Breathing in sync
“I’ll tie it up tightly and securely♪”
“… “
During the school sports festival, in the event of the two-person three-legged obstacle relay… Setting aside the fact that it might be too long, in this event, we tie a string between each other’s legs, but Ayana was enthusiastically tying the string between my legs and hers.
“You’re connected to Towa-kun… hehehe♪”
When Ayana says with a smile that we’re connected, it sounds a bit off.
Lately, the time I spend with Ayana is so blissful that I quickly slip into a rosy mindset… or rather, my overwhelming affection for her almost spills over.
It’s not something to be ashamed of, and it’s just the usual, so it doesn’t really change anything.
“The competitors seem to be ready. Now, ladies and gentlemen in the audience, please give them your full support.”
After such an announcement, the races began one after another.
Our turn was in the middle, so we didn’t have to run immediately, and not just the players of the same color but also those of different colors were all watching with a supportive spirit.
Cheers from the students around us, mixed with the voices of parents, all blended together to create an exciting atmosphere.
“…Ah”
“Ah…”
Ayana seemed to have seen something, so I also directed my gaze in that direction.
There were Mom and Hoshina-san, snuggled up together… When their eyes met, they fluttered their hands, but why was Mom, a mere guardian, wearing a headband?
“Ami-san seems fired up.”
“Why is Mom getting all fired up…”
While praying that they wouldn’t cheer so loudly as to drown out the surrounding voices, our turn finally arrived.
Like me and Ayana, other students were also paired up with someone of the opposite s*x, but they seemed a bit awkward, perhaps feeling embarrassed about linking arms.
“Towa-kun. This might not be a piece of cake.”
“Maybe. Let’s not dilly-dally and get this done.”
“Yes!”
Placing a hand on each other’s hips, the moment we had been waiting for had arrived.
“Get set, go!”
With a bang and the sound of a pistol, we all started running at once.
First, we had to run half a lap around the field. Ayana and I intended to move our feet naturally without doing anything special.
However, when I glanced back, I realized there was quite a gap.
“Yukishiro and Otoha are fast! Incredibly fast!”
“Their synchronization is perfect. It’s incomparable to the previous pairs!”
Such commentary could be heard, indicating that Ayana and I seemed perfectly in sync to those around us.
Without slowing down or faltering, Ayana and I left the others far behind as we continued running.
“Ayana.”
“Yes.”
We pushed through the net placed on the ground, then walked slowly across a narrow pole sideways… and finally, we each crushed a balloon placed between us with all our might.
As the balloons burst, Ayana ended up clinging to me due to the momentum, even wrapping her arms around my back upon confirming that no one else had arrived yet.
“Hey.”
“What’s wrong with that? Just a little.”
Puffing up her cheeks cutely, but it was still a place where many eyes were watching.
I felt like I could hear Mom’s excited voice, but without looking in that direction, we resumed running and reached the finish line.
Setting aside the obstacles, we had put quite an effort into running, so we were a bit out of breath.
Neither I nor Ayana were particularly active in the sports club, so unexpectedly running like this made us think we should exercise a bit more regularly.
“Good job, Towa-kun.”
“Ayana, good job too.”
By the way, Ayana, regardless of her position, remained a noticeable girl.
Since there were many people who didn’t know about our relationship, there were few students who didn’t cast a lewd gaze towards her, sweating from running and the heat.
(…This might be inevitable, probably)
Moreover, though not as much as Iori, Ayana had an outstanding figure.
Her chest bounced prominently as she ran, and I felt like I could hear cheers, just like with Iori, so I sighed, thinking there were indeed many perverts… Well, even I, who was captivated by Ayana, might also be considered a pervert, but only when it comes to her.
“Ayana is truly a beauty. Too cute, it’s a problem… really.”
“Towa-kun…?”
“Oops, sorry. My feelings for Ayana just slipped out.”
“No, it’s fine…♪♪”
Anya leaned against me, and though I felt the heat, I endured it.
“Hey, isn’t it hot?”
“Well, it is summer.”
“But still… isn’t it really hot?”
“Indeed… what’s up with this?”
Listening to the conversation of the two boys in front of me, I couldn’t help but wonder.
The two-legged obstacle relay had ended, and as we returned to where Shuu was, Anya remained close, her shoulder against mine under the tent.
It’s hot… undeniably hot.
But fanning myself with the free hand holding the fan, it felt cool enough to bear.
“Hey. It’s definitely summer, right? But isn’t it hotter than usual?”
“Please bear with it, childhood friend.”
“True, we’re childhood friends, but still!”
From Noble mtl dot com
“You’re quite noisy…”
“…Towa, is it my fault?”
Shuu looked at me with a somewhat tearful expression, but I just smiled wryly.
Nevertheless… I couldn’t help but find the interaction between the two endearing, knowing a bit about their recent past. Our relationship had indeed changed… but the way these two, who had finally let go of their burdens, could speak so freely to each other was truly heartwarming.
“…Towa, weren’t you supposed to continue with the competition?”
“…Huh!?”
As Shuu pointed it out, I immediately headed towards the entrance gate.
The next event was the Borrowed Item Race, and my exchange with Anya had completely slipped my mind.
Since I was the last one, I made sure to bow and apologize properly.
“Hey, you’re late.”
“Aisaka. I completely forgot.”
Aisaka, who happened to be nearby, laughed at me, and naturally, we quickly headed back to the field.
The Borrowed Item Race wasn’t particularly challenging.
You just had to grab the item written on the card and head towards the finish line… but some people seemed to struggle more than others, with an even split between those finishing quickly and those taking their time.
“Senpai Aisaka~! Do your best~!!”
When it was Aisaka’s turn, Manori’s cheers echoed loudly.
Once he got going, Aisaka burst out as soon as the pistol sounded… his speed was astonishing, leaving the student running next to him, who was supposed to be in the track team, far behind.
Afterward, Aisaka looked at the paper and headed towards the principal.
Seems like the borrowed item was the principal.
“He’s too fired up.”
To think he could push himself that far just from Manori’s cheer… well, I could understand how being cheered on could ignite a fire within.
“Next player, please prepare.”
Finally, it was my turn.
The item would be announced through the mic as soon as I reached the finish line, so I prayed for a normal item and started running as the pistol went off.
There was no need to outpace the other students, and upon checking the paper—I was running towards where Anya and Shuu were.
“Towa-kun! Do your best… huh?”
“Is the borrowed item around here?”
The two of them stared at me with wonder, and I grabbed Shuu’s hand.
“Come.”
“Y-yeah.”
Confused, Shuu immediately started running with me.
“Yukino-kun! Shuu-kun, do your best too!”
Encouraged by the voice of my beloved presence, Shuu and I ran towards the goal.
I thought we were quite fast, but other students were running alongside us, so we just kept on running with all our might… and somehow managed to reach the finish line first.
“…Phew.”
“Haa… haa!”
I lightly patted Shuu’s back in thanks and handed the paper to the staff.
The words that were read out were these.
“The theme that Yukishiro athlete received is ‘best friend.'”
…This is a bit embarrassing.
Hurry back, I thought, pushing Shuu’s back.
【Afterword】
The other day, this work was released as a book!
I was very relieved and happy to see more people than I expected!