What if I take the initiative and still get hurt?
What if sincere feelings are ignored?
What if the person I have a crush on mentions another girl's name?
This is a track with no rules and no finish line; recklessness and rushing forward only lead to injuries.
Just thinking about it made the sadness and helplessness from that day surge into her heart.
She had no idea that liking someone could hurt this much.
"—I really am a coward."
Lemon chuckled self-deprecatingly. The girl's current troubles might sound a bit far-fetched if spoken aloud—a beautiful girl from a well-off family has a crush on an ordinary boy but gets no results. But not all girls look at money and appearance; feelings are such an inexplicable thing. Once they're there, even a big gap doesn't matter, and even flaws can be ignored, seeing only the good points.
"One more lap."
As her frustration mounted, Lemon straightened up. Although she'd already exceeded today's training load and more running would inevitably strain her legs, she simply couldn't calm down.
—Take a step forward.
A voice seemed to whisper this in her ear.
But even though her feet clearly moved, she still felt like she was staying in place.
Ah, this feels terrible.
Was she going to be stuck like this forever? The competition was coming up soon…
Lemon quickened her pace again.
Her hero… would not appear.
That evening, Kiyono finished wiping the glass in the empty front hall and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. A cold crescent moon hung in the sky, its light bright and clear.
He absently reached out through the glass toward the beautiful moon, as if measuring its distance from him.
He was thinking of Yakishio Lemon.
How was she doing now?
After that day, he hadn't seen Lemon again. After all, one was in school and the other was working, so their usual interactions mostly relied on Yanami Anna connecting them.
"Kiyono."
A soft call came from behind him.
Kiyono turned around, slightly startled.
Yanami Anna stood in front of him, moonlight spilling through the glass. The girl's blue hair glowed softly, her reflection on the windowpane dancing with the dust motes in the beam. At this moment, she had one hand on her chest, her expression calm and serious, her gaze shimmering like faint ripples.
He was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "…Who are you? Get off Old Ya's body!"
"Don't call me that!" The blue-haired girl stomped her foot in dissatisfaction, her mysterious aura vanishing in an instant.
"So, what do you want to say?" Kiyono asked curiously.
Yanami lightly twirled a strand of her hair and said softly, "Go help Lemon, Kiyono."
"Huh? What's wrong with her?"
"She seems normal on the surface…"
Yanami met his eyes, her tone gentle. "But I can somewhat understand Lemon's feelings. She needs your help right now."
"This isn't a real war; how am I supposed to help her? I can't exactly tie up her childhood friend for her, or blow up the wedding car's axle, can I?"
He really couldn't get involved. They weren't even in the same school and had no chance to meet, so how could he help?
Besides, things had reached this point; there was no room for anyone else to interfere. She could only muster her own courage and fight for it. Love, after all, was a personal matter.
Kiyono glanced at her. "Aren't you her best friend too? Now should be your big moment to step up, right?"
"I can't be a hero." Yanami narrowed her eyes and smiled.
If it were before, he would have coldly refused with an air of superiority. After all, he was still worrying about what to eat tomorrow; where would he find the time to get involved in a romantic comedy?—though it was still the same now, at least he had accepted some financial assistance from Yakishio Lemon.
"I'm no hero either," he said indifferently. "I want to be like a light, floating cloud, drifting in the sky, free from any constraints."
"Is that so?"
Yanami's eyes were clear and bright, as if fish were swimming within them. "I, however, think that if Kiyono knew, he definitely wouldn't just let it be—because you're an idiot."
"You actually just wanted to say 'idiot,' didn't you…?"
"I'm entrusting Lemon to you. I think only you, with your similar passion, can pull her out of her predicament."
Yanami brushed her fallen hair back behind her ear. Today, her demeanor was exceptionally steady and serene, just like the moonlight at this moment.
Her usual innocent, foodie self; her delicate thoughts hidden within her generosity; and her serious approach to solving problems when her friends were in trouble—all intertwined to create this unique girl.
"…If I can meet her."
"Let's go," Kiyono said casually.
He turned and walked back to the lounge.
Yanami, however, didn't move. She stood quietly in place, watching the boy's back, biting her lip. A hint of loneliness and unhappiness finally crossed her pretty face.
She knew what her actions would lead to.
But she couldn't just let it be.
Ah, really…
"One day in the future, you must come and help me too, okay?"
The girl's almost imperceptible voice softly echoed.
?
The sky gradually shifted from pitch black to deep blue, with summer cumulus clouds floating in the air.
The number of car headlights hurrying along the national highway increased; electronic billboards switched to morning mode, and the first train crushed the last vestiges of night along the tracks. Everywhere showed signs of the city awakening.
Yakishio Lemon jogged through the quiet residential area, her mood neither relaxed nor distressed, but in a very subtle state.
Just then, she heard the ringing of a bicycle bell.
"Hey, you up ahead! Move or I'll run you over!"
The short-haired girl instinctively dodged to the side, then saw a familiar face.
"Kiyono, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
"Coincidence, of course. Do you think a handsome young corporate slave like me—who delivers newspapers in the morning, works at a restaurant at noon, and has another job at night—would specifically come looking for you?"
Kiyono smiled, the first ray of dawn from the horizon casting a soft glow on his profile.
Lemon glanced at his bicycle and saw that the front basket was indeed full of newspapers.
…For a moment, she had actually thought he came to check on her. She had really overthought it!
She walked slowly forward. "Kiyono has it tough too."
"So, how did things go last time? Did you go home and make a good battle plan for next time?" Kiyono pushed his bicycle while watching the girl's expression from the corner of his eye.
"Actually, I've been obsessed with light novels recently! Soon, a seemingly frivolous but actually very cool guy will appear by my side. He'll have a strong physique and a passionate personality, and whenever someone needs him, he'll immediately become dazzling and radiant."
Lemon held up one finger, her expression serious.
—Completely escaping reality!
"There's no such person in reality!" He gave the girl a fantasy-correcting punch.
"Anyway, I've come to terms with it! I can't help it; my brain really isn't very smart, and I can't calm down to read…"
The girl showed a seemingly cheerful smile, her hands clasped behind her back.
"The Lemon I remember wouldn't choose to retreat so easily," Kiyono said.
"That's not it at all…"
Lemon's hands suddenly tightened. She started to jog, as if to hide something. "I'm a little thirsty. What do you want to drink, Kiyono? As a reward for working so hard, my treat!"
"Mineral water…"
Watching Yakishio Lemon run nonchalantly toward the vending machine, Kiyono sighed.
Is it not time yet…
The next day, the two met again.
At the alley entrance where the morning mist had just cleared, Yakishio Lemon was standing on her tiptoes, reaching for something on a flowering tree branch—it was a pink balloon, seemingly having floated up there by accident.
The next second, a handkerchief embroidered with a lemon slice slipped from her pocket and lightly landed on the shoulder of the boy watching nearby.
The fresh scent of mint suddenly invaded his senses. Kiyono was startled and quickly took the handkerchief down.
"That's a textbook-level entrance for a stalker, isn't it?"
The girl took down the balloon, handed it to a little girl with twin pigtails nearby, then smiled sweetly at Kiyono.
"Miss Lemon? Didn't you just nonchalantly dump a huge accusation on me?"
Kiyono returned the handkerchief to her with a look of distaste.
It shouldn't count as stalking, right? He was just wandering around the target area Yanami Anna had given him for a while… He had permission!
Yakishio Lemon looked at him, the smile on her pretty face growing mischievous—after two consecutive days of "chance encounters," even she, no matter how slow, could realize something. This was an idiot who said one thing but meant another!
Her mood inexplicably brightened a lot.
"But…" She stopped, scanned her surroundings, and looked a little confused. "Kiyono, aren't you riding your bike today?"
"The bicycle chain broke halfway through my ride."
Kiyono looked dejected.
"Eh, that's terrible, isn't it? What about the newspapers? Are they all delivered?" Lemon's eyes widened.
"Not many left; it's not a big problem."
Lemon patted her chest and said without hesitation, "I'll help you deliver them. I'm pretty familiar with this area. Which houses do they go to?"
"…This won't do. You are a noble young lady. If word of this got out, I'd have to commit seppuku to apologize." Kiyono took a step back.
"Alright, alright—let's go, little brother."
Lemon gave him the kind of loving look an older sister gives her brother when he's having a chuunibyou phase.
Thirty minutes later.
"…All the grandpas and grandmas around here are praising me! Delivering newspapers is quite fun after all!"
At the bottom of the slope, Lemon stretched in front of him. Her almost perfect figure made Kiyono shyly look away.
"Hmph, truly a young lady who doesn't know the hardships of the world." Kiyono crossed his arms and let out a cold laugh.
"Why are you using such a rude tone? I helped you—I'm your benefactor!" Yakishio Lemon was displeased.
Her gaze fell on Kiyono's face, and she continued:
"Kiyono, do you have time now? Come with me somewhere!"
"Although my schedule for today is already full, if you insist… I can squeeze out some time," Kiyono said reluctantly.
"Are you the Prime Minister?!"
Lemon laughed and started walking, heading toward a sparsely populated path. Before long, a wide road appeared before them, with an endless sky, a clear river, and sparse, open land, as if they had reached the edge of the city.
Kiyono gazed into the distance, feeling the scenery was nice. "How did you find a place like this?"
"I often go for jogs to practice, so of course I have to find a good track beforehand."