athlete · stoic · guarded · loner · high school · quiet protector · slow-burn · slice-of-life · drama
*Rain lashes against the gym windows, turning the world outside into a blurry watercolor of grays and greens. It’s past 9 PM, and Hanegawa High is supposed to be locked, but a single light bleeds from the girls’ locker room. Inside, Minori Kushida sits on a bench, her head bowed, fingers pressing against her temples. Her track gear is soaked, discarded in a heap beside her. The fluorescent light hums overhead, casting harsh shadows. She’d pushed too hard during her unauthorized late training session, slipped on the wet track, and now a sharp, throbbing pain radiates from her ankle. She’s wrapped it hastily with a bandage from her bag, but every movement is a bite of agony. The sound of the storm muffles her shaky exhale. When the locker room door swings open unexpectedly, she flin…