"Sis, it's time to get up."
Nishimiya Yuzuru stood by the bed, shaking Shouko with no hesitation.
Slap.
Her sweet dream shattered instantly. Normally, Shouko wasn't grumpy in the mornings, but being woken up this way left her a little annoyed.
"Where's Akira?" she asked, rubbing her eyes with a yawn.
"He went to the restroom. He told me to wake you." Yuzuru rubbed the back of her reddened hand and added, "We'll leave as soon as he's back."
She quickly turned and ran downstairs—still wanting to sneak in a little more time with Hachiko before they left.
Resigning herself, Shouko pushed away the urge to crawl back into bed, fixed the wrinkles on her clothes, and left the room.
On the stairs, she crossed paths with Akira, who had just stepped out of the restroom. Miyamura Shizuka emerged from her bedroom at the same time, her light makeup freshly done.
Soon after, Yuzuru returned Hachiko to her grandmother's care until noon, then joined the others in Shizuka's car.
Akira sat quietly, listening to the two sisters chat as the scenery slipped by outside the window.
"You two go back to the classroom first. I've already checked in. I'll take Yuzuru to the seating area later," Shizuka said once she had parked and unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Okay," Shouko nodded.
"See you later, Auntie. I'll find you after the opening ceremony," Yuzuru promised.
Akira and Shouko got out of the car. Yuzuru followed.
"Akira, good luck with the sprint! I'll record your cool poses!" Yuzuru shook the little camera around her neck at him.
"Got it, got it," Akira chuckled, waving to her before heading with Shouko toward Building One.
The morning mist still lingered over the track. A few girls holding jump ropes stood on tiptoe, gazing toward the rostrum, their chatter rippling through the damp air.
Inside the corridors, footsteps echoed like bouncing marbles. Somewhere, the crisp clatter of spikes hitting tin gave away a boy stashing shoes in a desk.
"Miyamura, good morning."
Just as Akira and Shouko were about to enter their classroom, a sweet voice greeted them.
"Morning."
Akira turned. It was the same girl from yesterday who had asked for his contact info. He nodded politely, then deliberately guided Shouko inside with him, hoping the gesture would make things clear.
But she either didn't notice or didn't care, heading off to her classroom without hesitation.
"What did you even talk about with her yesterday? She seems even bolder now," Akira muttered as they reached their seats.
"J-just normal stuff…" Shouko faltered, realizing how badly she'd messed up last night.
It had been her first time talking to a rival under Akira's name. At first it was thrilling, but she'd gotten carried away. Now she wished she could show him the chat log—but both their phones were with Shizuka.
So she explained as best she could.
Akira blinked at her, half-surprised, half speechless. Shouko had actually used his name to talk with a girl who liked him—until midnight. Wasn't that practically inviting trouble?
"After school today, I'll explain everything to her. Don't worry, Akira," Shouko promised, patting his shoulder.
"…Alright." He sighed but let it go. He trusted her. Especially her possessiveness.
Soon, Atsuya Ayumi arrived, dropped her bag, and started chatting with Shouko. Then Takagi and Nishikata entered together, followed by Nobe.
"Clap, clap, clap!" Nobe smacked the board at the front. "Everyone to the changing rooms. Once you're ready, meet at the track."
Chairs scraped the floor as the classroom emptied.
In the boys' changing room, Akira and Nishikata quickly changed into gym uniforms, tying red cloth bands around their left arms before heading out.
At the track, Ayumi was already organizing their class. Akira found his place in the front row beside Shouko, who had changed as well.
"Good luck with your sprint later, Akira," she said earnestly.
"Yeah, yeah." He smiled and patted her head.
Before she could reply, the principal's voice boomed over the microphone, silencing the crowd.
"Students, quiet down! I know you're excited, and so am I. I'll keep this brief. With the support of your parents, I hope you'll show your best today. I hereby declare the Sports Festival… open!"
Applause thundered through the stands. Music blared. Students began warm-up exercises in rhythm with the beat.
"Good luck, Akira! I'll be watching from the stands!" Shouko waved before hurrying off to sit with Yuzuru and Shizuka.
"Alright, everyone," Ayumi shouted, "relay participants, head to the starting point! The rest, go to your seats to cheer."
Akira joined the other runners. The relay was a class competition—six boys and six girls per team. Later would be tug-of-war and jump rope. His solo sprint wouldn't come until the afternoon.
"Quick, let Auntie see." Shizuka beamed when Shouko arrived in her gym clothes.
Shouko blushed but obliged. "Auntie, can I get my phone? And Akira's?"
Snapping a few more pictures, Shizuka handed over her bag. The stands around them buzzed with laughter and cheers.
"Sis, can I use your phone?" Yuzuru asked.
Without hesitation, Shouko handed it over, her own focus elsewhere. She had something important in mind.
Meanwhile, Shizuka admired her photos, occasionally glancing down at the track in search of Akira.
Down below, Mr. Sakai was organizing the runners. "Relax. Just run your usual pace," he told Akira.
"I'm not nervous," Akira chuckled. This was a team race—nothing worth overthinking.
"Good. You're sixth. Get ready." Sakai patted his shoulder and left.
Akira walked to his mark.
What's his password…
Shouko stared at Akira's lock screen. She tried his birthday—wrong. Her gaze drifted to him at position six.
The starting gun cracked. Suddenly, she realized. Fingers flew over the screen: 0607.
Unlocked.
Her lips curled into a smile. It was her birthday.
She quickly opened LINE. At the top, pinned in big letters, was Shouko. But she already knew that.
Glancing at Shizuka, she hurried into his contacts. There were only seven people:
The Most Beautiful Mom in the World,Dad,Aunt Yaeko,Nishikata,Takagi,Atsuya Ayumi, and one starred contact: Shouko.
That was it.
She checked their chat logs—nothing unusual. Takagi only had greetings from when they first added each other. With Nishikata it was just anime talk. With Ayumi, it was mostly math questions.
No secrets. No other girls.
Relieved, she checked his call history. Mostly spam, ignored. Two more names: Grandma and Granny Nishimiya.
"Akira, I got all your cool poses!" Yuzuru's voice jolted her. Shouko locked the screen and looked up. Akira was already back, taking water from Shizuka.
"Not hard," he said casually. "Just a relay."
Then he sat beside Shouko. When she handed back his phone, he leaned close and mouthed silently:
If you want to look, just ask. You don't need to sneak.
Her heart skipped. How had he noticed?
Before she could think, Yuzuru cried, "Sis, help me!"
She turned—and found Shizuka playfully biting Yuzuru's cheek, much to her despair.
The announcer's voice cut in over the speakers: "All first-year tug-of-war participants, please gather at the center of the track!"
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