At the bottom of the night, the dried sensation of yesterday's tears still lingered. He'd buried his face in the pillow and cried without a sound. That was Sakuragi Ren last night. Clutching the charm, he'd simply stared at the dark ceiling until morning came without him noticing. Today, he would run again. His body had decided that. His head was still hazy. But his feet moved of their own accord. Before climbing Namiki Hill, Ren slipped the charm into his pocket. Seven days until the prefectural preliminaries. That number crystallized sharply in his foggy mind. He arrived at the grounds just as the sky began to pale. The track was empty. Wind blew in from the direction of the sea. The morning breeze of Minatohara in May carried a faint hint of salt. Ren began his warm-up. He moved his body like a machine. Loosening his ankles, rotating his hips, stretching his Achilles tendons. That's when he noticed a figure moving at the edge of the grounds. Long hair the color of pale blue. Bright, wavy pale blue locks caught the morning light in an oddly striking way. Short in stature—around 158 centimeters, maybe. In a jersey, crouched near the fence beside the track, stretching. When the girl noticed Ren watching, she looked up with a start. Soft lavender eyes met his directly. The next moment, she stood and ran toward him. "[excited]Sakuragi senpai! You're already here this early! You really are amazing!" It was a full-force smile. Freckles bloomed softly across her cheeks. Before Ren could respond, she was already right in front of him. "[surprised]Ah, yeah..." He instinctively stepped back half a pace. Ren had almost no experience with someone directing affection at him so directly. There was no time to bluff his way through it. "I'm Kirishima Yui. I'm a first-year, and I joined the track club last week. I've always thought the way you run is really cool," she said in one breath, then smiled. Her freckles moved with each smile. Artless, somehow—not a trace of hesitation. Ren didn't know what to say back, so he just managed, "I see." Yui tilted her head slightly and looked at Ren's face intently. "[gentle]Senpai, are you pushing yourself too hard?" Ren's movements stopped. "It's okay to say when things are hard," She said it naturally, lightly. Not accusatory, not making a big deal out of concern. Just—as if she were simply putting into words what she could see. Something deep in Ren's chest made a small, cracking sound. *(Why does this girl understand?)* "[serious]...I'm fine," His voice came back slightly strained. He noticed it himself. Probably she did too. But Ren turned forward and started running the track. During the rest of morning practice, Yui trained seriously at a distance. But occasionally, Ren caught her glancing his way. He could sense it at the edge of his vision. That warmth of being watched—it had been a long time since Ren felt it. It was somehow bothersome, but... not entirely unwelcome. It was a morning when something frozen had cracked, just a little. --- When afternoon practice ended and the team members flowed toward the clubhouse, Coach Togawa said just one thing. "[serious]Sakuragi, stay," A short sentence. The grounds grew quiet. Sota raised his hand lightly and said, "See you," as he left. Yui started to turn back, but seeing Coach Togawa, she quietly went on. Two people remained on the evening grounds. Coach Togawa stood with his arms crossed, looking straight into Ren's eyes. Forty-five years old, eyes of a former corporate athlete. Eyes that couldn't be read, but held no lies. "[serious]The day after tomorrow, we're doing an in-team time trial," Ren met the coach's gaze. "If you don't cut the standard time, I'm taking you off the relay team," It was quiet. Wind blew. Sand on the grounds shifted slightly. "I'm telling you this because I believe in your running," With that, the coach turned his back. His footsteps receded. Steady, regular footsteps. "[serious]I'll do it," His voice came out properly. Toward the coach's back, without a moment's hesitation. The moment the coach's footsteps completely faded, Ren noticed his knees trembling in small, rapid shakes. Running is the only thing I have. If I lose running, there's nothing left of Sakuragi Ren. That fear stood before him again. This time with a deadline—a date two days from now. On the way back to the clubhouse, a handwritten sign on the wall caught his eye. "7 days until the prefectural preliminaries" Large numbers written in permanent marker. Numbers someone retraced every day. Ren squeezed the charm in his pocket tightly. Tonight, I have no choice but to run. --- Past 9 PM, Ren headed out to Namiki Hill alone. He left in his jersey. Left his phone behind too. Namiki Hill—the slope connecting the Oka-no-Kami district to Harukaze High School. Six hundred meters long, twelve percent gradient. The ginkgo trees lining both sides were lit by streetlamps, casting long shadows across the asphalt. A hill Ren had been running since fourth grade. He started running. Up to the top, down, up again. Three round trips. Five. Even when his legs burned with pain, he didn't stop. Because while running, Hinata's "it's hard" seemed to fade somewhere far away. The time trial the day after tomorrow. Sota's smile. Everything. Running was the only answer Ren could give right now. Seven round trips. Eight. His breath burned in his throat. His thighs felt like lead. Still, Ren turned around. On the ninth trip, halfway up the hill. Suddenly, strength drained from his knees. He collapsed onto the asphalt. Both hands planted, breathing ragged. His legs trembled like they were cramping. His head went white. The sight of himself sitting alone on Namiki Hill seemed unbearably pathetic. He didn't even have the energy left to cry. Just breathing took everything he had. Streetlight illuminated the asphalt white. In the distance, harbor lights flickered and swayed. Because the sea was close, even at night a slightly warm wind blew. "[surprised]Sakuragi?" A voice. He turned around. From down the hill, a figure in a jersey came running up. Black hair with red streaks. Golden eyes. Sota. "[surprised]Huh, why...?" "[laughing]I happened to be doing night practice, and I saw something on the hill. How much have you been running?" Sota crouched beside Ren. Seeing his ragged breathing, he made an exasperated face, but said nothing more. The two of them sat in silence for a while. The sound of waves drifted faintly from far away. Ren's breathing gradually calmed. --- "[serious]I've thought you were amazing from the start, you know?" Sota spoke quietly. "Not your times—the look in your eyes when you run. Not many people can run for their team like that," Ren said nothing. The man he'd thought was his rival—why would he say something like that? Confusion. No answer came. Sota continued casually. "Also, about Nanase," Ren's body stiffened slightly. "[cold]That rumor about me confessing? It's fake," —What? The word wouldn't come out. "I like track, not Nanase. I don't know who spread it," Sota shrugged. He said it so lightly, like it was nothing. Something in Ren's head collapsed with a sound. Whispered voices through the clubhouse wall. Two-shot photos on Sota's SNS. Comments saying "You look great together!" A hand on Hinata's shoulder during practice. The moment he'd handed over a towel. Hinata's ears turning red. All of it. Had he just connected it all in the worst possible way? Ren clutched his head. Hands on the asphalt, he bent forward. "[crying]...It was all just my misunderstanding, wasn't it...?" His muffled voice was swallowed by the asphalt. He was embarrassed. Angry. But more than anything, relieved. Embarrassment and relief and frustration mixed together, and the corners of his eyes grew hot. "[surprised]You okay?" Sota tilted his head. "[serious]I'm not okay," Still bent forward against the ground, Ren answered that way. "I'm not okay" came out faster than he'd ever said anything in his life. There was a pause. Sota let out a small laugh. "[laughing]You can say it straight, huh?" "Shut up," --- Sota slapped Ren's back. "[laughing]So you like Nanase, huh? It was obvious, man. Been obvious for a while," Ren's head snapped up. "[laughing]You'd glare at me, and every time I talked to Hinata the atmosphere would change. You were the most obvious one on the team," Sota laughed. The mole at the corner of his mouth moved. There wasn't a shred of malice in his laughter. Ren tried to argue. Couldn't. Tried to deny it. Couldn't. For the first time, in this moment, someone else had given a name to the feeling he'd been pushing down deep. The name "like." "[serious]...Don't say it's obvious," He squeezed the words out. "[laughing]No, it's obvious, that's why I'm telling you," An immediate response. Ren looked at Sota's face for a while. His golden eyes sparkled. This guy really wasn't a bad person. He never had been. Just a good guy from the start. That made it funny somehow. The tension drained from him. Laughter came out. He couldn't tell if he was crying or laughing. Tears threatened, but he was laughing. An awkward, in-between smile. The last time he'd shown a face like this to someone else was probably the night of his mother's funeral. "[sad]...So I really am obvious, huh," His voice was pathetic. "[excited]Of course you are. So go tell him already," Sota stood and extended his hand. Ren looked at it. After a beat, he took it. He was pulled up. His knees wobbled. Sota saw it and laughed again. "[laughing]You ran way too much, seriously," "[sarcastic]Shut up," Two voices laughed briefly on the night Namiki Hill. Streetlamps cast long shadows of ginkgo trees. Harbor lights swayed in the distance. The man he'd thought was his enemy now knew Ren's true feelings better than anyone. That fact was funny somehow, and strangely—he didn't hate it. The two of them walked down the hill side by side. Sota talked the whole way. Ren barely did more than nod. But it wasn't dark like last night. The day after tomorrow, there was a time trial. If he didn't cut the standard, he'd be off the team. And he still hadn't said anything to Hinata. Ren squeezed the charm in his pocket. This time, with slightly more strength.