Mei POV:
The audience's cheers, the cries of my classmates, all of it dulled into a distant blur when I heard the whistle. I turned around and saw that our pole had been knocked over, with Yu standing on top.
"A winner has been decided! Game over!"
My body went frigid the moment I heard the words.
I–lost…?
No…
I can't lose…
He–he wouldn't let me!
Suddenly, a sharp chill ran through the back of my neck. I snapped my head toward the bleachers, my eyes frantically scanning the endless sea of faces until they settled on one man.
A cold feeling of dread gripped my chest, and my breathing grew shallow, as if the air had suddenly thinned.
The way he folded his arms, the way his black dress shirt crinkled at the sleeves—and most of all—the half-detached, half-crazed look in his eyes...
I wouldn't mistake that for anyone else.
It was my Father.
No… there's no way…
Father had never shown up to any of my events before. Whether it was dance recitals, sports tournaments, or parent-teacher interviews—he never came.
So... why now?!
He slowly stood, and his jaw fell open—revealing an all-enveloping void that swallowed the world.
I flinched.
"Mei, you failed."
His words resounded through the void, coming from everywhere at once.
N-no…
I clamped my hands over my ears, trying to shut out the whispers.
Except...
They wouldn't stop.
"I've told you time and time again. You were doing such a good job, and yet, at the last moment, you had to disappoint me."
I clamped my ears even tighter, digging my nails into my skin, like that alone could silence him.
B-but—I tried! I did everything I could have!
My Father sighed, the half-detached glint in his eyes receding into full craze. Suddenly, the space between us deleted itself—and he was standing right in front of me.
I slowly looked up at his obscured face, and a crushing sense of dread flooded my body.
N-No!
I took frightened steps back, but his hand shot forward and gripped my wrist, prying my hands away from my ears. He pulled me in close and whispered into my ear, each word pressing down on me.
"Those are all just excuses."
He slowly lifted his free hand up, palm open, rising like a dark sun. All I could do was stare in horror.
"If you were faster, if you tried harder, if you had better cardio, if you were smarter, you could have won. And yet…"
His grip tightened. I reflexively jolted back, but he held me in place.
"You dare to spew out excuses. If you can't overcome challenge…"
The dread that had once consumed me hollowed out into oblivion, leaving me with nothing behind.
"Then you are better off dead."
His hand shot toward my face. I shut my eyes, bracing for impact. One second passed. Then two. Then three.
The pain never came.
Instead, a warmth spread on my shoulder. I twitched and instinctively spun around.
"Whoa! Sorry about that!"
Luna stepped back with both her hands up in a gesture of surrender.
A bead of sweat rolled down my face, dropping to the ground. I glanced around. Everyone was moving once more, and the cheers were as loud as ever—like they never left. I glanced back at Luna.
She blinked at me a couple of times before letting out a strained chuckle, lightly scratching her cheek.
"Uhhh, Mei, you seem pretty out of breath. Did I scare you that bad?"
I looked down. My chest compressed and expanded violently as I heaved for air. Now that I thought about it, my legs were numb, my back was soaked, and my wrists stung as the sweat clung to my skin.
As I realized that, my body moved before I could even think. I gave her a cheerful smile.
"You got me off guard there, Luna! I thought I saw my Mom in the stands, so I tried to find her, and that's when you hit me."
"O-oh! Is that so? My bad…"
I quickly shook my head. "No, it's okay. It's my fault for not paying more attention."
I paused, took a deep, stabilizing breath, then said: "So what did you need?"
Luna's eyes narrowed as if she had forgotten, before they widened in realization. "Oh, right!"
She hurriedly straightened her posture and lowered her head, her hands placed firmly against her lap.
"I'm sorry we lost! You were trying so hard the whole day, and I had only one job to do, and I failed! I'm sorry!"
Hearing her apologize so sincerely, I couldn't help but let out a small giggle.
Even after hearing that, Luna didn't look up. She remained in an apologetic state.
So I crouched down and lifted her by the cheek, meeting her eyes.
"Luna, you don't have to apologize. You tried your best. Even I don't think I could have stopped Yu, so there's nothing for you to be sorry for."
I glanced at the scoreboard. Luna's gaze followed mine.
"...See? We aren't that behind. If we win the relay... we can tie it up!"
Luna gave a small nod. "Yeah…"
She then shot up with her usual energy returning. "You're right! We can still win this!"
She grabbed my hand. "Let's go, Mei! We have to tell this to Remi and Hoshino! We are our last shot now!"
I gripped her hand right back. "Yes! Let's go!"
I stepped ahead of her, still holding her hand, and ran toward our class. I turned back, facing her the whole time while laughing. She laughed along.
But… that was just an excuse. The whole time I looked at "her", I continuously scanned the bleachers. Father… was no longer there. When I looked again, it was just a stranger who resembled him.
A weight fell off my shoulders, but the hollowness in my chest remained.
I… have to win the next one.
My jaw tightened as I turned back around and faced forward once again.
No… I will win the next one. It's all I have left.
Luna and I reunited with the group. Remi greeted us with her usual kind smile, while Hoshino… I still couldn't read him. But for some reason, the feeling I had when we ran together in the three-legged race came back to me.
But I couldn't dwell on it for too long.
We all huddled together.
"So, what's the plan?" Remi asked.
There is no plan. We just have to be faster than them. But…
I glanced at Luna and Remi. They were both pretty worn out after the last game. I, on the other hand, was no better. To be honest, the chances of us winning... were slim.
I suppressed the urge to bite my lip and held my cheerful smile.
I racked my brain, thinking of ways I could win.
Neither Remi nor I can anchor; we're too tired.
Hoshino says Luna could win, but after seeing Yu in action, I'm not so sure anymore.
Hoshino can't beat Yu in a race. We already saw that last week.
Even if our teamwork is stellar, their raw speed is too much for us to handle.
No matter how much I thought, the answer never came. It was almost like… defeat was guaranteed from the beginning.
The image of my Father from earlier flashed in my mind. My cheek, the one he had been aiming for, throbbed.
No! There has to be a way!
Suddenly, a loud, dry sigh cut through the air.
I turned toward it. No, not just me—both Remi and Luna did as well. Hoshino ran his hand through his hair, moving the dark bangs out of his eyes.
"There is one way."
"What is it?"
The words left my mouth before I even realized it.
Hoshino paused, then let out another sigh. "I hate to suggest it, but… I have to anchor. And I also can't tell you what it is. You'll just have to trust me."
It was an insane thing to say. How were we supposed to confirm if it would work if we couldn't even hear it? And yet, with no other options, I gave him a quick, reassuring nod.
"I trust you."
I, someone who was less close to him than both Remi and Luna, responded first.
Luna's eyes widened before she turned to him and punched him on the shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?!" he cried, glaring at her as he took a few retreating steps back.
"That was an apology! Sorry, I hesitated, bro! I trust you!"
Remi crossed her arms, her face a mix of irritation and resignation. "I… I tr—tru—" She squeezed her arm tighter, pushing out the words. "I… trust you too!"
Hoshino stared at her blankly. "Is it that hard to just say you trust me?"
Remi turned her head away with a bratty huff. "Of course it is!"
Before the conversation could get derailed, I cleared my throat, getting their attention.
"Then, this will be the order. Remi starts, Luna goes second, I go third…"
I turned to Hoshino.
"And I'll pass the baton to you."
Hoshino nodded, looking me in the eyes.
"Yeah—oh, and also, don't stop running. I don't care if I'm still standing still, only stop when the baton is in my hand."
I tilted my head, but didn't question it. I had no choice… but to trust him.
To think that I'd ever put my trust in someone one day. Even if it's just for show, I never thought the day would come.
I lightly patted my chest, trying to ease the worm of discomfort that had wriggled itself inside me.
I never thought this is what it felt like to trust. If it is, then I'm never doing this again. To trust in someone…
Is disgusting.
The whistle blew, signalling the next event had come. "Now, time for our next event, the relay race!"
The crowd grew louder, Yu's class jeered, and our class grew quiet. Luna and Remi's faces darkened. Hoshino remained as neutral as ever.
They don't think we can win…
I put my hand in the center. Luna, Remi, and Hoshino stared at me, confused. I looked at every one of them and smiled.
"Let's prove them wrong," I said, my voice full of conviction. "Let's win!"
Hoshino put his hand on mine first. "Sure. Let's win."
Luna giggled childishly and slapped her hand on top of his. "Well, no point being a Debbie Downer!"
Remi sighed and joined in. "Well, I don't want Sora to beat me again."
With that, we all joined in at the center. I took a deep breath. "Then, let's go."
We all raised our hands with a loud cheer. We shared a small laugh together before the teacher called us into the field.
We all stepped out of our tent. The sun shone down on the field, leaving a pleasant warmth on my skin as we walked to our positions.
Remi stood at the starting line. Luna stood just ahead of her. And I stood at my spot. I didn't say anything as Hoshino left for his. There was nothing to say. All we needed to do was win.
I closed my eyes, and was welcomed by an all-enveloping black.
The cheers—gone. The warmth of the sun—gone. All that was left—was nothing.
Good.
Then, the sound of the gun firing rang out, and I opened my eyes. The race had begun.