131. Embrace your ordinariness, embrace your love, and never leave your side.

“Tsukimi, Sakura, happy birthday.”

Seated at the dining table in the Sakurakoji household, Tsukimi Jinguji and Sakura Sakurakoji received birthday wishes together, along with gifts from their two mothers.

As childhood friends born on the same year, month, and day, they had always celebrated their birthdays side by side like this.

For them, birthdays were far more tangible and meaningful than Valentine’s Day, a day that never quite resonated with them.

Being born on Valentine’s Day was just how life was.

“You’re about to enter your senior year of high school. With your grades, Tsukimi, getting into Tokyo University should be a breeze,” Sakura’s mother said with a smile.

In the presence of parents, topics like school, grades, and aspirations were unavoidable—even for the top student in the grade.

“Eh~~ I actually don’t want him to get into Tokyo University. What if he ends up as serious and rigid as his father?” Tsukimi’s mother chimed in with a provocative remark, leaving Tsukimi silent and somewhat skeptical.

“What’s wrong with that? Our Sakura can’t even get in if she tried,” Sakura’s mother replied.

“Nonsense! Sakura’s going to be a proud athlete. Who knows, maybe we’ll see her on TV someday. Isn’t spring the season? She should be reporting to the training base soon,” Tsukimi’s mother added.

“Eh?” Tsukimi, who had been engrossed in eating cake, froze instantly and looked up at his mother.

“Aunt Yuko!” Sakura’s face tightened with anxiety as she quickly glanced at the boy beside her.

Yuko Jinguji was momentarily taken aback. “Eh? You mean, Sakura-chan, you still haven’t told…”

Tsukimi wore a puzzled expression, wondering what they were talking about. He turned to Sakura, hoping to read something from his childhood friend’s face.

Sakura was silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Tsukimi’s hand and led him upstairs.

Pulled into Sakura’s room, Tsukimi stood stiffly like a wooden figure, watching her walk over to the desk and pull something from a drawer.

After hesitating for a long moment, Sakura turned and approached him. Tsukimi finally caught sight of what she held.

It was a letter.

Without a word, she slowly raised her arm. Tsukimi hesitated, unsure whether to take it, but almost instinctively, he accepted it. Resigned, he saw the sender’s heading.

[Japan Athletics Association]

In an instant, Tsukimi sensed something significant had happened.

Sakura lowered her head slightly, hands clasped behind her back, avoiding his gaze. She spoke softly, her voice faltering.

“Last October, my family suddenly received this letter, saying I had been selected to participate in the national team’s trial training. If I passed, I could join the youth training program—and maybe someday, stand on the Olympic stage.”

“I went to the trial with a mindset of just giving it a try.”

“Then, in January, I received the notice that I passed.”

“I can join the youth training team.”

Tsukimi stared blankly at his childhood friend. Memories of the fragile girl who had always run after him after school flooded his mind.

But now, she had left him far behind, standing in a place where he had to look up to her.

He didn’t know how to describe the feelings stirring inside him, but one thing was clear.

He was genuinely happy for her.

That was all.

A girl who had worked harder than anyone else, whose efforts and sweat were finally bearing fruit. Was there anything more joyous than that?

“This is great news! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You little…” Tsukimi’s voice trailed off.

Hearing him, Sakura slowly raised her head and met his eyes, bright amber glistening with tears. She clenched her fists tightly.

“The training starts this spring, and it’s completely closed off—for a whole year.”

“So… I have to take a leave of absence from school.”

The smile on Tsukimi’s lips vanished abruptly. Suddenly, all the unease he had sensed in Sakura and the anxiety she had shown made sense.

It meant he was about to be separated entirely from his childhood friend, who had been by his side all these years.

Her eyes shimmered with hesitation, as if hoping he would say something to stop her.

Tsukimi knew that if he tried to hold her back, she might waver, give up on her distant dream, and stay by his side forever as his childhood friend.

But…

“I think you have to seize this opportunity, Sakura.”

“Eh?!” Sakura looked up, her clear eyes welling with tears.

“Tsukimi… do you want to be apart from me?”

Maybe, in his heart, she was just a childhood friend. The most important place inside him was already taken by someone else. No matter how hard she tried, she could never compete with that person.

“Don’t be ridiculous! How could I want to be apart from you!” His shout dispelled the sadness in her heart. She stared at the increasingly passionate boy before her, forgetting how long it had been since she last saw him like this.

“How could I want to be apart? But—that’s your dream, isn’t it?”

“The person I care about wants to chase their dream. How could I ever stop you?”

Her tears spilled over, the ache rising to her nose. The emotions she had held back finally found release, and she threw herself into his arms, unable to control herself.

Choking sobs, cries—the purest and most raw emotions burst forth all at once.

“But I really don’t want to be apart from you, Tsukimi. Finally, I can chat with you at school without worrying about what others think, walk openly beside you, and yet…”

“What am I supposed to do? Tsukimi, Tsukimi…”

She kept calling his name. Tsukimi slowly closed his eyes, lifted his hands, and held the girl tightly against him.

“So… will you give up?”

“...Eh?”

“Give up your dream, give up becoming world champion, and be an ordinary Sakura Sakurakoji. Can you accept such a mediocre version of yourself?”

“If you can accept that, then I can accept it too—accept your ordinariness, accept your love, and never leave you.”

“Tsukimi, I…”

Her voice caught in her throat. If only she could declare her love here, maybe she would receive all his affection.

But the words would not come.

“I, I…”

“I really, really want to fulfill my dream!”

“I want to be with you! Forever and ever!”

“But if I give up now, I feel like I’ll never be able to hold my head high again!”

“Tsukimi, do you like me as I am? Do you like me if I give up my dream? Do you like me if I become like a walking corpse!?”

Hearing her words, Tsukimi felt a bittersweet ache but couldn’t help smiling. That indescribable emotion transformed into the purest joy.

“I like Sakura best when she’s running.”

“Tsukimi…”

“So don’t hesitate, don’t stop moving forward. Sakura Sakurakoji wants to be world champion, right?”

“Then let me see it!”

“Let me see you standing proud on the world stage. And one day, I’ll point at you on TV and tell everyone around me with pride—”

“Look! She’s my childhood friend.”

Thank you for the generous support.

(The End of this Chapter)