Chapter 9: Muscle Training
After finishing dinner, I cleared the dishes and told Mai to take a bath first. While my sister enjoyed her bath, I returned to my room to tackle the mountain of unfinished assignments.
Sitting at my desk, I silently worked my pen across the pages. Partway through, I noticed a strange itch, a physical craving for something.
My gaze wandered on its own, drawn to the dumbbells laying next to my bed.
(Could it be... this urge is my body craving a workout?)
Since reincarnating, I'd noticed something peculiar. Shindo Ryusuke, despite being a delinquent, had a surprisingly muscular physique for someone leading an unhealthy lifestyle.
This led me to conclude: this body must be undergoing regular training, and quite a rigorous regimen at that.
If he were health-conscious, he wouldn't smoke or drink underage. So, the purpose of this habitual muscle training must be something other than health.
I looked around the room and realized, seeing the bookshelf stuffed with delinquent manga.
(I see. He probably started muscle training because he idolized the protagonists of those delinquent manga and wanted to be like them.)
This must be an unspoken backstory never revealed in the series.
Shindo Ryusuke might have turned to delinquency inspired by these manga. Unfortunately, this world isn't a delinquent manga but a typical rom-com where the protagonist builds a harem with the heroines.
No matter how much he admired the world of delinquent manga, the reality here was he was doomed to be nothing more than a foil for the protagonists.
However, having a body already trained and fit was a stroke of luck. Rom-coms often have scenes where the protagonist shines in sports like basketball or soccer, earning the admiration of the heroines.
If I quit smoking and drinking and restored my body to full health, I could potentially upgrade from the villain to a desirable athletic character.
I decided to keep training my body. Beyond studying and household chores, I had to make every effort possible.
With that resolve, I temporarily set aside my assignments and began the muscle training my body craved. Unlike my previous body, lifting heavy dumbbells felt effortless. I could do endless sit-ups, and exercises like squats and back extensions were a breeze.
As expected of a top-tier villain character.
To stand against the protagonist as a villain, one might have outstanding athletic abilities too.
Shindo Ryusuke, before I reincarnated, might have simply been misguided in his efforts, idolizing delinquent manga. If I accumulated honest and wholesome efforts as a serious and decent young man, this muscle training would surely pay off someday.
With that hope in mind, I continued to sweat profusely, alternating between intense training and studying until I grew breathless.
Although I wanted to keep this up, it was only my first day since reincarnating, and I felt sleepy even though it wasn’t yet 9 PM.
Overdoing it and staying up late, only to be late for school tomorrow, would be counterproductive.
Telling myself that today was just a warm-up and that the real work would start tomorrow, I headed to the now-empty bathroom to take a shower.
