The gym was nearly empty at this hour, the clatter of weights echoing off the concrete walls like distant thunder. Rokka stood before the dumbbell rack, her reflection staring back from the mirror that lined the far wall—a petite figure in a tight pink T-shirt and leggings, white five-toe horse oil stockings peeking out from her sneakers. She looked like she belonged in a yoga class, not here, surrounded by iron and steel.
Hamada lingered by the bench press, pretending to adjust the barbell, but his eyes never left her. He watched as she fished a small white pill from her pocket, rolling it between her fingers like a precious gem. The pill was unmarked, unassuming—just a capsule of powder that looked like it could be aspirin. But he knew better. He had no idea what it really was, but the look in her eyes told him it was something important.
Rokka glanced at him, a smirk curling her lips. "Don't just stand there, dog. Come watch your master grow strong."
He shuffled closer, his heart pounding. "Are you sure about this? We don't know what that stuff does."
She didn't answer. Instead, she tossed the pill into her mouth, swallowing it dry. Her throat moved as it went down, and she gave a small shudder. For a moment, nothing happened. She picked up a five-kilogram dumbbell, her fingers wrapping around the cold metal handle.
Then the pain hit.
Her arm seized, muscles contracting with a force that made her gasp. The dumbbell slipped from her grip, clattering to the rubber mat. She doubled over, clutching her bicep, her breath coming in ragged bursts.
"Rokka!" Hamada rushed to her side, reaching out to steady her. She shoved him away.
"Don't touch me!" Her voice was sharp, laced with something that bordered on desperation. But there was a glint in her eyes, a spark of anticipation.
The pain was intense, a burning sensation that shot through her arm like fire racing through dry grass. Her bicep throbbed, the fibers feeling as if they were tearing apart and reforming, knitting themselves into something denser, harder. She straightened slowly, flexing her hand, and looked down at her arm.
It was different. The shape was familiar, but the definition was new. The muscles beneath her skin seemed to have sharpened, the soft curves replaced with the hard lines of a sculptor's chisel. She touched it, pressing her fingers against the flesh, and felt a solidity that hadn't been there before.
"The pain doesn't matter," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "This is what I wanted."
She bent down and picked up the five-kilogram dumbbell again. This time, it felt light, almost feathery in her grasp. She curled it upward, the motion smooth and effortless. The muscles in her arm bulged, the sleeve of her T-shirt straining against the growing girth of her bicep.
"You should see your face, Hamada." She laughed, a low, breathy sound. "You look like you're watching a ghost."
He was staring, his mouth slightly open. "That pill..."
"Is working." She set the five-kilogram weight down and reached for a ten. Her fingers closed around it, and she lifted it with the same ease. Then fifteen. Twenty.
She stacked the dumbbells, loading her hands with weights that would have been impossible for her just an hour ago. The metal clanked against her palms, but her arms didn't waver. She did bicep curls with the twenty-kilogram dumbbells as if they were nothing, her form perfect, her breathing steady.
"Thirty," she said, reaching higher. Her T-shirt was growing tight, the fabric pulling across her expanding shoulders. She could feel it—the material cutting into her, the seams threatening to give way. The sensation was intoxicating.
Hamada stood frozen, a mix of awe and fear washing over him. He'd always been the stronger one, the taller one, the one who could protect her. But now, watching her hoist thirty kilograms like it was a toy, he felt that dynamic shift, tilting and crumbling under the weight of her newfound power.
"Try that," Rokka said, pointing to the forty-kilogram dumbbell on the floor. "You always struggled with that one."
He knew she was right. Forty was his limit, the point where his muscles screamed and his form broke down. But she was looking at him with that smile, that cruel, knowing smile, and he couldn't refuse.
He stepped forward and grasped the handle. His muscles burned as he tried to lift it, his body straining with the effort. The dumbbell rose slowly, trembling in his hand, before he had to drop it with a grunt.
Rokka watched, her eyes fixed on his failure. Then she reached down, her slender fingers closing around the same weight. She lifted it effortlessly, curling it upward, her bicep swelling with the motion. The vein in her arm pulsed, visible beneath the taut skin.
"See, Hamada?" She turned to him, the dumbbell still held high. "I'm already stronger than you. And this is just the beginning."
She set the weight down and looked at herself in the mirror. Her T-shirt was now so tight that she could see the outline of every muscle in her torso—her pectorals, her lats, her abs. The fabric had become a second skin, revealing what lay beneath. She tugged at the collar, feeling the strain, and a surge of pleasure rippled through her.
This was right. This was where she was meant to be.
"You're going to be my perfect pet," she said, her voice low and soft, but laced with an edge that made Hamada's spine tingle. "A strong, obedient dog who knows his place."
She turned to face him, stepping close until she was just inches away. Her eyes locked onto his, and he felt small, smaller than he'd ever felt before.
"Undress me," she commanded.
His hands trembled as he reached for the hem of her T-shirt. He pulled it upward, and it clung to her, resisting, before finally giving way. The shirt came off, and he stood there, holding it, staring at her.
She was magnificent. Her body was a testament to power, every muscle defined and sculpted, her shoulders broad, her arms thick with sinew. She had grown, transformed in a matter of minutes, and the sight of her nearly made him weak in the knees.
"You like what you see?" she asked, flexing her bicep. "Look at it. Feel it."
He reached out, tentatively, and touched her arm. The muscle was hard, unyielding, like iron wrapped in silk. He pressed harder, feeling the density beneath the skin, and a shiver ran down his spine.
"Good boy," she whispered, and the words sent a thrill through him, a mixture of shame and desire that twisted in his gut.
Rokka pulled her T-shirt back on, the fabric now impossibly tight, clinging to her like a second skin. She grabbed the forty-kilogram dumbbell again, lifting it high above her head, the weight suspended in the air as if defying gravity.
"Load the barbell," she ordered. "One hundred kilograms."
Hamada moved quickly, his hands fumbling with the plates as he stacked them onto the bar. He had never lifted that much in his life, and the thought of her doing it made his heart race.
She lay down on the bench, her fingers gripping the bar. She took a deep breath, then pushed. The barbell rose, steady and powerful, as she pressed it upward. Her arms shook with the effort, but not from strain—from exhilaration. The drug was still burning through her, strengthening her, reshaping her.
She completed five reps before setting the bar back on the rack, then sat up, grinning. Her chest heaved, her skin glistening with sweat, and she felt alive. Truly alive.
"The gym will close soon," she said, looking at the clock on the wall. "But I want more. Let's go home."
She grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder, and headed for the door. Hamada followed, his long legs struggling to keep up with her confident stride.
He was her pet now, her property, her everything.
And he wouldn't have had it any other way.