Hachiman's POV
We're officially less than a week out from the Tenno Sho.
Even just standing on the sidelines, I can see it. Rice is getting stronger by the day—tougher, sharper, more defined. It's a bit rich coming from the guy who designed the hellish training menu that got her here, but even I'm stunned. Her entire aura has shifted. As the race approaches, something hidden deep inside her is starting to leak out, an unconscious pressure that radiates from her very bones.
To be perfectly honest, I haven't been able to stop the cold sweats.
Even Rudolf and CB, who've been acting as her pacesetters, are starting to struggle. Right now, we're running interval sets: 2,000 meters at near-race pace followed by a 500-meter "recovery" jog. But Rice's idea of a recovery is a joke. She's clocking faster times than the other two during the sprints, and then her "jog" is still faster than their recovery pace. I actually had to blow the whistle and check on her, fearing she'd finally snapped, but she just looked at me with total composure.
This isn't just "getting used to the routine." Right now, Rice is operating at a level of fulfillment that I can't even quantify.
"Hah… hah… That's the third set," Rudolf panted, wiping her brow. "This is truly... a staggering workload."
"Ugh, my legs are screaming!" CB groaned, though she still had a wild grin on her face. "We've only got one left, right?"
"Yeah, but..." I trailed off, looking at Rice.
"Rice has some serious... pressure today, doesn't she?" CB whispered.
"Yeah," I agreed. "I hate to say it, but she feels like a predator. Like a carnivore in the tall grass. You feel like if you poke her the wrong way, she'll actually take a bite out of you."
"That is... an uncomfortably accurate description," Rudolf noted. "I can feel the intensity coming off her in waves."
Rice remained silent, her eyes fixed on the track ahead.
"Should we talk to her?" CB asked.
"No, leave her be," I said. "Even during the cool-down, she's in a dialogue with herself. Breaking her focus now would just be bad manners."
"Fair enough."
"So, Brother," Rudolf said, turning to me. "How would you rate her condition? We're in the final stretch. The final gallop is almost upon us."
"...To be blunt? She's in a state that defies comparison to anything she's done before."
"That good?" CB asked, eyes widening.
"Yeah. It's at the point where her previous 'best' feels like her new 'average.'"
I wasn't exaggerating for effect. Maybe it was the over-training, or maybe it was the result of a month of doing things that should have been impossible, but Rice's current form is terrifyingly perfect. If the Rice of the Kikuka Sho was a box cutter—sharp, efficient, and dangerous—then the Rice of today is a master-forged Katana.
"Alright, time's up," I called out. "Rice, last set. You ready?"
"...Yes. I'm ready." Her voice was quiet, but it carried a weight that made the air feel heavy.
"Right! Let's see if I can actually stay on her heels this time!" Rudolf declared.
"Not letting you have all the fun!" CB added.
After Training
"Mmmmmmgh... that's the stuff... ♪ Hachiman's massages are the absolute best...!" CB moaned, practically liquefying into the training mat.
"CB-san, you always make such... interesting noises," Rice said with a small, tired smile. "It's actually quite nice to watch."
"That's because Hachiman knows exactly where the knots are hiding," CB mumbled into the floor. "Ah! Right there! Hachiman, that's the spot! Right there, right there! ♪"
"...CB, you're starting to sound like a middle-aged man at a bathhouse," I muttered, leaning into a particularly stubborn muscle in her calf.
"I can't blame her," Rudolf added, waiting her turn. "Your technique is borderline melting, Brother. I can feel the tension leaving the muscle fibers the moment you touch them."
"How do you always know where it hurts, Big Brother?" Rice asked.
"I don't watch you run every day for nothing," I replied. "The way you move tells me exactly which muscles are doing the heavy lifting. For example, with the way CB was pushing through that last corner... this spot right here should be..."
I applied a sharp, targeted burst of pressure to a specific point on CB's leg.
"HWOOH?!" CB let out a strangled, high-pitched yelp, her whole body twitching.
"Like that," I deadpanned.
"Pfft..." Rice covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. "He really does know."
"Fufu... well played, Brother," Rudolf chuckled.
"Hey! What are you guys laughing at?!" CB cried, her face flushed. "That wasn't a choice! My body just reacted on its own!"
I mean, come on. Who wouldn't laugh at a sound like 'Hwooh?!'?
"Rudolf's next, then Rice," I announced.
"Hachiman!" CB pouted, looking back at me over her shoulder. "Since you used me as an experimental subject and made me make a weird noise, you owe me an extra five minutes!"
"Yeah, yeah."
I finished up with CB and moved on to the others. It's always interesting to see how they react. CB is loud—everything she feels comes out as a sound. Rudolf tries to maintain her dignity, though she'll admit when I hit a good spot.
And Rice... Rice just dissolves. It's like her bones turn to water the second I start. If I didn't know better, I'd think she'd fallen asleep mid-sentence. It's actually pretty funny to watch her just... drift away.
"Alright, that's it for today," I said, stretching my own back. "I've got dinner with the teachers tonight, so I need to go change. I'm sure they're going to grill me about the Tenno Sho... and they'll definitely want to hear about Rice."
I looked at Rice one last time. She was sitting up now, looking refreshed and dangerously calm.
The stage is almost set. The villain, the hero, the challenger... the roles are all ready. Now we just have to see who survives the play.
Hachiman, you're a cruel man... and Rice is ready for war.
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