"I don't mind if you go a little easy on me."
I vaguely heard a voice like that. Hey! Where's that fighting spirit you had for a decisive battle just now?!
Yakishio Lemon tied her shoelaces with a wry smile, her heart pounding. No matter what, she was an athletic girl, and this kind of showdown particularly ignited her fighting spirit.
The feeling of a formal competition was very nostalgic.
The air seemed to thicken.
It was as if she could smell dust and sweat.
—Kiyono, thank you for looking after me this past week.
With that thought, Yakishio Lemon took a deep breath and stood at the starting line.
Kiyono stood beside her, glanced her way, and took the same stance.
From here to the bridge by the riverbank as the finish line—
A short eight hundred meters.
It was already a very familiar route.
"—"
Without starting blocks, without a signal, both of them pushed off at the same instant, running into the orange sunlight.
Accelerate.
Run at full speed.
Yakishio Lemon controlled her breathing, tilted her head, and glanced over. Kiyono was now only two body lengths behind her. During this time, under her guidance, he had gradually mastered the tricks of sprinting.
However, he was still far from surpassing her.
"It looks like Kiyono is going to suffer his fifteenth defeat today." She still had enough room to pop the champagne.
Kiyono's eyes flickered, but he didn't speak.
In the latter half, the gap had become obvious—until Kiyono suddenly exclaimed, "Yanami Anna, Asahi—why are you two here?"
Why would these two be here?
Yakishio Lemon, full of questions, instinctively paused and looked back.
Then—the wind whistled past.
By the time she came to her senses, Kiyono had already passed her, sprinting with everything he had.
"Too sly!"
She shouted in annoyance and chased after him.
The clatter of the train on the tracks chimed softly.
The twilight of the setting sun sank lower, stretching the shadows of the one in front and the one behind.
The result—
"Hmph, hmph hmph hmph—hahahaha!" Kiyono, who crossed the finish line first, let out a cold, rampant boss-laugh, completely unashamed.
Yakishio Lemon stepped up beside him and delivered a quick chop to the head.
"Ouch."
The boss died.
"I really can't believe you…"
Yakishio Lemon sighed deeply.
"Anyway, I won!" Kiyono wore a stern look, as if he'd won fair and square, which made the girl want to smack him again.
"Yes, yes, you won. I can only let the Demon King do whatever he wants to me."
The athletic girl stuck out her tongue. The setting sun dyed the tips of her hair orange; that sudden cuteness, clashing with her usual boldness, made Kiyono's heart stir.
"Let's rest for a bit, Kiyono."
Lemon strolled along the riverside path, tinted red by the sunset. She loved it here because it felt like her grandmother's countryside: the clear river, the mix of old and new houses on both banks, the small iron tower, the power lines stretching straight ahead. Mountains loomed faintly in the distance.
She walked to a narrow path just wide enough for two, sat by the river, took off her spikes, and looked at the sparkling water before her.
The sound of the current was tranquil.
The chirping of insects could be faintly heard.
"It's very beautiful."
"It is very beautiful," Kiyono echoed, sitting beside her and looking ahead.
"Ugh, just thinking about being forced to confide in you gives me a subtle sense of shame," the girl said reluctantly.
"Don't make me sound like some pervert…" Kiyono was displeased.
He went on, "If you don't want to talk, you don't have to. Just chatting is fine—what your favorite food is, how you feel during a competition. We can talk about the seasons, flowers, the cat you met today. It doesn't even have to be with me; you can talk to Yanami Anna, or your mom, or anyone else."
He handed the choice to her.
"I wouldn't do something to ruin the mood like you."
Lemon tilted her head and studied his profile.
Ah—if it was this person, it would definitely be fine.
"…Um, where should I start?" She scratched her head. The feeling of laying her heart bare was a little embarrassing. "Let's start from the beginning."
Kiyono nodded.
Lemon spoke softly, letting the emotions in her heart flow.
All the feelings of these past few days:
Heartache, sorrow, pain.
The anxiety of being stuck in place, the dark unease.
When she finished, Yakishio Lemon exhaled—and only then realized that, after saying it all aloud, it didn't seem such a big deal.
Kiyono… what would he think?
She sneaked a sideways glance.
"What is it?"
Kiyono drew a long breath, as if at a loss. "So it was such a boring worry."
"Boring?"
As if denied, Lemon felt a catch in her chest. "So that's how you see it, Kiyono…?" She regretted speaking up for a moment.
"Actually, you're just disheartened, aren't you?"
Kiyono met her eyes.
"You saw Asahi and felt inferior to her. You thought you couldn't win, and you were afraid of getting hurt. You didn't dare face that feeling, so you ended up like this."
"That's an exaggeration…" Her heart twisted into a knot; she averted her gaze.
"You're just feeling inferior, aren't you? So you don't dare face your feelings; you don't dare reach out; you deceive yourself; and you've trapped yourself in place." Kiyono spoke each word clearly, almost harshly.
Instead of the sun's warmth, he chose a cold iron hammer to wake her.
"That's not it…"
She denied it on instinct.
"Actually, everyone is the same."
Lemon froze, and Kiyono continued.
"Asahi, the one you see as amazing—able to make boys fall for her with just a few words—deep down she must also feel uneasy, nervous, and scared. Everyone feels this way when facing feelings, including your childhood friend."
"Asahi… too?"
She couldn't picture it.
"She's also like you," he said. "It's just that, unlike your evasion, she chose to take the first step."
"So I see—" Kiyono smiled. "Miss Lemon, your life has been too smooth. So when you hit a wall, you were at a loss—and you even tossed aside your best quality: forging bravely ahead."
This scoundrel—he's too conceited!
Her soft spot was poked again and again. Lemon opened her mouth, tried to clamp down on the emotions in her chest—and failed.
A heavy, complicated look crossed her face. "I have regrets and pain too… Someone like you, who's good at dealing with the opposite sex, simply doesn't understand my difficulties."
"Do I really not understand?"
He smiled, inexplicably.
"Come with me."
He took her hand. Lemon, a little flustered, didn't shake him off; she only whispered, "Wait, let me change into sneakers," then let him lead her on, her manner suddenly delicate.
Kiyono brought her to where his bicycle was parked, casually set her spikes in the front basket, then pedaled off.
"This is…?"
They arrived somewhere completely unexpected.
Damp air, cramped spaces, dim lights, and everyone passing by wore a hopeless expression.
"This is my home," Kiyono said cheerfully. Under the girl's stunned gaze, he added, "A temporary home."
Home…?
Lemon stared, taking in the surroundings. Coffee cans and cup noodle boxes piled in a corner; a faint odor hung in the air; somewhere, a drunkard rummaged through a vending machine. She couldn't connect this place with the warm word "home."
Kiyono slid open a partition door and clicked on the light, revealing a space about three tatami mats in size.
"I've been sleeping here for two or three months already."
He paused, then smiled.
"How about it—my suffering's greater than yours, right?"
Yakishio Lemon, a bona fide young lady, gasped.
"I… this…"
Words failed her. Compared to the stark reality before her, her little worries did feel trivial.
"But… that's not quite right!"
After a silence, she planted a hand on her hip and let out a soft laugh. "Although Kiyono, you really are miserable—so miserable I'm wondering if I should lend you a place to live… these are two completely different things!"
How could the pain of love be compared to the pain of life?
"They're different—but there are similarities, aren't there?" Kiyono blinked.
Ah. Lemon understood.
He wasn't comparing types of pain; he meant their attitudes toward pain. Even in a place like this, Kiyono hadn't run away, hadn't complained, hadn't given up—he stayed positive and faced everything head-on.
And she, by contrast…
"Idiot!" she blurted. "Kiyono is truly a hopeless, big idiot!"
"Why are you suddenly attacking me…?"
Yakishio Lemon didn't know why she'd said it. Probably to hide the tangle of feelings inside. If she were in Kiyono's situation, she would feel an unparalleled loneliness and sorrow, hard to shake off—
Let alone show it to someone else on purpose.
He was doing this for her.
She could see at least that much.
So, he was an idiot.
"We talked about inferiority just now, didn't we? Can you tell me the truth now?"