The Sports Festival was just a week away, and Hanamura High was already pulsing with excitement.
Music thumped faintly from a speaker someone had dragged into the courtyard. Students zipped from one station to another—hanging up flags, painting banners, checking equipment. There was laughter, chaos, shouting, snacks, and that electric buzz of something big coming.
Everyone was hyped.
Rio stood near the gym, sipping a chilled melon soda from a can. He watched the volleyball team setting up their court, the baseball team getting a little too rowdy, and the cheer squad blasting choreography at full volume.
> "Buzzing, huh," he muttered to himself with a small smirk.
Then—
> "Rio-kouhai!"
He froze mid-sip.
He knew that voice.
Turning around, the sight hit him like a flash from the past.
Rin.
Same wild hair. Same cocky grin. Jersey half-tucked like he still didn't care. And right beside him?
Taiki, arms crossed, already smirking.
"Senpai?" Rio blinked, eyes wide.
Rin stepped forward and pulled him into a quick, tight hug. "Long time, no wingman."
Taiki clapped a hand on Rio's shoulder. "Thought you'd be surprised."
"What're you doing here?" Rio asked, still in disbelief.
Rin grinned. "Hana City FC is doing some promo rounds before our match with the Tokyo All-Stars."
"The All-Stars?" Rio blinked. "You serious?"
Rin nodded. "Dead serious. Tokyo's best. National-level players. We're going all out."
"Damn," Rio muttered, half in awe. He hadn't heard that name in ages—Tokyo All-Stars. Players from elite academies, a team known for producing pros.
Then Rin leaned in with that signature glint in his eyes. "That's why I came."
Rio raised an eyebrow.
> "You're coming with me, Rio. Suit up for Hana City. Play beside me and Taiki again."
"Wait, you mean—?"
"Yes. Winger slot. Yours. I already told Coach."
Taiki gave him a lazy side glance. "You in?"
Rio looked between them—a new dream team, back in front of him. His heart pounded—not from nerves, but from something deeper. That fire.
He took a breath.
> "Hell yeah. Let's wreck 'em."
They all exchanged grins. The kind that didn't need words.
That new trio feeling?
It was on now.
---
The next few days passed in a blur.
Even after classes and prep for the Sports Festival, the trio met up—sprinting across empty fields, running drills until their legs ached, calling out plays until their voices cracked. Sweat, grit, and that deep kind of laughter that only came from shared passion.
Rio rediscovered a rhythm he didn't know he'd missed.
Rin's sharp passes cut through the air like knives, his playmaking vision as dangerous as ever. Taiki was faster now—more controlled. He read the field like it was a chessboard.
And Rio?
He was back on the wing. Cutting inside, crossing on instinct, timing his runs with perfect trust. His body remembered. His heart remembered.
Every night they trained, sometimes until the floodlights went out. Hana City FC wasn't just preparing—they were cooking something serious.
Finally… the eve of the Sports Festival.
Evening fell slow and golden.
The sun dipped low, casting streaks of fire across the sky, dyeing the school buildings in soft oranges and reds. Wind rustled the paper streamers still hanging from the second-floor windows. Somewhere nearby, a cicada buzzed.
On the quiet road behind the school, two figures walked side by side—Alya and Miku.
The final festival prep was done. Hanamura High had locked up for the night. But the glow of anticipation lingered in the air.
Alya swung her bag over her shoulder, chattering away. "So the cheer outfit is actually so cute now. They finally listened to me and changed the bows. I also smuggled in melon-pan for tomorrow, but don't tell anyone—"
She paused to laugh. "Oh! And that guy from Class 2-C? Dropped the flagpole on his own foot. I swear, he screamed like a banshee."
Miku smiled faintly.
But she was quiet.
Her eyes drifted past the school fence toward the open field, where faint shadows danced across the grass.
Two figures.
Rio and Taiki.
Training.
Even now, even this late, they were still out there—passing, sprinting, calling to each other in low, focused tones. Like they didn't care about exhaustion. Like this was the only thing that mattered.
Miku stopped walking.
Her breath caught a little, eyes fixed.
Alya turned. "Yo?" she asked, raising a brow.
"I'm fine," Miku said softly, not tearing her gaze from the field.
There was something about the way Rio moved. The fluid grace in his steps, the way his eyes scanned the field with laser focus. He was locked in. Focused. Sharp. It was like watching a completely different person—one who belonged in motion.
> Why does my heart feel like this…?
Miku bit her lip.
It wasn't just admiration.
It wasn't just curiosity.
There was something magnetic about watching him like this. The way he turned a simple pass into something that mattered. The way he smiled when a play clicked—just a flash, but it was real.
Suddenly, Rio turned.
He didn't see her. He just wiped the sweat from his brow, breathing hard, and nodded at Taiki.
But even that small moment—
Her heart skipped.
> Don't get distracted, Miku…
She turned away quickly.
But her heart?
Still racing.
They continued walking, silence falling between them like a curtain.
"Hey," Alya said after a beat. "You sure you're good?"
Miku nodded. "Yeah. Just… tired."
Alya didn't buy it. But she let it go.
As they passed the last turn toward the station, Miku stole one last glance back.
The field was fading into shadow now. The boys were packing up.
But her thoughts stayed behind.
Back on the field, Rio dropped onto the grass, gulping from his water bottle. His lungs burned. His muscles ached.
But he was smiling.
Taiki flopped down beside him. "You're fast! Really fast!!!!."
"Maybe you're just slow," Rio shot back.
Taiki laughed, throwing his towel at him. "You wish."
A soft breeze passed through.
Rin stood a few feet away, arms crossed, looking toward the fading sunset. "This team… feels real again," he said.
Rio looked up. "Yeah. It does."
The night crept in slowly.
But something new had awakened in all of them.
The Sports Festival was only hours away.
But so was something else—
A new union
A spark.
A heartbeat that wouldn't slow down.