CH 8

And so the next day, the three of us gather to start practicing. Since homeroom starts at 8:35, we meet up at 7:30 to get some good practice in.

Now that I think about it, this is the first I'm meeting up with people at school like this. Unsurprisingly, because of Hanabi watching me like a hawk, I never had the chance to hang out with other classmates.

I see Yukishiro-san and Hasuike on the sports grounds already, so I wave to them. Is this what it feels like to be a true blue student?

Looking back, this morning's train ride was sort of weird, but in a good way. I didn't see Hanabi and Kirigaya flirting for once. It'll do me some good not to be near them, that's for sure.

"Good morning Ichinose-kun."

"Sup Ichinose"

"Hey you two."

I already put on my gym clothes at home, so I drop off my bag and start warming up. On the other hand, Yukishiro-san, who apparently isn't athletic according to her, was moving around really awkwardly.

"O-okay... Aaa... Mmmm.. Ahh?!"

Yukishiro-san falls on her back as she tries to balance herself. Even though she's trying her best, I can't stop myself from cracking a smile. Her movements kind of look like a puppy almost.

"H-hey, you're laughing at me!"

"Sorry, sorry. You were just too cute."

"Hnnng..."

I was just saying what was on my mind, but my directness seemed to have embarrassed Yukishiro-san.

"Hey Ichinose-kun, are you some sort of secret stud or what?"

"Huh, a stud?"

I don't really interact with people, so I’m at a loss for words...

"Hey, you guys sure have the balls to talk about studs in front of me..."

With tears in his eyes, I can hear Hasuike's pained voice. His face looks even more menacing than before, it's honestly bloodcurdling...

Geez, sorry dude.

"Guah... A-alright, let's get started with our revenge!"

"I thought you guys would be helping me with running?"

And so we added that to our regiment as well.

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Thanks to Hasuike's coaching, Yukishiro-san and I managed to increase our times.

However, no amount of coaching could erase Yukishiro's cute way of running, so whenever I would tease her, she'd always say stuff like "Please stop trying to flirt with me" and "Ahh, stop trying so hard to be a stud!". Hasuike would always burst into tears afterwards.

We continued for the next few days and we continued to see improvements across the board. Because we only have ten days until the athletics festival, we practice morning and night everyday. Hasuike opted to skip practice for his track team and instead focus training with us. As for me, I'm glad I get to have fun for once. I'm not risking it my all for the relay, but I will do my best, even if it's mostly due to Hasuike's insistence.

By the way, the next morning, I happened to see Hanabi on the train. However, she seemed to be in more of a bad mood than usual, probably because of how early she had to wake up. Her hair was all a mess. She was always fussy about her hair, so it's weird seeing it like this. I guess she's bothered with it too, since she keeps trying to fix it. She's making such a display out of it too. To the bitter end, Hanabi will be Hanabi. At the very least, breaking up with her has been the best decision of my life.

__________________

And so the days pass and it's the day before the athletics festival. We finished up our last practice.

"Alright, that's the end of that. You two did a good job!"

"Haa... We did it..."

Yukishiro-san throws herself on the ground after Hasuike was done speaking. While she doesn't really care about appearances, she was always studious and obedient, so it's pretty interesting seeing her so loose.

I'm quite pooped too, so I take a seat beside her. Hasuike joins us too as we watch the crimson of the setting sun and relax our feet from all of the training.

"Tomorrow will be the big day."

Muttering to herself, Yukishiro-san continues staring at the orange-stained sky. Hasuike decides to respond.

"You two have done great, I guarantee that your times have improved by a lot. And I just want to say thanks. You guys actually listened to my selfish request and even agreed to help me. The truth is, after my old girlfriend left me for Kirigaya, I always had sleepless nights. The pain kept me awake the whole time. But after starting training with you two, slowly but surely, I could feel my pain go away. It felt great being able to have fun again for once. I even managed to sleep again. This might sound cheesy, but I really am grateful to the two of you."

"Well, I... If it weren't for Ichinose-kun, Hasuike-kun would never had coached me to become better at running. I'm glad I could have the two of you to help!"

"Me too. Having fun with classmates, hanging out and what not, it's been a lot of fun, more than I expected. So thanks."

After each of us expressed our gratitude for each other, the embarrassment started to build up and we all burst out laughing.

"Hanging out with you guys has been awesome. but that doesn't mean my burning hatred for Kirigaya has subsided."

"Speaking of which, it seems like Kirigaya completely changed his hair style. That was pretty unexpected."

Yukishiro-san never fails to somehow change the subject to something more light. That being said, Kirigaya's hair, despite being part of the track team, used to be long, like a host at the nightclub. This morning on the train station he had normal length hair if I remember correctly.

"It's definitely a new look. Hmm, it kind of looks like your hair Ichinose-kun."

"What? Like my hair?"

"Aa! Just the hair, everything else is totally different."

"A-alright then."

We both smile awkwardly. Seems like that guy and I give off the same vibe, huh...

"Since he started going out with that first year, his hair has been different."

For how much he hates Kirigaya, Hasuike seems to have a strange obsession with him. I don't think it's healthy that he keeps blaming himself for what's happened.

"My old girlfriend loved his old hair style. I wonder if he cut it to spite her. That motherfucker... I'll never forgive him."

"Hasuike..."

"I'm such an idiot."

"Huh?"

"I got dumped for someone else, and I still haven't moved on. I still have a tiny bit of hope that things can still work. I'm so pathetic. I bet I'll be a laughing stock."

"Ignore the goddamn idiots who treat you like a laughing stock. So what if you have hope? This love is something you’re fully committed to, yeah? No one should be laughed at just because they earnestly fell in love."

"Guah... Ichinose... you really... are a great guy, you know?"

Hasuike uses his sleeves to wipe away his tears, but I still hear the snot from his nose. Seems like he really is a crybaby, despite his tough looks. But these tears seem different then the ones he's been shedding before.

I look at Yukishiro-san and it seems like we both silently come to an agreement. Like guardian angels, we silently comfort Hasuike as he gradually calms down.

And so, on this day, the bonds among the three became stronger. At this very moment, the story of our friendship truly commenced.

With that, I had made my first real friends.

And thus, the night ended and dawn approached us.

Judgement day has arrived, time to prove our mettle!