I Forgot!

As I regained my footing, I noticed that Monika had caught me while doing the quad stretch herself.

How stable was she to not only support herself on one leg but support me as well?

The more time I spent with Monika, the more out of my league she felt.

Mmm... It was sad, but that's what made her touch and care feel so special. Even though it was undeserved, hehe.

The gym teacher then raised both hands high in the air.

"Now we will do cartwheels!"

She began rotating her arms in a large circle. The rest of us followed her example.

I kept uh... hitting the side of my chest. It began to bounce a little which made my cheeks flush.

There was a faint groan coming from the side.

"Eh..."

I looked over to see Yuri. She was doing the same movements, but would slow down whenever her arms got close to her chest.

A small pout formed on my face.

...She was probably doing them like me just moments ago. I missed it.

N-Not that I wanted to see it or anything!

The gym teacher stopped, prompting the rest of us to follow suit.

"Whew! Alright, now for some toe touches!"

She raised her hands high into the air before bending down and touching her toes. There was a cheerful smile on her face.

"If you aren't touching your toes, you aren't trying hard enough!"

With that, the rest of us imitated her.

...Well, I tried to, at least.

I reached down, but before they could even reach halfway to my toes, it got hard to breathe. My chest pressed against my arms, making it feel suffocating.

I stood up and began panting. This was impossible!

There was a soft grunt beside me.

"Mmh!"

I looked over to see Monika touching her toes. Her chest squeezed tightly against her body, but she did it so naturally, like she wasn't embarrassed.

Monika almost immediately noticed my gaze. She looked over to me and flashed a warm smile.

I quickly turned away, unable to meet her eyes for much longer.

...So it was possible to reach my toes. Monika could do it with her chest, so I could too!

With newfound determination, I stretched down once again. My chest squeezed tightly against my body, suffocating me. Yet, I still couldn't reach my toes.

My fingers were so close! The distance was only about the length of my hand!

I furrowed my brows.

"Mmm..."

My chest was beginning to hurt, and I could no longer breathe. However, I pushed a little further to see it through!

...But why was the side of my face feeling all tickly?

I looked to the side and saw Monika intently staring at me.

"Ehh?!"

My composure left immediately. I stood straight up, gasping for air.

Monika giggled with the tips of her fingers above her mouth.

"You were so close! Why did you give up?"

I smiled awkwardly.

"Ehehe... it was just too hard for me!"

Monika clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side. There was a warm smile on her face.

"Ah, better luck next time!"

W-Was Monika staring at me?

A-At my... chest?

N-No, it must have been my imagination. Why would Monika do something like that? If anything, she would be looking at Yuri's. They were so much bigger after all...

The gym teacher continued to show us stretches for every part of the body while I was caught up in my thoughts.

Before I knew it, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. And since this was the last period, school was over!

I couldn't help but get a little excited since Natsuki would always come over to stay at my house for some time. Not to mention, I didn't get to see her at lunch either!

With those thoughts, I hurried over to the changing room, not really paying attention to my surroundings. It did not take long for me to finish changing.

I bent down to slip both my feet into my black uniform shoes. With a small smile, I stood up, only to recoil.

"M-Monika?"

Monika had been standing right in front of me at some point. When I stood up, her face was right in front of me. I could even feel her breath brush past my cheeks.

Monika smiled sweetly.

"Goodbye, Sayori."

She was still in her gym uniform and seemed in no hurry to change. I tried my best to give a composed smile, though I failed miserably.

"A-Ah! Bye Monika!"

Still feeling a little awkward, I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the locker room. My thoughts lingered on Monika for a while, but it did not take for them to be replaced with Natsuki.

Before I knew it, I was skipping and humming to a cheery song. The hallway was empty moments before, but was quickly filled up by people leaving their classrooms.

I swung my arms from side to side, when suddenly, I froze in place.

"...Oh no."

My backpack felt lighter than normal, like something was missing. I laid my bag on the ground and fumbled with the zippers.

"Please be there!"

My bag opened to reveal...

...my math textbook was missing.

"Uwah!"

Although I took it out during class, I was in so much of a hurry to leave, it ended up being forgotten.

I picked up my bag and hurried up the steps while everyone else was trying to get down.

Hmm... hopefully nothing else delays me. Natsuki's probably waiting for me!