During the summer vacation of his second year in high school, Sakamachi Yuto suddenly finds himself thrown one month back in time.
He doesn't understand why it happened or why a senpai who should be dead is still alive. But there is only one thing that matters to Yuto: saving the beloved senpai who died at last year's Inter-High.
The senpai's name is Shinkai Haruto. He was the ace of the bicycle road racing club, a person as bright as the sun, faster than anyone else. But just before the finis
Pedal Once More: The Day We Reclaim That Summer - A Summer That Never Returned, A Morning That Did
Behind my eyelids, red.
Noisy. Morning. Light stabs through the curtain gap. Needles behind my eyelids.
Sakamachi Yuuto groaned in bed.
Still sleepy. Want to sleep more.
—No.
Something's wrong.
Yuuto forced his heavy eyelids open.
First thing he saw. A stain on the ceiling.
He knew it.
Last summer. Rain leak stain.
But the landlord fixed that ages ago.
And the room. Messy. Too messy.
Floor. Roller stand. Should've been put away a month ago.
Wall. Last year's race poster.
Desk. Pile of reference books.
And the calendar on the wall.
July 20th.
Yuuto held his breath.
Heart hammering in his chest.
No. Today should be August 20th.
After Inter-High ended. After everything ended. That day—
A month later. That's what it should be.
Then his smartphone rang.
Trembling hands. He checked the screen.
One message.
Sender.
Shinkai Haruto.
Body.
"Let's practice again today!"
The letters blurred.
No. Not blurred.
Tears.
Something cold traced his cheek.
"Haruto, senpai—"
Voice. Hoarse.
He should be dead.
Last year's Inter-High.
Shizuhara in Shizuoka.
Kazakiri Descent.
That crash.
But a message came.
But the calendar says July.
But the room is full of gear.
His head. A mess.
Makes no sense.
But one thing. Crystal clear.
Ten days until Inter-High.
Ten days until last year's accident.
Yuuto stood up. Unsteady.
Himself in the mirror.
Black hair. A little too long.
Bangs over his eyes.
Thin body. Faded blue hoodie.
Only his black eyes. Strong-willed. Gleaming too bright.
"...This time."
Yuuto grabbed his own collar with his left hand.
Bad habit. When he's thinking.
—This time. I'll protect him. No matter what.
The hill to Minase South High. Steeper than usual.
Inori Slope.
Four hundred meters. Eight percent grade.
Every local road racing club member does time attacks here.
Haruto-senpai's record. Fifty-two seconds.
No one's beaten it.
Yuuto didn't pedal. Walked up the hill.
Thighs heavy.
No. Not just his body.
His heart. Heavy.
Around him. Students in the same uniform. Laughing. Walking.
"See yesterday's drama?"
"So funny though—"
Ordinary chatter.
Ordinary days.
But to Yuuto. It hurt.
These people know nothing.
What happens in ten days.
Who dies.
He's the only one who knows.
Images flash back in his head.
Haruto-senpai's back.
Pedaling at full power.
And—
Kazakiri Descent's sharp curve.
Brakes screaming.
Someone's shriek.
Carbon frame shattered.
Red.
Yuuto shook his head.
"It's fine."
Muttering. To no one.
"It's fine. I'll save him this time."
Telling himself that. He moved his feet again.
The clubroom. Old janitor's building behind the gym.
First floor. Mechanic space.
Tool cabinet. Three maintenance stands. Four roller stands.
Second floor. Meeting room.
Whiteboard. Faint traces of last year's strategy notes.
Yuuto opened the door. Oil smell hit his nose.
Someone inside.
A small girl.
Black hair. A little past her shoulders. Tied back today.
Big dark brown eyes. Staring seriously at her hands.
Setouchi Mio.
First-year manager.
Tool in hand.
Working on someone's bike chain. Looked like.
Focused. Didn't notice Yuuto come in.
Yuuto tried to speak. Hesitated.
What to say.
Can't exactly say he time-leaped.
Then Mio looked up.
Her big eyes. Opened even wider.
"Huh...?"
The hand holding the tool. Trembling.
"Sakamachi-senpai...?"
Voice. Shaky.
Her big eyes. Well up fast—
Tears. Spilling down.
"Why... you quit racing, senpai... I thought you'd never come back..."
Words. Broken.
Sniffling. Mio blinked over and over.
"Welcome back, senpai...!"
She's trying to smile. He can tell.
But can't smile right.
So with a tear-messed face. She made the biggest smile she could.
Yuuto grabbed his collar again. Left hand.
Chest tight. Squeezing.
She knows nothing too.
How deep that accident wounds the club.
How much she'll cry.
He's the only one who knows it all.
"I'm home."
Barely managed that.
Mio wiped her tears with her collar. Face brightened instantly.
"Ah, you need Haruto-senpai for something?! He said he's practicing at Takayama Loop this afternoon!"
Like she'd already decided. Yuuto came back to the club just to see Haruto.
Mio knew better than anyone. How close Haruto and Yuuto were.
The club's ace. And his support.
She loved watching them ride together.
"...Yeah. Tell him I need to talk. After practice."
"Yes! Of course!"
Mio nodded. Happy.
That smile. Made Yuuto's heart heavier instead.
Pure trust.
Hope for the future.
All of it. Destroyed by that accident.
Yuuto looked up at the wall.
Group photo there. Last year's Inter-High.
Haruto-senpai. Smiling in the center.
Club members around him.
In the previous timeline. So many already left the club.
The smiles. Too bright.
"Sakamachi-senpai? Here. Sports drink."
Before he knew it. Mio held out a paper cup.
Yuuto took it.
Cold.
Down his throat. Cold. Too real.
—Ten days.
Haruto-senpai's time left.
—Only ten days.
Tracing memories.
Events with strong emotions. He can recall them like yesterday.
Haruto's laugh.
That back. When he rides.
And the ambulance siren.
But the details. Blurry.
Wind direction.
Who placed where.
Race day. After the accident. What he himself did.
The most important memories. Slipping away like sand through fingers.
"Hey, Mio."
"Yes?"
"You think senpai can't afford to quit Inter-High?"
Mio looked puzzled.
Then looked down. Thinking a little.
"...I don't think I could stop him."
Her voice. Quiet.
"Senpai always said he'd make the team national champions. And... I don't want to see senpai give up."
Yeah, Yuuto thought.
He knew.
That guy. Like the sun.
Faster than anyone. Worse at giving up than anyone.
He knows that. All too well.
So talking him out of it. Probably impossible.
Then what.
How to change this fate.
No method in sight.
Only anxiety. Swelling.
Inside the paper cup. Ice made a faint sound.
Wind through the clubroom window.
July wind. Humid.
Smells like summer.
Before going back a month. Summer was like this too.
But the same summer never comes twice.
Yuuto watched blankly. Mio hurriedly started putting tools away.
Her small back.
Ponytail swaying. Like a squirrel's tail.
"Senpai, I'll make sure to tell Haruto-senpai!"
She turned around. Tear stains already gone.
Face full of hope.
"Um, so... you'll ride with us again, right?"
Timid question. Yuuto couldn't nod properly.
He wants to ride.
But what can he do now.
Time-leaping doesn't make him suddenly stronger.
More than anything. He's someone who ran away from racing once.
"...Don't know."
Honest answer. Mio looked a little sad.
But shook her head quickly. Side to side.
"It's okay! I believe in you!"
Mio's straightforward words. So heavy right now.
Yuuto looked at the clubroom photo again.
Haruto-senpai's smile.
The other members' smiles.
—I decided. I'll protect him.
Even without knowing how.
Even if he can't tell anyone the truth.
Yuuto grabbed his collar again. Left hand. Tight.
Outside the window. Summer sun scorching the asphalt.
Toward Inter-High in ten days. Someone somewhere is riding today.
Among them. Haruto-senpai.
—Ride, Yuuto.
Telling himself. In his heart.
This time. Your turn to pull senpai forward.
Toward a battle that hasn't even started. Yuuto breathed in. Quiet. Deep.
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