Bully Lord

Part-31

Lily, who had been perched on the edge of his bed, spoke up, her voice laced with a hint of suspicion. "Mom," she said, "there's something weird here. Look at this." She gestured towards a corner of the room where his makeshift punching bag – the pillow tethered to the rope – lay discarded.

James groaned internally. Of course, Lily would notice.  His mother approached the pillow, examining it with a puzzled frown.

"What is this?" she asked, picking it up and turning it over in her hands.

"It's… uh… just a pillow," James stammered, his face flushing red.

Lily snorted. "Right, a pillow you've somehow managed to tie up in a sailor's knot. And why is it all… lumpy?"

James winced. The pillow did indeed look worse for wear, the stuffing unevenly distributed after his onslaught of thunderclaps.

Before he could think of another lie, his mother's gaze met his. Her brown eyes, so similar to his own, held a mixture of concern and understanding.

"James, honey," she said gently, "you know you can tell us anything, right?"

James' mind raced, desperately searching for an explanation that wouldn't land him in a psych ward. Confessing the existence of the Bully System and his bizarre training method was out of the question. He stammered, "Uh, I, uh... I just... I wanted to get in shape, you know? Like, buff up a little?"

His voice lacked conviction, and a deep blush crept up his neck.  His mother's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lily, however, let out a snort of laughter, the tension dissipating slightly.

"Oh honey," his mother said, her voice laced with amusement, "you're perfectly fine the way you are. You don't need to be a bodybuilder."

Lily chimed in, rolling her eyes playfully. "Yeah, James. Looks like every male goes through this 'buff phase' at some point. Trust me, it's usually a short-lived obsession."

James felt a surge of relief. They were buying it! He wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain the charade, but for now, it was enough.

"Yeah," he mumbled, forcing a smile, "I guess I just got carried away."

His mother reached out and patted his hand gently. "Well, carried away or not, be careful, okay? Don't hurt yourself trying to be someone you're not."  Her words held a hint of worry, but also a flicker of pride. Perhaps, she saw this as a sign of James finally coming out of his shell, even if the method was a little unorthodox.

As his mother and sister continued to chat, James focused on his shallow breaths, willing his body to recover.  He knew he'd narrowly escaped disaster.  He couldn't risk pushing himself to the point of unconsciousness again.  But the experience had also ignited a spark of determination within him.  He had to find a safer, more sustainable way to train, to control his power.

Later that night, as his mother and sister tucked him into bed, a new message flickered on the blue window:

**Warning: Low Stamina Level.  Further use of Thunderclap Skill may result in System Shutdown.**

James swallowed hard.  The consequences of ignoring the system were clear.  He had a lot to learn, not just about his newfound abilities, but also about his own limitations.  He closed his eyes, the exhaustion finally claiming him.  Tomorrow, he would start again, but this time, he would be smarter, and more cautious.