The current date is August 14th, and the time is exactly 10:00 AM. Even though it's still morning, it's the middle of August, and just standing still outside is enough to make sweat bead up like droplets—it's that hot.
Despite the heat, the four of us sisters (a pointless side note, but even when I was still a guy, we used the term “four sisters” instead of “four brothers.” In my case, it was more like I was made to use it) had come to a nearby sports park.
Why are we here, you ask? To exercise, of course.
Apparently, about a week ago—so before I even got back to Japan—they decided to set up a chance to exercise. The idea was to get Hina, who’d stopped working out ever since entering full-on exam prep mode during her summer break, and Ryou-nee, who had never been part of any sports club since middle school and stopped moving altogether after entering university and losing even her P.E. classes, to actually move their bodies a bit. To fix that, Mika-nee, the ringleader, teamed up with Hina as her accomplice to force poor Ryou-nee, the victim, into a workout session.
As for me, to be perfectly honest, I’d rather not even go outside, let alone exercise.
Dad was out and about from early this morning, trying to get me a forged Japanese citizenship (Sorry for making you work during your vacation, Dad).
According to the background he's cooking up, I’m not supposed to enter Japan officially until the end of this month. I wondered how we were going to handle immigration and all that, but apparently, it'll work out somehow. Really?
Because of that setup, it's definitely better for me to not be recognized by anyone right now.
With my non-black hair and eyes, I stand out, so I should really be staying inside for the time being.
But still—staying in the house for over ten days straight feels like a waste, and besides, I already went out once to the shopping mall.
On a day this hot, when even the sun feels like it might melt, there aren’t likely to be any weirdos who'd choose to exercise outside, so there’s little chance I’ll be noticed.
Also, it'd be a waste to let the sportswear I bought recently just sit in the drawer.
So, Yuuji, you're joining us too. Don’t think you can be the only one to escape, said Ryou-nee, in what was basically an enforced request.
And so, when the eldest sister, Ryou-nee, issued what was both a request and a command, there was no way I—the youngest of the three—could possibly refuse. Naturally, I was roped in and forced to participate.
“So, what exactly are we doing for exercise?”
For reference, this sports park is pretty big. It was apparently built back when land was plentiful.
There’s a running track that loops around what’s more like a marsh than a pond (roughly 1 km per lap), a field large enough for soccer, a small obstacle course, and even a city-run gym, indoor pool, and tennis courts. And all of it is free to enter (though you'd usually come by car, so there's a parking fee). The gym, pool, and courts cost a small fee, but it's reasonable.
“After warm-ups, we’ll do stretches, then core training I learned from the youth program, and finish with a few laps around the running track for a cool-down. That should take us to just before lunch. Since it’s hot, we’ll take water breaks as needed.”
Mika-nee said it casually.
“That doesn’t sound casual at all,” groaned Ryou-nee, despair on her face.
“It's been a while, so I wonder if my body will cooperate,” said Hina, though she looked confident.
As for me? This is my first time exercising in this body and in this world, so I have no idea if I can handle it.
Back in the other world, near the end, I was unconsciously using ambient mana to enhance my physical abilities (if I couldn't do that reflexively, I’d have been dead the moment I got hit with a surprise attack), so I have no real grasp of my raw physical strength now.
Well, unlike over there, I definitely can’t run at 50 km/h or leap over rooftops anymore.
Right after we started our warm-up exercises, I noticed something different about my body.
“Whoa. This is amazing. My body’s gotten way more flexible.”
I hadn’t done any stretching since becoming a girl in the other world. Doing the splits for the first time in this body, the range of motion is clearly different than when I was a guy. This is crazy.
“Yuu, hate to kill the mood, but that’s normal. Men and women have different pelvic structures, and women have more flexibility in the joints, so they seem more limber. But actual flexibility—like in muscles—is another matter entirely.”
…Thanks for the brutally honest tip, Mika-nee.
Still, this long hair is annoying. Every time I move, it pricks and tickles me.
20 minutes later
“So earlier, you said it’s been a while since you exercised?”
“Yeah. I lost at the start of July and retired from club activities.”
“You were in a club? Tennis?”
“Yep. We stayed a weak team to the end, lost in the second round of the prefectural tournament.”
Hina and I were paired up for piggyback drills. Every time we took turns carrying each other, the conversation kept getting interrupted.
Looks like Hina had stuck with tennis from her first year of middle school all the way to the end. Since the prefectural tournament was in July, she must have made it through the district qualifiers in May or June. For a total beginner starting in middle school to get that far in two years at an ordinary public school—pretty impressive. I could feel her effort even through the piggybacking.
“You really worked hard, didn’t you? I can feel the strength of your back.”
“Take this!”
…Even though I meant that as a compliment, for some reason Hina threw me over her shoulder with full force.
By the way, I kept hearing groans like “ugh,” “no way,” and “guuh,” along with the voices of their partners trying to encourage them.
Another 20 minutes later
After the next round, the stretching exercises were finally over. As expected of Mika-nee. When she was selected for the youth program, she must’ve learned all kinds of movement techniques. Plus, it seems like she tailored the intensity for our level. After thoroughly moving every part of our bodies, we took a much-needed water break.
Still…
“So hot. Can’t I just cut this hair already?”
My hair is pretty long. If I let it down, it’d reach my waist. Right now, it's tied in a single braid (courtesy of Ryou-nee), so it doesn’t poof out much, but compared to when I was a guy, the heat around my neck is unbearable.
“No way! It’s way too pretty—cutting it would be such a waste!”
Easy for you to say. You've got a bob that barely reaches your ears. This long hair is really annoying, you know?
“You’ve got such nice straight hair, Yuu. I’m jealous. If I try to grow mine out, it gets all wavy. Plus, since I got into university on a sports recommendation, I’m not even allowed to grow it out.”
Mika-nee said that with genuine envy. But I’m the one jealous of her low-maintenance, boyish haircut.
“I get that it’s hot, but you’ll stand out too much. At least until you get your Japanese citizenship, no salons.”
Even Ryou-nee, whose semi-long hair was tied in a ponytail, should understand how hot this is.
Come on, just let me cut it. Wait—am I required to go to a beauty salon? Isn’t a barbershop fine? What do you even talk about at a salon?
“Yuu-chan, a barbershop is just not an option.”
“I know some barbers can do decent cuts. Technically, the difference between barbers and beauticians is whether they’re licensed to shave facial hair. In that sense, barbers are actually more skilled.”
“You’re talking about those 1,000 yen barbers, right? I’m not knocking their skills. In fact, I admire how efficiently they work. But for women, getting a haircut isn’t just about cutting it short.”
I got scolded nonstop like that throughout the entire hydration break.
Another 30 minutes later
“All right! That’s the end of core training. Some of these you can even do at home. If you want to build strength, try to incorporate them into your daily life—even short sessions help. It raises your basal metabolism, too, so it’s great for dieting.”
Mika-nee’s core workouts left my whole body exhausted. All four of us were drenched in sweat.
…And now I finally get why women’s athletic wear has thicker fabric and narrower sleeves compared to men's.
If I were still a guy, I’d be flapping the collar of my shirt to cool off, but that somehow felt unladylike, so I just wiped my sweat with a towel.
Dunking my head under a faucet would feel amazing right now, but with this hair, drying it would be a pain. Better not.
“Yuu, you still seem to have plenty of energy.”
While I was trying to figure out how to cool down, Mika-nee spoke to me. She was probably right—the sweat pouring off me was from the heat, not the exertion.
“Yeah, I’ve still got some left in the tank. Honestly, I expected to have less stamina than even Ryou-nee.”
“Considering your physique, that should be true.”
In reality, my stamina probably surpasses Ryou-nee’s… maybe even Hina’s. I might be on Mika-nee’s level.
“That might be right. Yuu, you weren’t slacking off, but at the start, you were holding back a bit, right?”
“Ah, no, that’s a misunderstanding. I was just off my game. I couldn’t move the way I imagined. Back in the another world, even after becoming a girl, I could run 100 meters in under five seconds, twenty times in a row. So moving at this slower pace felt strange and clumsy. But toward the end, I started getting the hang of it—or at least finding a compromise.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. In that case, why not go all-out for the final run? You said you’ve got a feel for it now, right?”
After the break, it was time for 20 minutes of solo running on the track (with a set goal). Apparently, even Ryou-nee, who’s the slowest, can handle 7 minutes per kilometer.
When she heard she had to run three laps at that pace, Ryou-nee made a face worthy of a gag comic.
I’m not sure what to expect for myself, but Mika-nee said she’d “jog lightly” and do five laps—nearly twice the speed of Ryou-nee. Hina was somewhere in between with a four-lap goal.
And for me...?
"Yuu, for now, try running one full lap at full speed. I’ll record your time."
Instead of a stopwatch, Mika-nee pulled out her smartphone. There was still some time left in our break, but apparently, she couldn’t set my training goals until she saw what I was capable of. She wanted to see me run first and assess my ability.
For me, it was probably a good idea to gauge my level of athleticism too.
By the way, the running course in this sports park is 1,060 meters per lap. The extra 60 meters is due to the size of the pond—can’t be helped.
However, there are markers every 200 meters up to 1,000 meters from the starting point, so you can measure a 1-kilometer time.
Since Mika-nee says she can run five laps in 20 minutes at a light pace, I suppose running 1,000 meters in under 4 minutes would be considered fast.
I stretched, did a few light jumps, then let her know I was ready. “Ready, set, go!”
As soon as I started running, I realized something.
This is bad. I'm slow. I thought the discomfort had mostly gone away in the past hour, but once I started moving seriously, the difference between my mental image and my actual movements was too much. Was I really this weak without relying on battle aura…?
While I was internally disappointed, I found myself at the finish line. It felt like it took quite a while. And yet, Mika-nee looked completely stunned.
What’s going on?
"1,000 meters in 3 minutes 23 seconds…"
Uh, sorry. How amazing is that?
"Well, if we’re only talking about female junior high and high school students, that’s about top-level in prefectural tournaments. Not quite fast enough to be the best, though."
"But Yuuji, you’re barely even winded."
"Maybe it’s a habit I picked up over the past two years. You know, in a world where fights were life-or-death, there were hardly any chances to sprint at full power without holding anything back."
To be exact, sprinting at full power without holding anything back = a last-ditch effort during defeat. I always fought cautiously to avoid such situations, and if things got dicey, I would retreat while I still had the strength.
"Yuu, this time try running at full power, to the point you're out of breath."
I was curious too. Just how well can I move in this world? Luckily, in this sweltering heat, it seemed like we were the only idiots exercising in the park. It wouldn’t matter if we drew a little attention now.
I caught my breath. This time I’d go all out. There would still be a disconnect between image and movement, but I wouldn’t give up—I’d give it everything to the end.
…
…
…
"Amazing. Time: 2 minutes 58 seconds. There are very few girls who can run a kilometer in under three minutes!"
"Yuu-chan, that’s incredible! You could go to nationals in track and field with this!"
"Mika-nee, let me touch your legs for a sec."
Ignoring the cheers from Mika-nee and Hina, I started groping Mika-nee’s calves and thighs before she could even give permission, trying to resolve a rising question I had.
Hmm. Soft and smooth. But beneath that, I could clearly feel the firmness of well-trained muscle.
Totally unrelated, but if I had done this when I was still a guy, I’d have been punched into orbit.
Next, I checked my own legs.
Hmm… Just soft. No matter how you feel it, Mika-nee’s legs are far more like those of an athlete.
Which means…
"Yuuji. I haven’t verified everything yet, but as far as I can tell, genetically, you’re the same species as us."
Before I could even voice my doubt, Ryou-nee shut it down.
So the hypothesis that I’m not human, but some other being, was incorrect. My speed must be due to something else.
WE HAVE TO VERIFY THIS
"Ryou-nee!"
"First, let’s head to the home improvement store and gather tools. We'll need a measuring tape, elastic bands, and a stopwatch."
"Yeah, with that, we can handle 100m sprints, long jump, and high jump at least. Oh, do we still have the handball I used back in middle school?"
"I think it’s at home, but I can’t guarantee it’s the official size and weight."
"It’s fine. Middle schoolers use a size-2 ball officially, regardless of gender. The physical fitness tests use the same size, so it’ll be accurate."
"Why are you two so hyped about this?"
"Why wouldn’t we be? There’s a mystery unfolding right before our eyes!"
"You get why it’s strange Yuuji can run that fast now, right? So then, what’s the cause? Is it just his running ability? See? That’s mysterious!"
"Mika-nee, just give up. Those two are completely in their own world now."
Mika-nee and the others didn’t quite get it, but they understood our enthusiasm. So, for now, we paused our workout. Honestly, I wanted to do the tests right away, but Mika-nee gave us a perfectly reasonable warning:
"It’s going to get even hotter this afternoon. You’ll risk heatstroke. No way."
So we went home.
After lunch, only Ryou-nee and the others went out to buy supplies (since it’s better for me to avoid being seen by the public, apparently), and we waited until evening.
When the heat had died down a little, we returned to the sports park and began the physical fitness tests. And…
Pull-ups
"Yuu, that’s enough pull-ups. There are practically no girls who can do more than ten. And we’ve still got a lot left."
Even after I passed fifteen reps with ease, Mika-nee called it off.
Handball Throw
"Record: 40.1 meters. That’s about the level of a national high school record for girls."
"Oh, and just so you know, the national average for high school girls is around 14 meters. So keep in mind how crazy this is."
There are girls who can throw 40 meters? Honestly, I’m impressed.
Long Jump
"Ah, close—6.98 meters. Just a bit more and you would’ve hit 7."
"Hearing that just makes me want to try again. Hina, I’m jumping again. Measure it for me."
"In that case, we should move the takeoff board further back from the sandpit."
For the record, I didn’t manage to beat 6.90 meters in the next three jumps. Still, a record near 7 meters matches the women’s national record in Japan—though it’s not a world record.
High Jump
"Hmm. You were hitting near-Japan record levels until now, but this one’s a bit weaker."
"I never learned the proper back-first jump technique."
Still, I cleared 150 cm, which is taller than my own height. I deserve praise for that.
100m Sprint
"12.00 seconds flat. Another amazing time."
I wanted to break the 12-second barrier, but even after five more attempts, I couldn’t.
After testing various other areas of physical fitness, we discovered that my current physical abilities are:
“Top-tier even among high school girls; on par with some Japanese records depending on the event. Not quite at world-record level.”
"In other words, it’s not just your running. Your whole physical ability is exceptional."
"Now I’m curious about things like reflexes, hearing, vision—we should test those too."
"If it’s just vision, we could probably test that somehow."
Even Mika-nee and Hina, who weren’t really into it at first, were motivated by this point. We had solid proof that I was physically exceptional. Ryou-nee and the others were now wondering if that came from different muscle structures or something similar, but I had another hypothesis I wanted to test.
"Fuuu… suuu…"
I took a deep breath and focused on my lower abdomen—my tanden.
Four days ago, I tried to use magic and failed.
Therefore, magic can’t be used in this world.
But… what if that hypothesis is wrong?
There are two main reasons why the magic I defined in the other world might fail to activate:
-
I don’t have a clear mental image.
-
I don’t have enough magical power for the phenomenon.
The magic in this world feels thin. Even the lowest level light source spell wouldn’t activate. That’s why I thought magic was impossible here.
But what if I was wrong?
What if this world is simply so devoid of magic that not even a simple light spell could activate?
"Yuu-chan, what are you doing with all that deep breathing?"
"Gather, magical power—Light Source: Light."
It was the same spell I failed to cast four days ago. But this time, the mental image was different. Last time, I pictured a light bright enough to read in the dark for about ten minutes. This time, just a faint glow like a night-light—for just a moment. How about that?
“““!!!!”””
All three of them who had been watching were shocked.
And honestly, so was I.
I had successfully used magic. Though it was so weak, it wouldn’t even qualify as a party trick.
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