By morning, I had quickly made and eaten some toast, put on my tracksuit, and returned to the park.
The clothes I had washed last night weren’t completely dry, but I wasn’t in a position to care. Thanks to White Snake, most of the pain in my muscles was gone. Umbrella had also transformed into a plain black bracelet around my left wrist so it wouldn’t attract attention.
That meant I was ready to train and had a hidden weapon on me if anything happened.
The only problem was that I had arrived a little too early.
The sky was only beginning to brighten. As the sun rose from behind the horizon, it painted the sky a pale orange. Some of the streetlights were still on, and drops of dew on the grass shone in their dim light.
Only a few sleepless people shared the park’s running path with me.
I checked the stopwatch on my phone.
31:42
I had been running for about half an hour, yet there was still no sign of the blonde girl.
Maybe I had arrived this early because I was a little too excited to see her again, but it also gave me plenty of time to improve my stats.
I must have said that last part aloud, because a middle-aged jogger passing beside me gave me a brief look. I stared straight ahead and maintained my pace as though nothing had happened.
Besides, what I’d said wasn’t entirely a lie. Thanks to yesterday’s training, I had increased my Strength and Stamina. If I worked just as hard today, I could continue improving without spending any Eclipsie Points.
Still, the way my eyes drifted toward the park entrance every few seconds revealed the real reason I was here.
What was I supposed to talk about when I saw her again?
Yesterday, I hadn’t even managed to ask her name before saying goodbye. If I approached her for no reason and tried to start a conversation today, it might seem strange. After she had told me to my face that I’d been staring at her like a creep from the bench, one wrong move could ruin all my chances.
Maybe I could ask her something about training.
No. If she offered to demonstrate the correct form, she would remind me that I could only do one pull-up.
I could talk about the weather.
The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?
Just thinking about that sentence made me ashamed of myself. I was eighteen, not retired and spending my mornings feeding pigeons in the park.
I decided to act naturally, but the moment I began thinking about how to act naturally, I lost any chance of actually doing it. Every conversation starter I imagined sounded more forced than the last.
As my excitement over seeing her again slowly turned into anxiety, my shoulders drooped.
"Maybe she isn’t coming today..."
"Good morning."
The voice came from right beside my ear, making my entire body flinch. My foot caught on the edge of the running path, and I lost my balance as I stumbled sideways.
"Whoa-!"
Just as I expected to hit the ground, a pair of slender but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around my waist. My body turned halfway through the air, leaving me leaning backward instead of falling.
It took me several seconds to understand what had happened.
The blonde girl was holding me by the waist.
One arm supported my back while the other was wrapped firmly around my waist. Her face was so close that I could see my own shocked expression reflected in her clear blue eyes and watch the thin strands of hair against her cheek move in the morning breeze.
The scene looked like something from a romantic movie, where the man caught the girl just before she fell.
Except our roles were completely reversed, and I was the helpless princess waiting to be rescued.
My heart began beating much faster than it had while I was running.
The girl raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Are you all right?"
The question made my mind start working again. I placed my hands on her shoulders, quickly pulled myself upright, and stepped back as soon as my feet were firmly on the ground.
"Ah, um... Hello. Good morning."
I had made a wonderful start.
Within the first five seconds of our second meeting, I had managed to fall into her arms. At this rate, she might have to carry me home on her back by the weekend.
As the girl removed her hands from my waist, she lowered her head with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry for startling you. I didn’t realize you were so distracted."
"No, no, it’s fine. It wasn’t your fault."
I waved my hands, trying to stop her from feeling guilty. When the quick movement nearly made me lose my balance again, I planted my feet more firmly on the ground.
"I was just a little distracted. I don’t normally get startled that easily."
I ignored the possibility that the sound I had made could have been heard from the other side of the park.
The corners of the girl’s lips curved slightly, but she didn’t tease me.
"How long have you been here?"
"I just arrived!"
My answer came out far louder and more enthusiastic than necessary. I had no idea what she would think if she learned I had been waiting for her for half an hour, so I hurriedly slipped my phone—its stopwatch still running—into my pocket.
The girl briefly glanced at the sweat on my forehead and my rapidly rising and falling chest. I was almost certain she knew I was lying, but instead of calling me out, she calmly nodded.
"I just arrived too."
"Really? What a nice coincidence."
My second lie was even worse than the first.
We stood beside each other for several seconds. While I tried to think of something to say, every sentence I had prepared disappeared from my mind. The girl looked toward the running path, tucked her hair behind her ear, and then turned back to me with a hesitant expression.
"If you don’t want to run alone..." She paused briefly. "We could run together, as long as you don’t mind."
My heart slammed against my rib cage.
Only a few minutes ago, I had been searching for an excuse to approach her. Now my angel was offering to run with me of her own free will.
No quest the System could give me would ever create an opportunity this perfect.
"I’d love to!"
When the girl blinked in surprise, I realized how excited I sounded. I immediately cleared my throat and tried to speak more calmly.
"I mean... we can run together. I don’t mind."
Her surprise turned into a warm smile. Seeing that she genuinely seemed happy I had accepted made me forget most of my embarrassment.
"Great. Then let’s go."