"Those eyes—I've seen them somewhere before. Where have I seen them?" Tetsuo thought to himself as he tried to remember, his fingers still resting lightly on the window frame. The air drifting in from outside was cool against his skin, a quiet contrast to the tension now rising in his chest.
"Are you listening to me? Or are you deaf? I said move and quit staring at me like that," the girl said, her voice sharp and dismissive.
Tetsuo blinked and straightened up. Her tone cut through the stillness of the room. The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly.
"I'm sorry for staring. It's just that your eyes look like they have a tragic story behind them. I was just a bit curious, that's all. They remind me so much of mine because there's no real depth to them—just a dark, endless, hollow pit," Tetsuo said, his voice level.
She closed her book slowly, the pages brushing against each other with a soft rustle. "Oh really now? That's the strangest thing I've ever heard—assuming something bad happened to me just because it did to you," the girl said bluntly, her gaze steady.
"That's not what I was implying, but basically, yes. Sorry to have disturbed you while you were reading. I'll leave, don't worry," Tetsuo replied, taking a step back. His shoes made a soft thud against the polished floor as he turned to leave.
"Wait," the girl called out. Tetsuo stopped and turned around.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name is Tetsuo Kawaguchi, a first-year in Class 1T," he replied.
"Oh, well, that explains why you aren't the least bit startled by me. My name is Tomoe Yukimura, a second-year in Class 2O and the president of the literature club," Tomoe said, brushing her hair behind her ear. Her fingers were long and still, almost calculated in their movements.
"Say, Kawaguchi, have you ever heard of me before?"
"What do you mean?" Tetsuo asked.
"You know, gossip and rumors."
"Other than the time I bumped into you in the hallway, this is the second time we've met, so no."
"Okay, that's comforting to hear. When you have time, you can stop by the literature club if you want to read some books," Tomoe offered.
"That's fine. I wouldn't want to disturb you—you look peaceful this way," Tetsuo said as he left.
Upon returning to the field, he saw his classmates racing in a mixed race. The sky above was pale with high clouds, and the light breeze stirred the nearby trees.
Naomi crouched at the starting line, her body relaxed. As the signal sounded, her muscles tensed, and she surged forward. Her form was tight and compact, legs hammering the track with precise rhythm.
"Whoa, Naomi! That's 10.1 seconds—that's a new record!" her friend exclaimed, holding a stopwatch in her hand.
"What? Really? I wasn't even taking the race seriously. How did that happen?" Naomi said, brushing her damp bangs away from her eyes. Her chest rose and fell steadily, not labored.
"You guys are fools for letting her beat you," Noboru scoffed as he, Shino, Makoto, and a group of other boys from Class 1T walked over, their shoes scuffing the edge of the track.
"Oh really, Noboru? And I suppose you can outrun me?" Naomi challenged, arms crossed.
"You bet I can. I don't know why they're making such a big deal out of it. I could easily outrun you if I wanted to."
"Then by all means, Noboru, step behind the line," Naomi said with a smirk.
"Are you guys ready?" Sachiko asked, walking up with her sleeves pushed up. The track felt warm beneath her shoes.
"On your mark, get set, go!" she shouted.
Both Noboru and Naomi launched forward. The slap of their shoes against the track filled the air. Even before the halfway point, Naomi had begun to pull ahead, her pace consistent.
She crossed the finish line well before him.
"Well, that was expected," said a girl from Class 1T, arms folded.
"Yeah, it was," a boy added, glancing down at the stopwatch.
"Not that I'm bragging or anything, but you'd need more than a lifetime of training before you could outrun me," Naomi said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.
"That was just a lucky run. I lost my footing, that's all," Noboru said, crouching with his hands on his knees.
"Looks like you need more training with the track team because your stamina is still nonexistent," Naomi teased.
"Why you—" Noboru started before being interrupted.
"I wonder where Tetsuo went. I haven't seen him for a while now," Sachiko thought, looking around the field.
"Hey, Morioka, are you good? All you've been doing is reading all day. Come on, let's go join them for a jog," a girl from 1T called out.
"That's okay. I don't mind being up here alone. I enjoy reading in any spare time I have," Rie replied, not lifting her eyes from the page. The slight wind rustled the corner of her book.
"Okay, suit yourself," the girl said before running off.
"And besides… he's down there, and I can barely look him in the face. Whenever I'm around him, I feel weird," Rie thought as she glanced at Shino, who was stretching with a few classmates.
"Maybe the reason you beat me is that you have more muscles than I do. Not very ladylike at all," Noboru smirked.
"Or maybe you're just so much of a wimp that you think I have more muscles than you," Naomi shot back, tossing her towel over her shoulder.
"Alright, guys, calm down. I know how we can settle this once and for all," a girl interjected, stepping forward.
"And what do you have in mind, Miyu?" Sachiko asked.
"We can let the fastest girl race against the fastest guy and see how that turns out," Miyu suggested, looking between Naomi and the group of boys.
"We already know Naomi is the fastest, but how would we know who the fastest guy in our class is?" Sachiko asked.
"That's simple—we let them race and see," Miyu answered.
"What's happening over here?" Tetsuo asked as he approached the group, brushing back his hair damp from the breeze.
"Oh, Tetsuo! They want us to race against each other to determine who will run against Naomi," Noboru explained.
"Oh, I see. Well, I'll just get changed and go back to class," Tetsuo said, his tone flat as he turned slightly.
"Wait! And where the heck do you think you're going, Kawaguchi?" Naomi asked, stepping toward him.
"I especially want to race against you, so don't you dare chicken out," she challenged.
"Well, since you already called him out, you might as well race against him, right, Tetsuo?" Makoto added.
Tetsuo exhaled through his nose and gave a slight nod. "Fine," he said, stepping behind the line.
The rest of the group gathered to the side, forming a loose semicircle.
"On your mark, get set, go!" Miyu shouted.
The two shot forward. The ground beneath them felt solid, each step sharp and firm. Tetsuo's posture was upright, his eyes fixed forward. Naomi's arms drove her rhythm, her strides smooth and well-timed.
They remained side by side halfway down the track. The air buzzed with the mix of shouts and clapping.
"Come on, dude, you can do it!" the boys shouted.
"You got this, Naomi!" the girls screamed.
Naomi's breathing became heavier, and her muscles strained as she pushed harder. But Tetsuo's pace didn't falter. His footfalls stayed steady, and he didn't look over at her even once.
As they neared the finish line, Naomi realized he was pulling ahead.
"What? He's moving way faster than me," she thought in disbelief.
Tetsuo crossed the line just ahead of her.
"No way! He actually beat her!" the girls gasped.
"That's what I'm talking about, Tetsuo! Putting your basketball speed to good use and showing her who's boss!" Noboru cheered, slapping him on the back.
Tetsuo said nothing, catching his breath quietly.
"I would have never imagined that Tetsuo could beat Naomi. He's really something," Sachiko thought to herself.
"That was amazing, Tetsuo! You're really fast. It's a shame you're playing basketball instead of running. Why don't you join us next year?" Naomi asked, wiping sweat from her temple.
"No way! He's off-limits! This guy will be our key to victory, and we need all the years out of him," Noboru declared, still winded.
Laughter rose from the group as the two athletes stood side by side, both of them breathing steadily, the energy still crackling in the air around them.