—— Match Day, 6:00 AM
The moment the alarm rang, I woke up.
“Fwaaah… it’s already six?”
I rubbed my sleepy eyes, and my blurred vision slowly came into focus.
Huh? Why did I even set my alarm for this time?
I don’t have a first-period class, and I quit being an idol ages ago…
“…Oh right, today is Makishima’s match.”
I jumped out of bed, took off my recently-bought fluffy pajamas, and turned on the electric kettle before heading to the bathroom.
The match starts at 8:30, so I need to get ready fast.
While showering, I started filling the bathtub. After washing my hair, I grabbed my rabbit-shaped body sponge and scrubbed myself everywhere.
“I wonder if the bath is done filling~?”
I rinsed the soap off my body and checked the tub.
Perfect, exactly five minutes as always.
With the fast-fill function, the hot water came up quickly. I added bath salts and slowly dipped in from my toes.
“So warm…”
Taking a relaxing morning bath is a routine I’ve kept ever since I moved to Tokyo.
I’m terrible at waking up early, but this is the one thing I never skip.
Letting the heat soak into my body, I blankly watched the rising steam.
“I wonder if Makishima’s nervous…”
The promise I made with Makishima.
If he scores a goal, I’ll treat him to a special dinner. If he doesn’t score, he’ll do anything I say.
“I already decided what I’ll make for dinner, so that’s fine… but if he doesn’t score, what should I ask for?”
Makishima doing anything I say… huh.
What should I have him do?
“Ah! Maybe I’ll make him carry my shopping bags? Or have him tag along to that café again? The pancakes were really good last time.”
…But if possible, I want to request something that helps him relax.
“Hmm… well, I’ll just decide when the time comes.”
After stepping out of the bath and drying off with a towel, I put on my navy underwear—the one I always wear on important days—and then slipped into my fluffy loungewear. While blow-drying my hair, I ate a complete-nutrition bread and drank tea for breakfast. Then I brushed my teeth while deciding what to wear today.
Being a former idol is such a hassle—if I dress too cute, I stand out, but wearing unfashionable clothes hurts my pride.
I want something calm and mature-looking… for now, maybe layering a brown camisole dress over my top will do.
Once my clothes were chosen, I moved on to makeup.
Even if I do it carefully, no one will see it because I’ll be wearing a mask… but Makishima will see me, so I should do it properly.
If Makishima thinks I looked cuter back when I was Kiraboshi Ayane, my pride won’t allow it.
“Alright, makeup done! It’s still before eight, so I can take my time.”
Humming to myself, I put on the outfit I’d picked out, slung my canvas tote over my shoulder, and left the apartment.
✳︎✳︎
A little past 8:00 AM, I arrived at the station nearest to the university. After adjusting my mask and glasses once more, I headed toward the field.
When I reached the large soccer ground at Koutou University, the spectator seats were already open, and since this was a B-team match, the crowd was sparse and quiet.
Back in my idol days, I only ever saw packed domes, so this sight was almost unbelievable.
“W-Where… should I even watch from…?”
As I wandered around the seats, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder from behind.
Wait—Makishima?
“Geez, Makishima, you don’t have to worry—”
When I turned around, there was—
“S-Sasaki… right?”
“…Ah, Aihara-san.”
A busty female college student wearing a floral one-piece with a denim jacket.
Yes—the one who tapped my shoulder was Aihara Yuzu.
“Good, I would’ve died of embarrassment if I had the wrong person!”
I remember she said she played soccer until high school during her seminar introduction.
So she came to watch because of that? But going out of her way to see the B-team… don’t tell me…
“Sasaki-chan, you also came to cheer for Makishima-kun?”
She said ‘also,’ so Makishima was definitely involved in this.
That guy—he better not be trying to hit on Aihara-san behind my back.
I should probe her a little.
“Aihara-san, did Makishima invite you?”
“Eh? Umm, not exactly.”
Huh? So Makishima didn’t invite her…?
“I just really like soccer. And when I talked to Makishima-kun on the way home the other day, I kind of felt like cheering for him.”
“R-Right, I see—”
So she does like him, doesn’t she?
Wait—“on the way home”? What’s that supposed to mean?
“What about you, Sasaki-chan? Did Makishima-kun invite you?”
“W-Well… something like that?”
“…Heh.”
The truth is I told him I’d come watch, but saying that would complicate things.
The nuance is *slightly* different, but… it’s fine, right?
“Hey, Sasaki-chan. Since we're both here, want to watch together? I was kinda nervous being alone.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Honestly, I was relieved she was here.
If I were alone, I wouldn’t even know where to sit—so I’m actually grateful.
Makishima was benched at the start, so we took seats closer to the front, near the goal he’d be attacking in the second half.
“Makishima-kun will definitely come on in the second half.”
“The second half, huh…”
Makishima said he’d score even with limited time, but… will he really be okay?
The players started walking onto the field for warm-ups.
Of course, Makishima was among them, and seeing that serious expression filled me with both hope and worry.
“Makishima…”
Promise aside… if all his hard work doesn’t pay off, I’ll hate it too.
So score, Makishima.
Let me cook you dinner.
✳︎✳︎
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