"The tug-of-war match that the Class Monitor and Takagi signed up for is about to start. Aren't you going to cheer them on?"
Akira glanced toward the two students heading from the stands to the center of the field and asked casually.
Shouko first pulled Yuzuru out of Shizuka's arms before replying in her usual calm tone:
"I've been cheering for them in my heart. Besides, non-participants can only cheer from the stands. Isn't that the same as what I'm already doing?"
She waved her hand lightly as if to dismiss the idea.
"..." Akira turned back to the field. She wasn't wrong, but something about her answer didn't sit right.
"Look over there." Shizuka suddenly interrupted.
The two followed her gaze.
"Doesn't that look like Ishida Shouya's mother—your classmate's mom back in sixth grade?" she asked, frowning.
She still remembered Ishida Miyako, mostly because of the trouble her son had caused back then. But nearly a year had passed since they last saw her, so she wasn't entirely sure if the woman now causing a commotion in the distance was really her.
"Looks like it." Akira squinted. From this far, it was hard to be certain.
"It seems like Auntie Ishida is arguing with another parent. From the looks of it, they might even come to blows."
Quick-witted, Shouko grabbed Yuzuru's camera, zoomed in, and confirmed her guess.
"..." Yuzuru, nearly choked by the camera strap tugging her neck, decided not to ask if her sister had some kind of grudge against her.
Shizuka followed suit, but with her phone. After zooming in, she nodded. "It really is her. And the other parent seems to be Shimada Ikki's mother—I remember her from the parent-teacher meeting."
"Should we go check it out?" Akira asked as he freed Yuzuru, though he sounded more bored than curious.
"No need. If we go, we might get dragged into it. It's not our business anyway. Watching from here is enough."
Shizuka's gossipy side was itching to know more, though she had to admit she was a little jealous of the parents who could hear every word up close.
Naturally, the argument drew everyone's attention. Some parents craned their necks, while a few students ran off to fetch teachers.
Akira lifted his phone too, but instead of focusing on the quarrel, his eyes lingered on Shouya's blank face and Ikki's faint smile beside him. He could already guess the argument had likely been sparked by Ishida Miyako.
Within minutes, the tug-of-war was forgotten. Parents who had been cheering moments ago were now staring toward the commotion. Gossip, after all, was far more appealing. Competitions would happen again—but once gossip was gone, it was gone.
"They're fighting, they're fighting!" someone in the stands shouted excitedly.
Akira blinked. Fighting? It's just a tug-of-war match.
He looked back at the field. The match was still in progress, and his class even had the advantage. But then he noticed the direction everyone else was watching.
Sure enough, the two mothers were actually pulling each other's hair until teachers rushed in to separate them. Soon, both women were escorted away, with Shouya and Ikki following.
"How ridiculous." Shizuka smacked her lips and shook her head. She'd already decided that once sports day ended, she'd dig up the full story through her housewife network.
By now, the first-year tug-of-war had ended, followed by the upper grades.
Shouko and her sisters were still discussing the incident, but Akira ignored the noise and opened the novel saved on his phone. He had no interest in any sports events—except maybe the class fun competition Shouko had signed up for.
"Next is the class fun competition. First-year students who registered for the obstacle race, please gather at the starting line."
The announcer's sweet voice rang three times from the speakers before fading.
"It's my turn. Make sure you cheer for me, Akira."
Shouko whispered in his ear before hurrying down from the stands. Shizuka and Yuzuru waved after her.
Akira watched her go, and memories of Mr. Sakai's explanation during PE surfaced:
"At least two students from each class must participate. First, they'll run 50 meters to the center of the field, then draw a slip of paper. Each slip will have an item or person they need to 'borrow.' After finding it, they must complete the race with the item or person. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins."
Back then, Shouko had asked him:
"Akira, what if you drew something weird? Like 'the Principal's dentures'?"
"I'd quit immediately," he'd said flatly.
That memory faded as his gaze returned to the present. Shouko was on the second track, waiting for the whistle.
The moment it blew, she sprinted forward. Though she started strong, she quickly fell behind—years of little exercise catching up to her. Still, she reached the slip-draw fifth out of twelve.
"The rule is one draw only—no changes," a student council member reminded her.
"Okay."
Shouko reached in, pulled out the first slip she touched… and froze.
"The person you want to hug most right now."
Her eyes darted instinctively to the stands.
There, Akira was crouched with Yuzuru's camera, adjusting the lens despite the hair sticking to his forehead. His uniform shirt billowed in the warm breeze, his focus fixed solely on her.
"Shouko-chan! Don't just stand there! Go!" Ayumi's shout snapped her back.
Clutching the slip, she dashed toward him. Startled, Akira barely had time to put down the camera before she slammed into him, nearly knocking him into the railing.
Her breath was hot against his neck. The faint scent of gardenias and her usual fragrance filled his senses as she wrapped her arms around him.
"What did you draw? It's not something like 'kidnap a boy,' is it?" he muttered, ignoring the cheers and whistles from their classmates.
Shouko held up the crumpled slip, smiling through flushed cheeks.
"I drew 'The person you want to hug most right now.'"
Sunlight lit her hair, edging the slip of paper in gold like a secret promise.
"Shouko-chan! The finish line!" Ayumi's frantic voice reminded her of the rules.
Snapping out of it, she grabbed Akira's hand, and together they sprinted to the end. The bracelet on his wrist—engraved with Rope & Glass—clinked softly, tracing silver arcs as her hair flew behind her.
They finished second to last. The true loser was the unlucky boy who had drawn "The Principal's dentures." When he tried to actually take them, the student council promptly disqualified him.
Afterward, Shouko quietly pocketed her slip instead of returning it. When Akira asked why, she only smiled without answering.
It wasn't until years later, after middle school graduation, that he found the crumpled paper tucked into her yearbook. On the back, written in tiny letters, was a single line:
"The person I wanted to hug most was already waiting for me at the finish line."
During the lunch break, Shizuka took the three out to a small restaurant.
"Order whatever you like, just don't waste food," she said, sliding the menu toward them.
Shouko and Yuzuru chose a few simple dishes. Akira let them order and instead glanced toward the far corner of the room—where Ishida Miyako sat with Shouya.
Earlier, Shizuka had greeted her politely, then left her be. Now, Miyako was talking nonstop while Shouya kept his head down.
The two finished and left before Akira's group.
"Stop watching. They're gone. Eat up, and save your strength for the afternoon," Shizuka reminded him.
"Mm." Akira looked away and dug into his food.
But Shouko, unable to hold back her curiosity, asked, "Auntie, did you find out why Auntie Ishida was arguing with that parent earlier?"
Shizuka tapped her chin, recalling what she had heard from other parents in the stands.
"Let me think…"
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