"Hey Shun, are you going to do that insane workout list today too?" - Kenta asked when he saw his friend back on the field.
"Huh? Um, yeah, I'm starting now. You know, if you guys don't want to do it, I understand. You must be tired." - Shun said, feeling a bit guilty. He was only doing all of this because of the old man's crazy mission, so there was no reason for his friends to go through the same suffering.
"Ehhhhh, what do you mean we must be tired? Are you underestimating me, you idiot? I don't know about Kenta, but I've never felt more rested in my life!" - Ren said with a confident expression, though even he didn't believe his own words. Even his samurai topknot was drooping from exhaustion.
"Hm, I'm fine. Let's just get started." - Kenta was also exhausted, but since his friends were willing to do it, there was no way he could be the first to back out.
Shun smiled when he saw his two friends ready to train with him. He couldn't help but feel happy to have such good friends. Of course, that happiness didn't last long when he remembered the workout list he was about to do.
*2 hours later*
"I'm dead! I'm dead!" - Ren was lying on the ground, speaking with difficulty.
"Shut up, Ren!" - Kenta was also sprawled out on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Ah, I think I'm dead too." - Shun was just like the other two, lying on the ground on his back, trying to suck all the air from the earth into his body. He had heard the system notifications, but his brain wasn't working properly.
[DING]
[Physical Training Mission Complete]
[Rewards have been sent to the user's inventory.]
"Hey, we don't have practice tomorrow, right?" - Ren asked with difficulty.
"Hm. Tomorrow's Saturday." - Kenta nodded.
"Do you guys want to go to the batting center tomorrow then? I was thinking about getting in some more practice since we have the game on Sunday." - Ren suggested.
"Ehh, are you really inviting us to train on a Saturday? Who are you? What have you done with my friend Ren?" - Shun said, surprised.
"Shut up! Who the hell are you to say anything, Shun? You crazy bastard." - Ren lifted his head to curse at his friend.
"Well, I don't have anything else to do tomorrow, so I'm in." - Kenta said as he struggled to get up from the ground. The sky was already dark, and he needed to get home.
"I'm in too." - Shun started to get up as well.
"Alright, let's meet up at around 10 AM tomorrow." - Ren reluctantly got up, though he still wanted to lie down a little longer.
"Sure, now let's head home." - Kenta said, and Ren quickly nodded in agreement.
"Ehhhh, actually, I'm going to run a bit more, so you guys can go without me." - Shun scratched the back of his head and spoke awkwardly. He still needed to run 14 km by the end of the day.
"What??!! You're joking, right? You'll really die if you train any more." - Ren said, shocked. He couldn't believe his friend still wanted to train more, it seemed impossible.
"Man, we've already trained too much. It won't do you any good to keep going now." - Kenta spoke calmly, but he was also worried. He was starting to suspect his friend had gone crazy.
"I'm just going to take a few laps. You guys can go without me, don't worry." - Shun didn't know what to say. There was no way he could explain that some crazy old man had given him an insane mission and that he needed to run 14 km more.
"Ahhh, whatever. If you're so eager to die, do what you want. I'm going home! I'll go crazy if I keep hearing this kind of nonsense." - Ren simply gave up. He didn't have the energy to argue with his crazy friend.
"Well, be careful. It's already late, so don't take too long." - Kenta was also not in a good condition, but he knew he couldn't convince his friend, so he just gave him a warning.
"Hehe, don't worry. I'll see you guys tomorrow." - Shun said goodbye to his friends. After they left the field, he started running.
*Another 2 hours later*
[DING]
[Old Man's Test Mission Complete]
[Rewards have been sent to the user's inventory.]
[The user's physical condition has been updated due to the intense training.]
Shun heard the system notifications and felt relieved. He was so tired that he almost laid down in the street to sleep. Luckily, when he had about 5 km left, he started running toward his house, so he was close by. The boy began to walk slowly toward his home, feeling his vision becoming more and more blurry as he walked. Fortunately, he managed to reach his house without passing out.
*Door opens*
Shun opened the door, kicked off his shoes so he wouldn't have to bend down, and looked down to see several pairs of shoes, which confused him. But he was too tired to think about it. He climbed the stairs, leaning on the handrail and muttering.
"I'm hungry, need to take a bath, want to sleep, damn old man." - The boy muttered these words repeatedly in his head. He somehow made it up the stairs, opened his bedroom door, and the moment he saw his bed, he stopped thinking. He just threw himself onto it and passed out.
"Hey Shun! Why are you ignoring your mother, huh? I said we have visitors, why didn't you greet them? And where the hell were you at this time of night?" - Shun's mother, Aiko, entered his room, angry at being ignored. She then saw her son, all dirty, lying on the bed, sleeping soundly. All her anger disappeared as she gave a small smile. She grabbed a blanket and covered the boy before closing his door and heading back downstairs.
"Sorry, girls, that rude kid went straight to bed. It looks like you'll only be able to see him tomorrow morning." - Aiko said, smiling at the three beautiful teenage girls sitting on the couch.