In contrast, Shuya was younger than her, yet he had much more stamina.
He was also taller than Mai.
With Mai's sweet panting as his background music, Shuya got more and more fired up as he exercised.
...Why did that description sound kind of lewd?
Mai was down on her knees after half an hour of running. She rested for a while before continuing.
Shuya ran for a full hour without stopping.
An hour later, Shuya was drenched in sweat. His workout had been highly effective.
"Sh-Shuya. Your stamina is incredible."
Mai had already drunk most of a bottle of water. She leaned against the treadmill, her legs trembling.
"Hey, hey, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine... I just need to rest for a little while."
Mai tried to head for the rest area, but the moment she moved, her legs suddenly gave way and she pitched forward.
"Ah!"
She let out a brief squeal, then felt herself fall into a warm embrace.
Shuya, of course, wasn't going to let her face-plant. He hurried over and caught her.
Shuya held Mai's warm, soft body, his arms wrapped around her waist.
After an hour of exercise, Mai's workout clothes were practically soaked.
Shuya didn't think much of it.
He wasn't that much of a pervert, and he wasn't interested in little-girl juices.
If anything, he felt a little awkward.
Because she was so hot.
Mai's little body was soft and comfortable to hold, and she smelled nice, too... Hmm?
No!
Shuya, don't let this troublesome little minx get to you!
Think of Rena!
Ah, those breasts, those legs.
I'm in heaven.
Shuya let go of Mai and noticed that her face—and even her ears—were completely red. He couldn't tell whether it was from exercising or because of him.
"Mai?" Shuya asked with concern. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
"I-I'm fine!... Hmph, it's not like I'm embarrassed about being hugged by a boy younger than me!"
Mai overreacted.
"?"
Shuya tilted his head. "..."
He smiled. "Anyway, let me help you over to the rest area!"
"I'm being ignored? You're ignoring me?!"
Mai was astonished.
"All right, all right. Be good and listen."
As an adult, Shuya obviously wasn't interested in this little kid, even if he thought Mai's reaction just now had been cute.
And more than any weird thoughts, Shuya thought it was important to find someone to check on her.
Keeping his mind focused, Shuya helped the limp little girl over to the rest area, then brought over a big-sisterly trainer to take a look at her.
It turned out nothing was wrong. Mai just wasn't used to exercising, and she'd overdone it by running for so long.
Seeing that Mai had finished her water, Shuya thoughtfully took her bottle and refilled it.
"Here, it's all yours. Remember to stay hydrated... What's wrong?"
When Shuya handed the bottle back to Mai, he noticed that her mood had changed again. She was looking dejected.
A little girl's thoughts were truly impossible to figure out.
Luckily, Shuya had developed tremendous patience after being trained by the five little hellions at home.
He sat down beside Mai and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Mai said glumly. "I just feel like, even though I'm older than you, you seem more like the grown-up."
"But I'm your senior. Isn't it only natural for me to look after my junior?"
Shuya replied.
"That's not what I mean. I just feel like your... mental age? You're so much more mature than me."
After saying that, Mai sighed and leaned back against the wall.
"It's a talent. You can't learn it just by wishing," Shuya said coolly. If you were reborn, you could do it too.
"A talent... That's such a cruel word."
"Yeah."
Shuya and Mai fell silent.
He didn't try to comfort Mai.
Though they'd only known each other for a few days, Shuya had already gotten a good sense of her personality. She wasn't a weak person.
Sure enough, after resting for a while, Mai perked up again.
She smiled. "Sorry. I think being tired affected my mood, and I ended up saying some depressing things. I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. Aren't we friends?"
Shuya shook his head.
Mai teased him. "Huh? Didn't you say we were good friends before? Why'd I get demoted?"
"...Hmm? Did I? I forgot."
Shuya scratched his head. Only then did he remember saying that when he'd introduced her to Horiuchi Susumu. He hadn't expected Mai to remember.
"Of course I remember. I don't have any other friends in show business."
Mai said it cheerfully, despite how cruel it sounded.
Her heart really was strong.
Mai suddenly poked Shuya in the waist. "Hey, hey, Shuya, Shuya."
Shuya replied casually, "What's up, Mai, Mai?"
"I'm not going to lose, no matter what. I'm absolutely going to become an actress even better than you!"
Mai declared solemnly, her eyes sparkling.
Shuya raised an eyebrow and accepted her challenge. "Sure. I'll be waiting for you up ahead. But for now... you're going to rest properly!"
He stopped Mai, who was so excited she wanted to run again, and pushed her back into her chair.
Shuya said with a headache, "Seriously, do all kids have ADHD? Can't they sit still for a second? The Quintuplets are like that, and so are you..."
"The Quintuplets..."
Mai murmured the name back to him.
"Shuya, what's your relationship with the Quintuplets?"
Mai blurted out.
"I'm their dad!"
Shuya blurted out too.
"Uh..."
The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant.
Mai's gaze turned a little cold.
Shuya coughed and explained, "No, I mean, kind of? In a spiritual sense? Because I'm always looking after them, making sure they eat and drink, taking them out to have fun, that sort of thing... So, you know? You get it, right?"
"Hmmm..." Mai drew out the sound. "I'll believe you for now, I guess."
Her eyes still held a trace of suspicion.
"Shuya, you're not into them, are you...?"
"I'm not! I'm not! Don't make things up! I'm not interested in little girls!"
Shuya protested vehemently.
"Really? You're not interested in little girls."
Mai neither agreed nor disagreed. Shuya couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"Forget it. It has nothing to do with me anyway."
Mai said nonchalantly, then asked about the Quintuplets instead.
She was clearly curious, and Shuya was happy to change the subject, so he told her a few funny stories about them.
After satisfying Mai's curiosity, Shuya saw that there were only thirty minutes left. "Mai, it's about time. Let's go shower. You don't want to go home covered in sweat, do you?"
"Huh?... Pervert! You idiot, Shuya!"
Mai suddenly jumped away, clutching her nonexistent chest.
"Y-You were enjoying it when you held me just now, weren't you?!"
"???"
Shuya stared at her speechlessly, then said helplessly, "Mai, why are you wearing Pinru's clothes?"
"Pinru... Who?"
Mai was bewildered by what Shuya said.
Shuya said something in Great Hua Language, then went off to shower by himself.
"Hey!... Hmph. Ignoring me again."
Mai was annoyed, but she didn't dare follow him into the men's bathroom.
Shuya finished showering quickly, and felt refreshed too. He stood in the lounge outside the bathroom, drinking the gym's complimentary cold milk. He felt wonderful all over.
"Sh-Shuya..."
A soft call came from the women's bathroom. Shuya turned around and saw Mai leaning against the wall, her face flushed with embarrassment. "C-Could you help me? I can't walk..."
Her movements were so cute, like a little animal, that Shuya couldn't help laughing. He helped her out, still chuckling.
"Thanks..."
Mai's voice was so quiet that Shuya could barely hear her.
When he helped Mai back to the rest area, a trainer saw how she was doing and kindly offered to massage her legs.
"..."
Shuya struggled to tear his gaze away from her shapely legs and pearl-white toes.
Before you continue