Gestures
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall


The Shrine was just up ahead, and the sight of it made my lips curve upwards as I picked up my pace, running even faster than ever.

I'll make it, I'm sure I can!

A gust of wind swept pass me, and I almost tripped when I saw something red, and I slowed to a stop and gaped at Sanada-senpai, seeing him hunched over after climbing the steps of Naganaki Shrine. He was breathing hard when I reached him, but I was too – though that's not the point!

"Phew…" he sighed. My eyes automatically turned to the beads of sweat that glistened on his skin when he straightened up, causing some of it to part from his body and fall to the ground. "Let's take a short break."

I managed to even my breathing after a few seconds, suppressing my amazement at how fast he was, at the same time, trying hard to forget the fact that he had defeated me in our race.

"The wind's starting to pick up..." I heard senpai say, looking up at the sky as a breeze cooled us down. It was a pretty long run from Gekkoukan High to Naganaki Shrine after all. I looked around and noticed that we were alone, which explained why it was a lot quieter than normal. "That's actually a blessing after working up a good sweat…" his eyes closed as a small smile made its way to his lips. "It feels nice."

It's just like senpai to say such things…

"I usually train at the club room or alone in my own room at the dorm…"

That information sunk deep into my head, and my mouth just moved on its own as words came from my lips. "I'll train with you, if you want."

My ears twitched when he gave a short laugh. "It'd be nice to have a running partner." And his amusement turned to a sly grin. "But if you join me, we're going to do more than just run everyday, okay?"

I had to shake my head to not think of perverted thoughts. Sanada-senpai wasn't that kind of guy, so he obviously meant other kinds of training – probably push-ups and crunches…

"In any case, I should've changed into my work gear…" He sighed, lowering his head to look at his attire. "I thought this would be just a light run for fun, but I'm drenched in sweat…"

"Don't catch a cold." I grinned, worried that he might get sick.

"This is nothing, I'll be fine." He assured me, just as the wind blew harder and colder, causing him to suddenly sneeze. I stared at him for a while, seeing him look away and blush. "…I said I'll be fine." And I burst out laughing.

It took a while for me to stop, and when I finally did, I saw senpai eyeing the horizontal bar. "Hey, want to try that before we head back?"

I almost gulped.

"You can't do a back hip circle, can you?" He smirked, the grin on his face taunting me.

"W-well I bet you can't either, senpai!"

"Oh, really?" He chuckled. "I'm actually quite good at it." I watched as he grabbed the bar and turned to me. "Want me to show you?"

I wordlessly nodded as he hung upside down for a while before swinging backwards in a full circle.

"Everybody should be able to do this." He looked at me, and I could tell how smug he was feeling.

I pouted and crossed my arms.

"Heh. Can you at least sit up here?"

I looked towards him, seeing those reassuring eyes, seeing that encouraging smile, seeing an outstretched hand…

My body moved on its own as I lifted a hand up, his gloved one taking it, fingers enclosing on mine as he pulled – the force letting me know just how strong he is, reminding me of how powerful those hands are – whether it's against an opponent on the boxing ring, or a Shadow in Tartarus.

"This takes me back…" he spoke, his tone softer than normal as I sat next to him, gripping onto the bar while keeping my balance. "It reminds me of when I was a kid…"

I glanced at him, seeing his gaze looking out into the far distance.

"I need to get stronger." He mumbled later on. "If I don't get stronger, I won't be able to save anything."

My eyes half-closed at his dedication, and somehow, something inside me just admired him all the more.

The orange light coming from the setting sun caught our attention, and when I turned to look back at my senpai, he looked like he was glowing.

"…We should get going." He said, turning to me with a barely-there smile. "Were you sweating today too? Make sure you take a bath so you don't catch a cold."

I laughed. "Translation: I want to go to Tartarus tonight."

"T-That's not what I meant..!" He blushed once more before jumping down. "C-Come on, stop laughing..!"

I decided to spare him – after all, I wouldn't be able to get down from here without his help…

Oh okay, I can, but I need an excuse to be able to touch his hand again, right?

"Hey, senpai, bet you can't catch me if I jump!"

His eyes glinted from the challenge – heh. I just knew he'd take the bait.

"Try me." He said with a smirk, arms wide and ready - and without hesitating, I jumped and landed into his arms.