Hitomi's Days
DaydreamsHitomi’s Days
Day -1094
Hitomi didn’t really consider herself to have any OCD issues despite what her friends and family might say. Sure, she got up early at the same time every day. And, she never left the house unless everything about her was in perfect order. She also tended to make rules for herself and stuck to them. For instance, she had decided that she would become a cheerleader, and nothing should have stepped in the way of that. However, plans had a way of going awry she was starting to discover when it came to her new senpai.
“I’m surprised you decided the join. I didn’t think we did a great job showcasing the club yesterday,” Sakura said sheepishly as Hitomi followed behind her for the tour.
“Actually, I think the other first years were pretty impressed with your demonstration yesterday. I think more of them will come back here and join after they’ve looked at some of the other clubs. They said that if you can do it, they could do it too.” Hitomi bit her lip as the last bit came out of . She wondered if the girl would take it as a snide remark. However, Sakura surprised her by laughing.
“That’s great news. That’s so true. If I can do this, anyone can join the club. We’re open to anybody regardless of their ability.”
Hitomi felt an odd feeling as she looked at the girl with the deprecating smile and laughter. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was that she felt. What she did know was that she felt a profound difference between the two of them even though they were only one year apart.
“Here is where you can store your stuff and get changed,” Sakura said as they entered the club room. “We’re a pretty easy going here. Some are a little too easy going. Since, you’re so cute, you might be a target for some of the other girls to tease and stuff. They won’t mean anything bad by it though.”
Sakura called her cute so casually, that Hitomi wondered if she heard wrong. This girl was stuttering and stammering while trying to talk to her and the others yesterday. But now that she was her kohai, it was as if a switch was flipped and Sakura was treating her as if they were sisters. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So, are you a good runner?” Sakura asked conversationally.
“I’ve never timed myself. But I’m pretty athletic, so I think I’ll do alright.”
“Oh? Is that why you wanted to join the club? We’re lacking in the athletic department even though we’re the track club.”
It was a question that Hitomi had asked herself. Why did she join? She remembered watching the club members introduce themselves and the club the day before. Most of them were sad, however, as they were also saying goodbye to the third years. The school was famous for its academics and most students stopped club activities fairly early into their third year.
One girl stood out differently than all the others. She was shy and clumsy as she talked about their daily activities, but she pushed through it all despite her obvious discomfort at talking to them. She then demonstrated how not to run to great comedic effect, single-handedly turning an uncomfortable and depressing situation into a fun one.
“Were you really joking when you ran yesterday?” Hitomi finally asked the question she had been mulling in her mind since yesterday.
Sakura looked at Hitomi with a shocked face at the sudden question. “Ah, that? Don’t tell the others, but I was really trying my hardest out there. Even though the club has really helped correct my running form, when I’m trying really hard, I think I fall back into old habits.”
Hitomi could see the girl’s face redden, especially around her big, cute ears. She smiled back at the flustered girl. Suddenly, it didn’t matter if she knew exactly why she joined the club. She just knew she had made the right decision. “It’ll be our little secret.”
Day -1031
“Are you okay, Senpai?’ Hitomi asked hesitantly as she watched Sakura who was panting deeply.
“Yeah, just a little out of breath,” Sakura said with hear head down, her breath ragged.
“I meant about the selection. Looks like you’re going to be an alternate again,” Hitomi said quietly, feeling like this conversation shouldn’t be heard by anyone else.
“Oh, I’m fine. I posted some of the worst times, so it makes sense that I wasn’t picked for any of the races.”
“Well, if you’re really okay, then that’s fine, I guess. Do you want to walk home together again today?” Hitomi asked, feeling a little skeptical of Sakura’s assertion.
“Why don’t you go on ahead? I want to stay behind and help some of the members that made it and want to do some extra practice before the race,” Sakura said as she straightened up to stretch.
Hitomi had been worried that Sakura might be depressed, but she didn’t see any of that on Sakura’s face. If it were Hitomi, she would have been devastated. “You’ve already done ten extra laps, Senpai.”
“Oh, have I? I guess I’m feeling a little more energetic today,” Sakura said, smiling and shrugging at the same time.
Hitomi had learned not to trust Sakura’s smile sometimes. This was one of those times. “Well, if you’re staying. Then I want to stay and help too.”
“You’re a good kid,” Sakura said as she put her hand on Hitomi’s hair and ruffled it a little.
Like the girl wasn’t only thirteen herself. Still, Hitomi, who absolutely hated her bangs being even one centimeter out of place found herself really enjoying the head pat. Flustered, she bit her lip to stop herself from blurting out just how much she liked it. Somehow, she managed to say something else instead. “You’re a kid too, Senpai.”
Sakura smiled genuinely this time. “You’re right. I am still a kid. I still have lots of time.”
Hitomi didn’t quite understand what Sakura meant, but she was glad that she’d managed to cheer the girl up.
Day -992
Hitomi watched from the club room as Sakura continued to run. The girl had posted some decent times during the last trials but nowhere near her personal bests. Sakura seemed to take it as an afront when she failed to live up to her own lofty expectations. Whenever that happened, she would be back on the track the next day, practicing extra hard.
At first the juniors had giggled at their silly senpai who was so clumsy and yet so serious about track. Gradually, like Hitomi, they came to admire their hardworking senpai. It became abundantly clear why all the second years and third years were so happy that first day to see her running around the track like a mad woman. When she ran and when she laughed, the world just seemed a little bit brighter.
She smiled as she heard voices behind her murmuring with some saying how they wanted to do a few more laps too. She shrugged and followed after the other first years who all decided to practice with their precious senior.
Day -723
“I’m really glad you decided to stay in the club,” Hitomi said as they watched girls bawling their eyes out for the third years who were quitting.
“I don’t really have a life outside of the club, so I can balance track and homework easier than they can,” Sakura said.
While the girl sounded strong, Hitomi could see there was puffiness around Sakura’s eyes. There might have been some redness around her own eyes as well. “Those first years are just like us when we were that age. They don’t know what to make of this weird club where everyone is depressed. We really should say goodbye to the third years on a different day than when we do our open house.”
“Well, now it’s kind of a tradition,” Sakura said wryly.
“I guess I should talk to them and demonstrate what a poor running form looks like to lighten the mood,” Hitomi said, sighing. “That should also be our tradition.”
Sakura’s looked at Hitomi warmly. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”
Day -656
“You’re so cute when you run,” Sakura said out of nowhere as Hitomi finished her trial run.
Hitomi blushed. It seemed that Sakura’s attacks were getting stronger and stronger each day. “I don’t think so. I probably look more like I’m constipated or something.”
“No, you really are. Your look of concentration is so cute. The way your ponytail bobs and sways just adds to it. I feel healed whenever I see you run.”
“Your run didn’t go so well?” Hitomi asked. Sakura usually came to watch her and the others run when she was feeling down about her progress.
Sakura smiled cheekily at Hitomi and paused dramatically for a moment before holding up two fingers in a V-shape. “I came in fourth at just under 15 seconds. I beat my personal best!”
Hitomi marveled at how her senpai could be so happy despite losing the last spot for the tournament in her age group. Sakura found happiness in personal achievements which Hitomi really admired. She wanted to be someone like that. Someone who could stand side by side with her.
Beat my personal best time. Make the tournament. Win. Confess. Hitomi repeated the mantra in her head as she looked at her senpai. She could just do away with all that and just confess of course, but somehow, she felt that was inadequate. Sakura wouldn’t care, Hitomi knew, but that didn’t stop her from feeling that way.
Day -628
Hitomi found Sakura sitting on one of the bleachers watching the runners. She slowly walked up to the girl and sat down beside her. “I guess you saw, right? Don’t say anything, please.”
Hitomi struggled with herself before she decided to just say what was on her mind. “Senpai. I think I’m in love with you. I think it might have been love at first sight. I’ve been looking for a time to say this to you, but I never could do it. I thought maybe if I had done well in the trials and gotten selected to the tournament, that I would be able to motivate myself to tell you.”
Hitomi turned to look at Sakura who didn’t respond. She felt heat rise up to her cheeks as both shame and anger hit her all at once. “Senpai!”
“What?” Sakura said, jolting awake from Hitomi’s shout.
“I can’t believe you were asleep the whole time!”
“Ah, sorry, I was really tired after the trials. I was practicing all yesterday too. Did you say something to me?” Sakura asked apologetically.
“Nothing,” Hitomi said, fuming and puffing out her cheeks out to show just how irritated she had been.
Day -397
“You’re going to be so popular in high school,” Hitomi declared. She could taste the slight bitterness in her words.
“You think so?” Sakura said abashedly as she scratched her head.
“Everyone on the team just loves you,” Hitomi said while looking at the group of girls who were leaving the club and waving goodbye to them.
“Heh, I think they just think I’m a nosy older sister,” Sakura said, laughing. The girl really had no clue about her popularity.
“They were all crying that we didn’t medal at all in any event this year. Then you came in and cheered everyone up like it was nothing.” Hitomi had also been on verge of tears when Sakura swooped in. When people complained about their lack of medals, she went and called out each and every one of our accomplishments for the year. As cringey as it had been, it had also been heartwarming to hear.
“I’m good at making people laugh at least,” Sakura said with the same deprecating humor as when Hitomi first met the girl nearly two years ago.
“Even on your last day, you’re still doing so much for us,” Hitomi said finally, feeling the bitterness bloom in and being unable to say anything else.
Sakura looked at Hitomi with the expression of one who had no regrets. “This club was my life the last three years. I’d like to think I gave it my all. I leave knowing that it’s in good hands.”
This was it. This could probably be the last time she saw her senpai and she couldn’t go anything about it. She hated this feeling. Unable to contain it, she found the tears that she had been holding in earlier, fall. Just like she had done with the other girls, Sakura pulled Hitomi in for a hug and let her cry it out. And she did.
Day 1
Hitomi watched as Sakura went into her house. What were the chances that she immediate met up with Sakura again on the first day of school and also somehow made friends with her childhood friend? Hitomi didn’t like to believe in things like fate. It always made it seem too easy.
She believed in making her own fate. She had worked hard to get into the same school as Sakura. Her hard work had been rewarded by their first meeting in over a year. She wondered if she had appeared tongue tied. The other girl still had the ability to take her emotions on a rollercoaster ride it seemed.
Day 704
“Hii-chan? What’s up?” Sakura asked as she met Hitomi by the stairs nearest to the track, underneath the art room. Their once usual meeting spot when Hitomi was still in the track club.
“Senpai, please sit down. Just let me talk until I’m finished, okay?” Hitomi asked solemnly.
“Okay,” Sakura said hesitantly and sat on one of the steps.
“Just so we’re clear. You’re awake right?” Hitomi asked nervously.
“What kind of question is that?” Sakura asked confused.
“Sorry. Don’t worry about it.” Hitomi took a deep breath before beginning. “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a cheerleader. My dream was to join the cheerleading club. My dreams were small, but I felt they were good enough for me.” Hitomi smiled as she remembered that little girl.
“Then I met you. You with your overly big ambitions that you couldn’t hope to fulfil. Suddenly, I wanted more than just that little dream. You made me want more and I thought I could find that in the track club with you. I think I developed a little bit of a crush on you back then. I was going to confess to you, but I thought I could only do it if I was on your level.” She shook her head at Sakura who also started shaking her head.
“But I failed to meet a challenge I set for myself and I thought that would be the end of my crush since you decided to enter a school with a stupidly difficult entrance exam. I told myself to give up, but I couldn’t. I ended up studying hard and managed to make it into the same school as you. I thought it would be too late for me. I thought you would be too popular.”
“But you weren’t. You decided not to join the track club where you probably would have made many friends and instead joined the art club where you and your senpai were the only real members. You never take the easy way. You always do what you want. Watching you work so hard for your club to gain new members and loving every minute of it made me feel inadequate again. I had stuck with track because it was what I had always done since I met you.”
“Again, I found myself wanting more. You make me want more. I decided to quit the track club after I did all that I could and joined the cheer dance club this year. I felt I could only really get what I wanted if I was true to myself and that we were on equal footing; You doing all you can to fulfill your dreams, and me doing the same. I think I’ve done that this year.”
“Saku-chan, I want to continue watching you aim higher and I want to do it beside you.” Hitomi felt a sigh escape her body as she finally said the words that had been stuck inside of her for the last four years.
Day 2163
Hitomi looked at the clock on the microwave. 7:00. She still had plenty of time. She finished making her breakfast and left a small portion for the sleepyhead still in bed. She then picked up one of the bento boxes, making sure it was the one not packed with umeboshi, and put it into her bag.
With everything all prepared for the day, she finally sat down to have her breakfast and her coffee. She sighed as the coffee warmed her up. When she was finished, she immediately washed the dishes. Looking at the time again, she saw that she had a couple of minutes more before she needed to leave and catch the train.
Hitomi smiled and went next to the bed where there seemed to be an inert figure underneath a mass of messy hair. Before the open eyes scared her, but she had gotten used to it. She bent down and gave a quick peck somewhere beneath all that messy hair. “I love you,” she whispered before straightening up and heading to the door.
As she left, she could hear the words, “I love you too.”
Minju: That was cute!
Nako: That’s too ambiguous.
Yuri: She’s too shy to say her name out loud.
Hitomi: Says the one that couldn’t even look at Kkura unnie at first.
Yuri: I’ll show you how steamy mine will be.
Sakura: …
Yena: Relax, she’s mostly all talk.
Author’s note:
SakuHii :P
Probably the most underrated Saku-ship. It’s been a little slow, but I uwu over how far they’ve come. Sakura can call her Hii in person now and Hitomi can talk normally in front of her admired senpai.
Comments