Note: This mini Arc takes place before the Great Ashen Tree's Epilogue.
The Immortal's Suspicion - 01
"Huff...Eleven...Twel...ve...!"
At the gym, Kotaro tried his best to push up a silent mass of steel. Ten kilogram plates on each side of the barbell, thirty kilogram in total including the bar. He lifted it only with the upper body strength. The weights were heavy on his biceps, he clenched his teeth while doing the exercise.
"Twenty!...Ughhg...twenty-oneeee...!"
Almost there, he nearly completed another set. Kotaro glanced at a spot in the gym, and there was someone watching him.
"Don't strain your face like that, Fuuma. You're not supposed to lift that weight with your face muscles!"
Yatsu Murasaki began to scold him. She was the one who dragged him to the gym in the early morning. A promising Elite Taimanin who would be the next leader after Igawa Asagi, Murasaki's accomplishments on the battlefield easily made her the top class figure for others to look up to. She teamed up with Sakura a lot and her name was also acknowledged by both friends and foes, just like the title Almighty Asagi.
And with all that qualities fulfilled the expectations, Murasaki was officially assigned to the Task Force.
"Huhhghgghh!"
Kotaro groaned while Murasaki merely titled her head, looking at his shaking arms. They were about to give out.
"What's the matter? Are you about to tap out?" She sighed with a disappointed expression. "This is proof you didn't train daily while I was away. Straighten your arms! Lock them in place! Stop slacking off and try to lift it properly!"
Today was Kotaro's day off. He was called out...no, he was threatened to come to the gym and work out.
Kotaro gritted his teeth once again as his legs were on the verge of collapsing.
"Don't bend your knees! Stand straight, brace that tension in your muscles!"
While Murasaki was shouting at him, she was also training at the same time.
But the weights she had been dealing with were heavy beyond his imagination. Five twenty kilogram plates on each side of the bar. The barbell itself was ten kilogram, weighing two hundred and ten in total. The amount was possible for squats or deadlifts, but here she was using it to train her biceps. That was not a weight a human could handle.
"Your weight is barely a seventh of mine. Don't screw up your posture!"
Kotaro wanted to tell her that her choice of weight was weird, it literally surpassed a world record.
"..."
He tried, not a word uttered from his dried throat. This was so unfair. Ah, might as well keep silent about it. He didn't want to argue while losing breath.
Kotaro was doing weight train with the most powerful Taimanin who had obliterated empowered exoskeletons with her strength alone. An unrealistic power if judging from her slim physique, but Murasaki did exceed the limits of what was considered to be impossible.
Unbelievable! The Elites sure were on a whole new level compared to him and others like Sakura, Yukikaze and Rinko-senpai. As a fellow Taimanin, he really couldn't give up. He didn't want to find out what kind of punishment would wait for him if he did so anyway.
Kotaro forced himself to continue, lifting the weights in his hands.
"Pathetic. Are you supposed to be a Taimanin?" She spoke louder, watching him raising the weight over his head. "If you have the energy to think about nonsensical things, then you can still work on yourself! Control your breathing, put more power into it!"
She just knew that from reading his face, didn't she?
Kotaro grinded his teeth together so hard a sharp sound echoed.
"Yes, that's the spirit! One more time! Lift it up!"
From time to time, she would encourage her student while checking on them. Murasaki didn't stop lifting her own weights though, her concentration didn't falter in the slightest. She kept lifting the unrealistic amount of weights in perfect tempo and form. She was sweating heavily just like him, yet her breathing was rhythmical and she had never showed a hint of exhaustion on her face. On the contrary, her expression was full of determination.
Completing the exercise, Kotaro dropped the weightlift on the floor. It bounded with a loud bumping sound, made him felt oddly satisfying in a way.
"Murasaki-sensei...amazing. You've always train this hard."
"Isn't it obvious? This level of training is what we ought to do. *Huff* Taimanins are always close to death during missions and failure is not an option. In every battle against the enemies, we have to win. "
Murasaki continued to lift the barbell while saying that, her form was unbroken. The muscles in her arms flexed every time she moved.
"It's not just me. Asagi-sama doesn't always complete the missions with ease."
The Taimanins gained this level of ability throughout training days and nights, strengthening the mind as well as body.
"Right now, Taimanin Asagi is the name that causes the most fear to the Dark Side of the world. Before that, there were days beyond imagination."
Kotaro nodded. Surely, the Headmistress Asagi had gone through intense trainings and life-and-death situations to reach a level where she had become her own league. It was a place where others Taimanin wished they could keep up.
"I want to be like her! So I train myself days after days, to catch up to her!"
As she said that, her body seemed to shine with an aura that matched the color of her hair. Murasaki's Taima energy was coming out, surging strongly as her determination soared, the weight in her hands became so light that her lifting gradually moved faster.
"Oh...!"
Realizing the change in her strength, she stopped for a moment to control her breathing and the state of mind. The particles surrounding her slowly blended back into the air.
"You too, Fuuma." Murasaki relaxed her posture and spoke. "Fix your lazy attitude, work hard on your training. That's the reason I called you here today."
"U-Understood!"
"..."
She focused on him after he said the word, then her gaze turned piercing much to his nervousness. It sounded like she was suspicious of his answer.
"Are you sure about that?"
Kotaro nodded his head multiple times and continued working on his set. His respond wasn't truly half-baked, but Murasaki understood him enough to know that he wouldn't put in one hundred percent of the effort.
...
...
Shortly afterward, Murasaki was done with her training.
"This is it, enough for today."
Lowering the barbell, the ground lightly shook with a heavy thud. Despite it being lowered slowly and not dropped, such a loud echo was still possible due to the kind of weight that could easily break a professional weightlifter's spine.
Kotaro also stopped his training and began to clean up his area. His arms were sore to the brim, it was difficult to hold a bottle of water properly without shaking. Murasaki frowned while she watched him wobbling around without any strength left in his body.
"What? Can't even lift your arm? If you hadn't skipped your trainings, you wouldn't be exhausted to this extent."
Despite the harsh words, she handed over a towel and a bottle taken from her bag.
"Here, take a seat and don't just drink normal water. Wipe off the sweat and help yourself with my drink, I mixed carbohydrates in it."
"Thank you, Murasaki-sensei."
Kotaro accepted the cold bottle and poured it down his throat. The cool flow of liquid soon calmed the burning dehydration inside his body, he ended it with a big exhalation.
"Phew, tasty! I feel like I'm alive again!"
"Good for you."
Murasaki signaled him to return the bottle as it was her turn to drink. Seeing more than half of the bottle was still full, she eyed him.
"You drank so little? Drink more!"
"Isn't that your last bottle? After you, sensei. Mine are still plenty over here."
"Jeez. Guess I'll bring some more with me next time."
Murasaki took a sip. Then, she realized his lip touched the bottle's mouth just now. And out of habit, she brought it to her lip without thinking.
An indirect kis-"Guh!"
Murasaki choked, water in her throat nearly forced back out. She wished her mind didn't think about that fact, now it officially stuck with her.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"N-Nothing!"
The confusion on his face made her irritated. Murasaki turned around, not allowing him to get a view of her flustered expression. She stared at the bottle's mouth with twitchy eyes. For her to react like this because of a simple gesture, it was unbelievable.
"Child's play." Murasaki muttered before she took it all in one gulp.
Even the air within the bottle was sucked out, reducing its shape into a tiny piece of plastic. She tossed it into the trash can and faced him again.
"Fuuma?"
But he was no longer sitting on the bench, he was making his way towards the exit of the gym. He just nonchalantly walked away like they were done here. Veins popped on her forehead, she wasted no time to grab him by the shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Eh? Haven't we done with the training?"
Murasaki smirked at the words blurted from his mouth.
"I trained from early morning, that was my last exercise for today."
"Uhm, great work? Guess we're done at the same time!"
Her smile turned darker.
"Did I say you're done?"
"..."
"I was going easy on you during my own training. But now I can focus on working you down to the bones."
Her grip on him tightened, Kotaro unconsciously flinched at the immense pressure on his shoulder.
"D-Don't tell me, we were just getting started?!"
"You have no idea, Fuuma. You actually came here sooner than I planned. It's great."
Kotaro's left eye slowly moved to the entrance that was only a few meters away. One of his shoes briefly stood on toes, readied to make a mad dash like his life depended on it.
"Oh! Trying to run away from me, I see." She noticed what he was doing. "How bold. Seems like I'll have to train you until your body can't move anymore."
Others in the gym didn't dare to make eye contact with either him and Murasaki, they were minding their own business. Kotaro couldn't ask for help. From the moment he set his foot here, there was no escape for him.
"Now get back in here and pick up your barbell! You have one extra set for punishment!"
Kotaro screamed in despair, Murasaki's Hellish Training had just begun.
Thinking back, it had been a gruesome time to endure. But the result started to show, the barbells and the ridiculous weights that caused his body to struggle became a little bit less heavy. He could lift weights in the gym much easier now, despite his form was still no where as perfect as Murasaki-sensei.
His stamina had been improving, he checked it. A few laps around Gosha in the early morning no longer squeezed his lungs with exhaustion, not that he didn't feel his throat burned every time he tried to incorporate the Breathing Technique mid-run. Maybe he should have done that while staying still instead of running.
"Oi, steady your breathing! You've been coughing a lot." Murasaki, who was also doing the morning laps, ran past him. "Twenty laps then meet me at the gym, remember that!"
"Yes, Ma'am."
Kotaro inhaled deeply, trying his best to catch up.
She left him in the dust, an obvious outcome.
...
...
The gym was empty today, probably because he got here earlier than the official business hour.
Kotaro heard faint shower noises in the dressing room and saw a familiar bag on the bench, Murasaki was already here. The extremely heavy barbell she often used for her training stayed ready at one corner of the room.
A curious thought crossed his mind. He had a decent amount of stamina now, but would he be able to keep up with the accumulated tensions in his muscles? Kotaro needed to make sure there was a balance in both his endurance and strength. He placed his grips on the bar and began to lift it.
"...heavy."
As expected, the kind of weight that surpassed the potential of an ordinary human only stirred a few inches. Kotaro didn't think the result would change much even if he wasn't tired from the morning laps. But what if he applied Murasaki's strength into his body and tried to lift it again?
He shot a brief glance at the direction of the dressing room, Murasaki hadn't come out yet. Now was his chance.
Left eye closed, and the right eye opened.
[Yatsu Murasaki's Style: Immortal Strength]
The weightlift that once completely glued to the ground began to shake in his hands, pulling down the arms and torso. His body felt it in full, knees buckled like gravity trying to force him kneel on the ground. Amazing! This was something Murasaki had constantly used to train herself.
Teeth grinded and gritted tightly, his back straightened up, as slow as he repeatedly drew out the air. Muscles braced an immense moment filled with agonizing tensions. He couldn't raise his arms, they were chained down by the massive weight of the barbell.
He did it, he managed to lift it up and kept his posture straight. But his arms were shaking, his body was about to give up on it.
"Nanaka, you're here?"
Suddenly, Murasaki walked out the dressing room, eyes closed with a towel wiping her face and hair.
BAM!
The heavy barbell dropped to the floor, Murasaki recognized the sound just from the impact it made.
"Huh? You're using my barbell?"
When she opened her eyes, no one was standing there. The gym looked empty like no one had come over and used that barbell in the first place. As she noticed another bag placed next to hers on the bench, the door of the men's dressing room swung open.
"Fuuma?"
"Sensei, I'm here."
Kotaro came out, freshly cleaned and in his gym clothes. His left eye met her curious gaze.
"Have you seen Nanaka?" Murasaki looked around the room again, to make sure what she heard wasn't a mistake. "I thought she was here."
"Nakamori Nanaka-san? No, I haven't."
"That's strange. I feel an energy similar to mine just now." She raised her eyebrows at the barbell, noticed it had been moved from the original spot. "Did you give it a try?"
"I think I still have a long way to go before I can lift your customized barbell, Murasaki-sensei."
"Hm." She fixed her gaze on him, at his face. "Are you sure? We won't know until you do it."
Kotaro tried his best to keep his expression as natural as possible. His nervousness was leaking and Murasaki seemed to pick up a hint on that.
"I decided. Come here, Fuuma. Use my barbell, let's see the progress of your training."
"Eh?"
"Don't 'eh' me. Quickly, stand by the grip bar. On a count to three, you lift it with all your might. Understand?"
Kotaro wanted to whine, but Murasaki's piercing gaze promised him something worst if he would try to run now. At the very least, he'd learned something new asides from this hellish training. Murasaki can sense the flows of Taima Particles that activated by a similar Ninja Art of her own.
"Don't shake your legs, keep them firmed! Good! That's it, hold it steady for five seconds!"
Murasaki began counting once Kotaro lifted the barbell off the ground by a few inches. He groaned harshly, feeling his arms and spine would snap by bracing the immense weight.
When the gym section was over, his muscles ache didn't go away for a whole week.
...
...
Sometime later.
In a certain building at Tokyo Kingdom, A Task Force unit were raiding an enemy's hideout. It was a small terrorist group who somehow got their hands on illegal weaponry and used the building as a storage.
Murasaki led the team. Soon, she wiped out all the targets on many floors with the help of other young Taimanins-in-training.
"Reporting!" She ordered.
"Murasaki-sensei, all clear on fifth floor."
[WAIT!]
A panicked voice came from the comm line. Then, a window from the upper floor broke apart, a terrorist armed with a powerful exoskeleton flew away.
[He's getting away! No...that direction...*Gasp* He's heading straight to our base! Fuuma-san, come in!]
[..KSKckscskhjksd...]
At the worst moment, something jammed their devices. While her student repeatedly called out to their Captain, Murasaki quickly made her way to the top of the building.
"Fuuma! Fuuma, respond! Do you hear me?!"
Murasaki tried to re-establish the connection, but the communication continued to fall flat. With Kotaro remained at the base by himself to observe the mission, none of their voices could reach him. Their base of operation was just a few blocks away, she needed to hurry before the terrorist reached it first. No, she must catch up to him at all cost!
Murasaki started running at full speed. The axe swung and struck the ground to launch her high into the air. The terrorist seemed to notice her chasing after him, he turned mid-air, both arms stretched towards her, advanced firearms popped out from underneath the armor plates and opened fire.
Gritting her teeth, she got the giant blade on the axe to shield herself from the bullets. But she had no intention of doing so, it would only break her momentum. Gripping her weapon tightly with both hands, she hung it over her head and threw it like a soccer ball. The axe braced through the bullets rain and struck its target.
With the axe blade cut deep into the exoskeleton suit, its functions shut down. The terrorist crashed into another rooftop and lied still, breathless in his own pond of blood.
"Looks like I made it."
Murasaki landed near him, with each step she took, bullets gradually fell off from the gaping wounds on her body. Immortal Awakening Ninja Art healed back the bleeding holes on her head, her torso and arms in mere seconds.
"Now let's see your face."
Murasaki yanked the helmet. To her expectation, the leader of the terrorist group was inside the armor suit. No wonder they couldn't find him during the raid.
"Target neutralized. Everyone, mission succee-"
Blink Blink!
A wary noise startled her. When she checked the source, it was from the metallic frame attached to the suit's forearm. The small display screen showed the video of a four-legged tank moving on autopilot mode, gun turrets all pointed at a single spot.
The Tempest?! They even had this thing?! It was the reason their comm link got jammed!
Murasaki's eyes went wide, she recognized the location in the video. Her student, Fuuma Kotaro, was on the other side of that door.
"Fuuma!"
The screen blared with a blinding light, followed by an explosion.
/