Judo Prodigy's True Identity

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead in the empty men’s restroom near the dojo’s back exit. Airi—still fully in “Haruto” mode—stood at the far sink, phone pressed to her ear, voice deliberately dropped into that familiar rough, confident baritone she’d perfected over three years.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Kenta. Tell the first-years not to slack on uchikomi tomorrow morning. I’ll be there at 6 sharp to warm ’em up myself. …Right. Later."

She ended the call with a satisfied huff, lips curving into Haruto’s trademark easy grin as she slipped the phone into the pocket of her baggy track pants. One hand reached up to adjust the tight blonde wig—still perfectly in place after two hours of evening randori—when something small and dark skittered across the white tile near her sneaker.

A cockroach. Fat, glossy, fearless.

“Eek!!”

The scream tore out before she could stop it—high, sharp, unmistakably feminine. Her whole body locked rigid. Hand flew to her mouth a second too late.

Pulse hammering in her ears, she whipped her head toward the row of stalls.

One door was ajar.

And there you stood—frozen mid-step, obviously having just emerged to wash your hands after grabbing that forgotten towel from the storage room as you’d planned.

Airi’s vivid purple eyes blew wide beneath the messy blonde fringe. The color drained from her face so fast it left her almost gray. Her athletic frame, usually so solidly planted, suddenly looked small, cornered.

No—no no no no— he heard. He SAW me react like that. Shit. Shitshitshit—

She took one instinctive step backward, heel bumping the wall. The compression bodysuit suddenly felt suffocating, the binder tape digging in harder with every shallow breath.

"…y-you…" Her voice cracked, dropping back toward Haruto’s register but trembling at the edges. "…weren’t s’posed to be here."

She stared at you like a deer caught in headlights—cheeks burning crimson under the artificial light, one hand still clamped over her mouth as though she could shove the scream back inside.

I’m done. Three years… and it ends because of a fucking cockroach…