Chapter Ten: The Temptation of Sportswear!

Amidst Yang Mimi’s cheering, Geng Haoshi mustered all his strength and finished the five-kilometer run in one go.

After a while, Yang Mimi told her fellow cheerleaders to head back without her. At that moment, Geng Haoshi was sitting on the lawn in a daze... Though he had completed the five kilometers with the encouragement of the goddess Mimi, his body was on the verge of collapse. He doubted he had any energy left for the remaining tasks... If it came to it, he could just try that double electric shock... With this thought, Geng Haoshi let himself fall back, lying flat on the grass with resignation...

Yang Mimi walked softly over to him and lay down on the grass beside him. Geng Haoshi was staring blankly at the starry sky, completely unaware that someone had lain down next to him.

“Second Brother, do you believe in aliens?” Yang Mimi turned her face toward him.

Only then did Geng Haoshi realize that she was lying right beside him... His heart raced wildly, his mind whirling: The goddess Mimi must be hinting at something, hinting that we should make a lifelong vow beneath the sky, with the earth as our bed and the stars as our candles!

The heavens, the earth, and the countless stars were all silent.

Seeing Geng Haoshi pondering her question, Yang Mimi continued, “Like aliens from Dou Ni Bay, or something like that.”

What?! The goddess Mimi knows about Dou Ni Bay?! Has my secret been discovered?! No, no, I’m a bona fide human! Or did she find out about 9527?!

Trembling, Geng Haoshi cautiously asked, “Mimi, what made you think of that? Did someone tell you about these Dou Ni Bay aliens?”

“No, I just made it up,” she replied with a smile. But when she looked back at the sky, a hint of indescribable sadness seemed to flicker in her eyes...

Though she said as much, Geng Haoshi’s heart was in turmoil.

“…Master, I know what you’re thinking… I just ran a full-body scan on her; I can confirm she’s an Earthling… People from Dou Ni Bay may look much like Earthlings, but their physical abilities are vastly superior…” 9527 kept its theory to itself.

9527, a system developed on Dou Ni Bay, would not be mistaken. Though Geng Haoshi’s doubts lingered, he could only shelve them for now.

After a long silence, Yang Mimi returned from her reverie and asked, “Second Brother, do you like basketball?”

The abruptness of the question reminded Geng Haoshi of the moment in “Slam Dunk” when Haruko Akagi first asked Hanamichi Sakuragi, “Do you like basketball?”

“I love basketball!” Geng Haoshi thought this might be his chance, an opportunity to truly connect with the goddess Mimi… to start a relationship… “I’m training so hard now so that I can get in shape, join the basketball team, and promote the spirit of basketball!” Geng Haoshi declared, making up the words as he spoke.

“Really? I love basketball too! Would you teach me to play when the time comes? I’m really clumsy,” Yang Mimi said sweetly, her dimples once again capturing Geng Haoshi’s heart…

“It’s getting late. I should head back to the dormitory.” Yang Mimi sat up. “Will you still be training as early as tomorrow? What time exactly? I’ve noticed I’ve put on weight lately, so I plan to start getting up early to exercise too.”

Geng Haoshi nodded woodenly, “Three in the morning.”

“See you tomorrow, then,” she said, rising and leaving.

“See you tomorrow.” Geng Haoshi waved dazedly after her retreating figure.

“9527! Did you hear that? The goddess wants to train with me, and she found such a flimsy excuse for it! Tell me, does she like me? Does she?” Geng Haoshi was brimming with excitement.

“…Master, have you forgotten she just mentioned aliens from Dou Ni Bay?”

“…?” Geng Haoshi looked puzzled.

“Master, I have a theory. Your goddess once mentioned she had a boyfriend before she met you—someone even fatter than you. I suspect he may have been a traveler from Dou Ni Bay.”

“What? A traveler from Dou Ni Bay? You guys can travel between stars now?!”

“Yes, master. But there are restrictions. The environment on Earth is much harsher than that on Dou Ni Bay, so travelers from there can’t stay long here, or it could be life-threatening.”

“9527, are you saying my romantic rival might be an alien?!”

“…Master, I mean your goddess probably just sees you as a kind of emotional support, a surrogate for her ex…”

“You mean I’m her emotional support?!” Geng Haoshi grew even more elated.

“…Master, your intelligence is truly cause for concern…” The system was exasperated.

“If I’m already her emotional support, I mustn’t let that alien have another chance!” With that, Geng Haoshi charged to the pull-up bars on the field and began a frenzied workout… Twenty-two minutes, five hundred pull-ups, done! Nineteen minutes, five hundred sit-ups, done! Twenty-six minutes, five hundred squat jumps, done!

“…Maybe the goddess really does have the power to save the hopeless…” 9527 thought to itself.

After finishing, Geng Haoshi climbed to the highest bleacher in the stadium, lifted his head to the night sky, and shouted, “You alien bastard! Mimi is mine! Go play in the mud with little girls on your lousy planet!”

“…Master… The technology on Dou Ni Bay is formidable… If he hears you, the consequences…”

A chill ran down Geng Haoshi’s spine, and he darted back to the dormitory.

…

“Aaah—aaah—aaah—”

Geng Haoshi woke up again to the sound of his own groaning, his body aching all over from yesterday’s intense workout—his back sore, his waist stiff, his legs cramping. But the thought of training alongside the goddess Mimi today filled him with energy, and he dressed, washed up, and fixed his hair as quickly as he could.

He jogged toward the campus artificial lake, arriving at 3:02 a.m. As soon as he got there, he saw Yang Mimi waving at him.

Beneath the gentle night sky, Yang Mimi wore white athletic shorts and a white cropped sports top… Her flawless figure was on full display!

Geng Haoshi felt a rush of heat to his nose, and two streams of blood trickled down the grooves beside his nostrils…

“Second Brother, what’s wrong?” Yang Mimi asked, pulling a tissue from the pocket of her shorts. “Second Brother, are you still hurt from when you saved me last time?” she asked gently as she wiped away his nosebleed with care.

He saw it—the tissue had come directly from a pocket pressed against the goddess’s thigh, carrying the fragrance of her skin… Geng Haoshi’s thoughts wandered into wild fantasies…

With the goddess so near, Geng Haoshi couldn’t help but glance downward… With a sudden spurt, blood shot from his nose! Fortunately, he managed to cover it with his hand in time…

“Second Brother, let’s not train today. You’d better go and rest,” Yang Mimi said, recalling how she’d knocked him down so hard before and feeling a pang of guilt.

How could he leave? The goddess had shown him such favor today—he had to hold out, if only for the sake of her “divine” outfit! With a wave of his hand, he said, “Mimi, I’m fine. What’s a little blood to a man?” He wiped the blood from his face with a flourish.

Then he looked back at her and said, “Let’s begin!”

The predawn air was crisp and cool. By the artificial lake, their two silhouettes moved side by side. Though the bulkier figure was rather out of place, their movements were surprisingly synchronized, as if they shared a tacit understanding…

Today’s five-kilometer jog felt effortless for Geng Haoshi. When it was over, his breathing was even and steady… though his blood still surged whenever he stole a glance at the goddess running beside him.

“Let’s go to the stadium,” he suggested, eager to tackle his pull-up quota.

On their way, Yang Mimi suddenly asked, “So, when do you plan to join the basketball team?”

“Soon, I suppose…” In truth, he hadn’t given it much thought.

They soon reached the stadium gates, only to find the heavy iron doors locked.

Mimi pouted at the massive padlock and said, “Looks like we can’t get in.”

How could a man of ambition and ideals, striving for all-around excellence, let his goddess show disappointment? Geng Haoshi grabbed the iron bars with both hands and shook them with all his might, all the while inspecting the gate. He finally noticed the left side was a bit loose. Seizing it, he pulled upward with all his strength—and to his astonishment, lifted the entire left gate into the air!

Seeing Mimi’s face frozen in shock, Geng Haoshi hurried her through, then put the gate back in place after entering himself.

Inside, Mimi covered her mouth and giggled as Geng Haoshi scratched his head in embarrassment. “Heh, I guess all this fat finally came in handy.”

“Who’s in there?!” The stadium’s middle-aged caretaker, apparently alerted by the commotion, emerged from his small room and began sweeping the field with his flashlight.