Crowds of mostly parents and relatives barely fill up the stadium seats from up above. Emi can spot her brother Claude and her mother watching from the lower level bleachers. Her brother waves at her from his wheel chair and Emi smiles back. It’s good to finally see what’s left of her family again. Somewhere from above the bleacher where her family is watching, Emi spots another person of interests. Tomio. He’s leaning over the edge looking at Emi. She can hear him shouting something but it’s barely audible. All that she knows is that she’s glad Tomio is here to support her efforts in the track team now that she made it as the only freshman. It was incredibly difficult to get to this point. The track team certainly didn’t want her in the team due to their stubborn hierarchical ways. Upperclassmen in Uni were far more abhorrent to Emi than any of her experiences dealing with them in high school. Being in the track team is more than just the mere wishes of Emi and her brother who could no longer preform athletics because of his injury, it’s a guaranteed athletics scholarship which has already helped fund her semester.
Emi does some leg stretches before grouping up with her team, whom are all upperclassmen. There’s Adriana, a tall tan junior who’s considered the team’s best runner in the relay events. Her speed is unmatched even by her peers, and Emi isn’t so sure she can even keep up with her. But for now, she’s going up against other runners from other local universities in this dual meet competition. Four other girls line up in position next to her. Emi kneels down into her ready position, ready to sprint like her life depends on it. Especially with her mom, brother, and Tomio watching from the bleachers. Once the buzzer goes off, just as it has with the kill house in Mil-Sim training, Emi’s instinctively make her move and starts to sprint. Her eyes are completely focused on the path in front of her but she can make out the presence of the other runners besides her in their lane. They aren’t lagging behind. In fact, one of them is starting to overlap her. She make the turn on the track , she’s barely a quarter way done. Her endurance is doing all it can to keep her going. Her feet might as well be gliding on the ground as she runs. Every muscle in her leg is ignoring all the stress and rigor being pushed on them. To Emi, pain is nothing more than weakness leaving the body or so she’s been told in her high school years. The runner on her right has completely left her and the other runners in the dust. She’s clearly several feet ahead of Emi. She has to pick up her pace before the next turn or she’ll never catch up. She prepares to put more effort into her dash before the next turn, using the curve of the track as an opportunity to catch up with the runner in front of her.
A sharp pain emits from Emi’s foot and she completely loses her balance in mere seconds. She’s know in the ground, in agonizing pain. It almost feels like she’s been shot in the foot. The pain is significant enough to almost make Emi cry in agony. But what’s worse to Emi than the pain in her foot, is watching all the other runners she was beating, run past her as she lays on the floor. Within a couple of seconds, the medical team on standby get to her and carefully lift her on the stretcher. She looks for Tomio, her family. They have look of despair on their faces. She can see Tomio running down the bleachers to try to get to her. As she’s taken to the ambulance on standby, Tomio is already there, even before her mom or brother were able to get there.
”Emi! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get your family to the hospital.” Those are the last reassuring words from Emi before the doors on the ambulance are shut.
”Emi’s in the Hospital!” Hikari eyes dilate in disbelief. Mai instinctively twiddles her own hair as Chiara shares the news.”
”She sprang her ankle during one of her competitions. Emi told me she’ll be fine in a few weeks, but she won’t be able to practice with us in Mil-Sim Story for now. Not until she’s released.”
”Figured. She probably had a miss step while she was running. Happens to athletes all the time.” Hikari notes with understanding from her perspective. “If there’s ligament tears or suspected fractures, that would pretty much end her track career for the semester.”
”That’s a nice way of putting it.” Mai says sarcastically.
”Mai, that's just the worst case scenario. Emi isn’t going to stay in the hospital for months over a sprang ankle. Chances are, it’s a moderate sprain and she’ll be out of the hospital tonight or tomorrow morning.” She rests her chin on her palms. As she looks at her empty plate in front of her. “Emi is going to be on crutches for a while.”
”Well...her ability to walk shouldn’t affect her ability to play VR games.”
”Of course Mai, it’s not like she got neurological damage.”
”Oh Hikari You should know that you don’t need physical damage to destroy your brain. What do you think those short form videos of people doing stupid dances and lip syncing can do long term to your brain? It’s like a MK Ultra weapon...uh...from China! I telling you.”
”I wouldn’t know anything about that. I’m a nursing student. Not a neurologist.”
”So….um…” Chiara tries to change the subject back to training in Mil-Sim Story. “What do we do now that we don’t have Emi today?”
”Well we know our next match is going to be close quarters. We should practice with the kill house as much as we can. And another thing.” Mai gives a quick glance between Hikari and Chiara. “One of us will have to take the mantle of squad leader”
”Oh yeah. True.” Hikari and Chiara sit there in silence at the table as everyone around them chatters in the cafeteria. “So….um...why don’t you be squad leader Mai?”
”Because you already know what I am capable of as a squad leader, which isn’t much at all. I’d just might fuck thing up again like what happened with our match against Longhorn Squad.” Mai sips her coffee and wipes her lips. “Okay...so here’s what we’re gonna do. You two. Play rock paper scissors!”
”Mai! Are you serious!”
”Just do it Hikari!”
”Chiara and Hikari look at each other from across the table. They take their arms out and begin their game of chance. “Rock, Paper, Scissors!” They both pick rock with their hands.
”Gah...you two blew it. Go again!”
”Rock, Paper, Scissors!” Hikari and Chiara both pick scissors.
”Jesus help me, you both are helpless.” Mai reaches into her short’s pocket and pulls out a penny. “New game, Heads or Tails. Chiara, pick one.”
”Tails.”
”Hm...I do like the “Tales of” games too...ah I’m going off topic. Hikari, your heads. Ready? Here we go!” Mai flips the penny up into the air and catches it before slamming on the table.
”Mai, did you really have to be so dramatic like that? People are looking at us again.”
”Shhh. Let’s so who the winner is.” Mai lifts her hands off the table. The penny lands on tails. “Chiara! You’re it!”
”I...m...m.me?”
”You don’t have t..t..tourettes do you? You are the temporary squad leader chosen by fate.” Mai pats Chiara on the shoulder. “Congrats Chiara. You’re going to make Emi so proud when she returns.
”But….I don’t know how I could even lead you all.”
”Hey, no worries about it. All you have to do is use that noggin God gave you and that little mouth of yours to shout orders at us.” Mai starts grabbing Chiara’s mouth trying to move it for her. “No need to be shy Chiara, just move your mouth.!”
”Mai, that hurts!”
”No pain no gain! It’s tough love Chiara!”
”Okay Mai, that’s enough.” Hikari sighs as Mai stops playing around with Chiara jaw. “So, you’re going to be second in command. You should probably get the squad leader training from Drill Sergeant Perry when you get the chance. Mai and I are going to do some runs through the kill house and try to improve our time and score.”
”Good thinking, Hikari.” Mai looks over at Chiara. “Do you know if Longhorn Squad will be training with us tonight?”
”Everyone except Tomio. He’s staying with Emi for the night.”
”Ooooh. Sounds spicy...um I mean….sounds….”
”...very sweat of him.” Hikari interjects scoffing at Mai’s immature take on the situation. I’m curious who their second squad leader would be.“
”You know what’s funny?” Mai asks as she smirks at Chiara.
”Hm?”
”You’re goin to be like our substitute teacher when Emi isn’t around. It’s almost too perfect. You said you wanted to be a music teacher right?”
”Yeah, I did.”
”Heheh...well this is a wonderful opportunity for you isn’t it, Chiara?