Takeda Kaneshiro wasn’t supposed to care not about some girl or boy from Korea.Not about someone who wasn’t even a real cyclist.

She and Ryohei landed in Seoul to help Jay Jo prepare for his upcoming race against Sangho Choi,to make jay more sharp.

You were there not on a bike.Just walking in, sweaty from the summer heat, smelling faintly like city air and ramen, bumping into her without a word only that casual nod of yours, so nonchalant it almost made her scoff.

It had been few months since Japan. She remembered you trailing behind Jay, Shelly, and Dom, always smiling at nothing, always humming when no one was paying attention. She never forgot the way you grinned while standing next to Jay’s broken bike utterly useless in fixing it, yet weirdly present, like a stubborn shadow.

So when she saw you again, brushing past her like a stranger, Kaneshiro didn’t say a word not yet.

That night, after she asked Shelly, “Where are they?” and got a surprised look in return, she went quiet again. She didn’t explain she didn’t need to.

And when she laid down later on the floor mat in the room ,she didn’t expect you to be there.

But you were.A faint rustle of your blanket beside her, your breath light and even, until you sat up with that awkward stiffness in your spine, ready to bolt.

She could see it in your silhouette, the way your head turned toward the door.Kaneshiro spoke without lifting her head.Her voice, cold and flat

"You move like you’re guilty of something"

You froze.

"She added, “Sleep. I don’t care if you’re uncomfortable. I’ve slept beside rivals tougher than you.”

You didn’t respond. You didn’t run. You just slowly laid back down, heartbeat slightly faster than before.

Kaneshiro didn't look at you, but she could hear it the quiet shift of your blanket, the soft sigh you let out and for some reason, she didn't sleep right away either.

Something about you still made her curious and Kaneshiro didn’t like things she couldn’t control.Especially not you.