📘 2007: A Girl with No Tomorrow

✦ Chapter 13: It’s In Our Blood

> “He said we both won.

But it was the first time I felt like it meant something.”

— Aki Hoshino

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The gold medal hung around her neck.

Cold. Heavy. Familiar.

Aki stood on the top podium, blank-faced as always. Her opponent — a girl named Hana from the neighboring school — wiped happy tears as she held her silver. On the side of the hall, Hana’s parents clapped proudly, flashing photos, waving like their daughter had won the world.

“Second place!” her mother cried. “We’re so proud of you!”

Aki’s fingers curled around her own medal.

She looked into the crowd.

No one was there for her.

Just silence.

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Then—

“YO! HEY! LOOK UP, JAPAN!”

A voice sliced through the noise.

Heads turned.

Aki blinked.

Rei stood on a bench behind the crowd, medal around his neck, dobok halfway undone, face bruised but glowing.

He pointed at her like it was the Olympics.

“THAT’S MY LITTLE SISTER!” he shouted.

“FIRST PLACE! AND I WON TOO!”

Laughter rippled through the gym.

People clapped. Some shook their heads. Others joined in.

Rei raised both arms proudly.

Then grinned wide and yelled:

> “WE BOTH WON. IT’S IN OUR BLOOD!”

The crowd laughed louder. The moment felt silly. Loud. Embarrassing.

But Aki just stood there, stunned.

For a moment — a strange, quiet moment — she didn’t feel empty.

She felt… visible.

The girl beside her whispered, “You’re so lucky. My brother’s too shy to say anything.”

Aki’s lips twitched.

Just slightly.

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Outside the gym, medals in hand, Rei slung his arm lazily over her shoulder. She didn’t shrug it off.

“I told you,” he said, “the sibling genes are undefeated.”

She looked at him.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You love it.”

He stopped, turned toward her, holding up both medals.

“This? This means something now.”

He placed his gently into her hand.

“Two golds, one bloodline.”

“I’m not your blood,” she whispered.

He smirked.

“Doesn’t matter. We bled the same. That’s close enough.”

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That night, Aki placed both medals in her drawer.

Then pulled out her notebook.

> Date: October 29, 2007

They clapped.

Not for my skill — but because someone stood beside me and said I mattered.

We both won.

He said it was in our blood.

I think… for once… I believe him.

She folded the page.

Closed the book.

And for the first time since childhood —

she didn’t feel alone.

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End of Chapter 13 

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