Calm's Physical Training Begins! Starting with such a frail body, how far can he go?
And what kind of student will Calm be once school starts?
I was just about to move forward with the physical enhancement plan for this scrawny kid—Calm, I mean—when my parents put a stop to it. I suppose that's fair. I'd been sick on and off for the past month, so it was only natural they'd be cautious. I have no choice but to do the permissible indoor enhancements in my room where they won't notice. I'll continue to strengthen and control my Nen ability in parallel.
To purely train my body, I'll start with push-ups, dropping my use of Ten. One! ...One... Ugh, I can't!
Seriously? I can't even do one. I'm ridiculously weak. Isn't that dangerous, even for someone my weight? Then again, it's to be expected since I've never lifted anything heavier than a spoon.
Well, I'll have to take it slow. Starting with too much hardship won't last. The secret to continuing is doing a little bit every day. One set each of push-ups, sit-ups, back extensions, and squats. I'll stop once I hit my limit for repetitions. Once it becomes a habit, I'll be set. I need to build a body that can eventually endure the training plan of a [Daily Healthy Man] over the long term.
Next is Nen training. Honestly, I think it's pathetic that I'm a Manipulator but terrible at Nen control, so I'll focus on improving that. To make an excuse, I think the problem is the sheer amount of Aura, which is totally unsuited to this scrawny body. Where is all this Aura coming from? Doesn't it feel like I already have as much as a mid-level Hunter? It honestly feels like riding a bucking horse, trying to soothe it while calculating things. It's incredibly difficult. The Aura barely moved at first. Still, I'm slowly becoming able to use Ryu and Gyo. If I drop my guard and lose focus, the Aura increases immediately, and I lose control, so this training is a daily essential.
I'll dedicate my time to this physical enhancement and Aura control for the time being, with meditation as a mandatory part of it. It's already become a habit, really.
◆
About a year has passed since then, and I've turned seven. My younger brother, Michael, is now able to pull himself up to stand. Thanks to continuing my muscle training little by little every day, I can now do twenty repetitions of each exercise. I've finally reached a normal level. The Scrawny Calm has evolved into the Ordinary Calm!
Since I became a Nen user and my stomach got stronger, I started eating a lot. The daily, gradual muscle training might be helping too. I'm finally starting to live a normal life. I feel like I've caught up to the growth curve, albeit a little late.
Seeing my condition this past year, my parents finally gave me permission to go out. The time is still limited, and I can't go far, but it's enough. I barely get sick anymore. When I consider that, it's quite moving. It was worth creating [Perfect Convert]. Lately, even insect bites don't affect me. I truly wish I had this in my past life.
Since I can go out now, running will be my first focus. However, school is about to start, so I might not have much time. I'll make sure to run whenever I get a chance.
There hasn't been much progress with Nen training. That's because controlling my Aura is extremely difficult. Gon and the others had mastered it to a certain degree after a few months of training, but that must truly be a sign of their talent. Currently, it takes me two or three seconds to move my Aura or concentrate it. Even that is a significant improvement. This is something I'll have to approach with a long-term plan as well.
Also, I need to figure out system-specific training methods soon. I'll have to write down what I remember and then figure out the rest myself. How am I supposed to train for Conjuration or Specialist types?
While all that was going on, school started. An Elementary School here, I guess. It seems they start in September. Generally, we have classes, eat lunch, and then go home. It's not too different from my past life, but since I'd spent most of my time sick, it feels new. Since my family is influential in the area, it's sad that the other kids don't approach me much, but oh well. It'd be difficult to talk to little kids on their level anyway.
Still, I want to build up my physical strength through play. Luckily, the son of one of my father's subordinates (?) is at the same school, so I'll ask him to play with me. He seems eager to be around me anyway.
So, after school, my friend, Joseph Luciano (8), and I would meet up at the large empty lot managed by my family and enjoy endless games of tag and hide-and-seek. Naturally, I didn't use Nen. Since we were almost equally matched physically, it was good training.
I spent my after-school hours that way for a while, and gradually, more classmates started joining in. Eventually, over ten children were playing together happily. Incidentally, my parents were so happy to see me playing actively outside that they called in carpenters and prepared simple wooden climbing frames and playground equipment in one section of the lot.
They are really good people! And yet they're Mafia? I need to focus on family service even more... Thanks to them, the empty lot became a major theme park, widely used by everyone at the Elementary School. Things like this feel good, you know? It truly makes me happy because it's something I couldn't do before.
The temporary theme park had an open-door policy for a while, but one day, a homeless man set up a tent and started living there. I immediately reported it, and the next day, the men in black suits came, summarily tore down the tent, arrested the vagrant, and took him away somewhere. Yep, they were definitely Mafia.
Another time, a group of older kids declared they were taking over the vast lot. We younger kids shouldn't have any means to fight, but completely taking it over? This is our property! The other kids were crying. So, I decided to go talk to them as the representative, but Joseph (8) went ballistic and lunged at them first. Yep, I guess you're "that type" too.
They were easily beaten due to the age difference, and seeing Joseph thrown aside after being ganged up on, I finally snapped too.
"Apologize to us and leave this place immediately, and I'll let it go."
The people I spoke to were stunned for a moment, but then realized the words came from me and burst into laughter. What's so funny?
"Hey, Shorty. Keep the jokes to your height. What're you going to do if we say no?"
"I'm going to beat you up until you cry and apologize."
My retort seemed to tick off the burly boy who was the leader (and probably already smoking) even more because I was so small. He briefly ordered his subordinates, "Go on." As for me, I quickly told my friend to take care of Joseph, made sure he was away, and immediately activated Ren.
Perhaps sensing something dangerous with a wild instinct, the subordinates hesitated for a moment and looked back at their boss. But the boss glared at them with a strict look, so they grudgingly came forward. I had planned to let them hit me first anyway, so I just stood there silently, and they started taking turns punching me.
Naturally, I felt no damage at all. The ones punching probably felt like they were hitting a rubber tire. Annoyed that I wasn't going down easily, they kept punching and kicking me harder. I was getting battered, but it was time to counterattack. I had to be careful not to misjudge the power, or I might kill someone. For now, I encased only my hand in a very thin layer of Aura (just covering it—one step before Zetsu) and swung it at the abdomen of the guy in front of me.
The moment it connected, the opponent was thrown back about a meter and was writhing in pain. Good. This is about the right amount of force. So, I started thrashing the other stunned guys one by one. The boss, panicking as his comrades were easily scattered, attacked me from behind with a wooden club. Hey, hey. That could kill someone else! It did zero damage to me, though. Since I couldn't leave such a dangerous person alone, I took the time to properly rough him up.
After a while, when no one was moving, I made each of them thoroughly apologize before releasing them.
Yeah. I overdid it.
My friends were utterly speechless. Joseph, having recovered, was saying things like, "You're amazing, Boss!" Even though you're older than me! But my friends thanked me for protecting them by putting myself on the line. They said it was all thanks to Calm. They're good kids. I shook it off and played a lot more. They worried about my body, but I was completely unharmed. I told Joseph to keep quiet about what happened.
That night, my father summoned me to his study. It was probably about the incident. When I arrived at the study, my father was there with an extremely happy smile.
"Well done. You're truly my son."
He praised me out of the blue, with no context. Ah, he already knows everything. It's no use pretending.
"No, no, Dad. Shouldn't you be angry instead? I was prepared to be scolded."
"Hmm. Why should I be angry at you for putting yourself on the line to protect your friends from stronger boys? You should be praised, not scolded. I heard you stood up to the very people who had beaten Joseph. That's a difficult thing to do."
Joseph! So you were the source of the information! Even so, ugh, this Mafia mindset. It might be pointless, but I'll try to appeal to his better nature.
"No, I didn't know what I was doing. It just happened to work out. Everyone could have been in danger. Looking back, I think it would have been smarter to retreat then."
"That's true. You're right. It might have been better to withdraw, even if it meant swallowing your pride. To devise a plan to win later or call for help. However, in that case, you would inevitably lose some of your friends' trust. It's a difficult choice. Even an adult would be torn. But you saw it through. And you didn't lose your friends. That's what I value."
No, I wouldn't seek revenge if I retreated. Friends don't need to have a relationship as serious as a Mafia boss's underlings, Father. He still had that perpetual smile. He has the kind of presence that makes him look like a younger Marlon Brando from The Godfather. Damn it, he's so charismatic. No matter what, I do like these people. Well, it can't be helped. I'll ask the last thing I want to know before I leave.
"What would you have done, Dad?"
"...Of course, the same as you. Whether you win or lose," he replied with a knowing smile.
I thought, Naturally.
As I bowed and left the room, I thought I faintly heard him mutter, "I wonder if he's the one..." but I chose to ignore it.
Author's Note: Calm's talent as a Nen user is actually quite high. Even if he's not on the level of Gon and the others, he's above Zushi. His reincarnation and knowing about Nen are advantages. However, as mentioned before, there's a reason it took time for his Nen to manifest. It will come out later.
The model for the Anderson family, by the way, is the Corleone family from The Godfather. Marlon Brando is cool. Oh, I also like Robert De Niro, who played the younger role. But I prefer the presence of Mr. Marlon. Which means the model for Michael is, of course…
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