Vivienne was sent reeling backwards from the blows, and for some reason my heart raced with urgency.
Seeing everyone around cheering her on, I blurted out without thinking:
"Come on, Vivienne! You can do it!"
Hearing this, the smile vanished from Myra's face, replaced by a dark look.
In contrast, Vivienne perked up, her steps becoming lighter and quicker.
But in the end, she still lost, having been away from competition for so long.
Myra grinned at her smugly, then ran off the field and came up to me:
"So, what do you think? I'm still the best, right? You were intentionally cheering for her to rile me up, weren't you? To give me more motivation?"
I pushed away the girl lost in her delusions and grabbed the first aid kit nearby to treat Vivienne's injuries.
Myra had struck with malice, targeting exposed areas of skin.
I tenderly applied medicine to her wounds, realizing that at some point I had begun to care for Vivienne.