Chapter: 72. Absolutely Not Wanting to Introduce to My Boyfriend (3k) (32/46)
“Ha, ha… unbelievable… haah…”
“No, that’s the line I wanted to say…” Baishi retorted wearily.
“This is… haah… the runway simulated under… the highest level of gravity?”
“No, this is just one hundred percent standard Earth gravity…”
“I see… the gravity of Earth… really shouldn’t be underestimated…”
“What shouldn’t be underestimated is your abysmally poor stamina!?”
Baishi was utterly confused about how Naging managed to pass the entrance medical check.
Although not all students at the Star Academy are “enhanced physical ability” espers, generally espers’ bodies receive some magical enhancement, so their physical stamina shouldn’t be this bad.
Even if she wasn’t an Olympic level athlete, at the very least, she shouldn’t be this much of a “standard shut-in” athletic waste, right?
Naging’s performance just now could be described as the worst since Star Academy was founded.
It might even be possible that—no one will ever break this record in the future.
And this outcome left Naging herself feeling very puzzled.
Her athletic ability had clearly not been this poor before.
Even without using her powers, she was among the physically outstanding in her age group.
But now, that power seemed to have vanished from her body all at once.
Was it because she had been unconscious for a full three weeks, and her body hadn’t exercised for too long?
Or was it… the side effects from the “secret medicine” she was injected with before?
Naging remembered that Kane had warned her, while the secret medicine could grant her the contained powers and magic for a short time, once the effect wore off, it would place a huge burden on her body.
Thus, both Special Circle Sema and the three major academies strictly prohibited espers from using secret medicines.
“Tianyin-chan, this is not looking good~” Baishi said quietly, while closing the terminal tablet in her hand.
Naging was currently panting and supporting herself on her knees, clearly unfit to continue high-intensity exercise.
So, the morning exercise ended there.
…
…
Breakfast time.
Now bathed and dressed in the Star Academy uniform, Naging was sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, devouring her food.
She quickly speared the fried chicken pieces on her plate with a fork, taking large bites without a care in the world, chewing without the slightest semblance of a lady, and her mouth corners occasionally glistening with grease.
It was clear she was truly starving.
Even though the morning exercise hadn’t consumed much energy at all.
If it were the usual Naging, she might have made an effort to maintain the elegant and composed persona of “Kamishiro Tianyin,” eating gracefully and moderately, just like a proper lady.
But now, she had completely cast aside the “Kamishiro Tianyin” persona and was inadvertently revealing habits from her previous life as a male—
Baishi, sitting across from her, looked on in shock at this scene.
Not just Baishi, but several of her close friends, who she had brought along, were also rendered speechless, their expressions complex, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have and were suppressing something.
“…Isn’t that amount really more suited for a boys’ meal plan?” Baishi quietly commented as she nibbled on her low-fat, high-fiber weight-loss salad.
The food in front of Naging had far exceeded what a girl would normally eat, consisting of fried chicken, fried rice, and miso soup, even a whole bowl of ramen, all paid for by Baishi.
Just looking at the rich ramen for breakfast made Baishi and the others feel uncomfortably greasy.
But seeing Naging eating with sheer delight made them unable to hold back their salivation.
Several of them were on a “weight loss plan,” eating very restrictively for breakfast, only having egg whites.
And the piece of crispy fried chicken Naging was currently eating—was almost akin to a “forbidden fruit” for them.
Yet the most difficult thing to bear was Naging’s figure.
Despite consuming so many high-calorie foods, her waist beneath her uniform remained unrealistically thin.
Her exaggerated bust seemed to flaunt something, and the curves below had no excess fat whatsoever.
—Damn it, is her body the kind that only puts nutrition in the right places and won’t gain weight no matter what she eats!?
Baishi looked expressionlessly at her plate of tasteless lettuce, her lips twitching slightly as if she could hear something shattering inside her.
“So, what are you, Baishi, discussing with us today?” several girls sitting next to Baishi leaned in curiously.
These girls had been urgently gathered as her “rescue team.”
As someone who usually handled things well, this was likely the first time Baishi faced a problem that left her at a loss—
Confronted with Naging’s test results that could be described as “tragic,” she had no idea how to devise a reasonable training plan, let alone achieve the high-difficulty goal of “passing the practical assessment” within a mere half month.
According to Naging herself, she “must pass” that assessment no matter what.
Thus, Baishi desperately reached out for help from her trusted friends and seniors.
When she lowered her voice and carefully explained Naging’s situation, everyone initially exchanged glances.
They thought Baishi’s description was a bit exaggerated until she calmly pulled out the video footage she secretly recorded from that morning.
Minutes later, the air fell into silence.
“…This isn’t even the level of a sports waste, right…?” a senior with combat experience couldn’t help but cover her face with her hands, deducing based on her experience that such stamina could never pass the assessment.
“Um, Baishi, can’t you make her something like… how should I put it… a suit to increase her physical abilities?” one of the girls tentatively proposed.
“It’s not that I can’t make it… but I’ve never designed something to enhance physical capabilities before.” Baishi rarely showed a troubled expression.
The “Fashion and Clothing Design Club” she belonged to had indeed produced various functional clothing for the academy’s students, and usually, when facing such situations, she would be super excited to custom-make clothes suitable for the need.
However, most of the clothing she had made in the past leaned towards defensive performance, or auxiliary use such as aiding in flight or infiltration.
Clothing focused on “physical enhancement”… she hadn’t ventured into that yet.
The closest thing was the sportswear Naging wore that morning, which, while comfortable, aimed to minimize air resistance for a “labor-saving” effect.
Because the vast majority of espers at Star Academy have athletic reflexes beyond normal humans, there was no need to specifically enhance their physical abilities to fight in hand-to-hand or close-range combat.
“And also… we can’t be sure whether the assessment will prohibit the use of such ‘auxiliary tools’…”
“That’s true~”
Upon hearing this, everyone unconsciously nodded in agreement.
Enhanced clothing was ultimately just a temporary measure that wouldn’t fundamentally solve the problem.
Just as the atmosphere became awkward, a second-year girl sitting next to Baishi suddenly brightened up as if recalling something important and suddenly turned to Baishi.
“Right, right! Baishi-chan, isn’t your boyfriend a front-line combat esper? Don’t they also have systematic special training methods? Why not introduce him to Naging-chan and have him guide her—uwuwuwawawawa!”
Before this slightly curly-haired girl could finish her sentence, she was yanked down by her cheeks by Baishi.
Baishi’s tone was low, her expression seemingly filled with intent to kill:
“Are you saying—let me introduce Tianyin-chan to my darling?”
The girl, having her face tugged, sensed danger and discreetly glanced at Naging, who was eagerly enjoying her fried chicken, even with a bit of sauce on her mouth.
Then she instantly understood why Baishi’s reaction was so intense.
“…Hmm… indeed, I absolutely do not want this super cute junior to meet my boyfriend.”
“Rather, it would be best if they never meet at all.”
The other two girls showed complex expressions, nodding with bitter smiles in agreement.
With a face as proper and cute as this junior, paired with her curvy figure—how many boys in the world could resist such deadly charm?
Although the girls present had complete faith in their boyfriends’ loyalty, that didn’t mean they were willing to test it out—what if something unexpected happened…
Everyone sank back into thought.
…
…
Sitting next to them, Naging naturally overheard their whispered conversation.
But to avoid unnecessary awkwardness, she decided to pretend she didn’t hear.
She just continued to immerse herself in the mountain of fried chicken in front of her—one had to admit, it had been a long time since she tasted such delicious fried chicken…
Naging was striving to shape herself into a “foodie” persona.
As long as she maintained this layer of characterization, she could openly avoid those embarrassing topics she didn’t want to participate in and focus all her attention on enjoying food.
Naging couldn’t help but recall Erica from the new student welcome dinner, who had also looked so content enjoying the buffet with her dance partner, free from annoying socializing the whole time.
Now that she thought back, Naging finally realized—Erica was the real “master.”
As for the “too poor physical ability to pass the assessment” issue that Baishi and the others were worried about—
Naging already had a corresponding solution in mind.
However, before implementing this plan, she needed to find an appropriate opportunity to confirm the total amount of magic power within her body…
…
…
After breakfast, everyone gradually dispersed in front of the cafeteria, not forgetting to agree to get together after school to come up with solutions for the “assessment crisis.”
Baishi, having classes next, could only hastily bid farewell to Naging and leave.
Meanwhile, Naging, who had not yet been arranged to return to class and was ordered to continue resting and adjusting her physical condition, quietly bypassed the main building and headed towards the underground training ground of Star Academy.
She had intended to test—what level of “full power” she could reach without using the power of “Elementalist.”
However, just as she pushed open the training ground entrance, a familiar yet unexpected figure came into view.
The captain of the Star Academy’s X-level espers—”The Supreme Masterpiece – Hinata Mana,” was currently in the training field.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, she turned her head toward the entrance, and her beautifully ruby-red eyes met Naging’s gaze.
