They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 465: No More Distractions

She nodded, swallowing hard.

He demonstrated the first stretch, lowering himself into a deep lunge that looked almost too graceful for a man his size. He held the pose effortlessly, as if his body were made of steel cables instead of muscle and bone.

Nnenna tried to mirror him but wobbled unsteadily. Her hip protested with a sharp pull. She bit back a hiss.

Arthur’s gaze flicked over, assessing her alignment with the same detached scrutiny he might use on a broken weapon.

"Lower your back knee," he ordered calmly.

She adjusted, her face tightening with effort.

"Straighten your spine. You’re collapsing your chest."

She sucked in a shaky breath and obeyed.

He moved behind her, close enough that she could feel the heat of his presence. He placed one hand lightly on her shoulder blade and pressed, guiding her posture without a word. The touch was impersonal, almost, but it sent a strange shiver through her all the same.

Nnenna kept her eyes fixed on the floor, determined not to look up.

He corrected her stance again, this time his fingers brushing the back of her hip to tilt it slightly.

"Better," Arthur murmured. His voice was low, almost distracted, as though he was thinking about something else.

Or trying not to.

After a moment, he stepped away, putting distance between them.

They moved through the rest of the stretches in silence, her body aching with exhaustion. When the timer finally beeped on his watch, Arthur stood straight and regarded her with his usual cold, steady stare.

"That’s enough for today."

Nnenna exhaled, relief and frustration tangling in her chest. She pressed a hand over her racing heart, trying to will it calm.

her for a long moment, as though

he said bluntly. "But your endurance running was acceptable, and your flexibility is average. You will improve faster if you focus instead of...thinking about other

snapped up,

change. "Distractions. Doubt. Or...whatever else it is that takes your mind

flushed hot all the way to her ears. Did he somehow know she had been

seemed to realize he had said too much. He looked away,

the same

she managed, though her throat

stood still as Nnenna bowed low, her now loose hair falling forward like a curtain. Her voice was soft

Sensei," she

only gave a curt

steps slow at first, then faster as she passed the edge

sweat from her cheek, how she glanced back, just

He clenched his jaw.

even paying attention to things like

the moment she had collapsed on her mat after push ups, breathless, her face flushed with stubborn effort. He hadn’t meant to feel anything at all. She was a student. Just his

bright, searching eyes, something shifted in his

to face the empty field, crossing his arms over his chest, willing

nothing.

His thoughts betrayed him.

she tries so hard. She doesn’t complain.

his thoughts. Hated that he could tell she admired

does that

It shouldn’t.

It doesn’t.

breath frosty in the cold morning air. His jaw tightened as a dull ache crawled behind his

my heart away. To someone

flashed, her laughter, the warmth of her hand in his, and his

am I even

hand curled into a