Just as the girls were about to start working out, Utaha tilted her head and asked with a teasing smile,
"Sensei, care to join us?"
Shizuka, who had just sat down with a cup of tea, laughed.
"Why not? I work out regularly to keep in shape. Who knows... maybe I can even give you girls some pointers."
"Pointers?"
Her words drew a round of suspicious looks from the girls. Even Megumi's usually unreadable expression carried a flicker of doubt.
"…What's with those faces? Don't tell me you think I'm lying," Shizuka protested.
"No," Yukino replied calmly, shaking her head. She glanced briefly at Haru, who was busy stowing groceries in the fridge, and added, "I just don't believe you're in any position to instruct us."
Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "Confident, aren't you, Yukino? Looks like I'll have to prove myself."
With that, she stood and shrugged off her coat, revealing the full, elegant curves of her mature figure.
The girls' skepticism didn't offend her... instead, it only fueled her desire to show them up.
Yukino and Utaha exchanged a quick look but said nothing.
Just as Shizuka was about to follow them into the workout room, Haru closed the fridge with a soft thunk and called lightly over his shoulder:
"Better prepare yourself, Sensei."
"…What's that supposed to mean?" She froze mid-step, puzzled.
Haru only gave her a strange little smile. "You'll understand soon enough. Just… don't be too shocked."
Then he disappeared into the kitchen to start cooking.
Shizuka was left baffled. But since he clearly wasn't going to explain, she had no choice but to trail after the girls.
Fifteen minutes later, she finally understood.
What the hell kind of monsters are these kids?!
Even Yukino...Yukino!—was far outpacing her.
Shizuka was drenched in sweat, panting hard, while the three girls were still going at full throttle, their pace sharp and steady. Apart from the sheen of sweat on their skin, they looked like they were only just warming up.
After gulping down some water, Shizuka cast a glance at Megumi, who was holding a flawless plank.
"How on earth do you all have this kind of stamina?"
Megumi's eyes flickered, but her voice was soft and unassuming.
"Maybe it's because Amamiya-kun made us a detailed training program."
Utaha, meanwhile, was moving gracefully through a body shaping routine, extending her body upward before flowing into a plank walk. Each repetition highlighted her curves in a way that made Shizuka's jaw nearly drop.
Seriously? Her chest and hips already rival mine... and I'm the adult here!
Before she could mutter Utaha's development is terrifying, the girl spoke mid-rep, voice calm but pointed:
"Sensei, you really should work on your physical fitness. If you don't start now, it'll only get worse with age."
Yukino nodded in agreement. "If you'd like, Sensei, I could share our training program with you."
Shizuka almost choked.
I came here to mentor them, and somehow I'm the one getting lectured? What kind of topsy-turvy nonsense is this?!
"...Thanks," she muttered with a helpless smile, forcing herself to catch her breath before joining in again.
The girls' forty-minute body shaping exercise worked every part of the body, tightening the waist and core. By the end of it, Shizuka's clothes were soaked through, her bra sticking uncomfortably to her skin.
She braced her hands on her knees, refusing to collapse outright, and glanced at the three girls calmly sipping water.
The difference was brutal.
I'm drenched and gasping, and they look like they could keep going for another hour? This is… this is witchcraft!
"Let's rest a little, then continue. What about you, Sensei?" Utaha asked politely.
"You mean… you normally train at this intensity?" Shizuka wheezed in disbelief.
"Intensity?" Yukino tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. "Strictly speaking, this was just our warm-up."
"...Excuse me, what?!"
Megumi smiled gently. "My pace is a little slower than theirs. If you'd like, Sensei, you can follow along with me instead."
Shizuka's chest ached with gratitude. Bless this girl... at least someone's kind.
Meanwhile, Yukino and Utaha spoke with the ease of long practice, which only made Shizuka feel like she was being hit in the heart with every word.
Soon the girls finished their water break and jumped right back into training.
"Want to keep going, Sensei?" Megumi asked gently.
Shizuka forced a smile and waved her hand. "No, no, you three go ahead."
There was no way she could admit she'd already hit her limit. That forty-minute body shaping exercise had wrung every last drop of energy from her.
"Alright," Megumi said softly, dabbing at her forehead. "If you change your mind, I can slow down anytime."
Shizuka could only return a thin smile. Watching them continue, she slipped quietly out of the room.
Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body, even underneath. She wanted nothing more than a shower, but she hadn't brought a change of clothes. Borrowing Haru's bathroom would mean borrowing a robe too, and that felt… embarrassing.
Just as she was thinking it, Yukino's calm voice floated out from the room:
"If you'd like a shower, Sensei, you can use my bathrobe."
"…Got it," Shizuka replied faintly, sinking onto the sofa.
First I couldn't keep up. Now I'd have to borrow their clothes? This is beyond humiliating.
Am I really that weak... or are they just freakishly strong?
She was still brooding when Haru passed through with a cutting board of vegetables. Catching her hollow-eyed expression, he chuckled.
"What's wrong, Sensei? Feeling crushed? I did warn you, you know."
Shizuka spun around, eyes wide. "You came at the perfect time. Tell me... do you even know what their regular training looks like?"
Haru raised a brow, voice light and almost mocking.
"I should hope so. I'm the one who wrote their training program."
The way he said it carried the same dramatic flair as a villain boasting, 'The evil plan was designed by Lord Zoffy himself.'
"Oh. Right. I forgot…"
Shizuka cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to save face.
Haru walked over and refilled her teacup with a smile.
"Still feeling discouraged?" he asked.
"…A little," Shizuka admitted without trying to cover it up. She held the teacup in both hands, blew across the surface, and let out a soft sigh.
"Am I really getting old? I exercise a fair amount, yet somehow, I can't even keep up with someone as delicate as Yukino."
"Who ever told you Yukino's a delicate girl?" Haru scooped up his fat cat and sat down beside her.
"No, what I meant is... Haruno once mentioned to me that Yukino always had trouble with stamina and physical ability," Utaha explained.
"That was years ago. Sensei, you're way behind on the patch notes."
"Oh? And what's the current version updated to?" Shizuka asked with a faint smile, quick to pick up his gaming metaphors.
"Let's just say… whether it's endurance or technique, Yukino is top-tier right now. If you fought her, she'd probably spin you around like a spinning top... however she pleased." Haru's tone was mercilessly casual.
Shizuka's face froze in disbelief.
She didn't speak, but her expression screamed: Are you kidding me?
After all, her own skills weren't bad. Against two grown men, she was confident she could win. Yet here Haru was, making Yukino sound like some kind of endgame boss. There was no way she could buy that.
Haru, of course, could read her thoughts easily, but he didn't bother to explain further.
He'd been observing the girls' training progress all along. The truth was, aside from himself, Yukino could already dominate almost anyone in school.
Utaha, on the other hand, simply hadn't put her talents into combat, though her physical condition was frighteningly good.
And Megumi… well, Haru always had the feeling she was quietly collecting information, whether through training or casual questions.
His thoughts were broken by Shizuka's voice: "Don't just sit there in silence. Tell me... why exactly do you think Yukino's that strong?"
"Are you trying to gather intel from me?" Haru teased.
Shizuka chuckled. "If you want to put it that way. But you did just say Yukino could mop the floor with me, didn't you? Of course I need intel. Who knows... maybe I'll actually spar with her one day."
Haru nodded solemnly. "Got it. Operation: Informative Hiratsuka Shizuka vs. 'Healthy Yukino.'"
"…What kind of ridiculous title is that? And... did you just call me by name?"
"Can't exactly call you 'Shizuka ,' can I?"
"You really don't know your place!" she huffed, but the shock from earlier was already fading.
Bit by bit, through Haru's casual explanations, she came to understand just how far that slender girl had come... steadily advancing toward the word all-rounder.
"She just wants to improve too much," Haru said at last, his voice almost admiring.
Shizuka glanced at him with a smile. "I see… Then if I wanted to improve too, how would you help me?"
His eyes roamed up and down her figure without a word.
Shizuka felt her cheeks heat up. She quickly masked it with irritation, snapping, "Your eyes are very rude!"
"I was just thinking… you worked up quite a sweat earlier. Shouldn't you shower before dinner?"
"Huh? What does that have to do with what we were talking about?"
"Simple. If you want to improve, you'll have to listen to me."
"…Do you see this fist? It's the size of a rice pot."
In the end, Haru went to draw the bath for her.
She couldn't deny it... a hot soak followed by his cooking was impossible to resist.
But when she stepped into the bathroom and saw his back as he tested the water temperature for her, a strange thought flickered through her mind.
If I had a boyfriend, wouldn't this be the kind of everyday scene I'd treasure most?
Her face blushed as she remembered the night she and Haru had a frank conversation with each other. Almost unconsciously, her hand brushed over her waist and hips.
My body… it's still in pretty good shape, isn't it?
~~~~~~~~~~
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