Daffodil's Sunshine

Chapter 16 - Blood, Sweat, and Lemonade

In a twist of events, the feeling of aching muscles only meant one thing for Irene at that moment. Progress.

"For how long have you been working out for?" Casper asked, munching on a stale granola bar.

"30 minutes."

"You shouldn't overdo it. I mean, you still have that youthful metabolism on ya."

"And that youthful metabolism won't last forever," she claimed, proceeding to take another jab at the punching bag she had bought only a few days prior. "I have to get used to exercise if I'd like to live a healthy life."

"But you already walk everywhere. You don't eat junk food all the time..." Casper finished his granola bar. With his mouth full, he continued. "And, you're in good shape. If that's your main concern-"

"No it's not," Irene interrupted. A faint red hue formed on her face. "In the future, it's likely I'll be staying home more often, which means moving less. And, if I practice boxing, I'll be able to defend myself if I ever leave the country."

"Ah, I see. You're kind of traumatized over what Blue did to that one guy, aren't you?"

"Partially."

"You'll be fine as long as you don't get into trouble. Don't overdo it, alright?" He pointed his fingers in an "I'll be watching you" motion.

"I won't."

After a nod, Casper left. Irene continued to jab at her punching bag, feeling her arms grow even more sore.

There were two main reasons she began to exercise. Specifically, she began to practice boxing, and she quickly realized that it was a lot harder on the upper body than it looked. Not to mention the risk of dislocating a shoulder when you're a beginner. As a tall, broad shouldered woman, Irene figured she should have at least some muscle on her body.

After exercising for another 30 minutes, she decided that it was enough. If she were to injure herself, she'd have the scolding of a lifetime from Mari.

Just a quick shower later, Irene put on her uniform and headed to work as usual.

The restaurant was a little fuller that day, which meant more work for Irene and more stares from customers. Just like last time, it was mostly women who looked at her with a look she couldn't quite decipher.

I'm scared of these women..." Irene whispered to Oliver, who cleaned up some tables alongside her.

"Huh? Why?"

"They keep staring at me with an unordinary look. I suspect that they're trying to humiliate me..."

"Uh, definitely not," Oliver disagreed bluntly. "I think they find you attractive."

Immediately, a flustered expression formed on Irene's face. "N-no, I don't think that's correct."

"C'mon! It's so obvious!" Oliver insisted. He vaguely pointed a finger at the many girls who exchanged glances with Irene in the past hour. "Look at them. They're admiring you! I mean, I'm not gonna lie, you have good features. Dark hair, light colored eyes, a tall height. It's no secret!"

"You must be mistaken, I-"

But Oliver had already pulled Irene towards a young woman sitting at the corner of the restaurant, who was obviously the one staring at Irene the most.

"Oliver! What on Earth are you-"

"A-ah, do you need something?" the young lady asked. Her fingers twirled in her chestnut brown hair.