I can’t see anything… It’s dark all around me, and cold, like time has stopped, and all I can sense are noises. Agitated? I hear arguing, and I can recognize my voice. Another… sounds like it’s fading away. But it's getting too soft to recognize. It’s familiar… This is terrible, I shouldn’t be yelling like this. Whoever you are, why aren’t you coming back? We have to stop, we have to stop… I don’t know why, but you can’t go. Please, don’t do this. Please…

The sun rose up high as it observed its all-seeing view. A middle school. A class is outside. A gym class more specifically. They’re running laps around the school. One of them has quite the red hair. It shined in the light. Elsewhere, a child cries halfway across the city. It’ll be hot everywhere today.

Despite the fall weather, the sun’s heat was merciless on the students. Clattering of shoes hitting dirt could be heard as they turn a corner. Some jog at a steady pace, others are a tad more lax. Placed somewhere in the middle of the moving mass of bodies, Lilly struggled to maintain her position. Her hair, tied up, swinging with each passing step as she jogged along. Sweat lightly coats the back of her shirt, sticking to her back as she runs. Every step is accompanied with a heave and sigh, the nondescript route around the school blurring past. Whether it was from the lack of undistinguishable features, or from the unnatural temperature, Lilly wasn’t sure. How I’m managing to keep going is beyond me! The thought of stopping only occurs to her as the umpteenth person passed her by, the occasional tease of ‘Keep going, Lilly!’ and ‘Come on, don’t quit now!’ only made slowing down a more acceptable course of action. Lilly inelegantly stumbled into her last step, her hands now at her knees as she breathes heavily. A minute or so passes before she can regain the energy to maintain a steady walking pace.

Shouai Junior High was of fairly modest size. Not too large to be overwhelming, but not too small to be boring. Though in Lilly’s case, laps around a perimeter of this size proved to be problematic. And doing it alone also added to her reluctance to run. Her legs ached as she pressed on, a constant reminder of her sedentary lifestyle. Playing with Rea did not exactly count as exercise. Soon she takes refuge from the heat via the tree branches overhead. As the foliage thickens above, the pathway gradually becomes familiar as she finds herself at the school garden. A recognizable and small silhouette appeared as she approached.

“Ah, Rea, there you are,” Lilly panted. She moved to meet the girl, her arms playfully reaching to rest on Rea’s shoulders, acting like she wasn’t short at all. Lilly huffed. “I finally caught up, why did you have to run ahead?”

“Oh hi, your garden’s looking super good!” Instinctively, Rea leaned in to Lilly’s weight.

Lilly lifted her head to get a better view, pretending that the action took more effort than it should. “Gee, you are such a kid sometimes!” Rea said. Like you’re one to talk, she thought up her rebuttal, but was too tired to speak any more. Lilly centered her gaze again.

The picturesque flowerbed sat framed in full view. The colors that were arranged still complemented each other. The flowers themselves seemed to be kept up with more pristine than usual, standing straighter than ever to catch every bit of the sun’s light and intensity. The sunflowers particularly stood with a firm posture, even if it was fall. The only exception were the violets and goldband lilies, which weren't in bloom. A few students continue to jog past the pair, but some walkers have managed to take in the small garden’s attraction for themselves. Rea took notice.

“Looks like you have a few fans already? How nice,” Rea’s voice shook with exhaustion. “Should I tell them you're behind all this?”

“Shut up! I don’t want them to know…” Because of the nature of the garden’s location, it was true that only a few people would go out of their way to see it. Laps around the school would be the only opportunity for others to notice it. Compared to other gardens, it wasn’t anything particular or extravagant. Destined to be seen, appreciated, and forgotten. Lilly was okay with that. For her at least, it was special. “I wouldn’t enjoy them bothering future lunches.”

Taking her arms off Rea, Lilly quickly grabbed her hand, Rea leaping in surprise. “Please, let’s keep going, I can hear their praise anyways, if I wanted to. Isn’t that good enough?” Lilly felt Rea trailing behind. It takes a few seconds for her to catch up to Lilly’s pace.

“Okay, you chuuni,” Rea laughed to herself, later catching her breath from the effort.

Only when Rea moved toward her side did Lilly get a better view of her companion. Red hair, tied as usual, frayed at the ends in messy directions. The typical gym uniform of a white shirt and red shorts were a few sizes too large; the clothes being baggy on her. The scent of sweat wafted about, with her glasses sitting low on the bridge of her nose and her shirt sticking to her back as well. Her face was also reddened. It was unmistakable that Rea had put a significant amount of effort in the mini-marathon, maybe too much for her own sake. But she wouldn’t have done it any other way. Her smile was weak but light, her breath soft yet heavy. Her hand also felt as light as the autumn air, which Lilly had just realized she was still holding. She lets go with a surprising lack of tact, her head shaking around to see if they were caught by any wandering eyes. Rea exhaled.

“C’mon, it shouldn’t be that big a deal.”

“I know! I’m just not, eh, used… to it yet.”

“You’re blushing!”

“…shut up.”

Lilly’s blushing aside, the remainder of their conversation flowed with comfortable ease. The wind would have been soothing if not for the heat picking up. Going deeper towards the back of the school, the trail was less pronounced, Rea rhythmically taps her hand along the metal fence to her left as they continued their walk. School assignments, music, books, the two filled the air with empty discussion while attempting to regain the necessary vitality. They also played a word game that involved starting a sentence using the last letter of the previous sentence’s last word. Rea started, Lilly won. A few more runners pass, but they’re mostly among the ‘walkers’ now. Reaching an ebb in their small talk, Rea looked at Lilly’s face before flippantly raising her voice.

“You wanna talk about what’s bothering you?” Rea asked, still fixated onto Lilly’s blue eyes.

“Eh?” Lilly faltered in her step for a moment. “That’s not part of the game!”

Laughing again, Rea bumped her hip into her taller friend’s side, only getting her upper leg. “Ending that, don’t think I can’t tell, you’re mistaking me for a fool!” Lilly’s eyes move downward as she itches her face. I’m not that obvious… Rea jokily snorted again as Lilly shoved her hand into her pocket. “Wanna talk about it?” she restated.

Stubbornly, Lilly breathed. “It’s nothing, really.” Apprehension tinged the blonde’s voice, Rea was especially attuned to it. All she could do was flashback a couple of days back on the hill, her mind being clear, and then instantly filled with thoughts and voices of hundreds. And the shock of that heaviness all at once. Like feedback on a guitar, the sharp and intense noise only rising until it was an unbearable torture. Every thought, every voice, every emotion that came with them was as large as a sea, all trying to forcibly fill in a cup that was her mind. Fearing her ability since, the sensation still haunted her. Lilly licked her lips before speaking again. “It’s not that bi-“

Lilly gazed down at ruby hair. They’ve stopped any movement a second ago, and Rea hugged as snugly as she could. She’s done this before. “Rea…” was all Lilly could say.

“This is fine, right?” the sound of her voice muffled in her shirt, “Best friends can hug it out like this!” Rea lifted her face off Lilly’s chest, her glasses now more off-kilter. She didn’t want to admit it, but Rea’s goofiness can work out in her favor occasionally. “Yeah.” Lilly patted Rea’s head. Alone together, they stay for a minute longer. Rea takes another deep breath. Gently, Rea raised herself on her toes, coming closer to Lilly’s face before-

“Rea! Hey, Rea! You need to come with me for a minute!”

Dust was the only thing that circled Lilly, her blank and confused expression looked on as Rea hastily made her way to the coach that had just called her. Rea made a hasty goodbye, all before hiding her flushed face in her baggy shirt and running off, but Lilly barely registered it. Huh? I don’t have to catch up… What? In a blink of an eye, Lilly was alone.

“Of course…”

--

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Slowly but surely, Lilly found herself among the last stragglers of the run. Now resting on the stone edge of the fountain at the front of the school, she was content with getting last place. She counted the cars that pass by just ahead of the school gates, categorizing by color. They flew past in a haze of both speed and sweltering heat. The mist that lightly grazes her neck felt refreshing as ever; she never wanted to leave. Luckily for her, the last leg the walk wouldn’t be as mundane as she expected.

“Sh-shall we get going?” The voice had so little presence there may as well have been no body for it to come from.

Remorseful for not noticing the girl sitting beside her, Lilly spoke hastily. “Ah! Megumi, you’re like a ghost, ah ha…” Her attempt at banter went over the shyer girl’s head, taking light offense to it instead. “Eh… Yeah, come on, why don’t we get going?”

She patted Megumi back, trying to stave off that somber expression a second more. The gawky brunette sat stiff at the contact. Ah, I still don’t know how to act around her completely, Lilly surmised.

After a second more of rest, they made their way back to the school gymnasium. Finding themselves the last to enter the large space, the others in the gym class were pairing up for further exercise. Lilly caught herself before she thoughtlessly searched for Rea, having yet to see her after she got called away earlier. The disorder of kids pairing up kept bumping Megumi into Lilly’s arm, and she had by now gotten impatient in her search.

“You look like you need a partner, Megumi. Mind if I join you?” Lilly was forced to firmly hold Megumi’s shoulders to not lose her in the commotion.

“Y-yah, sure.” Megumi’s eyes darted about, as too much was happening around her to calm down. Lilly smiled at her meekness, I forget she does have some charm points after all.

The class’ instruction was simple; every student doing fifty sit-ups each, with their partner holding their feet down. Losing a game of rock-paper-scissors, Lilly began to lay her back on the ground, Megumi getting in position to support her legs. Their workout pace was pathetically slow, but thankfully the students were paired together for a reason.

“It- it’s a good thing we have a joint gym class today, right?” No one could take away Megumi’s effort to socialize, at least.

“Hah, yeah, good thing, hah,” it was a point Lilly had neglected to make. Rea and Megumi are from the same class, it should be no real revelation to see them both at the same gym session. Nine… T-ten…

Lilly briefly remembered the unassuming, but potent, lunch they shared a week ago. I wonder if Megumi thinks about that day. Probably not? Or would she rather have hung out with Rea? Come to think of it, Rea was by herself when I ran into her. She couldn’t have at least kept Megumi company? Would she really want to finish the laps first that much? I need to have a little chat with her about this… Mind floating over the fond memory, she recalled another important point.

“-…-”

It was that same radio-like interference from before. With eyes locking onto Megumi’s forehead, Lilly couldn’t make out a proper explanation. After what had happened on the hill, this relative silence was disconcerting. Why? Is Megumi connected somehow? This doesn’t make any sen-

Lost in the haze of sit-ups, Lilly found her face parallel to Megumi’s, her lips just a hair’s breadth away from the brunette’s. The shortness of breath, the meeting of eyes, and the warmth exuding from their cheeks; Lilly could feel it all. Move! Please, move!

Stunned, they both stood in place as the rest of the class toiled on. Flustered couldn’t begin to describe Lilly, but it was Megumi who was handling it worse. Along with the above symptoms, her face was one of abject panic. Cheeks rosier than red, eyes paralyzed with shock, and her voice too soft to make a response. A second longer before she crumbled entirely under the social anxiety. The still-embarrassed Lilly made the first move.

“HA! Eh… S-sorry about, tha… T-twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two…”

She finished her remainder with blinding speed, and then they switched. Though the next ten minutes melt away into a fog of embarrassment and discomfort. They both kept quiet in the meantime, avoiding any eye contact. Both wishing they could disappear.

It was a godsend that the drills ended earlier than usual, but the girls were unaware that the class voted on a last minute relay for fun. Murmur bubbled among them as they all got placed into groups. Her body sore and her heart sinking, Lilly tried to hide her face with her hand as she moved to her spot on the makeshift track. Realizing her position, she moaned with stress. Having to shoulder the last leg of the relay was not something to look forward to. Having been separated from Megumi in the process, Lilly rationalized it was for the best.

Bang! The noise and bustle of cheering, running and pure sportsmanship resonated throughout the gym. Lilly wondered if it was even close to a decent idea to appoint her as the anchor. Sooner than she'd hoped, the mass of runners rush towards her, Lilly’s partner lagging behind only one other person. The other person was sprinting with heated ferocity, and the distance between first and second getting larger. Fascinated at this spark of energy, Lilly watched with wonder as the face came closer into view.

Rea?

She blazed past without regard, enflamed hair trailing behind the runner’s body. But her expression was something Lilly hadn’t seen before. Ever. Her face held no emotion, her eyes giving away little feeling. Not even a countenance of fatigue from the relay. Even with that impressive energy to run, she looked burnt out. Rea looked burnt out. Normally Rea would look elated to expend all that energy. Puzzled, Lilly couldn’t make out this enigma. In merely a second Rea was more than far ahead. Why does she look like that?

“Lilly… Lilly…”

She turned back to meet her partner, Ayane, a classmate, who had been poking at her shoulder. Green eyes drill into her with impatience. How long was I standing here?

“Sorry, please excuse me,” with clumsiness Lilly started her first steps, like a newborn chicken. Pushing with all her might, in reality it’s nothing better than a snail’s pace. She heaved a sigh as other racers began to pass her by, leaving her in dead last, her teammates expressing disappointment. Among the frustrating display, Rea turned the corner with the finish line in sight. …Why? Lilly had a swelling desire to go get Rea, even if it didn’t make sense.

‘Come on, don’t quit now!’ and ‘Keep going, Lilly!’ soon filled the gymnasium, the other participants feeling the hype. As if a response to the collective demand, she shut her eyes and ran with as much vigor as she could handle. Her legs felt lighter than ever, the chatter of cheering faded into nothing. Running on air, it was like. She felt calm, it felt easy, until-

“WINNER!”

Lilly opened her eyes. Confused at the loud celebrating, Ayane and the rest of her relay partners ran to congratulate her in gaiety. Even Megumi rooted for her in her own timid manner in the background. Still disoriented, Lilly tried to get a grip of the situation. Did I… win? Others voiced their astonishment, not believing that someone like Lilly apparently having latent running prowess. Lilly also timidly and humbly addressed her relay mates as well.

Remembering her original goal, she searched among the faces, relaxing when her eyes found Rea in the distance. Gasping for air, she now kept a perplexed look, trying to make sense of Lilly’s performance. “Lilly…” was all Rea could say under her breath. Among the rejoicing, a feeling of oddly placed pride and bewilderment filled Lilly.

Just wanting to be with her, that’s enough… right?[/size]