nodded and leaned forward.
Shine's face drew closer, her soft, pale cheek filling my vision. She closed her eyes, her face brimming with anticipation. The corners of her lips twitched slightly, as if she was holding back a laugh.
"H-here I go!"
I took a deep breath and puckered my lips. It was just a simple kiss, but for some reason, my heart was pounding with embarrassment. My lips gently reached out.
But at that exact moment, Shine whipped her head around.
Chu.
Something soft and tender brushed against my lips. I instantly recoiled, my heart leaping into my throat.