Chapter 30: The Taste of Toothpaste
Tonight, someone is destined to lie awake.
“Ha~”
Haruno Haruya let out a yawn, his arm slipping naturally from the embrace of Seiryo Miron.
Dawn was just breaking, but Haruya was long accustomed to rising at this hour; his morning exercise was never to be skipped.
He flicked the strap on the sleeping girl’s shoulder and got up to wash up.
After changing into his workout gear, he opened the door and saw Eri Momotani standing in the small courtyard stretching.
Her pink, fitted sports top hugged her form, the curve of her back flawless, and the black sharkskin leggings accentuated her long legs, making them appear straight and shapely.
Her jet-black hair was tied in a ponytail, giving her a crisp and spirited look.
“Good morning, Mrs. Momotani,” Haruno greeted with a smile, moving to the side to begin his own warm-up routine.
“Oh, Haruya, you’re here!” Eri Momotani twisted into a side stretch, her flexible posture perfectly displaying her graceful figure.
For the past few days, the two had been exercising together in the mornings. Whoever arrived first would begin warming up in the courtyard, tacitly waiting for the other.
“Mrs. Momotani, may I ask you something?” Haruya asked as he stretched.
“What is it, Haruya?” Eri pursed her lips; she was fond of this boy and happy to help him with his questions.
“I just wanted to know how I could achieve a figure as good as yours,” Haruya said with a smile.
“You sly one,” Eri replied, biting her rosy lips as she carefully looked over the tall, fair-skinned high school boy before her.
She realized Haruya was perhaps the most handsome overweight person she’d ever seen—no contest. Dressed in gray sportswear, he looked especially sunny and attractive.
If he slimmed down, he’d undoubtedly become a sensation at school.
Eri smiled, “If you want to get fit, you mustn’t skip meals. Eat low-calorie carbohydrates and exercise often. Just running in the mornings is too slow to see results.”
As she spoke, something seemed to occur to her, and her eyes lit up. “You go to National High, don’t you?”
Haruya nodded.
“After your club activities every day, come with me to the gym! I’m going to turn you into the most stylish high schooler in Tokyo!”
Haruya was momentarily stunned, not quite processing what he’d just heard.
[Ding!]
[Achievement Quest Activated: Tokyo’s Handsomest High Schooler.]
[While doing your warm-ups, you struck up a random conversation with Mrs. Momotani out of boredom, hoping to perhaps improve your favorability. You didn’t expect her to be so enthusiastic about your transformation! Your fat is trembling, but deep down you know this can only benefit you.]
[Daily Task: Go to the gym with Eri Momotani thirty times. Rewards: 100,000 yen / Epic Title: Wolf of Fitness (choose one).]
[“Epic Title” Wolf of Fitness: While wearing this, your charm increases by 10 in the gym!
(Comment: Sweat, iron-pumping, muscle explosion! Exercise, fitness, electric dynamo! Want admiration and adoration from female trainees? Want to catch the eye of female coaches? The Wolf of Fitness is yours to claim! )]
[Phase One: Successfully convert 10 kilograms of fat into muscle. Reward: 1,000,000 yen. (No stat points allowed, or the quest fails.)]
[Phase Two: Gain Eri Momotani’s recognition and become Tokyo’s handsomest male high schooler. Reward: Mrs. Momotani’s secret.]
A quest triggered? Haruya was taken aback, but when he noticed the reward for the second phase, he was speechless.
What exactly was Mrs. Momotani’s secret? Was it like “Victoria’s Secret”? What kind of bizarre reward was this? Still, his instincts told him it wasn’t so simple—surely it couldn’t be just a pair of lingerie sets...
As for not using stat points, Haruya didn’t mind; he hadn’t planned on putting any into stamina for now anyway.
Besides, increasing stamina just made him stronger, it didn’t actually slim him down. The system had made this clear in rule number 10086.
And that “Wolf of Fitness” title—why did the system’s perks always sound so flamboyant? First there was the Diamond Strength Pill, now this... Still, it was useful, though just thinking of the title made his waist ache.
Eri Momotani, oblivious to Haruya’s momentary daze, kept talking, “Once you slim down and finish your training, you’ll definitely be a heartthrob in Tokyo!”
She reached out and pinched his broad arm as she spoke.
“Alright, it’s settled! Starting today, you’ll train with me!” she declared.
“Hey, hey, when did you decide that on your own?” Haruya protested, but didn’t refuse. He’d already planned on getting fit—why else would he run every morning? Now that there was a quest, regardless of the reason, he had to agree.
“Young people need to exercise more!” Eri clapped him on the shoulder with a smile.
The morning sunlight shimmered softly on her skin.
“Then let’s start today. Haruya, you’re running 4,000 meters!” she announced.
“What?!”
“It’s settled! Good luck, Haruya!”
Forty minutes later, Haruya returned to the apartment building, panting for breath. The first thing he did was take a shower—the discomfort was unbearable.
Once he was clean, he went to wake Seiryo Miron, who was sprawled across the bed in a most unladylike fashion.
Seeing her sleep posture, Haruya couldn’t help but sigh. Who would have guessed that the fiery heiress Seiryo, so impressive in public, drooled in her sleep?
“Mmm!” Miron sat up, head drooping, hair a mess, barely awake as she sleepily followed Haruya to wash up.
She even managed to fall asleep standing up while brushing her teeth.
If Haruya hadn’t come in to hurry her, this little troublemaker might have swallowed her toothpaste.
“How’s the taste of toothpaste?” Haruya teased, watching the blushing, head-lowered Miron at the table.
“You, didn’t you go to bed early last night? Why are you still so sleepy? If I hadn’t woken you, you’d have swallowed your toothbrush!” he joked.
But suddenly, Miron stood up, grabbed Haruya by the collar, and—under his astonished gaze—pressed her lips to his, head lowered.
Haruya froze, then quickly caught on.
Yes, there was indeed a faint minty taste of toothpaste.