"89… 90… Come on, ten more left!"
Yurei perched atop Hiro's back like a natural weight, her presence both imposing and strangely comforting.
For someone who had never seriously exercised, this could have been torturous—but Hiro pushed on, driven by one singular, uncontrollable thought:
Her butt is so soft! I can literally feel it on my back! Hiro's mind screamed in panic. I have to finish before she notices my… situation!
Then—
Smack!
A sharp slap landed across the back of his head.
"Aww! What was that for?" Hiro groaned, muffled against the floor.
"Although I can't read your thoughts," Yurei said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, "I can feel your emotions, you perverted beast."
Crap… Hiro mentally cursed. His arms were already trembling like wet noodles under her weight.
A few minutes later, he collapsed face-first onto the soft floor of the training ground, limbs trembling and muscles on fire.
"Well done on finishing," Yurei said, helping him to his feet, her hands warm against his.
"I gave it my all," Hiro panted, trying to steady his breathing.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The rhythmic sound of training filled the air around them. Hiro turned and saw the other girls intensely focused, pushing their bodies to the limit.
Marian gritted her teeth, straining against a massive stone pillar, weighted bands wrapped around her arms, sweat glistening on her exposed abs.
Why is she putting weights on her arms? Hiro wondered.
Yurei tilted her head, noticing his confusion. "The girls explained their blessings to you, right?"
"Yeah… they did—but only the basics," Hiro admitted sheepishly.
Leave it to these girls to give only half the explanation, Yurei muttered under her breath.
"Well," she continued, "let me explain something important. No matter how powerful a blessing is, every blessing has a [restriction]."
Hiro blinked.
"A restriction?"
"Yes," Yurei said, voice steady and measured. "Women are blessed by Aether, granting them near-divine abilities. But to maintain balance, these blessings come with limitations. For example, while women have pure and controllable Aether, it's still less in volume than that of men."
She let the words hang in the air, letting him absorb the weight of the statement.
"These restrictions are essentially the weaknesses of a blessing," Yurei continued, her eyes locking onto his.
"Every Imperial soldier hides their restriction as if their life depends on it—because in many cases, it does. If the wrong people discovered this information…"
Hiro's eyes widened, the implications sinking in.
"…they could easily take down the soldier," Yurei finished, voice tinged with gravity.
"Do you know Marian's restriction?" she asked softly.
Hiro shook his head.
"In this unit, we're connected by my blessing. We have absolute trust and faith in each other. And with you now part of our family, we are choosing to trust you."
A warm sensation blossomed in Hiro's chest, his heart thudding against his ribs.
"Trust is one of the hardest things to earn from a person—and the easiest to lose," Yurei said quietly, a flash of a memory crossing her mind: herself on the ground, someone looming over her.
"I won't break your trust," Hiro said firmly, determination ringing in his voice.
"I know you won't," Yurei replied, feeling his emotions wash over her: happiness, a little anxiety… and determination.
'Cause I don't want to be kicked out of this harem unit,' Hiro thought, smirking inwardly.
Always with the hint of perversion, Yurei muttered bitterly to herself. She couldn't decide if Hiro was honorable one moment and perverted the next.
"But back to the restrictions," she continued. "Marian's restriction are her muscles."
"Muscles? What do you mean?" Hiro asked, intrigued.
"Her blessing, Combo Star, allows her to double her power after each consecutive hit," Yurei explained.
"However, the power will eventually reach a point where her muscles can no longer handle the strain."
Hiro's eyes widened as understanding dawned.
"So that's why she's training her muscles… By strengthening them, she can handle more power."
"Exactly," Yurei said with a small nod. "By understanding one's restriction, one can find ways to overcome it."
"So, Captain… your restriction is the affection thing, isn't it?" Hiro asked cautiously.
"Yes," Yurei admitted, eyes drifting toward the sky, her expression softening as she observed Hiro's slightly dejected look.
One of her hands gently reached out and squeezed his, firm but comforting.
"But neither you nor my teammates are restrictions," she added.
"That's… good to hear," Hiro replied, relief and warmth spreading through him.