Cycle 2-3: A Running Start (Patreon)

The next day, Kaitlyn marched towards the football stadium with a sense of purpose. The sun was beginning its mid-afternoon descent, casting long shadows of spires across her path.

The place was empty. No Coach, no team, nothing.

She checked her watch and smacked her forehead. I forgot. Afternoon practices aren’t a given. Shoot.

She sighed. That meant she’d have to wake up early to catch them. Not that she wanted to complain about that - if she wanted to join the team, then it would be a must anyway.

Turning around, Kaitlyn trudged back towards the dorms.

***

“Hello there, miss. Can I help ya?” The familiar white-haired Coach had noticed her tentative approach and met her halfway.

“Um, y-yes.” She forced a smile. He’s still a bit creepy. “I, um… I kind of want to j-join. Cross country, I mean. Um, can I do that?”

The old man grinned. “Well, I’d say ya came to the right place, yeah. No problem at all, miss…?”

“Ah, Kaitlyn.” I forgot, no one will know my name yet.

“Nice to meet ya, miss Kaitlyn. The name’s Coach Davies, and I run the show ‘round here.” He glanced over at the athletes stretching on the sidelines. “Gimme just a minute to get them all started and I’ll help ya out.”

“S-sure, no problem.”

As Coach Davies strode towards the team, Kaitlyn had a chance to survey the group once more. Now that she knew who to look for, it was simple to pick out Alex from the group. His tousled hair and familiar headband stood out even more because of his height. An easygoing grin adorned his face as always. He wasn’t even sweating yet.

Soon enough, Coach was back at her side. “Alright, then. Well, I gotta bit of paperwork fer ya to sign - liability and all that - then we’ll be good ta go. Practices are every morning at 7:30, ‘cept for Sundays. Sometimes we got afternoon ones too, so keep an ear out fer those.”

Kaitlyn blinked. “That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Um, I don’t have to, like, try out, or qualify, or pass some sorta test…?”

Coach shrugged. “Nah, we’re pretty easygoin’ here. You’ll need yer own shoes, but that’s it. It don’t bother me none whether we got two people or twenty runnin’ my workouts - the more the merrier. Unless yer tryin’ ta compete?”

“N-no, that’s, um…”

“No problem at all. We do run qualifiers fer competition runners, and they got some extra work ta put in. I might give em’ a bit more attention too, give em’ a leg up. But other’n that?”

Coach grinned and extended a hand. “Welcome to the team, Kaitlyn.”

***

On the east side of campus, somewhat off the main thoroughfare, existed a particular paved trail. Parallel lines of oak trees arched over the wide pathway, forming a natural arch of leaves and bark. The morning sun filtered through the dense foliage and cloaked the pavement below in dappled light. Between the tall trees and the path itself grew carefully pruned and maintained roses, as could be found elsewhere on campus.

This early in the morning, only the occasional student or two milled about here. Of those students, most were either heading to their dreaded 8 AM classes with bleary eyes or otherwise trying to beat the crowds to breakfast. There was one exception, however.

As the campus began to slowly come alive, the sound of heavy footfalls against pavement rang out along the otherwise quiet path.

Kaitlyn panted, gasping for breath as she ran. He legs felt like lead, sweat poured down her forehead, and the glare of the sun in her eyes was making her squint. All in all, this sucked.

And I thought my heart was beating fast when I met a male lead. Boy, was I wrong.

She had known she was unathletic. Still, there was some part of her that hoped she’d somehow be a natural runner. Maybe, despite her lack of experience, she’d manage to run with grace and poise. She’d surprise everyone with her skill and athleticism, and maybe she’d even get to run alongside Alex sometimes.

Instead, she looked like a wreck.

Kaitlyn slowed to a walk, clutching her side. A stitch. This was just the warmup, and already her body was rebelling. She was already at the back of the pack, so it wasn’t like she would fall behind any more though. Better to not pass out.

This is why I don’t like exercise. It hurts, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s just… embarrassing.

As she desperately gulped in lungfuls of air, the sound of comparatively light footfalls approached from ahead. “You got this! Don’t give up!”

Glancing up at the overly cheerful voice, her expression softened as Alex’s figure jogged closer. His long black hair was swept back and away from his face by his signature sweatband, leaving a thin sheen of sweat visible across his dark forehead. Somehow, his breathing was still steady and controlled.

He shot a thumbs up at Kaitlyn as he passed, jogging back towards the football field. It made her shoulders slump even further. He’s already heading back from the warmup… Ugh, I have so much longer to go… How in the world is he so fast…?

Kaitlyn urged herself back into a laborious jog. As she passed other members of the cross country team traveling the other direction, her spirits only sunk further. Wasn’t exercise supposed to get easier over time? Surely it had to. Hopefully it happened soon.

***

Kaitlyn groaned. She was spent. The initial run was bad enough, but apparently that was just a warm-up. The fact that it was followed by sprints, planking, intervals, and more sprints really sent her over the edge. I don’t know if I can even make it back to the dorm at this rate. My legs might turn to jelly.

Stepping towards the field’s open gate, she trudged away from practice. The path away from practice was ever so slightly angled downhill, thankfully. If it was the other way around she might not have been able to overcome even the minor inconvenience.

Ahead, another figure broke away from the group of runners that had gathered near the sidelines. Taking a similar path towards the gate was Alex, looking just as fresh as he had been at the start of practice. The only indication that he had even exercised was the slight damp spots on his shirt.

Even through the haze of exhaustion, Kaitlyn saw an opportunity. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself forward to catch up. Her legs felt like they were on fire, protesting the continued abuse but she tried to ignore it. This is worth it. Come on!

As she approached, the dark-skinned boy turned around. “Hey! Uh, Catherine, right?”

“Ah!” She had been so focused on catching up that she hadn’t actually considered what to say. “Um, Kaitlyn, actually.”

“Dang,” Alex slapped a hand to his forehead. “Sorry, I’m really terrible with names. I swear I’m better with faces though.”

“H-hah, it’s ok. Don’t worry.” She smiled at him.

“No, no, you’re on the team, I can’t be getting your name wrong. Hmmm…” He fell silent for a moment, pondering.

It’s kinda cute how his brow furrows like that. Is that his thinking face?

“Ah!” Alex snapped his fingers suddenly. “I got it! Can I call you Kat? That’s way easier to remember!”

She blushed. A nickname? Already? “Ah! Sure, um, if you want to I mean.”

“Great!” Alex nodded, seemingly proud of his solution. “I like it! So, Kat, which way are you heading?”

“I gotta go home. Ah, I mean, to the dorms.”

“Ah, you’re on campus then! Same here. What dorm are you in?”

“I’m in the west dorms.”

“Ah, dang, I’m in the east ones. That would’ve been convenient.” Alex sighed. “A lot of the team’s in west, seems like. Shame they’re so far away, but guess it’s not too big of a deal.”

Kaitlyn fell silent for a moment, thinking of a response. She decided to take a chance. “I mean, um, aren’t you all runners? Seems like distance wouldn’t be such a big deal.”

Alex grinned. “Hah, you have a point there! Guess it’s just better exercise!”

She smiled back. I’m actually talking to him! We’re having a conversation, and it’s not super awkward! This is amazing.

“Um… Are you headed back too? To the dorms?”

“Nope. I’ve got a lot of time before class today, so I’m heading to the gym.” He jerked a thumb towards the approaching building.

The… the gym?! After all that? Does he ever get tired? “Um… wow. That’s a lot.”

“Nah, Coach went easy on us today. Plus, we’re more than just legs, you know? Gotta stay balanced!” He flexed an arm slightly and Kaitlyn’s eyes widened. He was fit. Alex wasn’t a bodybuilder or anything, but he definitely had muscles. It really only reinforced the idea that he was an athlete, not just a runner.

She tore her eyes away and looked at the ground sheepishly. Hope I wasn’t staring. “I-I see.”

“Yep! Well, this is me.” They had reached the gym. “See you tomorrow at practice?”

“O-of course! See you there.”

She waved goodbye as Alex jogged towards the building. She felt like her legs were about to cramp up. Yeah, no way I could do that. It’s bad enough that my legs are dead. Adding my arms to that too? I’d just be a big ol’ ball of pain and uselessness. Plus, embarrassing myself at practice is more than enough for me. Don’t need to add one-on-one embarrassment too.

She turned towards the dorms. A shower sounded great right about now. She’d also have some time to just sit and rest before her first class of the day, thankfully. Taking an eager step forward, her calf tightened suddenly. On second thought, maybe she’d take it slow.

***

Kaitlyn considered the number displayed on her phone screen. $300. That’s how much she had to spend on whatever she wanted.

There were apparently two types of currency she had access to - Cappy Credits and dollars. The former was useful exclusively for school-related supplies - textbooks, notebooks, housing, and the dining hall. Most of those purchases had been taken care of before she even arrived here. Despite that, her account still left her with plenty of credits to eat without worry. She hadn’t come close to running out of them last time through, even eating three meals a day at Cappy’s.

The dollars, however, were different. These were the more general currency she was used to. That meany she could spend them at restaurants, stores, online shopping - anything, really. A gaming system or PC, for example.

Unfortunately, the amount available to her was… small. Not nearly what she’d need to get a game system, much less anything to play on it. Some basic cooking supplies were an option, but even that would cost a good amount for how much she’d need.

Kaitlyn rolled a pencil between her fingers. She had been pretty stingy last time through. A good chunk of that money was spent on tutoring because of how desperate her situation felt. The rest had been reserved for the future. But now? If everything really would reset at the end of the semester, she felt a lot better about spending it.

Maybe I should hold off until I’m more sure about this “time loop” thing, she considered. Though… Either way, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to buy a couple of small things, right? I gotta test out online shopping anyway, since I can’t get off campus.

After a bit of research, Kaitlyn found herself frowning at her phone. There was a single service that was capable of shipping to Hartland University - a website called Nile. Most places wouldn’t deliver to dorms and rejected her order outright because of the shipping information. The only reason this one worked was because Nile had a delivery storage locker set up nearby. The whole thing reeked of video game logic to her, but with the wide array of things she could buy on the site, she wouldn’t complain.

Soon enough, a cheap electric stovetop, knife set, and rice cooker were on their way. She wasn’t exactly confident in the stovetop’s quality, but it was worth a shot. The whole ensemble came out to under $100.

There’s a campus market that has basic groceries - I can buy them with credits, so ingredients won’t be a budget issue. They’re pretty limited though, so I might have to get creative.

Still, what I REALLY want is to mess around with the consoles around here, she sighed. I mean, what would a game within a game even play like? I’ve read up on some of the culturally-relevant ones around here, and there’s a few that seem legitimately fun! Definitely different than the stuff back home.

There was indeed a solution to the problem that came to mind. But Kaitlyn quickly discarded it. I’m not spending my isekai redo working. Especially not at some minimum wage customer service job. I’d rather be out enjoying life. Still, it would be fun to have some more spending money…

With reluctance, Kaitlyn set the idea aside. Her needs were being met, so maybe she shouldn’t complain.

The door to the dorm room opened to reveal Heather, bright-eyed and cheerful as always. “Omigosh, hey! Are you done with classes for the week? I just got out of my last one. It’s that dumb required writing class, ugh. How have yours been going so far?”

“Hey.” After a full semester of talking to the bubbly blonde, Kaitlyn was starting to get more used to her rail-gun conversational style. “They’re tough, honestly.”

“Yeah, right? I know, it’s like, way more work than you’d expect!” Heather huffed. “Honestly, do they think we don’t have lives or something? Like, I know we’re students, but it’s like they don’t even understand that we’ve got other classes to work on too. And it’s only the first week!”

“Yeah, really,” Kaitlyn agreed. It wasn’t just that classes were hard and unfamiliar to her. The workloads professors assigned here were pretty significant. Not even the hardest class at her old school would give so many assignments. It just made her more glad to ignore the work.

They chatted for a while longer as Heather set down her backpack and changed. “Well, I’m gonna go grab dinner with some friends. I met this girl a few floors up that’s in my Psych class, and her roommate’s also a Poli Sci major. So we’re gonna meet up with her friend from high school who - get this - actually knows the cousin of one of Autumn Comet’s drummers! Isn’t that crazy?”

“Have fun. Cappy’s has pretty good noodle bowls on Fridays if that’s where you’re going.”

“Omigosh, really? I didn’t know! I love noodles, they’re like my favorite. I’ll try ‘em out, thanks!” Heather flashed a peace sign at Kaitlyn and made her exit. As the door shut, peace and quiet descended on the room once more.

Alright. Well, guess I have some time to myself now. Maybe I should read up on that webnovel I didn’t get to last time…

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