The sun was warm today. The red track on the field gleamed under the sunlight, like heated gummy candy. The moment the whistle blew for P.E. class, the whole class rushed onto the track.
“Alright! Today we’ll be testing for the inter-class festival races!” the P.E. teacher shouted, clipboard in hand. I stretched my legs while sneakily glancing at my Darling not far away. He was smiling back at me.
We were assigned to the same team for the three-legged race trial.
“Ready, Darling?” I grinned as I leaned close.
“Yeah. Just don’t end up flinging me into the sky,” he chuckled while tightening the strap around our ankles.
The moment the race started, we didn’t shout any slogans or signal each other—we just moved. Step, step, step—our feet landed in perfect sync, as if we’d practiced together a hundred times. We leaned forward, sprinted, stepped together, and crossed the finish line smoothly.
While the others were still catching their breath, Darling and I were already casually patting each other on the shoulder.
“You two are unreal!”
“Like synchronized robots or something!”
I waved to everyone with a smile, but my eyes kept sneaking glances at him. Just then, he turned to look at me too. In that brief moment of eye contact, I felt like we were back in space, fighting side by side—a secret only we shared.
In the end, we were chosen as official participants. Expected, but still exciting.
I grabbed Darling’s hand as we walked back together. The sunlight shone through his black hair, casting a faint blue glow. I said, “Let’s win again this time, Darling.”
＊ ＊ ＊
The classroom was especially quiet during lunch break, with only the fan humming in the background.
Akai and I sat in the back near the window, our four-panel comic draft spread out across the desk. The pencil lines were clean and sharp, and sticky notes were scattered around—some said “Add more expression,” others, “Panel 2 transition needs smoothing.”
Akai was carefully erasing a bit of text, while I adjusted the composition of the last panel.
“I think this flows better now,” I said, pointing to the page. “The transition from the running scene to the girl turning back—feels like she’s waiting for him, even without words.”
Akai nodded. “Yeah… that scene really has that vibe.”
Suddenly, a bright voice interrupted us.
“Whoa! Did you two draw this? It’s amazing!” Zero Two had somehow appeared beside our desk, hands on the edge, eyes wide as she examined the sketches.
“That look, that background line… this totally smells like romance. Darling~ Did you sneak our story into the comic?”
I froze for a second, a little embarrassed, and smiled. “Just… inspiration.”
She tilted her head. “I like this panel though. It feels alive.”
Akai cleared his throat quietly and muttered, “That panel was… actually based on how you looked while running.”
Zero Two blinked, then broke into a brilliant smile.
“Then I better run even prettier next time! I can’t let the comic version of me lose to the real me!”
With that, she skipped back to her seat, bouncing all the way. I watched her back as she left, feeling an odd sense of peace.
The comic’s not finished yet—but as long as she’s around, the inspiration won’t stop.
＊ ＊ ＊
I set my scissors down on the table, stepped back, and took a good look at our work.
“Not bad, Kenta. This class flag is really starting to come together!”
Kenta looked up, still holding a marker in his hand, eyes unsure. “Really? I feel like the sun’s color is still too bright…”
“Nope! You are not changing it again!” I reached out to stop him. “If you keep drawing, we’ll still be working when the festival’s over!”
He gave a sheepish laugh and put the marker down. “I just… want it to be perfect.”
I glanced at his serious expression and couldn’t help but chuckle—but also felt a bit impressed.
“You know, even though you keep saying you lack confidence, your hands never stop working. Honestly, you’re way more reliable than you think, Kenta.”
He blinked, and his cheeks flushed a little. “R-Really…?”
“Really! Ask the girls in class—they’re always sneaking peeks at your drawings.”
I teased him on purpose, and he quickly turned away, pretending not to hear, but his ears were completely red.
I couldn’t help but laugh, then gave him a pat on the back.
“Let’s just add a few more sparkly paper bits and post the rest of the designs. That way, Class 5-1 will totally shine!”
“Yeah… leave it to us.”
I watched him pick up his marker again. This time, there was a spark of confidence in his eyes.
—That’s more like it. The school festival is when we finally let all our hidden light shine.
To be continued…
