CHAPTER 47: THE WEIGHT OF A LEGACY
While everyone on the track was intoxicated by their victories, defeats, and clashing egos, Renjiro Hoshino lay face down on the grass at the far edge of the ground.
He looked as if not a single ounce of life was left inside him. His massive 150 kg body was completely drenched in sweat inside his tight green tracksuit.
After doing 300 non-stop squats in the scorching heat, his legs didn't even have the strength to twitch, let alone stand. His breath was heaving rapidly like a blacksmith's bellows.
*"Oh man... I almost died today,"*
Renjiro thought, groaning in pain with his face buried in the grass.
*"I've never done this many squats in my entire life.
My head is splitting, Oh God... I can't even feel my legs."*
Just then, Takeshi Sir, who was inspecting the grounds, noticed him. For a split second, a deep look of concern washed over his always-smiling face.
He immediately ran over to Renjiro and dropped to his knees beside him.
"Hey kid!, What happened to you? , Are you alright?!" Takeshi Sir asked anxiously.
Renjiro slightly opened his heavy eyelids and looked at Sir, but due to pure exhaustion, not a single word escaped his throat. He had pushed himself far beyond his limits.
When Takeshi Sir carefully observed his condition, he understood the whole situation. He smacked his large hand against his own forehead (Smack!).
"You crazy kid! , Have you been doing squats continuously this whole time?" Takeshi Sir said, scolding him slightly but with genuine concern. "If you couldn't do any more, why didn't you just stop?!"
But deep down, Takeshi Sir was utterly astonished.
*(Takeshi Sir in his mind: "I never thought this kid would have the willpower to do squats non-stop. ,This is truly commendable. A young boy weighing around 150 kg managed to push himself this hard despite the heavy burden of his own body.")*
Takeshi Sir clenched his fist and looked proudly up at the sky. *(I am absolutely certain... this kid is going to do something great in the future!)*
Looking at Renjiro's miserable state, a wide, massive smile suddenly appeared on Takeshi Sir's face—his signature 'Good work! ,That's my boy!' expression.
"Hahaha!" Takeshi Sir said in an incredibly energetic and loud tone, forcefully patting Renjiro's sweat-soaked shoulder.
"That's my boy! , Lifting and dropping a heavy body in this scorching sun... and doing non-stop squats at that, is no ordinary feat!
You didn't give up until your last breath, Hoshino!"
Renjiro groaned slightly in pain, *"Ugh..."*
Takeshi Sir extended his strong hand. "This pain, this sweat, this exhaustion... this is the proof that you are moving forward! Always remember one thing—'No pain, no gain!' I really like hardworking kids like you!"
Without waiting for Renjiro's reply, Takeshi Sir grabbed his hand with his strong grip and yanked his massive 150 kg body halfway up in a single pull.
"Listen, Renjiro," Takeshi Sir said in a slightly emotional and motivational tone. "The other kids in class might have run ahead of everyone on the track, but the real hard work was done by you right here on the sidelines today. Don't let this body become your weakness. Come on, get up now! The whole ground is empty, you're the only one left."
Takeshi Sir's words ignited a new fire inside Renjiro's withered spirit. He stood all the way up on trembling legs. Exhaustion was still written all over his face, but a strange, new spark had appeared in his eyes—because, until today, no one had ever appreciated his hard work like this.
"Y-Yes... Sir..." Renjiro said, panting, in a very faint but sincere voice. "T-Thank you..."
As soon as his 'thank you' was complete, Takeshi Sir's 'Serious Coach Mode' suddenly blew a fuse and his 'Panic Comedy Mode' switched on.
"Now hurry up and go!" Takeshi Sir suddenly said in a panic. "It's time for the next class! If Miss Ryouko finds out in the staff room that I don't let the kids go free on time, my impression in front of her will be completely ruined! And I do not want to look bad in her eyes under any circumstances! Hehe~"
Sir was just about to get lost in his thoughts, drawing imaginary hearts in the air, when he noticed Renjiro still standing awkwardly in his place. He adjusted his tight tracksuit slightly with a trembling hand.
Takeshi Sir: "What's wrong, kid ?! Why are you still standing here? Didn't I tell you to hurry up?!"
Renjiro: (Lowering his gaze in embarrassment) "S-Sir... umm... I am new to this school. And earlier, when you gave me this tracksuit, I changed into it inside your Staff Storage room... so I don't exactly know where the main students' locker and shower room is inside the gym..."
Takeshi Sir went completely blank for a second. Then he smacked his large hand against his forehead with a loud sound (Smack!).
Takeshi Sir: "Oh right! You're a new admission, and I'm the one who sent you to change in my storage room! What a fool I am!"
Takeshi Sir immediately pointed toward the Gym building standing nearby. "See those doors in front of the gym? Go inside, walk straight, and turn right. The shower area is right inside the locker room!"
Renjiro quickly nodded his head. "Y-Yes, Sir!"
Dragging his heavy body, Renjiro began to walk slowly towards those gym doors. His exhaustion was clearly visible with every step he took. Takeshi Sir watched him until he had moved a bit further away, and then...
*"I need to hurry to Miss Ryouko! Miss Ryouko must be waiting for me!"* Takeshi Sir sprinted towards the staff room, flying through the air like a cartoon character. "Miss Ryouko, I'm comiiiiiing!"
The ground was now completely empty. Renjiro was slowly making his way towards the Gym, dragging his 150 kg body. His thighs were burning intensely deep inside due to the continuous squats, and every step felt like a massive burden on the earth.
"Ugh... ahh... those squats totally killed me," he said, panting as he pushed his trembling legs forward. "I've never exercised this much in my life. And Takeshi Sir... I thought he would just make me stand on the sidelines, but he completely squeezed the juice out of me."
He slightly lifted his sweat-drenched face and looked up at the blue sky stretching above the ground.
"Where have I gotten myself stuck, God? So many monsters... this track... and then there's me. Is it my bad luck that I got admission into this Hoshigawa High... or am I truly lucky?"
He stopped for a second, rubbing his thigh in pain. A bitter smile crept onto his face.
"Lucky? Hah. A 150-kilo fat kid that everyone makes fun of... how could he be lucky? I can't even walk properly here..."
But as he walked, the words Principal Sir had said to him that morning suddenly started swirling in his mind. *"Did Grandpa really study at this school?"*
[FLASHBACK]
*Morning time. Principal Isamu's grand, mahogany-paneled royal office.*
Principal Isamu, standing like a towering 6-foot-3 titan, looked at Renjiro with a warm smile. He had proudly stated that he was the Principal of the very institution where Renjiro's grandfather had spent his youth. For Renjiro, it was hard to believe that his calm and gentle grandfather had once studied at Hoshigawa High.
*Scene shifts to the grand wide corridor.*
Principal Isamu led him to the tall glass cabinets in the corridor and pointed to one side, saying, *"Son, look closely at half of the trophies kept here. Your grandfather, Kenji, won these for this school."*
The Principal's deep and booming voice echoed in Renjiro's mind like a burst of motivation: *"When he was sixteen, the whole world called him 'weak' and mocked him... but through true hard work, he established his complete dominance over every corner of this school."*
And then, the Principal's final words, which had branded themselves onto his chest like fire:
*"Son, never bow your head in fear of anyone's taunts."*
[END OF FLASHBACK]
Renjiro's exhausted footsteps suddenly came to a halt right in front of the Gym doors. He took a very long, deep breath, causing his tight green tracksuit to stretch even tighter across his broad chest.
"Grandpa..." he muttered, biting his lip. "Everyone called Grandpa weak at first too... he was mocked just like me. But he didn't give up. He became the biggest legend of this place."
He clenched both his hands into tight fists. The fear and self-doubt inside him were now transforming into a strange mix of anger and courage.
"If I run away from here in fear, or start crying in front of these people... I will become a stain on Grandpa's name. No... I cannot accept defeat. Takeshi Sir was absolutely right... 'No pain, no gain'."
*"Nothing is achieved without hard work and pain. Everyone has to work hard, only then can they achieve something,"* he reasoned with himself with sheer determination.
He took a deep breath and reached out his hand to open the massive gym door.
But just then... his hand stopped in mid-air.
From a pathway situated about 10 meters away to the side of the Gym, four boys were walking by. Renjiro was at a slight distance, so those three monster-like boys hadn't noticed him.
But Renjiro's gaze was completely fixed on them. Their terrifying silhouettes in the bright, open sunlight and their dangerous aura were so terrifying that what he saw froze the blood in his veins in an instant.
Chapter END