20 Kilocoriolis (1/2)

For reference, the record for the fastest high school kilometer run is two minutes, twenty four seconds, seventy nine centiseconds. This is why I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at the time recorded on the stopwatch.

Even though I was nervous before looking at my time, I was visibly shaking now. My breath didn't need to quicken, though, since I was already out of it after exerting my body to its limit.

I had to check whether or not I was dreaming again, otherwise I couldn't accept this result.

I flipped the phone around a few times and looked at the time again. It didn't change. This was reality.

The only other plausible explanation was that the distance around my neighborhood's loop was actually less than one kilometer, but that was impossible. I had measured it many times with an odometer. The distance of the inner sidewalk of the loop was very close to one kilometer.

*I wish I could measure it again, but my bike isn't here...*

The garage was void of everything important, especially methods of transportation. I wouldn't be lamenting fate if there were at least something that would make my travels slightly easier.

*Who's lamenting fate? I'm not dead, and that's very lucky already. Well, I did die once... maybe I'm not actually so lucky...*

Anyway, what was my time?

2:22.37...

It was a world record. For high schoolers, at least. The *world* world record for the one kilometer run was still a little ways off.

*Still, this is insane.*

Although I did train my body, I wasn't a maniac about it. The thing is, my previous record for a kilometer run was 2:58.96. I had just broken the three-minute mark, which was a great achievement when I accomplished it. But I had just busted my record by thirty-six seconds...

*Maybe I need more sleep.*

That was probably it. After all, I didn't even remember the last time I had a proper night's rest.

*Maybe I'll take a shower and hop in bed.*

I was sweating bullets, so I needed to clean myself off if I were to jump back into bed. I was sort of a neat freak, so getting anything dirty would always irk me to no end. This especially included my bed, where I would spend the most time throughout the course of 24 hours.

I was already directly in front of my house, so I didn't hesitate to step straight back through the front door. After removing my shoes, I made a beeline for my room, ignoring absolutely everything else. Not that there was much to pay attention to, anyway. Everything was exactly where I had left them.

My door was open when I entered my room, so I instinctively shut it, even though there was n.o.body around. I determinedly headed towards the bathroom.

As I was taking my clothes off, I thought of something.

*Why don't I treat myself to a bath instead?*

It wasn't a very important thought, but I couldn't let it go once it entered my head.

*When was the last time I took a bath instead of a shower?*

I was never really fond of baths, simply because they took up too much time and water. But today, I had all the time in the world. I wasn't doing anything else, and I had no plans for the future besides training my body.

*In this world, is there anything for me to do, anyway?*

According to the clocks in my possession, it was 11:27. It had been slightly over four hours in this new world, and I was already bored.

*It's certainly felt like longer, even though I've been unconscious for so much of that time... or dead, apparently?*

For a moment, I lamented how much water I would be using for the next hour.

*I deserve this! It's a treat.*

I steeled my resolve, quit idling and turned on the bath.

Lukewarm water cascaded from the faucet. It took a moment, but the running water eventually heated up to a satisfactory temperature. I watched the water level rise and estimated how many gallons had poured forth so far.

*They say a bathtub holds seventy gallons of water. That's so much...*

This ”reward” I was giving myself was already eating away at my soul.

*Maybe I should have just taken a shower.*

I instantly switched the flow of the water from bath faucet to shower head, and then back again.

At this point, I hadn't even decided what I was going to do, and the bathtub was already full.

*Looks like it's decided by default, then.*

It was going to be a bath... I sighed and stuck my leg in the water.