[S1] Chapter 9: Sweat

It's Miko who thinks she has to put her arm around me in her sleep. In all my previous fantasies, this would be a reason for pure ecstasy, but the reality is harsh and unfair.

"I'm going to take a shower," I announce quietly, Miko answers with incomprehensible mumbling and turns onto her stomach. I have no idea how she can sleep like this.

By the way, yesterday was more or less relaxed. Whoever planned our stay didn't schedule us anywhere for the first day. So, we were able to fill our stomachs in the dormitory cafeteria and then spent the rest of the afternoon chilling in our room.

When I used the shower for the first time yesterday, I found school uniforms for Miko and me in a laundry basket next to the sink, with matching armbands identifying us as guests.

While I'm standing under the water, lathered up and ready to shower me off, the door to the bathroom opens, and Miko walks in. She gives me a quick glance and sighs. I look over my shoulder in disbelief. The naturalness with which she sits down on the toilet to take a pee eliminates any chance of me being embarrassed in any way.

"I told you to let me go to the toilet first."

"As if I could understand that! Next time, open your mouth when you speak."

"Oh, do we have a morning grouch here?"

Huh? She's provoking me, isn't she?

"Might get cold." Before I realize her warning, I'm startled by the sudden cold water splashing over my body.

Miko washes her hands calmly and grins at me shamelessly. Standing in the doorway to leave the bathroom, she looks over again.

"Make sure you don't stab anyone with these two." She points in my direction with a spread middle and index finger before closing the door.

It's lovely how she made eye contact with my nipples before even treating me to dinner. After I could end my shower without any further disturbances, I dry myself off and put on the school uniform. I'm unsure where they got my measurements from, but it fits perfectly.

"How do I look?" I present myself to Miko, who is lying in bed watching TV.

"Make yourself a ponytail. It'll look cute." The speed at which her reply came reveals her words as a disguised tease. But she could be right. Maybe I'll tie my hair into a ponytail.

"Well, I'm off to take a shower now. Then breakfast and off to the gym hall?" she looks at me questioningly.

"Sounds good." I give her an unenergetic thumbs up and delve into my backpack in search of hair ties.

But then I hear a noise that gets my attention. The click of the bathroom door lock that Miko has just used. Was her demonstration earlier just a lesson that I should lock up if I want privacy? Honestly, I simply forgot that I could use it and assumed that Miko was unlikely to walk in when I was showering.

Maybe, just maybe, she just wanted to peek a little. But why should she?

◆

"I've never seen you do sports before, so we'll be in this gym for the next few hours so that I can get to know your limits."

"But other students are here too."

"And? Would you rather do it outside?"

I shake my head. "No, I'd rather not!"

"One lap on the running track should be 400 meters. We start by running two or three laps at a relaxed pace. Pay attention to your breathing, and don't go too fast."

Relaxed pace? I wouldn't know how to do fast anyway.

The first hundred meters feel surprisingly easy. It reminds me a little of the old days when running was still fun. But before I've even completed half the course, I find it more and more difficult to breathe. Miko adapts to my tempo and gives me a slightly annoyed look. I'm out of breath far too early to expect anything like sympathy from her. So, I grit my teeth and keep running.

On the second lap, my breathing problems are joined by the first signs of my muscles tightening up. I feel nothing but shame for this sad body I call my own. But whatever! As long as I don't end up on the ground, I just keep going.

"Don't you want to stop?"

Why is she asking this? Can't she see that I'm giving it my all?

"No!" The word comes out weaker than intended, but she grins widely anyway and continues to run alongside me. Huh, wait a minute. I've stopped paying attention to how many laps I've completed.

"We're on lap seven. The confusion is written all over your face."

The number seven functions like an emergency stop button. I search for a suitable spot where I can let myself sink to the floor. My heart is racing, my breathing is way too fast, and my legs are burning.

"Take a deep breath and have a drink." Miko takes a big gulp of an isotonic drink and puts the bottle down next to my head. As I try to just get on with life, I hear footsteps approaching.

"Is everything okay with her? Do you need any help?" asks an unknown voice. I am too weak to turn around and find out who is speaking.

"She's doing great. Is there a reason why you're watching us all the time?"

"Oh, you've noticed?"

"Wasn't that hard."

"I am sorry. I can't help it. After Hannah told me about you and I saw you walk in here, I couldn't take my eyes off you." All right, maybe I'll see who Miko is talking to after all.

The woman is wearing white shoes, black sports leggings, and a white oversized hoodie. Her light green hair is tied back in a cute little ponytail and is probably no more than shoulder-length when left loose.

"My name is Alex."

"I'm Kayla." By now, I'm getting whole words out again.

"Miko." Oh, she sounds a bit annoyed.

"I didn't mean to bother you guys. I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

"Thank you."

Lying on the ground, I wave after her as she walks away, slightly shattered. I understand it's not so easy not to get hurt by Miko's attitude.

"I think that was enough running for the start. We're going to do a little full-body workout now."

I lost all sense of time during the torture. I search for a clock while we sit on a bench at the edge of the hall and observe other students doing their training.

"What a show-off." Miko clicks her tongue and points in one direction with a nod of her head. I look around and see Alex walking through the hall in a handstand. It's difficult for me to imagine exactly how to do this because I lack any sense of balance and the necessary strength.

"I want to see her fight."

"Huh, why?"

"The way she moves, I like it."

Wow, I've never heard any praise like that coming from Miko's mouth.

"I'll go talk to her." And with that, she hops up from the bench and heads straight for Alex.

It's a strange feeling. Since I've known Miko, she's never shown any interest in anything or anyone but me. I don't think it's because I'm such an exciting person. It's more that our work inevitably brings us together. So, I don't really understand why I'm getting so jealous right now.

Miko's back is turned to me. I can only see Alex's face as the two of them chat. She smiles the whole time and often waves her hand modestly. She's probably fending off Miko's compliments. She likes the way she moves. She wants to see her fight... Where? In bed or what?

It makes everything worse that I realize how stupid and unnecessary my thoughts are. I'm seriously sinking into self-pity right now and feel betrayed by my colleague because she's talking to another woman.

"I can't stand her. I couldn't get anything out of her." I'm a little startled internally by the fact that Miko is suddenly back beside me.

"Unlucky. I thought she was really cute." I don't know why I say that. I didn't even look that closely at Alex.

Miko puffs air through her nose. "I'm sure you'd get along."

"Who knows?"

"Why are you grinning so smugly? You love it when I'm pissed off, don't you?"

"I wouldn't put it like that."

"Let's run a few more laps and get out of here."

Why do I have to suffer now because she's in a bad mood?

◆

After a little more pain, it was time for me to take a shower. Miko, on the other hand, just freshened up a little and slipped back into her uniform. She wouldn't even think of showering in public. Maybe it's because I would get to see her naked. What does she think of me? That I would throw myself at her?

Anyway, in the meantime, it is afternoon, and I'm starving. So, our current destination is the cafeteria inside the main school building. We want to eat something and then attend an evening lecture to get a taste of the class for the first time. Today's topic is monsters and dungeons. An interesting subject for anyone who wants to work in a guild one day. That's probably why Miko chose it for us, or rather for me.

I'm really bad at remembering directions, but in the case of the cafeteria, the closer we get, the more I catch its scent. A big whiff through my nose is enough to show me the way.

"What's wrong with you? Do I stink?" Miko's voice is quiet, but her tone is rather harsh. She's not insecure, is she?

"You could have simply taken a shower."

"So… you do smell something?"

"Just the delicious food from the cafeteria."

She bites her lip lightly, and although she turns away quickly, I see her cheeks and ears turn slightly red.

"Sorry that I snapped at you."

"It was nothing."

I look over and feel a strong urge to bump her with my shoulder. A little poke to lighten the mood, but my shy ass won't move a single bit in her direction. And I don't want to rule out the possibility that she might beat me up if I do.

Oh no. We reach the cafeteria, which is absolutely packed. You might think I'm worried about the long waiting time. But that's not the biggest issue right now. Much worse is Miko, who is convinced that anyone who looks at us thinks that she stinks.

Just to be clear, this girl smells like flowers. Even in the gym, while we were sweating a lot, she unfairly didn't emit a single unpleasant scent.

As unnecessary and downright silly as she acts, I do think it's cute how much she worries about this. If I knew how to calm her down, I probably wouldn't do it just to watch her struggle for a little longer.

Stinky and I finally arrive at the food counter. Armed with a tray, I order the dish of the day, namely a spicy curry with rice. Miko took the same, and we started our search for a table.

Despite the long queue for dinner, there are plenty of empty seats. Some of the students packed their food and left the cafeteria immediately. Compared to the long wait, we ate almost too quickly. But that leaves us enough time to look for the room where our lecture will take place.

"Here it is," Miko remarks and enters the open auditorium. I follow her after checking the note hanging on the door to ensure we're in the right place.

The place is smaller than I expected. If all the seats were taken, there would probably be room for around forty to fifty people. But now, fifteen minutes before the start, just six other people are here besides us.

Miko immediately moves to the far corner of the last row, as far away from everyone else as possible. That's not the only reason why we get a few irritated looks. Our yellow guest armbands also somehow stand out against the black shirts of the school uniform. I sit down next to her.

"Kayla?"

"Huh?"

"Do you have anything to write with?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I thought you might want to take notes."

"I don't think so. I doubt I'll have much to do with monsters in the future."

"Maybe."

"I hope so."

After this insightful conversation, we browse around on our cell phones. A quarter of an hour passes in the blink of an eye. As the door closes, my attention is caught. I look ahead to see a familiar face in front of us.

"Good evening. My name is Alex. I've been studying dungeons and monsters for seven semesters already, and I'll lecture you tonight. If you have any questions, please don't wait to ask them."

She takes a USB stick out of her backpack and plugs it into the laptop connected to a projector. With the technology up and running, she looks ready to start but first glances through the rows and spots us in our corner.

"Today, we are also welcoming rare guests to our school. Two real witches who are working in a guild that explores the dungeons, which we can sadly just discuss here. Thank you for being here tonight."

The collected gazes of the other students hit us. Miko avoids them by hiding her face behind her arms, resting on the table while I wave awkwardly. After surviving this, Alex starts the lecture.

She briefly repeats the content covered in the previous weeks, like the fact that monsters in the dungeons consist of mana and dissolve into it as soon as they are destroyed. That this may not always be the case, as we have learned, is hardly known to anyone and is therefore not mentioned.

Then she starts to explain how to determine how dangerous a dungeon and its monsters are, a subject I unfortunately already know a fair amount about. That's my excuse for occasionally glancing over at Miko, who also shows little to no reaction to Alex's words.

"Pay attention instead of staring at me," she whispers sharply as she notices me.

"But it's more enjoyable to look at you."

"Then at least try to listen."

"I do."

Having permission to admire her face is still fun but somehow different. Something is missing when she doesn't resist, so I turn my gaze back to Alex's presentation.

She is currently showing illustrations of various monsters and their weak points. I wonder if these creatures are made of mana and created by someone or something. Why with a weak point? It may be true that it is difficult to create something perfect, but we are talking about magic, aren't we?

What also puzzles me are the creatures themselves. There's not a single one I don't know from a video game, anime, or some fantasy movie. Are the monsters based on the fiction of our world, or is our fiction based on the monsters from the dungeons?

Unfortunately, I have the feeling that my questions are neither wanted nor can be answered, so I'll just leave it to wonder.

"Oh, wow, our ninety minutes are almost up. As I said earlier, you can download the presentation from the school server at the end of the session. Next week, I will not be able to give a lecture due to the preparations for our school festival. Still, one of our professors will review the previous material with you. Thank you for your attention, and have a nice evening."

I don't know how time could have passed so quickly. My brain probably shut down to protect itself from learning anything. I wouldn't say it was Alex's fault, but the lecture was boring. Watching Miko was definitely more captivating.

"Shall we get going?" Miko stands up before waiting for my answer and pushes past me, holding her butt in front of my face for a brief moment. She's lucky I enjoyed that. I notice that she's not heading for the exit but towards Alex.

"So, what did you think of the lecture?"

"Pretty boring." Miko is as brutal and honest as they come.

"I expected that." Alex laughs faintly and looks at me in anticipation.

"It was quite exciting, I'm not interested in monsters and dungeons, but it's still cool to hear about them."

"What did you think of the part about dragons?"

"Um, really cool."

"I wasn't talking about dragons at all, but I don't blame you for being distracted. I'm sure I would have been, too, sitting next to her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sometimes, Miko is unbelievably dense.

"It's a secret between Kayla and me." Alex grins, and Miko sighs, slightly annoyed.

Alex seemed likable, but with that implication, I can't help but see her as my enemy. My rival.