(Dazai Crowley's POV)
Cerulean Academy, Present Day
The next day arrived.
I open my eyes slowly, allowing myself some time to adjust to the sunlight. —Well, if there was any. In reality, the sun had barely even begun to rise.
I pulled out my phone and checked the time. A quarter to six, it said. I get up and glance out the nearby window. Daybreak was approaching.
In other words, this was the perfect time.
I climbed up the bed, checking on Emmel who slept on the top bunk. Sure enough, he was still sleeping. His mannerisms didn't seem fake either.
Good.
—If I do this now, I better make it quick.
There are two closets in our room. One for me, and the other for Emmel. I headed for mine.
In addition to the spare clothing the school had preemptively lended us, we students were also given additional school uniforms, sports jerseys and tracksuits inside, all catered to our size.
I opted for the tracksuit and got dressed. In the bathroom, obviously.
No way was I going to risk doing that in a room with another guy.
And then I replaced my current fingerless gloves with some fresh spares I had brought with me.
Once properly dressed, I quietly headed outside.
—As expected, not a single soul was in sight. No surprise since everyone was probably still asleep.
Taking the elevator and eventually leaving the boy's dormitory, I went out for a walk.
I was then greeted by the touch of cold morning air and the occasional sounds of cicadas and crickets. A peaceful environment.
There was a reason as to why I was up so early.
At night, curfew starts at 10 with class starting up around 8. Although you're not allowed to be up past curfew, there is no rule stating we weren't allowed to leave our dorms in the early morning.
I decided to make use of this to go for a light jog.
A little morning exercise to start the day, if you will. However, it appears I wasn't the only one who had the same idea.
Coming in from the opposite direction, another student was running towards me at high speeds.
I recognized their face almost immediately.
Upon noticing me however, they slowed down and stopped in front of me while still running in place.
"Ah, good morning, Dazai."
"Good morning, Ryoku."
I greeted the girl who stood parallel to me.
"You're up pretty early", she tells me.
"And so are you, apparently."
"Ahaha, true…"
Ryoku chuckles a little.
"Were you going for a run too?"
"Something like that."
"—Ooh, in that case do you want to run together then?~", she asked in a cutesy voice.
"I don't see why not."
I had no reason to deny her. Whether I run by myself or with others makes no real difference.
No, in fact, I would rather welcome her presence.
Ryoku turns around, facing the same direction as me. And with that, we resumed our jogging session.
"So, did you sleep well last night?"
While we were still walking, Ryoku spoke up.
"Relatively."
I kept my eyes focused on the road. It'd be a problem if I tripped just because I wasn't looking.
More importantly, it would be quite embarrassing if I fell in front of her like that.
"What about you?"
"Sorta. My bed was a little uncomfortable, so I couldn't get as much sleep as I wanted to."
"I see."
—So even the girls had subpar beds as well.
Hmm…
"Honestly, my back was killing me when I woke up. So I thought about running to shake it off."
"That makes sense."
"And you?"
"I'm running solely for the sake of running."
"Ah, so basic body improvement, huh…"
"Pretty much."
"....—Hmm, yeah, now that I think about it, it's probably a good idea for us to start improving ourselves more than ever moving forward, huh."
She mumbled aloud her inner thoughts.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about our class. We were basically put in Class D because we were lacking something in particular, right? In that case, wouldn't it make sense that we start training ourselves to fix that?"
"No, I agree with you on that."
It was simple logic, and an even simpler solution, so to speak. I just wonder whether or not such a simple feat was easier said than done though.
"—In that case, we should start now."
"Start?"
Suddenly, Ryoku stopped jogging and glanced at me.
"Say, how well do you know this area?"
I raised my eyebrow.
"This area? If you're talking about the campus, then well enough, I suppose."
Although I've already memorized the general map by heart, it's not like I know all of the ins and outs.
"—What exactly are you up to?"
"Let's have a race, Dazai."
"A race? To where?"
"Hmm, let's see… The academy is about half a kilometer away, right? Then let's make it there."
"....All the way down there?"
I couldn't help but voice my complaints.
"What? Not interested?"
"—Not exactly."
To be honest, I only came out to get some fresh air and walk. I didn't exactly plan to run "that" far.
"Then why don't we spice things up with a bet?"
"A bet?"
"Exactly, if I win, you have to give me five points."
"Oh, and what exactly do I get if I win?"
Ryoku leans her head to the side, pondering a little.
"Hmm…—how does a "kiss on the lips" sound?"
"Don't joke around."
"I'm serious. I said I would spice things up, remember? Consider it my treat for being selfish."
Although she said so teasingly, I could tell she meant exactly what she said.
Sigh.
Hmm, I suppose I can entertain this.
"A kiss, huh? Alright, bet."
I immediately got into position.
"Ohoh? Somebody's serious all of a sudden~"
I rolled my eyes.
"Let's just get this over with."
Ryoku took her stance.
"We'll go on three."
"Okay."
"One….—two…..—Three!!"
And with that, we took off.