Chapter 130

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**Nozomi-san. (1)**

“I can’t do this anymoreee…”

“Are you alright, Ichinose-san?”

“No, I’m not… not okay…”

I was _definitely_ not okay.

My body felt like a wet tissue that had been squeezed and stretched out—my legs were totally limp, like all the energy had been drained from them.

At this point, wasn’t this just self-inflicted torture?

As I lay sprawled out on the floor, panting, Nozomi-san held out a bottle of her homemade ion drink toward me.

Ugh, no… it was nice at first, but now I hate it…

“Ichinose-san, you have to drink it if you want to get healthier.”

“I don’t want apple… or orange… I want grape… or banana…”

It was a special drink Nozomi-san made just for me—full of raw apple and orange juice. She blended all sorts of fruits that were supposedly good for lung health.

To be honest, I was constantly out of breath from exercising, so I had no clue if my lungs had improved or not… but well, it was _supposed_ to be good for me!

Half-forced, I gulped down the now-familiar and utterly unappealing flavor.

If I had started coughing or gagging, it would’ve been a disaster, but thankfully that didn’t happen this time.

“Phew… I feel like I’m gonna die.”

“Human bodies are stronger than you think. That much won’t kill you, you know?”

“Maybe _you_ are strong, Nozomi-san, but I’m different… Please treat me like the fragile creature I am…”

I didn’t like using weakness as a defense, but unless I pretended to be weak like this, I wasn’t going to survive.

If I didn’t say _something_, my entire day would be at risk—what with Nozomi-san being such a diehard exercise enthusiast.

Anyway, I managed to survive the day somehow.

If someone overheard me, they might think I was lifting 500 pounds or something, but in reality, my body was so weak I couldn’t even lift what kids my size could.

Only _just now_ was I starting to approach “normal” strength levels.

…Still had a long way to go though.

“But doesn’t working out like this feel refreshing? I’m sure you’ve built a bit of muscle, too.”

“…I don’t know about muscle, but I’ve definitely built up _muscle pain_.”

And I’m not sure about that “refreshing” feeling either.

If feeling drained and wanting to lie motionless on the floor counted as “refreshed,” then maybe I was the most refreshed person in the world.

“Nozomi-san, what made you start working out in the first place?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

I had nothing else to do while lying there, so I blurted the question that popped into my head.

Nozomi had said she started working out to change herself—but I had a hunch that wasn’t the _whole_ story.

Something about it felt like there was more behind it.

Normally, I wouldn’t ask something like this, but the filter in my brain had apparently gone on strike along with the rest of my muscles, so I ended up just saying it.

After hearing my question, Nozomi frowned for a moment, sighed, and repeated the cycle.

“It’s not really anything special, but… hmm…”

Her face turned distant, as if she were remembering something from long ago—and then her expression suddenly twisted into a scowl.

…Did I make her remember something painful?

I started watching her a little more carefully, and Nozomi, catching my gaze, let out a startled little cough.

Maybe I really _shouldn’t_ have asked.

“I had an older sister who kept telling me I needed to work out.”

“An older sister?”

“Yeah, she was _so_ annoying. Always running around doing music or whatever, constantly fighting with our parents, telling me to follow my dreams—ugh.”

Once she started talking, the words just poured out.

Even though she was picky with her own food, she’d always nag Nozomi about eating a balanced diet. If Nozomi didn’t eat enough, she’d scold her for that too. Meanwhile, she stayed up all night working on music, but told Nozomi not to stay up late studying. When Nozomi finally snapped at her, she yelled back in frustration…

At first, it sounded like a caring older sister who worried about her younger sibling, but as the story went on, she just came off as a self-righteous hypocrite.

Nozomi must’ve had a really tough time.

If I had a sister like that, I might’ve struggled too.

Well, I _technically_ had one—Koyuki—but she was basically me, so I never had to deal with anything like that.

“I got curious about what was so great about exercise, so I gave it a shot—and it turned out I had a knack for it. Maybe because I’d always been a bookworm, but doing something physical actually felt good.”

“So, did you start music because of your sister too?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah… I guess? I just got curious about what made it so special, tried it, and liked it more than I expected.”

“…Then wouldn’t it have been better to just do it together with your sister? It kinda sounds like the two of you were more compatible than you thought.”

If she liked all the things her sister did and had a knack for them, didn’t that just mean they got along better than she realized?

I cautiously brought it up, but the moment I did, her already-furrowed brow contorted into something much worse.

It was an expression I hadn’t seen from Nozomi before.

She looked like someone had just hit a switch—and I instinctively turned my gaze away.

Sorry, Nozomi-san. And sorry to your sister, too.

“Compatible?! Me, with _that person_?! Ugh, even imagining it gives me the creeps…!”

“It’s _that_ bad?”

“Of course it is!”

No hesitation.

Apparently, the gap between her and her sister was massive and irreconcilable.

Even though they seemed to have some things in common…

Anyway, I had clearly said the wrong thing, and now all I could do was brace myself for the wave of pettiness that was surely coming.

And that “pettiness” came in the form of—

“Hyagh?! That hurts! Hurts so bad!!”

“Hmph, you made me recall bad memories. You deserve this.”

“Waaaah…”

“I’m not going easy on you, even if you cry this time.”

Despite crying out from the pain as she massaged my legs, Nozomi showed no mercy.

Ugh, it hurts—but I _do_ feel better afterward… maybe I’ll try to endure it a bit longer.

…Well, not that I was really _trying_ to endure anything. I was just whining the whole time.

After that long session of what could only be described as torture, I lay there half-dead, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Where am I? Who am I?

My legs feel amazing but I can’t move them.

“…My sister left home before I even got into music.”

“…”

“I started just to see if it was worth leaving home for… and it turned out to be fun.”

Her softly spoken words were filled with quiet regret.

Regret that they hadn’t had more time together. That her sister hadn’t stayed home just a little longer.

Her expression was all scowls, but her voice was honest—she probably didn’t even realize it herself.

“In the end, I fought with my parents just like she did and stormed out of the house. I really went through a lot.”

“You must’ve had a rough time.”

“Yeah, a _really_ rough time! I even had to go crawling back and apologize to my parents! After that, they told me to get a job, so here I am.”

She’d really been through a lot more than I expected.

Guess it’s true what they say—no such thing as an easy life.

I never imagined Nozomi-san had such a complicated past. People really are full of surprises.

“I wonder what she’s doing now.”

“…You don’t hate your sister, do you?”

“Hate? I’d say… it’s more of a love-hate thing. I don’t really want to see her, but I _am_ curious what she’s up to…”

That sure sounded like she _missed_ her sister to me, but I kept that thought to myself.

No need to pile on more thoughts when she already seemed troubled.

…Well, truthfully, I mostly just didn’t want her to punish my legs again.

In any case, her thoughts seemed to linger for a while.

Long enough that even I, limp and boneless, had managed to sit myself back up.

“Well, she’s probably doing fine. No news is good news, right? She’s the type who could survive even on a deserted island—maybe she’s out there somewhere making music.”

Judging by the fact that she’s not famous, she probably didn’t _make it big,_ though.

As she said that and smiled softly, I couldn’t help but think her expression reminded me of someone.

Someone I’d seen somewhere before—on TV? In a movie?

No… it wasn’t like that.

“Today was fun, Nozomi-san.”

“It was fun for me too, Ichinose-san.”

And with that, another day of training came to an end.

Really, it was a fulfilling day.

Fables