After getting fired up by Sasaki, I headed toward the match against Team A.
Gathered at the stadium were all the members of the Koutou University soccer club.
They stood in formation, shielding their eyes from the sun with their hands.
Today, the sunlight was unusually strong—just standing there made you start sweating.
Team B wore white second uniforms, while Team A wore their usual red kits.
This is the top of Koutou University…
Fourth-years already promised spots on powerhouse N1 League teams, and monsters like Chan-senpai—second- and third-years already attracting pro attention.
I have to break into this group of fierce competitors.
“Everyone, gather up.”
A brief meeting started in front of Team B’s bench.
The coach took the whiteboard from Aihara, picked up magnets with name tags, and began lining them up.
“I’ll announce the starting lineup.”
✳︎✳︎
After pumping myself up with pancakes at breakfast, I came to the stadium and sat in the same spectator seats as yesterday.
Makishima looked worried this morning.
I casually told him, “Score some goals,” but I hope I didn’t put too much pressure on him…
“Yo, miss. Long time no see—since yesterday.”
Wearing the same beat-up clothes as ever, former Seishin Academy coach Kishihara spoke to me.
“You came again today?”
“What, am I not allowed to?”
“What about your job?”
“This is my jo—no, never mind.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve got passive income, so I’m fine!”
Insisting on that, Kishihara gulped down barley tea from his flask.
Shaking my head at him, I looked back to the pitch.
Warm-ups had already started, and I could see Makishima among them.
“Huh? Makishima isn’t wearing a red uniform. And he’s got a bib on… why?”
“Apparently, today’s match is between Koutou University’s first and second teams.”
Now that I think about it, Makishima said, “Today’s match will decide the future.”
“And wearing a bib means he’s a bench player.”
“I see… wait, what?!”
I hurriedly pushed my glasses back up as they almost slipped off.
“It’s an important match—why is Makishima on the bench?!”
“……”
“Hey!”
Kishihara stayed silent.
The match began just like that, and I let out a sigh at the scene before me.
Makishima wasn’t playing, and the match itself was awful.
By halftime, Team A had already scored five goals.
Even with the terrible flow of the game, Makishima still wasn’t sent in.
“You look unhappy because Maki isn’t playing, miss.”
“Of course I am. I came here to watch Makishima…”
“If you’re as outstanding as Azaki, they have no choice but to use you. But with so many fourth-years in their last season, I get the coach’s parental instinct to prioritize them over a first-year like Maki.”
“That’s not fair…”
All I could do was keep watching Makishima sitting on the bench.
✳︎✳︎
The moment I was told I’d start on the bench, despair hit me.
Now I understood why the coach had emphasized the fourth-years so much yesterday.
Azaki fiercely objected, but the coach’s resolve was strong enough to brush aside even Azaki’s stubbornness.
The match went exactly as expected.
It turned into Azaki versus Team A’s eleven players.
There was no way seniors who’d been stuck on Team B for years could keep up.
Still, the coach didn’t move.
Azaki forced his way in alone and scored one goal, but after that, we were pushed back on defense.
“……Makishima, get ready.”
By the time I was finally called, there was hardly any time left.
I was sent onto the pitch with only ten minutes remaining in the second half.
Sasaki came all this way to watch me… and I’m this late.
I hope she’s not fed up with me and asleep already.
“……”
When I found Sasaki in the stands, my eyes widened.
She had her right hand clenched into a fist, pointed toward me.
“Do your best, Makishima.”
That’s what it felt like she was saying.
I just have to strike back once and leave my mark.
As I entered the pitch, Azaki immediately called out to me.
“Sorry. I only managed one goal.”
“Scoring one on Team A by yourself already makes you a monster.”
“Ten minutes left. We probably won’t win with this score, but I want to score with you.”
“Yeah.”
Azaki slapped my back and returned to his position.
Even with ten minutes left, Team A kept possession, and Azaki was clearly exhausted.
Even when the ball reached him, their defense was well-organized.
I couldn’t expect a break through the back line like before.
What am I supposed to do?
“Makishima! Come get it!”
I moved in to support Azaki and received the ball.
At that moment—
“Guh…!”
A sharp pain exploded in my back, and my vision flipped toward the sky.
I’d been tackled from behind and went down.
I earned a foul about five steps outside the penalty area.
“Nice. That gives us a free kick.”
“Hey… did you use me just to draw a foul?”
“Think about it. With a free kick, we can use that.”
That… right. Our prepared free kick.
“Let’s do it, Makishima.”
I gave a small nod and set things up before the kick.
I positioned myself along the defensive line, waiting for Azaki’s strike.
At the whistle, Azaki’s right foot sent a sharp, low shot forward.
The shot slipped past the wall and headed toward goal.
But Chan-senpai, the goalkeeper, had already leapt to the right with instinctive reflexes.
The moment everyone thought Chan-senpai would stop it and froze—
Only I moved, stepping into the low shot’s path.
“Maki…-chan?!”
Before the camp, Azaki and I had practiced redirecting free kicks.
A goalkeeper who commits early can’t react again to a changed trajectory.
Azaki had kicked it expecting me to touch it.
Chan-senpai, baited into diving, couldn’t change direction now.
“…Hit.”
The free kick glanced off my right foot and shook the net on the opposite side from Chan-senpai’s dive.
But with too much momentum, I crashed into the goal along with the ball.
“Maki-chan?!”
Chan-senpai rushed over, worried.
My studs were tangled in the goal net as I lay on my back inside the goal.
✳︎✳︎
The final whistle blew, and Team B’s players collapsed all at once.
The score was 6–2.
A complete loss.
“One goal… huh.”
At my biggest chance to appeal, I only scored once.
I wanted to resent the coach for giving me only ten minutes.
But maybe I should be grateful I even got ten.
The seniors who never got to play were already gone from the stadium.
With free time until the afternoon match, and nothing else to do, I decided to go see Sasaki in the stands.
I threw on the tracksuit left on the bench and headed up.
She should be around here somewhere.
When I reached the stands, I saw Sasaki talking to a suspicious-looking man.
Who is that…?
Despite the heat, he wore a tattered heavy coat, sunglasses, and a neck warmer covering his mouth.
He looked completely shady.
Don’t tell me he’s trying to kidnap Sasaki?!
“H-Hey, you. What are you doing with this girl?”
Thinking it was an emergency, I stepped between them and shielded Sasaki.
“Makishima? Why are you here?”
“Stay behind me, Sasaki. Call security right now.”
“No, Makishima, this person is—”
“Long time no see, Maki… no, Makishima-kun.”
The man removed his sunglasses and neck warmer…
Wait—what?
“Kishihara… coach?”
“You look well. That’s good.”
The deep-set features and eyes that saw through everything.
Nothing had changed.
This man gave me everything.
Calling him my benefactor—or even my second father—wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“Why were Sasaki and Coach Kishihara talking?”
“She doesn’t know soccer, so I was explaining a few things.”
“I see…”
When I looked at Sasaki, she was clinging to my back like a cicada.
“W-Why are you hugging me?!”
“You told me to hide.”
“I didn’t say cling to me!”
“Hahaha. What, miss? Is she your girlfriend, Maki?”
“N-No! Sasaki is—”
“I shouldn’t get in the way. I’ll be heading out.”
As he turned away, I instinctively called out.
“Coach!”
“I read your letter in the hospital! You’re working in the reinforcement department of Tokyo Frontier now, right?”
“Eh, really?!”
Sasaki gasped in surprise.
Why are you surprised?
While I was distracted, the coach left without another word.
“C-Coach! I’ll work hard so I can work with you someday!”
“See you, Maki. Don’t sleep with your belly exposed.”
His back disappeared down the stairs.
I had so many things I wanted to ask.
But I’m glad I could tell him how I feel.
“Kishihara-san left.”
“You knew Coach Kishihara?”
“I told you before—I interviewed him back when I was an official manager.”
“Ah, right.”
So that story she told me during the overnight stay was true.
“…Wait. Then did Kiraboshi Ayane come to Seishin Academy?”
“Yeah! I interviewed her there too. I still remember how cold it was.”
Sasaki came to Toyama three years ago…
For work…?
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
No way. That can’t be true.
What am I even hoping for?
Sasaki and I sat down in the empty stands.
“It’s so hot today. Wearing a mask is rough.”
She pinched the nose wire of her mask, flapping it to let air in.
“What did you do last year?”
“I didn’t wear a mask. I was in Paris.”
“Paris?! Not England?!”
“Yeah, but why England?”
“You didn’t go to England?!”
“Nope. Never been.”
“What about England—”
“The UK is a union state, you know? I already told you I didn’t go.”
She looked at me like I was hopeless.
Then why did Sasaki go overseas…?
“Makishima-kun.”
Aihara and Azaki came up the stairs.
“Oh, Sasaki-chan is here too.”
“Aihara-san… it’s been since yesterday.”
Sasaki spoke awkwardly.
Yeah, something definitely happened between these two yesterday.
“Heeey, Makishimaaa.”
Azaki draped an arm over my shoulder.
I really wish he hadn’t come.
“What’re you doing sitting in the stands? Oh? Ohhh?”
Azaki looked toward Sasaki sitting next to me.
“Isn’t she Shinohara-san from that group date?”
“It’s Sasaki.”
“Sakuragi-san, huh.”
“So annoying. Makishima, can I punch him?”
“Go ahead.”
“Stop him! I’m your best friend, right?!”
Says the devil himself.
“I’m about to go eat with Aihara-san. Jealous, Makishima?”
“Eh? I never agreed to that.”
Aihara recoiled as she denied it.
You didn’t agree?
“I’ll generously invite you and that Sasahara-san to our lunch.”
“It’s Sasaki.”
“If Sasamoto-san and Makishima come, Aihara-san will too, right?”
“…W-Well, I guess.”
Dragging others along to get Aihara to lunch with him…
(I never want to imitate that, but still) classic Azaki.
“Alright, it’s settled. We don’t have much time—let’s go!”
And so, driven by Azaki’s desire to eat lunch with Aihara, Sasaki and I were dragged along.
Pippo
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