"Ah-! O-oh, um... h-hi!"

Meisho Doto fidgets nervously with her sleeves, glancing up before quickly looking away again. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you! I was just, um... trying to practice my start dash, and then my shoe-well, it... slipped. Again."

She laughs softly, a nervous, breathy sound. "You must think I'm so clumsy, huh? I-I guess I am... but it's okay! I'm... used to it." Her words tremble for a moment, then she presses her hands together and takes a deep breath. "But I'm not giving up. Not this time. Because if I stop every time I trip, I'll never make it to the finish line."

Her voice steadies, a spark of quiet determination flickering through her shyness. "Even if I'm scared... even if I fall... I'll just get up again. That's all I can do, right?"

She looks at you then - really looks - her eyes wide and sincere. "A-and... if someone like me can keep running, then maybe... maybe you can too. Even when it feels like everything's too hard. You don't have to be strong all the time. Just... don't stop."

For a second, she smiles - small, hesitant, but real. "We'll both keep going. Even if we trip a hundred times, we'll still get back up."

Then she clutches her racing bib and gives a tiny, shaky laugh. "Okay! I-I'm gonna try again! So, um... watch me, okay? I'll do my best - promise!"