While the results were more or less what I had expected, I still clutched my head in dismay at the sight of numbers that could never be shown to the public. After a moment, we pulled ourselves together and prepared for the next test. We still had a long way to go; I decided that figuring out what to do about the results could wait until after we had finished everything.
With that, we mentally shelved the problem for the time being.
"If we’re doing another one... how about sit-ups or the forward bend?"
Thinking it might be best to avoid a string of impossible records, I suggested items that seemed likely to produce relatively normal results. These two, at least, shouldn't yield anything too ridiculous... I hoped.
"True. A bit of a palate cleanser might be good," Yuji agreed.
"Yes, I’m in favor," Hiiragi-san added.
They seemed to be in a similar frame of mind, nodding in agreement. I was grateful; I really wanted to avoid the standing long jump or the vertical jump for a bit, since those were bound to produce more monstrous numbers.
We immediately began preparing for the measurements.
"I’d say let’s get started, but lying directly on the ground is a bit much. Hold on a second..."
After confirming no one was around, I pulled a yoga mat out of my Spatial Storage. I had picked it up at a home center while buying the measuring tape. It was well-cushioned and large enough that even Yuji or I could use it comfortably.
"Preparation complete. Who wants to go first?"
"Since Hirose-kun went first last time, I'll go now. Hirose-kun, could you hold my feet?" Hiiragi-san asked.
"Got it. Daiki, you time it."
"Leave it to me."
First up was the sit-ups. Hiiragi-san lay on her back on the mat with her knees bent, and Yuji held her feet firmly in place. I took out my smartphone and set the timer for thirty seconds. It would be difficult to keep track of the time while counting the reps, after all.
"Alright, Hiiragi-san, ready?"
"Ready when you are."
"Got it. Yuji, you count too, just to make sure we don't miscount."
"Understood. Let's start."
Once I confirmed everyone was ready, I began the countdown.
"Here we go. Three, two, one... Start!"
"Hmph!"
At the signal, Hiiragi-san began performing sit-ups with incredible speed. Yuji braced himself desperately to ensure he wasn't thrown off by the force. Without a single moment of hesitation, Hiiragi-san racked up the count, her tied-back hair fluttering wildly.
Then... the alarm went off.
"Stop!"
"Phew... Finished."
"Good work, Hiiragi-san."
The moment I called time, Hiiragi-san let out a long breath and lay back on the mat. Judging by the fact that her breathing wasn't particularly labored and she wasn't clutching her stomach, thirty seconds wasn't enough to truly test the limits of an explorer. Then again, doing it for an unlimited amount of time would be pointless.
"So, how many did I get?"
"Uh, that was 125. How about you, Yuji?"
"I counted 125 as well."
Since our counts matched, Hiiragi-san’s record for sit-ups was 125. That was more than four per second... yeah. Erasing the average high school records from my mind, I began preparing for the next measurement. There was no point in worrying about it. Next, next.
Hiiragi-san moved off the mat, and I took my turn lying down.
"Yuji, you time it. Hiiragi-san, could you hold my feet?"
"On it."
"Certainly."
With Hiiragi-san holding my feet, I signaled to Yuji with a glance that I was ready. He caught the sign and began the countdown.
"Here we go. Three, two, one... Start!"
"Hup!"
At Yuji's signal, I held my breath and began the sit-ups. I contracted my abs, pulling my upper body up all at once. The moment the elbows of my hands placed in front of my chest touched my thighs, I extended my back and let it touch the mat. That was one rep. While being careful not to throw off Hiiragi-san, I picked up the pace, repeating the movement at high speed as the sound of rushing air grew louder in my ears.
Just as I was losing track of the count... the alarm sounded.
"Stop!"
"Hah... Phew."
"Good job, Daiki. That's it."
Just like Hiiragi-san, I let out a deep breath and lay back on the mat. I didn't feel any physical fatigue, but I felt a sense of mental exhaustion from the relief of not accidentally flinging Hiiragi-san away. I had done it seriously, but if you asked me if that was my absolute full power, I’d have my doubts.
"...So, the result?"
"By my count, it was 187," Yuji said.
"I had the same number," Hiiragi-san added.
"187..."
More than six per second. Right. Let’s not think too deeply about it.
After thanking Hiiragi-san, I quickly got off the mat and handed the spot over to Yuji. Yuji wore an unreadable expression at my blunt reaction to the result as he lay down and bent his knees.
"Okay, I'll hold you down this time, and Hiiragi-san can count."
"Yeah, thanks, Daiki."
"Leave it to me."
Since it was our third time, the preparations went quickly, and Hiiragi-san soon began the count.
"Three, two, one... Start!"
"Hah!"
At the signal, Yuji began his sit-ups. Significant force pressed against my hands as I held down his feet; I could tell Yuji was taking this quite seriously. Honestly, if a normal person had been the one holding him down, they probably would have been sent flying several meters. And then...
"Stop!"
"Hah... Phew."
"Good work, Hirose-kun."
Yuji didn't lie back on the mat like Hiiragi-san and I had, but he sat there, breathing heavily.
"...The result?"
"179," Hiiragi-san said.
"Same here."
"179, huh... I didn't quite reach Daiki's record."
No, no, it's 179. That's almost six reps per second. Why are you frustrated? Wait, were we actually competing?
Surprised that this had turned into a contest without me knowing, I spoke to Yuji.
"Uh, Yuji? Were we having a match?"
"Hmm? No, not really. I just thought it would be better to have a goal if we were going to do it anyway."
"Oh, I see..."
"..."
"..."
Yuji and I looked at each other in silence. That was an awkward pause. For me, the results were already so ridiculous that I didn't have the motivation to try for an especially "good" result...
Amidst that subtle atmosphere, we finished the sit-up measurements.
After that, we proceeded directly to the forward bend. I had researched how to make a sit-and-reach box online beforehand and pulled a simple measuring device I’d fashioned out of cardboard from my Spatial Storage. Dedicated devices were sold online, but since we’d only use it once, this was plenty.
After two trials each, the results were...
"...52 cm."
"...55 cm."
"...49 cm."
"...That's normal."
Well, it was a reasonable result. Even though we boasted physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people thanks to the level-up modifier, our physical structures were still the same as normal humans. We didn't have any special biological traits that allowed our limbs to stretch.
Precisely because the previous results had been so insane, this felt like a bit of a letdown—an anticlimax.
"Yeah... honestly, seeing these results is a relief."
"It’s true that these are only slightly above average. But considering everything else so far, I understand the feeling," Yuji agreed.
"That's right. But since this is about flexibility, it's a number that's better if it's higher. Improving flexibility reduces the risk of injury, after all," Hiiragi-san pointed out.
"True."
As she said, flexibility was an important factor in preventing injuries. There was no harm in doing stretching exercises to improve those numbers. Since I’d bought a yoga mat, maybe I should try doing yoga at home.
"Well, for now, the seated tests are done... shall we move on to the next items?"
"The next ones..."
"Right, the next ones..."
We both looked away from each other, wearing hesitant expressions. There were four items left: the standing long jump, the vertical jump, the shuttle run, and the long-distance run. Only items bound to produce terrifying results remained.
Filled with trepidation, we began preparing for the next test.
"Let's start with the standing long jump?"
"Right. Better to get the quick ones out of the way."
"In that case, wouldn't the order of standing long jump, vertical jump, shuttle run, and then the long-distance run be best? We can finish quickly if we’re efficient," Hiiragi-san suggested.
We adopted her plan. However, when it came time to actually measure, anxiety took precedence. After all, according to the average records I’d researched, the record for a standing long jump is usually about four times the vertical jump. Our vertical jumps were powerful enough to send our heads crashing into ten-meter-high ceilings. Just how many meters were we going to fly?
"So, who's going first?"
"..."
"..."
We looked at each other, trying to pass off the turn. Honestly, I was nothing but anxious about going first. I was worried if this plaza even had enough space. But we couldn't stay like this forever. After closing my eyes for a moment, I took a deep breath and spoke up.
"I'll go first. Please take the measurements."
"..." "Understood."
To maximize the distance, I moved to the start line set at the very edge of the plaza's diagonal. Yuji took the measuring tape and extended it about fifty meters ahead.
Even from that far away, there was a possibility I might jump right past him...
"...Phew."
"Are you okay, Kokonoe-kun?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little anxious."
"Don't push yourself, okay? If it can't be measured, then that itself is a record."
"Haha, got it. Thanks for worrying about me."
Hiiragi-san spoke to me encouragingly. I lightly slapped my cheeks to clear my anxiety and signaled to Yuji that I was ready. Then, I bent my knees slightly and swung my arms back and forth to time my jump...
"One, two... three!"
Matching the swing of my arms, I leaned forward and jumped, extending my knees all at once. Feeling the wind pressure trying to push me back, I focused on maintaining my posture. Yuji’s figure, which should have been fifty meters away, grew larger and larger. A few moments later... I sailed right past him.
"Whoops!"
Ending my short journey through the air, I made a clean landing while sliding slightly across the ground. Taking a breath, I checked the distance.
I really did it, I thought to myself.
"Phew. It was more or less as I expected, but..."
I shook my head and began walking back with a heavy gait. Yuji was measuring the distance at the spot where I had landed. I really didn't want to hear the result.
"How is it, Yuji? The result?"
Yuji closed his eyes for a moment and then muttered the number.
"...Approximately sixty-five meters."
"Sixty-five..."
I could clear a ten-lane road in a single bound. If I could jump this far from a standing position, I could probably pull off those scenes from anime or manga—the ones where characters leap between skyscrapers. To think I actually had the physical ability to do that in real life...
"That was an incredible distance, Daiki. To think you'd exceed fifty meters."
"Haha, I'm the one who's most surprised. But you know, Yuji, you and Hiiragi-san can probably jump similar distances, right?"
"Haha, that's the thing. Hah..."
Yuji and I shared a dry laugh and waved to Hiiragi-san, who was standing at the starting point looking completely stunned.
"Yeah, looks like she's frozen. I can't blame her."
"Right. Daiki, take over the measurement for me. I'll go over there."
"Thanks. You can jump right after Hiiragi-san."
"Understood."
After handing me the measuring tape, Yuji headed toward the starting point.
From here on out, it was going to be a rush of insane records... My heart was heavy already. The only decent record was the forward bend; everything else was terrifying. My stomach was starting to hurt.