Chapter 14

“Wake up! Time for your morning run!”

It wasn't the sweet wake-up call I expected, but rather a sudden and harsh one. I jolted upright in bed, my eyes wide awake.

“That took you a while.”

“... How fast do you wake up?”

“Half a second, maximum.”

“... You don't really expect me to rival that, do you?”

Elerina grinned. “Of course not, but it took me three calls to get you up.”

“... And that's bad?”

“That's terrible.”

Elerina came closer and pecked me on the cheeks. “Energized now?”

“I'm ready for today!”

She grinned. “Alright, first things first, let's do some stretching, then we'll do a quick morning run. After that, some push-ups and sit-ups.”

“That's a frightening routine.”

“I'll do it with you.”

I want to say that her presence made it better, but honestly, I don't think it changes anything.

“A lap around the city should be good for starters-”

“A lap around an entire city? That's crazy!”

I didn't know how large the city was, but certainly it wouldn't be small. She tilted her head.

“It'll be two hours max.”

“That's long!”

I checked the clock. It was four in the morning. Elerina had adjusted to my sleeping schedule last night so I could exercise early, so I feel bad not feeling as pumped, but a two hour run, then push-ups and sit-ups?

“That's part of the routine for an S-rank adventurer.”

“I'm not an S-rank adventurer.”

“Don't you want to be one?”

“No, I don't even live in your world!”

Elerina brought her hands to her chin. She then let out a sigh.

“Well, I don't want to resort to this, but you forced my hand.”

“Wh- what are you going to do?”

She took a deep breath, approached me, and stared at me with puppy eyes.

“Nicholasss, let's go training, pwease~”

Let's just say my heart exploded after that.

•••

“Huff… huff… this is tough…”

We had been jogging for an hour at this point. While we couldn't go farther than one meter from each other, Elerina’s speed made her move ahead of me. Since I couldn't keep up, she eventually lowered her speed.

“How are you already out of breath?”

“I'm… not used… to running.”

“This isn't even running.”

“I… know…”

I understand that this is a result of me slacking off on exercises, but even if I didn't, there would still be a huge difference. No way a regular human like me could keep up with her.

“No wonder… you're an S-rank.”

“S-ranks aren't as rare as you think, though.”

While Elerina was running around the city, I ran around my apartment. The early morning air felt cold, but not cold enough to prevent me from sweating. Yes, I understand that part of the goal for exercises is to sweat, but that could be rather annoying.

“Don't bend like that. Straighten up.” Elerina slapped my back. I let out a yelp.

“You're scary.”

“Fear is a great motivator.”

“I wish I could deny that.”

“Should I bite?”

“Are you a vampire?”

“What's a vampire?”

We continued jogging until the two hour mark. I wasn't allowed to return until I finished all of two hours, and when I did finish, I ended up near the main street, away from the apartment.

So, with my muscles screaming to me, I walked back to the apartment. Once I arrived in my room, I collapsed onto the floor.

Elerina stared at me from above.

“Please… no more…”

“Hmm…?”

“Please?”

“Hmm…”

She was mumbling to herself, but at the end, didn't push me any farther.

“We're going to do that again tomorrow.”

“Huh…”

“Don't worry. Within a few months, you'll no longer feel it.”

So it will be hell for the next few months, huh?

Elerina lay down on the floor with me, half of her body inside the bed. I tried touching her hand, but nothing happened. The bed’s too large to be transferred, so it didn't affect her in any way.

“Say… does your world have mountains?”

“Yes.”

“Beaches?”

“Yes.”

“Beautiful valleys and plains?”

“Yes and yes.”

“Don't you want to travel your world, see the sights?”

“Sure… Why?”

I honestly don’t understand why she’s asking this all of a sudden, nor do I understand what it had anything to do with the training we did.

“Think about it. You feel far more satisfaction if you did something difficult.”

“... And?”

“Rather than using magic, wouldn’t it be more satisfying if you get to see those sights with your own eyes, using your own strength?”

“Doesn’t magic count as your own strength?”

“Most of it is uttering a couple of words correctly.”

I feel like a ‘couple of words’ is a massive understatement, all things considered.

“It’s much more satisfying going through the woods, tackling difficult terrain, then enjoying the sights as you went by.” She turned to me. I moved a bit so I could see her face.

“I want to see those sights with you.”

“But…”

“Pwease?”

I can’t believe that trick worked on me.