ᴄʜᴇᴡ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ || ʙʟʟᴋ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

1 - 6 . The monster in you

It was now the third day, and you were starting to regret everything. The bruise on your hip had grown in size, throbbing each time you had to take a step or put a blanket over your body to sleep. You hadn't taken a shower in two nights, and the dry hair shampoo wasn't doing much to help your hair underneath your wig. Deodorant could only do so much to cover up the situation.

Here you were, in the training room. Unsurprisingly, you weren't about to break any records like the other guys on your team. You couldn't run like them, lift like them, jump like them, be as fast as them, or do anything like them, really. There was one thing, however, at which you were almost decent compared to them, and that was any leg exercise and stretching. Unfortunately, that was about it.

You had read in a magazine before you arrived that women were better at dealing with fatigue and recovering than men. They could run longer distances without slowing down, and women were generally more coordinated than men. So, why were you falling behind in everything?

Kuon could jump higher than you, Gagamaru was more flexible than you, and Raichi had better stamina than you. You didn't even want to attempt racing against Chigiri, even if you were on a relay team with Usain Bolt. Kunigami was completely out of the question; you had no chance of beating him at anything. You supposed the only people you were better than were Isagi and Igarashi. It wasn't particularly impressive, but you were still better than two people.

Your face remained flushed, brows knitted together, as you continued with your leg press. Your mind was consumed by delusions, and the world seemed to fade away.

Suddenly, the sound of the heavy doors swinging open rang echoing throughout the training room. "[Y/N]!" A man gasped, and you swiveled your head to see Julian Loki standing in the doorway. His eyes widened in disbelief as he took in your disheveled appearance. "[Y/n], how could they subject you to this?" He covered his mouth in sheer shock, his eyes brimming with emotion. "No delicate, pretty lady such as yourself deserves this." Julian's warm and gentle hands found your shoulders, and he peered into your eyes with an unmistakable mix of love and affection. His voice was filled with urgency and determination. "Come with me. We'll escape from this wretched place together. Return to France with me. I know this may sound too soon." He turned away for a moment, placing a hand over his heart, his voice trembling with sincerity. "But I think I love y-"

"BLEH!" The sound of Igarashi retching abruptly interrupted the delusion. He collapsed on the floor with a loud thud, and you stared at him in surprise. Meanwhile, Isagi stepped off the treadmill, panting heavily, with his hands on his knees, resembling a dog after a run.

"Don't mind him," Kuon smiled, strolling over with a towel casually draped over his shoulder and a water bottle in hand. "Isagi, do you want some water?"

"Thanks, Kuon," Isagi replied between pants, grateful for the offer.

You never really liked or trusted Kuon. He gave off an aura that reminded you of the popular but insincere girls at your school, always smiling and giggling while harboring hidden resentments and the desire to one-up each other. You knew a few popular girls in your school and two of them even turned out to be genuinely nice people when you got to know them better. So, maybe you were misjudging Kuon and should give him a chance. However, something about him just didn't sit right with you, feeling like he could toss you aside at any moment.

You observed them from the corner of your eye as they moved to a spot in front of you, their backs turned. They both leaped, with Isagi standing several heads shorter than Kuon as they landed. Squatting down, Kuon turned to Isagi. "Isagi, are you not feeling your best today?"

Isagi hesitated for a moment. "Oh, well, you know..."

Your expression gradually shifted, and you turned your gaze away, no longer wanting to witness their interaction. For some inexplicable reason, you felt like an outsider, isolated in your corner of the gym. There was no one nearby to train with, nobody to ask if you were okay. Everyone else seemed to have a friend or workout partner, but not you. You supposed Chigiri was also in the same boat, but he appeared to have his own reasons for keeping his distance, unlike you.