27 - My Training Begins

Although I wasn't defeated by Freed Sellzen, I didn't win either.

So, Rias was convinced that, as part of the learning process, I needed to train to get used to my new powers and strengthen my body at the same time.

Little did I know that these training sessions would be so intense...

Early in the morning, we met in a park near my apartment. Since it was early in the morning, there were almost no cars or people on the streets. I could smell the grass and hear birds singing in the distance, and there was even a pleasant morning breeze. This kind of thing could even make for a good romantic setting, but...

"Haa... Haa...!" Panting, I gasped as if I was about to throw up.

Every single day, we ran at least 30 kilometers through the city.

Rias had incredible stamina, and I had to push myself to keep up with her.

The run only ended when we returned to the same park where we started, where we then began a series of exercises — push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.

Rias was a strict personal trainer and supervised every movement, correcting my posture when necessary. When she noticed the push-ups were becoming easier for me, she would sit on my back.

"Come on, Leonard-kun, you can do it!" she encouraged me.

Because of that, I kept going, even when I felt sweat running down my face.

At first, I had accepted this to try to improve my relationship with Rias, but what I hadn't realized was that these workouts were actually making me physically stronger through the Experience Points (EXP) I earned when I finished them.

Every kilometer I ran, every push-up I completed during those days, resulted in a noticeable increase in my attributes.

[Congratulations! You have evolved to Level 2!]

In my world, each system had a different way for users to level up and earn more attribute points. 

In my Explorer System, I earned more EXP while exploring places unknown to other explorers. Since these areas were rare and unsafe, my system never helped me get strong. In two years, I only reached level 4. It wasn't much, but it wasn't as much as I thought, considering that the highest-level person in the world was only level 25.

On the other hand, I had hopes of reaching level 25 or going even further with this Multiversal Romantic Writer System. 

The name of the system was still bizarre, but it had great initial skills, and being able to earn missions that helped me gain EXP was much better than just gaining EXP when I was in a dangerous place.

In fact, every time I leveled up, I usually gained ten Attribute Points to distribute among any of my Attributes.

So, after almost two weeks in this world, my attributes were as follows:

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[Name: Leonard Tonello]

Age: 18

Level: 2 - (075/100 to Level 3)

Power: Boosted Gear

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Attribute | Value

Strength: 60

Intelligence: 25

Agility: 58

Charisma: 25

Constitution: 57

Wisdom: 52

Dexterity: 30

Perception: 30.

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My physical attributes were very high for a mere level 2 because of the absurd amount of attributes I gained when I became a devil. Therefore, I used the 20 Attribute Points I gained from the first two levels to increase my Dexterity and Perception. These two attributes would be very useful in various situations.

I also discovered that the <Transparent Lasso> skill had a list of characters to help me get my bearings.

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[Relationships | Status | Hearts

Rias Gremory | Neutral | 1/10

Likes: Unknown.

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Koneko Tojo | ? | 0/10

Likes: Observing.

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Akeno Himejima | Good | 3/10

Likes: Enemies' screams of pain.

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Yuto Kiba | ? | 0/10

Likes: Swords.

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Asia Argento | Good | 3/10

Likes: God and helping people.

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Zeoticus Gremory | Neutral | 1/10

Likes: Japanese cuisine

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The more hearts you have with characters, the more information about them will become available.

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I wasn't satisfied with my current relationship levels, but I knew it was only a matter of time. My abilities weren't mental manipulation or hypnosis, and relationships took time to build—at least most of them.

Training with Rias Gremory continued as normal for almost a week.

"168... 169... 170!" I was already doing push-ups with relative ease, even with Rias sitting on my back.

"Counting your push-ups out loud? You seem to have gotten stronger, Leonard." She used honorifics for the first time, as if it were some kind of reward. "Should I add another hundred next time? Hmm, better not. It must be about time for her to arrive."

"Huh? Who are you talking about?"

As soon as I asked, I felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Leonard-kun, Rias-senpai! Sorry I'm late!" Asia shouted from afar, running toward us.

She was wearing a training uniform and explained that seeing me leave early every day to go train motivated her to do the same. I couldn't deny it, since the short run she took from the park entrance to us was enough to make her throw herself back onto the grass.

However, if training with Rias alone was already stimulating for me, training with Rias and Asia at the same time was more than enough to make me lose all focus. For most of the time, my brain cells were barely functioning. Luckily, training ended early that day because Rias had an appointment.

After Rias left, Asia approached me with that sweet, innocent smile that always made my heart beat faster. She was dressed in simple workout clothes, but the zipper was slightly open, so I could see perfectly how the sweat marked her pink bra under her white shirt.

"Leonard-kun, can we continue? I think I can handle more," Asia said expectantly.

I quickly got up, put my hands on my hips, and said,

"Sure, let's continue! What do you suggest we do now?"

She thought for a moment. "How about a little running?"

After a few more laps around the park, we finally threw ourselves onto the grass next to each other. We were both panting loudly.

Asia looked up at the clouds and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the breeze.

Her hands were supporting her as she leaned back, and she looked beautiful with her blonde hair flowing in the wind.

I was closer to her than I had been since I woke up with her in my bed. This was my chance. So I carefully moved a little closer to her and placed one of my hands on hers.

I didn't usually consider myself a brave person. In fact, during my time at the Compulsory Education Academy, I was far from it. However, being an Explorer forced me to find courage.

Even so, my heart was racing as my hand touched Asia's. Her skin was smooth, warm, and comfortable.

She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head toward me. Her green eyes met mine.

The gentle breeze ruffled her blonde hair as a slight blush tinged her cheeks.

"Leonard-kun..."

Asia looked away briefly, clearly embarrassed, but she didn't pull her hand away or move.

"Asia, I..." I started to say, but the words seemed to escape me.

She looked at me again. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that I'm happy you agreed to be my [Bishop]. You make me want to be a better person."

Asia smiled shyly, a smile that made my heart race.

"Ever since we met, I feel like I'm getting stronger, not just physically, but... here." She touched the left side of her chest. "Since that day, I feel like I don't have to be afraid of anything anymore."

"I'm grateful that you feel that way. Please continue to trust me."

Asia nodded with a smile that spread from ear to ear. "Yes! I will!"

We sat there on the floor, holding hands and resting. After a while, I stood up and reached out my hand to help Asia up.

"Come on, Asia-chan. We have to go to the market to shop, remember? Today is Sunday, so I think we can eat meat."

Asia took my hand, and then we headed to the market.