Jin learned quickly that roadwork at Kagawa Gym was not a solitary activity.
It was a battlefield.
"WHY ARE YOU SO FAST THIS MORNING?" Shimada Haru yelled, already wheezing as they ran along the riverbank.
"I'm not," Jin replied evenly. "You're just slower today."
"That's WORSE."
Ahead of them, Mori Kensuke ran with clenched teeth, refusing to fall behind, while Sato Ryo maintained an annoyingly steady pace like a man who had accepted suffering as a lifestyle.
The rain from earlier in the week had left the ground damp, the air cool. Jin's breathing stayed controlled, measured. He wasn't pushing the pace—but he wasn't letting it drop either.
"You don't get tired," Shimada accused.
"I do," Jin said. "I just get quiet."
Sato glanced over. "That explains a lot."
They finished together, collapsing near the vending machines outside the gym.
Shimada lay on the ground dramatically. "If I die, tell my parents it was Mori's fault."
Mori kicked him lightly. "Get up."
Jin bought drinks without asking who wanted what. He handed them out automatically.
Shimada stared. "You even buy the right one."
"I pay attention."
"That's creepy."
Inside the gym, Kagawa Genji watched them enter, already irritated.
"You're late."
Shimada sat up straight. "We ran extra!"
"Then you ran inefficiently."
No one argued.
Pad work that day was brutal.
Kagawa pushed Jin harder than usual—faster combinations, sharper angles, less time to reset.
"Stop thinking," the coach snapped.
Jin adjusted. Not by turning his brain off, but by trusting what his body had already learned.
The pads cracked louder.
From the corner, Mori muttered, "He's changing."
Sato nodded. "Yeah. Subtle."
Between rounds, Jin leaned on the ropes, chest rising steadily.
"You're starting to punch like you mean it," Kagawa said.
Jin wiped sweat from his brow. "I always do."
"No," Kagawa replied. "Now you're deciding when."
That evening, the gym quieted earlier than usual.
Jin stayed behind, wrapping his hands again—slowly, carefully—when Mari Iimura stepped in, shaking rain from her umbrella.
"You missed lunch," she said.
"I forgot."
"That's bad."
He shrugged. "It happens."
She set a convenience store bag on the bench. "Eat."
He didn't argue.
As he unwrapped the rice ball, she watched him with narrowed eyes. "You're settling in too well."
"That sounds like a compliment."
"It's a warning," she said. "People notice consistency."
He chewed thoughtfully. "I don't mind being noticed."
"That's new."
He smiled faintly. "I'm learning."
They walked together after locking up.
"You ever think about what comes next?" Mari asked.
"Yes."
"And?"
"I think about tomorrow first."
She laughed quietly. "That's very you."
From behind them, Takamura's voice echoed down the street.
"HEY! DANCER!"
They turned.
Takamura pointed at Jin. "You sparring tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Good. Don't embarrass the gym."
Jin bowed slightly. "I'll try not to."
Takamura grinned. "I like him."
Mari blinked. "That's the scariest thing you've said."
Later that night, Jin lay awake, muscles aching, mind strangely calm.
He thought about footwork. Timing. Names on the wall.
He thought about the gym—how it sounded when empty, how it felt when full.
For the first time in a long while, tomorrow didn't feel uncertain.
It felt scheduled.
And somehow, that was comforting.
END OF CHAPTER
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