Chapter V - Sibling vs Sibling

The first weekend since his reincarnation finally arrived.

“Not going to school today?” Arthur asked Sophie who was lazily waking up a bit later than usual.

“Huh? Oh right. . . I didn’t explain, did I? We go to school Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are our days off. It's the weekend after all.”

She was still in her pajamas, all pink with panda bear slippers and messy morning hair tied into a bun.

Arthur on the other hand was already wide awake. It was common practice for him to wake up around 5 AM.

“What’s for breakfast?” Sophie asked having gotten used to Arthur prepping it lately since he already wakes up so early.

Sophie on the other hand prepared mind-blowing dinner each night.

“Nothing special, just toasted sandwiches. We didn’t have much in the fridge, I should go buy some stuff later today. Any requests?”

“We can go together. I don’t have much to do today, just studying.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said while setting up the table for her. “Grandpa still went to work. Does he work every day?”

“Six days a week. . . Typically he chooses the day off. He didn’t work on Monday because he needed to go to our school to sort some stuff out.”

“Ah, I see. . . Well, not much we can do about it. I just hope he likes the lunch I’ve made. I tried to mimic yours, but it just didn’t turn out quite like I expected. When did you learn to cook so well?”

“You don’t remember this, but I’ve been cooking for us since we were little. Grandpa worked long hours so someone had to do it.”

Arthur hummed as he approached Sophie, placing the food in front of her.

“Well, I’m glad in a way. Now I get to taste your amazing cooking every night.”

Sophie blushed. She was having a hard time adjusting to the idea of a caring older brother. Not only that but one that would commonly compliment her. They had a rough relationship before the accident.

“Eat up, I already ate.”

Arthur sat opposite of Sophie watching her eat. Seemed she was quite hungry.

“So what are you doing today?” she asked with her mouth half full.

“Don’t chew and talk,” he teased her.

“Great, now you’re getting bossy as well,” she said after swallowing her food. “You run daily?”

“Yeah. It’s good to keep in shape.”

“You really have changed.”

She was impressed by the change Arthur had displayed, almost to the point where she started doubting her growth. But if anything, she found it motivational.

“If you want a healthy mind, you have to have a healthy body as well. One does not function without the other,” he explained.

“True. . .” she mumbled looking down and losing herself in thoughts. “So have you already ran today?”

“No, I’ve had a few chores I wished to finish beforehand. Besides, I wanted to see how it is to run midday, to figure out what I like more.”

“Well once you return to school, you won't be able to run during the day,” she mentioned, finishing up breakfast. “However, if you’re willing to give me an hour for the food to settle and to finish some minor homework that I have, we could go running together.”

“Think you can keep up?”

“I’m in a better shape than you. . .”

She was quite proud of herself for it.

“Too bad that running is more of a mental challenge than a physical,” Arthur pointed out with his arms crossed and a cocky attitude.

“Wanna make a bet?”

“What do we wager then?” Arthur asked after pondering for a bit.

“Umm. . . Well, if I win you have to do all the shopping and cooking for the next week.”

“And if I win?”

“Hmmm, I’ll be the one cooking for the entire week.”

“You’re on!” Arthur yelled out enthusiastically.

She chuckled at just how happy Arthur was at the off chance that he wins, so much so that maybe letting him win wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.

Arthur wasn’t the fittest guy, but he wasn’t in critical shape either. If anything, one would mark him as average as it gets. He definitely saw the genetic potential and with his mindset and knowledge from past lives, he could easily overcome any challenge in a relatively short time. On the other hand, Sophie, who had just came out of the house in a sports outfit was quite lean, even showing faint abs.

“You’re fitter than I initially gave you credit for,” Arthur complimented followed by an extended hum.

“No backing out now Oppa,” she teased overconfidently.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“So how are we doing this?”

Fitness-wise Arthur was at a major disadvantage, even though he didn’t know how good Sophie’s cardio was. Though, there was a lot more to it than just physical endurance. He could run for quite a while due to the breathing technique that he implemented during his runs, as well as when things get tough and his body wanted to stop, he could mentally force himself to gain a second wind of sorts. Typically, humans underestimate just how much their bodies are capable of, but forcing it daily like that was extremely difficult.

To maximize his chance of winning, he needed to balance things out a bit. That meant that he needed to make the mental aspect of the challenge harder on Sophie.

“Soph, how about you lead the way. I don’t know the city well enough and I feel like we’ll be running for a while. If you can keep on going and force me to stop before you, you win. However, if I manage to keep up before you give up, I win.”

“Sounds good to me,” she chuckled, getting her last warm-up stretch in. “Ready?”

Arthur nodded.

“Go!” she yelled as the two began their competition.

The run was going to be long regardless of who was leading but making Sophie go first gave Arthur better odds.

First of all, the idea of chasing after someone was easier than the stress of constantly being tailed from behind.

Second of all, the person in the lead dictated the pace. This would usually be considered an advantage, because she could set the pace that best suited her in the first place, making her run a lot easier. However, since they were competing in a race of endurance rather than speed, it made it harder to decide. Simply put, going second meant that he could just focus on the running, while she had to think a lot more about the tactics. This in turn was going to be mentally draining every time she changed pace, especially if he could adapt to it.

Not only did she need to worry about the pace, but she also had to consider the path they would take, taking away her focus off of running and forcing her to analyze her surroundings. Even if it’s only slightly, it would affect her breathing every time she needed to make a decision.

The last thing that could be a minor benefit was if the winds favored him, is drafting. When it comes to low-speed running, drafting is irrelevant. However, in the case of strong wind, she could negate some wind resistance. Though, this was not something he could count on.

The run began with a rather slow jog, mostly testing the waters. Sophie chose a route that was in the opposite direction of Arthur’s typical path. He wondered if she did that on purpose.

The streets were relatively empty, but there were a lot more signs of life than a 5 am run. It being spring, the weather was quite balmy.

About ten minutes or so, Sophie finally picked up the pace. Until now, the two ran in complete silence.

“Ready for a challenge?” Sophie asked.

“Try me!” Arthur responded.

With a smile on her face, Sophie rapidly increased the pace which shocked Arthur. This could have easily been considered a fast pace sprint. Tailing right behind her, he focused on his breathing the best he could. She had no intention of turning and just kept rushing forward. A simple, but effective plan.

“Impressive, but how about this!” she yelled out before suddenly turning the corner.

Her footwork was nearly flawless, rebalancing instantly and turning the corner even at such a high speed. Unaware of her intentions, Arthur kept going forward. To turn, he quickly halted his movement and used the lamppost to push himself off with his foot towards her.

She was losing him, and even though it wasn’t a test of speed, if he couldn’t keep up with her that also would have been a moral defeat. Trying his best to build up speed to catch up to her, she took another turn forcing herself out of his view. Pushing himself harder, he finally turned the second corner only to see that Sophie had decreased her speed to a mere jog.

Catching up, he took a deep breath and proceeded to follow. He wouldn’t admit to it, but she outmaneuvered him. Not only that, but it had significantly affected his remaining stamina.

“Not bad!” she praised him.

It was clear that she had a lot more left in the tank than he did.

“Don’t count me out yet. . .” he said breathily.

“I wouldn’t dare Oppa.”

She chuckled, as the two proceeded to run for another twenty or so minutes at a steady pace.

Even with all of his planning, he did not expect her to be such a difficult opponent to overcome.

Just how much did you have to go through to build up such a mental fortitude?

These thoughts occupied Arthur’s mind. Thinking back to it, due to how the two have been living with their grandpa, it was obvious that Sophie was forced to grow up at a younger age. Something that seemingly Arthur failed to do.

“Alright, you win. . .” Arthur said running out of breath and stopping in place.

Sophie looked back and began to celebrate her victory. The truth was, Arthur could have kept ongoing, but there was no need to. He has learned a lot more from this run about Sophie than he initially believed he would. She would have probably won regardless.

“You’re one tough opponent,” Arthur complimented her before sitting down on a bench nearby.

The two were running through a local park at the time.

“You don’t know this, but I use to run track at school. Running was a hobby of mine for a long time.”

“You’re quite something alright. . .”

Sophie sat down next to Arthur, glancing into the distance.

“It’s so peaceful here,” she pointed out. “Hey Oppa, can I change my reward?”

Arthur took a deep breath and observed his surroundings. It was indeed peaceful.

“I don’t know if that’s fair.”

“Well, how about you hear me out, and then decide on which one you wish to grant me.”

“Sure, sounds reasonable.”

“Alright then,” she pausing for a moment. It was bound to be something major, or at least that’s what Arthur believed. “Can I go running with you early in the mornings? Before school of course.”

Arthur was confused. If she had only asked for that, regardless of the bet he would have accepted. There wasn’t a reason not to. Though, it was clear as day that she simply wished to spend more time with him. With school being as busy as is, and her friends most likely wishing to spend time with her as well, the morning would be the best time to hang out together.

“Of course you may,” he smiled shaking his head in disbelief, thinking about how little she asked of him. “But you do realize that means you have to wake up really early? Maybe it would be better if we ran at night.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I already know how early you get up. Running always gave me energy and made me more focused. If anything, it feels like I was lacking something like this to keep me moving forward.”

“Well then, no objections here. If you ever wish to change the time of our run, just say the word.”

“Thanks, Oppa,” she said cheerfully, jumping onto him and embracing him with a hug.

“We should probably head back now, both of us are in need of a shower.”

“Don’t forget, we must also get stuff from the store. I’ll cook us lunch.”

“I’ve lost, might as well let me cook.”

“My cooking's better though, I want to celebrate my victory, not dread it. . .” she burst into laughter to her own statement.

“You cheeky brat.”

“That’s mean Oppa,” she said unable to stop laughing. “We could cook together if you wish.”

Arthur sighed, nodding in agreement.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.