Six days had passed since Shoto recruited Hikaru and Ryuji into his group, and since Neko, the eccentric talking cat, entered his life. As Shoto was about to leave the house, his aunt grabbed the back of his school uniform, wearing a sly grin before gently pushing him forward.
"Are you going to tell me who that girl you were walking with yesterday?"
Shoto's eyes widened slightly, but he maintained his composure, slowly opening the door and darting off. His aunt danced at the thought of Shoto having a girlfriend. Though it was true, they hadn't had their first date yet.
Neko walked beside Shoto, looking ahead at Ryuji and Yumiko. Ryuji ran up to Shoto, playfully jabbing him in the chest, and decided to walk with him.
"Good morning, Shoto and Cat!"
Shoto smiled softly, but before he could respond, Neko spoke up. "I go by Neko now! Shoto named me."
Ryuji stopped and jumped in front of the cat. "YOU CAN TALK?! Are you, like, one of the gifted?" Shoto kept walking, his gaze shifting from Yumiko to Neko.
"He's not gifted, just annoying," Shoto said. Ryuji laughed, as if he'd seen it all before.
"I didn't want to believe that nerd Hikaru, but seeing it is crazy! Shoto, you're full of surprises."
Shoto looked at Ryuji, wondering how Hikaru and Ryuji had met. Before he could say anything, Hikaru, now with brown hair, leaned against the wall near the school gate, glaring at Yumiko. She waved before entering the building. Hikaru shrugged and walked toward Ryuji and Shoto.
"Give me your phones, both of you." Ryuji complied casually, but Shoto hesitated.
"Wh-what do you need them for?" Hikaru grabbed Ryuji's phone, then reached into Shoto's pocket and took his phone, adding his number to both. He handed the phones back.
"If we're going to form a group, we need to exchange numbers and possibly create a group chat."
Shoto took his phone slowly, watching Hikaru. Neko smirked. "So you two are lovers..."
Hikaru sighed and headed inside. The others followed. Hikaru pointed to a flyer on the wall.
"There are five more loyal followers, and from what the cat told me, it goes by elements. Ryuji is Earth, and I am Water. So all that's left are Wind, Lightning, Fire, and Storm."
Shoto looked at Hikaru, confused. "Isn't there Ice?" Hikaru glared at him.
"Ice is impossible, and Wind is unlikely. We're looking for the simpler ones." He pointed at a 10k marathon flyer with the name Ren Tashiki.
"Ren is the fastest in our school. If we can recruit him, nothing can go wrong."
Ryuji blinked at the flyer. "So we're entering? Sign me u—"
"I already did," Hikaru interrupted, pointing to their names. Shoto was shocked, but Ryuji was excited. He put his arm around Hikaru and Shoto, grinning. "I can't wait! When does it start?"
Hikaru adjusted his glasses. "It starts during Homeroom." He walked to class.
"H-Homeroom?! TODAY?!" Shoto exclaimed. Ryuji rubbed his head and walked toward the gym.
"It's going to be fine, Shoto. We got this!"
As Ryuji left, Shoto fell to his knees, almost in tears. "I've never run a 10k before... how could he sign me up without telling me?"
Two students in athletic suits approached the poster. One signed it with a slight smile while the other watched quietly.
"Heh, Ren Tashiki, your winning streak ends today. I, Kuro the Great, will crush you!" Kuro bumped Ren's shoulder as he walked off. Ren quietly stared at the poster, then at Shoto, who was shaking on the ground. He bent down and poked Shoto's side.
Shoto jerked back, crawling away. Ren smiled, confused. "Are you alright? I saw you on the ground."
Shoto nodded quickly. "I'm just trying to control myself before the marathon..."
Ren saw Shoto's name on the poster. He helped him up. "You're Shoto, right? I'm Ren Tashiki."
Shoto hesitated, recognizing the name, but accepted Ren's help. Ren was the same height as Shoto, with slicked-back blond hair and majestic gray eyes. "So, we're rivals. I don't want to be late for class, so I'll see you later." Ren patted Shoto's shoulder and walked off.
Shoto stood, staring at the ground, deep in thought. Hours passed, and it was almost time for homeroom. Shoto stared at his desk, wondering if recruiting Ren was possible. The bell rang. It was time. Shoto left the classroom, heading to the track field. Yumiko ran up and covered his eyes.
"Hi, Shoto! Skipping homeroom? Let's eat lunch!" she said, smiling.
Shoto looked up. "I have to go outside... I'm in a marathon..."
Yumiko giggled. "I didn't know you could run. If you win, I'll give you a kiss! Just kidding! But win it for me, okay?" She kissed his cheek. "Good luck!" and walked to the cafeteria.
Neko jumped on Shoto's back, checking if he was ready.
Yumiko's good luck lit a fire in Shoto's eyes. He was ready to win for her and the group.