My transition period ended and I was due for my next class: PE. This was a class I was pretty good at. I was an MVP for my Junior High's soccer team and I was pretty adamant about keeping in shape for High School, even though I had no intention of returning to sports. I was known to be athletic, which was why the coach in my Junior High offered me a spot on the soccer team. Unfortunately for me, I took that offer without thinking about the consequences. Joining the soccer team threw a wrench in my daily schedule, which made my days increasingly stressful. Not only stressful, but it felt like I was missing out on a lot of things that I could be doing, like watching TV or doing my homework! Though it was stressful, I still forced myself to go to practice with the hopes that I could eventually pull through it.

During practice, I only gave my bare minimum of the necessary exercises. Despite me giving the least amount of effort, I managed to impress people enough that other schools began to fear my soccer team! For my two years of being a part of the team, we reigned undefeated. I was crowned 'MVP' for my astounding kicking strength and my 'perfectly precise' dodging skills.

This 'MVP' title seemed great and all, but it was actually the icing on the cake of my stress. I couldn't go a single day without people trying to talk to me. Not that it was bad that people wanted to speak to me, and I was flattered that they found me impressive, but what killed my enthusiasm was the fact that it seemed to me like everyone wanted to be the friend of "Slippy the Untouchable" and not "Miyuki Sekken". They wanted my skill and not my personality, so I started to distance myself from that kind of crowd once I dropped the soccer team. That strategy didn't work very well however, because even to this day I still get that kind of attention.

Unlike the boring introduction in Math, the PE coach, Coach Seijo (yes, that Seijo) threw us right into the action with a run on the outside track. While some kids moaned and groaned, I was one of the few that understood and appreciated the coach's idea.

Soon enough all of the students were lined up onto the track, ready to run the long two-fifths of a kilometer track. Most days, Coach Seijo would tell students to just run the straight portions of the track and walk the curved portions (which would equal running half of the track and walking half). On the first day of school though, he was feeling 'extra generous' and had us all run the complete track for a few laps. I was at the very back of the pack due to being late. I didn't realize until today that the PE uniform I got didn't fit me anymore, so I was luckily able to change into a new pair, though at the cost of being a few minutes behind.

Though being in the back is a lonely spot to be, I wasn't going to be 'alone' this time, because little did I know who was at the back of the pack with me. That same kid from earlier stood a few meters ahead of me. With him was a girl just a little shorter than me with the most beautiful emerald braided hair. Seijo and this girl were pretty casual in conversation, though their words were inaudible to my ear. Stumbling behind them was a girl an inch or two shorter than the other girl with a much smaller body and short chestnut colored hair. In contrast to Seijo and the braided one, she was especially quiet and brooding. Though she seemed that way, anyone could tell they were part of the friend group by the way Seijo loudly spoke to her.

"Yo shortie, you up for a race?!"

The braided one would elbow Seijo with the same playful attitude and reply "Hey! Didn't she tell you to stop calling her that? Maybe I should start calling you 'Biggie' because you're so tall"

"I-I'm okay..." the short one would add.

"What about you then, Omo? You wanna give me a run?" Seijo asked the one with the braids.

("So her name is Omo...") I would say to myself as I listened into their conversation. I couldn't help myself from eavesdropping, Seijo had a naturally boastful and confident tone that made him stick out like a sore thumb. It wasn't only Seijo that attracted me to the group though, Omo had especially caught my eye too.

"Well, I'm not racing you either, Seijo. We all know from last year that I don't stand a chance." Omo snorted with a giggle, then looked behind her when she finally noticed that someone was looking at her. She would scan the area behind her before locking eyes with me and politely waving, then gesturing to Seijo while speaking loudly to me. "Whatever you do, don't race him! Don't make the same mistake I did!"

"Hey! Hey! Omo, don't discourage them!- Yo, wassup Miyuki?!" Seijo would turn his head my direction. Now with both Omo and Seijo spotlighting me, I was frozen in my place. Silly me! My accidental staring had me put on the spot by the two people I would want the least to. The worst of it all though was the fact I knew exactly what was going to come next. "I heard you were an MVP of the soccer team at your Junior High, you must be pretty fast then! Wanna give me a go, Slippy?"

"I-I w-well a-actually-" Being put on the spot by the coach's son who is best friends with a girl I might be attracted to was a situation I was NOT expecting to find myself in on the first day of school. Do I take him up on his offer? What if I win? What if I lose? If I lose, would he laugh at me? I mean, maybe, but if I win, would I earn a spot in the friend group? (If that is even how friends worked...) I ask myself way too many questions. From these piled up questions I came to the simple conclusion:

"No thanks."

"But why not?"

Being asked this question was, and always will be a bother to me. Can't they just say 'understandable, have a great day'? Maybe I am just complaining too much, but that is one of my biggest pet peeves! Of course it is an inevitable question when no context is given, but it's still annoying trying to come up with a justifiable reason that does not make me sound like I'm a total doofus. This being so, I would give a low-effort response, chirping out an annoyed "Because I'm not feeling like it."

Omo would giggle again, elbowing Seijo once more as she belts out a "See? You know better than to pick on the first years!"

"Heheh, I'm not picking on them! I'm just always looking for a challenge, you know."

"You're not like most people though, it's rare I see you ever lose."

"Fair enough... Well, see you guys!" Seijo would call out before dashing off like an olympic runner as his dad, Coach Seijo, gave the 'go signal'. It was incredible to see him go, how could one man carry so much speed behind him? To think I was pretty fast, but he was another level of quick.

After observing him, I felt the urge to push my own running pace. I upped my speed and began to pass a few classmates, but after just running past the first curve, I was already beginning to regret that decision. It was a hot and humid spring morning and we still had to complete at LEAST 2 laps around the track. Once that was complete, we could walk the rest of the class period. That first curve though had me caught by my own sweat and lactic acid build up. I still kept pushing through, trying to take my mind off of the pain as I aimed to complete a lap while maintaining a running pace.

As I reached the second curve though, I was already beginning to tire out, so I slowed down at a jogging pace like everyone else was. At last! The sweet release of that pain came with a wash of relief. However, the relief wasn't as 'sweet' as it usually was, because it had a bitter sourness this time. Embarrassment. I had embarrassed myself for the sole reason of senseless jealousy. There wouldn't be anything I could possibly gain from trying to keep up with the coach's kid, especially when no one was paying attention nor cared if I could in the first place, at least that was what I thought then. I hung my head low again and focused on only completing what was necessary.

The first lap was eventually finished and my pace was continuing to slow down so I could conserve enough energy to make the next lap. I was going so slow in fact that some were beginning to pass me, and one especially being the... short one? For what seemed like not even 160 centimeters in height with a small and skinny build, they were impressively nimble. There was only one of the three left to catch up, which would happen soon enough as the second lap came around.

I had taken it easy the entire second lap, you could say by then I was 'running on fumes' from what little energy I had left to give. Omo was doing the same strategy I did, but she lightly jogged the entire two laps until she got to the final straight. Once she reached the straight, she then sprinted by with all of her power! I didn't even see her coming when she passed me! I jumped at their sudden appearance, words being shaken loose from my mouth in surprise, even if it wasn't my intention to talk to her then.

"Hehehe-Aayyyyyy Omoooo!"

"H-heyyyyy, Miyuki, was it? Uuuuh, wh-what's wrong? ...Miyuki?" Omo asked, reading my face as I hung it low in embarrassment.

I got this conversation started, might as well finish it and not leave her creeped out, right? "Y-you're pretty... -fast!"

Despite me staring at the ground the entire time, I could already tell that my compliment went just brilliantly because all that was left was silence. After a few awkward moments of silence, Omo finally saved the conversation by giving a response: "M-me? Noooo, I'm not! You're the one that's fast! You took off almost like Seijo did at the start! I'm surprised you're not on the track team."

"Oh, heheheheheheheh, I th-thought about the track team, buuuuut I decided against it because it's not exaaaaactly what I am interested in you see,"

"Ah... by the way, how do you know my name? I don't recall ever meeting you before"

"O-oh! It is? I just heard Seijo say it and I remembered. I tend to forget things that are important and remember things that are useless and such–"

AAAAAAND my mouth gets me in trouble again! Omo would get quiet when I explained the opposite of what I wanted to really tell her. I held my breath, stopping my dumb mouth from getting me in any deeper trouble. Luckily for me, me accidentally calling her 'useless' wasn't the reason why she went silent.

"S-sorry, I was just adjusting my shirt. It seems I picked the wrong size. It's a little big on me, heh" Omo would explain as she stretches her gym shirt down, the very edges reaching as far as the middle of her thighs.

"Mi-Mine was too small so I had to get a new pair before class! Oh the irony!" I blurted out in realization, awkwardly smiling at the fact.

"Yeah, you're tall for your age! I believe it." she would say with a smile." By the way, I'm Manaka Omo, Miyuki"

"Ahhh, Manaka is a pretty name! I'm Sekken Miyuki!"

"Sekken? That's a unique last name, do your parents like soap?" Manaka joked. I knew she meant it in a lighthearted manner, but usually bringing up my parents is a touchy subject. I didn't wanna talk about it, so I stayed silent. "U-uh, Sekken? A-are you okaaay?" Manaka asked, though it seemed like she understood.

It's not that the past with my parents was traumatizing or like the run-of-the-mill stereotypical edgy anime-protagonist levels of bad (okay maybe it is), but the reason I didn't like talking about my parents was because I didn't get to know who they really were... I always tend to daydream about what they were like, because they both lost custody of me when I was only five, so I couldn't ever grow up with them to know for certain.

"M-miyuki! You're about to walk into that bench!" Manaka would shout, shaking my shoulder to snap me out of the daydream I had sunk into. It was too late though, I was already far too zoned out to stop myself from stubbing my toe on the metal bench. "C-careful, are you okay?"

"Oooww! Dang it!" I yelped, wincing in pain as I grabbed my foot, talking in between a mix of awkward laughter and utter pain: "Y-yeah, I'm fine, what about you?"

"Hey Miyuki!" A certain athletic boy would interrupt as he ran by. Seijo was still running? "Bye Miyuki!" he would then add as he passed by, continuing to run like if he were in a 400 meter dash as opposed to a simple PE workout.

"Show off!" Manaka playfully called out to him when he passed by, then mentioning to me in a quieter tone: "Don't mind him, he's just doing what he does best. You should see him at the Martial Arts Club!"

"Martial Arts Club? They have that here?"

"Of course they do! Seijo's the leader of it. Coach Seijo, his dad, is not only the adult supervisor, but also trained him since he was a kid. It's rare that someone ever beats him, let alone his dad."

So Erin Seijo is the undefeated leader of a martial arts club who was trained by his father who is the PE coach. That just gave me another reason to be anxious around him! Now I knew that if I stepped out of line, he could snap me like a pencil! I guess this also helps me understand why he wanted a challenge. Being undefeated, from personal experience, is kinda boring.

"So that's why he likes to challenge people?"

"Ehhhh not only that, but I think it is just Seijo being Seijo. He always lives for competition, undefeated or not."

"Have you tried fighting him?"

"I actually did once at a sleepover. Megami dared me into it and I, well, lost pretty badly." Manaka awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of her head as she remembered accidentally hitting it on a table during their 'match'.

"Aw, really? I thought you could give him a run for his money, you'd do better than me" I teased, then thinking back to the name she mentioned. ("Megami? Who is that one? Ohhhh wait, that might be the short one, riiiight.")

"Better than you? No way, you're joking. I can't punt a soccer ball across the entire school building in one kick like you. Sports aren't my thing anyways... I'm more fit for the orchestra than sports."

To interrupt our conversation once more, Seijo returns from behind. He was still running! incredible! "Come onnnnn, race me, Miyuki!" Seijo teased as he ran on by.

"No thanks! Busy making friends, ya know!" I would reply, not noticing until a moment later that my arm was wrapped over Manaka's shoulders. Manaka was blushing, though didn't speak up about me accidentally embarrassing her. Since she didn't say anything, I assumed it was okay, so I kept it going. "Thanks for... speaking to me by the way, Manaka. Y-you're nice"

"N-no problem.. Miyuki" and a moment later, Manaka decided to lessen the strain on her neck by awkwardly leaning her head on my shoulder. We then walked together like this until the end of the class period. Even to this day I am still surprised we kept that up for so long.

Once the class period ended, we all exited the track and went back towards the school building. Manaka and I were oblivious to the snickering and teasing from the other classmates who saw us. That was until suddenly I fell forward, falling face first into the gravel trail we were walking on. Mid-fall, as if my body were acting on its own, pushed Manaka back so she would not fall with me. Unfortunately, I happened to push her with too much strength, causing her to fall backwards while I fell forward, yet only one of us would be lucky enough to be caught by a bystander...

"Are you good, Omo? What the hell is your problem, first year!?" Seijo would hiss while holding Manaka in his arms. His tone had changed! There was venom in his voice unlike I heard before. Why did he act in such a way? We only tripped! It was all an accident, right?

"I-I'm sorry, I just tripped!"

"Tripped?! Come on, how could you trip on gravel? These rocks are smaller than your fingernails!" Seijo would help his friend up, his sudden hateful eyes piercing straight into mine.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to! I just-"

"You didn't mean to? You threw her! Of course you meant to!"

"Seijo please- I'm fine, it–" even if Manaka tried to talk sense into her friend, Seijo was not budging. He was intent on getting her care, despite Manaka only coming out with not even a scratch.

"Omo, I'll take you inside... where's Megami?" Seijo asked as he wrapped his arm over his friend, helping her along... Even if Manaka was more than capable of walking on her own, she did not fight Seijo's assistance.

"I'm right here..." the short one would suddenly say while walking straight past me to aid Manaka inside the school building as a joint effort.

All I could do was watch as the three walked away from me: the bloody, hurt, and panicking first year. I was the one who hit the gravel. I was the one who got hurt. I was the one who needed care... but, I didn't receive any. Not even the coach paid any attention to what had happened. No one cared to ask if I was okay, let alone offer help.

I just stood there with feet frozen to the ground. So many thoughts were running through my mind that it was beginning to feel like my brain was made of cotton balls.

"Am I really that clumsy? I managed to trip on this puny gravel of all things..." I sighed, looking down at my shoes while rubbing my bleeding arm. I guess I had to help myself to the nurse's office, because despite my embarrassing efforts, I still had no one who cared enough to help.

"Manaka... Seijo... Megami... I'm sorry." was all I could say, though by now they were too far away to hear my depressing apology. I then somberly walked along to catch up with the rest of the class. It was the first day of high school and it was already going less than satisfactory. Little did I know the 'best' was yet to come...