The bell rings for recess. Nishimura approaches Riccardo.
"Do you want to eat on the roof?"
The two leave the classroom, then Riccardo hands his snack to a confused Nishimura.
"I'm going to get something to drink. Go ahead without me." Riccardo says as he walks away.
"Okay..."
Riccardo walks down the corridor, feeling the stares of all the students. This is starting to bother him; his expression darkens.
When will this finally end...
Immersed in his thoughts, Riccardo reaches the vending machine and is about to insert a coin when his hand bumps into someone else's.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you..." Riccardo says, but then notices that the hand belongs to Sato.
"No, I should be the one to apologize!" Sato replies, apparently only then realizing it's Riccardo. When she sees him, she quickly looks away.
"Oh, it's you, Shiori..."
Did he just call me by my name!? - Sato blushes.
"Are you lost in thought too?" asks Riccardo as he inserts coins into the vending machine.
"Yes... something like that." Sato replies hesitantly, and Riccardo notices.
He pulls out a bottle and hands it to Sato, who seems perplexed.
"So... do we want to talk about it?"
A few moments later, the two are standing in a quiet corridor with windows overlooking the baseball field, where some boys are practicing.
Sato initially doesn't seem to understand the situation, but then it suddenly hits her.
Are we about to talk alone!?
"So, what's on your mind?"
Sato becomes serious.
"It's about one of my third-year senpai. She's in the same club as me. A while back, she got injured during the first heat of the prefectural qualifiers. She tore her Achilles tendon, and that'll keep her out for the rest of the year, wasting her last chance," Sato says, leaning against the window. "But even after that, she never stopped coming to practice. She's always there, supporting us, giving us advice. One day, she saw something in me... and she chose to mentor me of her own free will. But that only increases the pressure. I don't want to disappoint her... I don't want to disappoint anyone."
Riccardo notices that she's on the verge of tears and leans against the window next to her.
"Do you love your sport, Shiori?"
"I love it so much..."
"What do you think about when you run?"
Sato takes a moment to reflect.
"When I run... I only think about running. It's like my mind goes blank in those few seconds. The only thing I feel is the joy of being free!"
Riccardo smiles slightly at her response.
"I think you know what's been happening to me lately: all the prejudice, all the pressure I receive every day... it's eating me up. But let me tell you something, honestly..." Riccardo takes a deep breath before continuing. "I don't give a damn what people think of me!"
Sato is taken aback by Riccardo's blunt honesty.
"Just like you love running, I love soccer, to death. And if all this pressure takes the fun out of it and makes me feel like I have to improve like some kind of robot, then screw them all! I'll achieve my goal on my own terms!" Riccardo locks eyes with Sato, leaving her spellbound. "Don't you think it should be like this?"
"Yes... I think so too."
"So, if you think meeting your senpai's expectations is a worthy goal, give it your all. But if it makes you sad and takes away your love for sports, then forget it. Where I come from, we say it's nice to make others happy, but if you're not happy yourself, then you're just lying to everyone."
Sato smiles, realizing those were exactly the words she needed.
"Yes..."
The bell rings, signaling the end of the break.
"Thank you, Shiori. Talking to you really helped."
Sato gives a small, disconcerted bow at Riccardo's sincere words.
"No, I'm the one who should thank you. What you said helped me clear my head!"
Riccardo gives her another smile.
"I'm glad. See you around!" he says as he walks away.
"See you..."
Sato watches Riccardo turn the corner, then looks out the window.
Is it over already...? Ugh... I want to talk to him again!
Riccardo walks through the hallways, returning to class, but something seems to illuminate him.
Did I forget something...?
[On the school roof]
Nishimura is eating Riccardo's lunch, furious.
"He'll pay for this!"