The word "opportunity" was sometimes like a mirage: it looked close, but was actually far away.
Just before Catherine made her move, she suddenly remembered the state she was in.
Her cheeks were flushed and sweaty from exercise, her workout clothes clung to her sweat-soaked body, and her hair was a mess. Her outfit was entirely unsuitable for a formal social encounter.
In the end, she could only abandon the idea for now. First impressions were important, after all; they could even determine how a relationship developed afterward.
So she shifted slightly to one side, using the tall pedestal of the hero's statue as cover. She hid herself in its shadow, leaving only a small part of her face exposed as she quietly watched the two girls approach.
She planned to wait until they left the area, then return the way she had come.
Clearly, the exhausted Victoria and Sylvia had not noticed anyone else behind the statue in the square.
They trudged along, talking in low voices that were faintly audible across the empty square in the early morning.
"Greg really is a bastard!!"
Victoria's voice was hoarse and thick with resentment. She waved a fist, tugging at an injury, and bared her teeth in pain.
"I was almost completely drained, and he just casually said... 'Your stamina's too low. You can't last long enough'?! Who says something like that?!"
Walking beside her, Sylvia gave a gentle, helpless smile at her words and softly soothed her.
"Victoria, don't be angry. Senior Greg was only trying to help us get used to the pace of combat in the Dungeon faster. Besides... didn't we succeed in the end? Even if getting there was a little hard."
Victoria pursed her lips, still not finished complaining.
"And he has the worst double standards!