It's Monday and Ayoshi's class is having gym class with another class. Mrs. Tachikawa got everyone's attention, "Ok everyone, class 2-1 and class 2-2 will have a conjoined gym class today. We will be doing races. A student from each class will be paired up together and compete. Your homeroom teachers have been very proud of your performance lately, so they said whichever class has the most winners will be excluded from cleaning duty."
Some students started to get excited, confident that their class was going to win. While other students became nervous because they had no athletic ability and didn't want to drag their team down. They were all talking nonstop.
"Ok, ok everyone, calm down. The first fourteen pairs have been chosen, but since there are more students in class 2-2, class 2-1 will choose someone to race twice. You can choose which student you want to race twice for the last race." Mrs. Tachikawa smiled at everyone, "I want everyone to do their best. Good luck everyone!" She gave everyone a few minutes to prepare themselves and gave both teams a paper with the pairs.
Class 2-2 has Rito Aso, the best athlete in the school. However, on their list, Aso didn't have a partner, so they asked Mrs. Tachikawa.
Mrs. Tachikawa explained to both classes, "Since Rito-san is our school's star athlete. I didn't give him a partner, so class 2-1 can choose their fastest runner and make it a little more fair. Of course, Rito-san being on your team won't guarantee your class will win, so both classes must do their best."
The races soon started and the race was outside on the track. The first one to touch the cone and run back wins.
Ayoshi's turn was going to be the seventh race. He wasn't really interested, so he just stood to the side as the rest of them talked. They were nervous and behind on wins, so they just ignored him. His class usually ignored him, never really acknowledging him. They thought he was weird since Ayoshi was so quiet. They didn't think much of him and didn't expect much when it was his turn to race. So they were shocked when he won, by a lot. The race didn't end until both parties made it back, and it took a few very long seconds for the other racer to finish.
When Ayoshi made it back to his team, they surrounded him, telling him how amazing he was. They looked at him with big smiles, saying how talented he was being able to surpass the other guy. They felt much more confident in winning with Ayoshi, so they all agreed that he would be the one to race twice. However, they weren't the only ones amazed.
Aso is looking at Ayoshi with sparkling eyes. 'How amazing.' He has been an athlete for a long time and could tell when someone tried or not. He could tell Ayoshi didn't put much effort into his race, but he was still so fast. 'Imagine him putting his all into it. How exhilarating!' He couldn't wait for his race with Ayoshi and he started to get impatient waiting for all the other races. He shook with anticipation.
However, Aso's team wasn't so excited about Ayoshi. They wanted to win, and with the speed Ayoshi had shown, they weren't so sure Aso could win against him. "Rito-kun, can you win against him?"
Aso looked at them, eyes filled with excitement. "Who knows!" They were not reassured by his words.
"For the last race, Aishi-san and Rito-san will compete. Hurry and come up to the starting point." Ayoshi walked to the starting point at a slow pace, always walking pretty slow and Aso speed walked. When they made it to the starting point, Mrs. Tachikawa told them they could say something to each other before the race started.
Aso looked at Ayoshi, "Hello there!"
Ayoshi turned to face a sunny-looking tanned boy. "Hi."
Aso grew a big toothy grin, "Aishi-kun, I could tell you weren't trying earlier, so please put your all into it. I'm an athlete and a win doesn't feel like a win unless my competitor is doing their best. So please give me some respect."
Ayoshi didn't care for the race and, like he did before, wasn't going to put much effort into it. However, Aso nicely asked, so he was going to do his best. "Mm."
"Ok boys, your teams are at a draw, so this is going to be the winning race. Good luck and do your best to win for your team. Now get ready." The two boys got into position. "Ready. Set. GO!"
The two set off. Aso was in the lead at the beginning and his team felt happy. They cheered, believing they were going to win… until Ayoshi started to catch up.
When Aso is running a race, all he's focused on is the finish line. He's in his own little world, enjoying the feeling of wind hitting his face, and the slight burning of his lungs. He is always so focused on running, he doesn't notice if someone passes him in a race. He is a great athlete, but there is always someone better than him, so he has lost races and other competitions before. He never minded because it showed that he could improve. So when he finally made it to the finish line, he noticed Ayoshi standing there. Ayoshi is standing at the finish line leisurely, drinking water. His face grew a huge smile.
Mrs. Tachikawa announced, "The winner is Aishi Ayoshi and the winning team is class 2-1. Congratulations!"
Class 2-1 cheered loudly. They rushed towards Ayoshi and thanked him for winning for their team.
Aso wanted to go talk to Ayoshi and ask him a very important question, but his team pulled him away. They told him it was ok and that he shouldn't be sad, that he probably only had an off day. However, he wasn't sad and felt the complete opposite with so many more emotions. He looked at Ayoshi with a slightly longing look, but they mistook this look for sadness, so they pulled him further away. They took him further away from Ayoshi.
After everyone calmed down, Mrs. Tachikawa told everyone they could go to the bathhouse, so they could clean themselves and change back into their uniforms.
Ayoshi went to the shower room while Aso went to talk to Mrs. Tachikawa before he followed, so he could get more information on the race. After they were done talking, he felt even more excited to talk to Ayoshi. He walked around the shower room, trying to find Ayoshi. When he found Ayoshi, he was walking out of the bath area. He rushed towards Ayoshi, "Aishi-kun! I finally get to talk to you!"
Ayoshi turned to Aso, "Yes?"
"You were amazing out there. When I saw your first race, I couldn't wait to compete with you! So when I did, I knew I had to give it my all. I couldn't let my team down. Sadly, I lost."
"Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Aishi-kun! You had to win for your team too. I may have lost the race, but I gained something else!"
"What?"
"Aishi-kun, I talked to Mrs. Tachikawa. She said you are really impressive. Your form is almost perfect and your speed is something else. You were so fast you broke the school record, which I've held for the three years I've been here. Aishi-kun, I'm always looking to improve myself. Winning or losing doesn't matter to me, improving does. Meeting you and seeing how great you are made me realize something." Ayoshi raised his eyebrow in question. He clasped Ayoshi's hands in his. "Aishi Ayoshi, please become my mentor!"
Ayoshi's eyes slightly widened, "What?"
"Aishi-kun, please become my mentor and teach me. I want to learn from you and become better! So please become my mentor... of course, it's ok if you don't wan–"
"Ok."
Aso's smile widened, "Thank you so much! Can we start now?"
"We can not."
Aso's smile turned into a pout, "Aww… why not?"
"I am naked and our next class is going to start soon."
Aso finally got a good look at Ayoshi. His hair, still wet from his bath, slightly dripped with water. His skin flushed pink from the heat of the water and all he wore was a towel around his waist.
Aso let go of Ayoshi's hands in a panic. "I'm… I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were… na-naked. I'll give you some privacy," he said as he quickly ran away and hid in a corner. He's seen teammates and classmates naked when being in the bathhouse. So he didn't understand why he felt his face heat up and started to feel strange. He decided to blame it on the race and the heat of the shower room. He held his chest and his heart was beating so fast. He couldn't help but think, 'How is his waist so small?'