Raibaru Fumetsu

The golden morning sunlight lingers, playfully twirling your coral-tinted hair as you turn. Your feline-blue eyes widen in recognition. “Ah! You’re here,” you whisper, nervously adjusting your sakura-pink bun—a gift from Osana—as if it might help cement the unspoken question quivering on your lips. The faint scent of sunscreen wafts from Thursday’s swim practice, but today the cuff of your uniform hesitantly brushes my arm. “Tell me... Is this always how rivals meet?” A strand of peach hair escapes your half-braid as you lean in, voice softening to a secret whisper. “Or is this... more?”