"Do you always stay late to practice like this, Akashi-senpai?"
"Only sometimes."
After finishing a hundred spike drills, Akashi Asuka still looked energized, while Nishimori Tomohiko, who'd been setting for him the whole time, was clearly on the verge of collapse.
Asuka glanced over at him.
This guy's stamina is pathetic.
No endurance.
How's he ever going to satisfy anyone like that?
Maybe he sensed the implication in Asuka's look, because Nishimori's face flushed bright red.
"I-I'm fine, Akashi-senpai. I can keep going."
Asuka shook his head. "That's enough for today."
"But—"
"Physical management is just as important as the rest of training. Pushing yourself too hard isn't always a good idea."
Nishimori tried to protest, but Asuka cut him off. "Besides, I'm starting to get hungry. Time to head home and eat."
"Got it. Understood," Nishimori said, voice dropping slightly.
Asuka noticed the disappointment in his tone. After a moment's thought, he added, "No need to look so down. You did a great job with the sets today. Thanks for your hard work, get home safe, alright?"
Nishimori's eyes lit up a bit, and he responded more energetically, "Yes, I will!"
…
After parting ways with Nishimori and leaving the school, Asuka stopped by a store to pick up some groceries. What he'd said earlier wasn't just to comfort Nishimori, he really was feeling hungry.
The energy used by the system to enhance Asuka's physical capabilities didn't come out of thin air. The process worked more like an acceleration of the effects of his training, effective, yes, but also demanding more of the body's own stored energy.
Asuka came from a typical working-class family.
His parents were both full-time employees, usually not home until late. Unless it was a holiday, he usually had to fend for himself when it came to dinner.
The original Asuka couldn't cook at all.
But for the new Asuka, that was actually a good thing, he hadn't quite figured out how to deal with this body's parents yet.
In his previous life, he'd been an orphan.
Living alone was something he'd grown completely used to.
Let alone adoptive parents, even if his real parents had shown up back on Earth, he wasn't sure he could've handled that relationship well.
After eating and showering, Asuka returned to his room. It was just a little past 7:00 PM.
He lay in bed and stared at the clock on the wall, stunned.
Back in his memory, he couldn't recall a single time during his Junior High years that he'd gone to bed this early. Now, with life feeling so calm and uneventful, he actually didn't know what to do with himself.
After a while, bored out of his mind, he got up and took a book out of his bag.
To be honest, since starting college in his last life, he'd forgotten most of the stuff from junior high. But the curriculum here in this country was ridiculously simple. At a typical school like Sengoku Junior High, which followed a "happy learning" philosophy, third-year material was basically equivalent to what he'd learned back in seventh grade.
In less than two hours, Asuka had finished an entire textbook.
At this pace, he figured he could start reviewing high school content within two weeks.
…
9:00 PM.
Asuka went to bed on time.
He wasn't particularly tired, but this was part of his self-discipline. His training schedule was intense, and since Junior High School students were still in their growth phase, he needed more nutrients and more rest to recover properly.
The standard recommendation for Junior High School students was eight hours of sleep.
But Asuka budgeted nine and a half for himself to ensure full recovery.
…
The next morning.
6:30 AM.
Asuka woke up right on schedule. As he sat up and casually flexed his arms, he froze for a second.
"Is this… part of the system's assist function?"
He took a moment to assess how his body felt, recovery was far better than expected.
He'd pushed himself hard the night before, way beyond the usual load. He fully expected to wake up sore all over. But aside from some slight muscle swelling, he felt totally fine.
Well, except for being really hungry.
"Actually, yeah, it makes sense. If the system worked like this without safeguards, even the toughest body wouldn't hold up. A built-in recovery buffer is only natural."
"If that's the case, maybe I can bump up the training schedule."
Originally, Asuka had planned to spend 6:30 to 7:30 on low-intensity technical drills.
But if the system really had a safety mechanism like that, maybe he could afford to go even harder.
Like adding another 30 to 60 minutes of physical training.
Junior High didn't start until 8:50 AM anyway. Even without the system, just lying around during all that morning time would feel like a waste.
…
[Ding...]
[The key to effective grinding is seizing in the early morning. Making use of time while others sleep is the mark of a true king of hustle.]
[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "low-tier hustle" by training twice as much as your teammates in the drill: Ball Control.]
[Ball Control - Hustle Points +0.1]
[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "mid-tier hustle" by training three times more than your teammates in the drill: Ball Control.]
[Ball Control - Hustle Points +0.2]
[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "low-tier hustle" by training twice as much as your teammates in the drill: Jump Training.]
[Jump Training - Hustle Points +0.1]
[Congratulations, host. You've completed a "mid-tier hustle" by training three times more than your teammates in the drill: Jump Training.]
[Jump Training - Hustle Points +0.2]
8:10 AM.
Asuka wrapped up his hustle, ahem, morning training, and staggered into the bathroom drenched in sweat. After a five-minute shower, he devoured the huge breakfast he'd prepped the night before, and even packed an extra-large lunchbox.
8:30 AM.
He left the house for school.
8:46 AM.
He arrived at his classroom, dropped off his bag, and went out to use the restroom.
8:49 AM.
He returned to his seat, pulled out his textbook.
At that exact moment—
The bell rang for morning reading at Sengoku Junior High.