At the Finish Line [Haiji Kiyose] - Run With the Wind

ten - "try my best"

Huffing to herself with a frown on her face, Chiyo kicks a pebble on the pavement, scuffing the top of her shoes as she goes. She shrugs her bag off her shoulder, placing her book and laptop inside, zipping it up in her fury and throwing it back on.

Turning the corner to Chikusei-sou, she curses under her breath, before looking up to see Haiji talking to a short, older man.

He holds his hands behind his back, his grey eyebrows thick with a scruff of beard on his chin while his grey hair is mostly covered with a dark red hat.

Haiji notices her walking over, waving a hand. "Chiyo! This is Genichirō Tazaki, our landlord."

She walks over to the pair, nodding her head respectfully. "Tazaki Sensei, it's nice to meet you. I was going to thank you later today for allowing me to stay."

He nods to Haiji. "He's persistent, I didn't have any say in it anyway. But welcome nonetheless."

She laughs. "He certainly is. I was going to be going to stay with my sister in Saitama and quit Kansei all together, but he and the others convinced me otherwise."

"Saitama?" Tazaki questions. "Who's your sister?"

"Oh, it's Hisa Kenjiro." She tells him. "It's her husband's last name."

Nodding, he raises a finger to his chin. "Hayato Kenjiro is my nephew. A journalist, right?"

Eyebrows furrowed, Chiyo tilts her head. "Yeah, he is. Wow, what a small world. I'll have to tell Hisa when we next speak."

Turning around, Tazaki starts walking over to his house, waving a hand. "Make yourself at home, Chiyo. Ask me if you need anything."

Once he disappears inside, Chiyo grins, turning to Haiji. "That was interesting."

He laughs. "He's a character."

The two walk inside Chikusei-sou, removing their shoes and making their way into the kitchen.

"Tea, Chiyo?" He questions.

"Please." She sighs, placing her bag on the dining table and slumping into the chair.

Haiji grimaces. "Rough day?"

With her jaw clenched, Chiyo shakes her head. "I'm going off this whole 'study hard' thing since seeing my lecturer."

Preparing the tea, Haiji glances behind at her. "That bad, huh?

Crossing her arms, her eyebrow twitching and a frown on her face, Chiyo gripes. "Remember our science teacher in high school, Mr Omichi? Mr Takamiya is worse than him."

"Oof, Mr Omichi was the worst." Haiji smiles weakly. "He'd put someone on the spot and completely embarrass them. Not to mention he was judgemental."

She purses her lips. "I explained everything to him but he made me seem like an idiot. Ughh, I can't stand him. He told me I was stupid to blame my grades on my parents' pressure and to buck up. He doesn't understand what he's talking about."

Pouring their tea, Haiji hands her a cup and takes a seat opposite her. "Well, what you've got to do is prove him wrong. There's not much else you can do, but surprise him and make him look like an idiot in return."

Agreeing, Chiyo sighs. "Yeah. He's only giving me two weeks to prepare to re-take the first term exam though. And that's both Economics and International Relations. I'm going to be swamped."

"We should set out a study plan for you." He suggests. "That way, you're not going to burn out and you have structure so you know when to stop and take breaks."