Lesson One: Controlled Breathing in the Presence of Hotness
Catherine demonstrated:
Straight back. Relaxed shoulders. Deep inhale. Gaze unfocused (so muscles don't distract you).
Rachel tried. She inhaled… exhaled… Then imagined Zumi in sweatpants—
And immediately choked.
Catherine slapped her back.
"NO. DO NOT VISUALIZE. Not until lesson four!"
"Lesson FOUR!?" Rachel cried.
"YES. This is advanced training."
ZUMI-INDUCED FLUSTER TRAINING: DAY ONE COMPLETE (barely)
Rachel collapsed onto the mat.
Catherine patted her head.
"Good job. You lasted two minutes before internal meltdown."
Rachel stared at the ceiling.
"…I want to be stronger."
"You will be," Catherine said proudly. "I believe in you."
Later that night, the girls gathered in the living room.
They sat in a circle like they were about to summon a demon. Instead, they were creating a survival manual for… Zumi's abs.
Gia placed a large notebook in the center.
"Alright," she said. "We need to help Rachel live."
Serafina crossed her legs smoothly. "Live through WHAT? His muscles? His aura? Or the sweatpants?"
All the girls shivered at sweatpants.
Kasumi raised her hand timidly. "Should we… color code the danger levels?"
Bia nodded aggressively.
"Yes. Level 1: Shirtless. Level 2: Sweatpants. Level 3: Wet hair. Level 4: VOICE."
Every girl involuntarily squeezed their thighs together.
Rachel scribbled this down like a soldier receiving battle instructions.
Hina added softly:
"And Level 5… is if he smirks."
Every girl in the room:
"Oh god NO—"
Carmella clutched her chest.
"That's when we ALL die."
Gia cleared her throat.
"Okay, next section: What To Do When Zumi Walks By Shirtless."
Rachel sat up straighter, ready to learn.
Bia began:
"Tip #1: Do NOT look directly at the chest. Start by observing the floor."
Serafina added:
"Tip #2: Move slowly. Sudden movements attract his attention."
Kasumi whispered:
"Tip #3: If he asks you a question… don't stare at his shoulders. You WILL lose IQ points."
Hina wrote delicately:
"Tip #4: If he stretches… run."
Every girl nodded solemnly.
Even Rachel wrote RUN in all capitals.
Catherine clapped once.
"Okay! Last page: Affirmations to Repeat While Zumi Is Being Distracting."
They all said their lines together like a holy chant:
"I am strong." "I am stable." "I do not squeak." "He is just a man." (Serafina added: "A very hot divine man.") "I will not stare at his hip lines." "I will not internally combust."
Rachel wrote every sentence down with religious devotion.
Rachel raised her hand at the end.
"…Does any of this actually work?"
All the girls:
"NO."
Rachel:
"…Then why did we—"
Gia shrugged.
"It makes us feel better."
Bia patted Rachel's shoulder.
"You'll get used to him eventually."
Serafina smirked.
"Or you'll burn every time. That's normal too."
Rachel sighed.
"I see… I have chosen a dangerous household."
Catherine grinned and hugged her from behind.
"Welcome to the family!"
Rachel melted.
"And the suffering?"
"The suffering is part of the love," Serafina said calmly.
The mansion was peaceful.
Catherine and Rachel were reviewing the "How to Survive Shirtless Zumi" guide.
Serafina was drinking tea.
Bia was stretching.
Gia was checking schedules.
Kasumi was polishing a sword.
Hina was quietly petting a cat that didn't exist.
Carmella was reading romance novels.
All was calm.
Until—
Bathroom door: click
Footsteps: soft. relaxed. deadly.
And then—
Zumi stepped into the hallway… shirtless.
Wearing gray sweatpants.
And drying his hair with a towel.
Time stopped.
Every girl froze mid-breath.
His muscles glistened, water still dripping down his spine. His hair was damp, falling over his divine eyes. His voice hummed quietly in his throat as he muttered something to himself.
This was the Apocalypse.
Gia dropped her tablet.
Kasumi dropped her sword.
It stabbed through the floor.
Serafina's teacup shattered in her hand, darkness leaking like ink.
Carmella gasped like she'd been stabbed.
Bia stood up so fast the couch broke.
Hina made a noise so small humans shouldn't hear it.
Rachel—
Rachel made a sound so squeaky and high-pitched that only dogs could interpret it.
Catherine's eyes went wide.
And then someone screamed:
"LEVEL 3! LEVEL THREE!! LEVEL THREE!!!"
Instant chaos.
Bia dove behind the couch like it was a battlefield.
Catherine shielded Rachel with both arms.
Kasumi covered her eyes but peeked through her fingers.
Gia grabbed Serafina's hand and shouted, "DON'T LOOK DIRECTLY AT HIM!"
Hina curled into a ball whispering, "I'm not ready, I'm not ready—"
Carmella threw her book into the air.
Rachel fell to her knees.
"I CAN'T—THE SWEATPANTS—THE VOICE—THE HAIR—THE SHOULDERS—THE—THE—"
She fainted.
Full collapse.
Catherine caught her just in time.
Zumi stopped walking.
Towel still in hand.
Water still dripping.
Aura toned down.
Completely unaware he had just obliterated the room.
He blinked slowly.
"…What's going on?"
Bia peeked over the couch like a traumatized soldier.
"You walked out in— that."
Zumi looked down.
"…Sweatpants?"
Every girl screamed internally.
Serafina coughed into her hand, cheeks red.
"It's not the sweatpants, Zumi. It's… everything else."
Zumi tilted his head.
"My torso?"
Gia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Yes. The torso. The arms. The voice. The hair. The— you existing like that."
Hina, face completely red:
"You activate… EVERYTHING at once… It's like divine sensory overload…"
Zumi looked genuinely confused.
A little amused.
And then he said it.
The words that destroyed them again:
"Should I… go put a shirt on?"
Eleven girls died inside.
Rachel, barely conscious, whispered:
"…Yes… please… Lord Zumi… mercy…"
He nodded casually and walked back toward his room, sweatpants low on his hips.
Every girl watched the movement like it was a slow-motion action shot from a romance movie.
Catherine clutched Rachel.
"Stay with me, soldier! Don't go toward the light!"
Serafina wiped her forehead.
"We survived. Barely."
Bia exhaled.
"That was worse than I thought. Level 3 is too dangerous."
Gia snapped the notebook open.
"Okay—new rule: Zumi MUST announce when he plans to walk around shirtless."
Kasumi raised her hand shyly.
"What about… sweatpants protocol?"
Carmella shivered.
"Level 4. Definitely."
Rachel whispered from Catherine's arms:
"…How does anyone survive him…"
All the girls replied at once:
"We don't."
Zumi returned fully dressed — black shirt, fitted pants, hair tied back, aura perfectly masked.
The entire room exhaled as if oxygen had returned to the world.
Kasumi fell to her knees in relief. Carmella fanned herself aggressively. Rachel whispered, "Thank God…" Catherine actually saluted the heavens.
Zumi looked around, amused but pretending not to notice the collective trauma.
He brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and asked calmly:
"Gia… did you get information on that girl. Emily Hart. Second place, right beneath me?"
Gia straightened immediately, her professional instincts kicking in. She lifted her tablet.
"Yes, I did. And what I found was… interesting."
The moment she said interesting, every girl in the room migrated back to Zumi like gravity was pulling them.
Bia plopped onto his left side. Serafina slid in on his right. Catherine settled beside him, muscular arms crossed but very attentive. Carmella took a spot on the carpet in front of him. Rachel sat perfectly straight, trying not to blush as she sat nearby. Kasumi sat behind him, gently massaging his shoulders because she "felt like doing something helpful." Even Hina materialized from literal shadows and curled beside Serafina.
They were a pile of wives, girlfriends, and loyal retainers wrapped around one man — listening like disciples receiving gospel.
Zumi leaned back comfortably, arm resting along the couch's top, expression calm and ready.
"Let's hear it."
Gia projected the profile from her tablet onto the TV screen.
INFORMATION DOSSIER: EMILY HART
Name: Emily Hart Age: 18 Location: New York City Race: Human (Normal, no abilities) Occupation: Part-time barista / preparing for high school placement exams
Family: • Younger brother: Noah Hart (10) — the center of her world • No present parents; Emily has been raising him alone since she was 16
✦ Appearance
Emily has a delicate, almost dreamlike beauty that turns heads everywhere she goes — but she hates the attention.
• Long platinum-blonde hair that naturally catches light • Soft blue eyes full of warmth, intelligence, and hidden exhaustion • Modest, elegant clothing — never flashy • A gentle, feminine presence • Beauty that feels effortless, not curated
People often assume she's trying to be an Instagram model, but in truth she is humble, quiet, and grounded.
✦ Personality
Emily is modest, deeply intelligent, and responsible beyond her years.
• Reserved with strangers • Quirky and playful when comfortable • Extremely smart (but never admits it) • Protective older sister • Hardworking and practical • Old-fashioned about romance — she wants a man who sees her soul • Emotionally perceptive • Not easily impressed, especially by flirtation
She has that "quiet main-character energy" — people feel drawn to her, without knowing why.
✦ Backstory
Emily grew up in a rough part of NYC.
Her mother left. Her father passed away. And at 16, she suddenly became Noah's entire world.
To survive:
• She worked part-time jobs • Taught herself school material • Raised Noah alone • Never complained • Never gave up
She missed out on a normal teenage life, but never abandoned her dream of finishing high school — maybe even earning a scholarship one day.
✦ Relationships With Others
Men
Many approach her. She rejects all of them.
Because they only see her looks — not her heart, her mind, her exhaustion, or her strength.
She wants a man whose eyes soften when he looks at her, not linger on her body.
She has never met anyone like that… yet.
Women
Girls either admire her or feel intimidated until they talk to her — then they realize she's incredibly sweet.
✦ Quirks
• Loves astronomy • Talks to her cat like it's a roommate • Collects old thrift-store books • Terrible liar • Gets flustered easily by genuine compliments • Obsessed with soft fabrics & pink hoodies
Gia scrolled down.
"And that's everything."
Every girl leaned in even closer.
Serafina narrowed her eyes. Bia cracked her knuckles. Carmella stopped breathing for a second. Rachel crossed her legs like a bodyguard preparing for intel.
Zumi raised an eyebrow.
"She's… normal?"
Gia nodded.
"Yes. No powers. No abilities. No strange records. Just… a brilliant, hardworking, exhausted girl trying to raise her brother and survive."
Leafa smiled softly, eyes warm.
"A fragile soul with a strong heart."
Catherine scratched her chin.
"A smart girl who's been through hell. Respect."
Rachel nodded quietly.
"She's the type who fights silently. I like her."
Hina whispered:
"She has a soft glow… like moonlight."
Serafina smirked lightly.
"Oh? Another shy girl for our collection?"
Zumi gave her a side-eye.
"Serafina."
"What? I'm only observing."
Bia jumped in, excited.
"She got second place right under you — AND she's gorgeous? Interesting combination."
Kasumi added gently:
"She might… need friends. And protection."
Gia relaxed and leaned her head against Zumi.
"I think she'll cross paths with you very soon, Master. People like her always do."
Zumi nodded slowly.
"We'll meet her when school starts. Watch her quietly. No pressure, no interference. Let her be herself."
All the girls nodded.
Serafina smirked.
"And if she falls for him like the rest of us… well… fate is funny."
Zumi sighed.
"Let's not scare the girl on the first day."
Carmella raised her hand.
"No promises."
Rachel added:
"She'll faint for sure if he's shirtless."
Every girl nodded in complete agreement.
Zumi groaned.
"…I'll just bring snacks to orientation."
Another warm laughter filled the mansion — natural, loving, chaotic.
A family wrapped around their divinely reborn Monkey King.