"What the–?!" The soccer player gasped,watching a blur figure with glasses overtook his place.
Kenji crossed the finish line a full three seconds ahead of the all students,his momentum so great that he fell to the sandpit at the end.
He sat up,sand in his hair,his chest huffing down and up."Did you see that,Rei?!" He shouted at the school. "I moved at Mach 0.5! The displacement was… it was statistically impossible!"
The couch stared at his stopwatch,then back at Kenji."Sato? I've never seen you that happy in this class nor even finished the race."
From the sidelines,Rei and Mio stood near the fence.Rei had been watching with a neutral expression,but a tiny glint of pride was in his eyes.It reminded Rei back in his past,how he taught his juniors in his former dojo,how his juniors eyes lit up after they have won their first match.
"He thinks he reached your level," Mio said leaning against the fence with her arms crossed."He's completely convinced he's at a level same as you"
"He's fast,"Mio admitted,watching Kenji try to explain the physics of his sprint to a group of surprised classmates."But look at him.He's so delusional right now,he's probably going to try and break a wall next."
"Let him have it," Rei muttered,turning to walk toward the next class. "He earned the 'Apex' feeling for today."
The final support beam was hammered into the place with a satisfying,solid thud.The "Hidden Inuyama" gateway stood tall in the school courtyard,a masterpiece of traditional and modern structural integrity.Even the skeptical interior design club had stopped by to admire its marvel at the seamless fit of the cedar logs,a result of Rei's strength and Kenji's obsessive physics knowledge.
"It's perfect," Hiyori whispered,stepping back to capture the structure through her lens.The sun setting caused the wood,making it glow like amber. "We actually did it."
"Physics doesn't lie," Kenji proclaimed, though he was currently leaning against a pile of leftover sawdust, looking like he might fall asleep standing up. "Mass plus labor equals... a very tired Kenji."
Mio wiped sweat from her brow with her forearm, looking at Rei with a rare, genuine smile of approval. "Not bad, Koga. It might actually survive the festival without collapsing on the guests. I'm heading to the dojo for a late session. Don't let the 'Data Nerd' or whoever he is,sleep in the dirt."
After Kenji had been poured into a bus home, Rei and Hiyori found themselves alone at the school gates. The air was filled with the scent of wood from the structure and the quiet hum of the town settling into evening.
"I'll walk with you," Rei said.It wasn't a question,just a low ,protective statement.
"You don't have to,but if you really want to,thank you Rei," Hiyori replied with a slight red on her cheek.
They walked in a comfortable silence that felt light,a contrast to the heavy pressure that Rei was used to in his former school.Hiyori occasionally stopped to take a photo of a stray cat or the way streetlamps flickered to life. Rei watched her,realizing that for the first time,he wasn't predicting an ambush.He was just… walking.
Hiyori grabbed a cat,"Here! Stroke its head." Hiyori carrying the cat to Rei.
"Not a big fan of cute things," which made Hiyori disappointed but she still persists to let him carry the cat.
"Fine," Rei replied with a defeated tone.He carried the cat in which the cat's paw touched Rei's cheek.He felt a soft and warm paw touching his face,he didn't instinctively react to the cat's paw nor did he have to.
"Maybe,I do like cute things after all," Rei said after gently putting down the cat.
"Maybe you do but I'm mad that you didn't stroke its head," Hiyori responded ,her face pouting.
When they reached the small,ivy-covered gate of her house.Hiyori stopped and turned to him.She looked up at him,her face framed by the lingering warmth of the evening.
"Rei," she started,then hesitated.her fingers playing with the strap of her camera. "You know the 'Still Point' we talked about… I think we found it today."
Rei looked at the house,then back at her."The friction is lower here," he admitted.
Hiyori reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times and then held it out to him. "The festival starts on Monday. We're going to need to coordinate... you know, for 'structural emergencies' and booth shifts. And maybe... just to talk."
Rei took his own phone out—a basic, rugged model that looked like it could survive a drop from a building. He took her phone and carefully typed in his digits, his large, scarred thumbs moving with surprising precision. When he handed it back, Hiyori's fingers brushed against his, and for a second, his world felt electric.
"There," she said, her cheeks turning a soft pink as she looked at the new contact name: Rei Koga. "Now you can't disappear into the library whenever you feel like a ghost. I have a way to pull you back."
Rei felt a strange, fluttering sensation in his chest—a biological variable he couldn't quite calculate. "I'm not going anywhere, Hiyori."
"Good," she smiled, stepping back toward her door. "Goodnight, Rei."
As she disappeared inside,Rei stood at the gate for a moment.He looked down at his phone.A new message had already arrived.
Hiyori:[Image Attached]
It was a photo from earlier,Rei carrying the cat,looking like someone who adores cats the most.
Rei pocketed the phone,a small,genuine smile finally breaking his neutral mask.He turned and started the walk back to the Sato household,his footsteps light on the pavement.
Back at the Hiyori's household,Hiyori was drying her hair with a hair dryer.Suddenly,a message had arrived
Rei Koga:Hey,I know it sounds weird but are you free for tomorrow because you want to go out tomorrow?
Hiyori's expression was shocked,she turned off her hair dryer."Ekkkk! Rei asked me out!" Hiyori thought to herself,blushing.
Hiyori:Sure! What time do we meet up and where do we meet up?
Rei Koga:After I'm done with Kenji's training,at the town centre.
Hiyori:Okay!