Ren's arms felt like dead weight. Every swing rattled through his bones, and his lungs burned as if the cold morning air had turned into knives. The machine spat another ball against the glass wall—sharp rebound, wicked spin. He lunged, racket wobbling. The shot skidded past him before his strings could even catch it.
"One," Daigo said flatly.
Ren staggered back into position. Another ball hissed toward him, faster than his tired legs could obey. Frame-hit. Net.
"Two."
Sweat stung his eyes. He blinked hard, swung again. The ball died at his feet.
"Three."
Ren's teeth clenched. Even my mistakes get counted. What kind of training is this... torture?
He wanted to scream that he couldn't go on, that he couldn't breathe—but Daigo's eyes were iron. "Again."
Ren's chest hitched. "I—"
"Again."
He forced his feet to move. Chalk dust smeared under his sneakers as he shuffled left, right, split, recover. His breath grew louder than the ball. If I quit now, I prove them right. Everyone who said I'm worthless—they'll be right.
Another feed. This time his strings kissed the ball. It ricocheted off the wall and came back, alive. He blocked once more, barely.
Four. Five. Six.
By the twelfth, his vision blurred, arms numb. Yet somehow, the racket found the seam. The ball floated back over the net, clean.
Silence. The machine stopped.
Ren bent double, panting, clutching his knees. "I... did it..."
Daigo's face didn't change. "You failed eleven times. Then you learned once. That's enough."
Ren blinked at him, confused. Enough?
Daigo's voice was low, heavy as stone. "Padel isn't about never falling. It's about failing better. Every swing."
Something in Ren's chest shuddered—not despair this time, but heat. The HUD flickered in the corner of his vision.
[Stamina +1]
He wiped sweat from his eyes, only then realizing someone else was watching.
By the archway stood a girl, racket resting against her shoulder, posture crisp like a blade. Shizuka Amane.
Her gaze lingered on him for one sharp second. "Twelve shots and you look like you'll collapse." Her voice was cool, detached. "Try not to embarrass the court next time."
Ren froze. She... was watching?
Before he could answer, she turned and walked away, ponytail swaying.
Daigo grunted. "Eyes forward, kid. Girls won't save you."
Ren dropped onto the bench, his grip trembling around the racket. His HUD blinked again, scrawling a faint new line beneath the quest.
[Lose Forward: Active]
Ren stared, chest still heaving. Lose... forward?
Despite the pain, despite the bruises blooming under his skin, a crooked grin spread across his face.
If every failure counts, then I'll fail until I win.