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"Come on, Kanade! Keep going, you can do this!!!" Ena shouted, pumping her fist in the air. She even jumped a little for emphasis
"You're almost there! Don't give up now!"
Kanade straightened up slightly, Her legs wobbled, and she looked like she might collapse right there, she wheezed, "I— I can’t…"
Ena had dragged her into this mess in the first place.
After yet another late-night session where Kanade admitted that she hadn’t left her room in days except to grab some food, Ena, being the good friend she was, had immediately insisted they go out.
Kanade had been hesitant at first, but Ena’s enthusiasm was relentless.
Now, here they were, on a "fun" run around a local park trail that Ena swore was super easy.
The weather was nice, and there were other runners and walkers scattered along the path, but Kanade felt like she was about to pass out with each step.
Ena jogged up beside her, "Hey, hey, no quitting! Look, we’ve finished the first half. That's progress!”
“There’s still more..?” Kanada looked at her back horrified.
"Yep! We’re almost at the halfway mark! Just a little more!" She replied enthusiastically.
Kanade’s feet felt like one fire. Her chest heaved with each breath, and the cramping in her calves had reached the point where she was sure she might collapse if she took another step.
“I can’t," she wheezed again. “I’m gonna die out here.”
Ena seeing her friend in this state quickly encouraged her, "You’re doing great. You’ve got this!"
Kanade’s mind raced. She wanted to quit. Wanted to give up and sit down on the nearest bench. Her legs were on fire, and it was all she could do to keep going.
“Okay, okay. But I really thought you said this trail was easy.”
“Well, it is easy… for me. I’ve been running a lot lately. I gotta build up stamina (in case Mizuki runs again runs she thought in her head)”
“Well, anyway, it’s good to have a strong body! This is for your own good”
Kanade managed a weak glare through her labored breaths. "You... could have started with something easier... like a walk..."
Kanade didn't ask anymore questions nor continue the conversation, only focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
The trail wound through trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves. Birds chirped overhead, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of grass and flowers.
It was peaceful, almost therapeutic if it wasn’t for the burning in her lungs.
Ena slowed her pace to match Kanade's shuffling steps, staying right beside her.
"See that bench up ahead?" Ena pointed, "That's our next checkpoint. Just make it there, and we can take a break. Drink some water, catch your breath. Deal?"
Kanade nodded faintly, her long hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.
As they approached the bench, Kanade's legs finally gave out a bit more dramatically than planned.
She stumbled forward, and Ena quickly caught her arm, steadying her.
Ena guided her to sit down, pulling a water bottle from her small backpack. "Here, drink this.“
Kanade took the bottle with trembling hands, gulping down the cool water. Her breathing slowly evened out as she leaned back against the bench. "Thanks Ena.”
Ena settled beside Kanade on the bench, her own breath still a little uneven from the run. "No problem, I told you you'd make it, didn't I?"
Kanade managed a weak smile,"Yeah, you were right, I made it but next time, let's start with a walk. Please?"
Ena laughed softly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sure, next time we’ll just take a walk, maybe we could also invite the others”
Kanade leaned her head back against the bench, focusing on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth The tight, burning feeling in her chest slowly faded into something manageable.
After a minute, Ena stood up and stretched, then offered Kanade a hand. “How’re you feeling now? Should we continue or take a longer break?” She questioned.
Kanade hesitated, then carefully took her hand and stood.
“Let’s do this”
——Extra——
Amia : Hey, you know where are the other two?
Yuki: Touching grass.
Amia: what