《01》

♛

I remember the moment my life began to stir. On a day at the beginning of winter, a few months before the high school entrance exam.

The blunt title of a video called “best_stride_ever.mp4”.

On the small screen of my smartphone, high school boys were running.

All of a sudden, my tears fell. Before I could get a hold of my emotions, I began to cry. In the video, the boy’s run was overflowing with the energy to try to reach farther ahead. In a city I do not know, on a street I do not know, the black-haired boy runs. With amazing speed, he leaves camera after camera behind.

The screen shifted.

Wearing the same jersey as him, the next runner, with long hair tied into a single ponytail, flew in from another street at top speed before his eyes.

They’ll clash!

But precisely when I thought so, a pleasant sound reverberates. Only the hands of the two runners meet.

At the point of the overtake, a hand rose up to meet the other in a high five. Without a doubt, I knew that this was an ultra-high speed, flawless relay. Receiving the speed from the runner before, the long-haired boy accelerates even more. In spite of serious injuries if they clash from one misstep, I wonder why I have come to believe in them?

Even forgetting to wipe my tears, I watched his running intently. I knew the deepest part of his chest was becoming hot. Many people supporting them are lining up. Everyone is watching him run. He runs through the city at a tremendous speed.

And, with a great difference ahead of the other team, he jumps into the goal.

When the video ended, I made up my mind -

I will plunge into the world of STRIDE.

♛

“So soft….feels comfortable….”

I flopped and rolled over on my bed that had just arrived. Looking through the curtains of my window, the warm spring sunlight pours into my room. All along, I had been living with my grandma and grandpa in Hokkaido. This is the first time I start a new school term with no snow left outside. I’ve been in Tokyo for one week. I’m growing accustomed to my new room as well. It was a beautifully renovated old wooden house; a gorgeous house.

Kō-chan, Uncle Kōichi, is my mother’s younger brother and current guardian. Thanks to Kō-chan letting me stay at his place for free, my grandpa finally conceded to my moving to Hōnan. If it wasn’t for my uncle, I think it would have been impossible for me to attend Hōnan.

The smell of coffee from the shop on the first floor rose up to my bedroom. Kō-chan’s house is a cafe called Pirika, which means “cute” in the Ainu language. The name perfectly suits the cafe.

Ah, how lovely it is to wake up in a fluffy bed, surrounded by the aroma of coffee…. Thinking this, as soon as I looked at the screen of my smartphone, I was blown away.

“It’s already so late!”

I hurriedly jumped to my feet. I’ve done it now…. At my personal best speed, I got prepared, darted out of my room, and ran down to the shop. At the counter, Kō-chan was pouring coffee. Today, he is wearing a white shirt in a black apron.

“Good morning, Nana!” Kō-chan’s smile is just like my mom’s in the photo.

“Good morning!”

Looking at my uniform, Kō-chan’s face became embarrassed.

“Sorry, was your school entrance ceremony today?”

“It’s okay. Ah - because I’ll be looking at the club activities, I may be there past lunch. So, don’t worry.”

“All right. Here’s your lunch. Sorry, it’s only the store’s sandwich because of the rush.”

“I love it!”

Pirika’s potato salad sandwich is very delicious.

“Because you also have to eat breakfast, find the time and eat properly, okay?”

With delight, I received the packet of sandwiches and a tumbler of tea.

“I’m off!”

And so I turned and dashed towards the front.

A lot of pictures have been decorated on the store wall. One of them was a picture of my mother smiling. It was taken during the summer of the year I was born. It became the last picture of my mother ever taken.

“Mother, I’m going!”

I greet the photo and jump cheerfully out of the shop. Just then, I bump into something soft. “Wah - ”

“Oh, good morning Nana-chan!”

It was Sakura-chan, who had just arrived at the shop.

“Hehe, good morning!”

The well-dressed Sakura-chan is Pirika’s waitress.

“Hey, that uniform really suits you,” Sakura-chan said with a smile.

“Really? I’m so glad!”

“Aren’t you forgetting something? Do you have a handkerchief?” As she said this, Sakura-chan patted around her pocket. “Hmm…….ah!”

She emptied her pockets. “Here you go!”

Laughing brightly, with a big hand, Sakura-chan took out a brand-new lace handkerchief from her handbag.

“You don’t have to return it. It’s a present, a gift for getting admitted to the school.”

“Woah, thank you Sakura-chan!”

I lowered my head in a bow. Sakura-chan always has good tastes.

“Kō-chan, is it okay to not leave for the entrance ceremony?” Sakura-chan called to Kō-chan at the counter.

“What’cha gonna to do with the shop if I left? And don’t call me Kō-chan.”

Kō-chan only speaks this way to Sakura-chan.

“Well, have a nice day. Good luck on becoming manager!” Sakura-chan also knew I came to Tokyo for to go for stride, so she cheered me on.

“Nana, look at the time.”

Kō-chan pointed at the shop’s clock. Oh no! Waving the two goodbye, I left towards school.

Under the blue sky, I naturally started running.

Breathing in the cool air, I ran. The street lines and the people jumping into my view look shiny underneath the morning sun. From today onward, I start my STRIDE.