Hell Instance's Midday Break and the Captain's Scandalous Side Story

At 11 AM, in a corner of the West 10th Citizen Gymnasium.

Lu Ren felt like a piece of scrap paper that had been crumpled, smoothed out, and then crumpled and smoothed out again.

"Hold it, don't shake," Kiyosawa Mashiba's voice came from above, a stopwatch in her hand. "Last thirty seconds."

Lu Ren was doing a plank, hands on the floor. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose onto the floor, quickly forming a small wet patch. His core muscles were sending out sharp alarms, his abs felt like they were burning, and his triceps were so sore they felt like they'd been pickled in old vinegar.

"I can't... the server's about to disconnect..." Lu Ren gritted his teeth, squeezing the words out from between them. "Big sis, I'm a mage, not a Berserker... this stat allocation is against the rules..."

"If you want to beat the Boss, even a mage needs to put points into stamina," Mashiba was unmoved. She even extended a finger and lightly poked Lu Ren's trembling lower back. "It's sagging, lift it up."

"Ah--!" Lu Ren let out a muffled scream and forcibly straightened his back. "This is murder! I'm reporting you to the game developers!"

"Ten seconds left. Nine, eight..."

For Lu Ren, these ten seconds felt as long as a century. When Mashiba finally shouted "Stop," he collapsed onto the floor like a puddle of mud, too lazy to even roll over.

The morning training session was simply a depiction of hell. First, fifty sit-ups per set for four sets, then push-ups, followed by all sorts of inhuman stretching exercises. Lu Ren felt like every muscle in his body was running away from home, especially the inner thighs, which were so sore they made him want to cry.

"Get up, let's go eat," Mashiba nudged his calf with her toe.

"I'm not going..." Lu Ren's face was pressed against the floor, his voice muffled. "I want to go home. I want my bed. I want to save and log off."

"Auntie gave me two thousand yen, said it's for lunch today," Mashiba dangled the bills in her hand. "If you don't go, I'll go eat something delicious by myself, then tell Auntie you didn't want to eat, and I'll keep the money with a smile."

Lu Ren's ears twitched.

"Besides," Mashiba added slowly, "we have to practice receiving footwork in the afternoon. You need high-calorie carbohydrates to maintain your vital signs. If you don't eat, you might get hypoglycemia and faint in the afternoon, and then I'll have to drag you to the infirmary for an IV drip."

Two seconds later, the "corpse" on the floor sprang up as if resurrected.

"Let's go! I want to eat meat!"

Twenty minutes later, at the family restaurant "Sunday."

It was peak lunch hour, and the restaurant was bustling with noise. Lu Ren and Mashiba finally found a two-person seat in a corner.

In front of Lu Ren was a super-sized curry pork cutlet rice. The pork cutlet was as thick as a brick, and the curry sauce was rich and golden. He was shoveling rice into his mouth with his spoon, completely unconcerned with his image, as if it were a life-saving elixir.

Mashiba ate much more gracefully. In front of her was a half-cooked omelet rice. She cut the omelet with her spoon, watching the golden egg yolk flow down, and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

"Can't you eat slower?" Mashiba couldn't help but tease, watching Lu Ren wolf down his food. "No one's going to snatch it from you."

"I'm regenerating health," Lu Ren mumbled, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. "There's such crazy training this afternoon. If I don't stuff myself with fuel now, I'll definitely crash later."

As he was speaking, a gust of wind chimes sounded from the restaurant entrance.

Lu Ren, facing the entrance, habitually scanned the newly refreshed NPCs. With that glance, the pork cutlet in his mouth almost fell out.

The two people entering were very familiar.

The guy was wearing casual clothes, had a solid build, neat short hair, and that signature reliable smile. The girl also had short hair and wasn't very tall, looking a bit shy.

Sawamura Daichi.

Lu Ren immediately stopped chewing, his dead fish eyes instantly lighting up with gossip. He hunched his body further into the corner and nudged Mashiba opposite him with his elbow.

"Hey, look at that coordinate," Lu Ren lowered his voice. "Isn't that our captain?"

Mashiba was about to bring a spoonful of omelet rice to her mouth when she heard him and turned to look.

"It really is Daichi-senpai," Mashiba said, a little surprised. "Who's the girl next to him?"

Lu Ren quickly swallowed the rice in his mouth and activated "Player Observation Mode."

"She looks familiar... I feel like I've seen her somewhere," Lu Ren squinted. "This hairstyle, this demeanor... I remember now, from the Girls' Volleyball Club, the one who often talks to Kiyomi-senpai."

"Domiya Musubi-senpai?" Mashiba reacted quickly. "The captain of the girls' volleyball team."

"Oh--" Lu Ren drew out his voice, a mischievous grin on his face. "I see. What hidden plot is this? 'The Steady Captain's Weekend Private Meeting'? Or a 'Volleyball Club Mixer Side Story'?"

Sawamura Daichi didn't notice the two "peeping Toms" in the corner. He and Domiya Musubi found a seat by the window. They seemed very familiar with each other. Sawamura was smiling and saying something, while Domiya Musubi listened and nodded, occasionally showing a shy smile.

"I wouldn't have guessed," Lu Ren poked the pork cutlet on his plate with his spoon. "Our captain usually acts like a serious old cadre, but he's actually quite good at flirting. Look at the girl's expression, tsk tsk, she's completely smitten."