Chapter 68: Volume 1, - 68: Eight of Twelve
The artificial turf track inside Takeda Gym smelled of rubber, chalk, and disinfectant. Rubber-soled shoes squeaked against the floor, and the metallic clatter of heavy weight plates echoed off the concrete walls.
Ren stood in the functional training area wearing dark grey shorts and a black moisture-wicking shirt. Even with five kilograms gone, his reflection in the mirrored wall showed a broad, heavy man. His shoulders sat squarer than they had a month ago, but the thick roll around his waist remained undeniable.
Akari Takeda walked toward him holding a black clipboard, her hair pulled back into a tight high ponytail. She wore her usual fitted staff shirt and athletic trousers, her posture straight and athletic.
"You’re late," Akari said, checking her wrist timer. "Three minutes."
"Traffic near the station," Ren said, wiping his hands on a gym towel. "I’m ready."
Akari tapped her clipboard. "According to the portal records, you’ve completed eight verified sessions out of your initial twelve. Your latest clinic review confirmed that you’re 5.2 kilograms down from baseline. That’s steady progress, but it doesn’t mean your knees, hips and core are ready for anything you ask of them."
"I know," Ren admitted, meeting her gaze. "I can feel the difference, but I still get winded on stairs."
"Then let’s fix that. Nine out of twelve starts now," Akari said, pointing toward the treadmills. "Ten minutes warm-up. Incline at three percent, speed at four point five kilometres per hour. Focus on deep diaphragmatic breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. No slouching over the handrails."
Ten minutes later, sweat already glistened on Ren’s forehead as Akari led him to the cable machine for seated rows. He gripped the neutral-grip handles, set his feet firmly against the footplates, and pulled the attachment toward his lower ribs.
"Chest up," Akari instructed, placing two fingers between his shoulder blades. "Pull to your ribs. Hold. Now let it back slowly, three seconds."
Ren pulled. His chest expanded, his breathing rhythmic. Three weeks ago, forty kilograms had caused his shoulders to round and his neck to strain violently. Now, he completed twelve clean repetitions with forty-five kilograms, pausing at full contraction before letting the weight stack lower smoothly. His heart thundered against his ribs, but his recovery between sets took forty-five seconds instead of two minutes.
Next came the machine leg press. Akari loaded the sled and watched his stance carefully.
"Feet shoulder-width apart, knees tracking over your middle toes," she said. "Lower until your knees reach ninety degrees, hold for one second, then drive through your heels."
Ren braced his abdomen and lowered the platform. His thighs burned as the muscles strained against the load. Sweat dripped off his chin, spotting his shirt. He pressed the weight up, completing three sets of ten. It was exhausting, brutal work, but his knees remained stable where they used to wobble inward.
Flush with energy from his recent corporate successes and the confidence of the Silver Candidate status, Ren looked at the loaded plates after his final set.
"Put another twenty kilos on," Ren said, wiping his face. "I can handle it."
"No," Akari said firmly, stepping between him and the plate rack.
"I felt good on that set. I have more in me."
"Your hip shifted left on the eighth rep of that last set, and your lower back started to flatten," Akari said. "More weight would make your back take over instead of your legs."
Ren opened his mouth to argue, but the firmness in her dark eyes stopped him. She wasn’t merely supervising the equipment. She was the trainer responsible for keeping him safe, and she had noticed the flaw before he had even felt it.
"Fine," Ren muttered, taking a long drink from his water bottle.
"Now set up for supported split squats," Akari ordered, handing him one light dumbbell. "Hold the suspension trainer with your left hand and keep the dumbbell in your right. We’ll switch hands when we change legs. This is about single-leg stability and control."
The split squats were punishing. Ren’s back leg shook through eight reps per side. Akari then placed a dowel along his spine and drilled slow hip hinges, correcting him whenever his back rounded. They finished with three thirty-second intervals on an AssaultBike that left him gasping over the handlebars.
When the clock hit fifty minutes, Akari logged the workout on her tablet.
"Good effort today," she said, showing him the screen. "Your form stayed clean until fatigue caught up with you near the end. I’m scheduling your tenth session for Friday and your eleventh for next Monday."
"Can’t we do tomorrow and Friday?" Ren asked, wiping his neck with the towel. "I want to finish the twelve as soon as possible."
"Tomorrow is too soon," Akari said. "Your legs and lower back need time to recover. Friday is the earliest I’ll clear another hard session. Force it now and your form will get worse before your body gets stronger. Use the rest days as prescribed."
Ren nodded reluctantly. "Understood."
As he walked toward the locker room, his phone chimed with an ordinary Takeda Gym portal confirmation. A moment later, blue light crossed his vision.
[SAFE TRAINING SESSION VERIFIED: 9 / 12]
[RECOVERY REQUIREMENT: MINIMUM 24 HOURS]
[WEEKLY HEALTH OBJECTIVE: MEDICALLY SAFE TRAINING SESSIONS — 1 / 2]
[UNSAFE LOAD ESCALATION DETECTED]
[PENALTY: NONE]
[TRAINER CORRECTION ACCEPTED]
[COMPLETION REWARD STATUS: PENDING]
After showering, Ren drove to YAYOI KEN Omiya Daieibashi. He ordered the salt-grilled mackerel set with rice and miso soup, adding a side of cold tofu topped with ginger and spring onions.
He ate hungrily. The fish was crisp and salty at the edges, the rice warm and filling, and the tofu cool against the grated ginger. It felt like recovery food rather than punishment. While eating, he checked his portal app and saw a notification from the programme’s registered dietitian: Please photograph everything you eat and drink for three consecutive ordinary days, beginning today. Include meals, snacks and beverages, then upload the complete record before your consultation.
At four o’clock that afternoon, Ren sat at his desk in Suite 302 of the Omiya Building. His legs felt heavy, a dull, satisfied ache settling into his quads and shoulders.
Nanami walked into his office carrying a stack of revised vendor agreements for Kisaragi Business Support. She placed them neatly beside his laptop, her sharp eyes taking in his posture and the slight weariness around his eyes.
"You look like you fought a machine this morning, Kisaragi-san," Nanami said, her tone professional yet perceptive.
"Just Coach Takeda," Ren said with a dry chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nine sessions down."
"Good. Then you’ll want to finish these approvals before five," she said, tapping the documents. "A manager at a member company of the Saitama Prefecture Trucking Association called about an exploratory video meeting at six thirty."
Ren reached for his pen. "I can take it."
"No," Nanami said smoothly, pulling the call log back toward her. "I told them you were unavailable and offered ten tomorrow morning instead. If we accept a six-thirty meeting without notice, they’ll start treating our evenings as open."
Ren looked at her, surprised by her efficiency. "Thanks, Shindo-san."
"I’m only protecting the calendar, Kisaragi-san. Sign those contracts and go home to recover."
After Nanami left his office, Ren’s phone vibrated on the desk. It was a voice message from Suzune. He tapped the icon and held the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Ren!" Suzune’s warm voice bubbled through the speaker, accompanied by the faint background hum of her bakery’s kitchen. "I hope you survived your workout today. Don’t train so hard that you turn up on Saturday unable to walk, alright? I have a big day planned for us! Call me when you get home!"
Ren smiled. He signed the final agreement, closed his notebook and stood. The road ahead was long, but he was finally building a body capable of carrying it.
Blue light crossed his vision.
[WEEKLY HEALTH OBJECTIVE PROGRESS REWARD: +2 LEGACY POINTS]
[TOTAL LEGACY POINTS: 57 LP]