The morning sun sat low but bright, turning the school courtyard into a golden grid.
Students buzzed everywhere — measuring fields, carrying poles, dragging mats, arguing about team colors and class banners.
The Sports Festival was still days away.
But the anticipation was already stretching itself across the school like a trampoline pulled tight.
Eadlyn walked in quietly, gym bag slung over his shoulder, water bottle in hand.
He shouldn't have stood out.
But he did.
Not because of height.
Not because of foreign features.
Not because of rumors.
Because yesterday's match had planted a new kind of magnetism around him.
The type that pulls eyes without asking for them.
Some students nodded respectfully.
Some whispered.
Some simply stared, curious about the boy who turned a collapsing team into a functioning heartbeat.
Eadlyn pretended not to notice.
But Sayaka did.
She always noticed.
1. Sayaka: The Girl Who Feels the Shift Too Fast
Sayaka stood at the festival board in the main hallway, clipboard in hand, writing times and delegations with her sharp, beautiful precision.
But her focus kept wobbling.
Every time someone passed by greeting Eadlyn, every time a senior complimented him on the match, every time whispers formed around him…
…a small muscle in her jaw twitched.
Not jealousy.
Not possessiveness.
Something more complicated:
Recognition of pressure.
Pressure she knew too well.
When Eadlyn approached her with that calm expression of his, she straightened automatically.
"You came early again," she said.
He chuckled softly. "Feels like I'm always early these days."
"You might have to start coming late," she replied dryly. "People are beginning to talk."
"Let them," he said simply.
Sayaka paused.
That wasn't arrogance. It wasn't bravado. It wasn't carelessness.
It was acceptance from a boy who had been trained by life to stand steady, even when he didn't want to.
Her heart twisted.
"You don't have to hold everything," she said quietly.
He blinked — just once, a tiny delay.
"I'm not holding everything."
"That's the problem," she murmured.
"You don't realize when you are."
Before he could respond, a loud whistle blew from the field.
Practice was about to begin.
2. Ken: Learning to Stand Without Shaking
Ken approached them, bouncing a basketball lightly.
But the bounce wasn't nervous anymore. It had rhythm again.
Confidence again.
"Morning, Sayaka-senpai. Morning, Ead."
Sayaka nodded. "Training?"
"Yeah," Ken exhaled. "Coach wants us to master three new patterns before the festival."
"Three?" Eadlyn blinked.
"That's… ambitious," Sayaka added.
Ken grinned. "He thinks we can do it now."
Sayaka's eyes softened.
Eadlyn's did too.
Ken deserved that new fire
.
But the moment he jogged toward the gym,
Sayaka spoke softly:
"He looks at you differently now."
"How so?" Eadlyn asked.
"He looks at you like someone who reminds him he's allowed to grow."
Eadlyn didn't answer.
Because he didn't know how to hold compliments about emotional things.
He only knew how to absorb blows, not acceptance.
Sayaka saw the subtle tension in his shoulders.
And she filed it away carefully.
Because one day, it would matter.
3. Rin & Manami Enter — The Chaos and the Calm
Rin popped out from behind the equipment shed, waving a clipboard like she discovered a new species.
"Eadlyn! Sayaka! Good — I needed emotionally stable people!"
"Then why are you calling me?" Eadlyn asked.
Rin blinked. "Fair."
Manami walked behind her, carrying two massive crates of markers, rope, and measuring tape.
She looked calm today — calmer than usual.
But Manami's calm wasn't peaceful.
It was constructed.
Held tightly.
Structured.
Like a dam designed to withstand rumors and bad memories.
"Where do you need these?" she asked.
"Field desk," Sayaka answered.
Manami nodded and left with quiet determination.
Rin leaned towards Eadlyn.
"Hey, question."
"Mm?"
"What did you say to Ken yesterday? He cried like a child who saw their parent eat their ice cream."
Eadlyn shook his head. "Just asked him if he wanted to rewrite the story."
Rin blinked.
"Wow."
Then she turned to Sayaka.
"He's like a therapist disguised as a basketball player."
Sayaka didn't laugh. She only said:
"Yes. And that's why it's dangerous."
4. Ichigo Appears — As If the System Spat Him Out
Ichigo stood on the edge of the field, arms crossed, expression blank.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
But Ichigo wasn't the type to show up "supposedly."
He showed up when he calculated necessity.
"You're observing?" Eadlyn asked.
"Yes," Ichigo answered. "Festival events require optimal strategy. I am mapping probabilities."
Sayaka raised an eyebrow.
"Mapping… what?"
"Probability of choke rate. Probability of injury. Probability of teammate synergy collapsing. Probability of Eadlyn overworking."
Eadlyn froze.
"…Wait."
Ichigo stared at him with dead, flat honesty.
"Your shoulders have a micro-slump today. That is an 18% signal of emotional fatigue."
"Ichigo," Eadlyn sighed.
"Don't worry. I will monitor."
Sayaka covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Eadlyn groaned softly.
Ichigo wasn't affectionate.
Ichigo wasn't expressive.
But this?
This was his version of care.
5. The Sports Captain Approaches — and the Whisper Spreads
A booming voice echoed:
"Greyson!"
The Sports Festival Captain — a tall third-year with a built-like-a-tank presence — approached with a clipboard in hand.
"We've been discussing this," he said, scratching his head, "and we want you as a core runner in the relay team."
Eadlyn blinked. "…Relay?"
Rin gasped dramatically. "Oh ho HO — the plot thickens."
Manami reappeared just in time to hear it. Her eyes widened.
Sayaka froze.
"Why me?" Eadlyn asked carefully.
The captain shrugged.
"You're fast. Calm. And yesterday proved you can operate under pressure."
Whispers rose around them.
"Is he joining the relay?"
"No way—"
"Greyson's gonna carry the school this year!"
"What about his basketball match—?"
And Sayaka…
…could feel the narrative tightening around him again.
Expectations.
Weight.
Eyes.
She stepped forward.
"Let him think," she said firmly.
The captain frowned, but nodded.
Eadlyn looked at Sayaka.
She wasn't giving him an answer.
She was giving him space.
6. Diary — Eadlyn
I used to think pressure only hurt when it came from the outside.
Turns out the worst pressure comes from wanting to meet everyone's expectations… even when they never asked me to.
Sayaka didn't tell me to refuse.
She didn't tell me to accept.
She told me to breathe.
I didn't realize how much I needed that.
Tomorrow, practice starts.
Tomorrow, people will expect more.
And tomorrow, I'll have to decide who I want to be on this field.