Chapter 220: Cerberus's Instincts Awaken (Part One)
Hearing the name of the academy, Ren could think of many things. For him, it was quite strange that he hadn't seen many old clients inviting him to participate in the Kengan Matches this time. He originally thought they hadn't participated, but now it seemed they simply hadn't spoken up.
Sakura Hibiki blinked her large eyes, her expression instantly morphing into one of profound confusion. She tilted her head slightly, her twin-tails shifting against her shoulders.
"Eh? Brother Ren, what's wrong?" Hibiki asked, her voice laced with genuine curiosity as she observed the brief, contemplative shadow that crossed his handsome features.
Ren smoothly snapped out of his brief trip down memory lane. He offered her an easy, reassuring smile that immediately set the anxious high schooler at ease.
He shook his head gently. "Nothing at all. It's just that I'm quite familiar with that academy."
Ren took a small step back, giving her the space she needed to breathe after her near-death experience under the heavy barbell. The suffocating tension of the earlier accident had finally dissipated from the air.
"Well then, I won't disturb you anymore," Ren continued, his tone shifting back to that of a supportive mentor. "Continue your practice. Taking too long of a break during a workout loses its effectiveness."
Hibiki offered a determined, albeit slightly nervous, nod. "Mm!"
"Mr. Ren! Over here, over here!"
A bright, cheerful voice suddenly sliced through the heavy, rhythmic clanking of iron plates and the guttural grunts of the surrounding bodybuilders. Ren pivoted on his heel, his eyes scanning the sprawling, mirrored expanse of the free-weight zone.
Just as Ren was about to actively go find Courage, he spotted her. Courage was standing in the center of the bustling dumbbell area, enthusiastically waving a slender arm in his direction.
A few feet away from Courage, Cerberus was currently sitting on a heavy-duty leather bench. The demon girl was completely distracted, deeply engrossed in thoroughly inspecting the new fitness clothes clinging tightly to her body.
Cerberus quite liked them. The sleek, highly elastic fabric wrapped perfectly around her curves, providing a snug yet incredibly comfortable sensation that she had never experienced in the Underworld. She absentmindedly tugged at the hem of her sports bra, marveling at how the material instantly snapped back into place against her pale skin.
From a distance, Sakura Hibiki stood frozen by the bench press station, her eyes darting between Ren, the elegantly beautiful Courage, and the striking, silver-haired Cerberus.
Her jaw went slightly slack. "Eh? Brother Ren has a girlfriend now? And two of them?!"
Hibiki clutched her towel tightly, watching the way the two stunning women naturally gravitated around him. After a brief moment of shock, she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Well, that's normal, I guess," she muttered to herself, fully acknowledging that a man that incredibly handsome and heroic was bound to be off the market.
However, despite Ren's encouraging words, Sakura Hibiki still didn't continue her chest training. She stared down at the flat leather bench and the heavy steel barbell resting on the highest rack.
Just looking at the cold metal sent a phantom crushing sensation right across her sternum. The bench press just now had deeply traumatized her.
Her heart began to race just thinking about being pinned under that iron bar again. She immediately decided that she needed to change her practice location for the sake of her own sanity.
It would definitely be better to wait until Soryuin Akemi and the rest of her friends came out of the locker room. Sakura Hibiki firmly declared in her heart that she would never, ever do heavy bench presses alone again.
She would patiently wait until they came together before trying anything remotely dangerous again. Turning her back on the cursed bench, she scurried away toward the safety of the squat racks.
Meanwhile, on Ren's side of the sprawling gym floor, a completely different spectacle was taking place. After Ren patiently taught Cerberus the proper biomechanics of how to train with dumbbells, the silver-haired girl enthusiastically went to play with the equipment.
To her, the heavy racks of iron were just a playground of strangely shaped toys. But the results were incredibly anticlimactic.
After trying everything in a rapid, sequential order—effortlessly lifting everything from the lightest pink five-pounders to the absolutely massive, dust-covered dumbbells reserved for the most monstrous bodybuilders—Cerberus stopped. She didn't even break a single drop of sweat.
Holding a massive weight that usually required two men to simply lift off the rack, Cerberus casually tossed it lightly in one hand. She turned her head, her silver hair swishing, and looked at Ren with profoundly bored eyes.
Ren seemed to have completely expected this outcome. He let out a long breath, crossing his arms over his chest with a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"Cerberus, that's as heavy as it gets in this section. You can either drastically increase the number of sets to a few thousand, or you can go for a run."
The moment the word 'run' left his lips, a visible jolt of electricity seemed to shoot straight up Cerberus's spine. Her previously drooping dog ears suddenly perked up, standing ramrod straight atop her head.
Her crimson eyes widened, sparkling with an intense, uncontrollable manic glee. "Running!"
Seeing Cerberus looking exactly as if a hidden switch had been forcefully activated, Ren suddenly remembered a very basic fact of nature. No matter how humanoid or demonic she was, dogs all seem to fundamentally love running.
Her invisible tail practically blurred the air behind her as she bounced on her toes. It definitely looked like some of Cerberus's most primal, canine talents were being rapidly awakened again.
Ren thought about it logically for a moment. Since Cerberus training with weights was functionally identical to lifting a tiny ball of cotton, it would be much better to just let her burn off that endless energy elsewhere.
Besides, she seemed quite genuinely excited about the prospect. It was the easiest solution to keep her entertained.
Ren turned his attention back to the elegant WGO Inspector standing nearby. "Courage, please wait a moment. I'm taking Cerberus over to the treadmill."
Courage offered a gentle, understanding smile, her cheeks still slightly flushed from her earlier warm-up. "Okay! I can practice by myself first!"
Ren nodded in acknowledgment. "Mm."
He gestured for Cerberus to follow him, navigating their way through the narrow pathways between the towering squat racks and the crowded cable crossover machines. They eventually reached the elevated cardio deck, where rows of sleek, modern treadmills overlooked the entire gym floor.
The treadmill should realistically be the absolute simplest of all the equipment in the entire gym. Basically, a user didn't need to worry about the overwhelming array of confusing buttons on the console.
Just knowing exactly how to adjust the incline gradient and the belt speed is more than enough to start a proper workout. It really is that delightfully simple.
At most, a trainer just needed to teach a client some dynamic warm-up exercises and proper rhythmic breathing methods to avoid side stitches. After Ren gave his brief but concise instructions, ensuring she understood the emergency stop clip, he left her to her own devices.
Cerberus, dutifully following Ren's words, performed a few quick stretches. She twisted her torso and stretched her calves, but felt absolutely no strain or tension in her demonic muscles.
Bored with the warm-up, she eagerly stepped onto the wide rubber belt and began to operate the glowing touchscreen console of the treadmill.
"Hmm… I think this is the speed button," Cerberus muttered to herself, pressing her finger against the plus icon.
The motor hummed to life, the belt slowly dragging beneath her pristine sneakers. She began to walk, but the slow, methodical pace immediately irritated her hyperactive senses.
"Eh? This is fun! But it's way too slow," she whined, her fingers dancing rapidly over the console. "Let's turn it up a bit more…"
She mashed the speed increase button repeatedly until the numbers on the screen skyrocketed. The hum of the motor transformed into an aggressive, high-pitched whir.
Cerberus's legs suddenly blurred into a furious sprint, her posture dropping instinctively into a perfect, aerodynamic forward lean. The sheer velocity of the belt forced her to adapt instantly.
"Eh?! What's this strange feeling!" Cerberus shouted over the loud whirring of the machine, a massive grin splitting across her face. "It feels so happy!"
Hearing Cerberus's loud, joyful voice echoing across the gym, Ren paused his walk and turned his head back toward the cardio deck. He saw Cerberus running incredibly happily, completely maxing out the machine at a blistering speed of nine.
Her silver hair whipped violently behind her like a majestic cape, and her entire aura radiated the pure, unadulterated bliss of a dog let off its leash in a massive park.
Ren shook his head slowly, a helpless chuckle escaping his lips. He said, feeling somewhat speechless, "She really is just a dog. Sure enough, a Hellhound is also just a hound."
After Ren finished his quiet observation, he turned back around and continued walking purposefully towards Courage. He navigated past a group of massive powerlifters covered in chalk dust, his eyes locking onto the beautiful inspector.
At this time, Courage was lying flat on a padded bench, attempting to do a classic chest fitness exercise called a dumbbell fly. However, her form was completely falling apart.
He didn't know if the weight she had chosen was simply a bit too heavy, but Courage wasn't lifting the dumbbells very high at the apex of the movement. She wasn't achieving the desired muscular contraction at all, though her starting setup still looked very standard.
Her arms were shaking violently, her elbows bent at a dangerous angle as she struggled against gravity. Her chest heaved heavily with each strained breath, a fine sheen of sweat already glistening across her exposed collarbones.
Ren walked over silently, stepping directly behind her head. He reached down without hesitation, his large, warm hands firmly taking hold of Courage's trembling forearms.
Courage was violently startled by the sudden, dominant physical contact. She gasped sharply, her eyes shooting wide open as she looked upside down at the man standing over her.
When she saw it was Ren, an intense, fiery blush instantly exploded across her entire face, painting her cheeks a deep crimson. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs, the sudden spike in adrenaline having nothing to do with the heavy weights in her hands.
She bit her bottom lip, trying to maintain her professional composure despite the incredibly intimate proximity. She whispered, her voice incredibly breathy, "Mr. Ren, I can do it…"
Ren ignored her weak protest, his grip remaining firm but gentle against her damp skin. He could feel the erratic, frantic pulse of her veins directly beneath his fingertips.
He said, somewhat helplessly, "Your previous weight wasn't nearly that heavy, was it? If you directly increase the level drastically like this, your stabilizing muscles won't be able to handle it."
He slowly guided her arms inward, helping her safely rack the dumbbells together over her chest. "After this one rep, just drop down and use the original weight. You can easily add a few more repetitions per set to achieve the same hypertrophy."
Courage stubbornly refused to let go of the iron handles, desperate to prove her competence in front of him. "I… I'm fine…"
"Still fine?" Ren teased softly, his voice a low rumble that sent a very pleasant shiver straight down her spine. "Your arms can't even lift to the centerline, your lower back isn't remotely straight, though I will admit your abs are properly tightened."
Courage maintained the incredibly awkward posture of having her arms physically supported by Ren's strong hands. She tilted her chin back further, looking up at his handsome face from her inverted position.
Her breath hitched slightly as she felt the heat radiating from his body. "Eh? Is my lower back really not straight?"
"Not at all," Ren replied effortlessly, his gaze dropping to assess her spinal alignment. "Can you seriously hold on like this?"
"I can!" Courage lied, her arms screaming in protest as she tried to flex her biceps.
Ren simply nodded, completely calling her bluff. He reached over with one hand while effortlessly supporting her weights with the other.
He took a cold bottle of chilled mineral water from the floor. He leaned over her, his chest brushing agonizingly close to her face, and gently placed the freezing plastic bottle directly against the small of Courage's arched back.
The shocking contrast of the icy condensation against her overheated, sweaty skin made Courage gasp loudly. Her entire body jolted, her hips twitching upward against the leather bench.
"Relax," Ren commanded softly, his voice leaving absolutely no room for argument. "You put the dumbbells down first. I'll manually adjust your posture."
Courage felt her resistance completely melt away under his authoritative tone. Her tense muscles finally surrendered. "Okay."
Ren guided her arms all the way down, allowing her to safely drop the heavy iron plates onto the thick rubber floor mats with a loud, resounding thud. Courage was very serious about learning proper form at this exact moment and genuinely wasn't thinking about anything else.
At least, that was what she aggressively told herself in her own mind to justify her violently racing heart. However, she still had a very soft, dreamy smile plastered on her flushed face the whole time, completely oblivious to what she was truly thinking.
Ren also vividly noticed her distracted, smitten expression. But seeing that Courage was finally correcting her dangerous form well, he mercifully decided not to say anything that would embarrass her further.
He guided her through the proper setup, adjusting her shoulder blades and ensuring her spine was in a safe, neutral position.
"Alright," Ren instructed, stepping back slightly to observe. "Now try doing it again with that same heavy weight."
Courage confidently gripped the massive dumbbells again, pulling them off the floor and getting into the starting position. She took a deep breath, braced her core, and pushed.
"Hmm… Eh? Eh?!"
No matter how hard she strained, the weights absolutely refused to budge past her shoulders. Without being able to cheat by using her lower back and shoulders, her chest muscles simply weren't strong enough to move the massive load.
Ren smiled down at her struggling form. "You can't lift it now, can you? Your previous movement wasn't standard, so you could temporarily lift it by cheating, but it would eventually severely injure your joints and muscles."
He reached down and tapped the side of the unmoving dumbbell. "Now that your form is isolated, you can't lift it at all, can you? Stop being stubborn and switch to an appropriate weight."
Courage finally let go of the handles, her arms dropping limply to her sides. She puffed out her cheeks and pouted adorably, but still gracefully gave up her futile attempt.
Although lifting the heavier weight would theoretically allow Ren to constantly physically support her from behind, her actual training would be completely ruined. Her arms and lower back would ache terribly the next day if she continued that dangerous path.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the sprawling free-weight zone, Sakura Hibiki had completely abandoned the chest area. She had switched over to the power racks to practice squats.
She carefully checked the thick metal safety pins on both sides, ensuring that all areas were perfectly safe before she even touched the barbell. Then, she started squatting with an entirely empty, forty-five-pound Olympic bar.
That's right. To absolutely prevent any terrifying danger of being crushed ever again, she fundamentally solved the entire problem by directly removing every single weight plate from the equation.
[Akarin's Note: Machio Naruzo from Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? has a running gag where he appears as a normal, cheerful guy in a tracksuit. However, when he flexes, his clothes instantly explode off his body, revealing an absurdly massive, vascular, world-class bodybuilder physique that defies all laws of physics.]
The heavy locker room doors suddenly swung open, releasing a blast of cool, air-conditioned air into the humid gym.
"Eh? Where's Hibiki-chan?" a voice called out over the loud music.
"Ah! I see her! Over there by the squat racks!"
At this exact moment, Soryuin Akemi, Uehara Ayaka, and Zina Boyd finally came out of the changing rooms. After changing out of their school uniforms and into their respective form-fitting athletic clothes, they had immediately headed straight for the bench press area.
They expected to find their friend struggling under the iron as usual, only to find absolutely no one there. The heavy barbell was sitting completely untouched on the highest pegs.
Just as the three girls were wondering where she had wandered off to, Uehara Ayaka narrowed her sharp eyes. She pointed a tanned finger all the way across the gym to Sakura Hibiki, who was currently doing incredibly effortless, air-light squats on the side.
The three girls quickly navigated through the maze of machines and approached her.
"Eh? Hibiki, why aren't you adding any plates to the bar?" Akemi asked, her elegant brow furrowing in genuine confusion.
Ayaka crossed her arms, her athletic frame leaning casually against the metal uprights of the rack. "Yeah. You were already doing that empty bar weight super easily last week, weren't you?"
Zina, her silver hair tied back neatly, chimed in with a bright, thick accent. "Yeah, yeah! And shouldn't you be over there bench pressing right now?"
After safely racking the empty bar with a loud metal clank, Sakura Hibiki slumped her shoulders and let out a very long, dramatic sigh. She immediately launched into a harrowing, highly exaggerated recounting of what had happened earlier on the bench.
She described the terrifying descent of the crushing barbell, her total lack of strength, and the heroic, last-second intervention of the incredibly handsome stranger who caught the weight single-handedly.
Hearing the terrifying details, everyone visibly relaxed their tense shoulders, immensely relieved that she wasn't seriously injured. However, that relief quickly morphed into utter exasperation.
Ayaka immediately stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger right at Hibiki's forehead. She shouted loudly, "Are you a complete idiot?! That's really incredibly dangerous, Meatball-chan!"
Hibiki recoiled, her face flushing with immediate indignation as she swatted her friend's finger away. "Who the hell are you calling Meatball!"
Unlike the other two who were focused on the safety aspect of the story, Zina's eyes sparkled with intense, unfiltered curiosity. She leaned in extremely close, invading Hibiki's personal space.
"Eh?! Is there really such a high-quality, ultra-handsome guy here right now?" Zina asked with great interest, her breath hitching excitedly. "Are you absolutely sure his muscles aren't just like Machio-san, whose physique seems to be fueled by literal magic?"
Sakura Hibiki frantically waved her hands back and forth in front of her chest to dismiss the ridiculous notion. She vigorously shook her head.
"No, no, absolutely not! He's genuinely gentle and classically handsome," Hibiki insisted passionately. "His muscles are perfectly sculpted, but they don't look freakishly bulky or veins-popping at all!"
Zina tilted her head to the side, tapping her chin thoughtfully as a mischievous smile played on her lips. "Eh? Well, that makes me really, really curious then."
Hibiki immediately realized the predatory glint in the Russian girl's eyes and panicked. "Zina! Don't even think about it for a second. He already has two stunning girlfriends here with him! And they're both incredibly fit and beautiful."
Zina simply shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, completely unfazed by the roadblock. "Eh?! But that doesn't really matter, right? There's absolutely no limit on the number of people you can befriend, and it's always good to get to casually know someone that strong."
Just as Sakura Hibiki was about to say something to scold Zina's blatant shamelessness, she heard the usually dignified Soryuin Akemi suddenly exclaim.
Akemi placed a delicate hand against her cheek, her dark eyes shining with an unmistakable, determined intensity. "I also completely agree. I think we should go directly over and meet that gentleman right now."
"Eh?!"
Three voices gasped in perfect, stunned unison. Ayaka, Zina, and Hibiki all stared at the wealthy heiress as if she had suddenly grown a second head.
Ayaka blinked rapidly, thoroughly confused. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"
Sakura Hibiki quickly recovered from her shock and covered her mouth, letting out a teasing, breathless laugh. "Pfft! It seems our pristine Akemi is finally also at the age where she should be actively looking for a strong boyfriend."
Akemi's pale cheeks immediately flushed a brilliant shade of pink at the sudden accusation. She stamped her foot against the rubber floor in sheer embarrassment.
"What boyfriend! It's simply to politely thank him for saving your life!" Akemi retorted defensively, trying desperately to maintain her refined aura. "It absolutely can't just be Hibiki saying a quick thank you and that's the end of it, right? Where are our manners?"
The three girls exchanged knowing glances before finally nodding slowly. They had to admit, reluctantly, that her logic actually made perfect sense.
Moreover, according to Hibiki's vivid description, that heroic person didn't possess freakishly bulky, monstrous muscles. That specific physical trait wasn't actually Akemi's preferred type anyway.
After all, Akemi strictly and religiously followed the profound teachings of her older Sister, Shion. Her sister's words were absolute law in her mind.
"Akemi, when looking for a man, absolutely do not just look at his outward appearance or sheer size. You must carefully look at the functional strength and density of the muscles he uses to exert force!"
That was her golden rule when heavily searching for a potential boyfriend.
The group of four girls turned their collective attention outward, scanning the crowded floor of the gym. Zina squinted her eyes, scanning past a row of massive powerlifters.
"Hey, hey, Hibiki," Zina whispered loudly, pointing a slender finger toward the dumbbell section. "Is it that tall guy over there, patiently practicing with the heaviest dumbbell? Wow, he really does look incredibly handsome from the back."
Hibiki followed her gaze and immediately spotted his familiar, broad shoulders. She nodded enthusiastically.
"Mm-hmm! That's definitely him! Let's go over quickly before he finishes his set."
Soryuin Akemi tilted her head slightly as she stared at the man's broad, sculpted back. A strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over her, completely unprompted.
She found his posture and the specific way he carried himself to be somewhat familiar, like a ghost from her past. But she quickly brushed the thought aside and confidently walked over, leading the small group of high schoolers across the gym floor.
When the four girls finally arrived directly next to Ren, they collectively paused. The overwhelming masculine aura radiating from him up close was entirely different from observing him from afar.
Zina, usually the most outgoing and brazen of the group, suddenly felt her throat go dry. She stepped forward, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her workout shirt.
She opened her mouth, her voice lacking its usual boisterous confidence as she said somewhat nervously, "Um... Excuse me, Sir..."
Hearing the timid voice behind him, Ren froze mid-motion. He gently lowered the heavy iron dumbbell onto the rack with a soft thud, the metal plates clicking into place.
He smoothly pivoted on his heel and turned around to fully face the group of girls.
In that exact instant, the bright overhead gym lights perfectly caught the sharp, handsome angles of his face. His calm, striking eyes met theirs directly.
Ayaka and Zina felt their breath completely hitch in their throats. Their eyes widened to the size of saucers as an intense blush rapidly conquered their cheeks.
"Wow! He's really, really handsome!" two voices breathed out simultaneously in complete awe.
However, Akemi didn't react with simple awe. All the color rapidly drained from her face before rushing back with the force of a tidal wave. Her jaw dropped completely open, her eyes trembling as she recognized the man standing before her.
"Eh?! Ren Onii-chan?!" Akemi shrieked, her usually refined voice cracking violently in pure, unadulterated shock.
The rest of the girls instantly snapped their heads to look at Akemi, their brains completely short-circuiting at her unbelievable words.
"Huh?" three voices echoed loudly in total, synchronized disbelief.
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