Act 14: Discovery & Date?

Nationals ended without much more fanfare, at least from where I stood. Our team came away with two gold medals. Hammer throw and the women’s 800-meter, along with a handful of silvers and bronzes in other events. It was more than respectable. Still, like years past, Seiryo edged us out overall.

Our coaches declared a celebration in order, but plans scattered quickly after that. We’d arrived by bus as a team, yet many opted out of the return trip. Some had family in the area and chose to stay behind.

I did the same.

I said my goodbyes to Benio and Tatsumi before they boarded the bus back to campus. Benio looked oddly shaken when I returned from my brief disappearance with Natsuki, like she’d seen something she wasn’t ready to comment on. Neither of them said anything.

Chiaki had already left to visit relatives nearby. I’d see her again soon enough—finals week was approaching, which meant our yearly, unavoidable study sessions.

“If you need any advice, feel free to reach out,” she said before parting.

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Running? Something else?

I didn’t dwell on it. I simply let it go.

After saying my goodbyes, I walked over to where my family waited off to the side.

“Wow,” Hana said, folding her arms with a grin. “Since when did you get so popular?”

“Very funny,” I replied. “It’s always been the same people. You already know Chiaki, and Benio and Tatsumi were the first ones to talk to me when practice started back in freshman year. That’s all.”

“They seem nice,” Hana said, then her eyes lit up. “Benio was it? She mentioned she saw you at Koba Natsuki’s show the other day. Why didn’t you tell me you went?”

I scuffed my shoe against the pavement. “I thought you’d get jealous.”

Then I cocked my head to the side, when did she and Benio talk?

“So what if I did?” she shot back. “You disappear from social media to avoid gossip, and I’m just waiting for the day you tell me something that isn’t about sports.”

She wasn’t wrong. It still stung.

“…My bad,” I muttered.

She huffed, clearly satisfied.

“Alright, you two,” Mom cut in briskly. “Let’s get along. We’re going to have a nice dinner.”

Dad nodded in agreement as Mom steered us toward the busy food district nearby, the tension fading with the crowd and noise.

Mom’s quick intervention quickly changed the subject as we began walking toward a busy district famous for its delicious food.

“You know, I’m worried for your future, sis,” she said lightly. “If you ever have a lover, especially a busy one, you better learn to be patient.”

I glanced at her. “That’s… oddly specific.”

“Is it?” She smiled sweetly. “Some people travel a lot. Work odd hours. It's hard to see them.”

“…W-What are you talking about?”

She laughed. “Am I wrong?”

I had no answer for that, so I looked away.

My heart felt as if it was getting louder in my chest, trying to hide it I simply inhaled then slowly exhaled multiple times. Hana only wore a sly grin that kept me on edge.

By the time our conversation had ended we arrived at our destination, a little mom and pop shop that sold ramen. Needless to say the night ended and I was able to spend time with my family.

~~~

My family stayed at my uncle’s place for the night, as they would leave first thing the next morning.

Back at my apartment, I shut the door behind me and dropped onto my bed. I buried my face in the pillow and let out a muffled shout, gripping the fabric like it might ground me.

Today didn’t feel real.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, but Natsuki’s face slipped into view anyway. The warmth of her hand. The way she smelled when she hugged me. The memory pressed in so vividly it made my chest tighten.

My face burned. I turned onto my side, then back again, unable to stay still.

I grabbed my phone.

Her name sat there on the screen.

Real.

My thumb hovered over the call button. Midnight was close. She was probably asleep or probably busy. I locked the screen, set the phone down, then immediately snatched it back up.

Before I could decide, it rang.

Natsuki’s name lit up the screen.

I answered without thinking.

“H–Hello?!” My voice cracked the moment I answered.

A soft laugh spilled through the speaker. “Why do you sound so nervous?”

“I—It’s not that I— I just wasn’t expecting a call,” I said too fast. “I mean, I was thinking about calling you. I just—”

“You have my number now,” she said lightly. “You don’t need a reason. You can call or text whenever you want.”

“Oh.” I stared at the wall in front of me. “R–Right.”

Silence crept in, thin and dangerous. My mind went blank, then too full all at once.

“I, um…” I shifted on the bed, pulling my knees in. What did we usually talk about? What did normal couples talk about? “I… sorry.”

She hummed, amused.

“I wish I could’ve stayed longer to celebrate with you. Things have gotten pretty busy on my end,” she said, her voice softening over the line.

“That’s okay,” I replied quickly. “I’m just happy you came at all.”

“I forgot to say this earlier,” she continued, her voice gentler now. “Congratulations on winning Nationals.”

Something warm bloomed in my chest.

I sat up without realizing it, drawing the phone closer. “Y–Yeah… thank you.”

“How does it feel?” she asked. “Winning gold.”

I stared at my hand, flexing my fingers. “It doesn’t feel… real yet. I think.” I laughed quietly, unsure. “My head’s been kind of full. Of you.”

The line went quiet.

“…Natsuki?”

A breath. Then, fond disbelief. “You really don’t think before you say things, do you?”

“But it’s true,” I said quickly, heat rushing to my face. “That’s just how I feel.”

“I know,” she replied softly. “That’s what I like about you.”

Like.

The word settled deep, heavier than it should’ve been. My thoughts drifted, slow and hazy, the edges of the room blurring as warmth seeped through me.

“Yukina,” she said, sing-song. “Yukinaaa~”

I jolted. “S–Sorry! I wasn’t spacing out—I mean, I was, but—”

She laughed. “You must be exhausted. You ran your heart out today.”

Her voice softened. “You should sleep. You earned it, Miss 800-meter National Champion.”

I smiled into the phone, a quiet warmth settling in my chest. I didn’t want the call to end, but sleep was already tugging at me. “Yeah… good night, Natsuki.”

“Good night.”

The call ended, but I stayed there, lying flat on my back, phone still warm in my hand.

My thoughts refused to settle.

~~~

There was no practice the week after Nationals. With finals approaching, the team was given time off, but I still kept my morning runs. It had become a habit, something that grounded me. The rest of my day was spent tucked away in the library, surrounded by open notebooks and the low hum of students cramming for exams.

Chiaki and I usually studied together, but she’d gone completely silent since the meet. It wasn’t until midweek that she finally resurfaced, but this time with a surprising duo in tow.

I was idly doodling in the margins of my notes when my phone lit up.

My eyes widened, a smile tugging at my lips before I could stop it.

>>What are you up to?

My fingers moved quickly.

<<Nothing much. Just taking a break after studying. You?

>>Look at you being all studious. I’m on a short break between photo shoots. My mom’s roped me into helping with her winter collection.

>>Sounds like a lot of work.

The typing bubbles vanished. Then reappeared.

>>Want a sneak peek?

I sent back a sticker of a cartoon dog tilting its head, a big question mark floating above it. My throat bobbed as I waited.

A few seconds later, the photo loaded.

She was standing in the snow, mid-laugh, caught in motion like she hadn’t realized the camera was there. A long, tailored trench coat wrapped around her frame, the fabric dusted with flecks of white. A soft knit beanie sat snug over her blonde hair, a few loose strands slipping free and catching the light. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, emerald eyes bright and alive as she bent slightly, one hand scooping snow like she was about to toss it.

It didn’t look posed.

It looked… natural.

My chest warmed in a way that felt almost unfair.

<<Cute! Did you only take one?

>>There’s more, but these aren’t officially released yet, so you’ll have to wait.

<<If you get more send them to me! I want to make them my phone wallpaper!

>>Don’t worry there will be more where that came from~ I’ll have to get back to shooting more photos. Enjoy your break and remember to take it easy! ❤️

<<I’ll wait! You too!

I sent the same little shiba sticker again, tail wagging this time, and stared at the photo a second longer than necessary before locking my phone.

The smile didn’t leave my face for a while.

As soon as I sent the message, I scrolled back to the photo and saved it. After a moment of hesitation, I set it as my home screen.

Surely no one would be able to tell who it was.

“Wow,” Chiaki said suddenly. “That’s a dangerous smile.”

I froze.

She leaned against the table, arms crossed, eyes bright with interest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you grin like that.”

I turned my phone face-down a little too quickly. “Huh? I’m not smiling.” But I could feel my cheeks warm.

Benio snorted. “You absolutely are.”

My laugh came out stiff. "You're imagining things.”

The three of them exchanged a look. It wasn’t subtle. It was the kind of look people shared when they knew something.

“Must’ve been someone important,” Benio added, tone deliberately casual.

Heat crawled up the back of my neck. “O-Obviously I have important people in my life.”

Tatsumi nodded once. “Mhm.”

That was it. Just ‘mhm’.

It somehow made everything worse.

Chiaki tilted her head, watching me like I was a puzzle she’d already finished. “You know,” she said lightly, “if you ever wanted to tell us something, we wouldn’t freak out.”

“Yeah,” Benio chimed in. “We’re surprisingly mature.” She puffed out her chest to prove the point further.

I glanced between them. “I didn’t say there was something.”

“You don’t have to,” Benio replied.

Tatsumi finally spoke. “You look happier.”

The room quieted for half a beat.

I swallowed.

“…What are you guys planning?,” I muttered.

They laughed.

I didn’t know what they were getting at with this strange behavior. But I felt somewhat threatened, so I sunk into my chair.

“Is there something you all wanted from me?” I peeked at them with a side eye.

Chiaki carefully walked around the table, gesturing with her head toward the Irish Twins to either side of me. They moved like some sort of unit. Tatsumi pressed his hands onto my shoulder, maybe a little too hard. I watched as Benio wrapped herself around my legs.

Something was happening, but I reacted a little too late and found myself unable to move, to run away.

“Uhhh what are you guys doing?”

Chiaki sat on the table directly in front of me, crossing her legs like some sort of villain as she wore a grin on her face. I knew that expression. That was one she wore when she was up to no good.

Chiaki whipped out her phone and began looking for something. The moment she put her phone in front of me I winced and pulled my head back. But once I realized it was safe to look at I looked closer at the image. It was quite blurry but I could make out the background. It looked just like the tunnel entrance at the stadium in Tokyo, and then there were two people…

My jaw dropped as my heart pulsed, and eyes darted to Chiaki and looked at the photo then back to her. I looked at Tatsumi and Benio who were snickering. “W-When–”

Chiaki then lifted a finger and double tapped on the screen and it began to play.

My heart dropped.

The audio was low but I could hear it, the exact moment as it played, “I want to be with the girl that means so much to me!”

It was Natsuki and I!

Not only that, but she captured the most embarrassing part of that speech. Then I shook my head.

They knew! All three of them knew–no…and Hana! No wonder she was acting like that the other day. These guys were so dead! But most importantly–

“Y-You’re not going to post that any where are you?”

“Why would I? Yukina, I respect your privacy, I wouldn’t stoop so low to do that. Besides, it was a cute video that I want to keep of my best friend professing her love so passionately to my number one idol.” she teased.

“N-No one else knows, besides you three and Hana?” I looked at them with pleading eyes.

All three of them nodded.

“Your secret is safe with us,” Benio reassured, “but you have to keep us posted on your dates and stuff. That’s the only caveat.”

“So much for my privacy!”

They all laughed and I did too.

Piercing the air was my sudden ringtone that came from the table.

“Do you guys mind letting go of me? I may need to take that.” I tried to move but they remained.

Chiaki picked up the phone and read the name on the screen, “Koba Natsuki, heart, heart.” It continued to ring, then Chiaki looked like she had some sort of great idea. She placed the phone next to my ear as she held it then answered the call.

“Sorry! Were you busy?”

I furrowed a brow at Chiaki who only smiled, “N-No. Not at all. What’s up?”

“I know it’s a bit sudden but do you want to go on a date this weekend?”

My body tensed then I yelled into the phone, “YES!”