On the first day of spring break, the Shinjuku District visible to the naked eye was shimmering.
Early in the morning, Dubian Che and Mayi Asuka arrived at the tree-lined Shengong Outer Garden.
"I’m going for a run."
Mayi Asuka watched Dubian Che walk away. Since she hadn’t bought an oboe yet, she was still practicing the tenor horn today.
Dubian Che warmed up his body as he walked toward the area where he usually ran.
A black man dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts seemed to be preparing to test his running speed.
A hundred meters ahead, a person dressed in a tracksuit jacket was holding a stopwatch, ready to give the signal to start.
Dubian Che also walked over, standing in a spot where he wouldn’t get in the way.
The Black man—close up, he looked like he might be mixed—paid no attention to Dubian Che and focused on his preparations.
When the man with the stopwatch waved his hand, he dashed out.
At first, he pumped his arms and ran with his head down, but the presence of another runner matching his pace forced him to divide his attention.
It was a very handsome young man he hadn’t seen before.
An upcoming track and field athlete?
With muscles tensing on his face, he pushed to speed up, speed up.
However, far from getting rid of the other runner, he was overtaken?!
The hundred-meter distance felt over before he even realized it.
Due to their acceleration, both runners continued some distance beyond before stopping.
"Need to run this fast for a marathon?" the man muttered to himself in Japanese, jogging away.
"Cambridge Feiniu." A teammate who had been training with him approached, "10.21 seconds, not too bad."
"How many seconds was that guy?" the mixed-race Black man asked in Japanese.
The teammate hesitated, "Which guy?"
"The one who ran with me just now!"
"I didn’t notice, what happened?"
Wiping away sweat, Cambridge Feiniu watched as the man’s silhouette gradually disappeared: "Got a photo of the runner from the 20-year Olympic 100 meters?"
"I guess so, what’s up?"
"Never mind." Cambridge Feiniu said, "I don’t really like Shengong Outer Garden. Let’s go to the Outer Imperial Garden tomorrow."
"It’s only the first day? Whatever, it’s just training anyway."
Dubian Che ran past many black people along the way.
Their dark skin, clearly defined muscles, and determined, focused expressions all indicated they were professional runners.
One black man was fast and steady. Just from his running posture, you could tell he was not ordinary.
Dubian Che caught up with him and matched his pace side by side, trying to emulate the frequency of a professional athlete.
The black man glanced at him and introduced himself in English: "Rileesa."
"Dubian." Dubian Che responded.
The two of them stopped talking then and kept running at the same pace silently in the Shengong Outer Garden.
The rows of gingko trees on either side, the wind rustling the leaves, coolly brushed through their hair.
As they ran, a woman with a noticeable figure appeared ahead.
Dubian Che had been running here regularly in the mornings and didn’t recognize this woman, who seemed to be a marathon newbie recently starting her practice.
Rileesa gave Dubian Che a look, and they both slowed down simultaneously.
Unfortunately, after one lap, the woman who seldom exercised was tired and began walking, forcing them to pick up their pace again.
After five laps, Dubian Che was ready to leave.
He said to Rileesa, "Good luck with the marathon!"
Rileesa kept moving, merely giving a thumbs-up.
Dubian Che strolled slowly and soon heard Mayi Asuka’s tenor horn playing a distant and moving tune.
They walked back together, and in the mailbox on the first floor, Dubian Che took out two red roses that had just been delivered.
"For the one who loves me." He handed one to Mayi Asuka.
"Thank you." Mayi Asuka took the flower.
They entered the elevator, with Dubian Che pressing the buttons for the fifth and sixth floors.
"I’m going to take a shower and change clothes, Mayi can take another nap."
"I’ll stay with Che."
"Mr. Xiaoquan and others live next door." Dubian Che chuckled, "Sister, you chose a good spot, having students and teachers as neighbors."
"Let’s switch to a different apartment."
"That would be too obvious. When there’s a chance, I’ll introduce you to Mr. Xiaoquan."
"It’s fine; I’m not a good person in their eyes anyway."
Mayi Asuka nodded slightly: "I’ll be a bad person with Che."
"...If possible, I think we should still try to be good people."
Before ten sentences passed, the elevator arrived at the fifth floor.
Mayi Asuka’s clear eyes unblinkingly watched as Dubian Che exited the elevator.
"See you in a bit." Dubian Che waited for the elevator doors to close.
Back at apartment 502, after the shower and while drying his hair, he saw the roses he had casually placed on the table.
Dubian Che took a photo with his phone and sent it to Kiyono Lin.
’Very cool. I like that.’ Dubian Che put down his phone, and the doorbell rang.
He walked directly over and opened the door.
"Dubian, done with your morning run?"
"Good morning, Mr. Xiaoquan."
It was Dubian Che without a shirt, and Xiaoquan Aonai couldn’t control her gaze.
She glanced several times at his solid chest, the lines of his abs, and a hint of his hip bones.
"Mr. Teacher, is there something you needed?" Dubian Che, regretting that he hadn’t put on a shirt, pretended not to notice her gaze.
"I was worried you wouldn’t eat properly during the break, so I came to call you for breakfast." Xiaoquan Aonai, trying to control herself, fixed her eyes on Dubian Che’s face while speaking.
But just as she couldn’t look directly at Kiyono Lin’s face, Dubian Che’s face was similarly too much for the average heart to handle.
So, she simply prepared to leave.
"Put some clothes on and come over quickly, I still have eggs in the frying pan."
"Mm, I’ll be right there."
Dressed and ready, he turned and entered apartment 501, the door was open, so he didn’t bother knocking.