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[POV - Yuuki Rito]
[Sainan School - Next day]
SHIIING!
Sunlight streamed through the classroom windows like golden knives cutting through the air. I leaned back in my chair, watching other students slowly filing in. Life had taken on a quickened pace since the girls arrived.
I remembered the quiet days - almost monotonous - from before. Just me and Mikan, predictable days like pages from an already-read book. And then, like a pink hurricane, Lala showed up, knocking down all certainties. Asia came soon after, bringing her gentleness and those eyes that begged for protection. And now Rias and Akeno, two demons literally fallen from the sky at my doorstep.
"It's not like I'm going to a meeting of the factions, right? Or like some desperate fiancé is going to show up..." I thought, smiling ironically.
TRAM!
The classroom door opened with a dramatic crash. The teacher entered, followed by a blue-haired boy with a determined look.
"Good morning, class. We have a new transfer student today."
The young man turned to the class, chest puffed out like an irritated pigeon.
"My name is Ren Elsie Jewelria, prince of planet Memorze!" he announced, pointing dramatically at me. "And I've come to challenge Yuuki Rito for the right to marry Princess Lala!"
The room fell into absolute silence. Then erupted in chatter.
BLABLABLA!
"Another alien?" someone whispered. "How many fiancés does this girl have?" another student asked.
Lala, seated behind me, leaned forward with a confused expression.
"That's cool and all, but... who are you again?" she asked, blinking those enormous eyes.
CRASH!
The imaginary sound of Ren's ego shattering on the floor was almost audible. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
"W-what do you mean? I'm Ren! From childhood! We played together in the royal palace!"
Lala tilted her head, still confused. Ren, desperate, pulled an old photo from his pocket and showed it to her. In the image, a young Lala smiled next to a... girl? in a purple dress with blue hair.
"Oh!" Lala clapped her hands. "Aren't you the crybaby, Ren-chan?"
His face turned as red as a ripe tomato.
"Don't call me 'chan'!" he protested. "And I wasn't a crybaby!"
"Yes, you were!" Lala laughed. "You always cried when I made you wear girl clothes for my experiments!"
The entire class burst into laughter. Ren looked like he wanted to dig a hole and disappear into it.
DING DONG!
The class bell rang, temporarily saving him from complete humiliation.
[School Gymnasium - Hours later]
POING! POING!
The sound of the basketball bouncing echoed through the gym. Ren stared at me with fire in his eyes, sweaty and panting, while I casually held the ball.
"This time, Yuuki Rito, I'll show my superiority!" he declared, once again.
It was the fifth "competition" of the day. First running (I won). Then push-ups (I won). Swimming (I won). Mathematics (surprisingly, he was good, but I still won).
I sighed. Challenging Ren was like kicking a puppy - he kept coming back all excited for more. It would be comical if it wasn't slightly sad.
ZOOM!
I threw the ball with calculated precision - not too hard to humiliate him, but enough to show skill. The ball brushed past Ren's hand and went perfectly into the basket.
"Twenty to two," I calmly announced. "Game over."
Ren fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Drops of sweat dripped from his face onto the polished floor of the gymnasium.
"How?" he murmured, looking at his own hands. "How can you be so... manly?"
I frowned.
"Manly?"
"Yes!" He looked at me with uncomfortable intensity. "What's your secret? Protein? Meditation? Some alien ritual?"
I opened my mouth, closed it again. Better not to get into that subject.
[Main Street - Late afternoon]
Ren walked dejectedly beside me. The sunset painted the sky with orange hues, casting elongated shadows on the ground.
"I give up," he murmured, kicking a small stone. "I'll never be man enough for Lala-sama."
I felt a little sorry for him. Almost a little.
TAP!
A paper flew down and hit Ren in the face. He tore it off, ready to crumple it up, when his gaze stopped on the printed words:
"TODAY AT THE CINEMA: ROCKY II!"
I saw his eyes widen as if he had found the Holy Grail.
"That's it!" he shouted, grabbing my shoulders. "That's how I'll become a real man!"
And before I could react, he ran off toward the local cinema, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.
[Training Montage - Following Days]
BEEEP! BEEEP!
The alarm went off at 4 AM. Ren jumped out of bed as if he'd received an electric shock. He put on a gray sweatsuit and ran out into the still-dark city.
PLAF! PLAF! PLAF!
His sneakers hit the wet asphalt as he ran to the fish market. There, to the horror of the fishermen, he began punching frozen fish.
"ONE! TWO! THREE!" he counted aloud, his fingers getting redder and redder.
CRACK!
Raw eggs went down his throat as he made disgusted faces.
Next, he started jumping rope under the scorching sun, sweating like an open faucet.
At the port, he lifted heavy fishing nets while confused sailors watched. One of them even filmed with his cell phone, muttering "this is going to go viral."
On the staircase of the local temple, Ren ran up the steps, then jumped on one foot. He fell a few times but continued, determined as a bull.
CRASH!
The butcher shop door opened violently. Ren entered, pointed to the largest piece of meat, and began punching it, to the butcher's despair.
In heavy rain, he continued training, now pulling a cart full of stones up the steep streets of the city. His muscles trembled with the effort.
At night, exhausted, he watched and rewatched Rocky II on his cell phone, taking detailed notes.
[Day of the great run - One week later]
The sun had barely risen when Ren began his greatest test: a 120km marathon around Sainan. He wore gray shorts, a white tank top, and a red bandana tied around his forehead.
PLAFT! PLAFT!
His footsteps echoed in the silent city. Children began to follow him, first a few, then dozens of them. Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, only sweaty and panting.
"REN! REN! REN!" the children shouted, running behind him.
I watched everything from a distance, with Lala, Asia, Rias, and Akeno by my side.
"He really took this seriously," I commented, impressed despite myself.
Lala watched, concerned.
"This doesn't seem healthy, Rito. He's hurting himself."
"He's determined," Rias replied, crossing her arms. "That's... admirable, in a way."
At one point, Ren staggered and almost fell. His legs trembled like branches in the wind, but he refused to stop.
"REN! REN! REN!" the chorus of children grew louder.
When he finally completed the course, the sun was already setting again. He staggered up to us, drenched in sweat, his legs barely supporting him.
"L-Lala-sama..." he panted, falling to his knees before her. "Now... am I m-manly enough... for you?"
Lala looked at me, confused. I gave a small nod. Better to end this.
"Oh, yes, Ren-chan!" she smiled, clapping her hands. "You're very manly!"
Ren's face lit up like a beacon. And then...
POOF!
A cloud of pink smoke enveloped him. When it dissipated, in the boy's place was a... girl? With long blue hair, voluptuous breasts, and exactly the same face as Ren, only more delicate.
"WHAT?!" we all exclaimed at once.
"What a strange feeling..." the girl murmured, looking at herself. "I feel... different."
"R-Ren?" Lala approached, curious.
"Run," the girl corrected, blinking in confusion. "Run Elsie Jewelria. Why are you looking at me like that? And why am I so sweaty?"
I looked up at the sky, sighing. Of course. Of course this would happen. Because my life couldn't simply be normal for even one day.
"Welcome to Sainan, Run," was all I could say.