Eternal Starlight (Kaito x Maki)

Chapter 4: Is it Love?

After leading Maki and Shuichi up the stairs and onto the blue indoor track, Kaito bolted over to one of the several white lines painted on the floor and eagerly waited for the others to follow. Once they were all standing on the line, he began explaining their next exercise.

"So, it's a race?" Maki puzzled, unsure as to whether or not she was understanding him properly.

"That's right!" he beamed, drawing in a long breath as he prepared to further explain. "We're gonna run two laps, then you'll wait at this line for everyone else to show up, and the second everybody's here, we do a down-and-back sprint. Winner takes all!"

Tipping his head in confusion, Shuichi asked, "Winner takes all? What does the winner get?" Kaito paused for a moment before shrugging.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he laughed off the question with an unhelpful answer, "On the line!"

Readying himself, Kaito started slowly counting down from three. When he reached one, Maki bolted off down the track.

A few minutes passed, and the exercise had ended exactly how she had predicted it would. She finished both her laps and the final sprint first, Shuichi trailed close behind, and Kaito wound up in dead last. Chest heaving, the astronaut practically collapsed onto the floor next to the other two.

"Great... Great work, guys!" he said through large gulps of air, flashing his friends a shaky thumbs-up.

Maki tilted her head out of Kaito's line of sight, hoping the purple-haired idiot didn't catch her biting back a smile. After chatting for a couple of minutes, the three moved on to another exercise. This cycle of working out continued for the remainder of the afternoon.

Before Maki knew it, it was already 6:15. The gym closed at 6:30, so most of the people who were there when she arrived had already left. As for the others, Shuichi seemed tired, but Kaito looked absolutely exhausted. Although, he somehow still had the energy to continue on with his typical charismatic personality.

"Man, that was awesome!" he bubbled as they headed toward the gym's exit, "Again, I'm really glad ya came with us, Maki roll!"

Maki nodded, "Well, it was something to do, if nothing else." Shuichi cast her a glance of suspicion, one that practically screamed: "You enjoyed yourself, and you know it." Maki shot his teasing gaze down with her own sharp glare.

"Anyway, I was thinkin' that we could all go to a cafe before we part ways, my treat," Kaito offered. "I'm just so proud of how hard you two worked today!"

Shuichi perked up slightly at his friend's praise, "I'm down. Maki?"

"Might as well," she agreed somewhat reluctantly, though she was actually elated to spend more time with them. Kaito seemed very pleased with how quickly the two accepted his offer.

"Alright then, let's go!" he half-shouted, leading Maki and Shuichi out of the gym.

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Holding the door for Shuichi and Kaito, Maki followed the two into the cozy cafe. It took a moment before she realized just how wonderful it felt. The place was small, yet tidy, and covered with relaxing decor. The heavenly aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and baked sweets wafted through the room, along with cooled air blowing from the tawny ceiling fan above.

It was only then Maki realized how heavy her body felt. It was by no means the harshest workout she'd been through, but it wasn't a walk in the park either. She let her focus wander as Kaito spoke with the man behind the counter. To her surprise, the cafe was mostly deserted, save a couple people scattered here and there.