Dania: I Want to Try

After school in the afternoon.

Summer is approaching, and the sun is also working overtime. Even though it's already evening, the golden light still covers the entire playground.

This playground was already frequented by many students who came to exercise after school or to train for the upcoming sports meet, but now it was bustling with excitement because of the uninvited arrival of the beautiful girls.

Aemeath is doing stretching exercises on the playground.

Today, her outfit leaned towards a sporty style: a pink T-shirt paired with a white athletic skirt, white socks that only reached her calves, and white sneakers, perfectly showcasing Little Ai's pure and youthful charm.

"Little Ai, you just finished badminton practice, are you sure you have the stamina to keep up with the sprint?" Lupa was warming up, naturally asked about Aemeath's condition.

"The physical training at the academy is much more difficult than this." Aemeath's expression was quite relaxed.

Physical training is a compulsory course for students of the Lahai-Roi Development Department in the curriculum arranged by the Star Torch Academy. As the main force in resisting the Exostrider Magnetic Storm, they will inevitably face high-intensity continuous combat. If they make a decision-making error due to physical exhaustion, it will be extremely fatal.

Therefore, the intensity of sports like badminton and track and field might not even qualify as a warm-up for Aemeath. As an outstanding student in the Lahai-Roi Development Department, the training intensity she faces is much higher than that.

"Actually, I think you should be more worried about Xiao Ya Lupa." Aemeath turned slightly, her gaze falling on Dania to Lupa's right. "After all, I heard that she ran three laps with you guys last time and then fell asleep from exhaustion. It was A-Yu who carried her home."

When Dania, who was warming up, heard Little Ai) mention her, she was so startled that she almost strained her back.

"That was an accident..." Dania retorted weakly.

Her style of dress is similar to Aemeath's. Although she is slightly inferior in figure, it is still quite remarkable. Her long hair, which reaches her waist, is tied up with a hair tie, giving her a refreshing look.

A sporty Honey Peach is a once-in-a-century find, after all, she's not even good at the simplest sport like running, let alone other sports.

She wore a white sun hat, perhaps as a way of declining the sun's warm welcome.

"Yaya, remember what I said, keep your own pace. If you can't keep going, take a break. No one will blame you," Xiao Ling advised gently.

"Don't worry~ I'll go and rest when I'm tired from running."

Dania was quite self-aware; last time, she forced herself to run three laps with Xiao Ling and the others until her legs were sore, so she wouldn't try to be brave this time!

"Is everything ready?" Aemeath asked.

"Yes, sir, we can begin at any time!" Xiao Ling gave Aemeath a straight salute.

"Great! Very energetic!" Aemeath clapped her hands happily. "Where are Lupa and Xiao Ya?"

"It's ready~"

"I'm ready! Let's go now!"

"Great!" Aemeath exclaimed playfully, "Then... three... two..."

"Run!"

Welcome back~

Dania lazily welcomed Aemeath and the other two as they returned after running five laps.

After running two laps, she went to rest by herself on the side of the track. Unlike last time, she didn't push herself to the limit. She even took advantage of the break between their jogging sessions to buy a few bottles of water from the vending machine.

"We're back!" Lupa responded enthusiastically. "Oh? Did you buy this water, Xiao Ya? How thoughtful!"

Without any hesitation, Lupa grabbed a bottle of ice-cold mineral water and started drinking it, gulping down more than half of it in no time.

"It's so refreshing to have a bottle of ice water after exercising!" Lupa stretched, her wolf tail swaying behind her, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Speaking of which, didn't A-Yu dislike participating in sports meets?" After taking a sip of water, Aemeath asked about Xiao Ling's sudden decision to participate in the sports meet. "Why did you suddenly sign up? And for the rather difficult 3000-meter race no less?"

"Because Miss Wooly expects to see this honorary fan in all her glory on the sports field," Xiao Ling grinned. "So, to meet her expectations, I volunteered."

Little Ai a sweet warmth in her heart and secretly curled the corners of her lips where they couldn't see.

"Speaking of which, your stamina is quite impressive, partner. Have you trained before?" Lupa asked, staring at Xiao Ling.

"You noticed that?" Xiao Ling chuckled. "You haven't had any formal training, you just run around aimlessly at most, and then you gradually developed the skills."

"Before high school, I didn't have many friends, and I had nowhere to vent when I was feeling down. So I developed a habit of running a few laps on the track whenever I was in a bad mood."

"I have to say, running is indeed a great way to relieve stress, and it's accessible to everyone. I always run until I'm completely exhausted before I stop."

"After all, when people are tired, they won't overthink things, and their mood will be much lighter."

Dania knew some of Xiao Ling's past, so she could completely understand.

"Looking at A-Yu now, it's hard to imagine that she used to be a friendless person," Aemeath remarked.

"I'll show you what I looked like back then, and you'll understand." Xiao Ling took out her phone, flipped through her photo album, and found a picture of herself from junior high school. "Get closer, or you won't be able to see it."

The three girls obediently surrounded Xiao Ling, as this was the first time Xiao Ling had taken the initiative to share his past appearance with them.

"Uh... it really is pretty ugly..." Dania commented sincerely.

Just as Xiao Ling said, he used to be a terrible-looking guy. He was short, thin, and covered in freckles. His hair was unkempt, and he looked like the kind of person who was even more of a nobody than the average person on campus.

"Hmm... If it were me, I would also maintain a proper social distance from someone like that..." Aemeath looked troubled and gave a relatively mild assessment.

(This is what it's like to be obsessed with looks. jpg.)

"Honestly, partner, if you hadn't said it yourself, I really would have had a hard time connecting the boy in the photo with you." Lupa shook her head.

Perhaps my partner's current appearance is what they call "growing up"?

"Alright, let's end this topic." Xiao Ling clapped her hands together and said, "The sports meet is still two weeks away, how are your preparations going?"

"Absolutely no problem!" Lupa was very confident. After all, he was a star gladiator from Septimont, and he already had a head start in terms of endurance and explosive power.

"Well, I feel like Lynae and I will probably end up competing with Iuno and the others for the championship, but it's okay, we'll win!" Little Ai was full of energy and looking forward to the upcoming sports meet. "Which side will A-Yu support?"

"They're both my flesh and blood, so my choice is to have them both."

"Greedy!"

"Will my partner come to cheer me on too?" Lupa asked next.

"Of course I will. I'd love to see you leave everyone else behind."

"Of course! Just watch how I perform on the field!"

"And what about me?" Dania was the last to speak.

Xiao Ling was taken aback for a moment, then turned his gaze to Dania and found her staring at him with her big, starry eyes.

"You participated?"

"I'm not interested. I just wanted to ask if I really participated in the competition, would you cheer me on? Even if I don't get a good ranking?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling tapped Dania's head in an annoyed tone.

"You haven't even tried, how can you be so sure you won't get a good ranking?"

Just kidding. Even if Dania isn't good at running, her physique is far superior to the average person here. As long as she trains, getting a good ranking is no problem.

"And it's okay even if we don't get a prize," Xiao Ling said with a cheerful smile. "It's all about participation! Yaya, I think it's a huge step forward that you're willing to participate in this kind of event. When you actually participate in the competition, I'll definitely bring a group of people to cheer you on, and I'll personally welcome you home at the finish line!"

"And then... that very evening I'll cook a huge feast of your favorite dishes to treat you."

Dania's eyes blinked, perhaps surprised and delighted by Xiao Ling's answer.

She then looked at Aemeath and Lupa, who also had encouraging expressions on their faces and were nodding their heads frantically.

"Then you can think about it, anyway I'm not getting involved~" Dania said lazily, but a slight smile secretly appeared on her lips.

"I knew it." Xiao Ling smiled helplessly and shrugged.

While Xiao Ling was talking with Lupa and the others, Dania quietly looked at the gradually deserted playground in front of her, lost in thought.

After a moment, seemingly having made up her mind, Dania picked up her phone and began composing a text message.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Roccia is watching a movie in this world; the one currently playing on the television screen is "The Truman Show," one of Jim Carrey's most famous comedies.

A text message notification sounded, Roccia opened her phone. After seeing the sender, her expression turned quite surprised.

Dania: Principal.

Dania: Are there any shortage of athletes in women's track and field?

Roccia: Let me see...

Roccia: We were originally full, but one of the poor girls in the 800-meter race got injured during training and probably won't be able to participate in the official competition.

Dania: Well... I'd like to try.

Dania: Is that okay?

Roccia a little surprised, after all, she knew that Dania didn't like sports, and that she always slept through physical training classes when she was still at the academy.

However, since the other party has taken this step, she, as the principal, should offer her support.

Roccia: Okay.

Roccia: Don't put pressure on yourself, friendship first, competition second.

Dania: Okay.

After this brief conversation, Roccia wrote Dania's name in her delicate handwriting in the last empty spot on the list of participants for the Games.