Rui and two other runners crossed the finish line in a dead heat, their bodies straining in a final, desperate lunge for the tape.
We were sitting fairly close to the goal, but because we were viewing it from a diagonal angle rather than head-on, it was impossible to tell who had actually won.
But... I had a feeling.
The numbers "11.59" flashed across the electric scoreboard.
Almost simultaneously, her name appeared: Rui Kuroki, Natsuhama Chuo High School.
"""""Wooooooaaaaaah!!"""""
A thunderous roar of applause and cheers erupted from the entire stadium.
Rui waved back to the crowd, her chest still heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
She shook her long, silky black hair loose from its tie, and it fluttered in the breeze as if the wind itself were celebrating her victory.
That was her fifth consecutive summer national title in the 100m, a streak that had begun back in her first year of junior high school.
Rui, you’re almost too perfect...
As the cheers rained down on her, Rui gave a deep, formal bow toward the stands.
When she straightened up, a refreshing smile played on her lips.
The girl standing there wasn't the Rui who usually teased me. This was the powerful face of a victor—the girl who had triumphed and proven her perfection once again.
"Kuroki! A photo over here, please!"
"Over here too! Give us a pose!"
Rui was immediately swarmed by the press on the field.
Ah. This feeling... I’d felt this same sense of distance back during the Cultural Festival.
What was I thinking? Could someone like me... really support someone like her?
"Rui-chan won! She actually won!"
"As expected of Kuroki-san!"
"She’s incredible! That’s our Rui!"
Everyone was genuinely ecstatic for her, and of course, I was happy too.
Normally, I’d be putting on that "proud boyfriend" act, bragging about how amazing "my" Rui was while Tanaka shot me down with some sarcastic remark... but something felt different this time.
The more I witnessed the sheer magnitude of the girl known as Rui Kuroki, the less I understood why she was so fixated on me.
During the Cultural Festival, Rui told me that because I had saved her "perfection" in the past, she wanted me to continue supporting her.
But somewhere deep down, I still felt a gap between us.
Could Rui achieve that perfection all on her own?
Even if I didn't become the Vice President... wouldn't she still be just fine?
As these thoughts swirled through my head, I glanced back down toward the track.
"…Eh?"
Out of the hundreds of people in the stands, Rui found exactly where I was sitting in an instant. She looked straight up at me, her gaze sharp and piercing.
How did she spot me so fast?
Then she gave me a wink and gestured toward her ear.
What was that? A phone? Is she telling me to check my cell?
After making the gesture, she turned and disappeared into the tunnel.
I pulled my smartphone out of my pocket and stared at the screen for a moment.
Then, a notification popped up.
『Rui: Ryouta-kun. I'll be waiting outside Gate A.』
Rui was reaching out to me.
Despite the distance I felt from her, I couldn't ignore the fire her performance had lit in my chest.
I wanted to talk to her, too.
I wanted to ask her one more time... why she needed me.
"Ryouta-kun? What's the matter?"
"I've gotta go take a shit!"
"G-Geez, Ryouta! You're not a grade-schooler... don't say stuff like 'shit'!"
"Yeah, what she said!"
With my head in a haze, I left my seat to go find her.
Rui...