Sunday morning, 8:15 A.M.
The air in the morning would always be the most refreshing of the day. But it would be a different case if that same morning air was filled with the dampness of sweat.
Because that's precisely what happened in our gym these last few days.
With our presence here, it felt like more and more espers started coming. This gym's membership was quite expensive, so it's usually quite empty, but now each equipment was always occupied.
Fortunately, no one used any equipment near us, people would just give us occasional glances and stay as far away from us as possible.
'It seems like our popularity has something to do with this sudden increase in people.'
Just like how people crowded near a celebrity to get a glimpse of their faces, this situation gave off the same vibe.
After an hour of working out, once again, Cedric was lying on the floor while Xain had already started setting up other machine to use.
One day after our three-day streak of grueling battles with the gates, we finally had time to return our focus to training.
"Oy, Ethan, come and try this one!"
"Barbell bench press huh?"
"Other than increasing your body strength, chest muscles workout could help your posture, plus it will look great on your body!"
Xain grinned widely while explaining.
One thing I noticed about Xain was how attached he was to any form of exercise. Whenever we arrived at the gym, he would excitedly explain how to use the equipment and even explained to us which equipment to use to build muscles in which part of the body.
That made me curious.
"Xain, why do you like exercising so much?"
Hearing my words, Xain froze and lowered his head. He was usually the loudest among us, so when he fell silent, an uncomfortable feeling rose in my stomach.
Did I touch a sensitive topic?
But before my mind could wander, he opened his mouth.
"That's…. Exercising is my only way of not feeling inferior."
At his words, my eyes widened. I didn't know he had such a negative thought, especially the thought of inferiority. After all, he had already achieved what most people couldn't reach – becoming an S-Rank and being granted the title of the God of Pure Strength.
He raised his head, "I'm going to be honest, spending a few days with you guys makes me realize you guys have weaknesses too."
"In my mind – out of three S-Ranks in our country – I'm the only one with no fancy abilities, so I consider myself the weakest."
"But I know strength is my only strong point, so at some point I obsessed over it."
He crossed his arms and stared at me, "I want to surpass you guys, especially you as the strongest."
Scratching his head, he turned his gaze away, seemingly embarrassed by his words, "Anyway, it's just a personal problem but I answered your question, right? Captain."
Once again, I was surprised by Xain's words. He never addressed me as captain, just Ethan or bastard. But this time, he said my title not out of mockery, but in a genuine tone out of acknowledgement. Regardless of his reason for his sudden change, this brought a smile to my face.
I could slowly see Xain's effort to put his trust in me.
Dramatically wiping my non-existent tears, I said, "Thank you for opening up to me, it feels as if my teenage son is finally growing up. Not that I have one."
"T-Teenage son-?! Ethan you bastard! Don't treat me like a kid!"
"Haha!"
Tackling me by the head, we both crashed to the floor. Xain was on top of me, so I reached out my hand and ruffled his spiky hair.
"Hey, stop it! And stop laughing!"
I let out a content sigh, though his hair looked spiky, it's actually really soft, just like how his personality was. A fragile glass trying to be a tough, indestructible wall on the outside.
Now, I finally realized my mistake. I always treated them as characters inside a story, looking at them from the lens of a reader, not as a friend. They were also human beings with trauma and insecurities. If I wanted to get closer to them, I needed to know their deepest thoughts and understand what shaped them into the kind of person they were.
Brushing his cheek, I stared at his amber eyes, "If you ever need a place to rely on, I would be there for you, so don't hesitate to pour out your thoughts to your captain, okay?"
A glint of panic flashed in Xain's eyes. His mouth gaped open as his face flushed red.
"Mind your own business!"
Xain stood up abruptly and dashed toward the other side of the gym, fumbling with the equipment while glancing nervously in our direction.
Puzzled, I slowly raised my body and asked Cedric who was lying on the ground. He had been watching our interaction without batting an eye, so he might know what's on Xain's mind.
"What's with him?"
"Dunno, maybe because you treat him like a kid."
"But he's a kid though."
"Haa… This is why we can't reason with you."
Cedric stood up with his wobbly legs and walked toward the changing room, picking up his bag from the locker.
"Hurry up, it's time to go to the meditation center."
I doubted my ears for a second. Cedric, whom I had to persuade so hard to train, suddenly took the initiative.
What's with everyone today? Did they eat something wrong this morning?
Maybe because my confusion was apparent in my face, Cedric gave me a scowl.
"Why are you making that face? Hurry up and change, I'll tell Xain we're leaving."
Nodding at Cedric's word, I walked toward my locker with a blank face and changed my gym wear to my suit absentmindedly. My mind was still trying to connect the dots.
But, nevertheless, a wide smile bloomed on my face.
'Does that mean the two of them trust me more now?'
'It must be it, right? I'm sure it is.'
With that thought in mind, I went out with lighter steps. I guess what people said was right, the heart was the key to a healthy mind.
The three of us went out of the gym and headed right into the meditation center. Though I went out with cramped legs, sparks of joy was apparent in my eyes.