"That's right."
After receiving Asagiri's affirmative answer, the PE teacher's face showed an expression like he had pulled an SSR card. His originally slightly serious square face instantly relaxed, and he couldn't wait to speak.
"Utsunomiya, come join our track and field club! As long as you join, I guarantee that with your talent, you will definitely win the national championships... No, it's even possible to win a world-class competition!!!"
This PE teacher never imagined his luck could be this good — to run into the legendary SSR-level transfer student, Asagiri, right here in the gym!
How exaggerated was Asagiri's resume? Most students might excel in one sport and get recruited by that particular club. If someone won a national championship in basketball during middle school, the basketball club would come calling. But the others? Probably not.
Asagiri, however, was different. He had won national championships not in one, but in three sports — basketball, tennis, and badminton — for two consecutive terms. What kind of value does that even have?
He was a sports prodigy so rare it only appears once in a hundred years.
The sports clubs at Shuchiin Academy had pulled out all the stops today trying to recruit him. Male PE teachers begged the girls' clubs to lend a few attractive senior girls just to catch Asagiri's eye — because, honestly, what hot-blooded high school boy doesn't like good-looking senior girls?
But nobody expected this: on his very first day at school, the legendary transfer student didn't even visit the club recruitment area. Instead, he just came straight to the gym.
And wouldn't you know it — he just ran into him standing there!
"Track and field club?"
Facing the PE teacher's invitation, Asagiri smiled and shook his head.
"No interest, I don't want to join any club."
"Can you really not reconsider?"
Even though the PE teacher had already anticipated this answer, he still asked stubbornly.
How much he wished that Asagiri was just a student with a sports specialty. In that case, whether he joined the track and field club or not, he would eventually join some sports club and finally shine on the stage of the high school national championships. As a PE teacher at Shuchiin Academy, he would also get some credit.
Unfortunately... things didn't go as planned.
Asagiri wasn't just a two-time national champion in three events, a genius rarely seen in a hundred years; he was also the top scorer in the Sakura Province joint entrance exam and the Shuchiin Academy entrance exam.
A genius student of this level might join some clubs just for leisure and to pass the time, but they would likely not join sports clubs that require daily practice, consume a lot of time, and could affect their grades.
"I'm not considering it."
"Ah, alright then."
The PE teacher sighed helplessly, hiding his disappointed mood, forced a smile, nodded, and then turned to leave.
Looking at his extremely dejected back, as if he had suddenly shrunk considerably, Asuna lowered her voice.
"Why do I feel... like I just witnessed a scene where someone mustered up the courage to confess, but was ruthlessly rejected?"
Asagiri spread his hands and replied in a flat tone.
"I originally didn't have much interest in sports or anything like that anyway."
Asuna was a little curious: "Then why did you participate in national championships for three events during middle school?"
"Because I was bored."
Asagiri first answered like this, then added.
"But now, I've found something even more interesting than sports competitions."
Asuna followed Asagiri toward the dumbbell rack, lowering her voice as they walked.
"Are you talking about the game?" she asked.
"Nope," Asagiri replied with a grin. "I'm talking about teasing you."
"Huh?"
Caught completely off guard, Asuna's cheeks flushed a soft pink. She stammered, "Y-You… what are you suddenly saying…"
Seeing her reaction, Asagiri shook his head, a bit amused and slightly speechless.
"I'm being sarcastic. Why are you getting all shy? One look and it's obvious—you're totally a lovestruck fool."
"You…"
Asuna bit her lower lip lightly, looking both annoyed and helpless, a mixture of anger and quiet grievance in her eyes.
"Here, try this."
Asagiri ignored Asuna's aggrieved glare and casually took down a black dumbbell from the rack. The handle boldly bore the label "40KG." He bent down and placed it firmly on the ground right in front of her.
"See if you can lift it with one hand."
Asuna stared at the heavy dumbbell, took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing once more, then held it steady. She bent down, gripped the handle with one hand, and tried to lift it off the ground.
"Mm..."
Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red. Only Asagiri could make such a delicate, refined, Ojou-sama type of girl blush three times in just one minute.
Of course, the first blush was from shyness, the second was edging on anger, and the third was pure strain from exerting too much force.
"Hoo..."
After nearly ten seconds of straining with all her might, the black dumbbell stubbornly refused to budge. Asuna finally gave up, her face flushed as she looked at Asagiri with a hint of embarrassment.
"Sorry... I can't lift it..."
"Hey, no need to apologize."
Asagiri easily picked up the dumbbell and returned it to the rack, then turned to leave the gym with Asuna trailing behind.
"Looks like the basic class, Swordsman, you got from the dungeon reward doesn't come with any passive bonus to boost physical strength—or if it does, it's negligible. And that's even after you scored an A+ on the clear rating. Beginner dungeons seem to be just tutorials for getting used to the dungeon rhythm, and it's tough to get any overpowered rewards right away."
Asuna nodded quietly. Walking out of the gym alongside Asagiri, a sudden thought flickered across her mind. She parted her lips as if about to ask something, but the words never came out.
Just now…she recalled how Asagiri had deliberately taken the black dumbbell off the rack and set it gently on the floor.
Was he worried that if she failed to lift it and it slipped, it might fall and hurt her?
Could it be…this was the legendary 'tsundere'—someone who says one thing but means another?
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