I found myself lying near the Scarlet Devil Mansion's gate. My body felt heavy, my limbs completely drained of strength. It didn't take long to realize what had happened—I had lost consciousness.

  I vaguely remembered Cirno saying she was tired and flying off with Daiyousei. The moment my ice angel left, the heat struck me like a hammer. I barely managed to run a few more ps before my body gave up on me.

  Now, as I regained my senses, I noticed something strange... My head felt soft.

  Curious, I tilted my head upward and saw Hong face, look downward and immediately froze.

  I was resting on Hong's p.

  She looked down at me with her usual calm expression. "Are you awake?"

  I mind slowly recover from the shock and swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. "Uh... yeah. But what happened to me?"

  "You lost consciousness," she expined casually. "I carried you here to rest."

  I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "I see...thank."

  Hong smirked. "Still, you're a little better than most humans. You managed to run 53 ps before passing out."

  I was surprised. Wow, I was able to run 53 ps.

  Before I could say anything, she cpped her hands together. "Alright, since you're awake, get up."

  I hesitated. Her p was surprisingly comfortable, and a part of me wanted to stay like this a little longer. But I quickly shook that thought away—I didn't want to risk making her angry.

  With a sigh, I forced myself to sit up, my legs trembling like jelly.

  "Good," Hong nodded. "Warm-up is over. Now we can start the real training."

  I stared at her. What.

  I felt my soul leave my body. "WHAT?! Weren't we already training?!"

  She crossed her arms, looking at me like I was an idiot. "That was just a test to see how many ps you could handle. Now we move on to actual training."

  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was already exhausted, and now she was telling me that wasn't even the real training?!

  I gnced at my shaking legs, feeling despair.

  I had no choice now. If I wanted to recover, I had to use my lie to heal my body.

  Just as I was about to activate my ability on her, Hong suddenly spoke.

  "Oh, I almost forgot. With your body in this state, you might lose consciousness again." She nodded to herself, as if coming to a decision. "Alright, Carl, come to my room. I'll give you a massage to help you recover."

  Massage?

  Wait.

  Did she just say... her room?!

  I got too many shock that my brain short-circuited. I was about to tell her I could just use my ability, so I didn't need it, but before I could even open my mouth—

  She grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the mansion at an inhuman speed. I feel like I was flying.

  By the time I processed what was happening, we were already standing in front of her room.

  "Come in," she said casually. Then she added, "And don't look surprised when you see my room, alright?"

  Surprised?

  It's there something weird in her room? I stepped inside and took a look around.

  It was, ah... how should I say it?

  It was just an ordinary room, like one you'd find in a hotel. The only difference was that it had a Chinese-style aesthetic—wooden furniture, red and gold decorations, and a faint scent of tea in the air.

  Hong gave a small chuckle. "It looks weird, right? A Chinese-style room inside a Western mansion?"

  She walked over to a nearby cabinet, running her fingers across its surface. "Sakuya made this room for me, saying I might miss my homend. She even got the furniture from Kourindou."

  Kourindou?

  I thought Kourindou was just a simple shop filled with random junk. Maybe I should visit it sometime...

  Before I could dwell on that thought, Hong cpped her hands together. "Alright, let's start the massage. Lie on the bed now."

  I hesitated. "Ah... the truth is, I—"

  I was about to say I could use my ability to recover, but before I could finish, Hong suddenly pced her hands on my shoulders.

  The moment she pressed down, a wave of rexation washed over me. My body, which had been aching and sore from all that running, instantly felt lighter.

  And... happy?

  Wait, why am I happy?!

  Before I could process what was happening, she gently pushed me onto the bed, making me lie on my stomach.

  "Just rex," she said, her voice calm. She started massaging my back, kneading my muscles with surprising skill. "If you feel any pain, let me know, alright? I haven't done this in a long time, so I might make a mistake."

  I barely registered what she was saying. My mind had already drifted off into a state of pure bliss.

  It was like I had ascended to heaven.

  As Hong's hands worked their magic, I couldn't help but let out a rexed, "Ahh..." Every press of her fingers sent a wave of relief through my sore muscles.

  She chuckled. "You're really enjoying this, huh?"

  "Mmh... " I mumbled, too lost in the comfort to care.

  "You're like a cat getting scratched," she teased, kneading a particurly tight spot on my back.

  "Ahh... that feels good..." I sighed, completely giving in to the bliss.

  I wonder if massaging like this after training everyday might not be so bad after all.