Inside the Keyaki Mall, just before noon, the atmosphere was imbued with the spirit of Christmas Eve. Even flashier decorations filled the mall than the previous day.
There seemed to be a higher ratio of couples among the crowd of people who came to enjoy themselves.
As I had previously informed Ichinose, I decided to drop by the gym which I had recently joined.
Although I was still a new member, I wanted to go as much as possible since I paid the monthly fees.
Maybe there won't be anyone there?
With that in mind, I proceeded to check in at the reception.
Contrary to my wishes, when I changed into my gym attire and stepped into the training room, it wasn't empty.
Several male and female students could be seen, as well as some adults.
What particularly caught my eye was a person who was about to start bench pressing.
It was Mashima-sensei, the teacher in charge of class 2-A.
He had a large, muscular build and wore gym attire that complimented his appearance.
"Good morning, Mashima-sensei."
"Hm? Ayanokōji? Are you a gym member too?"
While he was about to lie down sideways, he replied, looking a little surprised.
"I joined just a little while ago."
"I see, I see. That's a really good thing. Welcome!" For some reason, Mashima-sensei nodded happily, as if his child had just passed an entrance exam.
His reaction was a bit exaggerated for just a single student joining the gym.
"Is there any specific reason you joined?"
"I realized that my physical strength had weakened compared to my past self, so I wanted to get it back."
"Your reasoning isn't very student-like."
"I'm not sure if I'll stick with it for a long time."
"It's fine. I also decided to start training with some reservations, but now I've become a regular. It isn't bad to work up a sweat alongside fellow students in the same environment."
Mashima-sensei seemed to be more energetic than usual and looked welcoming.
"Furthermore, I commend your dedication to go to the gym on the first day of winter break."
"Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve, Sensei?"
"Hmm? No, I'm planning to sweat at the gym all day, unfortunately."
He answered without hesitation. However, it seemed like he was thinking about something…
"Probably."
Probably. He murmured that to himself, but why?
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. Since it's your first time here, it's normal to feel a bit disoriented."
"Well, yeah."
I knew how to use and handle the equipment, but I kept that to myself thinking it would sound excessive to say it. I thought it would be easier to assume that I knew nothing, as a newcomer.
Anyway, it was about time for me to start doing something—
"Alright."
"Alright?"
"Since you're here, why don't you see what my training looks like?"
"Huh? Oh, sure..."
I was about to start something myself, but Mashima-sensei stopped me. He laid down on the bench and began to align the bar with his line of sight. Without exerting himself, he lifted the bar a few times to adjust it. Then, he raised the safety bars on both sides higher than his chest.
"When doing bench presses, never forget these safety bars. In case of a collapse, they'll support you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I couldn't tell him that I already knew that, so all I could do was watch him.
However, not answering at all might create an awkward atmosphere, so I decided to ask a typical question.
"Sensei, how much can you lift?"
"Well… I'll go up to 80 kg this time, but it's possible to reach 100 kg. They say only one in a hundred people can lift 100 kg."
He wasn't boasting, but he seemed to brim with confidence in himself. He intentionally showed off his strength.
I had never heard of such a statistic before, but who knows if that was true. It sounded like a cheap quote from somewhere.
"But if you push yourself too hard, you can injure your body. It's not like a TV show where you lift it once and it's over. You train your pectoral muscles by doing several sets."
Did he study and practice this method from watching TV or something? While watching him pant and sweat, I began to wonder what I was still doing there.
I came all the way to the gym early in the morning, only to end up attending an observation course. After watching him for a while and seeing him finish three sets, Mashima-sensei got up.
"Phew. Well, that's about it."
"That was really informative."
"Good to hear. During winter break, I plan to come six days a week, except for Thursdays. Even during the third semester, I'll be coming at night, so if you need help with anything, feel free to reach out to me."
That was really specific. Was there something happening on Thursdays?
"If you need help, I don't mind teaching you—"
"No, that's fine. Sorry for bothering you Mashima-sensei; for the time being, I'll prioritize attendance and light weight training." I quickly cut him off and made it a priority to wrap this conversation up.
"I see. If you have any problems, feel free to ask. I'll be at the gym as much as possible during winter break."
After receiving those generous words from Mashima-sensei, I decided to work out on my own.
For the next 30 minutes, I continued training at the gym. At some point, the atmosphere inside the gym changed momentarily.
Some students who were facing the equipment suddenly turned their eyes in unison.
Wondering what they were looking at, I followed their gaze and saw a familiar figure from my class, Kōenji. He was attracting attention, but he didn't seem to care and started his training.
I thought people watched him because of his eccentric behavior, but that didn't seem to be the case.
I could faintly hear the voices of some male students from other years nearby.
"Kōenji really is amazing, isn't he?"
"Yeah, it's not normal for a high school student to be able to do that..."
His extraordinary physical abilities, far beyond those of a normal high school student, were evident even in his workout, and he seemed to be drawing attention as an athletically impressive student.
Indeed, one could immediately sense his physical prowess from his refined muscles and flexibility.
His movements were efficient, and a serious demeanor unlike his usual eccentricity was present.
Upon reflection, Kōenji seemed to be tirelessly devoted to training his body in various ways.
Considering this, it wasn't strange that he was going to the gym; rather, one could argue he was the most suitable candidate for it.
Even Mashima-sensei seemed to respect Kōenji, stopping his own workout to watch him.
Looking at it objectively, it could be said that Kōenji was far beyond the realm of a typical student.
Blessed with natural physical abilities and unrelenting daily training for maintaining his physique, I realized once again that Kōenji was dedicated to the pursuit of physical excellence, regardless of time and place, throughout his school life.
Compared to the beginner-level workout Mashima-sensei had demonstrated, Kōenji's training was truly captivating.
Moreover, it goes without saying that he was the type to excel even when in the spotlight, rather than feeling nervous, anxious, or irritated.
"Kōenji-kun is always very popular."
I heard someone say this, confirming that the attention on him was not just for today.
"Good morning, Ayanokōji-kun," she greeted me again.
"Hey," I replied.
"It's raining heavily today too, isn't it? By the way, how long ago did you arrive?"
"About 30 minutes ago, I guess."
"I see. Actually, I was supposed to arrive around that time too, but I got caught up talking with a friend and arrived late."
Ichinose replied, standing next to me and looking at me from a close distance.
"It's a shame that Christmas Eve is today."
"Well, it's fine. There's no need to obsess over it."
"Girls might not feel the same way, you know?"
"I see... I can't deny that."
As men, we couldn't know how attached women are to special days.
After having a light chat, Ichinose asked me to join her on the treadmill, and we stood side by side on two machines.
Then we spent 30 minutes in our individually paced settings without talking to each other.
"Phew, working out with someone really makes a difference in motivation, huh?"
"That might be true. In that sense, starting with Amikura was the right choice."
Ichinose smiled and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel. Following that, I spent another enjoyable hour or so at the gym with Ichinose.
Later, when Amikura showed up at the gym, I told her I was leaving. Ichinose said she would chat with Amikura for a while, so we went our separate ways.
"Are you leaving already?"
Mashima-sensei, who noticed that I was about to leave the training room, stopped his training and called out to me.
Although he said "already," I had been in the gym for about two hours—a substantial amount of time.
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty tired. Do you realize it's been two hours, Sensei?"
"Two hours? Hmm, is that so? I didn't realize it's been that long."
He was so absorbed in his training that he didn't notice the time at all.
"I think you should take a break, Mashima-sensei. You've been training for almost three hours without any breaks. Accumulated fatigue can lead to injuries, so it's important to get some rest every now and then."
I braced myself for a potentially angry response as I offered this advice, but instead, Mashima-sensei seemed surprised and crossed his arms.
"...You might be right. I've been trying to put my all into becoming a better teacher, but maybe I'm pushing myself too hard."
Perhaps no one around him had ever given him such advice before.
He was clearly desperate for results and a stronger body, but his passion had blinded him to his own exhaustion.
"Alright, I'll call it quits for today."
He graciously accepted my advice.
"See you later."
I bowed my head slightly, planning to leave the scene, but Mashima-sensei came after me.
"Can we talk for a minute?"
"Huh? Sure."
I thought it might be related to the gym, but he led me to the break room instead. "Did I do something wrong that upset you, Sensei?"
I asked, unable to grasp the reason for his invitation. "No, don't worry about that. You've been doing just fine in the gym."
He seemed to have been observing my activities closely, but...
Seeing my doubtful eyes, Mashima-sensei lowered his gaze.
"...The truth is, I was so engrossed in my training that I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings. I'll admit that."
He looked apologetic as he made his confession.
His sincere response somehow made me feel guilty. It was winter break for the teachers, and they were free to enjoy themselves on the premises, with no obligation to supervise the students.
I felt as if I had extracted an apology from him by using his responsibilities as an adult against him.
"So, the reason you want to talk to me is—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Mashima-sensei looked around to make sure no one else was around.
"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
Just as he was about to explain, we were interrupted by a visitor—a beautiful woman with long, wavy hair.
She was one of the employees who worked at this gym, and upon noticing us, she smiled and walked toward us.
"Mashima-san, you overworked yourself again today, didn't you?"
"No, not really."
Mashima-sensei answered with a casual greeting.
As expected, she seemed to remember the names of those who frequented the gym more than I did.
"And the boy over there is..."
"His name is Ayanokōji. Although he's not in my class, he's an excellent student from Class B."
Mashima-sensei strongly tapped my back as if to prompt me to greet her as well.
It was probably meant to be lighter, but the slap from his well-trained body was quite powerful...
"I'm Ayanokōji."
"We've met a few times at the reception. You were with Ichinose-chan."
As expected of the staff. Even I, who had only recently started coming, had left an impression on them.
"Oh, sorry. I just came to get something I needed during the break, so excuse me."
The staff member spoke with a soft tone, bowed gently, and took out several towels from the employee shelf.
She held them to her chest as she returned to the reception area.
Mashima-sensei seemed to be waiting for her to leave, not even sparing a glance in my direction.
Once the staff member left, Mashima-sensei didn't move at all.
"Sensei?"
"Ah, what is it, Ayanokōji?"
"Well, didn't you want to talk to me about something?"
"Yeah, I did, but let's do that some other time."
"Huh? Well, if that's the case, please excuse me."
"Hold on."
As I turned my back, he suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders from behind.
"...What is it now?"
For some reason, Mashima-sensei seemed a bit off today.
His usual calm and collected demeanor as a teacher appeared to be compromised.
"I think this is fate, so I will confess."
"It seems like you've tried to confess quite a few times today, huh?"
But, he was finally getting to the point, so that was a relief.
"The staff member who was here earlier—her name is Akiyama-san."
"I wasn't really paying attention, but she did have a name tag. What about her?"
"...I want you to investigate her. As carefully and discreetly as possible."
"Huh?"
I attempted to turn around, but he firmly gripped my shoulders, preventing me from moving.
"I've never had any issues with the opposite sex at school before. However, ever since I started coming to the gym, things have changed. I believe you can grasp what I'm implying without going into too much detail."
"Well, I can already guess what you're trying to say. You have feelings for that woman named Akiyama-san, right?"
"...You could say that."
Well, then there was no other way to describe it.
"Despite having a somewhat child-like face, she's a beautiful, mature woman."
"Ah..."
Certainly, she was a beautiful, mature woman, but something about that statement struck me as odd.
"Wouldn't the same apply to Hoshinomiya-sensei and Chabashira-sensei? There's no rule forbidding romantic relationships between staff members, right?"
"Actually, it is against the rules."
"Oh, really? But I bet there are teachers who secretly date."
"I won't deny that it happens. But regarding Chabashira and Hoshinomiya, even if dating wasn't forbidden, I wouldn't date either of them."
He stated this decisively and firmly.
"May I ask the reason?"
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of discussing it further. We're teacher and student, after all. It's not a conversation we need to have."
"Then I'll go home. The conversation we're having right now seems pretty pointless too."
"Hoshinomiya is too lighthearted. Chabashira is too serious. That's all."
Mashima-sensei offered a concise and clear answer that was easy to grasp.
Assuming that both were equally attractive, Hoshinomiya-sensei appeared to be the flirtatious type who might continue to engage with others even in a committed relationship.
On the other hand, Chabashira-sensei seemed like someone who hadn't had a single lover, because she had been holding onto a love from her student days.
If she were to fall in love with another man, it would likely be an intense, emotional affair.
"But you can't say for sure that Akiyama-san, a staff member, isn't like them."
It was something that couldn't be determined from the surface, but as you got to know each other—
"That's absolutely impossible."
Though there was no basis for it, he dismissed the idea with nothing but the strength of his assumptions.
"I've known both of them since we were students, and I've never considered either as a potential romantic partner.
Not even once.
Besides, picking between my two closest friends and rivals would have a significant impact on my school life."
Mashima-sensei asserted that he wouldn't let that happen.
"Well, that's true."
"That's why I'm asking you."
"Why me?"
"Do you think I can ask any of the other teachers?"
"Well, you're right, but..."
"You're the only one who goes to the gym, remains discreet, and seems trustworthy."
"Don't tell me, Sensei, when you first found me, were you happy because..."
"Of course, it's because I gained a gym buddy."
No, that was definitely a lie.
This was clearly the expression of someone who found a student they could rely on for this task.
Now, I could say with confidence that it was.
"You understand what I want to know, right?"
"I can guess—if she has a boyfriend, her type, and her hobbies and interests."
"Right on. Chabashira is truly fortunate to have a student like you."
Is this really the Mashima-sensei I've always known?
Although I understand there is a difference between one's professional and personal life, this side of him took me by surprise.
Nonetheless, his voice remained calm and his expression composed.
"I don't expect you to act right away. Akiyama-san saw us together today, so there's no rush. Whether it's after winter break or later, just take your time to get closer and find out what you can."
Methodically and discreetly, exactly how Mashima-sensei wanted.
"I'll give it a try, but please don't expect too much."
"I understand."
"Akiyama-san is working today, though—"
"Except for Thursdays, she works six days a week, correct?"
"...Yes. How did you know?"
It wasn't that I knew, but Mashima-sensei had mentioned he would go to the gym every day except Thursday.
While his initial goal for joining the gym was likely to train his body, it seemed his primary focus had shifted to Akiyama-san... Yet, there was no room to criticize his dedication to training.
Finally freed from Mashima-sensei's grip, I hurriedly left the scene.