By the time you see it clearly, it's already more than just a reflection.
At Lagonoy High School, beneath the shadow of the mango trees and beside the gymnasium where shuttlecocks flew and sneakers squeaked, the newly revived Karate Club trained in a corner of the old auditorium.
The smell of floor polish and muscle pain hung in the air. But to Mayumi Torres of Section 4 – Sapphire, it was perfect.
"Again!" barked Sensei Robles, an enthusiastic P.E. teacher turned karate mentor. "Focus!"
Mayumi adjusted her stance. One leg back. Guard up. Eyes forward.
Then came the shout.
"OSU!"
She launched into the motion, only to clash forearms with a boy mid-move.
"Again, Torres!" the boy said, raising an eyebrow. "You're slow today."
Mayumi narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you're rushing. Again, de los Santos!"
Kenji de los Santos, a Ruby Section first year from 3rd class, was quick, competitive, and just annoying enough to get under her skin. He had joined Karate Club "to get better at self-defense" but clearly enjoyed throwing friendly jabs—verbally and physically.
From their very first spar, the two had been locked in an unspoken agreement: be better than the other at all costs.
They were not friends.
But neither were they enemies.
They were, as Kenji coined it once during warm-ups, "frienemies by kinetic law."
Their rivalry bloomed across intramurals season.
"You know, the Sapphire section is known for brainiacs, not fighters," Kenji teased one break time as he tied his belt.
Mayumi raised an eyebrow. "And Ruby is known for noisy boys who can't block."
"Ouch." He grinned.
They sparred. They bickered. They traded wins.
Still, they always bowed after.
After a while, their classmates—especially Kaira Ramos from Diamond, who somehow knew everyone's business—began whispering.
"They argue too much," she told Rina and Callie in the canteen. "That's not rivalry. That's something else."
"No way," said Rina. "She'd have told me. We're groupmates in Health."
But deep down, even Mayumi didn't know what to call it.
It changed one Monday.
Club practice had been canceled because the auditorium lights were under repair. Kenji showed up anyway—so did Mayumi.
They stood awkwardly outside the locked door, both in uniform, neither expecting the other.
"You too?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Habit. You?"
"Same."
It was quiet. Until she spoke again.
"I'm going to win next time."
"You say that every time."
"This time I mean it."
Kenji looked at her, then looked away. "Cool."
Then he added, "I don't mind losing. If it's to you."
Mayumi blinked. "That supposed to be sweet or sarcastic?"
Kenji laughed. "I don't know anymore."
From that point on, something shifted. Mayumi began noticing little things.
Like how Kenji tied his gi more neatly when she was around. Or how he lingered after club to help pack the mats—always near her.
She found herself waiting for his comments. Looking forward to their matches. Even missing him when he was absent during a club meeting because of a sprained ankle.
Kaira, of course, noticed.
"You're in love," she said during a shared TLE class.
"No, I'm not," Mayumi muttered, eyes focused on her worksheet.
"You only make that face when you're deeply in denial," Kaira said, munching on chichirya. "Same face Isaac makes when Ella talks."
Mayumi groaned.
One afternoon, Sensei Robles introduced a new sparring routine.
"Pair up with someone you trust. This next drill will test your timing and rhythm."
Kenji walked straight up to her without a word.
She looked at him.
He smirked.
No arguments this time.
They worked in silence, steps matching, breaths syncing, each movement flowing like water.
When the drill ended, Sensei clapped. "Excellent example from Torres and de los Santos. You two move like reflections."
Kenji looked at Mayumi. "Not a bad reflection to have."
And for the first time, she didn't have a comeback.
Their bond deepened quietly.
During the Book Fair Week, Kenji helped her carry thick science books she borrowed "for fun." She didn't tell him she liked how his eyes lit up when she complimented his form. He didn't tell her he waited outside her classroom after dismissal just to say hi.
They still called each other rivals.
But neither really believed it anymore.
Then came the Interclub Meet. The Karate Club was invited to perform a demo in front of other sports teams and guests—including Marco from Basketball, Jessa from Badminton, and Lara from Volleyball.
Martin the magician was performing too, with Mae cheering in the crowd. Even Levi and Rina were watching from the bleachers, sitting oddly close.
Pressure was on.
Mayumi and Kenji were the main duo for the final kata demonstration.
"Don't mess up," she teased nervously.
"Never do," he replied.
They stepped into the center of the gym, surrounded by noise and light.
And then the world disappeared.
Their motions—sharp, timed, powerful—wowed the audience. Each block, strike, and pivot was a beat in a shared rhythm. When they finished, the gym erupted in cheers.
As they bowed, sweat glistening, Kenji leaned a little closer and whispered, "We're not rivals anymore, are we?"
She looked up.
"No," she whispered back. "We're something else now."
After that day, the teasing faded.
Not because they stopped joking—but because it wasn't hiding anything anymore.
They still called each other "frienemy reflection," but with softer smiles and longer stares. They walked home together once. She gave him a small towel with his name embroidered. He gave her a hair clip shaped like a karate belt.
Their classmates weren't fooled.
"They're in love," Rina told Callie.
"Finally," said Ella, glancing at Isaac from across the room. "Took them long enough."
It wasn't until the final club practice before Christmas break that they admitted it fully.
The sun was setting. The auditorium quiet. Only the two of them left, folding uniforms and rolling mats.
"Hey," Kenji said, voice low. "I didn't join this club to fall in love."
Mayumi looked up, heart skipping.
"Same," she replied, carefully. "But it happened."
He laughed. "Guess we can't call each other rivals anymore."
"Maybe not rivals," she said, then smiled. "But we'll always be reflections."
Epilogue: Interconnected Threads
During the Christmas bazaar, they helped Martin set up a magic booth. Mae took photos of them.
Kaira announced their unofficial status to the Diamond group chat.
Kenji caught Levi secretly watching Rina during a badminton match and elbowed him. "You're as obvious as I was," he said.
Mayumi shared her training notes with Callista, who updated her that Isaac wrote another poem for Ella.
At the rooftop, under the fireworks Martin set up, Kenji and Mayumi stood side by side, not holding hands yet, but closer than they'd ever been.
Frienemy Refraction
Because sometimes, what starts as rivalry isn't really about competition.
It's about finding someone who mirrors your strength—
and gently, unknowingly, reflects your heart back to you.