courage dear heart | Yuki Ishikawa

50

The alarm startled me at 5AM.

I rolled over to Yuki and hugged him tightly, cursing the sound of it.

I gave him a little kiss while he had already drifted back to sleep, then reluctantly got up and left to head back to my room to get ready.

I was nervous about starting again after nearly two weeks off, dreading the DOMS that would hit tomorrow, but I pushed myself and stepped out of my room.

At the same time, Kaito walked out of his room next to mine. "Hey, Nabi, you're back!" he said with a smile.

Still half-asleep, I nodded. "Got back last night," I mumbled as we made our way to the gym.

I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head. "I forgot how cold it is here early in the morning."

"If you want my hug that badly, all you have to do is ask," he teased with his usual smirk.

I shook my head and snorted loudly, "You're always the same."

He laughed, rubbing his hands along my arms to warm me up.

Normally, I didn't like people touching me like that, but with the cold, I didn't feel the usual urge to kick someone, so I let him without complaining.

Returning to snowboarding after everything that had happened in the past few days felt strange.

The weight of the pressure I used to carry on my shoulders was gone, yet at the same time, it felt like everything was new to me.

The familiar rush of the cold air, the sensation of gliding on the snow—it was all still there, but it was as if I was experiencing it through different eyes.

My body knew what to do, muscle memory guiding each movement, but my mind was processing it all as if for the first time.

and I was actually having a lot of fun

I stood at the edge of the slope, watching the others practice their tricks, my snowboard strapped tight to my feet. The crisp mountain air filled my lungs, but I could feel my nerves tingling.

I spotted Kaito effortlessly pulling off some insane flips, landing smoothly every time.

"Kaito!" I called out, waving as he slid to a stop near me, sending a spray of snow in my direction. "Can you help me with something?"

He raised an eyebrow, giving me that trademark smirk of his, the one that made it seem like he knew something I didn't. "What's up, Nabi? Need some tips on how to be perfect like me?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the grin tugging at my lips. "More like, I want to learn how to nail the Knuckle Huck. You've got more experience with it, and I... well, I could use a hand."

His smirk widened, and he leaned on his board a bit. "So, you want me to teach you, huh? Well, I suppose I could take some time out of my busy day to help you." He winked, and I shook my head, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said, shoving him lightly. "Are you going to help or not?"

Kaito straightened up, his expression turning just a bit more serious. "Of course. I wouldn't miss the chance to spend some quality time with my favorite person."

I shot him a look, but he was already adjusting his stance, ready to guide me. "Alright, first things first, the key is not overthinking it. You've gotta let your body move naturally, feel the slope, and when you hit the knuckle, just let it flow."

He demonstrated with ease, leaping off the knuckle and landing with perfect balance. I watched, trying to absorb everything he did—his positioning, his timing, the way he seemed so relaxed even in the air.