Ethan dragged his feet to the bathroom, still half asleep. When he looked in the mirror, the image hit him like a bucket of cold water.
His reflection was... depressing.
A skinny, skeleton-like kid, shoulders slumped, pale skin, and hair way too long, greasy, and ssy, falling to the sides like he hadn’t touched a comb in months. Dark circles under his eyes looked permanent, and the dead stare completed the picture.
"What the hell... did Cassandra see in ?" he muttered, running a hand over his face. "Why didn’t she run away the mont she saw ?"
[Simple answer, Einstein: either she was way too desperate... or she saw soone so pitiful that her maternal instincts kicked in. You know, poor malnourished orphan, let’s give him so love so he doesn’t die.]
Ethan stared at the mirror in silence, frowning. "Thanks... that really makes feel better."
[You’re welco, champ. I’m here to crush you and lift you up at the sa ti. A life coach. Don’t thank —it’s my job.]
Ethan stepped out of the bathroom, still haunted by his reflection. He threw on the least dirty shirt he could find, took a deep breath, and muttered:
"Okay... I need to train. And maybe buy so clothes that don’t make look like a bum."
[Finally! A step toward civilization. Next goal: soap, comb, and a pair of balls to stop crying.]
"Screw you."
He headed to the park, dragging his feet, but soon started jogging. At first, every stride hurt as if his muscles were screaming revenge, but slowly he found a decent rhythm.
He hadn’t even made it a kiloter when a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Heyyy! Look who it is—the guy from the other day!"
Ethan turned his head, and there was Chloe Brooks, running with a bright, fresh smile as if kiloters were just a casual stroll.
"You... again? Haven’t you run enough already?" Ethan panted, trying to sound casual while struggling to breathe.
Chloe laughed. "Oh, co on, you’re just warming up. Don’t tell you’re already dying."
[Correction: yes, he’s already dying. Welco to the show, Chloe. Get ready to watch this champ collapse in 3... 2...]
"Shut up!" Ethan muttered through gritted teeth.
Chloe raised a playful eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?"
"Uh, nothing... I... talk to myself when I run. It motivates ."
"Well, you seem crazy, but funny."
They ran together for a few minutes. Ethan tried to keep up, but bad luck struck almost imdiately. A dog appeared out of nowhere, chasing him with teeth bared.
"Why does this always happen to ?!" Ethan scread, sprinting like his life depended on it.
Chloe almost doubled over laughing. "Run faster! Look, even the dog wants you to improve your ti!"
[Hahaha... look at him, Einstein, running for his life. Who knew your first official coach would be a stray dog!]
"It’s not funny!" Ethan yelled, dodging the dog until it finally got bored.
Once he was left alone, he was sweating like he’d run a marathon. Chloe, on the other hand, jogged lightly at his side, fresh as a daisy.
"You should train with more often," she said with a smile. "With your bad luck, at least I’d be guaranteed so entertainnt."
[Ouch, champ. Even she’s making fun of you—and she’s right.]
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Great... I’m the park clown."
"Well..." Chloe winked, amused. "A clown... but one who doesn’t give up. That counts for sothing."
Ethan looked down, trying to hide the smile those words brought him.
[Ohhh, look at him... blushing already. Want to calculate your chances of making her like you? Spoiler: still 5%.]
"Shut up, damn system!"
"Excuse ?" Chloe asked, confused.
"Nothing! I... I said... damn... heat!" Ethan improvised, waving his hands.
Chloe laughed again. "You’re definitely weird... but I enjoy running with you."
Ethan glanced at her sideways, tired but smiling. "Sa here."
Chloe checked her watch and sighed. "Well, Ethan, I have to go... school’s about to start."
Ethan, still gasping from the run, frowned. "Really? Where do you study?"
"Harvard," she replied confidently. "I’m in Health Sciences and plan to pursue a graduate degree in Sports dicine. Plus, I’m on the track team—I run the 200 ters."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Wow... that’s serious. Not only do you run fast, but you’re studying sothing challenging too."
Chloe laughed softly, raising her brows. "Yep. And now you’ll have to get used to seeing girls run faster than you... but don’t worry, I don’t cross paths with slow, unlucky runners like you every day."
Ethan let out a muffled laugh as she jogged toward the campus entrance. "Well... I guess bad luck has its funny monts," he muttered, watching her disappear into the crowd.
[Hehehe... look at him, champ. Already falling in love. Get ready, your heart’s about to get broken before the next round.]
Ethan rolled his eyes, ignoring the system’s tease. "Don’t say nonsense... it was just a hello, that’s all."
[Sure, sure... beginners always say that. But your heart’s beating like a war drum, Einstein.]
"Leave alone... I’ll finish this crap once and for all."
After a huge effort, Ethan finally did the last burpee, panting like he’d run a marathon, though he knew he’d just completed his daily routine. He collapsed onto the grass, every muscle begging for rcy.
Breathing heavily, Ethan touched the floating panel in front of him and saw the reward appear:
[5,000 dollars and 1 daily Lux points]
"Yes! Ten grand! Totally worth it..." Ethan raised his fist in victory, even though his body still trembled from the effort.
[Uf, champ, you can barely lift your own arm and you’re already celebrating. How sad... and adorable.]
Ethan sighed, stretching his arms and letting the grass refresh him. "Well... another day survived. Tomorrow will be even better."
[Ha... that’s what you say now, little Roo. We’ll see how your next social interaction goes.]
Ethan let out a weak laugh as the sun began to set, marking the end of his exhausting but satisfying second training session.
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