Danger Comes from Daily Life

The girl’s delicate skin was right before her.

Luo You reached out and touched it.

Soft. Smooth and springy.

It didn’t feel like the skin of a normal person—there was no sense of underlying muscle.

“Try rotating your upper body a few times.”

“…Like this?” An Jiu’er spun twice, like she was playing with a hula hoop.

“Right.”

Strange. Her lower-body strength was solid, and her upper-body coordination was great too—more than sufficient for everyday exercise.

Luo You frowned in thought.

She still looked like a student. Her complexion didn’t suggest she was overindulging in anything.

So why the complaints about lower back pain?

And students usually don’t have any extracurriculars that would seriously hurt their back… Oh.

Suddenly, Luo You thought of a certain very specific kind of activity—one that was pretty tough on the waist.

There were countless reports online.

Some young people played harder than most adults ever could.

In that case, An Jiu’er’s back pain wasn’t so strange after all.

[She looks like such a well-behaved girl… Could it be—once those glasses come off, she turns into some kind of “Jie-ge”?!*]
(*Jie-ge: A meme/term referring to someone who seems wholesome but turns out to be unexpectedly perverse.)

Luo You looked up, her gaze searching An Jiu’er’s face for answers.

An Jiu’er returned her look with a smile—one that might’ve been an answer or might’ve been nothing at all.

A strange, charged sensation sparked between their eyes.

Even Luo You’s waist trembled a little from the contact.

Confirmed!

Tsk tsk. What a devoted girlfriend.

Actually going out of her way to train her waist for her partner—what kind of lucky bastard scored a girl like this?!

Go die.

“I more or less get the picture.”

Luo You let go of her, straightening her back.

“Your waist strength is actually pretty decent. Do you exercise regularly?”

“Sort of.”

“When exactly do you feel muscle soreness?”

“Hmm… when it’s being squeezed, maybe?”

S-Squeezed?

Luo You froze for a moment.

“A-ah, sorry!” An Jiu’er suddenly panicked.

“I misspoke! I meant soreness caused by compression, from the sides of the waist to the lower back.”

“…Is there a difference?”

Luo You was sweating. Still didn’t get it.

Forget it.

Any deeper down this path, and I’m bound to learn something I can’t unlearn.

“Alright. Your waist has good flexibility, which is a double-edged sword.

If the soreness comes from compression, then what you need is more muscle mass—to firm things up a bit.”

“Coach, what should I do?”

“First, strengthen the muscles along your waist.”

Luo You knew a widely used exercise called bicycle crunches.

You could even do them at home, which meant An Jiu’er wouldn’t need to keep showing up every day.

“Watch closely. I’ll demonstrate.”

Luo You lay down on the yoga mat.

Her form-fitting workout clothes traced the curves of her figure.

She placed her hands behind her head and bent both legs upward.

“You know how to do sit-ups, right? This is similar, but it’s ‘left elbow to right knee, right elbow to left knee.’

Hands and legs move together—like this.”

To make sure An Jiu’er could see clearly, Luo You slowed down her movements, showing every detail.

Even an idiot could learn it from this.

After a clean set of thirty reps, Luo You hadn’t broken a sweat.

“Got it? Now try a set for me—I’ll correct your form.”

“Sorry! I spaced out just now! Coach, could you show me again?” An Jiu’er said loudly.

“………”

A vein pulsed at Luo You’s temple.

Thank god she’s a girl.

If this were those degenerates from the third floor, she’d have already thrown a punch.

They’d all be on the ground mewling like little bitches.

“I’ll do another set, alright? Watch carefully this time.”

“Now do you get it?”

“Coach, do you not sweat at all?”

“Huh? With just this level of exertion? Why would I?”

Luo You scoffed.

This much was nothing.

Back when she was fighting magical girls—♀—she could go the whole night nonstop.

Two rounds of bicycle crunches were child’s play.

“Alright, now you do a set for me—”

“If you’re that amazing, Coach, you must have a lot of muscle, right?”

An Jiu’er’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, clearly hoping to sneak a peek beneath Luo You’s shirt.

“Huh? Wh—no, look, just do the workout like I showed you! What’s with all the irrelevant questions?”

“Please! I really want to know! I’m afraid I’ll end up looking like a muscle monster if I train too hard! I need a frame of reference!”

An Jiu’er pressed her palms together, her expression pure and earnest.

“Just doing bicycle crunches isn’t enough for that…”

Luo You looked down.

There was a time when her body was packed with clearly defined, powerful muscles.

But thanks to a certain ungrateful daughter, all of it had melted into something soft and fluffy—like whipped cream.

That said, wasn’t it kind of embarrassing for a fitness coach to not have any visible muscle?

Then again, maybe it was actually a plus—for a woman.

Most girls wanted to work out, but the thought of turning into a muscled freak scared them off before they even started.

Take the one in front of her, for example.

“Just a peek, okay?”

Luo You lifted her shirt.

The smooth, supple skin of her abdomen came into view.

No extra fat.

Not overly defined either.

It looked irresistibly soft and springy to the touch.

“Can I touch it?” An Jiu’er asked.

“…Nope.”

Luo You yanked the shirt back down.

“Get to it—just like I showed you!”

Bicycle crunches weren’t a complicated move.

Though An Jiu’er’s form was a bit off at first, under Luo You’s close guidance, she quickly got the hang of it.

She even knocked out five sets right in front of her.

“Jiu’er, your base is better than I expected. Most people can’t do more than two or three sets before giving out.”

“Really?”

An Jiu’er was sweating heavily, breathing just a bit uneven.

“Next, I’ll teach you this move—it’s called side bends with weights. Easier than the last one.”

Luo You didn’t stay with her the entire time.

After teaching a few simple moves, she moved on to a new student who had just arrived.

Before she knew it, two hours had passed.

Seeing An Jiu’er drenched in sweat, Luo You walked over with a towel and draped it over her head.

“Tired, right? Drink some water. The sun’s really strong today—you don’t want to get heatstroke.”

“Uh, I forgot my water bottle… Wait! Isn’t protein shake like, a thing for gym-goers? I wanna try one of those!”

“Protein shakes, huh… If you don’t want to end up a muscle monster, best not to touch them. But a sip won’t hurt.”

Not that it mattered—just the first part had killed all of An Jiu’er’s interest.

Luo You took out her own bottle and poured her a cup.

“If you forgot yours, drink mine. This is honey-citrus infused—good for your body.”

“Thanks.”

To Luo You’s surprise, An Jiu’er ignored the lid and reached directly for the bottle itself.

Her lips pressed against the mouthpiece, sipping gently.

After nearly half the bottle, she finally let go.

Her tongue gave the spout a little swirl before pulling away.

“It’s a bit sweet, a little sour. Tastes kinda weird.”

“…Well, it’s not made to be gourmet or anything.”

Luo You awkwardly sipped the rest from the bottle cap.

She didn’t mind how An Jiu’er drank it.

Just… wasn’t used to it.

Indirect kisses were kind of… intimate.

Luo You glanced at the clock.

“I’m heading for lunch. You should go too—we’ll stop here for today.”

“Wait! Coach, I don’t know what I’m supposed to eat after working out. Got any fitness meal recs?”

“Fitness meals… You’re not training for muscle gain, so there’s nothing you need to avoid. Just eat what you usually do.”

“Oh… okay.”

An Jiu’er looked a little let down.

But she wasn’t as clingy as before.

She gave a graceful little bow.

“See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

“Oh, wait, Coach—one more question!”

“Mm? What is it?”

“Do you treat all your students the way you treat me?”

An Jiu’er stared at her, strangely serious.

Luo You nodded firmly.

“Of course. I treat everyone the same. No special treatment, no bias. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“…Thanks.”

Leaving the gym, An Jiu’er walked slowly along the street.

With each step, her pace grew lighter, more energetic.

Once she turned a corner, she suddenly ducked into a deserted alleyway.

When she came out, her appearance had changed completely.

“Hey. This is Xingyue. Reporting in.”

“Yes! Lady Xingyue, one of our teams just picked up traces of a Dragon-Class dimensional beast that crossed the Realmsea border.

They’re requesting your assistance.”

“Anything else?”

“Um… Lady Xingyu of the Third Seat has something urgent she wishes to discuss with you.”

“Got it. I’ll go find her later.”

Xingyue ended the call and sighed.

“Sigh… Even here in the heartland, trouble never ends.”

After returning to the Magical Alliance system after so many years, all the duties once handled by Manjusaka had now fallen to her.

Still…

“To think I’d run into her here… Coming to Huahai City really was the right call.”

Xingyue swore it was pure coincidence.

She’d only agreed to visit the gym after Luo Zining suggested it during their tour of the city last night.

She hadn’t expected to run into that woman herself.

“In private, you’d never guess what she used to be like.

She didn’t even recognize me.”

Xingyue smirked.

What a bitter irony.

The infamous Herrera—once feared throughout the world—now just a normal gym coach, teaching with a serious face, like any other person.

“I heard she has a daughter now.

So… her family… No. That won’t do.

Digging into her private life without reason isn’t right.”

“I’ll ask… once we’re more familiar.”

The next day.

Luo You came in for work.

And heard something that stunned her.

“Huh? The gym’s been… bought out!?”