Chapter 6

A few days have passed since that night in the park when I talked with Hanabi.

I've been spending my days in incredible peace.

Well, I do encounter Hanabi almost every day on my way to and from school.

It's not like I'm looking at her on purpose.

I just notice her at the edge of my vision, like an extra in a TV drama who keeps popping up.

But, the only interaction we have is that, and she no longer talks to me.

There is, however, one thing that keeps nagging at me, a mystery.

Before we stopped talking, I was always sent to pick up Hanabi every morning and had to wait for more than thirty minutes in front of her house.

The reasons for her being late were usually trivial, like not liking her hairstyle or being distracted by a feature on a morning news program.

Now that I'm free from Hanabi, my school start time is automatically thirty minutes earlier.

I arrive at the station thirty minutes earlier.

Yet, for some reason, Hanabi is already on the platform before me.

Could it be that Hanabi was deliberately making me wait?

Just to amuse herself by watching me wait like a loyal dog.

That sounds like something Hanabi would do.

But now, it doesn't really matter anymore.

Starting from the third day, Hanabi began coming to school with a male student.

I think he was in the same second year as me and was the ace of the track and field team.

The fact that she's bringing a guy around means I'm part of her past, right?

I can't deny how relieved I am.

She's so affectionate with him, almost flaunting it in front of everyone.

I've never seen Hanabi act like that.

But, it's a bit awkward to have that kind of display constantly in the corner of my vision.

So, I started leaving home forty-five minutes earlier from the next day.

This way, I can catch an earlier train and avoid running into those lovey-dovey couples in the morning.

However, I only managed to avoid seeing Hanabi for one day. The next day, she and her boyfriend started taking the earlier train as well.

...This can't be a coincidence.

Was she trying to show me, "I have a boyfriend now, so there," to get back at me for breaking up with her?

Sure, sure, I'm happy for you. May you have a long and happy life together.

Even now, Hanabi is glancing at me, but I turn my back to her and forcibly push her out of my sight.

◇◇◇

Well, mornings have been a bit tiring, but today's first period is PE, so I'll try to cheer up.

"Alright, as planned, we'll decide the order for the relay at the sports festival today. The fastest runner will be the anchor, and the second fastest will be the lead. The top two spots are popular with the girls, so give it your best shot~"

Hearing the PE teacher's words, the boys who are confident in their running skills become very enthusiastic.

As for me... I've always tried to run at an average pace every year.

I'm not really sure about my true capabilities.

When I was in kindergarten, I won first place in the running race at the sports day.

But right after that, Hanabi, who was in the younger class, tore off my winner's sticker and said this to me.

"I don't like you when you run. You're too fast, like a horse. It's ugly. Try to run slower."

I was in the middle class, so I was shocked and cried.

After that, I started running slower on purpose.

This habit has continued to this day.

Moreover, Hanabi, being considerate, would pour similar venomous words into my ears every year as the sports festival approached, making sure I consciously ran slower.

Looking back now, I think she probably couldn't stand me being more noticeable than her.

Hanabi often said, "I always want to be the most loved."

This was probably part of that.

I don't particularly want to stand out, but I also don't want to hide in the shadows anymore.

I just want to be normal.

Alright.

I'll run at my full speed this time.

"Next four, take your positions."

Following the teacher's instructions, I head to the starting line and get into a crouching start position.

"Ready—"

The sound of the starting pistol goes off, and everyone starts running at once.

It's so much easier not to have to adjust my speed while checking the runners next to me.

Ah, this is so comfortable.

Before I know it, I've reached the finish line.

Let's see the results...

I'm not even out of breath, so I look up casually, only to see the PE teacher's mouth hanging open in surprise.

All the classmates behind him are also frozen with the same expression.

Huh?

"…Izumi, you… you're this fast…!? This time… you could break the county record…!?"

"R-really…? Breaking the record…"

"With Izumi, our class will definitely win the relay!!"

"The anchor is definitely Izumi!!"

Hearing the teacher's words, my classmates start to get excited all at once.

...Oh dear.

I really didn't mean to stand out...

I just tried to be normal, but I ended up getting a lot of attention.

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