Holding a paper bag filled with baby castella, Sasaki’s eyes sparkled. Meanwhile, I was stuck carrying a crepe and tacos beside her.
“No eating while walking. That’s bad manners. We eat after sitting down, alright?”
“I know! Don’t treat me like a kid all the time.”
Liar. You were totally about to eat.
After buying what we wanted, we passed through the designated gate and entered the stadium.
A strong gust of wind blew outward from inside the stadium.
Fighting against the wind, we headed to our reserved seats in the lower section of the main stand and looked out over the pitch.
Sprinklers sprayed water, covering the stadium in a white mist.
When the water stopped, the beautiful pitch revealed itself.
Man, pros have it good. They get to kick the ball on something this pristine.
“It’s so close! From here we can totally see the fan service moments too.”
“Sasaki, have you ever performed a live concert at this stadium?”
“Location-wise, I’ve never used this one. But seeing a huge stadium’s pitch from the audience side like this feels fresh.”
“…Right. You used to stand right in the center of places like this.”
Thinking it must feel emotional, I glanced at her—only to see Sasaki casually take the tacos from me and start eating like nothing mattered.
“Mmmhh! Spicy and tasty!”
Completely destroying the serious mood, Sasaki raised the bottom of her mask a little and ate her taco.
Since she couldn’t remove the mask, it was kind of a troublesome way to eat… but it couldn’t be helped.
“You like tacos?”
“Yup! I love them.”
“Pancakes, tacos… everything you like is made of batter. Same for the crepe and baby castella.”
“It’s fine! They give me less guilt than rice.”
“Pretty sure it’s the same thing.”
As I stared blankly at Sasaki eating her tacos and crepe, the players appeared on the pitch to warm up.
The crowd erupted into applause as the players entered.
“Hey, Makishima, which player are you rooting for?”
With her cheeks stuffed full of crepe, Sasaki asked.
“The one wearing the same uniform as us.”
“Umm… number 9?”
“See, the one about to take a shot—”
At the edge of the penalty area on the beautiful green pitch, Tokyo Frontier’s number 9 (their ace) shook their silky, shoulder-length pure-white hair.
Around 160 cm tall, but with enough skill in those legs to shatter the opponent’s final defensive line—Tokyo Frontier’s speed star.
“Kita Makoto. He’s my senpai from high school.”
“His hair is so white and pretty… He’s so small, like a girl, but his shots are insanely powerful…”
Sasaki stopped eating her crepe.
She had been all about food a moment ago, but now she was completely absorbed in the field.
I was the same the first time I watched pro soccer live.
“Makishima, did you see that?! I totally thought that pass wouldn’t go through, but number 9 just sprinted in like—”
Even though the match hadn’t started yet, Sasaki was super hyped.
Of course she was. The massive cheers you can’t feel on TV, the intensity of players throwing themselves in harm’s way just to push one ball into the goal.
That’s the world of professionals.
When warm-ups and the pre-match ceremony ended, the real match began.
N1 League, Round 3. Tokyo Frontier vs. Kashiwagi Rave.
The pitch filled with Kashiwagi Rave’s yellow uniforms.
“Are the yellow enemy team strong?”
“They finished third last year.”
“Whoa, that sounds bad. What about Tokyo?”
“We placed 15th last year.”
“You’re losing by a mile!”
“Th-that was last year! This year we’re aiming to win the championship.”
“Then they better win this match.”
The match began. After kickoff, a Kashiwagi midfielder launched a long ball toward Tokyo’s side.
From behind the goal, chants from Tokyo’s supporters thundered across the stadium, intensifying the sense of unity.
The match went at Tokyo’s pace, and with Kita Makoto at the center, their three-top formation repeatedly pressured Kashiwagi’s last line with quick runs behind the defense.
“Amazing… The speed of this match is completely different from the one we saw before.”
“Obviously. University Division 2 and pro level are worlds apart.”
“…Makishima, when you go pro, you’ll be playing here too, right?”
“Me…? Go pro?”
“Yeah.”
I was about to say “Don’t be stupid, Sasaki,” but the words stopped in my throat.
Yesterday, Aihara told me I loved soccer.
I cried my eyes out, but it made me realize I really do love soccer—that’s why I’ve kept playing it through university. But maybe that’s not the only reason.
“I…”
Sasaki barely knows anything about soccer.
So she doesn’t understand that someone like me—just a player in a Division 2 university league—is basically nowhere near the pro world.
But her innocent words reminded me why I play soccer.
Continuing soccer through university isn’t just because I “like it.”
“…Yeah. If I were to ‘go pro,’ I’d have to keep up with this speed.”
“Exactly! First you need to get into the first team.”
“Yeah.”
Maybe that was the first time I ever said out loud that I wanted to go pro.
Thanks, Sasaki.
I can’t say something lame like “There’s no way I can go pro” in front of her.
But because of that, I was able to confirm it again—I really do want to become a professional.
I really can’t show you the uncool side of me, huh?
✳︎✳︎
The match reached halftime with a scoreless draw (0–0).
When halftime began, Sasaki’s munch-munch time started as she opened the bag of baby castella she had been holding dearly.
“Mokyu mokyu.”
“You really eat a lot.”
“Makishima, want some?”
“…You’re not gonna trick me again like with the pancake, right?”
“I’m not!”
“Then I’ll take one.”
“Here, aahn.”
Sasaki picked up a baby castella and held it up to my mouth.
“H-hey, don’t do embarrassing stuff like that.”
“Why not? For Makishima, today’s a *date*, right?”
She just kept teasing me for that one stupid slip-up. Annoying.
“Come on, if you don’t eat quick—”
“Heeey! All the supporters in the stadium!”
At that moment, the stadium DJ’s announcement echoed across the entire arena.
“It’s time for the halftime show! Today’s guest is—no way, no way! The former leader of Genesi Stars, now active as a singer-songwriter, it’s MIZUKI-san!”
Screams erupted from the supporters and from fans who had come specifically to see her.
“Former Genesi Stars… wait, Sasaki?”
The baby castella slipped from Sasaki’s hand.
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