Volume 1 - Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji-kun [DISCONTINUED] [READ THE REVISION]

Chapter 28 - Warped Winner

Endurance.

Possible in the mental, as well as in the physical world.

Depending on the context, one can imply totally different concepts, events and even tangible objects.

The mental toughness required to sustain periods of despair, loneliness, suffering and sadness despite the fatigue building up is truly extraordinary.

Everyone possesses the quality of endurance—in some it shines, in some it is hidden, in some it is almost nonexistent.

But all the same, it exists in all of us.

Now then, how can endurance be tested?

What trials await an individual in the path of stretching their band of endurance to the limit?

There are many different possibilities that can be used. Many different methods.

Maybe one loses a competition against an archrival. You despair and cower in the corner of frustration.

Maybe one has to fulfill a daunting task which is seen as almost impossible to complete in the eyes of many.

Maybe one practices and practices for a long period of time, making sure their abilities are up to par.

Truly, only a fraction of the ways in which endurance can be tested.

Just as said before, there are even more ways. So many, the human mind cannot comprehend the amount.

But what happens if one's endurance is stretched to the limit?

If one's patience cannot go any further?

Well, there are two possibilities. One more obvious than the other.

The first one—you break. You falter and crumble.

The second one—through effort alone, you pry open the doors of your limits and remove the remaining shreds of your humanity—

just as it was in the case of the boy.

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Right now, I was stuck in a very uncomfortable and most unfortunate situation.

Three girls, and the three most attractive girls I personally know at that, were staring at my chest—more specifically, my muscled body. I saw their eyes wandering from my forearms, to my legs and then, finally, to my abs.

But not only girls, guys as well. They were standing still in shock, not expecting me to have such a body.

The first one to approach me.. was Takahiro? Hey, everyone has their preferences, but sorry, I sadly don't lean in that direction.

"Damn, dude. Look at these guns.." He was slowly moving his hands all over my right arm squeezing wherever he wanted to test the density of my muscles. "These forearms.. they're pretty damn solid, man. Judging from your body, you must work out, right, Kiyotaka?"

While it is true that I have a daily morning workout that I always complete without fail, I don't think normal people would classify that as "working out". If someone like Hinami or Mimimi were to do the same as me every morning, they would say it is more like "torture".