Sports Day and School Festival (5)

At 2:00 PM sharp, at the track and field stadium.

This afternoon is the women's track and field competition, so the stands around the track and field stadium are already packed with students who came to watch the competition.

"It's so hot..." Aemeath held up a small pink fan, the hot air bringing her some coolness, but not much, and fine beads of sweat still appeared on her forehead.

It's the hottest time of day, but the number of people watching the games at the track and field stadium is only increasing, adding even more enthusiasm from the students to the already sweltering competition scene.

"The women's 3000m race in Lupa is next, and this is the women's 800m. It looks like we'll have to wait a while." Xiao Ling was also drenched in sweat. "What about the Rover?"

"A-Piao went to buy water, she should be back soon," Aemeath replied, then looked around for a moment before finally spotting that familiar figure. "Hey! A-Piao! Over here!"

The Rover saw his daughter waving at him from afar, and carrying his drink, he squeezed his way up the steps.

"Ha... this is a bit outrageous, it's completely packed with people." The Rover took the tissue Xiao Ling handed him and wiped the sweat from his cheeks.

"At first, I also thought there would be fewer people coming to watch the track and field competition in this kind of weather," Xiao Ling said, taking the drink from the Rover's hand and shaking her head helplessly. "But as you can see, there are more people than fewer."

"Speaking of which, where are Lynae and the others?"

"Lynae and the others are across from us."

Aemeath pointed to the other side of the audience seats in the distance. Xiao Ling squinted and looked for a while before noticing that a certain blonde hottie was waving at him.

"Sigrika, as a member of the photography club, was assigned to take photos and should be setting up her equipment now. As for Dania... I don't know where she is. Sigrika told me they separated half an hour before the competition started."

"I'll text her and ask." Xiao Ling took out her phone and started texting Dania.

Xiao Ling: Where are you?

Xiao Ling waited about five minutes before receiving Dania's reply.

Dania: I'm in a place you wouldn't expect.

Dania: Guess what?

Xiao Ling: Don't tell me you're planning to play in a match.

Dania: You'll find out then.

The brief conversation ended quickly, and Xiao Ling's subsequent messages received no response from Dania.

"I haven't gotten any word out, but I have a feeling she's in the competition." Xiao Ling's mysterious sixth sense suddenly kicked in. "And it should be in this match."

"Isn't Xiao Ya not good at running?" Aemeath asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Competitions are all about participation, so it's perfectly normal for her to suddenly become interested and choose to participate," Xiao Ling said with a smile. "Besides, for her, this might not be a bad thing."

Inside the preparation area.

After replying to Xiao Ling's message, Dania refocused her attention on the sun-drenched competition field.

The heatwave rippled across the playground, and the audience was bursting with enthusiasm. Even before the match began, Dania felt an invisible pressure on her shoulders.

She is not yet used to bearing the expectations of others, even if those expectations were not created solely for her.

Dania looked out through the sunshade of the preparation area. The stands were packed with people, and countless bright eyes were fixed on the track and field, as if they were full of anticipation for the upcoming competition.

She spotted several familiar faces among them: Lynae and Chisa chatting with each other, Augusta and Iuno maintaining order on the track, the Rover and Aemeath chatting and laughing, and Xiao Ling watching the two laughing and talking with a smile on her face.

For some reason, she suddenly found herself looking forward to seeing the expressions on her friends' faces when they saw her unusually appear on the field, especially that mischievous guy who never forgot to tease her during training.

As the announcement that the competition was about to begin sounded, Dania tied her waist-length cherry-pink hair into a long ponytail with a hair tie and stepped onto the track and field with the other athletes.

"Hey! Hey! Look! Isn't that Xiao Ya standing on the last track?!" When Aemeath saw Dania appear on the field, she immediately pulled Xiao Ling and the Rover to confirm it repeatedly.

"This outfit... well, it's definitely Dania herself," the Rover nodded after observing for a while.

Xiao Ling did not show the unexpected reaction that Dania had expected; instead, she acted as if she already knew everything.

"Didn't you say you hadn't gotten any information?" The Rover asked, seeing that Xiao Ling showed no surprise. "Why do you seem completely unsurprised now?"

"I guessed it." Xiao Ling tapped his temple with a smug look on his face.

"Do you think Dania can outrun the other runners?" the Rover asked calmly.

"Now, if she wants to win, no one can stop her," Xiao Ling said confidently, a smirk playing on her lips. "After all, even with her poor physique, Yaya can easily push me down."

Aemeath keenly caught the key words, and her piercing gaze flew directly at Xiao Ling, as if asking, "Did you really push her down?"

"Hey, hey, hey, Little Ai, don't look at me like that! It's just a description, just a description!" Xiao Ling quickly waved her hand and said.

After giving her honorary fans a silent warning with her eyes, Miss Wooly turned her attention back to the competition field.

Just as Xiao Ling breathed a sigh of relief, her phone started vibrating violently.

He took out his phone and saw that it was a message from Lynae.

Lynae: Xiao Ling! Xiao Ling! What's going on?!

Lynae: What's Sister Nia doing at the competition?!

Xiao Ling: As you can see.

Lynae: Did you know beforehand?

Xiao Ling: I guessed it. I didn't know she was participating before this.

Lynae: Okay, I'm going to wait for her by the finish line now.

Xiao Ling: Be careful.

After putting away his phone, Xiao Ling heard a gunshot, and the competition officially began.

Hmm... how about I go to the finish line to greet her myself?

When Dania crossed the finish line for the first time, she saw Lynae and Sigrika taking pictures with a camera.

The two people cheered her on with smiles and encouraging gestures the moment she passed by.

Dania smiled at them, accepted the encouragement, and continued with her second lap.

The 800-meter race wasn't too difficult; it was within her capabilities. She had already pulled ahead of the second runner by about half a person's distance, so advancing to the next round was practically a done deal.

She didn't intend to overexert herself at this time; maintaining this advantage was enough, which was also what Xiao Ling had taught her.

This is only the preliminary round; there are still several matches to go. It would be inappropriate to go all out now.

The female contestant following behind Dania was incredibly anxious; she was so close, yet she just couldn't overtake her.

Whenever she quickened her pace, Dania would quicken her pace in return, turning that half-person distance into an insurmountable chasm.

As a result, she ran out of energy first, was overtaken by other contestants, and ultimately lost even the chance to compete for a place in the next round.

Dania glanced briefly at the dejected female runner who had chosen to drop out of the race, then continued steadily toward the finish line.

She used to be like that too, and her first thought when faced with difficulties and setbacks was to escape. But now it's different because there will always be someone behind her to support her.

Therefore, she will also muster the courage to face the difficulties and setbacks that are to come.

Dania's cherry-pink ponytail flew wildly as she crossed the finish line first, eliciting thunderous applause and cheers from the stands.