The morning air was a little chilly, but refreshing. With each pedal stroke, the wind brushed gently against his cheeks.
Yuto’s mornings always began with the same rhythm. He ate breakfast, slung his bag over his shoulder, and mounted his bicycle. It was about a twenty-minute ride to university. Through residential neighborhoods, up a gentle slope, and onto the main road. While waiting at a traffic light, he slipped in his earbuds, and his favorite playlist began to play.
But that day, he noticed something.
Up ahead, just a few meters in front, was a woman. Riding a black sports bike, clad in a light-colored windbreaker, she seemed to have matched her timing perfectly with his, cycling the same route.
She wasn’t especially fast. Nor was she slow. She pedaled steadily, keeping an almost perfect distance ahead of him.
(…Has she always been there?)
He glanced at her casually—just as she turned and looked back.
Their eyes met.
Startled, Yuto quickly averted his gaze and pushed harder on the pedals. But speeding up didn’t feel right either, so he soon returned to his usual pace.
That was when it started.
He began to notice her more and more.
The next day, and the day after that, she was there again, cycling as always. In the morning light, she kept a steady pace, exuding a calm and comforting rhythm.
Once he became aware of her, even his own stride felt different. The pedals seemed lighter, the wind somehow changed.
(I don’t know her name or where she’s headed. But maybe, just like me, this path is part of her daily routine.)
They didn’t speak. They didn’t even pass each other. Just cycled side by side. And yet, it made his heart beat a little faster.
Then, one morning—
At their usual traffic light, Yuto stopped. She pulled up beside him.
He glanced sideways, and found her looking back at him.
“…Good morning.”
He was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to speak.
“Uh… oh, good morning.”
The words came late. She gave a soft smile.
“We’re always riding at the same time, aren’t we?”
“Yeah… um, do you go to the university too?”
“I do. But I think we’re probably in different faculties.”
The light turned green.
“Well, see you.”
With that, she pushed off lightly and pedaled forward. Yuto scrambled to follow.
It was the moment his daily rhythm shifted.
(Her name… I forgot to ask.)
But surely, he’d see her again tomorrow.
The wind felt just a little kinder.
