The gym.
Also called a fitness club or a gym, it was a place created for refining the human body.
Training stamina, building muscle, maintaining one’s figure.
People visited the gym with their own purposes in mind, but my reason for heading there was a little more casual.
[ Free Admission Ticket Celebrating Our Grand Opening ]
I hurried along, fluttering the ticket in my hand, which had a strangely luxurious feel to it.
Normally, it was the sort of place I wouldn’t even glance at, but since I’d gone out of my way to get a free pass from Rabi, I decided to give it a try.
Thanks to my indefinite vacation, I’d spent every day lazing around at home, so building up my stamina wouldn’t be a bad idea.
‘And since I’m technically part of an evil organization, I’d like to raise my combat ability too.’
No matter how low-ranking I was, being subdued by a girl like Ruri was enough to wound a man’s pride.
Of course, since she was an active magical girl, there was no helping the fact that she herself was strong, but back in high school, even without exercising much, my grip strength had been close to 50. In a lot of ways, it had been quite a shock.
Since I had more than enough time anyway, maybe I should train enough strength to surprise even Rabi.
“Haa, just when I thought make-up classes were finally over, now it’s exercise?”
…Together with Amber, who had been lazing around at home.
“It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like you had anything to do anyway.”
“It’s too sudden! Why did you have to get interested in something like working out at a time like this?”
Maybe because I’d dragged her here against her will, she puffed out her cheeks and complained.
“I’m not forcing you to come with me. It’s just awkward going in alone.”
To begin with, I’d never even been to a neighborhood gym before, so stepping into a professional place like this was even more of a hurdle.
But it was a different story if I had someone from the sunny side of society with me. Amber had the kind of sociability that made it seem like she could befriend a passing saber tiger.
I’d dump all the questions about how to use the gym and explanations of the equipment onto her, then leisurely work out by myself.
“It’s summer vacation, so I was finally going to relax at home. Grumble, grumble…”
“You said you’ve been gaining weight lately too. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”
“Ugh, it hurts when you say it that directly!”
I personally thought girls were healthier with a bit of softness to them, but she probably had her own thoughts on the matter.
After soothing the grumbling Amber and walking for about five minutes, the sign for our destination finally came into view.
[ Brilliant Fitness Club ]
A massive building with walls made entirely of reinforced glass.
I’d already checked it out in pictures, but seeing it in person like this was still quite the sight.
“Brilliant… Ah, is this Dia-chan’s place?”
“I think it opened about a week ago. Seriously, they’ve got their hands in everything.”
It seemed that the global corporation that had already conquered countless industries had finally started paying attention to the gym-rat customer base.
Since this was a world where magic existed, I’d assumed sculpting one’s body wouldn’t be that popular, but maybe that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“It looks like the entire building is a gym.”
“How much money did they spend on this…? Until three months ago, this was just an empty lot.”
Since buildings could be constructed with magic here, the speed of development exceeded imagination. I’d heard rumors that even Jewelry Academia had been completed in just two years.
Taking that into account, I could understand why a company like Brilliant was aggressively chasing profits.
***
When we entered the gym, a female employee standing at the counter greeted us.
“Mr. Jade and Ms. Amber, confirmed. I’ll guide you to the VIP room, so please follow me this way.”
After checking our names along with the ticket I handed her, the employee said that.
“VIP? This is our first time here, so why are we getting that kind of treatment?”
“Miss Diamond told us herself. She said the two of you are precious friends of hers.”
“Hee, Dia-chan did…”
It felt a little excessive, but that girl had a somewhat childish side, so it wasn’t strange for her to do something like this.
There was no particular reason to refuse, so I decided to accept her goodwill.
If there was just one thing I found questionable—
‘For a grand opening, there don’t seem to be many customers.’
No offense to gym rats, but when I thought of a gym, I pictured countless macho men showing off their bodies and sweating it out.
But here, there were only a few female customers here and there, and I couldn’t spot any other guests.
Had word not spread yet? Considering the size of the building, it gave the impression that they might be operating at a loss.
‘It might simply be because this area isn’t very busy, but…’
As I held that question in mind, we arrived at the VIP room before I knew it.
Along with numerous exercise machines, there was also a small space in the corner where people could enjoy table tennis or billiards.
“This is the changing room. VIP members may also use private rooms, so please use whichever you prefer.”
After calmly finishing her explanation, the employee left for somewhere else.
“Then I’ll go change. Senior is… already in gym clothes.”
“I’ll be waiting, so take your time.”
While waiting for Amber after she headed to the changing room, I looked around the interior and spotted the familiar back of a woman.
“Hoo, hoo…”
Even with a gigantic barbell on her back, she continued doing squats with an expression that said it wasn’t especially difficult.
It was unmistakably Ruri. Her physique and hair were exactly the same.
‘Since this place was made by Brilliant, I guess there’s no problem with a maid using it.’
I had been thinking of just watching Ruri continue her squats with that proper form.
“……”
But something about her posture was so alluring that it was hard to look straight at her.
‘Wait. This isn’t good.’
She didn’t have a figure as explosively voluptuous as Dia’s. Rather, in keeping with her martial-artist character, she was closer to a slender type with a narrow waist.
But because of that, when she lowered her hips, her butt was emphasized, creating a sight that was hard to describe.
‘Why did she have to wear such tight leggings…?’
Since she normally gave off a boyish impression, the sense of immorality was overwhelming. To be honest, a girl like Ruri was also pretty much my type.
‘No, that’s not it. What’s wrong with someone wearing clothes they’re comfortable exercising in?’
It would be rude to nitpick the outfit of someone working out earnestly.
In fact, wouldn’t it be proper to look straight at this scene as a way of acknowledging her effort?
Fortunately, the employee who had guided us here seemed to have gone somewhere, and Ruri didn’t appear to have noticed me either.
In that case, I would enjoy this brief miracle unfolding before my eyes—
“Wait!! Where are you staring so intently?!”
“Ah, I got caught.”
At Amber’s noisy voice, Ruri finished her squats and placed the barbell back on the rack.
“…Mr. Jade and Ms. Amber. Have you been well?”
“Well, yeah. You look healthy too.”
“Wow… You were just secretly staring at her butt, and you can still say that?”
Why would you say that?
“Is there something enjoyable about my posterior?”
“Well. You’re still a girl, so seeing you like that, defenseless, is a little exciting, or…”
“Hmm.”
At my disgusting excuse, she stared at me with an expression as though she were thinking about something.
“Umm, Ms. Ruri? There’s something I’d like to ask…”
Fortunately, Amber stopped the situation before it could turn into an awkward atmosphere.
“Please feel free to call me Ruri.”
“Then Ruri it is! Where did Dia-chan go, leaving you to exercise alone?”
“Miss Dia is currently visiting the neighboring country to inspect a new business site—”
Using her characteristic sociability, Amber slipped into the other person’s good graces in an instant.
She’d also been taught by Ruri before, so it was probably easy for them to get close.
‘If she’s sociable enough to be friends with three magical girls, just how much of an extrovert is she?’
Sometimes, I envied Amber’s innocent personality.
“More importantly, since we happened to meet at the gym, could you teach us how to use the exercise equipment?”
“That sounds great! Ruri looks like a total expert!”
“Understood. Then let’s begin with the basic squat.”
And so, while listening to Ruri’s explanation, we decided to try doing squats.
“Huff, huff… I’m already tired.”
“Hey, come on. You’re an active academy student. What are you going to do if you can’t even endure this much?”
She’d only done ten reps, yet her muscles already seemed to have reached their limit.
“Ugh… Senior, you can do this on your own. I’ll find an easier machine and use that.”
Amber dragged her exhausted body away, trudging off somewhere.
Since I’d forced her to come, I couldn’t really blame her. Besides, I’d already nagged her several times over the retest.
“Then I’ll do it by myself?”
“It’s fine, so do whatever you want~”
It felt a little lonely, but since Ruri was staying with me, I decided it was fine.
“All right. Since I’m doing this anyway, I want to try it with a barbell too.”
“Understood. Then I’ll demonstrate first, so please hold the bar and follow my movements.”
One-on-one coaching from the magical girl Maika was surprisingly enjoyable.
It was fulfilling, you could say. It felt like I had found a new hobby.
‘Is this how everyone turns into a gym rat?’
I had no intention of building that much muscle, but I did want to see Rabi surprised by my muscles.
Since I was a VIP and didn’t have to worry about other members’ eyes, I decided I’d keep coming here regularly for a while.