Chapter 42: The First Day as a Fitness Coach

Luozining still had some things she didn’t quite understand.

What kind of combat style could truly be called terrifying for a magical girl?

The magic provided by the Magic Alliance for magical girls was all “visually wholesome and suitable for children to watch.” She had never seen any cruel or brutal magic.

“Maybe it’s an innate magic?”

Luozining thought this was the only possibility.

Clap clap

Xingyue clapped her hands twice, instantly dispelling the stuffy atmosphere in the room.

“All right, that’s enough talking. Could you please show me around and help me get familiar with this city?”

Luozining and Zhao Xin exchanged a glance.

“Together?”

Zhao Xin asked.

“Okay.”

Everyone wanted to get up close and personal with the legendary Xingyue, and Luozining and Zhao Xin were no exception.

If magical girls were the idols of ordinary people, then Xingyue was the idol of magical girls—and the main push at that.

Being able to get close to the main push was such a blessing.

No matter how urgent other matters were, they had to be cast aside, and they had to do their best to serve the main push!

Meanwhile, an old man, lonely in his empty nest, waited in the living room until the food grew cold—yet no sound of the daughter’s door opening came.

“Damn it! I’m going to sleep!”

Pulling the covers over herself, Luo Youyou was furious.

Her anger lingered well into the next morning.

Luo Youyou glanced at her daughter’s bedroom door, slightly ajar, revealing a messy interior.

“Oh, she went to school.”

Checking the time, Luo Youyou realized it was time for her to head to the gym as well.

Apparently, today was about familiarizing herself with the environment and introducing the trainees to her.

“Hm?”

Luo Youyou noticed a note on the living room table.

“Sorry~ Last night I took the company senior to familiarize with the area and forgot to tell you. Here’s a loving breakfast from your doting daughter!”

Luo Youyou lifted the cover from the table to find a piece of heart-shaped bread—its shape a bit uneven.

Flipping the note over, there was more:

“See that test tube next to it? Fill it with a bit of your bodily fluid; I need it for tomorrow’s biology class.”

You need my bodily fluid for biology class? Are you going to demonstrate photosynthesis on me?

Luo Youyou poured some Sprite from ’82 into the test tube instead.

Looking again at the heart-shaped bread, which looked like it had been either torn by hand or bitten, she sealed it in a plastic bag.

“Might as well feed this to the fish downstairs.”

Without hesitation, she dressed and headed out, tossing the heart-shaped bread into the community pond to feed the fish.

Then she bought herself some bread and soy milk from a bakery—thus dealing with breakfast.

***

The gym in the morning was busy with people exercising—some elderly men, a few greasy young guys, and sprightly young ladies.

Stretching exercises, preparing for workouts, dumbbell presses…

The atmosphere seemed very welcoming to beginners, even a little fresh and pleasant.

“…Hmph.”

Luo Youyou sneered.

Being familiar with this gym, she knew it was all just a facade.

There was a third floor in the gym—and that’s where the true—

Muscle Hell—resided.

Bodybuilders, weightlifters, and a gathering of gay men mingled there.

The stench of sweat was so bad that even opening windows didn’t help.

Heavy barbells, tens of kilograms and up, were completely ignored by most; the weights gripped by the macho men were always over a hundred kilos.

Rippling muscles and steaming sweat.

Even the cushions on the fitness equipment bore the solid imprints of the muscular men’s firm buttocks.

Thankfully, it was on the third floor.

If new members saw it right at the entrance on the first floor, they’d probably faint.

Luo Youyou used to be a coach on the third floor—although her muscles were like those of a small dog compared to the others, she had never lost a strength contest.

The demon muscle men there revered her as a true god.

“Heh, thinking back on those days, I kind of miss it!”

Luo Youyou wiped her nose, but suddenly the smile vanished.

“This time, I’m not still going to have to coach them, am I? Goddamn it!”

Her tone was thick with disdain.

Now she was a delicate and beautiful young woman—staying in that sweaty sauna would feel like having her entire body toughened all over again!

But the old male Luo Youyou was gone, which meant that her previous trainees were left without a coach, so it was entirely possible she would be assigned that bunch of beasts again…

“Ah! Miss Luo Youyou, over here!”

The gym manager spotted Luo Youyou immediately and hurried over with some eagerness. “I’ll show you around and introduce you to the layout.”

“All right, thank you.”

Basically, it was a reintroduction to the work schedule—when to clock in and out, lunch breaks, gym etiquette, and equipment maintenance.

Luo Youyou already knew all of it, though it went in one ear and out the other.

“By the way, what happened to the previous Mr. Luo Youyou? He told me he quit suddenly.”

“He went abroad.”

“Abroad?”

The manager nodded thoughtfully.

“Makes sense. Same-sex marriage is legal there, so I understand him.”

“…Wait, what do you understand?”

Luo Youyou’s mouth twitched.

The manager just gave a mysterious smile.

Damn it! Misunderstood all the way!

Rumors spread fast, but clarifying them was exhausting!

Luo Youyou mentally added this to her list of grievances against Luozining.

“Speaking of which, what’s your relationship with the previous Mr. Luo Youyou? Your names are so similar.”

The manager casually asked during the introduction.

“Oh, I’m his girlfriend.”

Luo Youyou answered without hesitation.

It was already part of her established backstory.

“G-Girlfriend?! That guy’s??”

The manager’s legs trembled slightly.

That gay macho brother actually got such a cute and beautiful girlfriend?

God must be blind!

He used to fancy Luo Youyou himself, but after learning she was that muscle guy’s girlfriend, he lost all interest.

If he didn’t back off, the devil muscle men on the third floor—who worshiped Luo Youyou as a god—would crush his head with their pecs!

“Uh, ahem, you seem familiar with everything now. Let me introduce your trainee… Actually, one trainee is coming to report this morning.”

As he spoke, the gym’s automatic doors slid open, and a quiet girl wearing black-rimmed glasses entered.

She looked like one of those shy girls in high school who didn’t talk much and spent most of their time as library clerks—unassuming, but instantly stunning once the glasses came off.

She was always carrying a book, and in fact, she held a fitness book in her arms.

“A different vibe altogether…”

Luo Youyou thought.

“Here!”

The manager waved.

The girl came over but almost dropped the book when she caught sight of Luo Youyou.

“An Jiuer, this is your coach, Luo Youyou. If you have any fitness questions in the future, come to her.”

An Jiuer… angel?

Such a narcissistic name!

Luo Youyou tilted her head.

Well, she wasn’t exactly innocent of narcissism herself.

“Hello, my name is Luo Youyou. Nice to meet you.”

An Jiuer didn’t respond immediately.

The manager thought she was questioning Luo Youyou’s professionalism, so he quickly added, “Don’t be fooled by her gentle appearance. She has very solid expertise and can earn advanced coaching certificates anytime…”

“It’s fine. She’s the one.”

An Jiuer suddenly agreed without hesitation.

“All right.”

The manager turned to Luo Youyou.

“An Jiuer regularly comes on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 8 to 11 a.m. You…”

“Wrong. I come every day.”

An Jiuer cut in unexpectedly.

“Ah? Well, although we encourage fitness, it’s unnecessary to come every day. Overtraining can actually harm your body…”

“It’s fine. I’m very healthy.”

“Then why do you come to the gym?”

“Because I need to train.”

“…Uh, you two should get to know each other. I’ll get back to work now.”

The manager left, clearly baffled by the logic of young people.

“Let’s get reacquainted. I’m An Jiuer. Can I just call you Youyou?”

“Call me Coach.”

“…Okay, Coach.”

Luo Youyou saw the disappointment flicker in her eyes but remained firm.

In any other situation, she might have let it slide, but here in the gym, the rule was clear: you only call her Coach.

This was ironclad.

“Don’t take it personally. Everyone calls me that.”

“…Fine.”

An Jiuer quickly recovered.

“Then you can just call me Jiu’er.”

“Okay.”

Luo Youyou thought she was a quiet kid, but appearances could be deceiving.

“Jiu’er, since you said you come every day, I wouldn’t recommend that, but if you only want to do light workouts, that’s fine. When do you usually come?”

“My schedule isn’t fixed.”

“That’s not good… I’m not your only trainee. You need to book your times in advance.”

“I see.”

An Jiuer pondered briefly.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Give me your WeChat, and I’ll add you to the group. I’ll notify you there if anything comes up.”

After exchanging contacts, An Jiuer quietly clenched her fist in a small celebration of her little victory.

Luo Youyou watched, baffled.

“Um, Jiu’er, what type of training do you want?

Health maintenance, weight loss, muscle building, or just general fitness?”

Fitness in its true sense was about strengthening the body and promoting mental and physical health—not about pushing muscles to the limit.

But for girls, it’s usually for weight loss, right?

Luo Youyou mentally labeled An Jiuer accordingly.

“Um…”

An Jiuer didn’t answer immediately.

“Sorry, not sure? Just tell me which area you want to train first.”

“My waist.”

“Weight loss?”

“No, I want to strengthen my waist muscles… because after intense exercise, my waist gets really sore.”

Waist pain?

Luo Youyou’s gaze dropped as she reached out, but just before touching her, she paused and looked up.

“Do you mind?”

“No, it’s fine.”

An Jiuer lifted her workout top, revealing snow-white skin on her abdomen.

Ah, no need to lift it up… Luo Youyou hesitated, then silently cursed herself for being so timid.

I’m a woman now!

Why be timid?

Touch!

Touch hard!