Chapter : 08
The two stood at the starting line.
Mio’s muscular legs firmly gripped the ground, her toes digging lightly into the soil as she took her stance.
Sweat ran down her forehead, and her short hair stuck to her bangs, yet her eyes were fixed on the finish line with burning determination.
She controlled her breathing, suppressed the pounding of her heart, and let her concentration overflow through her entire body.
Meanwhile, the boy’s body was as light as a willow swaying in the wind. His shoulders trembled slightly, but his eyes quietly locked onto the path ahead.
Instincts of the Moon Rabbit lowered his body, fingertips lightly touching the ground—like becoming one with the earth itself.
The two stared down the finish line and steadied their breathing.
Mio didn’t look away as she whispered to the boy.
“Don’t worry about anything in this moment. It’s just the two of us.”
Those words sank into the boy’s ears, and the Moon Rabbit blood within him began to quietly stir.
His body grew warm, the tips of his ears tingled faintly, and he wanted to feel the wind of Earth on his skin—the heavy, sweet air, the smell of soil, the gazes of his classmates, everything made his heart race.
The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears, and the sensation of power rising from the soles of his feet reminded him of the freedom of running across the moon.
Bang!
The dry crack of the starting pistol rang sharply across the field, and both bodies exploded into motion.
At the start, a small cloud of dust rose.
Mio’s running was the crystallization of effort.
With explosive power off the line, she accelerated instantly, her muscles contracting and expanding in rhythmic waves.
Her legs kicked the ground hard, thigh muscles tightening like steel cables, the sound of slicing wind ringing in her ears.
Breathing heavily and sweat scattering, her eyes stayed locked forward, her whole body erupting with the determination to break her personal best of 50 meters in 5.6 seconds.
Each step kicked up sand, her shadow stretching long across the field—a trace of her daily, solitary training.
Meanwhile, the boy’s sprint was like an illusion.
His Moon Rabbit instincts were unleashed, and his body became wind itself—or rather, something faster than wind.
His legs pushed off the ground as if gliding, moving forward almost silently.
His vision sliced through the world, his silver-white hair streaming violently behind him, yet his breathing remained perfectly calm.
The air cut sharply against his cheeks, his ears stood alert, and his eyes locked onto the finish line—wind… feels good. Just like Mio said, there’s no need to think about anything.
He just ran.
The gazes of everyone pushed his back, warming his chest.
50 meters in 2.5 seconds—at a speed beyond human limits, the moment his shadow left Mio behind, the entire class held its breath.
The boy crossed the finish line.
When he looked back, Mio was still around the middle of the track.
The whole class watched, and Akari’s eyes widened.
A delayed wave of cheers erupted from the students.
“W-What, that’s too fast!”
“The prince is insane?!”
Mio crossed the finish line afterward, gasping for breath.
On her sweat-soaked face, instead of frustration, pure astonishment shone brightly, her eyes sparkling as they locked onto the boy—her gaze was no longer that of a competitor, but of someone looking at an object of admiration, as if gently tracing his entire presence.
“Haa… haa…!”
Mio’s breathing was hot and rough, sweat running down her cheeks and dampening her short hair, sticking it to her skin.
That heat reached the boy’s skin first, and Mio’s scent—soil and sweat mixed together, like a wild beast’s powerful aroma—mercilessly tickled his nose.
Without hesitation, Mio threw herself at him.
“You’re amazing! Even I was confident in my running!”
Her laughter echoed across the field as her arms firmly locked around the boy’s body—her muscular grip supporting his back gently yet securely.
The impact surged through his entire body.
Mio’s body was hot, the sweat-soaked fabric of her sportswear directly touching his skin, creating friction.
Through that fabric came Mio’s heartbeat—thump, thump—resonating violently as if syncing with his own heart, while her breath tickled his ear.
The thick scent of sweat spread, quietly dissolving his instincts.
It wasn’t just an embrace—it was Mio’s full praise and trust being poured into him through physical contact. Her arms tightened around him, his body blending into her strong form.
His heartbeat began to synchronize with hers, accelerating.
The scent of sweat stimulated something deep within him: I want to smell more… Mio’s vitality-soaked sweat, the breath of the earth she ran across, everything…! The impulse swelled violently in his chest and surged through his body like an uncontrollable wave—ah, no… this warmth, this scent… Mio is so close…!
His heart pounded violently, his vision flashed white—and with a soft poof, his body transformed back into a rabbit.
He looked up at Mio in a panic—his small rabbit eyes reflecting her shocked face from below, his ears trembling, his tail jerking upward.
“Ah…!”
Mio’s voice cracked.
The classmates began gathering around them like curious onlookers.
