I sat down on the side of the hill, laying back as I watched the clouds float slowly across the sky. Everything felt so serene as I lay there quietly, until suddenly I heard the sounds of a bike racing past. Sitting up quickly, I barely made out a boy with blue hair as he went around the bend further up the hill.
"Now that's a climber." I said, slowly climbing to my feet and grabbing my bike.
Taking one last look up the slope, I climbed on my bike to begin the pleasant ride home.
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For a couple weeks now, I'd kept seeing the same blue-haired boy riding up hills and through the streets of town, even seeing him pop up in other places a few times. But it was a while before I actually got to meet him.
Hearing the bell ringing as the door to the shop opened, I called out from the back room. I'd been busy putting a new shipment of stock away, figuring I would get it done before the weekend's customers started arriving.
"I'll be right out, please wait!" Putting away the last item from the box, I stood up and walked out of the cramped room, somehow not surprised to see the person in front of me looking around with a smile.
"Can I help you with anything today?" I asked as I looked towards the gel packs he was browsing at the moment.
"Oh! Actually, I was wondering if an order came in for me today! I'm Manami Sangaku!" His cheerful voice seemed to wash over me in a warm wave, the smile on my face growing brighter as he started to finally turn towards me.
"Ah, I remember seeing something come in yesterday! Let me go grab it from the back!" Turning to the back room, I didn't notice the dusting of pink on his cheeks as he stared at me while I walked through the doorway. Raising a hand, he covered the lower half of his face as he waited with wide blue eyes.
"Found it! The specialty seat for your bike, right?" I walked back out of the room, looking down at the box in one hand as the other pushed my (h/c) hair out of my face.
"Y-yeah! How did you know?" At his question, I gave a small laugh and looked up at the boy.
"With as many boxes as I see come in most days, I got to knowing what kind of boxes the different parts come in and what companies tend to ship specialty parts the most. This one looked like a seat box and the company tends to deal with the best ones, so I took a guess and you proved me right!" Smiling brightly, I held out the box and waited for him to take it.
"Oh, I didn't think about that. You must know a lot about bikes then, huh?" Taking the box from my hand, Manami rubbed the back of his head and grinned back at me.
"I like to think I know a bit about bikes, yeah. But not as much as my dad, since he's the one who owns and runs this place. I just work part-time after school and some weekends, ya know? Stock the shelves, put away the shipments, do a few repairs here and there when needed. I'd much rather spend my time riding around outside than being cooped up in here." Giving a small laugh, I tilted my head at the boy.
"I know what you mean. I feel the same way about school." The soft look in eyes said more than the words he spoke. This boy didn't just ride for the fun of it, he rode to be free.
"We should ride together some time, Manami-kun. I don't work tomorrow, how about a race up the slopes?" As soon as I finished talking, I saw a new light in his eyes.
"You're on! Oh... Um... What's your name, anyhow?" Both of us blushed at his question.
"Ah! I'm sorry! My name is (full name), bike rider and lover of slopes. Both the views and the feeling when I climb!" Having bowed as I introduced myself, I finally straightened back up with a grin on my face.
"So (y/n)-chan... How about we have lunch afterwards?" I couldn't help smiling as I watched him rub at the back of his head, his eyes looking at everything but me.
"I'll do you one better. You win the race and I'll make you lunch! You're choice of meal. But I warn you, I'm not exactly slow on the slopes!" Giving a quick wink, I turned towards the entry when I heard the bell ring again.
"I hope you know how to make Kheema curry, cause I'm gonna win." Hearing the excitement in his voice, I turned back to him one more time.
"That's Dad's favorite food! I learned that one years ago, Manami-kun. Oh, take this, it has my number on it. Just give a call when you are ready to meet up." Handing him a small card for bike repair services with my contact info on it, I smiled one more time at him before turning to help the new customer.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small blush tint his cheeks as he walked slowly out of the shop, box in one and and card in the other. A little later, I heard a happy shout and saw him race down the street on his bike, a huge grin on his face.
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"Hey Wonder Boy, what has you so happy lately?" A dark-haired boy called over to Manami.
"Oh, I got to eat Kheema curry yesterday with a friend! It was really good, but I think I lik-" A soft voice interupted him before he could finish.
"Manami-kun, there you are! You forgot your jacket at my place yesterday! Here you go!" The team watched as a (h/c) haired 3rd year student came in the club room, jacket in hand and a warm smile on her face.
"Thanks (y/n)-chan! Oh, do you think you would be willing to make that curry again next weekend? It was really good!" The blue-haired Manami said with a cheerful smile, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Only if you win the race again, my cute kouhai Manami." I told him, handing him his jacket with a wink.