Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own Rent a Girlfriend, or any of its characters...

Friday

It's been two days ever since Kazuya's breakup and as far as post-relationship trauma goes, the young man has been handling himself pretty well… at least for someone like him.

True to his word, Kazuya had stopped crying over what happened and instead focused on what he would do from here going forward.

After promising himself that he would change for the better, he quickly went ahead and removed Mami from his list of contacts. If she ever tries to call him again, he would block her number to cut off any possible contact between them for good.

The first step in his road to be a better man is making sure that anything that reminds him of his past relationship would be buried.

He also noticed a lot of missed calls from his two friends, Kibe and Kuri, in the past 24 hours. They must have been worried about him after he didn't answer the first few calls, but Kazuya didn't call them back just yet. Should they try to contact him again, he would answer but right now, he had other things in mind.

He spent the entire day writing down what he should do from here on out, both short-term and long-term goals that would benefit no one but himself.

Hey, if he's going to start changing himself, he would need a plan to follow instead of just winging it without knowing anything.

And right now, Kazuya was just outside the place where he would take his first step to a new life.

"This seems to be the place," Kazuya eyed the two-story gym that stood before him, which was exactly the same as the one shown on his phone.

Wearing a red sleeveless shirt, green track pants, and a pair of running shoes, Kazuya Kinoshita was ready to start his road to becoming a better person, and it all starts with this place, a gym named "PRIDE".

The first thing to do on his list was to change his appearance. No, he wasn't going to undergo plastic surgery and adopt a new personality, but rather he wanted a more physical change regarding his body structure.

Kazuya knew that he was lean, average, and wasn't any different from stereotypical teenage boy. He wanted to change this and turn into someone who's physically adept, one who can solve normal day-to-day problems by doing some heavy work.

He didn't want to be someone who struggled to do things that were meant for men like him.

He wanted to be a man who can stand on his own feet and this was something he had to do for that to happen.

"There's no turning back now."

Taking a deep breath, Kazuya pocketed his phone before finally heading inside.

Upon entering, the young man was immediately greeted with the sight of various exercise machines and training mats all over the place. There was also a staircase that led to the second floor of the building. Walking further deeper into it and reaching the end of the hall, he saw a group of punching bags stationed at the left area, while several lockers were at the right side.

Yes, this looked like a good place for him to start bulking up but there was a slight problem.

There seemed to be no one around, despite the "OPEN" sign hanging on the door and the fact that it was unlocked.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Kazuya called out, hoping that someone would answer him because he didn't want to spend this day without accomplishing anything.

"Oh, what do we have here? A young cub interested in my gym? Well, I'm already done with my warmups and I think I can spare some time before my daily workout, so if you want me to give you a little tour, I can show you around!"

Kazuya turned his head towards small staircase, where he saw tall bulky man with dark brown hair coming down from the second floor and walking towards him. He was wearing a black tank top and running shorts, with a white towel around his shoulders.

Kazuya blinked owlishly at seeing the man's figure and unconsciously smiled, internally agreeing that this is what he wanted for himself when he starts training his body.

"Well? Cat got your tongue? I don't have all day, kid," the man who seemed to be the owner of the gym spoke in an amused tone, noticing how the young man was quickly drawn to his physique the moment they met.

He always had that effect on the younger folks who dream of having the physique of a world-class bodybuilder.

The young man snapped out of his little trance and quickly shook his head, before laughing nervously. This man before him was the owner of this place, and he didn't want to make a bad impression.

"Uh… no, uh… actually, I'm… here because I want to become someone better," Kazuya admitted, putting on a more serious look to show his resolve. His mind was dead set on accomplishing his goal and he wasn't going to back out of it.

The older man quirked an eyebrow.

"Someone better, huh? Would you mind enlightening me with that?"

Kazuya became silent upon hearing that, before he felt confused. How exactly was he supposed to explain that he wanted to change himself and be a better man without telling him the issue about his ex-girlfriend?

Knowing that he had to give an answer, Kazuya simply decided to be honest with his reasons while also making sure that his ex-girlfriend's name won't leave his lips.

"It's nothing big, it's just… I've been going through some personal issues and all I've done is cry about it. I didn't even try to see what the main problem was and when I finally did, I realized I was the problem all along."

The gym owner made sure to listen to Kazuya's words, and he immediately understood the situation that the teen was in.

"I see… and now you want to make things right?"

Kazuya nodded, although his gaze was directed elsewhere as if he couldn't bring himself to look at the older man just yet.

"Yes. I realized that even though I'm already 21 and living alone in my own apartment, I don't feel any mature than when I left my parents. I'm stuck as a guy who does nothing but mope around when he's going through a problem."

The man seemed to be pondering about something, although he continued to listen to Kazuya's words.

"I also realized that in order for me to be a better man, first I have to be strong enough to hold my own anytime, which is why I'm here to ask for help."

Kazuya finished with a somber tone, as he finally looked up at the gym owner with pleading eyes. This was the first time he had a moment of weakness since when he cried over his breakup, and it was right in front of someone who was basically a stranger to him.

In hindsight, he shouldn't have done this and simply asked for help like a normal person would, but he couldn't have done such a thing after explaining his reasons. He basically revealed his problem without revealing any name, but Kazuya couldn't say that he regretted doing it.

It only felt right that he tell the man about what he wanted to do and his reasons why.

The man continued to stare at Kazuya for a bit longer, as if he was having doubts about the teen but that thought was quickly put to rest when he chuckled and shook his head and amusement.

"Well… I'm no expert in sappy and emotional talks but what I can offer you is how to toughen yourself up," he spoke, causing a smile to slowly appear on Kazuya's face. "Being an adult is no mere game and you're gonna need bigger limbs to solve the more physical problems you'll face."

Kazuya didn't hesitate to bow his head out of gratitude.

"Thank you, sir. I promise to do my best under you."

The older man waved his hand with an bothered look on his face.

"Bah, don't call me that, kid. I don't like formalities much, so just call me Kaji."

"If that's what you want, Kaji-san."

The man now named Kaji then turned towards the training equipment near the entrance of the gym, before releasing a hearty laugh.

"Well, I'm gonna have to postpone my workout until later, but don't worry about that. I always make time to train young cubs under my wing and turn them into capable lions. Follow me."

With that, Kazuya followed after his appointed instructor upstairs, but not before sending one more look towards the various equipment around in the distance. While he was looking forward to working out and making himself stronger, he thought that he would need to make use of those machines to help him.

No matter, he has someone to help him, anyway. Maybe he'll just be doing some stretching today and using those training equipment would come on another day.

"Enjoying the place? Don't worry, you'll get to use those stuff real soon. We're just gonna go through the easier stuff for now," Kaji's voice snapped the young man out of his thoughts, noticing that Kazuya was eyeing the equipment down below.

"I know that but I'm just wondering… do you own all of this stuff? Or is there someone else here with you?"

"Yep. Even the whole building is mine. I live here actually, and my room is just over there," Kaji pointed to the small room located at the end of the hall. "It used to be an apartment until the time I bought the deed off its owners. Oh, and by the way, what's your name, kid?"

"It's Kazuya Kinoshita, Kaji-san."

The pair stopped walking as soon as Kaji came to a halt. While Kazuya was wondering if they were going to start now, Kaji turned to face him with a serious expression on his face.

"Alright Kazuya, listen closely then. You might think that it's downright embarrassing for you to act like a kid and cry about your problems when you're already a grown up, but that's not true. Everyone has these moments of weakness and sometimes, they need someone to pull themselves out of their funk. So don't feel bad about telling someone else your troubles, okay?"

Kazuya was left staring at the older man after those words, unable to speak a word at first because he was trying to comprehend every bit of it properly. By doing so, he realized the truth behind what Kaji said, and was reminded that he wasn't the only one going through a state like this.

It's not like he's the only guy who got dumped by his girlfriend. There were probably thousands more all across the world who have went through worse than that, and who knows how those people took it in?

Did they cry over what they lost? Or did they take it in stride and didn't let it hinder them?

That wasn't the point, though.

What caught Kazuya's attention was that Kaji mentioned people having moments of weakness wherein they receive help from another person in order for them to turn back to normal. In his case, perhaps the person who would help him with his problem was the man standing before him.

Was Kaji referring to himself all along, then?

Whatever the answer was, Kazuya understood what was spoken to him and nodded as a sign of it.

"…I understand, Kaji-san."

"You'd be surprised to see how good it feels to open up to someone about your problems, kid. Why do you think adults get drunk during get-togethers? It's not because of the alcohol, but drinking it does help. It's more of the people involved opening up to their friends if they have problems, and then they laugh about it afterwards."

He blinked a few times, completely stunned.

"I… never thought about it like that…"

Of course he hadn't.

Despite being 21 years of age, Kazuya had never actually gotten drunk nor went out with friends for some alcohol. Part of that was the fact that he didn't have that many friends and the other reason was that he spent most of his time on his past goal, the one about… getting a girlfriend…

Wait, did this also mean that he should tell Kaji about Mami as well?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his instructor having a few laughs to himself.

"There's no need to tell me anything else, kid. I already get the picture. You want to be someone better, so let's stop the talking because that won't get us anywhere. Go stand there by the training mats," he spoke, before pointing to the training mats that were placed near the window.

Kazuya quickly nodded and did as he was told, even straightening his position as though he was training to join the military and his superior was right before him.

"For now, we're gonna start with some warmups before we get to the real deal, so just follow my lead."

And with that, Kazuya began his first day of training, one that he would remember for the rest of his life as his first step to becoming a better person.

While he would experience great pain going through this, along with it would be the fruit of his hard work if he perseveres.

That Afternoon

"Ugghhhh, I don't feel like walking home right now… but I didn't bring enough money in my pocket to catch a ride back…" Kazuya groaned as he felt the 36th urge to just collapse on the ground after several hours of continuous workout under his mentor, Mr. Kaji.

Of course, like all the other times before this, he ignored the pain in his legs and continued to walk, just until he can find a bench where he can sit down for a few minutes and rest.

Kazuya truly wasn't expecting this to be so difficult, training the human body to be physically fit and strong and to add to that, he basically had to start from scratch due to his physique being that of an average teenager.

The crazy thing about this is that this is only the first day…

In fact, after they were done for the day, Kazuya practically had to drag himself out of the building due to how much his legs hurt after everything that Kaji made him do.

But alas, it appears that this is what he'll have to go through if he wanted to be a better man than what he was. Kazuya was well aware that he wanted this to happen, so he wasn't going to complain or back out.

He'll just have to endure this while it lasts and besides, it's all for his sake, right? He's doing this to make sure that what happened two days will never take place again.

Kazuya took a quick look at his surroundings so he could tell how far he still needed to walk before getting home, and he released a quick sigh of relief when he realized that he had already walked a long way from the gym.

"Only three turns left… and then I'll finally get home!"

Kazuya spoke with enthusiasm despite the aching feeling in his legs. He won't have to endure this for long and he'll be able to get some well-deserved rest! With that in mind, he began to walk again as he felt a burst of energy flow through him.

"It's also a good thing I didn't bring a bag with me or something…" he muttered, only for his voice to become dry by the end of his words. "Crap, now I'm feeling thirsty too…"

Since his mind was a bit occupied at the moment, Kazuya didn't notice the familiar sight of two young men who were walking before him, but they were able to realize who he was from afar.

"Kazuya! Is that you, man?!"

"Hey, Kazuya! Where the hell have you been?!"

Kazuya was brought out of his thoughts when he thought he heard someone calling his name, and he found himself facing his two friends from college, Kibe and Kuri.

"Oh… it's you two…"

He spoke in a tired tone, as if he didn't care about their presence at all which caused the two to feel like something stabbed them from behind.

"Dude, why do you sound so dead?! Are you going through something?" Kuri asked, looking terribly worried for his friend.

Kazuya shook his head, not wanting to deal with this at the moment as he would rather get some rest and be in peace. However, being the caring friend that he is, Kazuya wouldn't tell either of them to leave him alone, so he quickly came up with something to tell the two so they can get this over with.

"I'm just tired, alright? Right now, I just want to get home and get some rest. Whatever you two want to tell me, hit me up with a call or a message later. I need to get going…"

He let out a deep sigh and tried to continue on his way home, only to get stopped in his tracks when Kibe placed a hand on his shoulder.

Oh, dear… he had a bad feeling about where this was going…

"Oh no, you don't! We're not letting you go now that we found you! You're gonna tell us what you've been doing right now!"

"I just wanted to get home…" Kazuya said in his thoughts.

Looks like he'll have to entertain a couple of curious minds before that can happen.

Patience, dear readers. He will meet Chizuru, just not too soon. Chadzuya will go through a bit of development first, as shown in this chapter and the next one because imagine how his eventual meeting with Chizuru would go once he is starting to be a better man. Heh, I sense someone's bra fell in the distance...

MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance