Divine Milking System-Chapter 59 | Why Being a Morning Person Makes You the Enemy of the Squad
I stood in the east field at 5:48 AM with my arms crossed, watching Jordan stumble toward us like a zombie seeking brains. His eyes were half-open, his hoodie was inside out, and I was pretty sure he’d put his left shoe on his right foot.
Belle and Naomi weren’t much better. Belle’s blue hair was pulled into a messy ponytail with sections escaping in all directions. She clutched a thermos that probably contained something stronger than coffee based on how she guarded it. Naomi stood slightly apart, her shoulders hunched against the morning chill, her striped hair in a proper braid today. She wore a high-necked black compression top and loose track pants—way more covered up than yesterday’s sports bra. My bad. I could see the faint edge of something purple peeking just above her collar.
Definitely my bad.
"Good morning, Team Seven!" I called out, stretching my arms overhead. "Beautiful day for training!"
Jordan’s head swiveled toward me with the slow horror of a man facing his executioner.
"You?" His voice came out like sandpaper on concrete. "Gym? Morning person?" He clutched his chest like I’d stabbed him. "Betrayal. Absolute betrayal."
Belle took a long swig from her thermos. "Since when do you have energy at ass-crack o’clock?"
"Some of us take our physical improvement seriously," I said, dropping into a squat. The Endurance boost from Naomi’s Silver essence was still flowing strong.
I felt fucking amazing.
"Oh my god." Belle’s eyes narrowed to slits. "You know what? You should run double laps today. Since you have so much energy to spare."
I froze mid-stretch, slowly turning to look at her. She stuck her tongue out, the little blue-haired demon.
"What an excellent suggestion!" Misato appeared behind us, making everyone except me jump. She wore black bike shorts that hugged her hips like paint and a lime green sports bra that matched her hair. The combination showed off abs you could break rocks on. "Monroe’s setting such a good example, he can absolutely run double."
Belle’s smirk grew wider. I gave her my best you’re-dead-to-me stare.
"Everyone else, start with two laps. Monroe, you get four." Misato clapped her hands. "Now!"
Jordan groaned, shuffling toward the track like a man walking to the gallows. Belle sauntered after him, swinging her hips in black running shorts that showed off legs that went for miles. Her cropped workout top revealed a strip of pale stomach that bounced slightly with each step.
Naomi hesitated, glancing at me. "Good luck," she whispered, then jogged to catch up with the others.
"Enjoying the view, Monroe?" Misato’s voice came directly beside my ear.
I absolutely had been enjoying the view. Belle’s shorts left very little to the imagination, and from this angle, the sway of her hips was hypnotic. But admitting that to Misato seemed like a fast track to eight laps instead of four.
"Just assessing team fitness," I said, starting my jog. "Professional interest."
Misato snorted and fell into step beside me. "I’ll be running with everyone today. Lead by example and all that shit."
I glanced sideways at her. In motion, Misato was a force of nature. Her lime green ponytail bounced with each step, and her body moved with the easy confidence of someone who knew exactly what it could do.
"Eyes forward, Monroe. I don’t need you tripping over yourself."
"Just wondering if your hair color is natural or if it changed with awakening," I lied.
"Awakening." She picked up the pace, and I matched her. "Used to be black. Now I’m a human highlighter."
We passed the others already. Jordan looked like he might collapse after half a lap. Belle was pacing herself, her blue ponytail swinging. Naomi ran with surprising grace, her long legs eating up the track despite her obvious fatigue.
Misato and I hit our second lap as they finished their first. We were moving at a good clip now, and I let myself appreciate the way Misato’s body worked—the fluid motion of her muscles, the spring in her step. When she pulled slightly ahead, I had to forcibly redirect my attention from the way her ass moved in those bike shorts. Each step created a hypnotic bounce that seemed specifically engineered to distract male runners.
Focus, idiot. You have Naomi now. And other targets that aren’t your drill sergeant.
"Keep up, Monroe!" Misato called over her shoulder, accelerating.
I pushed harder. Silver-tier essence was no joke—my legs felt springy and strong, my lungs cooperating despite the increased pace. I caught up to Misato as we rounded the corner for lap three.
"Not bad," she said, not even winded. "Let’s see if you can maintain."
By the time we hit lap four, I was feeling it. The essence boost was good, but not limitless. Sweat poured down my face, and my lungs burned. Misato looked barely affected, though a light sheen of sweat made her skin glow in the morning light.
The others had finished their two laps and collapsed on the grass. Jordan lay spread-eagle, staring at the sky like it had personally offended him. Belle sat cross-legged, retying her shoes. Naomi stood with her hands on her hips, breathing hard but recovering.
Misato and I crossed the finish line for lap four, and I immediately bent over, hands on my knees.
"Holy shit," Belle called. "He actually did it!"
I raised one hand in her direction, middle finger extended.
"Language, Monroe," Misato said, but she was grinning. "Alright team, circle up! That was just the warm-up."
Jordan made a sound like a dying whale.
"Today we’re doing endurance training." Misato created a clone that split off from her body like cellular mitosis. The clone jogged over to a storage shed and began dragging out equipment. "I need to see how long you can maintain your abilities under physical stress."
The original Misato walked us through the plan while her clone set up five stations around the field. We would rotate through physical challenges while simultaneously using our abilities. The goal was to learn our limits and then push past them.
"Monroe, you mentioned your ability is some kind of sensory manipulation?"
I nodded. "Touch-based. Enhances or suppresses nerve signals."
Absolute truth. Just not the whole truth.
"Perfect. You’ll be working with Naomi today." Misato pointed to station three, where her clone was setting up a series of targets. "She’ll use Wave Motion, you’ll help manage her pain signals when she starts burning out."
Naomi’s cheeks flushed pink. "That sounds... helpful."
Belle raised an eyebrow, looking between us. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly like she was doing math in her head.
"Wayne, you’re with me at station one." Misato pointed at Jordan, who had finally managed to sit up. "Fox, you’ll be monitoring and recording everyone’s progress since your ability is passive."
Belle saluted. "Professional cheerleader, at your service."
"More like professional data collector," Misato corrected. "I need exact times, power outputs, and recovery rates."
