Today, Tenma had a special training with Isamu Sensei, so Hide trained only with Nao and Miku. Even though the tiredness and sore from MMA class was still plagued his body, he managed to complete 2 km jogs, 100 push up, and 100 squats.
Hide fully realized that he would become stronger, and the physical abuse he had to go through every day would become a light snack sooner or later, so he calmly carried his training without whining.
Hide also didn’t have to worry about Shizuka. She was doing her basic just fine. However, Takeo was a different matter. His body was already hit its limit even though today was only his second day in Hiking Club. But at the same time, Hide could also see that Takeo’s fighting spirits was remained sky high.
‘His leg must be as hurt as hell right now and his tiredness is at its peak,’ Hide downed a mouthful of water as he observed how Takeo put his life on the line to complete his jogging, by walking step by step. ‘Just wait a bit longer, I will give you a hand later.’
“Hide, maybe you should advice Takeo to quit?” Nao said as soon as she realized the direction of Hide’s gaze.
“It’s his choice.” Hide turned his head towards Nao and continued, “We are also not that close to advice each other.”
“Really?” Big question mark was clearly reflected on Nao’s eyes.
Miku who stood next to Nao added, “You two seem very close to me.”
“Why does Big Sis Miku think like that?”
“Every a few minutes Takeo would look on you before continuing his painful walk,” Miku calmly said. “It’s as if your presence is what gave him motivation to keep going at all cost.”
Nao added, “The way he look on you also pretty similar to someone who passionately look at his lover.”
“Hide, you and Takeo don’t have to hide your relationship in front of us,” Miku said in a tone that made her sounded almost like a Buddha. “We totally understand your forbidden feeling.”
‘What the….’
Hide had to admit Nao and Miku was very sharp. He definitely had to be careful when interact with the two, but the thing that gave him a bad hunch was their weird train of thought.
“I’m a straight,” Hide firmly said. “Definitely a hundred percent straight.”
“Hide,” Nao narrowed her eyes as she looked at Hide, “The way you denied it makes it more suspicious.”
Hide inwardly sighed as he explain, “I believes Takeo is also a straight and he is Shizuka’s boyfriend.”
“I see,” Miku looked at Shizuka, Takeo, and Hide alternately before continuing, “So that’s why Shizuka also sometimes looked at your direction.”
“It’s a new type of love triangle,” Nao concluded while nodding her head a few times.
‘These chicks…’
From the weird smile on their face, Hide could tell Miku and Nao totally believed that their random conclusion hit the mark, and whatever he said to clarify it would only worsened their conclusion. So, he decided to say nothing while reminded himself to smack Takeo and Shizuka on the head for their carelessness.
---
Training in Uruba Hill went as usual. Nao and Miku did four sets of Hike Run while Hide only three sets. After checking Hide’s today record, Nao turned her gaze to him.
“Hide, do you know what is the record for 3.6 km running on flat track?”
Hide shook his head and replied, “No.”
“For 3.6 km in flat and hard track, 18 minutes is considered as average, while 15 minutes is superior,” Miku paused for a moment before asking, “So, how can you achieve 18 minutes in an off trail and up-hill track?”
“I don’t know,” A lie smoothly slipped through Hide’s teeth.
“Actually,” Nao happily explained, “In 3.6 High Run, if you make a straight line from the starting line to finishing line, it’s only around 1.8 km. So, the key to achieve shortest time possible is by avoiding detour and directly tackle obstacles in your track as many as you can.”
“Starting from tomorrow we will teach you how to do it." Miku sexily licked her lips before adding, “It will be fun. I guarantee it.”
“Okay.” Hide nodded before asking, “But… How do we know what kind of obstacle we will face in the next Hakka Outdoor?”
“We don’t know about it. That’s why we will train on different track each week.” Miku casually replied. “Fortunately, Uruba Hill has twelve tracks we can use. Sometimes we will also train in hiking trail around Hibino Lake.
And believe me, the terrain in Uruba Hill is a child play compare to leg-breaking terrain around Hibino Lake. However, if you can do well in terrain around Hibino Lake, you will also do well in Hakka Outdoor.”
“Understood,” Hide obediently nodded.
After drinking the rest of their water, Hide, Nao, and Miku then returned to East Nichiko.
---
Hide calmly entered his class without closing the door and he found Takeo and Shizuka had already waited for him. Seeing Shizuka had gloomily air around him, Hide immediately asked her.
“How is your training today?”
“Sayaka starts to call me idiot because I can’t remember her explanation from yesterday,” Shizuka dejectedly said.
“Please be patient for now.”
“Okay.”
Hide then turned his gaze towards Takeo. “Have you washed your feet as I ask?”
“I have,” Takeo weakly replied. “I also bring the towel you have asked for.”
“Good.” Hide took a roll of yoga mat from his sport bag as he continued, “I will give you a sport massage.”
“Huh?” Big question mark was reflected in Takeo’s eyes as he continued, “You will give me a sport massage?”
“Yes, I do.” Without delay, Hide put the yoga mat on top of three tables that he put together. “Come on, we don’t have much time. Hop up and face down.”
“Okay,” After handing over the 60x40 cm towel he brought to Hide, Takeo immediately lay on the table.
Then, Hide used the towel to cover Takeo’s left calf as he said to Shizuka, “Watch and learn how I give Takeo a sport massage. Next time, you are the one who had to give it to him.”
“Me?” Shizuka looked at Hide with widened eyes, but it was clearly visible that she was very happy about it.
“Yes, you.” Hide pointed his index finger to Shizuka’s nose as he continued, “When Aizawa sleeps in her school, I will have long-range afternoon swimming before Hanna give me a sport massage. So, yes, it’s you who will help Takeo.”
“Okay.”
Hide then started massaging Takeo left calf. He gently pressed it with both palm before releasing it in one go.
“When I press, I pump the blood out of the area I press. When I release the pressure, the blood will come back like a flood.”
“Okay.”
“This palm press will help the blood flow fluently, and washing out the pile of lactic acid in the muscle that cause sore and ache.”
“Okay.”
“After that, you can use gentle rubbing, drumming, or kneading to relax the muscle, or use acupressure to release knots that formed due heavy overwork.”
“Understood.”
As karate user who trained since five years old, Shizuka had deep knowledge about how human body worked. So she knew that lactic acid was a chemical that human body produced when it broke down carbohydrate for energy. When human muscle was overflowing with lactic acid, it would lead into sore, ache, or even painful contraction.
The most common method to burn lactic acid out was by carrying out a through cooling down and deep stretching after heavy physical exercise. However, at his current condition, Takeo’s body would need more than cooling down and stretching to neutralize the overflowing lactic acid in his muscle.
Shizuka also knew that sport massage was a good method to wash out overflowing lactic acid and helped an athlete to recover from their tiredness. It was a good method to enable an athlete so they could carry their training up to their maximum capacity each day.
However, Shizuka never used sport massage to help her body recovered its capacity. When she started training karate and had sore muscle, her mother would just give her ice cream and she would stop whining. But now, she deeply interested to learn about sport massage to the smallest detail because she could use it to help Takeo. Throughout her life, this was the first time she was very serious about studying something.
Slowly but surely time kept flowing, and in total Hide required 75 minutes to fully massaged Takeo from toe, calf, thigh, butt, lower back, waist, upper back, shoulder, neck, and arms. Then, as he returned Takeo’s towel he confirmed the result of his work.
“How is it?”
“It’s amazing,” Takeo said as sweats drenched his body like a flood. “The sore and ache in my legs gone without a trace. There are still some stings from blister in my sole, but it was not a big deal.”
“It’s good that my massage is working as expected.”
“Hide, why do you give me this massage only now?” Takeo bitterly said. “Last night, I couldn’t sleep because my whole body was hurt as hell. I also had a slight fever, while this morning I almost couldn’t wake up from the bed.”
“Well…”
Hide didn’t give Takeo the sport massage as soon as he could because he wanted to use Takeo’s pain and tiredness to shape his will power. It was not impossible that in the future, Takeo would have to survive by relying on his will power alone. Therefore, he would sharpen Takeo’s will power every time opportunity presents itself.
At the same time he didn’t want Takeo to see him as a sadist. He worried that it would lessen Takeo’s trust on him, like how it lessened his trust on his instructors in his previous life, and so Hide made a believable lie.
“Yesterday my body was also tired as hell, like you.”
“Sorry,” Takeo weakly said. “I never thought you will also have a hard time like me.”
“No, problem.” Hide then turned his gaze to Shizuka. “Tomorrow I will show it again. After that, you will do it under my supervision for the first few massages.”
“Okay,” Shizuka happily replied.
Takeo who right now was as happy as clam decided to propose an idea, “Hide, please teach me too. It’s not fair if it’s only Shizuka who give me the massage.”
Even without asking Shizuka about it, Hide was sure she would happily agreed with Takeo’s idea. Hide also could tell that Takeo had no bad intention. But still, he felt that he should ask Shizuka for her permission.
“Do you mind if Takeo gives you a sport massage?”
“Not at all,” Shizuka calmly replied but Hide could see the slight blush on her snow white neck.
‘It’s good to be young and get carried away with your feeling,’ Hide muttered as he turned his gaze to Takeo, “I will teach you too.”
“Thank you,”
“You can use this mat, but in return please buy another one for Shizuka. It will be a lot of comfortable if you two use your own personal mat when receiving sport massage.”
“Okay.”
“And one more thing,” Hide’s expressions suddenly became dead serious. “When training in the backyard, don’t keep looking at me. Some people have notice it and it could lead into unwanted circumstance if you two don’t stop it.”
“…”
“Do you understand?”
““We do.””
Like a kindergarten kids who got reprimanded by a scary teacher, Takeo and Shizuka obediently replied and nodded their head.
“Well then, let’s go home.”
Big question mark immediately appeared in Takeo’s forehead. “You don’t teach me the sport massage now?”
“I have to arrive at home before Aizawa,” Hide calmly replied.
“Ah sorry…” Takeo awkwardly said. “I’m too excited because my body is super comfortable right now.”
“I know.”
After returned the tables they used back into its position, Hide, Takeo, and Shizuka leaved in two batches. Hide was first to leave, followed by Takeo and Shizuka who walked side by side like a couple ten minutes later.
*****
