Chapter 11: Kyoto's Famous "Muscle Freak"
"Huh?"
A burly man in a tank top, covered in dragon and tiger tattoos and looking like a Yakuza member, frowned as he saw Hiratsuka Shizuka walking over quickly.
"What do you want?"
Shizuka didn't answer immediately. She simply narrowed her eyes slightly, a chilly glint flashing within them.
"This is my student. Before I call the police, you'd better be smart and leave. Otherwise, I don't mind stretching my limbs a bit."
"Hah?"
The group of muscular men all scratched their heads in confusion.
"You seem to have misunderstood. We're not giving him trouble."
Shizuka crossed her arms over her chest and snorted coldly.
"Still making excuses? Then why are you surrounding him?"
The burly men looked at each other. Finally, one of them replied cautiously.
"We were asking Yoru for advice on how to work out effectively."
Hearing this unexpected answer, Shizuka froze for a moment. She looked at Yoru, who was sitting there, with a skeptical gaze.
"Huh? Is that so?"
Yoru yawned and smiled nonchalantly.
"That's right."
Shizuka clearly didn't believe his story. She scrutinized Yoru's physique, thinking to herself:
His body is indeed very well-proportioned, and I can see distinct muscle definition on his arms.
But...
Shizuka glanced at the men who were built like the Incredible Hulk. Compared to these guys, Yoru seems way out of his league.
Asking him for advice? Isn't the hierarchy backwards here?
Seeing Shizuka silent, the tattooed man waved his hand impatiently.
"If you don't have any business here, hurry up and leave. Don't delay our progress."
Then, he turned to Yoru. The fierce look on his face instantly transformed into a respectful—almost fawning, in Shizuka's eyes—expression.
"Little bro, I've been stuck on my max weight recently and haven't been able to break through. Is my form wrong? Or is there a problem with my training and diet plan? I haven't seen you in ages, give me some pointers, quick."
As the saying goes:
Moderate fitness attracts the opposite sex.
Excessive fitness attracts the same sex.
In the eyes of these muscleheads, Shizuka, with her stunning figure and beautiful face, was far less attractive than Yoru, who could provide them with a better workout plan.
"Wait a moment."
Shizuka walked up to Yoru and asked in confusion.
"Are you famous in this gym?"
Yoru replied casually while unloading the weight plates from the barbell.
"You bet. I'm the famous Kyoto Big Muscle Freak."
"Big what?"
"Muscle Freak." (Note: The Chinese term used involves a pun that sounds like a vulgar term for male genitalia, similar to "Big D**k".)
Hearing this term, a flush of red spread across Shizuka's cheeks. She gritted her teeth and said hatefully.
"You... you... you actually dare to make dirty jokes with your teacher!?"
Yoru looked confused. He stared at Shizuka with innocent, pure eyes and asked, puzzled:
"Is there a problem? 'Muscle Freak' just means someone who is very good at bodybuilding. But Sensei, what do you mean by 'dirty joke'? I don't quite understand."
"I... this... no..."
This completely threw Shizuka off. She didn't know how to explain herself.
In the end, she just glared fiercely at Yoru and stormed off in a huff.
Shizuka wasn't stupid.
How could a boy of Yoru's age not know what the homophone for that word means?
He was clearly teasing me on purpose!
When Shizuka sat back down, Kirisu Mafuyu said faintly.
"As a teacher, to be teased by a student... my, my."
"Shut up!"
Shizuka's cheeks were slightly red. She had intended to leave the gym immediately, but on second thought, her curiosity got the better of her.
She just didn't understand.
An ordinary first-year high school student whose muscles aren't even that exaggerated—why would so many people sincerely ask him for advice?
The wait wasn't long.
Yoru chatted with the muscular men for a while, then did a few sets of bench presses before leaving the gym.
Shizuka finally got her chance and stood up immediately.
Mafuyu didn't even need to ask; she knew exactly what Shizuka wanted to do. She said calmly:
"If you want to look, go look. I've been staring into space with you for half an hour; I'm about to catch a cold from the AC."
Shizuka smiled sheepishly.
"I know, I know. I'll treat you to dinner later to make it up to you."
With that, she tiptoed over to the equipment area.
What Shizuka wanted to confirm was simple.
Approximately how much weight was Yoru bench pressing?
When she saw the numbers on the plates and added them up in her head, she was stunned.
"Two... Two hundred kilograms!?"
This exaggerated number gave Shizuka a little Muscle Freak Shock.
Good grief.
A first-year high school student bench pressing 200kg for reps.
Is he even human?
No wonder those bodybuilders had to ask Yoru for advice.
So that's what it was.
However, after the brief surprise, a look of worry appeared on Shizuka's brow.
If it were any other student, it would be fine.
But for Yoru, who had a record of causing injury in middle school, would this abnormal physical strength really not cause safety issues?
Young people were prone to impulsiveness.
Combined with the not-so-great reputation Yoru had gained on his very first day...
If he gets into a conflict with other students in the future and doesn't hold back, what will happen?
Thinking of this, Shizuka made up her mind.
I have to find a way to correct Yoru's personality. At the very least, make sure he behaves himself while at school.
Several hours later. 1:00 AM. In a small alley in Kyoto.
"Hand over the money!"
A middle-aged man with a twisted, ferocious face held a sharp dagger to a young woman's neck.
In his mind, a voice whispered incessantly.
"Kill her. Kill her. Kill her..."
"Shut up!"
The man clutched his head with his left hand, bloodshot veins popping in his eyes.
Seeing his crazed state, the young woman was nearly scared to death. Her hands trembled, and she accidentally dropped her wallet on the ground.
"You did that on purpose!?"
"No... no..."
The young woman stammered an explanation, but the man couldn't hear a word.
Because all he could hear were the whispers growing louder.
The sharp dagger pierced the woman's fair neck slightly. Red blood seeped out, reflecting in the man's eyes, making the voice in his head even clearer.
"Kill her!"
Just as the man was about to lose all reason and plunge the dagger deep into the woman's neck, a voice laced with mocking amusement rang out from not far behind him.
"What a low-tier robbery."
"What is that thing you're holding? A fruit knife?"
"Sigh. With such a lack of dedication to excellence, how do you expect to stand out in the fiercely competitive industry of robbery?"