The first match of the Golden Week training camp was against a Chiba-based amateur adult team.
Before the match, a meeting began under the clear blue sky, and Azaki Seiichi and I were chosen for the starting lineup.
We lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Azaki took the role of defensive midfielder, while I was assigned CF—center forward.
First of all, I felt relieved just to make the starting eleven.
If I couldn’t even get into the starting lineup, there was no way I’d be recommended to the A team.
“Makishima. Today, don’t make reckless plays like before. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
The coach warned me, and I nodded reluctantly.
“If you show concussion-like symptoms again, I’ll sub you off immediately. Keep that in mind.”
In soccer, concussions aren’t exactly rare, but if things go wrong, they can even be fatal. It made sense that the coach would be cautious.
Still, the fact that he let me start despite just recovering meant I’d earned a lot of trust in the previous match. There was no doubt about that.
The meeting ended, and the players headed toward the pitch.
“Makishima-kun.”
The manager, Aihara, stopped me, holding the whiteboard she’d just used.
“Don’t rush, okay? If you get injured again, you’ll have a really hard time.”
Maybe because she used to be a player herself, Aihara understood my feelings well.
During time off due to injury, just imagining everyone else getting better makes your skin crawl and your mind restless. The anxiety of being left behind. The loneliness.
Behind the cheerful surface, the past week had actually been painful.
“But I really want to move up to the first squad. I want to get into the A team and play in the Emperor’s Cup.”
“The Emperor’s Cup…?”
“That’s why today… I need to show what I can do!”
“No. If you want to move up, that’s even more reason not to push yourself. Understood?”
“Aihara…”
“As your manager, I can’t overlook this.”
“But—”
“Which do you want—being slapped right now, or being pushed forward?”
“S-slapped?!”
“I’m that serious. At this rate, Makishima-kun, you’ll definitely overdo it.”
Aihara wasn’t wearing her usual soft, gentle expression. Her eyes were sharp, filled with resolve.
Just moments ago, I’d been thinking that pushing myself was unavoidable… but someone who can’t even protect his own body has no right to protect even one woman.
“For a soccer player, the body is everything. Take better care of yourself.”
Whenever I panic, Aihara corrects my course.
If I get injured here, everything will be for nothing.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to face Odawara United, yet I might end without even taking down Kanekawa.
“…Got it. I won’t push myself. I promise.”
“Good. That’s very mature of you, Makishima-kun.”
Aihara gave my back a firm push and sent me onto the pitch.
The tension eased from my shoulders just a bit. Thanks, Aihara.
“Right side, push higher! Center backs, adjust to my positioning! I’ll join the buildup through the middle!”
Azaki was already giving instructions before the match even started.
This guy really does turn serious when it comes to soccer. (Honestly, he should just play soccer for the rest of his life.)
The match kicked off with Koto B’s kickoff. I passed the ball back to Azaki and sprinted forward.
Alright, Azaki—send it anytime.
As our teammates pushed the defensive line up all at once, Azaki alone stayed behind the center circle, rolling the ball under his sole like he was playing around.
“What are you standing there for, you college kid?! You think you can mess with adults?!”
Annoyed voices rose from the opposing team.
After kickoff, booting the ball forward is the norm, but Azaki kept feeling the ball under his foot. To others, it looked like provocation.
But Azaki stayed calm, slipping past one opponent after another who tried to steal the ball.
It was like a one-against-a-hundred fight.
With one-touch, two-touch plays, he cut through wave after wave of defenders.
And then—
“Makishimaaaa——!”
I heard him call my name from behind.
Azaki’s long feed drifted slightly with the wind toward the penalty area.
“Number 18, chec—wait, he’s not there?!”
I’d received Azaki’s passes countless times during individual training.
The speed, the timing—my body remembered everything.
I reacted faster than anyone, trapping Azaki’s long pass aimed right at the edge of offside, dropped into the left corner of the penalty area.
Only three minutes into the first half.
A surprise run, skirting the offside line—completely free.
The entire opposing back line raised their right hands, like elementary school kids crossing on a green light, appealing for offside.
But the assistant referee’s flag stayed down.
One-on-one with the keeper.
This is——
“My favorite situation.”
Back in elementary school, I scored nothing but tap-ins during casual games, and before I knew it, my friends started calling me “goal thief.”
In middle school, after joining Higashifuro Junior Youth on a friend’s recommendation, I was treated the same way.
I wasn’t valued, and I never got promoted to the youth team.
Still, I couldn’t give up soccer, and enrolled in the prestigious Seishin Academy High School.
Even there, I thought I’d be denied again no matter how many easy goals I scored…
But there was one person who believed in me.
‘Maki, you’ll wear Seishin’s number nine.’
“——!”
I transferred all the momentum from my run straight into my right leg and swung with everything I had.
‘Maki. Do you know which course the goalkeeper hates the most?’
‘The one through his legs?’
‘That’s one, but the real answer is——’
“Right by the face!”
The ball whizzed past the keeper’s face and slammed into the net.
✳︎✳︎
“Hey, miss! Maki scored!”
“A-amazing…”
Makishima slipped past the defenders completely and finished the ball sent from that messy-haired guy with a powerful shot.
It was lightning fast.
Way too cool!
Before I knew it, I was holding down my phone camera.
“H-hey, miss. That’s way too many shots.”
“Aren’t you taking pictures too?! What a waste!”
“A man photographing another man feels kinda wrong. I’m married, you know.”
“Huh…? Can you actually support your family properly?”
“Of course I can! I’ve got an elementary school daughter!”
You’re watching a match in the middle of the day even after quitting coaching, so I assumed you were unemployed.
“Oh—Maki’s coming this way.”
“Eh?”
After celebrating with the bench, Makishima looked toward the stands before returning to his half.
When he spotted me, he stopped.
I didn’t look away either.
It felt like time had frozen.
Even without words, I could feel how serious Makishima was.
“…Do your best, Makishima.”
Makishima smiled and headed back onto the pitch.
“Good for you, miss. Maki gave you some fan service, didn’t he?”
“Y-yeah… haha.”
The first half ended with only Makishima’s single goal.
As the half ended, Kishihara-san was on the phone with someone.
“What the hell, you film it yourself! What? No battery?!”
He seemed to be arguing. I wondered if everything was okay.
“Damn it… Miss, I’m stepping away for a bit. Can you watch my stuff?”
“Sure.”
When Kishihara-san stood up, a photograph slipped out of his pocket.
A family photo?
It looked like it was taken at his daughter’s school entrance ceremony.
Kishihara-san in a suit, his quite-beautiful wife, and between them—a little elementary school girl.
“Hm? I feel like I’ve seen this girl somewhere… Ah!”
This girl—the one who saw through my disguise and called out to me before.
Shizuku-chan, I think?
Big, round eyes and a still-childish face.
I see… Shizuku-chan inherited that sharp eye from her father.
That explains it.
Even if I kind of don’t want to admit it.
✳︎✳︎
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