Chapter 44: You Get Used to It

After the special training session, Yuan Qing didn’t leave the training ground immediately.

He sat by the wall, leaning against the cold surface, letting his body cool down slowly.

Raven squatted beside him, using its beak to preen the feathers on its wings.

“Let’s go back. Run back,” Raven called out.

“Yeah.”

Yuan Qing stood up, stretching his sore arms and legs. The black robe had been dismissed, and he was back to being an ordinary young man in a tracksuit, though his hair was still a bit messy and his face was flushed from the exercise.

Raven flew onto his shoulder. “Be careful on the way. You might run into that girl again.”

Yuan Qing didn’t reply. He pushed the door open and walked out.

Tokyo in December. The night wind was bitingly cold. His breath condensed into white mist in the frigid air, only to be scattered by the wind.

Occasionally, a car would pass by, stirring up a gust that blew his hair into his face.

He ran along the small riverside path, past the bare cherry blossom tree, past the streetlight he always passed under.

Then he stopped.

Under that streetlight stood Sakuma Seidai.

She was still wearing her shop apron. She stood there alone, and upon hearing footsteps, she turned her head and smiled.

“Mr. Luo!” She walked over quickly, her steps light, not at all like someone who had been standing in the winter night for a long time. “I knew you’d come out for a run!”

“Were you waiting for me?” Yuan Qing asked.

“Yes!” Sundae nodded, then smiled a little sheepishly. “I thought you might pass by here, so I waited a bit. After we parted last time, I tried running. Don’t you run every day, Mr. Luo? Could you take me with you?”

As she spoke, the tip of her nose was slightly red from the cold, and her exhaled white breath was clearly visible under the streetlight.

Raven lightly tapped Yuan Qing’s shoulder with its foot.

“You just got off work. Aren’t you tired?”

Yuan Qing pressed, almost as if trying to find a reason to avoid Sundae.

Sundae nodded. “I am tired, but I want to get a little stronger. Magical Girls need stamina too, you know? And if I run home, my mom can see me earlier.”

“…How do you usually get home?”

“I walk. It takes about half an hour.”

“And if you run?”

“I checked last time I ran. It’s about ten-something minutes.”

Yuan Qing met Sundae’s innocent, guileless gaze.

“…Then let’s run,” Yuan Qing said, his eyes shifting away again. “As long as it doesn’t waste your time.”

Sundae nodded vigorously. “It won’t! Thank you, Mr. Luo!”

“No need.”

Yuan Qing turned around and started jogging.

Sundae caught up, her steps a bit hurried. Perhaps because of her small stature, the sound of her sneakers on the asphalt was very light.

The two ran side by side along the small riverside path, gradually passing many scenes.

“How far do you run every day, Mr. Luo?” Sundae’s breathing was already a bit labored, her words sounding like gasps.

Yuan Qing answered, “Five kilometers one way. I run a round trip, so ten kilometers total.”

“Ten kilometers!” Her voice rose slightly in surprise. “That’s amazing!”

“You get used to it.”

Even with Raven’s weight on his shoulder, Yuan Qing’s breathing hadn’t become irregular.

“Running home last time really wore me out…” she said, then seemed to cheer herself on. “But, take it slow! I’ll get used to it eventually.”

Yuan Qing didn’t speak, just slowed his pace a little.

Sundae ran beside him, her steps gradually finding a rhythm, her breathing not as frantic as before.

“When did you start running, Mr. Luo?”

“Only recently,” Yuan Qing thought for a moment. “…But I used to run like this when I was a kid, just not this far. Back then, I’d run whenever I was unhappy.”

“At least Mr. Luo isn’t running because he’s unhappy now.”

“No.”

They ran past a convenience store. Warm yellow light spilled from its glass windows onto the sidewalk, cutting it into patches of light.

As Sundae passed through a light patch, Yuan Qing saw her profile. She was smiling, but there were already fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and her breathing was noticeably heavier than before.

“If you’re tired, we can walk for a bit,” Yuan Qing suggested.

“No need,” Sundae’s voice sounded a bit weak from panting. “I can keep going.”

They ran a bit further. Sundae’s footsteps began to grow heavy, her breathing more and more ragged, but she didn’t stop or slow down.

Seeing this, Yuan Qing slowed his pace, shifting from a jog to a brisk walk.

Sundae slowed down too, gasping for air in big gulps, sweat beads rolling down her cheeks.

“Mr. Luo… you don’t have to wait for me.”

“No rush.”

Sundae glanced at him, then lowered her head and smiled.

“Mr. Luo is really nice,” she said sincerely.

Yuan Qing didn’t reply, just kept walking.

Raven yawned on his shoulder and muttered quietly, “Sundae is actually pretty nice too.”

Yuan Qing pretended not to hear.

They walked briskly for a while, and Sundae’s breathing gradually evened out.

“Mr. Luo,” she suddenly spoke up, “you said earlier you want to get stronger. What for?”

“…For myself, of course.”

“I see.” Sundae nodded.

Sundae walked quietly beside him.

A river breeze blew over, carrying moisture and a chill, blowing her hair into her face. She reached up and brushed it aside, her movements gentle.

“For me, it’s because there’s someone I don’t want to disappoint,” she said, her voice soft. “My mom. She’s home alone, and her health isn’t good. I always think, if I get a little stronger, can fight stronger Monsters, the stipend will be a bit bigger, and she’ll have a little less to worry about.”

Yuan Qing looked ahead.

Sundae smiled, her smile carrying a hint of embarrassment. “Is that really cliché?”

“No.”

Yuan Qing answered sincerely.

“That’s good. Whew…” Sundae breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled with a touch of self-deprecation. “Actually, it’s not just Mom. There’s also my Familiar, Inu-oh, and my few fans. I fight for them too. No, rather, it’s precisely because they support me that I can keep fighting. I’m actually quite weak myself.”

Yuan Qing slightly raised his hand, intending to pat Sundae’s head to comfort her, but suddenly realized it might be inappropriate. “That’s still remarkable.”

Sundae was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, a genuinely happy smile. “Thank you, Mr. Luo.”

They continued walking forward. The streetlights stretched their shadows long, dragging two parallel dark shapes behind them.

When they passed the bare cherry blossom tree, Sundae suddenly stopped.

“Mr. Luo, I’m home,” she said, pointing to an apartment building next to them. It was a very ordinary building, its exterior a bit old, but warm yellow light shone from the windows. “Thank you for running with me today.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Tomorrow… can we run together again?”

Yuan Qing looked at her, at her cheeks flushed from exercise, at the sweat not yet dry on her forehead, at the faint, cautious glimmer in her eyes.

“Yes,” he said.

Sundae’s eyes instantly brightened.

“Then see you tomorrow!” She waved, turned, and ran toward the apartment building. At the entrance, she looked back. “Get some rest early, Mr. Luo!”

“Yeah.”

She pushed the door open and disappeared into the hallway.

Yuan Qing stood where he was, looking at the closed door for a few seconds, then turned and continued running.

Raven poked its head out from his shoulder. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with training, having someone train with you isn’t a bad thing.”

Yuan Qing ignored it.

He picked up speed, ran past the last streetlight, ran to the entrance of his own apartment building, pushed the door open, and went upstairs.

The room was pitch black, only the light from outside the window filtering in.

He changed his shoes, took off his tracksuit, and flopped onto the bed.

His phone lit up. He picked it up. It was a message from Mizuho.

Mizuho: “How was training today?”

Yuan Qing: “Alright.”

Mizuho: “Don’t be vague with me.”

Yuan Qing: “It means I could still run.”

Mizuho: “That’s good then.”

Yuan Qing: “I ran into Sundae today.”

Mizuho: “Her? Given how hard she tries, she probably ran with you, right?”

Yuan Qing: “She ran with me today.”

Mizuho: “Will it be like that tomorrow too?”

Yuan Qing: “Yeah.”

Mizuho: “Then get to sleep early.”

Yuan Qing: “You too.”

He put down his phone, rolled over, and looked out the window. Outside the gaps of Tokyo, the nightscape was still lit.