Lemon's tone was a little proud.
"So… do you want to run with me? Don't worry about the pace; we can just chat and jog slowly. But as long as you can beat me once, I'll grant your wish!"
When she said the first half of her sentence, Lemon subconsciously averted her gaze. Then she took another step, looked directly into his eyes, and showed a brilliant smile.
Undoubtedly, she was timid.
She knew that Kiyono had "coincidentally" met her out of concern, but this situation was a little different from last time. If last time was a player with pre-game anxiety talking to a coach, this time she was a deserter fleeing the battlefield. Faced with someone who believed in her and encouraged her, she felt even more guilty and couldn't face him.
Yet at the same time, she was brave.
Even though she felt deeply ashamed—her eyes drifting and her lips trembling—when met with a friend's sincere concern, she chose to suppress her fear and respond with an equally sincere heart. She didn't want to hurt him with a cold attitude.
However, she was still a young girl, and during such an embarrassing heart-to-heart, she really couldn't just blurt everything out—she needed a suitable opportunity and a softer environment; after all, this was her most troubling concern at the moment.
"What kind of unreasonable request are you making to a corporate slave? My daily nutrition isn't even enough, and you're still forcing me to exercise!"
Kiyono looked her in the eyes. "However, I agree!"
If it were ordinary friends suddenly making such a request, a conversation like "How random" or "What exactly are you trying to say?" might have been the main theme—but the two of them quickly reached a consensus.
This was a tacit understanding that could only be achieved by truly knowing each other, empathizing with each other, and being willing to accompany each other.
Although he still had a "you can make any request" flag here, it was clearly not suitable for this situation. Even if he could force the girl to reveal her thoughts, it would only lead to a normal or bad ending.
He was pursuing the perfect route.
Of course, this referred to the girl's personal growth arc, not a romance arc.
Thinking of this, Kiyono quickly explained, "Yanami Anna forced me to do all of this."
Just blame everything on the Yanami family!
Yakishio Lemon nodded, clearly not taking it to heart.
"Starting now? I must wash away the shame from last time!" Kiyono was eager, looking even more competitive than the girl.
"Wait, you don't usually exercise much, do you? Sit down first."
Lemon pointed to the ground, indicating she would help him stretch.
"No need…"
"No! Running like that is bad for your body!"
Lemon crossed her arms, then moved behind Kiyono, firmly pressing her weight onto him. The girl's body was warm, and a faint dampness could be felt through their shirts.
"…It hurts, it hurts!"
And she smelled good.
Kiyono inexplicably recalled the scene in the park last time. Back then, the girl hadn't been overly concerned about his physical condition. Did this mean their relationship had quietly advanced a step?
As expected, he came in second.
Kiyono lay listlessly on a park bench, slowly recovering his stamina.
Yakishio Lemon went to the nearby convenience store to buy hot food and drinks, then naturally sat beside him. She put down the plastic bag, deftly took off her shoes—and even her socks—and sat cross-legged, barefoot.
Her loose athletic shorts rode up, revealing her still-warm thighs, and he was surprised to find that the girl's natural skin was indeed very fair.
The athletic girl patted her leg, smiling brightly. "Do you need me to lend you my lap to rest?"
"Don't say things like that to boys casually; they'll misunderstand."
Kiyono quickly sat up and took out a sports drink from the plastic bag.
"What's wrong, is sexy Lemon making you shy?" She seemed to have regained her energy.
"Not at all. I was going to say…" Kiyono paused, then spoke. "I just feel like there's a… subtle smell."
"Good. I'm going to make you regret saying that."
Lemon's eye twitched, a dangerous smile appearing—and then—
"Lemon-sama, please don't choke me from behind, I can't breathe!"
Really. Yakishio Lemon snorted and sat back down on the bench.
"Running with Kiyono like this feels truly incredible," the girl said, leaning back on her hands, looking up at the sky, her feet swaying.
She usually ran alone, and even her club seniors rarely practiced with her. She never expected to be running alongside a boy from outside school due to a twist of fate.
She hadn't even run with her childhood friend.
But it didn't feel bad.
Just having someone by her side brought a sense of comfort. She realized this.
"Tomorrow…"
She took a deep breath, as if to muster courage, and peeked at his expression. "Tomorrow, will Kiyono still come?"
"Of course."
The boy gave an affirmative answer.
"I haven't beaten you even once yet—how can I give up so easily? Even if it means betting my identity as a bargain-bin protagonist, I will defeat you!"
"Mm!"
The athletic girl smiled.
Over the next two days, the time Kiyono and Lemon spent running together grew longer and longer. At first, he would pretend to meet her by chance, but later the girl directly set a meeting time—one was in school, the other working, so their only free time was in the morning and before sunset.
During this period, Kiyono didn't deliberately bring up Lemon's concerns, nor did she proactively confide in him. They were just like friends who simply ran and exercised together.
They would chat while running.
For example:
"Kiyono, I've read a few romance manga recently and found that childhood friends are usually the 'losing dog.' So this isn't my problem, right?"
"Wrong, brother—wrong."
And also:
"Kiyono, since I won't win anyway, isn't it better to hurt myself less from the start? Don't you think so?"
"If everyone in the world thought like you, humanity probably wouldn't have made it to the point of dominating Earth."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think humans in primitive society would give up because of a little rejection from the opposite sex?"
"Hey! Don't compare people to primitive humans!"
Occasionally, conversations like:
"Kiyono, if you were stronger than me, I might actually fall for you—but it's a shame you're too weak."
"Oh, oh, oh—now I'm speeding up!"
Dawn, fields, sunset, overpasses.
Panting, breathing, footsteps, laughter.
The warm wind made one feel refreshed.
They were running in the same direction.
And in the evening, Kiyono would still escort Yanami Anna home—the difference was that he was now eating the Yanami family's homemade bentos.
"Here."
The bright moon and the girl shone together.
At this moment, Yanami Anna's slender, long hand held a food container. Through the transparent box, one could vaguely see the exquisite food inside, giving the girl a touch of gentleness and everyday warmth.
"Is this considered living off her…"
Kiyono's mood was somewhat complex. After he told the girl about his situation yesterday, she proactively decided to take on his dinner—of course, the meal was still made by her mother.
"I asked you for help; this is a deserved return!"
Yanami Anna tilted her head slightly, her eyes as clear as blue waves. "If you feel bad about it… I can keep a tab for you now. One bento is three hundred… five hundred yen is also negotiable! Kiyono should be able to start paying it back in half a year. Who knows, I might even get a 300% return!"
The curve of her lips was as delicate as a crescent moon. These words were essentially saying, "I have high hopes for your future," which had a significant impact on a young boy.
Since the girl had said this much, Kiyono no longer hesitated and simply accepted it—considering it an investment.
"How is Lemon doing?" she asked, as usual.
"I'm almost fully charged. I'll be able to unleash my ultimate move soon!"
Kiyono looked confident. He glanced at the girl—afraid she might feel excluded by her friend—and proactively said:
"Do you want to go run with Lemon? It'd be good exercise."
"I don't need to. For an enthusiastic athletic girl like Lemon, only someone equally enthusiastic can win her heart," Yanami Anna said with a smile.
"Hot-blooded men are no longer in style in this era."
"Go on, little senior."
Yanami Anna patted his back, her palm carrying a surprising warmth.
In the following days, Lemon quickly got used to this lifestyle: waking early to help Kiyono deliver newspapers; running together; parting before school; helping him deliver newspapers after school; running together until dark; sitting on a park bench with hot food and drinks from a convenience store; chatting about trivial things.
It was as if the gloom and confusion in her heart had been sweated out, and her whole being became very relaxed.
She rediscovered the joy of running.
She no longer ran to escape her inner self, nor to deceive herself.
Originally, she liked running… simply because it was fun and relaxing.
She gradually fell in love with this kind of life.
The image of her childhood friend that always lingered in her mind also faded unconsciously, turning into…
So, when Kiyono said those words, she suddenly understood.
It was five in the afternoon, the most comfortable time of the day.
Tap, tap—footsteps echoed from behind: neither too light nor too heavy, neither overemphasizing his presence nor conveying confusion.
Lemon's heart stirred, and she turned around—sure enough, Kiyono was walking toward her.
But today, Kiyono seemed a little… strange?
The girl was stunned. At this moment, Kiyono was like a legendary final boss, with an astonishing aura.
"Come on. It's the final battle," the boy said with a solemn expression.
Oh—so that's it.
Lemon instantly understood his meaning: this brief time was coming to an end. Immediately, a strong competitive spirit—along with a hint of faint loneliness—surged in her heart.
"My pleasure."
The girl grinned, then took out her competition-specific spiked shoes from her backpack and changed into them—at that moment, she clearly saw the corner of Kiyono's mouth twitch, which almost made her giggle.
"Of-of course. No problem," Kiyono said calmly.
The formula for victory had been written; his victory was a matter of course.
"Any last words?"
Lemon slowly stretched, every movement exuding the aura of a strong competitor.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
"I won't go easy this time."
Of course, whether she won or lost, she would no longer let her friend worry about her; continuing like this would be too lame.