The wind cut into Hayato's face as he sprinted. The sedan lunged forward, its driver's eyes fixed on the crosswalk.
"Yumiko-!" he shouted, arm outstretched.
She whirled around, a glare that could shatter glass on her face. "What are you-?"
He reached for her arm to yank her and her sister back, but she snatched it away at once.
"Don't touch me!" she spat, voice thick with reflexive pride, as if his urgency was an insult rather than a warning.
Her sister froze, eyes wide, clutching the bags.
Hayato's heart slammed in his chest. The car was nearly on them.
He dived forward again, but in that split second, Yumiko's hesitation condemned her.
The sedan hit her side first, the impact flinging her into the asphalt like a rag doll. Her sister's shriek ripped through the air. Bags flew everywhere, clothes spilling into the gutter.
Hayato's knees met pavement beside her, but her eyes were already frosting, her chest convulsing once before remaining still.
The world grew fuzzy at the edges. Burning rubber and iron perfumed the air in his lungs.
And then...
Snap.
The loop dragged him back through time, the taste of failure bitter on his tongue.
When he again opened his eyes, the wind and the red crosswalk light were waiting for him, exactly as they had been before.
Only this time, he knew exactly how fast she could die.
Yumiko Miura stood at the curb, hand on hip, the other grasping her sister's shopping bags as though she was beyond even the implication of waiting.
Hayato's heart pounded. He didn't go up to her this time, not yet.
"Hey," he drawled, falling into step beside them with the easy grin he'd acquired. "Quick question, you or me, who's faster?"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"Race you to that vending machine down at the end of the block. If you win, I'll carry your bags for a week. And if I win… " He let a teasing smile curve his lips. "…you admit I'm faster and owe me coffee."
She snorted. "As if you-"
The walk sign changed, and she turned away from the crosswalk at once, taking the bait, moving off toward the vending machine with her sister laughing behind her.
It was then that the black sedan tore through the intersection, running the red. It generated a wind that tugged at Hayato's coat.
Yumiko didn't even notice until she glanced back. Her steps slowed, and her lips parted, just enough for him to see the realization flash in her eyes.
He kept his tone light. "Guess we'll have to finish that race later."
Her sister gave him a knowing look. Yumiko didn't say thank you, but she didn't object either when he grabbed a can from the vending machine and forced it into her hand.
...
The Miura townhouse was quiet except for the soft humming of the heater. Dinner was over, her sister had gone upstairs, and Yumiko was on the couch with a phone and a cup of tea.
Hayato was just leaving, but her voice stopped him. "Hey. You."
He turned. "Me?"
She set her phone down without looking up. "Don't think I didn't see."
"Notice what?" He kept his face relaxed, leaning against the door frame.
Her eyes snapped to his, probing, challenging. "The way you suddenly sped me to the light. At that specific moment. Then some car just happens to blow the light? That's no coincidence."
He shrugged casually. "Maybe I'm just lucky."
"Please," she scoffed. "You're many things, but lucky isn't one of them. That was rigged."
There was a silence between them for a moment.
"So what if it was?" he said finally.
Yumiko's eyes warmed for a second, but her tone was still cool. "Then I guess I owe you coffee."
"That's all? No thanks?"
She smiled a little. "You'd probably get bored if I was too easy to read."
Hayato laughed. "Fair enough."
As he was turning to leave, her voice followed him, softer now. "Still… I'm not accustomed to losing races. So don't expect me to let you win next time."
He didn't need to turn to know she was smiling into her teacup.
...
The scent of grilled taiyaki drifted on the wind before Hayato had even reached the corner.
Subaru stood waiting by a tiny food stall, laughing at something the girl beside her was telling her. She had dark-brown hair, long and mussed back from the side of her head, warm and bright eyes, and right now she was trying to balance three individual sticks of dango on her fingers without letting one fall.
When Subaru spotted Hayato, her face smiled. "Hayato! Over here!"
The other girl turned, smile immediately spreading. "Oh! You're the one who-" She cut herself off, then approached, still smiling. "Kaoruko Waguri. Subaru's best friend. And… thank you. For being there for her when she needed someone."
Her voice was gentle but sincere, and something unthreatening in the way she looked straight at him, no hesitation, no sizing him up.
Hayato nodded his head. "You're welcome. I just happened to be around."
Kaoruko smiled and offered one of the skewers. "Here. Payment in dango. It's the best in the ward, so you can't decline."
Subaru laughed. "Kaoruko's love language is food."
"Ayaya, nothing's wrong with appreciating life's most valuable things," Kaoruko replied, placing a piece into her mouth. "And in any case, other people can think what they want of you, it's your actions that matter. I can see why Subaru has faith in you."
Hayato took the skewer but did not eat immediately, gazing at the grease smudges on Kaoruko's fingers from carrying too much food. "You're going to drop one if you're not careful."
Kaoruko tilted her head at him. "Then you'll catch it, okay? You look like the type of person who would."
Subaru smiled. "She's teasing you now."
Hayato sighed, but a faint smile hovered on the corner of his lips. "Fine. But reflex rescues don't come cheap."
Kaoruko laughed. "And how much do they cost?"
"It varies," Hayato said, finally taking a bite of the dango.
They shared a quick laugh, but Subaru picked up on the way Kaoruko looked at him when she didn't believe he was noticing, not suspiciously, but with gentle curiosity, as if figuring out the type of person he really was.
"So," Kaoruko interrupted, biting off another bite from her skewer, "are you always in the right spot at the right time, or was Subaru just lucky that day?
Hayato gazed at Subaru and responded, his tone firm. "Let's just say that I don't care to turn a blind eye to one who can perhaps be helped."
Kaoruko's smile became wider, though her eyes softened. "Then I hope you keep doing so. The world can use more people who don't turn their backs."
Her words lingered in Hayato's mind as the three of them moved away from the food vendor, the late afternoon sun bathing the street in golden light.
It was such a plain, ordinary moment.
And Hayato had learned from experience that moments like this were hardest to sustain.
---------------
Thanks for reading. You can also give me ideas for the future or pinpoint plot holes that I may have forgotten, if you want.
Powerstones. Me. Give. Now.