The next day came quickly. At the first ray of sunlight, Luke was, of course, still sleeping—complete with a snot bubble and a cartoonish snore.
The floating window listing the requirements remained there, looming like an unignorable barrier.
Requirements:
0/40 push-ups;
0/40 sit-ups;
0/40 squats;
0/60 jumping jacks;
0/60 lunges;
0:00/3:00 plank;
0.0/5.0 km walk;
0.0/2.0 km run.
The phone alarm rang. The sleep bubble popped. Luke wanted nothing more than to hit snooze—his chubby body craved a few more precious minutes of sleep.
"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!!"
That unbearable sound was the only reason he got out of bed. The day before, he'd changed the ringtone on purpose to guarantee he'd get up. The strategy worked too well.
"Shit, I'm starting to regret this…"
The glowing screen taunted him, a cruel reminder of his laziness. He yawned, then decided to start the workout, beginning with the first item: one push-up.
Luke placed both hands on the floor, legs stretched out behind him, lowered himself… and got stuck.
"I don't have the strength to push back up…"
Rather than keep smashing into a brick wall, he dropped his waist to the floor and crossed his legs to do a modified version of the exercise, but the system didn't count it.
"Wait, I have to do it the proper way?!"
👍
"Don't screw with me, system! Argh, for fuck's sake…"
Only the original movement triggered a response, so he had no choice. Luke reset his posture, tried again, lowered his body… and still couldn't push up.
"Come on, Luke, unleash the beast inside!"
That "beast" probably resembled a toy poodle, considering how little that helped. Every bit of strength in his body strained to complete a single rep.
1/40 push-ups ⇧ UP
Luke stared at the notification, his face twisted in pain, wrists and hands aching.
The only time he ever exercised had been during school gym class, not exactly enough to build a decent body, especially with only one active day a week.
"I'm never gonna finish this…"
Some moves might be easier than others—like jumping jacks—but the strength-based ones were real trouble.
Sit-ups and planks already gave him a headache just thinking about them. His belly pressed down with all his weight, making any motion ten times harder.
Holding his body still for three minutes, stretched out like a dachshund, sounded like pure hell.
Frustration deepened the pout on Luke's face. No other option but to switch exercises. His eyes drifted toward the window. The sun had barely risen.
People would be heading to work soon, and a few were already walking around the nearby square.
"Walking sounds easier. I'll knock out the rest throughout the day."
With that thought, he went to get something to eat. He chose a banana, probably the fastest healthy thing to eat in the house.
After descending — or nearly rolling — down the stairs, he reached the square in under ten minutes. Even so, somehow he still felt out of breath.
"Damn sedentary lifestyle and capitalism that only lets me eat fast food!"
He walked at his own pace, letting time flow around him. His eyes took in the scene, old folks doing their morning routines, people scattered all over.
"When was the last time I really went outside?"
Nothing came to mind. No clear moment where life hadn't followed the same cycle: work, game, sleep, repeat.
Walking through the square without rushing or caring felt like a new experience.
The sunlight was warm, the sounds comforting, the whole atmosphere oddly peaceful.
The scent of morning dew lingered in the air, something he hadn't noticed in ages, not since those early mornings heading to school or college.
An old memory, soft and faded.
The chatter of passersby, dogs out on their walks, old ladies gossiping in their tacky outfits…
Everything felt so harmonious, even with the usual chaos in the city, cars blasting music from subwoofers in their trunks and motorcycles with deafening exhausts.
"Why did I even come out here?"
Your resistance increased.
1.0/5.0 km walking; ⇧ UP
"Oh right, that's why I'm here…"
Luke's face twisted in regret. Leaving the house no longer felt like a great idea. The banana he'd eaten wasn't sitting well in his stomach.
Even though it's fruit, bananas aren't exactly light food, especially before exercising, they often caused discomfort.
That only worsened when factoring in his chubby body, with weight shifting awkwardly from one leg to the other at every step.
He tried to stay firm, but trying too hard didn't help. Without the habit, his legs and shins felt fragile — burning, tingling, begging to detach themselves from the rest of him.
It felt like his muscles had turned against him.
He stopped and leaned against a brick wall, panting far more than expected. Working out was pure hell, too painful for any normal person to endure.
"How the hell do people say this is fun and healthy?! They've lost their minds!"
His vision blurred. Warm breaths fogged up his glasses over and over. Still, his stubbornness refused to back down now that he'd accepted the mission.
Luke began to run. His mind shut off, his legs burned, and his brain throbbed with pain.
Breathing no longer worked properly. He pushed so hard that eventually everything turned black.
He collapsed.
Luke woke up much later. Sunlight scorched his eyes, and his head spun.
The first thing he saw was the face of a stunning young woman with brown skin. Her green lipstick stood out more than even her fierce expression.
From his angle, flat on the ground looking up, it felt like some kind of angel was guiding him to heaven. Naive didn't even begin to cover it.
"Why is she on top of me…?"
It took a moment to realize what was happening. Something soft and warm cradled his head like a pillow.
Luke sat up abruptly, cheeks flushing. He couldn't believe what had happened. Not even in school had he gone through something this embarrassing!
"No way… I slept on her lap?!"
"Hey, don't move too much," she whispered in his ear, sending chills down his spine. "Your nose got a bit messed up. Just stay still for a bit."
She pressed an ice pack gently against his nose.
Luke blushed even harder. Getting help from a woman this beautiful, it was more intense than any high school crush.
His mouth stayed shut, probably stunned by those green eyes staring right at him, a stray lock of hair framing her face.
"What's your name?" she asked with a smile.
"Lu-Lu-Luke…"
"Luluke? That's such a funny name, hehe. I'm Vivian, but you can call me Vivi if you'd like, okay?~"
Luke remained frozen. His mind drifted far beyond reach. He couldn't think, couldn't speak, trapped under some kind of wicked charm.
While lost in thought, he noticed a girl watching them.
She wasn't particularly pretty, just plain, really. The only thing that stood out were her thick eyebrows, oddly out of place.
Vivian turned toward her and scared the girl off with a glance. Luke gulped and spotted the system window beside him.
0.5/2.0 km running ⇧ UP
As expected, he was nowhere near finishing that damn list. Not only had he walked less than half the requirement, he even passed out just to get 500 meters in.
Pathetic. Whoever this woman was, she probably helped him out of pity.
"Hey, Luluke, feeling better?" she asked, removing the ice pack and gently placing a bandage on his nose. "You really shouldn't have pushed yourself like that. If it's your first time, take it slow. You scared everyone out here, y'know? No one wants to see you collapsing again."
"Ah, s-sorry, yeah I-I'm f-fine. Don't worry, it's all good." He nodded, touching the bandage. It burned quite a bit; maybe it had bled earlier. "That girl who just walked by… do you know her?"
"My trainee, actually. I've been training her almost every day, but she always shows up with a grumpy face and complains about everything! Hah, I wish she had just a little bit of the determination you have."
Vivian put a finger to her chin. A sudden idea popped into her head. She looked at Luke with a wide smile that gave him chills.
"I've got it. ~ How about you take my number?"
"Y-your number? Why?"
"I like your vibe. I think you could be an inspiration for my trainee." Her smile widened. "Come on, get your phone out and write it down."
Luke hesitated. Why was this model-like woman offering her number to a nobody like him, someone with absolutely no redeeming qualities?
He stifled a sigh, afraid it might cause trouble, and pulled his phone from his pocket, only now realizing the time.
His blood ran cold. He woke up around 5, and now it had been three hours. His shift started at eight. He was late—seriously late.
"Vivian, I'm sorry, but I can't! I... Crap, my boss is gonna kill me."
She widened her eyes, a bit surprised by his sudden outburst. But considering his apparent age, it made sense that he had at least one job.
"Oh well, don't stress. And remember to call me Vivi, alright?" She gave him a wink. "See you around.~"
Luke rushed off, unsure if it was because of work or sheer embarrassment. Once he disappeared from view, the thick-eyebrowed girl walked up to talk.
"Master, you really should stop doing that. Seriously!"
"What, flirting with people? It's fun to mess with others. Or are you just so jealous you can't stand seeing me do that, Nataly?"
"Of course not!" She blushed bright red and put her hands on her hips, acting more like a spoiled brat. "I mean provoking people like that! It's gross, especially because you have a boyfriend!"
"Tsk, give me a break, girl." She pulled Nataly's ear. "And just so you know, I'm not dating anyone anymore. I dumped Leonard when I found out he was having an affair with some chick in England, so let me have my fun, you little brat."
After a round of whimpering from Nataly, the two resumed their run.
"Step it up, Nataly sweetie, or you're gonna get fat from eating my dust!"
Vivian laughed and teased her pupil all morning long; it was her favorite part of the day.
They had been training together for weeks, but the girl never got too excited, her laziness always outweighed her motivation.
The teacher wanted to use the collapsed boy as a spark of inspiration for her student. She even pointed at him and talked about him right before he collapsed like a sack of potatoes.
To avoid the massive embarrassment of having used him as an example, Vivian took care of Luke, and that way, they were even.
She hoped they'd run into each other again. It would be nice to use him as a source of motivation for her student's growth. But…
She had a deep feeling that he'd never come back.
That kind of person was common. She saw them almost daily, people bursting with motivation on day one to turn their lives around, only to have that drive disappear by the next morning.
Still, one tiny thing caught her attention. It was a silly detail, something she only noticed when they sat close together.
'What was that blue screen next to him?'