There was an extra pink line at the end of the corridor, longer than the one at the threshold.
The morning wind poured in from the stairwell, scattering chalk dust along the edge of the line. Kiyo had just arrived at the East Corridor and nearly stepped on it when Morita Yu grabbed him by the collar from behind.
"Watch the ground."
Kiyo looked down, saw the line, and immediately perked up.
"Who's that for?"
Teacher Mizuno stood at the other end of the corridor, holding half a piece of chalk. "For people who run too fast."
Kiyo immediately looked toward Naruto. Naruto was slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder when he noticed everyone looking at him, and his brows shot up.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"You're faster," Kiyo said.
"I can be slow too."
"You can, but you often forget."
It was so accurate that Naruto could not argue right away. He set down his schoolbag and scraped the floor with his toe, as though he wanted to rub the pink line away. Iruka came out of the Class One doorway just in time to see it.
"Don't erase it."
Naruto's foot stopped at once.
Today's exercise was simple: walk from one end of the corridor and stop before the pink line. They could not cross it, jump over it, or stop early along the way. After hearing the instructions, Kiyo's face crumpled as though he had just swallowed bitter medicine.
"This is harder than running."
"That's why you're practicing it," Teacher Mizuno said.
At first, they walked. Saori walked lightly, and the bell at her sleeve swung once before becoming still. Rina walked slowly and stopped steadily, her toe still a short distance from the line. When Kiyo reached the line, his body pitched forward,