Ryan stood in front of the mirror, his breath fogging the mirror up. His reflection stared back at him—same tired, same messy hair, but the person in front of his eyes wasn't the same as before, he wasn't a loser anymore who'd been crying on that rooftop weeks ago.
His chest wasn't round anymore, started getting into a good shape—even his gyno started to disappear. His shoulders had shaped quite a bit now, arms thicker and tighter. The layer of fat that had once hung off his stomach was now slowly fading.
Giving way to something leaner, stronger. He raised his shirt slightly up as he touched his stomach, rubbed his hand on it, half proud and half in disbelief.
'I'm no longer that loser from weeks ago... I actually changed this much.' he thought as he stared at his own body. 'The guy who used to get kicked around like trash...'
A faint smile curled on his lips, it was something which came from somewhere deep inside. From something which was lost since ages now.
'I left that version of mine behind.'
He flexed his arm slightly in the mirror and winced. Even flexing his muscles made them hurt, two weeks of Arthur's brutal training had carved enough exhaustion into his bones, but also gave him the confidence.
He slowly went to the weighing scale machine and the number blinked up at him: 77 kg.
Ryan's smile faltered slightly, he shook his head as he stared at himself again.
'Still far from good enough...' he thought as he grabbed his belly fat with his fingers. 'Still too soft. Too chubby.'
[DING!]
[Affirmative, Host. You are better than before—but still not good enough. Push harder.]
Ryan chuckled as he wiped his face with a wet towel. 'You just had to add the last part in to tease me, right you stupid blue screen.'
[It's called motivation, Host. Not everyone responds to sugarcoating.]
He snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Motivated enough to die from training, maybe."
The shrill ring of his alarm clock cut through his thoughts, Ryan's eyes widened.
"Oh shit, I'm late for school."
He quickly rushed back to the bathroom as he picked up his brush, started brushing his teeth at the speed of flash. Foam splattered on his chin as he pulled on his school uniform up. His tie ended up half-done, shirt half-tucked.
He grabbed his bag, barely managed to jam his shoes on and sprinted out of his apartment like his life depended on it.
The morning air was crisp, the sun just peeking above the rooftops. The sound of cars, kids and birds mixed into a steady hum of city life. Ryan's sneakers slapped against the pavement as he ran, breathless but grinning.
"Still can't believe that I'm actually running at this pace to school now instead of taking the bus," he muttered between his shaky breaths.
[Progress, Host. You're evolving from sloth to semi-functional human.]
He let out a small chuckle under his breath. "You're always an asshole, blue bastard."
[Objectively correct.]
He was still smiling when he reached the school's main gate—that is, until he heard a familiar voice call out his name.
"Ryan!"
He turned his head back and spotted Maya, who was jogging towards him, her long black ponytail bouncing behind her.
Her gym bag was slung casually over her shoulder and she was in her usual half-uniform—skirt with a hoodie thrown over it, like she didn't care about the rules and regulations of the school and somehow still got away with it.
She stopped beside him, slightly out of breath as she gave a small grin to Ryan. "Hey, how's it going, Ryan."
Ryan straightened his back a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, hey, Maya. I'm good. Just a bit... exhausted, haha." Voice a bit shaky.
"Ha, no kidding." She looked him up and down, gave a small chuckle. "You've changed a lot, though. Damn, you actually look good now... kind of solid now."
Ryan blinked, heat rising to his cheeks. "Uh... thanks I guess."
[Looks like someone is blushing ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡]
'Shut the fuck up, blue screen bastard. At least leave some chances to tease me...'
[I'm just saying the truth, host. Look at your cheeks, anyone who'll see you will say the same thing which I just did.]
Ryan exhaled a bit as a small smile appeared on his face. "I trained like hell for it, but... I don't know. I still feel like I'm lacking a lot. What if I can't even win one match and disqualify right away?"
Maya stopped walking for a bit as she looked at him and patted his back with a loud snap. "Don't worry, Ryan."
He looked up to her, startled.
She gave a smile—not teasing, not cocky. Just warm. "Cheer up, you've already come further than most people do in months. Don't drag yourself too much or else you'll lose your gains."
He blinked, unsure about how to respond.
"Just give your best, that's all that matters in the end after all." She said simply as she turned to keep walking. "Besides, if you lose, at least make it a match worth watching."
Ryan just laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try my best on the stage and try not to die or something."
"Good," Maya glanced back with a grin. "And hey, don't think you're special just because we're friends now. I'll not go easy on you if we face off."
Ryan got startled as he gave a nervous smile. "Wait..."
"Kickboxing Club, genius," she interrupted. "That means I'll be your enemy tomorrow."
He groaned as he dragged his hand down his face. "Great... out of all people out there, haha."
Maya laughed again, waving over her shoulder as she headed towards her classroom. "See you tomorrow, Ryan."
Ryan watched her go, a small smile appeared on his lips.
He walked into his classroom just as the bell rang. Arthur was already there sitting on his seat, his usual calm demeanor, eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable as ever.
The kind of presence that somehow silenced an entire room without even muttering a single word.
Ryan approached his seat as he was still a little out of breath. "Good morning, Arthur. How are you today?"
Arthur just gave a small nod without looking up. "Morning."
Ryan put his backpack next to his desk as he sat on his seat next to Arthur as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "Are you ready for tomorrow, Arthur?"
Arthur leaned back in his seat, folding his arms. "No training today."
Ryan blinked. "HUH?"
Arthur finally looked up at him, those sharp gray eyes cutting through the noise of the classroom. "Eat well, rest well. So that you'll be completely refreshed and full of energy tomorrow."
The words were simple, but the tone — firm and unshakable, which made Ryan's chest tighten up a bit.
Arthur gave the faintest nod back before turning his gaze towards the window. The sunlight cut across his face, outlining the cold, aura of his that never seemed to leave his presence.
Ryan glanced at him once more, then at his own hands, which were calloused, bruised.
He smiled faintly. 'Tomorrow... I'll make sure to not fail and prove that all this training wasn't for nothing.'
The bell rang again, marking the end of the homeroom as the students started chatting, laughing, their voices echoing across the hall.
But for Ryan, the noise faded into a dull hum. Tomorrow wasn't just any other day, it was the start of his journey. The first true test of his strength.