Running After You

The sun rose on a beautiful spring morning as light shone into the bedroom of one particular boy. An alarm clock blared its ringing, filling the room with a loud annoyance which wouldn't end until he slowly moved his hand over his clock to shut it off.

"Ugh." The boy said as he wiped his eyes to bring vision from his slumber. His name was Youta Morikawa and now was the time for him to get out of bed so he'd spent yet another long day at school. As he gathered his books and put on his uniform, his eyes wandered over to the window.

His room was situated so that it would see the house neighboring his home. Inside was someone dear to him, but despite his mind thinking of them. He made no attempt to continue looking over once he had gotten ready for the day.

Youta took care of the usual routine. Using the bathroom, grabbing some breakfast, then finally heading outside to feel the warm sunlight on his face. There was nothing special about his morning, nor was there any fanfare as he began his walk to school as he did every morning.

He was alone, but only for the first half of it. The quiet walk would quickly get loud suddenly as he heard a voice calling from behind.

"Youta!" A girl shouted to him. Her heavy breathing and loud footsteps told him everything he needed to know to sidestep just in time before she would give him a big slap on the back. "You didn't wait for me again."

This was Mitora Fukaminato, also known as his next door neighbor. Who was also known as what one would call a childhood friend of his. The pair had essentially grown up together ever since his family moved here.

"That's because I knew you'd come running like you always do." He replied with a chuckle. She didn't run just because she was a cheerful energetic girl. Mitora also was one of the school's best track runners. The morning run to school was simply a part of her workout, at this point.

"Then how about we race to school?" She challenged him, as she did nearly every day.

"Can't we just-" He was about to decline, but without saying another word. The girl took off and dashed away through their route to school. "Ugh." He groaned and started a light jog to make his futile attempt to keep up with her. Of course she was much quicker than him, and much more determined to win as well, so he wasn't able to stick with her for long.

That said, given her careless nature, while he still had her in sight. Youta did see her white panties flashing as her short skirt fluttered up and down from her speed. The boy had to shake his head as he succumbed to the temptation of looking directly at them. She was his childhood friend, not his girlfriend, after all.

The second half of his trip to school was much less peaceful than his first half as he ran the rest of the way. While he didn't push his body nearly as much as her, Youta still was exhausted when he finally arrived to the front entrance.

"Sheesh, what took you so long?" She was there to greet him with a giggle as he finally was able to stop and bend over to catch his breath. "It feels like you're not getting any faster at all."

"That's because I'm not." He abhorred this feeling of tiring himself out. His lungs burned from the heavy breathing and his muscles would get all stiff after he pushed them. Not to mention the uncomfortable sweat making its way into his clothing to stay there for the rest of the school day. "I'm going to class now."

He had the misfortune of not having the same homeroom as her. And yes, despite his harsh responses to her overenthusiastic actions, it was indeed unfortunate they were not classmates. This didn't mean he was lonely during class though. After all there were plenty of guys he chatted with during break periods. He hardly had any idle time to himself until after school was over.

At that point, he'd go home by himself without Mitora there to rush him along. As she had practice with the track team after school, which they'd be spending much more time doing with the weather as great as it has been. Plenty of sports clubs and teams were waking up from the winter hibernation to get back into form for proper competitions.

But for Youta, he had been more content in understanding athletics were far from his strong suit. He stuck with being a part of the go-home club, which meant he had gotten to a point where seeing Mitora had become rare. The only time they truly saw each other was on that morning walk, which was more of a run, that also kept them apart for much of it anyway.

Today was much like any other by the time classes ended. He listened to the lessons, chatted with some acquaintances, and got his homework assignments. Youta peered out the window right before he set out for home. The view from his classroom was perfect for watching over the track and field their school had. There he got a glimpse of Mitora laughing as she stretched with her teammates.

"Youta, may I speak with you before you leave?" His teacher's voice broke his concentration, prompting concern in his face from being called out. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble." The man could tell from his expression what was going on in his mind. So he quickly followed it up with some assuring words. "Just follow me to the staff room."

Youta was not opposed to listening to his teacher, not that it'd be a good idea to decline. So he went along, grabbing the stack of paperwork to help the man back to the staff room.

"You have a friend on the track team, right?" His teacher, whose name was Mikimasa Fudera, spoke while they walked in the hallway.

"Yeah." He answered. "I'm not trying to do anything weird. I'm only looking at her."

"Heh, I already said you're not in trouble." His advanced response to avoid looking like a pervert got his teacher to laugh. "But I have noticed something has been troubling you."

"I've been troubled?" Youta didn't think he had an issue that were abundantly clear. Even he wasn't aware of anything wrong with him. "But, I've been eating well… And I even make sure to do all my schoolwork."

"It's not that, and trust me, I've been a teacher long enough to tell when something's wrong." They reached the room, where he directed him to his work desk. "I don't know who this girl is, but it's pretty obvious you used to be close." He put emphasis on the word, 'used', prompting Youta to think about the thought he tried to keep out of his mind.

It was the thought of the fact on how he and Mitora had spent less and less time together ever since entering high school. During their first year, she joined the track team on the first day. As she had always been a runner since their junior high days, so it made perfect sense.

He was not a sports fan, nor did he find any other clubs to interest him. So Youta ended up just going home to study and entertain himself with other hobbies. Not that it would've mattered if he did join a club, as the end result would still be the same.

Which was then when he began to notice them spending less and less time together, like they used to growing up. When they were younger, they nearly did everything together. However this changed and these days they basically became people who only crossed paths occasionally.

"We're still friends, if that's what you mean." He responded, attempting to explain the situation without making himself sound concerned. "It's normal, isn't it? People grow up and sometimes you just drift apart."

"Somehow I don't think that thought helps make you happy." Mikimasa replied as he sat down at his desk. "And as a teacher, I'm always glad to help my students achieve a higher level." The man produced a piece of paper from the filing cabinet and handed it to Youta.

"What's this?" He asked, scanning the contents. It read a lot about athletics and sports. Which concerned him that he might be forced to join a club. "Because, you know, I've never been a sporty type."

"It's actually paperwork to get you to become a sports manager." His teacher clarified. "Technically this is paperwork to form a new club of sports managers, and you'd be the sole member."

"And why do you want me to be a sports manager, exactly?" While Youta was aware of certain aspects about sports thanks to Mitora. He was far out of his league when it came to knowledge beyond some bits and pieces. "Mitora's the athlete, not me."

"Believe me, I'm not doing this just because you have a friend that's in sports. I chat with plenty of staff, and that includes our athletic department as well. It seems they have their hands full with many students. So I figured I could kill two birds with one stone here. Help out one of my students while also aiding those I work alongside with."

"But, I don't have any sports experience." This seemed too much like taking advantage of some convenience instead of finding the best qualified person for the job.

"You don't need to know anything about whatever athletic venture they're doing to work with our student-athletes." He continued to give out points to push Youta towards becoming a manager. "A lot of the staff might disagree, but I believe some of our problem students might be more willing listen to someone close their age. You know, someone they might be able to relate to better."

This was another aspect which gave Youta some pause on the offer. It wasn't just that he'd be able to hang out with Mitora. He'd have some hefty responsibilities and had no clue what would constitute a problem student in the world of athletes. He might not have the fortitude to handle them.

"I don't know, sir..." He was about to decline when the teacher cut him off.

"I understand this is all a bit sudden. But I assure you I believe this is best for everyone involved." He seemed confident, but just hearing words wasn't going to convince Youta. "So just hold on to it and think about it. I'll ask again when we meet in class tomorrow."

"Okay… I'll think about it." He did as he was told, but the boy was nearly certain his answer wouldn't change by the time next morning rolled around.