Chapter 1: You, who was once by my side, are slowly becoming more distant

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

Short story (5 chapters)

---

Spring. Once again, the cherry trees lining the prefectural high school bloomed magnificently, and the school building buzzed with the commotion unique to a new semester.

Amano Ao glanced at Ichijou Sakura, who was walking beside him.

Sakura had just entered her second year of high school. Her old uniform looked a bit tight, but that only made her healthy beauty stand out even more.

They had been inseparable since kindergarten. Every morning, they walked to school together, and went home together. They laughed at silly things, sometimes bickered over trivial matters.

To Ao, Sakura was literally like the air—so natural, so ever-present.

One day, he believed, this relationship would naturally grow into love, and they'd become a couple. For Ao, that was an unquestionable future.

---

“Hey, Ao! I'm definitely going to the Inter-High this year!”

Sakura's cheeks flushed with excitement as she pointed to a track team poster on the school wall.

The upperclassmen featured on the poster all had toned physiques that practically shone.

Sakura had joined the track team when she started high school, and with her natural athleticism, she quickly rose to prominence. Now she was gaining attention as the team's ace in short-distance races.

“You can do it,” Ao said, ruffling her hair.

Sakura brushed his hand away with mild annoyance, but quickly smiled in delight.

Ao was proud of the way Sakura gave her all toward her goals. But at the same time, the more she poured herself into club activities, the more he began to feel an indescribable loneliness from losing time with her.

Their after-school chats, once a given, had dwindled. More and more weekends were taken up by practice or competitions.

It was like watching water slowly drain away—gradually, but undeniably, Sakura's presence was fading from Ao's everyday life.

---

Then came the one who stirred that vague unease in Ao into something bigger.

Kurosaki Ren, the captain of the track team.

A third-year student with a tall frame, well-defined features, and a kind demeanor toward everyone. He stood out on campus and was wildly popular with the girls.

Perhaps drawn by Sakura's talent and looks, Kurosaki began talking to her more frequently.

---

“Ichijou, if you shift your center of gravity forward a bit, your form will improve. You'll run even faster.”

During practice, Kurosaki gave her detailed advice on her running form.

His gaze looked completely serious.

Sakura, too, seemed thrilled to receive personal guidance from a senior she admired.

“Yes! Thank you so much, senpai!”

Her voice sounded more buoyant than usual.

Watching from a distance, Ao felt a strange discomfort take root in his chest.

There was something about Kurosaki's kind words that made Ao suspect a hidden motive.

This wasn't just jealousy—it was a deep, wordless sense of unease, born from knowing Sakura longer and better than anyone.

---

After practices, Ao frequently saw Kurosaki stop Sakura for private advice.

During breaks, Kurosaki even came to their classroom to chat with her.

“Senpai is so nice, right? I'm really glad I joined the track team,” Sakura beamed one day.

But her smile wasn't directed at Ao.

It radiated a new kind of glow—a mix of admiration and budding affection.

The distance between her and Kurosaki was shrinking like a roller coaster plummeting down its tracks.

Every time she talked with Kurosaki, her expression sparkled like a flower in full bloom.

Ao felt both dazzled and heartbroken, knowing that light wasn't meant for him.

---

Then one day, right after Golden Week, Sakura told Ao, brimming with excitement:

“Ao, guess what! Kurosaki-senpai said he's going to do private training with me! Just the two of us! He's making time just for me!”

The excitement in her voice hit Ao like a blow to the chest.

Private training—just the two of them.

The thought made Ao's heart race with anxiety.

But as her childhood friend, he had no grounds to oppose it.

“I-I see… do your best,” he managed to say, doing his best to sound calm.

But deep inside, he felt like his vague unease was hardening into something painfully real.

Sakura glanced at Ao's face, looking puzzled for a moment, but quickly returned to talking about Kurosaki again.

---

After school, Ao called out as always, “Sakura, let's go home together.”

Sakura looked apologetic—but also slightly excited—as she replied:

“Sorry, I'm meeting Kurosaki-senpai today. See you later, Ao!”

She waved with a smile and dashed off without waiting for a reply.

In that moment, a cold wind swept through Ao's heart.

Sakura—who had always been by his side—was now standing next to someone else.

It was the first time he had ever seen such a sight.

From that day forward, she often walked to and from school with Kurosaki.

Ao increasingly found himself walking home alone.

Under the crimson sky of dusk, only Ao's shadow stretched long across the ground.

He could feel Sakura's presence drifting farther and farther away.

And what remained in his chest was a hollow emptiness, like something had been carved out, Who was once by his side, is slowly becoming more distant.