September 21st, Late in the day
Ryuji was nervous. The Athletic World Championship was in a few days. Sakiya was pissed off, and he didn't know why. He wasn't worried about his running skills. He was worried about her.
Each step he took while he sprinted on the track only made it worse.
"This isn't helpin' me!" He thought to himself, "I need to talk to her, not run! I'm plenty good at running, but not talking!"
The track appeared to extend infinitely as he continued running.
Running…
Running…
…
…..
"Hey, Sakamoto-kun!"
Ryuji skidded in his tracks and slowly came to a stop, turning to the source of the voice. One of his university track teammates was standing next to him, having followed his pace.
"Huh? What's up?"
"It's late, man!" He pointed at the setting sun, "We all know you're going to that big event, but you gotta still eat and sleep! You'll just pass out if you run all night!"
"Oh… I guess I got caught up in my laps…" Ryuji frowned and scratched the side of his head.
"You've run over ten kilometers in the past few hours! I get that you like training, but that's just crazy, man!"
"Huh… Ten kilometers... "
"Go get changed and go home, man!" The runner clapped his back, "I'm guessing you're trying to impress your girl, right?"
"My girl…" Ryuji sighed, a defeated look on his face.
"Oh.. Did you two break up? Shit, I'm sorry…"
"N-No!" Ryuji shook his head, "That ain't it…"
"Did you piss her off?"
"No!"
"Hm…."
"She got pissed about something and I'm not sure how to help… I don't want to be a shitty boyfriend…"
"This isn't like you, Sakamato-kun!" The runner laughed, "Just talk to her and charge in like you always do. It got you to that competition, so why wouldn't it help here?"
"You're only sayin' that cause you don't have a girl…"
"Hey! Shuddup!"
"I'm gonna get going now, alright? Thanks for snappin' me outta that, dude." Ryuji gave his teammate a nod and took off, thinking about the conversation he had with Sumire and Ren the night before.
"I know so!"
"It'll work out."
"I wish it were that easy…!"
Ryuji took a deep breath before walking up the stairs of the apartment complex.
"Do I talk to Sakiya now? It's late… And it's only been a day!" He gritted his teeth as he internally debated with himself. "Ah! I can't do it!" He speed-walked past her door, pulled out his key and opened the door to his apartment.
"Yo."
"Gah! Sakiya?" Ryuji jumped back in surprise as his door swung open and he saw Sakiya sitting on his bed, wearing her casual green dress. "How did you…?"
"Spare key."
"Oh… But why?"
"I can't hang out in my boyfriend's apartment?" She raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Wha- That ain't it!" Ryuji blushed, "Course you can, but I mean, I thought… Last night…"
"Right…" Sakiya jumped up, "I'm sorry about that. I got a bit pissed off."
"Um… Why'd you get mad? I don't really get it…" Ryuji hunched and sighed, "Pretty shitty of me, right?"
"We're both pretty shitty, Ryuji." Sakiya walked up to him, looking him directly in the eyes. "I realized today I don't practice what I preach."
"What're you preaching?" He gave her a confused look.
"When I train with Sumire, I often tell her not to let mental barriers impede her. Turns out that's what I've been doing."
"Uh… I don't really get it…"
"You're a simple guy, Ryuji." Sakiya laughed and patted his shoulder.
"H-Hey…!"
"I like that about you, though." She took a deep breath and wrapped her other arm around his neck. "You don't let silly little things get in the way of your goal. You have a one-trek mind, and I like that in a man. Once you see a goal you want to accomplish, you don't let anything or anyone stop you."
"I think you got it all wrong, Sakiya." Ryuji sighed and weakly laughed. "That's what I think of you. Back in highschool, I was a delinquent. I've told you before, right? About Kamoshida?"
"Remind me." She gave him a warm smile.
"Uh… Alright." He guided Sakiya over to his bed, and the two sat down. "Back when I was at Shujin, I was all set up to be the next big thing. I ran with my track buddies, and that was everything to us. Then the bastard Kamoshida came along and screwed it all up. Well... Nah…" He shook his head, "I messed it up. Kamoshida made fun of my dad, who was a drunk nobody, and even insulted my mom, who bent herself over backward to raise me. I tried to punch him... "
"I would have done the same." Sakiya grabbed his hand, "Back when I was younger, I pissed off my parents all the time. I was way more outgoing than they ever wanted me to be, and I got into a lot of trouble. It was all worth it, though. I learned a lot from my mistakes."
"Really?" Ryuji's eyes widened. "I mean, I knew you were a bit daring, but to think ya pissed off your parents…"
"I did!" Sakiya laughed, "I really did!"
"Huh… So you were a rebel, too…"
"Something like that. I still like to think I am, now." She smirked.
"Like when you walk around in the buff?" Ryuji smirked.
"I only do that for you, now! It was an old habit before…" She punched his arm.
"That so? Well thanks!"
"Heh."
"Uh… Getting back on track…"
"Right… My mental barriers. It turns out I'm a bigger idiot than Sumire. Last night, I was pissed the hell off because Hanako was more successful than me. Isn't that dumb? I told myself I wouldn't be jealous or mad, but guess what? I got jealous and mad! Every time she scored high, I felt like the gap between us was just growing bigger and bigger. It made me despair." Sakiya rubbed her hand under her chin in deep thought.
"A gap, huh? I used to think I wouldn't be able to run again after Kamoshida broke my leg. I became an angry and bitter delinquent, just like he wanted me to be. That all changed when I met Ren, though!"
"Ren, huh?"
"Yeah! Ren showed me that I didn't need to just sit and accept my fate! He taught me how to fight back!"
"With the Metaverse?"
"Yeah! I still don't really understand a lotta that stuff, but what I do know is that we were able to kick the asses of people who were untouchable!"
"I would have loved to have fought alongside you…" Sakiya rested her head against his shoulder. "I don't want to be pissed off, Ryuji."
"Then don't be." Ryuji closed his eyes. "If you gotta let it out, I'm here."
"I really hope I'm doing this right, Ren, Sumire!" Ryuji prayed internally.
"I… I want to practice harder, Ryuji."
"You think that's all you need to do?"
"I'm pretty sure…"
"You don't sound like it."
"I don't want to burden you with my silly problems." Sakiya sighed and shook her head, leaning back up.
"You can, Sakiya." Ryuji swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke confidently.
"No." She stood up, "I'll get over it, like I always do. You need to focus on your upcoming competition."
"But…!"
"Ryuji. This is my problem. I appreciate you wanting to help, but I don't want to hold you back. If all you do is think about me, you're sure to fall short of your goal."
"Sakiya…"
"I need to think some more, okay? Let's just focus on training. There's only a few more days, after all."
"Errr… Alright…"
"Be daring, Ryuji." Sakiya clapped his shoulder. "I'll be sure to watch you at the championship."
"Fine!" He shook his head and stood up, "I'll focus on training!"
"Good. It's pretty late, though, but come tomorrow morning, we're going to run like never before!"
"Sure!" Ryuji followed along, hesitant to push any further.
"With that settled…" Sakiya leaned back and stretched, "We should sleep!"
"Together?" Ryuji's eyes widened.
"Of course."
September 23rd, After Hanako's return home
Ryuji and Sakiya made their way to the local Protein Lovers in Shibuya, navigating their way through the ever-busy, bustling streets of Tokyo. They both changed and met up at the treadmills.
"So what do you got in mind?" Ryuji began stretching his legs, keeping both eyes focused on Sakiya, who wore her traditional sports bra and yoga pants combo.
"We're going to be running, of course, but I'll also show you some of the stretches you should focus on the most before you begin a sprint."
She walked over to him and bent down, pressing her leg against his calf. "Of course, you know plenty of different ways to stretch your legs, but as a gymnast, I know about many, many muscles you wouldn't even think about using."
"I bet!" Ryuji laughed, "You all can move your bodies in ways I can't even think about doin'! I mean, you can basically bend yourself so far back that you're upside down!"
"Every single stretch we do is meant to prepare some muscle for our routine. There isn't a single one in our body that we don't use. If you're aiming for a good score, you need to display that you are a master of the craft." Sakiya worked her way up and down his leg, pointing out different muscles. "Our legs have key muscles, of course, and there are only so many ways to use them. Now…"
Sakiya continued to point out a variety of muscle groups that Ryuji didn't even know existed. "A full-body stretch is important for every athlete. The way you hold yourself while you run, and the way you move your arms is just as important as you propel your legs forward."
"Yep!" Ryuji rotated his arm, "You always amaze me, Sakiya."
"Hm?" She gave him a curious glance.
"You're so smart and flippin' talented. I mean, you know three languages, love studying history, and you're a world-class gymnast!"
"You flatter me, Ryuji." Sakiya stood up and laughed. "I'm just doing the things I love."
"Well you're damn good at it!"
"True enough! We have five more minutes of stretches, and then we're going to run a few kilometers!"
"Got it!"
While Ryuji watched Sakiya stretch and then run alongside him, he desperately wanted to tell her how he felt. Before he met her, he had been running for himself. It was his passion and his ticket to success. He wasn't the smartest guy, but he didn't want to let the things he loved be ruined by others anymore.
"Well too bad for you, I'm done runnin' from my problems!" The words he spoke to Maruki on the Promised Day echoed in his mind. Whenever he looked at Sakiya, he saw his desire to make his dreams come true. As she ran alongside him, he saw a wide smile on her face, sweat dripping from her body.
Did he want to share his dream with her?
Just what did he want from his relationship with Sakiya? He was pretty sure at this point that he loved her, but was he ready for that? He admired everything about her. Her daring, bombastic attitude, her casual approach to just about everything, her openness, and her drive.
Sumire told him that he'd be able to share his burdens with her one day, but when was that day coming? Was it today, tomorrow, or a year from now? What did that even mean, anyway? He blurted it out of frustration, but now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure.
He just wanted her to talk about the things that picked away at her with him.
Just one.
If he got to complain to her, why couldn't she complain to him? It didn't make any sense. She was jealous of Hanako. That made sense, sure. Just practice harder, though? That can't be all there is to it.
But she wouldn't let him pry any further. Just focus on running.
The problem was that he wanted to run with her, not just alongside her.
"And time!" Sakiya took the emergency key out of her treadmill, coming to a halt.
"Time!" Ryuji did the same, letting himself slide off, landing on his feet.
"Feel ready to do some sprints?" Sakiya kicked her leg up and grinned.
"You bet I do. It's my specialty!"
"Then why do you look so uneasy, Ryuji?" She furrowed her brow, glancing at his nervous face.
"It's uh…"
Sakiya curled her fingers into a fist. "If it's about me, I'm going to kick your ass. You don't have time to worry about me, Ryuji."
"Sorry…"
"Don't give me sorry. This is your chance to become even greater, Ryuji!" She stomped her foot. "If you just worry about me, you'll trip, fall, and it'll all be over! Don't you want to make it to the Olympics?"
"Yeah!" He gritted his teeth and raised his voice, "And I want to because you gave me hope. Don't you remember? You were the one who told me I could make it. I never thought about this kinda stuff before. I just wanted to run because I loved running! But then I met you, Sakiya. You made me feel like a man; a man who could be more than just some sprinter. Just like gymnastics, track is an individual sport, but at the end of the day, we all have each other's backs. If one of us ends up pukin' after a meet from the heat, we're gonna help him up and get him some water. If we trip and fall, we'll pick each other up. I want to do that with you!"
"Ryuji…" Sakiya took a step back, shocked.
"Do ya get what I'm tryin' to say? Sorry if I got loud…"
"No… it's fine. I just…"
"You don't have to come up with an answer right now." Ryuji shook his head, "I know you're in a tough spot. How about you watch me run, first? Maybe you'll figure something out then."
"You don't have to go that far, Ryuji…" Sakiya winced.
"I want to. You're totally right. The World Championship and Olympics are important to me. I'm going to show you that they are because of you. I'll show you just how serious I am about sprinting, alright?" Ryuji crossed his arms, an intent look on his face.
"That sounds like a challenge!" Sakiya slashed her arm in a forward motion.
"It is!"
"Fine then! If you want to challenge me, so be it!"
"Good!" Ryuji pumped his fist. "You're on!"
Over the next few days, Ryuji and Sakiya remained locked in what seemed to be a competition to train. On September 25th, Ryuji left for Doha. Leaving early allowed him to get settled in before the first official day, which was the 27th. Under normal circumstances, someone as new to the field of international sport wouldn't have made it to a World Championship in their first year competing, but thanks to Ryuji's stellar performances in the two events he participated in and a large number of recommendations by his Japanese teammates, he was invited. In an act of mutual understanding, Ryuji and Sakiya agreed not to contact one another until the competition was over. They both agreed that he would focus on sprinting and sprinting alone. The first major preliminary went well, with Ryuji reaching the finals of the 100-meter sprint against all odds, surpassing even his Japanese teammates. On the 28th he competed in the finals and claimed 8th place, which was last. It irked him, but he knew that was still really damn good. He was going to the finals for the 4x100 meter sprint on the 5th of October. Everyone watched as Ryuji made it to the finals, cheering him on. The only reason it annoyed him was that he ended up thinking about Sakiya, despite how hard he tried not to.
That night, in a fit of frustration, he texted Ren.
Ryuji: Dude. Man… Can I get some help with talking to Sakiya when I get back from the Athletic World Championship? I can't stop thinking about her, and I have no idea what to do!
Ren: You're lucky it's a weekend, Ryuji. I'd be asleep otherwise. I'm totally down to talk, though.
Ryuji: Oh shit it's probably really late over there, isn't it? Sorry!
Ren: Sumire and I stayed up late watching French drama films.
Ryuji: "Watching films." Got it.
Ren: Heh. So you can't stop thinking about your girlfriend. Why is that a problem?
Ryuji: Because it's exactly what she doesn't want me doing! She wants me to focus solely on sprinting!
Ren: Oh I see. Sumire believes that thinking about and having me watch her makes her perform better, so maybe that'd work for you?
Ryuji: But she doesn't want me doing that!
Ren: She can't read your mind.
Ryuji: That's true…
Ren: Let your feelings guide you, Ryuji, not hold you back. When you sprint, sprint for Sakiya.
Ryuji: Right. I can definitely do that.
Ren: Just do that for now, and we'll talk about what to do with Sakiya after. She's denser than I thought…
Ryuji: So I gotta let my feelings for Sakiya energize me?
Ren: Exactly.
Ryuji: I'll try that for now. Thanks RenRen.
Ren: You're welcome. Goodnight.
Ren rubbed his index and middle fingers on his nose and yawned.
"Getting texted late at night again?" Sumire giggled and looked up at him.
"I'm a popular guy, what can I say?" He smirked.
"I won't let anyone else have you~" Sumire traced her finger across his chest.
"You're really going to have to try hard not to let me get stolen away."
"I'm not going to try. I'm just going to succeed. You're all mine, Ren."
"That's what I like to hear!" Ren wrapped his arms around her and looked back at the TV, waiting for sleep to overtake him and Sumire.
On the 29th, Ryuji reached the semifinals for the 200=meter spring and claimed 7th place in the 3rd Heat, a series of races where the winners competed against one another. The next few days saw Ryuji training with his international track teammates for the final competitions on the 5th of October. When the day came, the Japanese 4x100 meter relay team claimed 2nd place, winning the silver medal and barely edging out the British team. His teammates for the race were Yoshihide Kiryu, Kiara Shiraishi, and Shuhei Tada. With this victory, Ryuji claimed a spot as one of the competitors for the Olympics in 2020.
Sakiya flipped over backward in Futaba's chair, which she took over while all of them watched at her apartment. Futaba and Hanako cheered happily, with Hanako sneaking in a hug. Sumire and Ren watched from their apartment, with Ren stating that he was "drowning in work," and would watch in between his little breaks. Sumire decided to stay and support him, taking advantage of the alone time, being able to spend the day with him. Ren reminisced on when he first met Ryuji, smirked as he remembered meeting a punk who was angry at everything. Now, he would be competing for an Olympic medal. It was bizarre to think about, but it made him smile. Not only that, but Morgana cheered Ryuji on as he finished his relay and took the silver medal. The two of them had a rough relationship, but they still cared about each other. At the end of the night, Sumire and Ren teased Morgana, who couldn't deny that Ryuji had his talents. Everyone went to bed late that night, but they were all happy for their friend.
October 6th, Afternoon
Sakiya waited impatiently for Ryuji to show up outside the apartment complex, occasionally peeking out of her door and pacing back to her desk. She had a heaping pile of assignment work waiting for him, but she had no idea when he was coming back. He texted her that he'd be back on the 6th!
"He's damn lucky he told me what classes he enrolled in!" Sakiya stared down at the list of his professors' emails. "He barely managed to tell his professors that he had this competition coming up! You need to warn them beforehand, idiot! I'll have to discipline him later... "
"What are you doing, Sakiya?" Futaba gave her a confused look, standing on the balcony and sipping from a carton of juice as Sakiya peeked out the door again.
"That damn Ryuji should be back by now! It's already late, and if we don't stay up all night doing assignment work, he is screwed!"
"Huh. I'd help you out, but I need to get to sleep on time. Don't want Hanako getting angry." She continued to casually sip her juice.
"Get a blank cheque! I'd really appreciate the help!" Sakiya bickered back.
"I'm sure Ryuji-kun is fine, Sakiya-chan!" Hanako stepped out from her apartment door. "Maybe the trains are running late…?
"Any minute now!" Sakiya patted her feet excitedly.
After several more minutes of waiting, the group saw a mass of blonde hair appear within their field-of-view.
"Hey, look! He's sprinting home, too!" Futaba laughed.
"Ryuji!" Sakiya yelled down to him as he slowed down, stopping in front of the complex.
"H-Hey!" He panted. "I'm back!"
Sakiya ran down the stairs and straight up to him, an excited look on her face.
"Mon Dieu, Ryuji! You made it to the Olympics!"
Ryuji reached under his shirt and pulled out a shining, silver medal, grinning. "Yup!"
Sakiya felt a pang of hope in her chest as Ryuji giddily laughed, flexing the medal. She jumped at him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Huh? Sakiya?" A look of surprise crossed his face.
"Good job. You're drenched in sweat, by the way." She looked up at him with a grin.
"My bad…"
"Congrats, Ryujiiiiiiiii!" Futaba hollered and waved, and Hanako joined her.
"You have a hell of a lot to catch up on for uni, though." Sakiya's eyes immediately narrowed.
"F-For real?" He immediately frowned.
"Just you, me, paper and pen!"
"Can you at least dress the part?"
"Heheh." She smirked, and the two made their way but upstairs onto the balcony.
"You made it to the Olympics, Ryuji-kun!" Hanako glared at his medal, starry-eyed.
"I did!"
"I'm definitely rewarding you when we're finished with the assignment work!" Sakiya wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Mwehehe. Reward." Futaba snickered mischievously.
"Don't you reward Hanako, Futaba?" Ryuji gave her a devilish grin.
"H-Huh? No!" She turned beet red.
"Yes you do, Futaba-chan!" Hanako giggled, which only made Futaba want to disappear more.
"Wait, Hanako, don't fall for it!"
"Fall for what?"
"Oh… So you two are…" Ryuji nodded.
"No!" Futaba rapidly shook her head.
"No more distractions, Ryuji." Sakiya grabbed his ear. "It's time to study. I'll reward you when we're all caught up."
"I make it to the Olympics and I gotta do homework… Man…" He sighed while Sakiya dragged him away, leaving Hanako and Futaba on the balcony.
"Why did you say you don't reward me, Futaba-chan?" Hanako gave her a curious look and a smile. "We watch shows all the time after I come back from competitions!"
"That's…" Futaba's blush encompassed her whole face. "Darnit, Ryuji! He meant something else!"
"Something else?"
"Oh nevermind!" Futaba spun around. "Let's work on our assignments too!"
"Sure thing!" Hanako joyfully replied, happy to spend any time with Futaba.
Ryuji let himself be dragged inside by Sakiya, and she practically threw him onto the bed.
"You really made it?" She choked on her voice.
"Yeah! I made it! I did!" He exclaimed.
"I-I'm... "
Sakiya felt a series of strong surges flow through her, making her heart beat faster.
"What is this?" She thought to herself, grasping her chest. Not only was she happy for him, but she was also ecstatic. Her heart was filled with pure excitement. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to scream.
So she did.
"I'm done falling behind! You made it, Hanako made it… I want to make it, too!"
For the first time since he met her, Ryuji saw Sakiya cry.
"S-Sakiya…" He slowly stood up.
"There are so many things holding me back!" She continued, "Hanako is in an entirely different league, and I don't want to accept that! I know I have to, but it's so stupid! I could have competed in the World Championship for France and gone to the Olympics like that, but I want to represent Japan! I love my country, and Japanese rhythmic gymnasts are practically unknown! It's always about Russia or Ukraine or Israel! I want to bring Japan to the top, but Hanako's already doing that!" She clenched her fist. "So now I'm stuck! I can't return to France. I don't want to, but I can't represent Japan the way I wanted to, either!"
"H-Hey." Ryuji walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Sakiya… I… Let me share these feelings with you. I know you're in a tough spot, and I've been there! You know exactly what I mean! I want you to let me be jealous with you, and I want to get mad with you, too!"
"What are you saying?" She sniffled. "Why would you want to share your feelings with me? You have your own goals you want to accomplish, and I have mine…"
"Sure but… We're dating, right?" He gave her a reassuring smile. "What's wrong with us sharing our anger?"
"Jeez… You're an idiot…"
Sakiya buried her face in his chest.
"I-I can't close the gap between Hanako and me, but maybe I don't need to…"
"You don't." Ryuji patted her back. "What I think you need to do is show everybody in the gymnastics world what you're made of. Who cares if Hanako is going to the Olympics? You lost your chance now, but this means you have four years to train and surpass her! I mean, even if she does good… down the line in 2024 you can blow even her best out of the water!"
"Huh…" Sakiya found herself slowly smiling. "Maybe you're right… Besides… Sumire is my rival, not Hanako. I want to make it to the Olympics with my power!"
"Yeah!" Ryuji smirked, "Sometimes reality sucks, but we gotta make the best of it, right?"
"Exactly!" Sakiya smiled fully again. "A little hope can go a long way!"
"Damn right!"
"Mental blocks… Screw those!" She exclaimed.
"Screw 'em!"
The two found themselves laughing together, and Sakiya felt the feelings in her chest become even stronger. She still couldn't tell what it was, though. After a few seconds, she cleaned her face and sat down with Ryuji on the bed.
"So… I've been meaning to ask… You say Sumire is your rival, but what does that mean to you?" Ryuji gave her a curious look.
"What does it mean to me?" She raised an eyebrow. "Well, if I had to put it into words… Sumire is the one person in the world I don't want to lose to. When I started getting into the Senior Level of Rhythmic Gymnastics, like with Grand Prix events and World Cups, I jumped in when I heard that she was going to be at Thiais. Before then, I hadn't thought much about when I'd start. I just figured I could. Gymnastics is my way to be seen and known by the world… Sumire's grace really inspired me. I've always loved the clubs, but she made me want to use the ribbon, and now it's my second best apparatus."
"So Sumire made you want to get into international gymnastics?"
"She definitely accelerated the process. I declared her as my rival as soon as we met, and she didn't even know who I was. Pretty silly of me, right?"
"Not gonna lie, that is pretty funny." He smirked.
"Most of all… I think the main reason I try to stay ahead of her no matter what is because…" Sakiya leaned her head up, a look of uncertainty and hesitation in her eyes, "I'm afraid."
"Afraid?" Ryuji looked at her like she was a complete stranger. He was flabbergasted.
"Sumire is still perfecting her routine and graceful style, but from what I've seen, she's going to be one of the greatest rhythmic gymnasts in history. I don't want to lose to her."
"Well you haven't yet, so I'm sure you'll be fine." Ryuji lightly chuckled. "I believe in you."
Badump
"T-Thank you, Ryuji."
"Why is my face so hot?" Sakiya panicked internally.
"See, this isn't so bad? He patted her shoulder. "All we have to do is talk to each other!"
"I guess not…"
"If you need some time… I'll wait."
"Hmmm… I'll take you up on that." Sakiya closed her eyes. "I have a lot to think about now, thanks to you." She nudged him in the side with her elbow. Hard.
"Ow."
"We still have assignment work to finish!" Sakiya stood up and stretched. "Let's get to work!"
"Awwww…" Ryuji frowned.
"Ryuji… Don't you want to be rewarded?" Sakiya gave him a sly grin.
"Fine!"
Reluctantly, Ryuji joined Sakiya to catch up on his homework while she completely calmed down, having just revealed a new side to herself.
A side Ryuji would only get to know.
October 12th, Late Afternoon
Ren sat down inside the Shibuya Big Bang Burger. Why did Sakiya always choose the strangest places to meet? When he left work for the day, he opened his phone and saw a text from Sakiya asking him to meet her after practice.
So here he was.
"Thanks for coming." Sakiya waved at him as she walked in and sat down.
"What's up?" He leaned back
"You heard that Ryuji made it to the Olympics, right?"
"I did." Ren nodded, an excited smile on his face. "Are you happy?"
"I am!" She smirked.
"Still jealous of Hanako?"
"I am, but I'm not going to let it stop me. I need to keep improving. That's all there is to it. Ryuji made it, Hanako made it, and I can make it. I have to wait a while, but I'm going to make the most of the time I now have."
"I'm glad you figured something out, Sakiya. It's normal to feel jealous and to think that the entire world is against you, but we can work through it, right?"
"Yeah!" She smirked. "You sound like a therapist, you know that?"
"Really? I don't think so." Ren chuckled, playing it off.
"I guess you're just really good at giving advice."
"So," Ren curled his fingers together, "How do you feel about Ryuji's win?"
"I'm really excited! He's made it so far in such a short time… I swear he's a prodigy!"
"Heh, he might be. He's doing what he loves."
"I'm definitely more excited to see him there than Hanako…" She sighed.
"Don't be like that, Sakiya."
"Yeah, you're right! I even promised Ryuji I wouldn't worry about that stuff." She shook her head.
"You're making promises with Ryuji now, huh?" Ren grinned.
"Yup! It feels nice… It's… new."
"New… Well, I'm happy for you two."
"Thanks!" Sakiya leaned back and laughed, and as they laughed, he felt the word Hope echo within the sea of his soul.
Now…" Sakiya looked around, "Let's get some burgers."
"Sure." Ren pointed at the wall, where a picture of Sumire still sat, "By the way… Sumire is the champion here."
"Oh?" Sakiya raised her eyebrows, "I can't just let this slide!" She stood up and looked for an employee. "Excuse me! I'd like to order your largest burger!"
"You'd like to take the Big Bang Challenge?" One of the waitresses responded to her cheerfully.
"Yes, please!"
"If you can finish the burger, it's free! Only one person has successfully completed this challenge!"
"Bring it!"
Sakiya and Ren were left waiting for a few minutes, and eventually, the waitress brought out a burger of galaxy proportions. Ren had seen it only once before. A bead of sweat dripped down his face.
"Here you go!" The waitress pulled out a timer. "Let's see how quickly you can finish it, if you can at all!"
Ren gulped.
"Go!"
Sakiya picked up the burger and quickly picked away at it, absorbing different sections of the burger in rapid succession. She really was like Sumire when it came to eating. It took her over a minute, but she finished the burger in near-record time.
"By Metatron…" Ren gasped.
"Amazing work, Miss! You managed to complete the Big Bang Challenge in one minute and seven seconds!"
"Wh-What is the record?" Sakiya burped.
"One minute exactly!"
"Damnit… Sumire!" She raised a fist to the ceiling, shaking it violently.
"Miss?" The waitress gave her a concerned look.
"I was trying to beat the record."
Sakiya sighed and rested her head between her arms.
"You still did an incredible job, Miss! Would you like your photograph taken and put on the wall?"
"Absolutely!"
The waitress went to retrieve a camera, and Sakiya stood up and placed herself in front of the wall. Ren laughed and gave her a thumbs-up, his face smug.
"You tried!"
As the waitress took her photo, Sakiya had a grumpy look on her face. She sat down afterward, glaring dagger at Ren.
"That won't happen again." She scoffed.
"Sure thing, Sakiya." Ren crossed his arms, smug as could be.
"I will beat Sumire in the 2024 Olympics, Ren! Just watch me!"
"I look forward to seeing you try!" Ren chuckled, and Sakiya joined him.
Shortly afterward, the two parted ways, a new spark of hope billowing within Sakiya.
The next semester passed quickly for the group, with Hanako, Sakiya, Sumire and Ryuji tripling down on their training. Hanako and Ryuji were Olympic-bound, which meant that they ended up practicing with both their friends and international teammates. Sakiya continued to help Ryuji with his classes, juggling practice, her own work, and him. Futaba assisted Hanako with her work, and even started practicing with her more. In October, Hanako went to see a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with Asperger's. This didn't change her outlook on life at all. She was happy to have some answers that explained how she thought about the world, her hobbies, and her life in general. Despite all that, she didn't really care. It didn't change her love for gymnastics, anime, or Futaba. Her parents were confused by the news, and appeared to deny it. They didn't want to understand the concept, which saddened Hanako. She found herself too busy to schedule another appointment with Ren, and the two were separated until the New Year.
Sumire found herself more determined than ever as she went into the fall semester, visiting Kasumi on the 13th of every month, and practicing every day. She honed in on practicing with the clubs, managing the concept of handling both at once. Ren tried to make her way to her practice sessions on certain weekends, which made her extremely happy. Sakiya began to become even more daring in her routine, determined to surpass Hanako instead of catching up to her. She made her tosses go even higher, her pivots longer, and her performances more bombastic. Ryuji cheered her on in his downtime, caught up in his own training. He was happy to see her back on track. Ren continued his internship at Tokyo Mental Health while watching his own mental health, with Maruki returning in mid-October.
Everyone eagerly awaited the 2020 Olympics as the New Year approached, and Ryuji eagerly prepared for something even bigger than that. As he spent more and more time with Sakiya, he began to realize that he wanted to tell her how he felt.
