Chapter 3

Hellish Hard Training

It was honestly a good thing I only had a banana and milk for breakfast.

If I had eaten anything more, I would have already thrown it all up onto the gym floor for nothing.

As expected, Ms. Sejin’s judgment was correct. Is this the power of experience?

Indeed, the insight of one who has reached her late thirties, an age even my previous self never attained.

No, if she had not made me do this insane shit in the first place, there would have been no reason to throw up at all. You damn old hag.

“Bweeegh...”

“Miss, are you okay?”

“I-I’m okay...”

Like hell I am.

You bitch, does this look okay to you?

I almost said that.

— — —

Surprisingly, the gym is inside our house. Jealous, aren’t you, peasants? Hohohoho.

At Grandfather’s order, an entire annex was remodeled into a space that could rival the fitness room of a five-star hotel.

Needless to say, it had all the basics like treadmills, along with all sorts of gleaming machines whose names I could not even guess.

Of course, today was the first time I had ever properly exercised here.

“Okay, breathe slowly. Everyone’s like this at first!”

The person rubbing my back in the gym bathroom was, naturally, the personal trainer in charge of me today.

I had heard she managed the women employees’ fitness room at Shinil Group headquarters, and one look at her body made that perfectly believable.

Firm shoulders, nicely defined arm muscles. A beautiful figure clearly honed through exercise.

“Aah...”

“What’s wrong?”

Bright.

Too bright.

Not because I am a vampire, a creature of darkness. Well, that is only a streaming character anyway, and I am an ordinary human.

The fact that a person could be this energetic at seven thirty in the morning felt unreal.

Including my previous life, I had lived for around fifty years in total, yet I still could not understand morning people.

“Um, how much do you normally exercise?”

“...Hmm. Breathing, and...”

“Breathing...?”

“Walking.”

“W-Walking...”

The trainer’s expression stiffened slightly. Why? I was being honest.

“Then... about how many steps do you walk a day?”

Hmm.

Let me calculate.

From the bed to the desk is about five steps.

From the desk to the bathroom is seven steps.

From the bathroom back to the bed is another...

Anyway, if I add and multiply everything roughly—

“About... a hundred steps?”

“A hundred steps?!”

“Why, is something strange?”

“That’s way too few! Even for modern people, normally six thousand steps a day is...”

“Six thousaaand?”

“And even that is considered low.”

Six thousand steps is low? What kind of nonsense is that?

It is not like everyone in the world is a marathon runner.

My entire week’s worth in one day?

Are they insane?

...Well, actually, thinking about my previous life, that amount really would have been low.

Maybe after living far too lazily for fourteen years since reincarnating, even my sense of normal had changed.

“Okay, shall we start again?”

“Eh... huh? Again?”

“Of course. If you give up just because it’s hard, you won’t improve.”

Earlier, I had caused a scene by nearly throwing up while running on the treadmill, so I thought the workout was over. Damn it.

This time, bodyweight squats. It sounds grand, but you just sit down and stand back up.

“Okay, let’s try just ten. Slowly, don’t let your knees go past your toes. Yes, you’re doing well.”

“Hup! Well, this much is easy.”

I did one just fine. If I only had to repeat this nine more times, how simple could it be?

One.

Two.

Three.

...Four.

“...Um, are you very tired?”

“I’m fine.”

“If it’s hard, you can take a break...”

“I-I said I’m fine. Hrrp...”

“...You’re drooling.”

“I said I’m fine! Ugh, cough cough!”

Saying I was fine was, in fact, a lie.

Me, someone who had even earned top physical fitness honors in the military in my previous life, could not do a mere ten squats?

Even if reincarnation had given me a different body, how could something like this happen?

I wanted to punch my past self about ten times for laughing at women struggling while exercising.

No, maybe five times...?

...Three?

Ahem. I just want to give him one light smack. With my current body, would I not die if I got hit several times?

That was how rock-bottom my current physical specs were.

By the fifth bodyweight squat, my thighs had started screaming, and when I barely managed seven, my legs trembled so badly that I collapsed forward.

“Um... Miss, did you happen to have any health problems?”

“Nope.”

“Then why are you so...”

The trainer trailed off. Bitch, you know exactly why.

Because I spent my life doing nothing but eating, playing, and shitting, that is why!

Did you contribute anything to my life?!

In the end, the workout only resumed after I rested for quite a while.

“What is this?”

“A dumbbell.”

“No, I know that... Aren’t we doing any other exercises? There are plenty.”

“Hmm... how should I put this... your muscle strength is... hmm...”

“My muscle strength?”

“Nil!”

“Y-You startled me.”

“Sorry. I think we need to build up at least a little strength first before doing other exercises.”

A pink dumbbell.

A cute little one-kilogram weight. The number ‘1 kg’ was clearly embossed in tiny letters on both ends.

A dumbbell even a kindergartener could lift with ease. Good grief. No matter what, she was underestimating me too much.

Giving me something weak little girls barely lift?

I shall show you what I can do— Aaah?

“Ugh...”

“Are you okay?”

“Is this... is this really one kilogram?”

“Yes. It’s the lightest one.”

“Did you fill it with sand? Is there a lump of iron hidden inside? Cameraman, come out! This is a hidden-camera prank, isn’t it?”

The trainer awkwardly turned her head away and avoided answering.

Aha, I see how it is. This woman must be in cahoots with Ms. Sejin to mess with me. The ‘1 kg’ engraved on this pink dumbbell is obviously fake too.

“Nnnngh... Aaaaaah—!”

Panting, I barely managed to lift my head.

In the mirror was a chubby little girl trembling all over as she struggled to hold up a pink dumbbell.

...Ms. Sejin was right. I had gained weight. There was even a slight spare tire around my stomach.

Well, after spending nearly several years doing nothing but eating, shitting, and loafing around every single day, it would actually be stranger if I had not gained this much.

Still, I was pretty. My face was one thing, but my proportions were naturally long and elegant too.

Maybe that was thanks to my mother, who used to be a model.

But that did not help my current situation in the slightest.

A pretty face does not exercise in your place, after all.

“Huff... huff...”

“Good work. You can stop now.”

“R-Really? Huff... huff...”

“Yes, yes. It’s your first day, and you worked very hard.”

“If it’s my first day, why did you make me do this for so long... It feels like five hours—”

“Um, we’ve been exercising for one hour.”

“...What?”

What kind of ridiculous lie is that?

Thinking that, I turned my head and checked the digital clock installed at the entrance of the gym—

8:30.

“...”

It was true. It really had been one hour. Actually, if you included the time I spent dragging my feet while walking to the gym, it was more like fifty minutes?

The amount of time it takes Shin Yua to lose her human form. A mere fifty minutes. Put that on TriWiki.

I had already turned into something resembling a jellyfish. Even to me, the sight of myself limply sprawled across the bench did not look human.

“Next time, let’s do something even more fun!”

“N-Next?”

“Yes! Now that I know your physical condition, I’ll put together a proper program and train you thoroughly!”

I had no energy left to answer, so I merely raised one hand weakly.

— — —

The road back to my room was truly a thousand-mile journey.

“Ughh... sob...”

My body, abused by the merciless trainer’s brutal exercise routine, was already beyond my control.

It was not even that far, but since I spent half the trip walking and the other half crawling, it took quite a while.

“Good work. Would you like something to eat?”

“L-Later...”

If I ate now, I would probably throw it right back up...

After waving off Ms. Sejin, who approached me with a bright smile, I barely made it into my room.

Then I collapsed face-first onto the bed.

“Aah...”

Heaven. This is heaven.

“...Now that I think about it, I lay down without showering. I’m going to get scolded again.”

The bed is soaked in sweat.

Ah, whatever. I will think about that later.

“Ughhh. There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t hurt.”

Lying in bed like that made all sorts of thoughts drift through my head.

Kids my age are probably inside that prison called school by now.

Should I say this is better than that?

“Smack smack... No, maybe school would actually be better.”

At least there are friends there. This cozy space is comfortable, sure, but it is horribly boring.

I do not attend school.

It has the respectable-sounding name of homeschooling. But if you really think about it, it is closer to tormenting private tutors.

Even I think my attitude toward lessons is the worst.

It is not like I am rude to them. I simply do not focus on studying at all.

What can I say? If you are getting paid, then grit your teeth and endure it.

“Ughhh... But I don’t want to go to school either.”

Think about it. Wake up early in the morning, put on a uniform, commute, attend classes, do homework.

Why would I do all that again? Am I insane? Do you think I reincarnated for that?

I already worked myself to the bone in my previous life. I am not joking when I say I worked until I died, you know? A person died!

I finally got reborn, so there is no reason to be diligent in this life too. I am not even in a position where I need to.

“Can’t I just stop homeschooling too...? That probably won’t work, right? They said something about laws or regulations. What a shame.”

As long as it was not illegal, Grandfather was the kind of person who would let me do anything I wanted.

If I said I wanted something, he would buy it. If I said I wanted to go somewhere, he would take me.

Was I four years old?

My mom and dad went abroad on a business trip, and their plane went down. The news about the death of Shinil Group’s youngest son and his wife caused a huge uproar for a while.

After that, Grandfather cherished me terribly. Almost to an obsessive degree.

As though he intended to protect me from everything harsh in the world.

‘My little puppy does not need to do anything. Grandpa will take care of everything. You just stay comfortable and make sure you do not get hurt.’

Ordinary children might have felt suffocated and run away.

But to me, those words were—

Far too sweet.

To someone who had worked herself to death and died at her desk in a previous life, being told she did not have to do anything—

It was practically an invitation to heaven.

In the end, Grandfather’s overprotectiveness and my laziness combined to create a truly magnificent masterpiece.

A human being who would not lift a finger.

That was me now.

I do not want to go anywhere, and I do not want to do anything.

Rolling around at home is the best!

“Ugh... but I never thought things would turn out like this...”

The fact that my spending got locked down so tightly I could not even buy a single VTuber model was relatively recent.

Originally, even though I was not allowed to freely touch my bank account because I was told to wait until adulthood, I had a fair amount of freedom with my allowance.

Well, simply put—

Even in my early teens, I could drop around a million won on a whim without even thinking about it. That was the life of someone born with a true diamond spoon.

But not long ago, something happened.

One of my older female relatives, one of my cousins—

Got caught taking drugs... no, health supplements, at some club with celebrities and was arrested.

Naturally, the media flooded the news with stories about the delinquent behavior of a chaebol heiress, and the whole family was thrown into chaos.

Deeply shocked, Grandfather called an emergency family meeting and suddenly started tightening control over everyone, talking about the grandchildren’s mental state and how their daily lives were being managed.

The other relatives seemed to settle things by having their parents swear they would firmly rein in and properly discipline their children, but—

Well, I do not have parents.

“...It’s not like I was the one doing drugs.”

In the end, I became the one placed under the strictest control.

“Why am I the one who has to live like this?”

What does that cousin causing trouble have to do with me?

It is not like we have collective punishment or anything.

As I lay there lamenting my fate for a while, I felt a familiar sensation in my lower body.

“...I need to pee.”

...I kept drinking sports drinks while exercising earlier, so the inevitable had finally come.

But I am scared to get up in this state. Every muscle in my body is still screaming—!

Still, I cannot wet the bed at my age. For the sake of human dignity, endure, my arms and legs—!

“Kyaaaagh, ogogogog—!”

— — —

Even after returning from the bathroom, I kept lying around and fiddling with my phone.

I only got up briefly to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and as soon as I finished what I needed to do, I returned straight to bed.

Of course, since what goes in has to come out, I also got up briefly to use the bathroom.

Do not look at me like that. Sure, I am lazy, but I am not normally this bad.

I could not help it today because my body refused to listen to me at all!

It was almost evening by the time I finally managed to get my body moving properly again.

“Miss, how are you feeling?”

Ms. Sejin brought me dinner and even fixed up my bed for me. She said she would change the sweat-soaked sheets tomorrow morning.

Actually, she offered to change them today, but I refused. I did not want to get up...

“You worked very hard today. It was your first day, but you endured it well.”

“...Can’t I just not exercise? It’s too hard.”

“Don’t say that. You’re doing this to become healthier.”

Ughhh... no luck.

“Go to bed early. You have exercise again tomorrow.”

“...Tomorrow too?”

“Yes, every day. Exercise needs consistency.”

...What?

“E-Every day? I have to do this every day? Are you trying to kill me?”

“You won’t die. Actually, you need to move a little every day so your stiff muscles loosen up. Resting a day and then doing everything at once is harder. The trainer will adjust it properly, so don’t worry.”

“You call this properly adjusted? I still feel like I’m dying.”

“That’s because you haven’t exercised at all until now.”

Ms. Sejin replied calmly.

“The trainer adjusted the intensity entirely to suit you. If she had really pushed you hard, you wouldn’t be able to get up right now.”

“Sob...”

“Stop making strange noises. Come on, good night.”

“Yesh... You too, Ms. Sejin.”

After Ms. Sejin turned off the lights and left, I waited until I could confirm that her footsteps had faded all the way to the end of the hallway—

I—

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Swallowing my screams, I forced myself upright.

“Ugh... ngh...”

Practically crawling, I made my way to the desk and turned on the computer.

-She’s here

-The princess is here

-We were waiting

“Huh?”

There are even more viewers again.

More than yesterday.

Well, greetings first.

“Ahem. My subjects, this princess has descended— nghh!”

The moment I leaned back in my chair, the muscles in my back screamed, and a moan slipped out before I could stop it.

-???

-What was that just now

-Princess?

-What are you doing?

“N-Nothing. This princess underwent harsh training today— Aaah!”

-Aaah???

-What did you just say?

-(This message has been deleted)

-Oh my

-(This message has been deleted)

“T-The training was simply so grueling— Haaaah...”

-hahahahahahaha

-What kind of stream is this

-Is this adults-only?

-Princess, what are you doing over there

-Is this OnlyFans?

“I-Insolent! It is absolutely nothing like that!”

-If it’s not that, then what is it

-What was that ‘haaah’ then

-I’m going to report you

“Report what! This princess exercised today, no, trained, so my whole body— nghhh!”

This damn muscle pain.

The more I tried to suppress my moans, the stranger the noises that came out.

-Exercise lol

-Princess, you exercised?

-Why would a vampire exercise

-Oh my, she’s crying

-How good does it feel?!

“Even vampires must maintain their bodies—! To live forever, one needs stamina— Ahhhngh!”

-Stamina lol

-I can’t ignore that moan just now

-Gotta clip this again

“Do not clip it! Hey! You there! I have my eye on you!”

— — —

That night truly was an endless series of hardships.

Even the slightest movement made me moan, and every time it happened, the chat exploded.

I struggled desperately to preserve the dignity of a vampire princess, but it was completely useless.

“Haa... that shall be all for today. This princess must rest for a while.”

-You’re leaving already?

-Today was seriously legendary

-Good night, Princess

-Looking forward to more moans tomorrow lol

“Don’t look forward to it, you lunatics!”

Before ending the stream, I glanced toward the corner of the screen out of habit.

And I had no choice but to doubt my own eyes.

198.

...Two hundred people?

Two hundred?

My stream, where even the model does not move... something so embarrassing I can barely even call it VTubing?

“...Seriously, what is this.”

I had absolutely no intention of growing it, yet this damn stream was somehow growing all by itself.