All that matter to me is road racing. It started when I had my first bike and used it to ride round trips from my relatives' home to the hospital where my late mother was confined. It keeps me moving forward, as what she told me to always do during my last visit, and then I decided to become an athlete due to her encouragement.

Mother, wherever you are, I wanted you to know that without you, I would never be a great road racer that I am today.

I then vowed to become the best road racer and to keep on winning. That's all I thought of; road racing and the victories along with it. That's all that matter to me: victory. I don't give any care to anyone or anything as long as I win.

Then it all changed when I met you.

I thought you're like the other small fries out there, like the typical, mass produced cyclists. But when I was given the chance to know you, even though I mostly don't want to for the idea is as gross as it is, I realized that you're not one of them.

You're a strong female cyclist, even stronger than you might think. You ride like no one else. And when you gave me a chance to ride with you, I then saw it; the color yellow.

You made me believe all sorts of things that I don't usually believe in. You made me act the way that I usually do not act. You fill up the empty husk that is me whenever I give my everything to move forward. You showed me that I have the strength I never thought I have in me to be even greater in the sport that we come to love so much. You even added some more of that strength in me.

And you gave me hope that I thought was never there for me.

I know, it's so gross, even the thought of it is gross enough to make me cringe.

But what can I do? I realized that I don't have the strength to push the feeling away. Instead, that gross feeling gave me strength to hold on to it and never let it go.

And I have no plans on letting it go; the feeling of my love for you.

Most of the time, I did quite the very opposite to you. I pushed you away even though that I know myself that I needed you. I disregarded you in all the things that I consider important to me. I did not show you my support to you. I didn't even protect you at some circumstances that you needed to be protected.

All of us here know that I'm not the kind of person that apologizes, and you of all people know very well that I think the idea is so gross.

With all that, I'm truly sorry. I know that telling you that I regret doing it is not enough to prove you how sorry I am.

Despite all that, you gave me all the things that I never thought I would receive.

You supported me through the endeavors that I want in life, especially pushing me to continue road racing even though I failed to win it. Even though I did not ask for it, you protected me from all the people who put me down and not believe in me, like what you did when the bullies ruined my project back in elementary about what we want to be when we grow up. You stayed by my side, even though I belong to Kyoto Fushimi and you belong to Sohoku. You made me feel important that you'd do nothing without me.

Only you and my mother had done such a feet for me; you accept me for who I am and love me for all I am. It made me think that I didn't do anything to deserve all of it, to deserve you.

But here you are, standing before me and all the people that became very significant to us in all your beauty and glory.

And the knowledge of you wanting and willing to change your name and carry mine, from being Ms. (Last name) (Full name) to Mrs. Midōsuji (Full name), it made me feel that I've won the Inter High back when we were in high school, or any other road races that I've participated in.

Everyone here, even you, might not imagine how thankful I am to you.

I promise you, starting today; I will give you all those things that you gave me, even more than what you can think of. But do make sure that you'll consider me in all the endeavors that you want to accomplish as well.

I promise that we will have a life filled with all the crazy things that only both of us can think of. A life filled with travel, food, and road races. And all the things that you wanted to do, even if I'll think it's gross.

And I promise you, that I will honor you, cherish you, protect you, and love you and only you; in this lifetime, and the next.

If this once-in-a-lifetime event that was given to us, me marrying you, will be a color,

It will not be yellow, but golden yellow.


Yowamushi Pedal and Midōsuji Akira (c) Watanabe Wataru
Plotline (c) me
You (c) Midōsuji Akira