From Trash to Lord of Thunder: The Rise of the Cursed Extra-Chapter 38: Trapped

Charles was trapped. Kaira's body pinned him to the ring's mat, her hot breath grazing his face.

He tried to move, raising his hands to gently push her off, but his arms froze mid-motion.

'What the hell?' he thought, his heart racing. 'Does this body think pushing her is an attack? I just want her off!'

Frustration hit hard.

Rian's body, with its damn programming against attacking, was betraying him again.

Kaira, noticing his failed attempt, frowned, the sadness on her face giving way to genuine concern.

"Rian..." she said, her voice softer than Charles expected. "Are you okay? If you're not feeling well, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Charles blinked, caught off guard by her tone.

The worry in Kaira's eyes was real, and for a second, he couldn't help staring. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the sparring, sweat gleaming on her forehead.

'Damn,' he thought, a knot forming in his stomach. 'She's... beautiful.'

The thought made him mentally shake his head.

No time for distractions.

'Focus,' he scolded himself.

Truth was, his body wasn't sick or injured, but he couldn't say that now, so Charles decided:

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"Didn't want to worry you," he said aloud, forcing an awkward smile. "That's all."

Kaira studied him, as if trying to tell if he was lying.

Then she let out a long, deep sigh, and before Charles could react, she raised a hand and flicked his forehead with a quick finger.

Tap!

"Hey!" Charles exclaimed, more startled than hurt. "What was that for?"

Kaira smiled, though a trace of concern lingered in her eyes.

"Because I want to help you, idiot," she said, sitting up straighter. "That's why I brought you here. What'd you think?"

Charles blinked, confused.

"Help me?" he said, frowning. "Why would you want to do that?"

Kaira leaned back, and suddenly, Charles felt her weight shift.

Her butt settled firmly on his stomach, forcing a Oof! out of his lungs.

'Damn it!' he thought, heat rushing to his face. 'Did she have to sit there?'

To make matters worse, Kaira looked embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed red, and she glanced away for a second before meeting his eyes, clearly uncomfortable.

"I..." she started, stammering slightly. "I-I want... to learn those flips you do, you know? But..."

She scratched her neck, nervous.

"I guess... I'd have to do something for you first, right? To make it fair."

Charles stared, and suddenly, he couldn't hold it in. A loud, genuine laugh burst from his chest.

"Ha ha ha!" he said, shaking his head. "Seriously? You want to learn my 'flips'? You?"

'How does someone like her exist in this world?' he thought, still chuckling.

But then, something shifted. A warm, uncomfortable sensation stirred in his lower body.

His "friend" was waking up.

Kaira's position, her body so close, her weight pressing against him—it was impossible to ignore.

'No, no, no!' he thought, panicking. 'This can't be happening! Not now!'

He tried to banish the inappropriate thoughts, but it was too late.

His body was betraying him again, and the fear that Kaira might notice filled him with dread.

The tunic was thick, but... what if it showed?

What if someone else saw?

"Kaira," he said, his voice as calm as he could fake. "Uh... can you get up? I think we cleared up the misunderstanding, right?"

Kaira looked surprised, then narrowed her eyes.

"Get up...?" she said, crossing her arms. "Nope."

Charles blinked, stunned.

"What do you mean 'nope'?" he said, a hint of desperation creeping in. "Didn't you say you wanted to help me?"

Kaira nodded but didn't budge. Instead, her butt settled even more on his stomach, forcing another puff of air from his lungs.

Oof! he grunted, trying not to wince.

"Yeah, I want to help you," she said, her tone serious but with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But right now, this is your punishment for lying. You didn't tell me you weren't feeling well, so..."

She shrugged.

"You're staying there for a bit."

Charles opened his mouth to protest but didn't know what to say.

The situation wasn't exactly uncomfortable... or at least, not entirely.

Having Kaira on top of him was, if he was honest, a little thrilling. But there was also the small detail that they were in a gym, with people milling about in the distance.

'Does this girl have no shame?' he thought, studying her face.

Kaira seemed completely oblivious to what her position might imply.

Or maybe she knew and just didn't care.

"Kaira, seriously..." he said, trying to sound reasonable. "We're in public. People are watching."

Kaira tilted her head, as if just now considering it.

"So?" she said, shrugging. "Let them watch. I'm not doing anything wrong."

Charles groaned inwardly.

'Of course you're not doing anything wrong!' he thought. 'But my body...!'

He tried to shift, twisting his hips to get her off, but Kaira was faster. She hooked her feet around his legs, pinning him to the mat.

The move made her butt bounce slightly on his abdomen, and Charles felt a wave of heat that forced him to squeeze his eyes shut.

'This is too much!' he thought, his heart racing. 'It's freaking thrilling, but I can't keep going like this!'

Kaira, oblivious to his inner struggle, giggled.

"Ha ha!" she said, covering her mouth. "This reminds me of when I learned to ride a horse. I bounced just like this!"

Charles's eyes snapped open, incredulous.

"Riding a horse?" he repeated, his voice cracking slightly. "You're saying that now?"

Kaira nodded, still laughing.

"Yeah! It was super fun. Though..." She frowned, thoughtful. "I think you're more stable than the horse."

Charles didn't know whether to laugh or scream.

The situation was so absurd he could barely process it. But before he could respond, a loud sound cut through the air.

"Ahem!"

It was a clear, deliberate cough.

Charles and Kaira turned their heads at the same time, and there stood Lira at the ring's edge. Her black tunic with blue trim swayed slightly, her face stern.

Lira's blue eyes bored into them, and the gym's air suddenly felt heavy.

"Can I have a minute?" she said, her voice cold and unyielding.