Chapter 22: No.22: First Impressions Are Overrated: Impressing the Hot Instructor
Having finished showering, Bruce briefly stared at the toothpick-sized tracksuit that had been left in the wardrobe for him in disbelief.
’You’ve gotta be kidding me! How’d they expect this oversized jelly to fit into that broomstick clothing?’
Hesitating a bit, he decided to give it a try, half out of curiosity and partly for amusement to see what he’d look like in it.
However, contrary to his expectations, upon wearing it, the tracksuit adjusted to his body size, fitting him perfectly without causing any discomfort whatsoever. The tracksuit felt like it had been designed specifically for him.
’Wow! Guess that happened.’
Pleasantly surprised, and mildly disappointed that he didn’t get to see how he’d look in a tiny tracksuit, he sighed inwardly before deciding to check out his reflection.
Regretting the decision soon after, Bruce cringed a bit at the figure staring back at him in the mirror, finally understanding a little why most of the women he’d approached yesterday had run upon seeing him.
The suit further emphasized every flap of meat on his body, making him appear like a walking pork chop. Coupled with the dark, dirty brown hair that looked as though it hadn’t been washed in centuries, causing it to fuse into the abomination atop his head.
His face, however, wasn’t necessarily bad. In fact, upon closer inspection, if one managed to filter past the excessive body fat and the Medusa-like hair he harboured on his head, it was actually quite attractive.
Shuddering at the sight of his reflection, he finally looked away, deciding to get started on the Task.
’The faster I get this done, the better.’
With that in mind, Bruce returned to the private quarters to begin his training.
Upon getting there, though, someone was already waiting for him.
Not the Instructor he’d selected, but a young man with a decent build who appeared hesitant to do something.
’Well, that’s not a good sign.’
Noticing Bruce, the young man, whose name tag read Barry, bowed politely before hesitating in front of him once more.
Looking at the towering marshmallow before him, Barry hesitated as he briefly recalled what he’d been instructed to relay to the figure before him.
Earlier, after informing Miss White about Bruce and relaying his information to her, Barry wasn’t surprised to find that she’d simply taken the tablet, stared at it briefly as her brows furrowed slightly, before plainly saying,
"Not interested."
Without another word, she casually returned to her exercise, her hips swaying in a hypnotic motion that Barry forced himself to look away from, knowing he’d be dead if she caught him ogling her.
Instead, he came to inform the client that she’d rejected his request.
Having managed to inform the towering giant before him of her decision, Barry closed his eyes, awaiting the tantrum that often followed. Most people who’d been rejected in the past usually either took out their anger on him, the receptionist, or anything around them, while a few would simply lose the little confidence they’d built up and end up cancelling their membership entirely.
Contrary to his expectations, however, Bruce simply said, "Okay," before going on to begin his training regardless of the absence of his Instructor.
Surprised, Barry briefly stared in a daze before snapping out of it.
Thinking Bruce was probably hiding his annoyance or disappointment, Barry decided not to pry into it and simply left instead.
However, Bruce wasn’t disturbed by this in the slightest.
’Would’ve probably been more surprised if she accepted that fast, honestly.’
Based on her reputation, Bruce had already suspected she’d most likely reject him from the start.
Regardless of whether she did or didn’t, it didn’t really change anything for him, as he’d simply seen it as an opportunity and decided to test his luck.
After all, the main reason he was here to begin with was to cover up his sudden weight loss should he attain enough Rebate Coins to purchase the Enhancers from the System Shop.
With that in mind, he began lifting the weights, deciding to put in as much work as possible to make it somewhat believable.
.....
Approaching nighttime, most of the coaches and trainees had already left the gym by this point, with the lights in the building turned off in the areas that were no longer occupied.
Having finished her workout routine for the day and freshened up a bit, Miss White exited her designated quarters and decided to head back home.
However, upon reaching downstairs, she noticed one of the floors, other than the Elite Instructors’ quarters, was still lit, indicating that someone was still there.
Intrigued, she decided to take a look, as it was rare to find someone still training this late into the day.
Upon getting there, however, she was surprised to find a squishy giant bench-pressing over 850 kg repeatedly. The sturdy bench he lay on creaked, as though suffering more from supporting his immense weight than the weight he was actually lifting.
Baffled by the sight, Miss White briefly stared in a daze.
Though the comparison used in rating the strength of an Ability User was based on that of an average adult male, it wasn’t as simple as that. Rather, it represented the absolute limit of what an average person was capable of exhibiting before total exhaustion—to the point where they couldn’t continue even if their life depended on it.
As such, anyone capable of displaying twice the strength of an average person was akin to being twice as strong as the human limit itself.
Hence why she was surprised to find someone with such soft features displaying strength far greater than his body suggested.
Upon recognizing the figure, she realized it was the client she’d rejected earlier that morning.
She’d assumed he was merely some rich kid who’d signed up for the classes on a whim because money came easily to him.
The kind that would often buckle under pressure and lacked any real endurance or willpower.
The kind she despised the most.
Contrary to her expectations, however, it seemed she’d been wrong about this one.
Despite being visibly exhausted from training for who knew how long, he kept pushing himself harder and harder.
Yet, he was smart enough to know when his body could no longer take any more, stopping briefly to rest and rehydrate before resuming once again.
Watching his repeated actions, like a monkey on steroids, a smirk crept onto Miss White’s face as she whispered,
"Hmm! Seems I might’ve been wrong about this one after all."
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