"Ha... ha... I can't do this anymore, Li Xiang..." Senku gasped for breath, his forehead covered in beads of sweat. His cheeks trembled from the exertion, and both arms shook uncontrollably.
He was flushed a vivid red, the tips of his ears burning as though they had been scorched.
Tears had gathered in his eyes from the physical exertion. Li Xiang raised her hand and swept her index finger across the moisture at the corner of his eye, tapping his cheek.
Again and again.
"Little Senku? You can't take it already?"
Senku clenched his teeth and turned his head away, refusing to let her see his sorry state. Li Xiang snickered. "I told you ages ago, but you wouldn't believe me."
"I really can't do this anymore..."
"Hang in there a little longer. It'll be over soon."
Everyone in the Science Kingdom knew one thing: Senku's stamina was the weakest in the entire village.
He often went an entire day without eating, exhausting his body with intense mental work. Passing out from low blood sugar had practically become routine.
Senku was already lean, with barely any flesh on his bones. He looked so frail that a gust of wind could knock him over.
Countless times before, his vision had simply gone black, and he had toppled straight over. Thankfully, someone had been nearby every time he fainted and noticed him right away.
Watching Senku run himself into the ground over and over, Li Xiang finally couldn't take it anymore.
After careful consideration, Li Xiang decided to draw up a training plan specifically for him.
Gentle afternoon sunlight spilled over the simple, level training ground.
Li Xiang looked down at the stopwatch in her hand, her gaze serious. "Come on, Senku! Only thirty seconds left on your plank. Hold on!"