Chapter 99: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 99
Early morning, in the training grounds attached to Astra’s mansion.
Like something out of a comic book, I did one-finger handstand push-ups, counting silently in my head.
One million twenty-one, one million twenty-two.
Of course, I hadn't actually done one million twenty-two push-ups.
There’s this unspoken rule that when doing push-ups, you have to start counting from there.
After completing a decent number, I stood up and took a sip of water.
Recently, getting up early every morning to train has become a routine.
I had a rough idea from the academy's training, but working out alone made me realize just how extraordinary my physical abilities were.
I could do one-finger push-ups as easily as morning calisthenics.
Though I hadn’t measured it accurately, I could probably manage a combined lift of around 500kg.
This kind of strength coming from these slender arms was astonishing.
If those gym-goers who work hard every day saw this, they’d probably faint from disbelief.
For them, this would indeed be a fantasy.
Anyway, there was one significant problem.
I wanted to get stronger, but having never lived with such a body before, I had no idea how to train effectively on my own.
Even doing 100 push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and running 10km, which could make one's head bald, wasn’t much of a burden on my body.
And I couldn’t just spend all day doing gratitude punches, not knowing if they would be effective...
I should have asked Professor Eve for advice on good training methods when I met her.
As I was thinking this, my phone suddenly rang from a distance.
Since there were only a few numbers registered, I checked the caller ID, and sure enough, it was the person who made up most of my call history.
[Good morning, Scarlet. I hope I'm not calling too early?]
"It's fine, Mei. I’ve been up early working out lately."
I answered with a smile to Mei’s question over the phone.
Fortunately, Mei, who had been addicted to demonic energy, recovered her health without major issues due to prompt treatment.
Although the academy had been temporarily closed, preventing us from seeing each other for a while, we stayed in frequent contact.
But she usually called in the evening, so what could be the reason for this early morning call?
As if reading my mind, Mei quickly got to the point before I could ask.
[Hey, Scarlet. Are you free today? Senior Leonor invited us over for a meal and a catch-up.]
Perfect timing.
Thinking it would be a good chance to meet with the Cooking Club members and get some training advice, I asked Mei.
“I'm free whenever. Where are we meeting?”
[Well, she asked us to come to her house.]
*
Since we planned to meet up and go to Leonor’s house together, I headed to our meeting spot and found Mei already waiting, having arrived early.
In a neat casual outfit, Mei adjusted her glasses and smiled as I ran up to her, greeting me.
“Long time no see. How have you been?”
“I’m fine, of course. It’s such a relief to see you looking healthy. I was really worried.”
“I told you several times over the phone that I was okay. You worry too much. Honestly, I was more worried about you. When I came to, I heard about the big incident and thought you might have gotten seriously hurt again.”
I scratched my head and laughed awkwardly at her pointed remark.
Having seen me lose an arm before, it was understandable.
Seeing my reaction, Mei chuckled and started walking.
“Let’s go to Senior’s house. We can talk more there.”
I nodded and followed her obediently.
“...Is this the place?”
“Yeah, according to the address Senior gave, it should be here.”
I looked up at the house in front of me.
It was an elegant, oriental-style mansion that seemed fit for a noble lady.
But the resident was a blonde, tanned woman...
The irony made me chuckle.
Honestly, I might have felt a bit nervous visiting such a luxurious house before, but living at Sylvia’s grand mansion made me comfortable enough to ring the doorbell without hesitation.
After a brief wait, I heard quick footsteps from inside, and the door opened.
“You’re here! Come on in.”
Seeing Leonor’s appearance through the door, I involuntarily held my breath.
Tank top and dolphin shorts.
And her violent figure was even more emphasized by her attire.
It was her house, so she could dress comfortably, but seeing Leonor in such clothes left me unsure where to look.
Even Mei, also a woman, turned her head and cleared her throat.
“What are you waiting for? Come in before the food gets cold.”
“E-excuse us.”
As we hesitated, stunned by the sight, Leonor beckoned us inside, urging us to come in.
Her words snapped us out of it, and we quickly followed her inside, only to be greeted by a breathtaking sight that made me gasp in awe.
“Wow... Wow...”
Leonor’s outfit was shocking, but the view before us was even more heart-stirring.
Mei seemed equally amazed, her face full of surprise.
“Did you make all this, Senior?”
“Hehe, I put in some effort since you were coming. How is it?”
This is amazing...
Overwhelmed with gratitude, I gave Leonor a thumbs-up.
The dining table was filled with various dishes, making it impossible to guess how many hours she had spent preparing.
While the meals at Sylvia’s mansion were incredibly delicious, they felt too high-class and overwhelming.
But Leonor’s dishes had a homely feel, despite being time-consuming and elaborate like braised short ribs.
Swallowing my saliva, I asked Leonor.
“Senior, thank you, but didn’t you spend too much time on this? I feel like we made you go through unnecessary trouble...”
“Haha, if you’re going to be humble, at least wipe your mouth first. I wanted to do it, so don’t worry. Besides... I have something to tell you.”
Leonor, slightly hesitant, continued with a somewhat sad smile.
“The thing is, the Cooking Club might be disbanded when the academy reopens.”
“What? No way...!”
At Leonor’s words, Mei exclaimed in surprise.
I was momentarily taken aback but then quickly understood the situation and nodded sympathetically.
Given everything that had happened, it wouldn’t be surprising for the club to disband...
Leonor spoke with a complicated expression.
“The cooking club was originally allowed to use the kitchen because of Chef James. But now that he's gone... And even if a new chef comes, they plan to restrict access to the kitchen for security reasons. Even if the club continues, we wouldn’t be able to use the kitchen like before...”
I often had nightmares about what happened that day, so I could understand her feelings. Having spent so much time with James, she must feel it even more deeply than I did.
Leonor paused after speaking, and Mei muttered with a gloomy face.
“So... is the cooking club over? I didn’t get to see much of it, but I really enjoyed cooking together...”
“...It’s really a shame.”
Even though I was mostly there for the food, I had planned to eventually contribute by making my special bean sprout stir-fry. I hadn't expected things to turn out this way...
Seeing our disappointed faces, Leonor, who had been looking sad, spoke to us.
“I said I had something to tell you, right? Hear me out till the end.”
As we tilted our heads in confusion, Leonor continued.
“...I haven't known you both for long, but I really like you. Thinking back, the times I enjoyed the most recently were when we were doing cooking club activities together. So... I have a favor to ask...”
Leonor blushed slightly, seemingly embarrassed, and said to us.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to get together occasionally and have meals, even if it's not for the cooking club? I worked really hard to cook today to ask you this... What do you think?”
For someone who looked like a delinquent, why did she have to act so cute?
While I was pondering this, Mei vigorously nodded and exclaimed.
“I-I’d love to! I’m all for it! I’m not good at dealing with people, but I’ve always wanted to be close to you, Senior...”
Mei answered, sending me a hopeful look.
She didn’t need to be so eager; I already felt indebted to both of them, so I had no reason to refuse.
With that in mind, I said to Leonor.
“I’d like that too. I want to stay on good terms with you, Senior.”
“Oh... thank goodness...”
Leonor murmured in genuine relief, even tearing up a bit as she smiled.
Seeing how much it meant to her, I laughed and said.
“Senior, are you crying?”
“Who’s crying! I’m not crying, so stop teasing and start eating already!”
“Yesss, ma’am.”
“I said I’m not crying!”
“Hahahaha.”
Throughout the meal, laughter never ceased.
It was a time where I could forget my worries and anxieties for a while.
*
After the meal, ignoring Leonor's protests that guests should stay still, we all helped with the dishes. I took the opportunity to ask Leonor and Mei how I could get stronger.
Mei looked at me with a hurt expression and muttered.
“Scarlet, that’s a harsh question to ask someone weaker than you...”
“No, I really just want to know what kind of training I should do to get stronger...”
Startled by her reaction, I answered, and Leonor, who had been listening, chuckled and said.
“Honestly, if we knew that, we’d both be stronger too. I’m pretty strong among my peers, but when I train alone, I often don’t know what to do.”
“I see...”
Getting stronger wasn’t easy after all...
Seeing my disappointed look, Leonor smiled and said.
“Well, I don’t know, but the expert on this just happens to be home today. Wait a minute.”
Leonor said, then called out loudly somewhere.
“Dad!!! Come out for a minute!”
“...What is it? You told me not to come out since your friends were coming over...”
With Leonor’s shout, a sulky voice responded from nearby.
Standing there was a man with the same blonde hair and tanned skin as Leonor, who had appeared as if out of nowhere.
Realizing who Leonor’s helper was, I let out a dry laugh.
Leon Lionel, the hero known as "The One Who Follows Sound," and one of the top five strongest individuals in the world at this point, was also Leonor’s father.
He stood there, looking like a wounded father.
The gyaru and her dad, heh
ReplyDeleteHaha, the One Punch Man reference.
ReplyDeleteAlso hunter x hunter. This is chairman Neteros regimen.
ReplyDelete