Chapter Fifteen: Sinister Intentions

For a girl, being cursed at and sworn that someone doesn't want to pursue her is undoubtedly hurtful. Naturally, Juno felt a bit indignant about it.

Yet she didn't refuse Rousseau's challenge because of this. It's hard to say exactly why—perhaps she simply felt that Rousseau had put in so much effort, even going as far as to swear an oath, that she ought to humor him at least once. Of course, she wouldn't agree to anything excessive, but training competitions were a daily affair for Juno, nothing out of the ordinary.

This was part of Juno's straightforward character, and the reason Tian Shiwei said she could easily pass for one of the guys. If she were a typical, more sensitive girl, she would have walked away long ago after being treated so brashly and provoked by Rousseau.

Seeing Juno agree, Rousseau's face lit up with joy. Tian Shiwei, having lived with Rousseau for over half a month, had never seen him so openly delighted before. In Tian's eyes, Rousseau might even have a touch of autism.

Rousseau quickly prepared the competition area. The other's could tell by his deft movements that this wasn't his first time tinkering with this equipment.

But after all, it was a competition… Juno thought, feeling her blood begin to surge. She started warming up, bouncing lightly.

“Hey, you’re actually going to compete with him?” her roommate Zheng Ni remarked, watching Juno with a sigh. “You’ve fallen into his trap.”

Indeed, from Tian Shiwei and Zheng Ni’s perspective, a male sprinter inviting a female high-jumper for a midnight contest—it sounded like the setup to a joke, one that would surely end with a risqué punchline.

Such obvious ulterior motives.

“I saw the fighting spirit in his eyes,” Juno replied, her gaze sharp and determined. “I need to show him that high jump isn’t as simple as he thinks.”

“You don’t have to take it so seriously…” Rousseau said, seeing Juno instantly enter competition mode. He figured that if she didn’t take it seriously, it would be easier for him to win.

“I have to honor the bath I just took,” Juno shook her head, her expression earnest.

Athletes sweat so much that showering is a major undertaking every day. That’s why they all keep their hair short—long hair simply can’t be dried. Juno had just showered, and now she'd have to wash again after sweating. If she lost, she'd feel she'd wasted her earlier bath.

Rousseau felt an ominous premonition.

Next, Rousseau set the high jump bar at 1.80 meters, just like in a formal competition. Each person had three attempts; clearing the bar once counted as their result. If both succeeded, the height would be raised.

Juno took off her tracksuit. She wasn’t wearing professional gear—just shorts and a cute top, which accentuated her figure, making her legs seem endless.

At 1.72 meters tall, Juno stood out among ordinary girls, but among professional high jumpers, it was a disadvantage; female athletes over 1.75 meters were commonplace, and 1.80 meters was considered an advantageous height—the taller, the longer the legs.

So Juno felt the pressure. Although she held the best score in the provincial team, she had no confidence about how far she could go in the National Games or even the Asian Games.

Now, she resolved to take every competition seriously—even one as amateur as tonight.

There was no official to give the starting signal. Juno stood where she always did during training, looked at Rousseau, and he nodded at her.

Juno began her run.

Start, accelerate, turn sideways, leap, clear the bar, land.

A simple sequence of movements, completed in less than ten seconds, yet containing dozens of technical points. Spectators see the excitement, but for Rousseau, who was just beginning to learn the technique, Juno's movements were impressively fluid.

That fluidity meant Juno was engaging every muscle group, harnessing the inertia and kinetic energy from each standard movement.

This was how Juno managed to achieve the provincial team’s top training results despite her less-than-ideal height, and why her coach had high hopes for her performance at the Asian Games.

But her status panel still noted: 'Core strength insufficiently focused, needs abdominal muscle training, bar clearance technique needs correction.'

No athlete is perfect.

Just as humanity itself has no true limits.

“Come on!”

Juno flipped off the sponge mat and waved to Rousseau.

Good. My turn.

Rousseau also took off his jacket, wearing only a tank top and shorts. He jumped in place, stretched, adjusted his mindset, and watched his 'endurance' stat in the status panel slowly rise—signaling he was in good form, ready to compete.

Human willpower can drive physical stamina higher.

This was something Rousseau discovered after that semi-official team tryout—a strange phenomenon. Adrenaline or some other hormone must be activating his body.

The human body isn't a machine. Though frail, it can still achieve miracles.

Rousseau approached the high jump bar.

Start, accelerate, turn sideways, leap, clear the bar, land.

The bar landed on the mat along with him.

Thud!

Seeing the bar fall at the same time, Rousseau smacked the sponge mat.

Second attempt.

Still failed to clear.

Third attempt.

Same result.

Rousseau sat on the mat, frowning in a daze.

Although he'd managed to clear 1.80 meters in training, failing every attempt in a formal contest against Juno was unexpected.

“All right, time for bed,” Tian Shiwei yawned, feeling sleepy.

“Let’s sleep,” Zheng Ni echoed, yawning as well.

Juno walked over to the dazed Rousseau and said, “Your technique is off—especially your bar clearance; your legs are too slow to tuck.”

“Yeah, I noticed, but habits are hard to break…” Rousseau seemed lost in thought, but he was actually reading the text in his status panel, which pointed out the same issue. Juno was right.

“To correct habits, you need long-term practice. You can’t control your body with your mind—you have to let your body develop instinct,” Juno said. “For leg movement, I have a trick: try sleeping curled up at night.”

“Okay, I’ll try. You need to work on your abdominal muscles. I can show you a few exercises,” Rousseau replied, pointing to a spot on Juno’s waist. “When you arch your back, you’re not engaging this area properly, which is why you keep getting stuck at 1.80 meters.”

“You weren’t just guessing last time,” Juno said in surprise. Rousseau was right, and more precise than before. Even her coach had said her waist strength was lacking, but hadn't pinpointed the exact muscle group as Rousseau did.

Since Juno agreed to Rousseau's competition request, Rousseau was determined to fulfill his promise—to help Juno improve her results.

It was nearly eleven at night. The two stood there chatting, exchanging insights, nodding in agreement, sharing a strange, wonderful sense of mutual understanding.

Tian Shiwei and Zheng Ni, meanwhile, sat off to the side, exhausted, watching the two converse and thinking to themselves that whoever accompanies their roommate to a midnight competition again is a fool.