At the Finish Line [Haiji Kiyose] - Run With the Wind

thirty-seven - day 1

He hangs up the phone, sitting back comfortably in his chair.

-

This is hard --Prince thinks to himself.

Of all the things he thought he'd do in his life, running in the Hakone Ekiden was never something he thought he'd do.

Of course, Prince has read about many athletes in his manga books --their struggles, hurdles and triumphs.

However, actually doing the sport had never occurred to him.

Yes, Haiji had basically threatened to kick him out of Chikusei-sou at the beginning, but he'd grown to appreciate the sport.

Nonetheless, as Prince nears the 20km, he feels his legs turn to lead and his head begin to pound.

~

"Knock, knock."

Facing the ceiling lying on his mattress, Prince looks away from his manga at Chiyo stood in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" She asks. "I was wondering if I could borrow a manga? Hyouka, if you have it?"

Prince sits up, nodding to the stack next to the door. "It's there. I know where it is but I don't know if it's wise to take it from the stack."

She huffs a laugh. "Sorry, you probably don't like lending them out to people. It's okay, you don't have to--"

"I didn't say you couldn't borrow it," Prince mutters. "I thought you'd bought 'Case Closed' to read."

"I've just finished it so I thought I'd come to see the manga expert himself and also have a peek at your stacks." She looks around the room. "This is impressive. You really did fit a treadmill in here."

Standing up from the mattress, Prince carefully pulls out the book, written 'Hyouka', holding it out for her to take. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Prince," She accepts it, watching as he rolls back onto the mattress, book in the air. "It makes you think, doesn't it?"

He doesn't look away from his manga. "What?"

Chiyo leans against the doorframe. "I know you said yesterday that Haiji forced you to start running. But doesn't a part of you feel inspired?"

"No."

"Really?" She huffs a laugh. "I just figured since you must have read a lot of sports manga and everything. It's like you're in your own story."

He lowers the book to look at her, his usual deadpan expression. "Sure I've read a lot, but it doesn't give me the motivation to run."

"Even after reading Haikyuu?" She asks. "Every time I read it I feel inspired. Hinata's story is amazing, how he overcomes his rivalry with Kageyama to work as a team. By the end, Hinata is an amazing player, despite starting with no skills whatsoever."

"Your point?" Prince questions, sitting up.

Chiyo shrugs. "It makes me want to play volleyball. Not that I'd be any good, but it makes me want to. But you're like Rei in Free!, don't you think? You're starting a complete beginner as he did with swimming, and you're overcoming obstacles as he did."

Prince scratches the side of his head. "I read those and appreciated the character growth, but I don't think I can compare myself."

"Maybe you don't have to compare yourself. Maybe you can just admire them and their journeys." She suggests. "If I was in your situation, I'd read to get motivated, not just so you can go back to it after you run."