Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Let Go

The first class in the afternoon was P.E.

Luna Jennings let out a wail, dragging her heavy feet outside. “Aurora, right now I’d rather have another teacher take over this period!”

“Why?”

“The nightmare 800-meter run!”

The third-year high school students had a physical fitness test before their college entrance exams.

The school required all students without special exemptions to pass, or they wouldn’t receive their graduation certificates. There were three events for both boys and girls. The other two were simple, but this final long-distance run was an absolute killer.

Boys had to run 1000 meters and girls 800 meters, with a passing time of under four minutes. As a result, the long-distance running practice in every P.E. class was the most dreaded event for schoolgirls in Veridia.

To lighten their load for the run, the girls of Class Six had taken off their jackets, revealing the white short-sleeved shirts underneath.

Only Aurora Sinclair was still wearing her baggy school uniform jacket, looking particularly bundled up amidst the sea of white shirts.

Luna Jennings frowned slightly. “Aurora, aren’t you hot? It’s almost April.”

Aurora Sinclair shook her head, warming up her wrists and ankles.

At the P.E. teacher’s command, the students of Class Six shot off the starting line. Ethan Lowell and Alex Warren were in the lead.

The boys were generally faster than the girls, and in less than 100 meters, they had already pulled ahead of the girls’ pack by nearly 50 meters—with the exception of Aurora Sinclair, who was a complete anomaly.

Her speed was nearly on par with the boys’ pack as she trailed closely behind Ethan Lowell and Alex Warren.

Gradually, Alex Warren’s breathing grew unsteady, and his pace slowed. Gasping for air, he watched as a graceful figure overtook him, his eyes widening in shock.

After the halfway point, Ethan Lowell also began to slow down. Hearing the footsteps that had been persistently behind him, he glanced back curiously and instantly choked on the air.

Aurora Sinclair gave him a calm glance and effortlessly overtook him, showing no signs of strain.

Seeing this, Ethan Lowell held his breath and sped up again, catching up to the figure ahead.

She turned to look at him, still maintaining a steady pace. Her face wasn’t flushed, she wasn’t gasping for breath, and her breathing was perfectly even.

The girls were supposed to stop at the 800-meter mark, but Aurora Sinclair just kept going and finished the full 1000 meters.

The P.E. teacher looked at the stopwatch in his hand, completely stunned.

’This girl’s physical fitness is way too good!’

* * *

The second person to reach the finish line was Ethan Lowell.

Aurora Sinclair had thrown off his running rhythm, and he was now so exhausted that he was bent over with his hands on his knees, almost collapsing to the ground.

Sweat poured down his face like rain, his cheeks were flushed bright red, and he was panting heavily. His chest felt tight and constricted, as if a heavy stone was lodged inside.

He looked up at Aurora Sinclair and was shocked to see that her breathing was completely unchanged. It was as if she had just gone for a casual stroll and still had the energy to do the high jump.

The P.E. teacher asked her with a smile, “Sinclair, have you specifically trained in long-distance running before?”

Aurora Sinclair shook her head. “No.”

“Well, your physical fitness is just too good! You haven’t been practicing martial arts since you were a kid, have you?” the P.E. teacher joked. To his surprise, Aurora Sinclair actually nodded.

The P.E. teacher was left speechless.

So was Ethan Lowell.

* * *

Aurora Sinclair was the only girl in Class Six to get an “excellent” score on the 800-meter run. Of the remaining girls, aside from Mona Lowell, Mandy Warren, and a few others, almost no one passed.

The P.E. teacher happily praised Aurora Sinclair in front of the whole class. This had never happened before, as the Class Six girls’ P.E. scores had always been the worst in the entire grade, and they always came in dead last in every sports competition.

“Tch, what’s so great about that?” Mandy Warren muttered disdainfully.

Mona Lowell glanced at Ethan Lowell and saw him staring intently at Aurora Sinclair. Her brow furrowed slightly.

The students who didn’t pass had to rest for 15 minutes and then run again. Luna Jennings was in that group.

She sat on the field, leaning back on her hands and wailing at the sky, “Aurora, grant me Strength! My legs are about to cramp up from all this running…”

Aurora Sinclair crouched beside her, sucking on a lollipop the P.E. teacher had given her as a reward. She reached out and poked Luna’s calf muscle with her index finger.

She nodded gravely. “Yup, you can still run!”

Luna Jennings didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She weakly rolled her eyes.

Over with the group of boys, Alex Warren sat on the ground, forcefully stretching his legs. He glanced at Aurora Sinclair not far away and asked in amazement, “Boss, is Sinclair some kind of monster? Her stamina is unreal.”

“She’s practiced martial arts since she was a kid. Her stamina is better than an average person’s,” Ethan Lowell replied nonchalantly, massaging his own calves.

’Holy crap! Martial arts? You’d never know by looking at her!’

Veridia was a great nation of martial arts. All males, excluding those with special disabilities, were required to learn a standardized Basic Boxing Skill designated by the Veridian Martial Alliance from a young age.

The first reason was to build up physical fitness; the second was to select outstanding martial arts talent for the Martial Association. These individuals would have the opportunity to represent the country in international Martial Association competitions and would also be assigned to special occupations to protect the nation.

However, it wasn’t mandatory for females in Veridia to learn, but many parents, concerned about their children’s physical well-being, would also require their daughters to learn the Basic Boxing Skill.

So it wasn’t particularly surprising that Aurora Sinclair had practiced martial arts since childhood. Still, Alex Warren couldn’t believe it. He felt that with her slender frame, he could probably knock her over with a single finger!

Ethan Lowell shot him an indifferent glance. “I’m a First Rank Great Warrior, and her stamina is better than mine!”

Alex Warren’s mind was completely blown.

’Holy crap! What a freaking badass!’

* * *

The P.E. teacher blew his whistle and said cheerfully, “Alright! For all the students who didn’t pass, your break time is over!”

Luna Jennings got up with a pained expression, utterly reluctant. “If they dangled a picture of my idol in front of me, I’d definitely run super fast!”

Aurora Sinclair gave her a curious look. Luna Jennings handed over her phone. “This is the man who’s occupied my lock screen for three years, the award-winning actor Darius Lynch!”

Aurora Sinclair looked at the man on the lock screen and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

“Hurry up, girls! Once you finish this run, you’re done!” the P.E. teacher shouted loudly.

Luna Jennings jogged over, saying as she went, “Take good care of my phone—it’s endorsed by my idol!”

Aurora Sinclair nodded.

As the whistle blew again, the second group of runners set off.

Compared to the first run, everyone’s stamina was clearly much lower this time. Around the 200-meter mark, Luna Jennings was already so tired she had slowed to a walk.

Aurora Sinclair pursed her lips, glanced down at the man on the phone’s lock screen, and immediately ran toward Luna Jennings. Her speed was so astonishing that it drew sideways glances from the boys.

“Aurora, are you here to save me?” Luna Jennings asked, pressing on the stitch in her side and panting.

Aurora Sinclair pressed a side button on the phone, and Darius Lynch’s handsome face instantly appeared in front of Luna Jennings.

“My idol…”

Aurora Sinclair held up the phone and ran slowly in front, with Luna Jennings huffing and puffing behind her. Stumbling and jogging, she finally dragged herself to the finish line.

She now looked like she had just been fished out of water, gasping for breath and collapsed on the ground, her calf muscles twitching uncontrollably.

“I can’t… Even Darius Lynch… can’t save me… now…” Luna Jennings said in agony, clutching her cramping calf.

Aurora Sinclair poked her calf again, then suddenly pressed hard on an acupressure point. A sore pain shot through it instantly, and Luna Jennings let out a bloodcurdling “AOWWW!”

Nearby, Mona Lowell’s brows knitted. “Sinclair, just because you’re good at P.E. doesn’t mean everyone else is. There’s no need to play that kind of prank, is there?”

“Exactly! Her calves are prone to cramping as it is. You can’t press on them like that!”

“Aurora Sinclair, let go!”

“Can’t you see she’s in so much pain she’s crying?”

“Do you have any compassion at all?”

Several girls who were friendly with Luna Jennings ran over, their faces filled with accusation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep