“Fitness club, huh.”
Sophia, who had entered Brilliant’s gym on a trial basis, looked around with an expression of half doubt, half curiosity.
Her own home had the bare minimum equipment to make up for a lack of exercise, but this was probably her first time in such a full-fledged gym.
“Come to think of it, the chairman of Brilliant did say I could use it as much as I wanted.”
The father of Diamond, and the head of the global corporation Brilliant.
At the same time, he was also a major tycoon in the business world who supported the Magical Girl Association from behind the scenes.
Since a man like that had introduced the place with such confidence, it would have been stranger if it were small in scale.
Sophia had come here on nothing more than a whim. She had simply stopped by because the face of Brilliant’s chairman, her sponsor, had come to mind.
“I’m sure they said moving your body is perfect for clearing away idle thoughts, didn’t they?”
She recalled something she had once read in the autobiography of a famous person.
Lately, Sophia’s head had been so full of thoughts of Jade that she had gone day after day unable to even sleep properly.
She herself was not especially aware of it, but within her, her feelings for Jade had already begun to grow little by little.
In that case, she might as well exercise and drive away her distracting thoughts—that was the lighthearted idea with which she made her way to the entrance.
A moment later, an employee who spotted Sophia approached and immediately greeted her.
“Welcome, Lady Sophia. I will guide you to the VIP room at once.”
“…Yes. Please do.”
If he was one of Brilliant’s subordinates, he must have already memorized the faces of every magical girl.
Without the slightest suspicion, Sophia followed the employee, who had immediately identified her, to the top floor of the building.
Whirr—
When the automatic doors opened, the sight that unfolded before her was truly jaw-dropping.
There were dozens of exercise machines lined up, and she could not even begin to guess how they were meant to be used.
On top of that, there were towels she could use as much as she liked, unlimited refills of sports drinks, and even protein supplements to soothe her muscles.
“We operate twenty-four hours a day as a rule, but there may be times when staff are away depending on circumstances. In that case, please press the call bell at the counter.”
“……”
Born into a wealthy household, Sophia was fairly immune to luxurious spaces.
However, in an unfamiliar place, feeling this level of intensity left her unable not to be overwhelmed, and the unconventional twenty-four-hour, year-round operation gave her a small shock as well.
“I’ve come to the gym, sure, but what should I do first…”
It felt rude to call back the employee who had already returned to the counter on the first floor.
Sophia wandered around inside for a while, shuffling her feet and wasting time.
Until she discovered a familiar face in the corner.
“Oh my, Miss Amber?”
“Hm? Sophia! What brings you here?”
At Sophia’s call, she stopped playing table tennis, which she had been absorbed in, and immediately came over.
After exchanging formal greetings, the two explained how each of them had come here.
“I don’t really know either, but it looks like Dia-chan upgraded me to VIP somehow. I guess this is what having friends is all about, right?”
“Oh.”
Being a VIP of Brilliant, a global corporation, held considerable value in this world. Its effects would likely apply not only to this gym, but to most stores as well.
It was a story that gave a glimpse of Diamond’s generous side, casually granting such privileges.
“By the way, Senior is here too. He’s showering over there right now, though.”
“Mr. Jade is…”
At those words, Sophia’s heart thumped.
How many times had she dreamed during this vacation of facing him in a private space?
The fact that she had found Jade in this gym she had wandered into without thinking felt almost like fate.
As she walked toward the shower room as if entranced, she sensed someone’s presence at precisely the right moment.
“Whew. That was refreshing.”
“Mr. J-Jade?!”
A half-naked man, droplets of water still clinging to him here and there, right after finishing his shower.
If what Sophia had seen had been the body of an ordinary man, she would not have reacted this excessively.
But the person she had been unable to get out of her head every day was standing before her in a state of undress, so it was only natural that she could not hide her agitation.
“Oh, it’s Sophia. Did you come to work out too?”
The person in question greeted her calmly, which, from Sophia’s perspective, was enough to drive her mad.
“Never mind the greeting, hurry up and put on your—!”
Sophia hurriedly clamped a hand over her own mouth just as she was about to say, Please put on your clothes.
For a pure girl who normally had no opportunity to come into contact with stimulating content, this situation was like an elementary school student encountering an adult magazine for the first time—
“So this is what Mr. Jade’s body looks like…”
Since he always wore Eclipse’s uniform, she had rarely had a chance to know what his physique was like, and that gap struck her with devastating force.
Jade had lived a life with little connection to exercise ever since his days in Korea, but thanks to several days of efficient training devised by Ruri, his body had already become quite well trained.
“Senior. Even if I was the only one here, I’m not sure about coming out after a shower wearing only pants.”
“You’re right. I ended up showing Sophia something unsightly.”
Their conversation no longer reached her ears.
She was simply desperately taking in Jade’s half-naked form with her eyes, engraving that body into her mind.
However, because she had become far too excited, in the end—
“Sophia, doesn’t your breathing sound kind of rough?”
Before she could even finish hearing Jade’s words, she lost consciousness and collapsed.
***
I laid Sophia, who had collapsed from exhaustion with a nosebleed, on a soft chair and nursed her until she came to.
For reference, Ruri had gone home to attend to Dia, who had returned from the neighboring country.
“Ahem. Thank you for moving me.”
“…You’re really all right, aren’t you?”
“Yes. It seems fatigue had built up a little.”
At a glance, she felt like the usual Sophia, but seeing the dark circles under her eyes, it seemed she was forcing herself to maintain her composure.
She must have some serious worry that was interfering with her sleep.
“Um, Mr. Jade, do you have experience exercising?”
Maybe it was to change the subject. She suddenly asked me something strange.
“Not really? I think I spent more time sitting at a desk.”
If anything, my athletic ability is on the bad side. Back in middle school, I kicked a soccer ball the wrong way and got chewed out for nearly three days.
After that, I practiced desperately, so at least my soccer skills improved quite a bit, but when it comes to other sports, I’m still at a beginner’s level.
When I stared at Sophia, wondering why she had asked such a question, she immediately gave me an answer.
“Um… your muscles seem quite developed. At the café, you’re always wearing long clothes, so I didn’t know.”
“Ah, I thought the same thing. Up until a few days ago, you were normal.”
Amber suddenly butted in, as if she had been curious about it herself.
It made sense. I had lived a life with no connection to working out, yet after exercising for just a few days, I had gained muscle like this.
For Amber, who was always nearby and saw my body often, this sudden change would understandably bother her.
“Apparently I have a body with a naturally well-formed frame, so muscle develops quickly. That’s how Ruri explained it.”
She had gone on and on about male hormones and whatnot, wearing an envious expression.
I had definitely heard before that women had a harder time building muscle physically.
Since she fought on the front lines without any mana, if her efficiency in developing her body was poor, that would be a huge penalty.
“You really have a blessed body. I gain weight right away even if I eat just a little.”
“That’s because you lie down right after eating.”
For someone who was constantly eating potato chips on my bed, she was good at acting wronged.
“How much did you weigh again? Fifty-five?”
“Aaaah! Why do you know that?!”
“If you’re going to use the scale at my place, at least realize that much. It leaves a record.”
That said, Amber did not particularly give the impression of being fat.
I do prefer slender builds, but if someone is too lacking in flesh, it oddly makes me feel uneasy, so right around where she was now seemed just right.
“Ah, Sophia, if you have nothing to do, why don’t you come by from time to time? We’re just sitting around here killing time anyway.”
I threw that question at Sophia, who had been listening to our ridiculous conversation.
“I come here every day if I can. I have nothing to do for a while anyway.”
Even if I forced myself to return to the Silver Order, I would only be treated like a thorn in the side by the other small fry.
In that case, if I at least built some muscle and created an intimidating presence, they would probably be less likely to threaten me openly.
It was a somewhat childish way of thinking, but if that kind of life continued for a year, anyone’s personality would turn rough.
“Th-then should I try doing that too? I’ve been wanting to move my body lately anyway…”
“That sounds good. If there’s someone you know, it’ll be more fun.”
In particular, doing cardio alone was boring beyond imagination. To make matters worse, this world did not even have earphones, so I could not listen to music.
In that sense, having an acquaintance nearby meant we could chat and even motivate each other, so Sophia’s suggestion was very welcome news.
“I’ll explain the posture and how to use the equipment. It’s just knowledge I picked up by watching Ruri, though.”
“…Please do.”
She nodded with a small smile.
It felt like it had been a long time since I had seen Sophia smile.