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The walk to the station had become a habit.
Not a planned one.
It just happened.
When training ended, the players left the facilities in groups, their voices blending with the distant noise of the city. Some were still talking about football, others complained about practice, and a few were already thinking about dinner.
Little by little, the group dispersed.
And, without either of them ever mentioning it, Isagi and Rin always ended up walking in the same direction toward the bus stop.
As always.
The sky was covered in clouds. It didn't look like rain was coming, but it wasn't letting the sun through either.
Everything had that soft gray tone of afternoons that seem suspended between one thing and the next.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Isagi had never really minded silence.
And even less with Rin.
He had gotten used to it by now.
To his short answers, to his impossible-to-read expressions.
To walking beside him without needing to fill every second with words.
The only sounds between them were the breeze, the passing cars, and their sneakers against the pavement.
Isagi glanced up at the sky, then looked at the green-haired boy.
Then back at the clouds.
“Hey, Rin.”
“What?”
“What kind of days do you like?”
Itoshi turned his head slightly.
“What kind of question is that?”
Yoichi simply shrugged.
“Sunny? Rainy? Cloudy?”
“You're weird.”
“You're weirder than me.”
Itoshi let out a sigh at that, and the blue-haired boy just smiled.
And then he waited.
Without pushing.
Without repeating the question.
He simply waited.
As if he genuinely wanted to know the answer.
Rin looked away first.
His eyes drifted toward the cloud-covered sky.
“... Cloudy.”
His answer came out quieter than he expected, almost a murmur.
For a few seconds, Isagi didn't respond.
Itoshi felt the absurd urge to turn around and check if he'd actually heard him.
But before he could, Yoichi spoke.
“Oh.”
At that moment, Itoshi felt his heart slam violently against his ribs. He frowned at the sensation.
“What?”
The other boy looked up at the sky and smiled faintly.
“... Me too.”
Something strange tightened inside his chest.
So quickly that he barely had time to recognize it.
It was a simple answer.
Insignificant.
It shouldn't have mattered.
And yet, it did.
“Why?” he asked.
“Tch. I don't know.”
He rolled his eyes, already growing irritated.
Isagi simply glanced at him before looking back up at the sky.
But Rin continued.
“... I guess because everything feels calmer.”
He kept his gaze fixed on the clouds as he spoke.
“Sunny days are nice, but when it's cloudy... it's like everything moves a little slower.”
The blue-haired boy fell silent.
Because he understood exactly what he meant.
And because, for some reason, hearing Itoshi say it out loud made him like cloudy days even more.
They kept walking.
Without rushing.
Without bringing the topic up again.
As if the conversation had never happened.
The station appeared at the end of the street a few minutes later.
Their buses went in different directions.
As always.
Isagi adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Yeah.”
Isagi lifted a hand in farewell.
Then he jogged off toward his bus.
Rin watched him disappear into the crowd.
The doors closed.
The vehicle pulled away.
And then he was alone again.
The wind lightly stirred his hair.
Rin looked up.
The clouds were still there.
Stretching from horizon to horizon.
He thought about the conversation and how brief it had been.
How insignificant it should have been.
And yet, as he waited for his own bus, a part of him kept repeating the same two words over and over again.
«𝘔𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰.»