Chapter 9 - Strength Training
After finishing dinner, I cleared the dishes and suggested that Mai take a bath. While my sister enjoyed the first bath, I returned to my room and began tackling the mountain of homework that still awaited me.
I sat at my desk, diligently scribbling with my pen. But as I worked, I started to feel a restless urge bubbling up inside me.
My eyes unconsciously drifted towards the dumbbells placed right next to my bed.
(Could it be… is this urge my body’s way of telling me it needs to work out?)
I had been thinking this since shortly after my reincarnation. Shindo Ryusuke, the man I had become, might be a delinquent, but his body was far too muscular for someone leading an unhealthy lifestyle.
This led me to believe that this body had been regularly training. And not just any training—quite an intense regimen, from the looks of it.
If Shindo Ryusuke was concerned about his health, he wouldn’t be smoking or drinking underage. So, there must be another reason why this body had such a strict training habit. I glanced around the room, and then it hit me: the numerous delinquent manga lined up on the bookshelves.
(I see. He must have admired the protagonists in those manga and started working out, hoping to become like them.)
This was likely an aspect of the backstory never revealed in the original narrative.
Perhaps the reason Shindo Ryusuke became a delinquent was that he idolized the characters in delinquent manga. But unfortunately for him, this world isn’t the world of a delinquent manga. It’s a typical rom-com where the protagonist builds a harem with the heroines.
No matter how much he admired the world of delinquent manga, all that awaited him here was the fate of becoming the protagonist’s punching bag, not the thrilling tale of delinquent battles he dreamed of.
However, having built up stamina through constant training turned out to be advantageous. Rom-com often have scenes where the protagonist shows off during basketball or soccer and earns the admiration of the heroines.
If I quit smoking and drinking, restoring my body to full health, it wouldn’t be impossible to transition from a villain to a popular character known for his athletic skills.
I should continue training my body. Not just focusing on studies and chores, but putting in as much effort as I can in every aspect of my life.
With that resolve, I set aside my homework for a moment and began the workout my body craved. Unlike my previous life’s body, I could easily lift the heavy dumbbells. I could keep doing sit-ups without stopping, and I had no trouble with squats or back exercises either.
As expected of a top-tier villain.
It’s no wonder he could stand up to the protagonist, given his extraordinary physical abilities.
Shindo Ryusuke, the man before my reincarnation, might have just been misguided in his pursuit of becoming like his delinquent manga heroes. But if I keep working hard as a serious and healthy young man, I’m sure this strength training will eventually pay off.
With that hope in mind, I kept sweating it out, switching back to studying when I got out of breath, repeating the process over and over.
I wanted to keep going, but it was still the first day after my reincarnation, and I found myself feeling sleepy even though it wasn’t even 9 PM yet.
Pushing myself too hard and staying up late, only to end up late for school tomorrow, would be counterproductive.
Today was just a warm-up. The real work begins tomorrow, I told myself as I headed to the now-vacant bathroom to take a shower.