A Popular Girl Confessed to Me, the Loner—Thinking It Was a Prank, I Tried to Scare Her Off... But She Was Actually Serious. - Chapter 31: The Shape of Love

The 100-meter dash in the morning was over, and the atmosphere on the field had eased up a little.

I sat at the edge of the stands, sipping from a half-empty bottle of water, trying to calm my restless heart.

(That was Hiyori… and she looked that frustrated…)

Third place. Even so, after seeing her run like that, I thought it was amazing.

But probably—she wasn’t looking for anything but victory. Only first place mattered to her.

“Hey, Ma~koto-kun!”

I turned around at the familiar voice. There she was—Hiyori, still in her uniform, jogging up to me with a bottle in hand.

Her forehead was still damp with sweat, and her breathing was slightly uneven.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you.”

“…You just ran, shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Hmm, I’m okay. If I stay still too long, my body gets stiff. And also…”

Hiyori dropped her gaze just slightly.

“I wanted to see your face, Makoto-kun.”

“…”

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

She’s seriously unfair.

“Um… about earlier—”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. …It was frustrating, but I’ve moved on. I’m running again this afternoon!”

With that, Hiyori closed her eyes tight and smiled.

That intense, focused runner from earlier was nowhere to be seen—she was back to her usual self.

Somehow, that made me feel just a little sad.

…but no doubt, it was still cool.

“I’m running third in the relay. Make sure you’re watching, okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be watching. All the way.”

“Alright then, see you later!”

Waving energetically, she jogged off back to the warm-up area.

I swallowed the words I almost said.

—I wanted to tell her, “You were incredible.”

***

Afternoon. The sun had started to lower in the sky.

The girls’ relay teams lined up on the field, and the stands began to buzz again.

I moved to a spot near the fence where I could see better.

“The anchor’s a first-year… Wonder how that’ll go.”

“Third leg’s Amano-san though—she’s a beast. Depends how much they can make up in the handoff.”

People around me were talking about Hiyori.

She really was getting attention.

She stood in the exchange zone, third in line—three runners after the starter.

In relays, where the timing of baton passes can make or break the race, the third runner’s role is critical.

—In other words, they trust her that much.

The starting pistol fired.

First leg, second leg—batons passed, the crowd growing louder with each exchange.

Then it was Hiyori’s turn.

The moment she received the baton, her entire form shifted.

Acceleration. More acceleration. Even more.

One by one—

In the blink of an eye, she overtook the runners ahead of her.

“Whoa…!”

Gasps and cheers erupted around me.

Hiyori’s run clearly stood out from the rest.

Her arm swings, her long strides, how she handled the curves—everything was smooth and efficient.

By the time the baton was passed to the next runner, the team had climbed from fourth to second place.

And they finished just like that.

Second place. Just a few meters behind first.

They didn’t win. But—what a performance.

They ran together. They passed the baton together. They gave it their all together.

More than anything, Hiyori’s expression—she looked even prouder than she did in her individual event.

And yet… I could still see a hint of frustration on her face.

(To be that passionate about something… it’s really something else.)

That’s what I thought.

***

After the closing ceremony, the stadium gradually quieted down.

I waited behind the field, where there was a small patch of shade beneath some trees.

And then—

“Makoto-kun!”

Hiyori’s voice called from behind. I turned to see her jogging up to me, still drenched in sweat.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. That ceremony took forever!”

“It’s fine.”

“…Did you watch me?”

“…Yeah. I saw everything.”

She exhaled, took a sip from her water bottle, and pushed her damp bangs back before flopping down on the bench.

There she was—someone who had given it her all. I’d never seen her like that before.

We sat side by side on a bench behind the stadium.

In front of us was a quiet path, shaded by gently swaying trees.

No cheers, no announcements—none of that reached us anymore.

Hiyori took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from her face, and said,

“…I didn’t win again.”

“Yeah.”

“It hurts, but… I’m a little satisfied with the relay. Since it wasn’t just me, I feel like we shared the frustration.”

She smiled as she said it, but there was something buried behind that smile.

I carefully picked my words and asked,

“…Even so, you still want to compete?”

“Yeah.”

She answered immediately.

“I want to race even more. …Losing is super frustrating. But you know, I realized something—feeling that way means I’m lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“Yeah. To be passionate about something—it’s something to be thankful for.”

Her words were straightforward.

They weren’t just pretty words or excuses.

She gave it her all, lost, felt crushed—and still wanted to try again.

That feeling… that must be what strength really is.

I simply listened, silently nodding.

But somehow, that was enough to make me feel like my thoughts were getting through.

After a brief silence, Hiyori murmured,

“…Hey, Makoto-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“Today, knowing you were watching… helped me push a little harder.”

It was a quiet confession.

It wasn’t about anyone else’s gaze.

She’d been thinking about me.

Realizing that made my chest feel warm inside.

“…I was cheering for you. I really was watching. You were amazing.”

Hiyori turned away slightly, a soft blush coloring her cheeks.

“Thank you… Honestly, just hearing that makes it feel worth it.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not.”

The sun began to set, and the breeze grew a little cooler.

Hiyori, who had been running like mad just a little while ago, now sat quietly beside me.

But her expression was peaceful—and still, somehow burning.

“Next time, I’ll be even faster. …So make sure to cheer me on again, okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

“…Promise?”

She held out her pinky.

“Didn’t think I’d be making a pinky promise today.”

“Come on, just this once… Let’s do it?”

“…Fine, fine.”

I hooked my pinky with hers.

It was embarrassing… but not bad.

A short silence followed.

Then, Hiyori whispered,

“Hey, Makoto-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you… see my ‘serious’ side today?”

“Yeah. I saw it. Honestly, it was kind of overwhelming.”

“Ehe, right~?”

She grinned proudly.

“…You were awesome.”

I finally said the words I wanted to.

Then, she teased me, pretending not to hear,

“Ehh~? What’d you say, Makoto-kun? Didn’t catch that~”

That teasing smile was the same as always.

But I know.

The face she made while running.

The expression twisted in frustration right after finishing.

The traces of effort she never let anyone else see.

I saw it all for the first time today.

And I realized something.

(…I want to protect this girl’s “serious” side.)

It’s not something simple like falling for her all over again.

I just want to make sure her seriousness doesn’t break.

That her frustration doesn’t crush her.

To stay beside her, to watch, to support—

That’s the shape of my love now.

The wind blew again, making Hiyori’s hair sway.

And I quietly kept watching her profile for a while.