[3-Minute Novel] What I Chased Was the Wind | When the Wind Blows, Love - Chatmonchy

In the July district qualifiers, my vision blurred the moment I saw my time.

Eighth place, right on the edge of the qualifying line.
Saki, who had been running in the lane next to me, had shattered her personal best and finished in third.

Originally, I was supposed to have more natural talent for sprinting. Even when I first joined the club, I could clock decent times without any special training, and I was the one everyone had high expectations for since my first year.

And yet, for the past few months, my times had stalled, and I had fallen into a deep slump.

"Hey, why haven't you been coming to club practice lately?"

I received that message from Saki.
I didn't reply.

The frustration of not being able to run well, and the jealousy toward Saki, who had overtaken me. I started skipping club practice once summer vacation began because I wanted to look away from my own pathetic self.

Lying around in my air-conditioned room watching TV, I kept making excuses to myself, saying, "I'm just not trying my best," or "If I really tried, I'd be faster than her."

Early August, in the evening.
On my way back from shopping, I happened to pass by the school.

The summer grounds were silent. On the track, where the setting sun cast long shadows, there was a silhouette practicing start dashes over and over again, all alone.

It was Saki.

Her T-shirt was soaked with sweat, and as she breathed heavily, she kept timing herself and checking her form.

On the empty grounds, she was silently pushing her legs forward, one after another.

My chest tightened.
It wasn't luck or anything else that allowed Saki to get such a good time in the qualifiers.

It was because she had been running more than anyone else, where no one could see. And yet, I had been resting on my original potential, barely practicing, and playing the victim by calling it a "slump" just to run away.

"Trying so hard is uncool."

I felt intensely ashamed of the part of me that had thought that somewhere in my heart.

What was uncool wasn't "trying hard."
It was "me," running away.

The next morning, I put on my practice gear for the first time in a while and headed to the club. After the group practice ended and everyone else had gone home, I stayed on the twilight track and laced up my spikes by myself.

Then, I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Mind if I join you?"

I turned around to see Saki smiling as she wiped sweat with a towel.
It was a genuine, happy smile, without a hint of sarcasm.

"…I guess… that's fine."
"Yay!"

We stood side by side at the starting line.

"On your marks, get set…"

I kicked off the ground.
I glanced at Saki running next to me for just a second.
I no longer felt like I didn't want to be overtaken.
I just wanted to run faster.

The wind raced across the twilight track.
I ran, too, as if chasing that wind.