'Sunday: 27th November: 13:... something' (rewritten)

Sunday

27th November

13:… something.

“So… You’re ‘Iron Katsumada’, huh.”

Naoki stood very still.

He was beginning to grow more sure that fitness influencers’ vision only worked on movement, but he felt a reptillian pair of eyes probing him all the same.

“Pleasure.”

It had taken enduring an ever-deepening migraine on board a train to Ayase, wandering the confined urban suburb of Adachi city for almost an hour until the MAKIT_FITNESS account finally came online.

Between a slew of broken caps lock between emojified navigation instructions and Naoki having looked up the route beforehand anyway, he successfully emerged in front of a lot filling the half-gap between a convenience store and an apartment building.

The gym that lay there seemed to refuse to - or rather, be utterly desperate not to take up space.

The somewhat strangely-shaped man, as fitness influencers went, was less abashed about posting up in the center of the lot, his arms crossing in preparation for meeting Iron Katsumada.

Naoki supposed this was the man behind the account.

“Say… You’re not very talkative, are ya’?”

The young man in front of Naoki began a slow, stumpy circuit around him, taking in this mass that was masculinity made form.

The influencer was a little wider where most ‘builders were thin, and a good deal skinnier where others were wide. He stroked his chin, his fingers leaving a faint trail before his skin bounced back.
A little too boyish to be a man, and more grown up than would be expected for a boy. Every time he blinked, Naoki felt a split-second of relief blip inside him.

Most tried-and-true among Naoki’s tactics was to say nothing, and he relied on that very one now.

The influencer completed his circuit, his last step wearing the same face as the first, his lips pursed, his eyebrows down over the little beads that were considering Iron Katsumada with all the study of a snake watching an egg.

“That’s okay!!”

All of a sudden, his demeanour changed.

“My name’s Riku! I’m the head of operations, direction, finances—Anyway, I’m MAKITT_FITNESS!”

The man softened. Widened. Rounded. He spread his arms with a big smile, dancing on the spot between Naoki and the gym with footwork that could have only been practised in front of a camera.

“It’s ‘pleasure’ to meet you too.” The young manish boy, or boyish man chuckled. “So… Y’ready to get started, Mr. ‘Iron’?”

Naoki nodded. It wasn’t so obvious what was getting started based on the messages they’d tried to hash out, but here and there Riku had let on that he had a plan. If it was just for today, he could follow behind the bouncy young man, give the reins over as they made their way inside the gym.

Beep!

“Oh!”

Promptly after the bouncy young man had swiped a little printed card on a scanner at the entrance, he turned, watching a pair of glass doors slide shut between him and Naoki.

“I forgot…” Riku unpocketed a second card, holding it out in vain. “We got one for you, but I forgot to—… Oh no. What do I do? I only got a one-time pass… What do I do?”

Of course, Naoki had an annual pass. But as he watched the young influencer fuss back and forth across the entrance, he slid it quietly back into his pocket.

“Oh… Thank you.” He pointed. “Think you can fit it through the gap?”

“—Good idea!” Riku tried to carefully thread the card between the parts of the double-layered rubber grips that didn’t fullly lock together, only for it to get stuck.

“I meant, underneath the doors.” Naoki said gently.

“E-even better idea!” Even more carefully, he had to wrestle the pass out of the door’s clutches.

Five minutes and thirty four seconds had passed. Naoki took the slightly crumpled, slightly sweaty one-time entry card, and with a beep!, they were both inside.

“Alrightie!” Riku planted one fist into the other. “Let’s review, before you meet the team.”

Nod.

“MAKIT_FITNESS is all about… Well, fitness challenges, we’re providing entertainment for our fellow young’uns who wanna MAKE IT in this world!”

Nod. Riku practically cheered, hopping up on one leg as the two of them followed the hall after the entrance, past a closet section of changing rooms and into the main gym.

“It’s hard to get the body of your dreams. It is, I know it… All too well… So we’re cheering people on in our own way! Think of it, like, um… Comic relief.”

No—

“… Comic relief?”

Naoki had to think for a second, before they pushed open the doors.

“Not… Sure I follow—"

“Anyway, here’s the team!”

Bouncing to a stop, Riku sent his arms out into a revalatory spreadeagle, with a pair of young men on either wing.

“Tattsun!” He cried.

The young man on the far left. Had reasonably developed legs, but he balked a little nervously at Naoki’s glancing over his upper body.

Riku wiggled his arm over to the next figure. “—Ichika, the bastard! He’s our cameraman.”

Longer hair. Thinner build. Made sense that he was the one filming.

“Next… Batsuki!” Riku gestured to the inverse of Tattsun, who was doing everything to maintain that his arms and chest were on show, his legs nocked inwards somewhat, glad to hide the little things behind Ichika.

“Anyaro.” Riku waggled his hand, trying to catch the last member of the MAKIT team’s attention. He had the best build, his eyes looking out at the world sleepily. He didn’t even seem to notice Naoki.

“Looking forward to this!” Batsuki was the first to bow. “Thanks for coming out, Mr. Tetsumada!”

“B-B—” Riku shot him a horrified look. “Batsuki! His n-name’s—”

“Call me, uh, Naoki.” The sculptor’s fantasy of a man hardly had to even consider the misstep to brush it off, even in his depleted state.
“More importantly. Tell me about this video you have planned.”

At last, they could cut to the chase. Even more keenly than the tired buzz at the base of his neck or any nagging notes of irony at the name he’d been given, the tug of 100,000 yen was front of Naoki’s mind.

“Th-thas’ right.” Riku relaxed. A little. “Well… I know this is your first big collab video, so I wanna thank— Wait. Are you filming this? Quick!”
Suddenly, he began gesturing excitably to Ichika.

Hiding a look of bemusement, Naoki watched the team get into position to film. Tattsun put legs forward, Batsuki put legs back, Riku flexed, and began bouncing. Anyaro stared ahead.

“Hey guys, it’s Riku, we are MAKIT Fitness, and we’re comin’ at you with an insane collab video!”

Just like that, a smartphone had been whipped out, and Ichika was pacing around Riku like he was on a dance arcade machine, capturing a variety of frantic poses.

“Just in case you haven’t noticed the absolute beast standing next to me, our guest today is a name that bros in-the-know in Tokyo will know well - none other than Iron Katsumada!”

The camera did a low-angle flyby, a fish-eye lens turning Naoki into an unapproachable edifice of himself. He could only imagine the look, with a sepia filter, grain and blaring trap music.

Much as he wanted to demand that they cut and explain themselves, he found himself rooted to the spot.

It wasn’t the camera. A tiny glass pinhole on a piece of plastic the size of a matchbox was hardly something that intimidated him by itself.
It was what lay on the other end. Naoki could feel the eyes using that camera as a power hose for their own dopamine fix. He could see the numbers rising, or wavering, or plummeting to nothing depending on what he did next.

“… What’s up.” His face twinged into a grin.

Naoki supposed he would have to discover the plan alongside the audience.

“First!”

The camera panned swathely back to Riku, who was holding up the first of three fingers.

“We’re gonna find out how the man, the myth, the icon, Katsumada built his physique, and see if he can share any tips! —I certainly need some…”

“—Yeah, you’re lookin’ kinda pudgy.” Ichika remarked.

“—Shut it, cameraman!” The influencer giggled. “Ahem! Two. An all-out fitness bout between us, the MAKIT team, and Iron Katsumada!!”

Bout?

Naoki glanced around. Already they were receiving some strange looks from the nearby residents coming and going on the nearby benches, treadmills, pull-up bars. He could understand them undertaking some kind of challenge together had they hired out a place in private, but in a cramped neighbourhood facility where space and machines were limited…

That was where the magic of editing came in, he supposed.
But the more their filming was interrupted, the longer this would take.
Not to mention, the authenticity of the ‘challenge’ altogether was called into question.

“What’s the third thing?” Naoki cut through the pause that’d ome over him.

“I’m so glad you asked!”

Riku span like a top, as if waiting for the cue.

“We’re going to ask total strangers around the gym to assign us additional challenges!”

“Ah…”

Naoki glanced around, wondering if they’d been overheard.

He couldn’t help but notice the people nearby gearing up to distance themselves from the excitable little video team.

He wondered which was worse. The invisible gravity-enhancing beam coming from the camera that seemed to root him to the spot, or the premeditated frowns on the faces of the surrounding gym-goers, trying their best to stay unbothered.