Do You Think You Can Run After Reincarnating, Nii-san?

Golden Boyhood: Awakening Talent Chapter

Chapter 10

Training Scenes with the Girl

Raquel’s training began the following day.

“Good luck~”

Cheering and waving from a single spectator.

For some reason, it was Phil, who had come to play since the morning.

She was sitting on a bench at the edge of the training ground, watching Raquel and me face each other from a vantage point.

“Lie down here. Face down.”

Raquel said as soon as she opened her mouth, pointing to the ground.

What?

I thought, but decided to comply for now.

Then,

“Heave-ho!”

“Oof!”

Raquel, without any hesitation, sat on my back as I lay face down!

“H-heavy…heavy…”

“Now, do push-ups.”

Is she a demon? What kind of muscles does she expect a seven-year-old to have?

Hearing Phil’s cheerful laughter, I appealed to my master with all my might,

“I-it’s impossible…impossible, impossible…!”

“It’s not impossible. You can do it if you try.”

Her words were violent!

“Use your spirit magic to negate my weight.”

If that’s the case, say so from the beginning!

I focused on Raquel’s weight on my back and activated [Wings of Departure]. Then, I stretched my arms and lifted my body.

“You haven’t yet made your spirit magic truly yours.”

While saying this, Raquel began to play with my cowlick with her fingers. Stop that.

“Spirit magic is our third hand and foot. When you move your hands and feet, do you consciously think ‘I’m going to use my hands and feet’? You need to become so natural with spirit magic that it feels more natural than moving your limbs. Anything less is out of the question.”

“O-out of the question…”

“Yes, out of the question. Eventually, you’ll need to be able to use it even while sleeping.”

“So, first, do push-ups while using magic?”

“That’s right. Also, you’re pretty scrawny.”

Scrawny…

It’s true, I’ve only been training my magic, not doing any strength training.

“Do twenty push-ups, to start.”

“Twenty…”

“In five sets.”

“Demon! Devil! Mean elf! Ow!?”

“Master.”

“Master…”

Damn, she’s a hidden spartan.

Reluctantly, I began doing push-ups.

Oh man…this is more tiring than I thought…!

Not only am I not used to push-ups, but I also have to make sure not to run out of magic…!

This requires two brains…!

As I tried to escape reality and looked forward, Phil’s face moved up and down, up and down, along with my movements. She was probably watching Raquel, who was sitting on me.

I had a bad feeling about this.

“I want to sit too!”

Phil ran over and energetically jumped on my back!

“Boom!”

“Oof!”

Unable to cope with the new weight, I collapsed.

“Jack, you’re stopping.”

“You’re stopping!”

“You guys…you guys…!”

I swear I’ll remember this…!

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“Huff…huff…huff…”

“Run, run!”

Even if you don’t tell me to, I’m running.

After finishing various strength training exercises (with the heavy girls), taking a hydration break and a short rest, I was now ordered to do endurance running.

Of course, with Raquel riding on my shoulders.

As I ran out of breath and my sides began to hurt, I started to feel dazed. When that happened, my magic would wane, and I’d end up flattened under her. I didn’t want that, so I desperately maintained the magic, but this took a toll on my stamina.

Even though I hadn’t run much, I was already about to give up.

Moreover—

“You’re slowing down.”

Raquel, riding on my shoulders, patted my head.

Moreover, having Raquel on my shoulders meant that my face was nestled between her smooth, soft thighs. It’s impossible not to be aware of this. She may see me as a seven-year-old kid, but inside, I’m a fully grown adult…

If I had reached puberty, this would have been quite embarrassing. I was grateful for my child’s body.

“Hey.”

Raquel, showing no mercy, started talking to me as I struggled to maintain my magic.

“I heard you’ve been training in magic since you were aware. Why do you want to get better at spirit magic?”

“That’s because…”

What came to my exhausted mind was a memory I didn’t want to recall. The scene of close and dear ones being destroyed by a senseless being that took the form of my sister.

“Because I hate it!”

With a lack of oxygen and the strain of maintaining magic, my thoughts were jumbled. So, words came out without any decoration.

“I hate being unable to do anything, being powerless, useless, and unable to protect!”

It might sound ridiculous for a seven-year-old kid to say this, but Raquel gently stroked my head.

“I see.”

Then, she placed her delicate fingers on my cheek.

“Then run faster.”

“Ouch! Don’t pinch my cheek!”

I swear, one day I’ll get my revenge…!

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“Good job, Jack?”

“Huff…huff…huff…”

I couldn’t even swat away Phil’s poking fingers as I lay sprawled out on the ground. The sun was high; it was almost lunchtime.

“This is the end, right?!”

“Just one more thing.”

“Aaaahhhh!!”

I screamed at my master’s merciless declaration.

I’m going to cry soon.

“It’s not a physical exercise, so don’t worry.”

“Finally…you’re going to teach me how to use spirit magic…?”

“Something like that. Once you’ve caught your breath, we’ll go to the forest.”

“I’m coming too!”

Phil, who hadn’t joined the endurance run, jumped up excitedly at the mention of the forest. Damn forest folk…

So, after waiting for my stamina to recover, the three of us entered the forest. Raquel, who had apparently learned the lay of the land, led us without hesitation to a cliff.

“Wow…so high!”

Following Phil’s lead, I peered over the edge to see the ground twenty meters below.

Scary… Was there always such a dangerous spot in this forest?

“Master. What kind of training are we going to do here—”

Just then, as I turned to look back,

Push

Raquel’s hand unhesitatingly shoved me off the cliff.

“Huh?”

My body left the cliff, and beneath my feet was not solid ground but a twenty-meter drop into empty space.

“Aaaahhhhhhhh!?”

The sensation of floating enveloped my body. The wind blew up from below. The cliff face rushed upwards past me. Looking down, I saw the rapidly approaching ground!

—[Wings of Departure]!

I managed to halt my fall about halfway down the cliff.

Relieved, I looked back up—

“You almost killed me!!”

I shouted in protest as I flew back up to the top of the cliff.

With a composed expression, my master, who had just attempted murder on her apprentice on the first day of training, said,

“Ten meters… Still too slow.”

“Is that something you say right after nearly killing your apprentice?!”

“That was training to use spirit magic in an emergency.”

Raquel said calmly.

“No matter how great your magic is, if you’re caught off guard and can’t activate it, it’s useless. So, from now on, I’ll put you in situations where you’ll have to use magic spontaneously. Your job is to respond as quickly as possible.”

“So, you’re saying that unexpected things like this will happen without any warning?”

“Yes.”

I’ll die eventually, right?

“Hey.”

As I stood there in shock, Phil suddenly clung to my leg, causing me to lose balance and fall to the ground with a thud.

“Oof!” I groaned in pain, while Phil looked at Raquel and asked,

“Like this?”

“Exactly.”

The two of them exchanged a thumbs-up.

Am I seriously supposed to stay on guard for their pranks all the time…?

“The speed at which you respond is about 1.5 seconds. With that much time, it would be easy to get close and cut your throat.”

Raquel made a throat-slitting gesture as she spoke.

Her words were reasonable. Her actions were crazy, though.

“The ultimate goal is 0.2 seconds. A master can be even faster, but if you can use magic in 0.2 seconds, you can handle most situations. You don’t have to stay on high alert all the time; just make sure to do thorough image training for how you’ll respond to various situations.”

“I understand.”

“Good. That’s it for today.”

“What? Today is over?”

“Yes, finished. For the basics.”

Huh…?

All this was… the basics?

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

“Ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

As soon as I saw my father at lunch, he burst out laughing.

“It looks like you’ve been well taken care of, Jack! I’ve never seen you look so exhausted!”

“This person…is really…unbelievable…”

“It’s just that you lack stamina. And it’s ‘Master,’ not ‘this person.'”

Sitting at the same table, Raquel corrected me, making my father laugh even harder.

Incidentally, Raquel had a huge pile of plates in front of her. Phil, sitting beside her, was trying to snatch food but was repeatedly blocked by Raquel’s quick hands.

Even though she sat on me the whole time, why is she eating more than I am?

“It seems my instincts were right. Jack, who always looked bored no matter who taught him, has changed so much in just half a day!”

“I haven’t seen Jack so lively in years…”

Mom… if this looks lively to you, then even a corpse could seem lively…

“Rachel, what kind of training are you doing? Could you share it with me?”

“Basic things… like making him run while using magic.”

“Oh! That brings back memories… I remember doing similar things. Is it effective even for Jack?”

“Basics are important… no matter who it is. And also—”

“Ugh!?”

Suddenly, a steamed potato flew into my mouth.

“We’re also training to respond to sudden attacks simultaneously. …Jack, you should have easily anticipated that.”

“I wouldn’t expect it during a meal (I wouldn’t expect it during a meal)!”

“Would you say the same thing if an enemy attacked you?”

Ugh…! I can’t argue with that.

“Hahahaha!! That’s more practical than I expected! Rachel, do you have experience as an instructor?”

“Just a little…”

“This is exciting, Madeline. Our son is sure to achieve greatness.”

“Yes. Meeting a good teacher is also a kind of talent.”

A good teacher… Well, I can’t entirely disagree with that.

While chewing on the steamed potato stuffed into my mouth, I noticed that Phil had become unusually quiet. She was staring intently at Raquel. Was she timing when to steal food? I wondered, but—

“Hey!”

—she suddenly spoke to Raquel. When Raquel turned around, Phil’s big eyes sparkled as she said,

“Teach me spirit magic too!”

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

After lunch, Raquel, Phil, and I went back to the training ground.

“Alright, give it a try.”

“Okay!”

However, I was just observing. The main focus now was on Phil.

As expected, Phil had been watching Raquel and me train and seemed to want to join in. Though she had already been quite involved, she hadn’t gotten permission from her guardian, Mr. Posford, to officially become a disciple, which made her hesitant at first.

But no one could stop the stubborn young lady when she exclaimed, “But it looks so fun!” So, it was decided that she would first demonstrate her spirit magic.

Phil looked around and said, “Uh-huh. Ah, there you are! Come here, birds!”

She called out to the sky, and three birds flew straight down and landed on her head and shoulders, chirping as if to convey something.

“Hm-hm. …Really!? That’s amazing!”

…Are they having a conversation? To my eyes, it looked like Phil was chatting with the birds.

“I see…” Raquel nodded deeply, observing the scene.

“Barbatos’ spirit magic, [The Perfect Dictionary]… A spirit art that allows communication and commands with non-human creatures…”

“You can be friends with birds, cats, and even ants, you know?” Phil laughed as a bird on her shoulder pecked her gently. It seemed more like she was becoming friends with them rather than giving commands. Although it was a heartwarming scene, this spirit art could be incredibly useful depending on how it was used.

“Hmm…” Raquel pondered for a moment.

“Philene.”

“Just call me Phil! Are you going to make me a disciple!?”

“…Phil. Whether to make you a disciple or not, I’ll decide after talking to your father.”

“Aww!”

“But aside from that, could you help with Jack’s training this afternoon?”

“Help? What should I do?”

“Just…” Raquel beckoned Phil over and whispered something to her. I had a very bad feeling about this.

“…Okay, got it! Sure!”

“Alright, please. …Don’t run away, Jack.”

“Let me go!!”

I was dragged away again into the forest.

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

Before I knew it, I was riding on the back of a wolf.

“…Huh? What’s this? What am I supposed to do?”

“Just maintain your posture while riding the wolf. That’s all.”

“Wait, that’s all—”

“Go, Wolf!!”

“—Aaaaahhh!!”

I clung desperately to the wolf’s back as it started running. Fast! So fast!! The wolf dashed through the trees like a roller coaster, but without any bars or handles to hold onto! I’m going to fall, fall, fall—!!

“When you’re being swung around, use your magic at the right moment to deflect your weight!”

Deflect my weight…!? In the moment of being swung around…! I watched the wolf’s movements closely. When is it? When will it turn? Not yet…not yet…almost…! Now!!

“—Whoaahhh!!”

Instead of deflecting my weight, I was flung off the wolf’s back, hitting a tree and then slowly sliding down. There was no pain since I had erased my weight.

“Your timing is off.”

Rachel approached and said calmly. Phil was laughing beside her.

“This is too sudden!! Explain it to me first! Explain!!”

“I thought it would be better to learn by doing rather than filling your head with unnecessary information.”

Unusually, Raquel accepted my protest and began to explain.

“Everything has a force that keeps it in its current state. Moving things want to keep moving, and stationary things want to stay still. The heavier something is, the stronger this force is. That’s why it takes a lot of effort to move or stop something heavy.”

“Yes, Master! I don’t get it at all!” Phil cheerfully declared her surrender, but I understood. It’s probably about mass. Even in zero gravity, moving something heavy isn’t easy. Imagine trying to push a space station, a satellite, or even the moon. You can’t, because they still have mass.

Seeing my understanding, Rachel continued.

“You get it, right? [Wings of Departure] doesn’t just erase weight; it also erases this force. And you can choose when to erase it. Without that, no matter how heavy something is, it wouldn’t get a scratch.”

That’s right. Throwing something means attacking with mass. When I use magic to throw something, I unconsciously erase its mass for a moment and then restore it. Without inertia, the object wouldn’t move an inch.

“Inertia—oh, I get it.”

I understood.

“This training is about erasing inertia. If I erase my mass the moment I’m swung around by centrifugal force, I won’t use unnecessary energy?”

“Exactly. Mastering this will allow you to move in ways that are impossible for ordinary people.”

“…Master. Why are you making me do something so difficult right away?”

“It’s also to improve your activation speed. If you can do this, you’ll respond faster to surprises.”

…It’s always so rational.

“What will you do? Quit?”

“…I’ll do it. I’ll succeed this time.”

“Good. …Phil.”

“Okay, Master! Come here, Wolf!”

Is that wolf really a pet? It looks like it could eat two or three people. It’s scary, but…well. A wolf is nothing compared to that sister of mine.

A cheerful voice followed me as I approached the wolf, w

hich was about my size.

“Go for it, go for it, Jack! Don’t lose, don’t lose, Jack! This time, we’ll shake a lot more up and down!!”

“You’re trying to make me fall!! Completely trying to make me fall!!”

“Just get on already.”

Thus began my days of training. The next day, Phil got permission from her father and became my junior disciple. Days of spirit magic training with Phil, Rachel, and me passed by like an arrow—

—and soon, winter came.