After I parted ways with Mizuki-san, I hurried back to my room and immediately opened my laptop.
When I launched the browser, I started writing down all the things Kiraboshi Ayane had done three years ago.
“Drama, movies, regular TV shows… ‘Kiraboshi Ayane’s Pancake Journey,’ ‘Sweets Café Kiraboshi,’ and so on.”
Sasaki really appeared in a crazy number of shows. (Though… there are a lot of sweets-related ones…)
With this many shows, I can’t narrow anything down at all.
“And at the end of that year, she became the official manager for the High School Soccer Championship…”
…Wait.
Sasaki said she wanted to go from being someone who’s supported… to someone who supports.
If that’s the case, then the possibility of that “someone” being a soccer player isn’t impossible… right?
And according to Mizuki-san, Sasaki flew overseas after retiring… apparently for a man.
“If I assume that man was part of that year’s High School Championship, then maybe he was a player who went straight overseas after graduation…”
Three years ago—that was when I was a first-year. Only one player from that championship flew abroad right after.
“The hero of that year’s tournament, the representative of Tottori, Inaba Sougou High School’s ace: Kanagawa Ryuushin…”
Kanagawa Ryuushin. A 192 cm striker who could score from his head, left foot, right foot—anywhere. A truly all-around forward.
After graduation, he joined one of the top six teams in England’s first division at age eighteen. He was even called the successor to Ojiro Takato. But he struggled with the language and mental pressure, and his contract was terminated within a year.
“After returning to Japan, he signed with Legendé Kawasaki in the N1 League… and right now he’s loaned out to N3 League’s Odawara United.”
He’s fallen pretty far… though I’m not one to talk.
But Kanagawa Ryuushin left overseas the same time Sasaki did. And they both came back to Japan around the same time.
If Sasaki went overseas because she wanted to chase the guy she saw at the championship finals three years ago… that would explain everything.
A perfect deduction. Maybe I should be a detective?
“And Odawara United is our opponent for the first round of the Emperor’s Cup.”
…Meaning, I might actually get a chance to talk to the legendary Kanagawa Ryuushin.
But unless I make it to First Team by late May, I won’t even be registered for the Emperor’s Cup.
Which means I have to break into First Team by the end of May.
My biggest chance to appeal is the Golden Week training camp next week.
If I meet Kanagawa Ryuushin, I could introduce him to Sasaki.
With that goal in mind, I steeled myself for my promotion to First Team.
✳︎✳︎
After coming home from the date and running the bathwater, I kept staring at the headband.
My image color back when I was an idol had always been a shade of red, and Makishima picked out the same color. That made me a little happy.
Today we held hands, he bought me a headband, we went café hopping… it was such a satisfying day.
And Makishima was acting weirdly bold today—suddenly saying he wanted to hold hands and stuff… Maybe because we spent the night together? We definitely got closer…
“He totally likes me, right?”
Sitting on my bed, I hugged my dolphin plushie tightly.
“Mufuuuh~”
I pressed my grinning face into the plushie and wriggled around in happiness.
Looking back… it was a long journey.
After retiring from being an idol, I thought I couldn’t stay in Japan until things died down. So I left Japan and spent a year living quietly in Paris.
The study-abroad year had the dual purpose of disappearing from the public eye and improving my language skills. But actually, there was one more reason.
That reason was— to enter the same university as Makishima.
Three years ago, at the finals of the High School Soccer Championship.
I had been invited to the studio as the official manager. I was looking forward to seeing Hoshigami Academy play in a packed national stadium.
Before the championship, I traveled all the way to Toyama to interview Hoshigami Academy, since they were a favored team at the time.
Hoshigami Academy was this unpleasant all-boys school with a drunk coach and sweaty guys everywhere. My impression was the worst. But among them, there was one boy—someone completely unlike the rest, radiating an aura that stood out.
Hoshigami Academy, first-year, Jersey #9—Makishima Yuutaro.
He would appear from places you couldn’t see and score with a single touch, again and again, with incredible speed and smooth movement.
His body wasn’t rugged like the other boys, his face was handsome, and he looked like a prince…
Coach Kishihara even called him a once-in-a-generation one-touch scorer. No matter the posture, he’d stretch out his leg and score.
During a match he wore a serious expression, but after scoring he always smiled brightly— that gap made my heart feel warm, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Before I realized it, I was pointing my phone camera at him.
At the winter championship… if I could interview him, I’d tell him how I felt.
I even forgot I was an idol; I was just a regular high school girl with a crush.
I was clueless about soccer, so of course I thought Hoshigami Academy would make it to the championship. And I thought I’d get to talk one-on-one with Makishima Yuutaro during the MVP interview.
But Makishima Yuutaro never showed up in that year’s interview room.
In fact, Hoshigami Academy lost in the Toyama prefectural qualifiers.
Ever since then, the desire to talk to him even just once… kept growing inside me.
At first, that was all it was. But eventually, that feeling kept getting bigger and bigger—
“…I want to be the one closest to him. I want to support Makishima.”
The bath’s timer beeped, echoing through the room.
✳︎✳︎
A week passed since being sidelined with a concussion, and I finally returned to practice.
My practice gear, my warm-up shoes—everything felt nostalgic.
Right after practice started, the coach called me over.
“Did you rest properly for the whole week?”
He stroked his white beard a moment earlier, and now that same hand rubbed my head.
Ugh—his white hairs… they’re getting on my hair…
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing…”
“You didn’t sneak in any practice, right?”
“I didn’t!”
“…Good. Don’t push yourself. Do you know how badly the First Team staff scolded me because of you?!”
“S-sorry… I made it into a big deal…”
“Not like that. The staff were concerned about your—never mind. Just get your condition back before the training camp next week.”
When the coach finished talking, I returned to the stretching circle and sat next to Azaki to start stretching.
“Azaki.”
“Welcome back, man.”
“So, um…”
“What? Something hurt already?”
“No… that’s not it. This is gonna sound weird but… if I perform well at the Golden Week camp next week… do you think I can get into First Team?”
“You? Asking me something like that? What’s gotten into you?”
“…Well, you see…”
For once, I confided my worries to Azaki.
The situation was too heavy to carry alone.
“So basically—there’s a girl you like, and she likes Kanagawa Ryuushin from Odawara United. And you want to meet him and introduce them?”
“Ah… if you put it simply, yeah.”
“You idiot, what kind of pathetic crap is that?!”
Azaki yelled and punched me straight in the face.
H-he just punched someone recovering from a concussion!? Even Sasaki hasn’t hit me lately!
“What the hell, man!?”
“You like her, right? Then beat the crap out of Kanagawa Ryuushin and say, ‘Don’t go with this guy, go out with me!’ Like a man!”
“G-go out with—?! You say that like it’s easy! He’s Kanagawa Ryuushin!!”
“Even if you lose, just tell her, ‘I’m hotter than Kanagawa anyway, so go out with me.’”
“…That’s lame.”
Azaki grabbed a cold squeeze bottle and pressed it to my cheek.
“Sorry for hitting you. But I’m saying this for your sake.”
“You sound like an abusive boyfriend.”
“Anyway! Beat Kanagawa Ryuushin, score in the Emperor’s Cup, and get the girl too!”
He stood up first and reached out a hand to me.
Honestly, I want that too.
“Makishima, you like her, right?”
After hearing about Sasaki’s first love, I didn’t want to get in her way… Sorry, Sasaki.
I grabbed Azaki’s hand and stood up.
Just for today… Azaki is right.
“…Got it. I was wrong.”
“So you’re doing it? Even though he’s a pro?”
“You’re the one who fired me up.”
Azaki smacked my butt and started running.
“First, let’s show some results and make First Team. Makishima.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and ran alongside him.
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