Sasaki, who had been sitting on my bed, accepted the tickets with her mouth hanging slightly open.
“Makishima… invited me? Why?”
“Why…? No real reason. If you don’t want to go—”
“I’ll go! I’m free tomorrow anyway!”
She answered so fast it cut me off.
So Sasaki actually likes soccer? Or maybe she got hooked after seeing today’s match?
…Well, whatever.
“So, is this a pro match?”
Sasaki tilted her head while staring at the ticket.
Seriously… we’re starting from there?
“Haa…”
“It’s not my fault! I’ve never watched soccer before!”
She puffed her cheeks when I sighed.
“Fine, fine. I’ll explain from the basics.”
“Yes, please. In a way I can understand.”
“Okay… So, Japan’s pro soccer league is called the N-League, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of that.”
“The top division is called the N1 League. The match we’re going to watch tomorrow is a team from that league—Tokyo Frontier.”
“Tokyo… Frontier. So Makishima, you like that team?”
“Yeah. I’m originally from Yamanashi, but I’ve loved Tokyo Frontier for as long as I can remember.”
I even chose the Tokyo Frontier Jr. Youth team over my hometown’s club. But after that, I couldn’t move up from Jr. Youth to the Youth team. So I ended up enrolling at the old powerhouse “Private Seishin Academy High School” in Toyama through a sports recommendation.
“Come to think of it, Aihara also said she likes Tokyo Frontier.”
“Heh… Then if I had refused, would you have invited Aihara-san instead?”
“No? If you couldn’t go, I would’ve just given the extra ticket to someone from the soccer club.”
Aihara’s a hardcore Tokyo Frontier fan anyway. She probably has a season seat and always stands in the supporter’s section behind the goal. She wouldn’t care about SS seats.
“What? Why the face?”
“N-nothing!”
“Don’t ‘nothing’ me. You’re grinning.”
“I’m not grinning!”
Sasaki quickly stood up from the bed and tucked the ticket safely into her wallet.
“Okay! I think I kinda get soccer now! Since the match is after noon, I’ll go home first tomorrow. Let’s meet up after we get ready?”
“Sounds good. Front of the station by the university?”
“Yep!”
She was even happier than I expected. Inviting a girl out really takes a lot of emotional stamina… (For once, I’m genuinely impressed by Azaki.)
After deciding on tomorrow’s plan, we started getting ready for bed.
“Now then, sleeping arrangements… Sasaki, you take the bed.”
Before I even finished speaking, Sasaki had already spread her makeup items and mirror across the bed.
“…Huh? I can really sleep on the bed?”
“Oi, you clearly assumed that from the start. Do you not know the meaning of ‘restraint’?”
“Well, I figured Makishima would let me have it.”
“Good grief…”
Whatever. I grabbed the futon Azaki uses whenever he stays over and laid it out.
“I’ll sleep on the futon. Don’t roll off the bed and land on me, okay?”
“Eh? You saying it like that makes it sound like you *want* me to fall on you~”
“I do not. What if I get another concussion?”
Sasaki just said “Hmm~” with a smirk that made me want to throw her out and call a taxi.
“Hey, Makishima. Do you have a new toothbrush?”
“Toothbrush?”
“Yeah, I forgot to buy a new one after throwing out my travel one.”
“Should be a new one in the sink cabinet.”
We walked to the sink together and I handed her a fresh toothbrush from the shelf.
“This one okay?”
“Yep, thanks.”
Since I was already there, I put toothpaste on my brush, then handed the tube to Sasaki.
“This brand’s a little strong. You okay with that?”
“Totally fine!”
Before I knew it, we were standing side by side brushing our teeth.
…This is kinda… couple-like, isn’t it?
When I glanced at Sasaki through the mirror, she was also looking at me through the mirror.
The moment our eyes met, I looked away instantly. But Sasaki kept staring.
“Wh-what? (What are you staring at?)”
“…I was just thinking how weird it is that we’re brushing our teeth together like this.”
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere turned embarrassingly warm and fuzzy. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I rinsed my mouth quickly and escaped to the futon.
Sasaki followed me back to the room.
“Makishima, you’re going to sleep already?”
“Y-yep! Sleeping!”
“Eeeh, but since it’s a sleepover, let’s talk a bit more~”
“This isn’t some girls’ night…”
Hugging a pillow, Sasaki sat on the bed and looked down at me. Her bare leg brushed my arm, and through the loose T-shirt sleeve I could see a glimpse of her armpit.
“Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”
“A-anything?”
“I’ll answer anything right now.”
Anything…?
“Well… okay. How about your first love?”
“…First love!?”
“Why? You said ‘anything’. Don’t tell me you can’t answer?”
“Uu…”
Sasaki buried her face into her pillow.
Heh. Even Sasaki gets shy with love talk—
“When I was in high school.”
“You’re talking!?”
“Eh? Well, you asked, right? About my first love.”
“W-well yeah…”
So Sasaki actually *had* a first love. For some reason that made my chest tighten.
“When I was in high school, I traveled far for work. There, I saw this boy and… I started liking him.”
“Wait. Your first love was in high school?”
“Is that bad!?”
“Not bad, just… unexpected.”
“He looked cool, gave off a stoic vibe… but I never spoke to him, not even once. We had no connection at all…”
“So… you gave up?”
“No! I didn’t give up! I’m *still* not giving up!”
She peered over the pillow with desperate eyes.
…So Sasaki has someone she likes. Of course she does. She’s twenty, after all—not some kid.
I always thought her emotional age was about fifteen… but she’s a proper college girl.
“R-right… I hope you can meet him again someday.”
“…Yeah.”
Even though I asked, this got way too awkward.
“What about you, Makishima?”
“Me?”
“Tell me your first love.”
“…Fine. Since you answered properly, I should be a man and answer too.”
I sat up straight and mentally prepared myself.
“…My first love was when I was four.”
“Four!?”
“Yep. My first love was the college girl who lived next door.”
“…Wow.”
And so I told her about the woman who lived next door—who is now a 35-year-old married lady.
“…Makishima, you’re actually kinda gross.”
“What!? I told you seriously!”
“Do you still like her?”
“No. She’s married. I… don’t really feel stuff like that anymore. I was in an all-boys school for three years, so I kinda forgot how romance works.”
“I see.”
Our awkward first-love talk ended with silence. Sasaki started her skincare routine, and I lay on my futon reading a soccer magazine.
What the hell was that whole conversation…?
It was just mutual exposure and embarrassment. No one benefited.
After her skincare, I sat up and turned off the light.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Make sure you explain everything, okay? I don’t know anything about soccer.”
“Got it.”
“…Good night, Makishima.”
“Good night, Sasaki.”
And so ended my long day with Sasaki.
✳︎✳︎
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