Chapter 111: Valid decision

The delivery work had kept him lean in the previous life. Not built, just functional. This body had inherited some of that but four months of campus life, cab rides and hostel desk work had done nothing to develop it further.

Twelve million dollars, he thought. And I look like someone who occasionally carries groceries.

He looked at the Rebirth tattoo on his chest. Still sharp. Still exactly where he’d put it.

At least the tattoo looks intentional, he thought.

He turned back to the laptop.

He looked back at the mirror.

I should join a gym, he thought. Been putting it off since September for no good reason. He turned away from the mirror. Tomorrow. Find something decent in the commercial district and just go.

When did I last actually work out, he thought. In this body. Properly.

The honest answer was never.

Four months of campus life, cab rides, hostel desk work and Panamera driving had produced exactly zero deliberate physical exercise. His previous life had kept him active through delivery work. Loading, carrying, moving. But that was incidental labour, not training. Deliberate structured exercise was a completely different thing.

I’m sitting on twelve million dollars, he thought. In a body I haven’t taken seriously once since I reincarnated into it.

He opened the laptop.

Searched gyms in the commercial district.

Apex Fitness came up third in the results. Fourth floor of a building two streets from Hale & Associates. The website communicated quality without announcing it. Clean design, real photography, a membership rate that sat at a level that kept the clientele serious about being there. The kind of gym where people came to actually work and the equipment reflected that.

This one, he decided.

He registered online before he could deliberate about it. Booked a Tuesday 8AM slot. Entered his card details and confirmed.

[ REBATE SYSTEM ]

Transaction Detected: $800 spent on gym membership — Apex Fitness

Base Multiplier (Tier 2): 2x

Total Return: $1,600

[ Net Balance: $12,396,394.00 → $12,397,994.00 ]

[ SIDE QUEST COMPLETE ]

First Gym Registration

Reward: +200 EXP

[ EXP: 1,650/150,000 ]

The system just paid me to join a gym and gave me EXP for it, he thought. At this point nothing surprises me anymore.

He closed the laptop.

He set it back down.

His phone buzzed on the desk.

Amira.

Amira: module five. Section four. Did you read it.

Xavier looked at the message.

Section four, he thought. I read one through three last night between acquisition overviews. He picked up the phone. Which is not the same as reading section four but is arguably better than nothing.

Xavier: working through it

Amira: Xavier. That means no.

Xavier: it means working through it

Amira: it means you read sections one to three and told yourself that was good enough and then got distracted by something else entirely.

Xavier stared at the message.

How, he thought. How does she do that every single time.

Xavier: I’ll read section four tonight

Amira: I’m testing you on it tomorrow. In person. Don’t think I won’t because I absolutely will.

Xavier: I know you will

Amira: section four covers nutrient bioavailability and metabolic pathways. It is not short. It is not something you can skim at midnight and expect to discuss properly at 9AM.

Xavier: noted sweetheart

Amira: don’t call me that when you haven’t read section four yet

Xavier: goodnight sweetheart

Amira: 😑😑 goodnight Xavier. Section four. Tonight. All of it. I mean it.

Amira: and by the way before I forget — we have the paper by Friday. Hope to see you there.

Xavier looked at that second message.

The paper, he thought. The exam. He looked at the Millhaven tickets on the shelf. Same Friday.

Same day, he thought. Exam Friday. Millhaven Friday.Was it actually a coincidence or what.

He typed back.

Xavier: I’ll be there

He put the phone down.

I’ll be there, he thought. Technically someone will be there. In my seat. Writing my exam. He almost smiled. Same thing really.

He looked at the tickets again.

Friday is doing a lot of work this week, he thought.

He opened Amira’s notes.

Section four, he thought. Let’s get this done.

Looked at the Millhaven tickets.

Looked at Amira’s notes open in the other tab on the laptop.

Section four, he thought. Nutrient bioavailability and metabolic pathways. Not short.

He opened the document.

Read it.

All of it.

It took forty three minutes. Amira had not been wrong about the length or the complexity. The section covered ground that required actual attention rather than the passive reading you could get away with on simpler material. The kind that pushed back if you weren’t present for it.

She knew exactly what she was sending me, he thought halfway through. She always knows exactly what she’s doing.

When he finished he closed the document and leaned back.

I actually know this now, he thought. Nutrient bioavailability and metabolic pathways. In a body I just registered at a gym and which will be sitting an exam written by someone else in two weeks. He almost laughed. The things this life asks of me.

He looked at the Millhaven tickets one more time before turning the desk lamp off.

Tuesday, he thought. Gym at 8AM. Mr. Hartley in the afternoon. Campus Wednesday where Amira will test me on section four and I will pass it because I just spent forty three minutes making sure of that. She really making me study for naught.

He got up. Moved the tickets to the shelf where they’d be safe and visible. Went to the bathroom. Came back.

Stood in the middle of the apartment for a moment.

Twelve million dollars, he thought. Two business class tickets to Millhaven. A gym membership at Apex Fitness. Four suits on order from Hartley and Sons. Seven businesses running. He looked at the ceiling. And section four of module five read and retained.

Not bad, he thought. For a Monday.

He went to bed.

[ REBATE SYSTEM ]

Daily Cycle Complete

Donations processed: Global Education Trust, Rural Healthcare Initiative, Women’s Empowerment Fund, Digital Access Initiative

Total Spent: $800,000

Total Returned: $1,600,000

[ Net Balance: $11,597,994.00 → $12,397,994.00 ]

[ $200,000 buffer retained ]

$12,397,994, he noted from bed. Clean Monday. Gym booked. Section four read. Four days to Friday.

One thing at a time, he thought.

Always one thing at a time.