The final day of the training camp.
In the morning, we played our last match against a university from Chiba, and thanks to Azaki’s hat trick, we won in overwhelming fashion.
I didn’t score a goal myself, but I did manage to get an assist for once.
Once the match ended, the players removed their shin guards and sat in a circle around the coach standing at the center of the field. The post-camp review meeting was about to begin.
During that meeting, the coach talked about the members who might be promoted from Team B to Team A.
The promoted members would be announced later, and it seemed they would move to the A team in preparation for the first round of the Emperor’s Cup on May 16.
Azaki felt like a sure thing… but what about me?
I planned to take down Kanekawa and confess to Sasaki… but if I didn’t make it to Team A in the first place, that goal would go up in smoke.
Well, I can’t change the results now. All I can do is pray.
“Alright, let’s wrap it up with a single clap. Azaki, you do the honors.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Azaki stood up when he was called and lined up next to the coach.
Why does that guy get to do the closing, anyway?
“Alright everyone, hands together please. Ready—!”
With Azaki’s single clap, the long Golden Week training camp finally came to an end.
✳︎✳︎
I took the bus to the meeting spot where I was supposed to meet Sasaki.
Azaki said he was going somewhere with Aihara, just the two of them… but somehow that makes me worried. (For Aihara’s sake.)
I got off at the bus stop near the meeting place, and right then, my phone rang—it was Sasaki.
“Have you arrived yet?”
“Yeah. Where are you right now?”
Just as I was about to ask her location, someone poked my back.
I turned around and saw Sasaki standing there, wearing a black camisole dress and looking slightly annoyed.
“You’re late.”
“S-sorry. The coach’s talk dragged on.”
“I’ll forgive you if you buy me two pancakes.”
“Pancakes… wait, after the aquarium?”
“Of course! We’re using whatever time we have left to go around Chiba eating pancakes!”
…Alright. Let’s stick around the aquarium until the very last minute today.
“Oh, and here—take this.”
Sasaki pulled a ticket out of her wallet and handed it to me.
“It’s Golden Week, so it’ll be crowded. I bought the tickets in advance.”
“Wow, you’re as thorough as ever. Um, how much was it?”
“Don’t worry about the money! This is a present.”
“A present?”
“Anyway! Let’s go already!”
Sasaki grabbed my hand and started walking ahead, pulling me along.
Is she really that excited about the aquarium?
“Two people, right? Please enter through that gate.”
After showing our tickets at the entrance, Sasaki and I stepped into a dimly lit space surrounded by massive tanks.
“Wow…”
Sasaki stared intently at the enormous tank stretching out in front of us.
From what I’d looked up online, the killer whales were famous here, but there really were all kinds of creatures.
We passed by the ray tank, and Sasaki stopped in front of a tank packed with countless jellyfish.
“Look, Makishima. So many jellyfish…”
“Yeah. With the lights overlapping like that, they’re beautiful.”
“They’re kind of gross, though. All squishy.”
“Hey.”
Now I just feel stupid for saying something poetic.
“Ah! There—there are clownfish in that tank!”
“You like clownfish?”
“Yeah!”
She said she didn’t have any specific fish she wanted to see, but she’s clearly having fun.
Proof of that is how she’s forgotten we’re still holding hands… w-well, I’ll just keep quiet about it.
“It’s all fish.”
“That’s kind of the point.”
✳︎✳︎
Alright! Operation ‘hold hands in the chaos’ is a success!
Makishima’s acting totally normal even though we’ve been holding hands this whole time… but there’s no way he’s not flustered on the inside.
“Sasaki.”
“W-what is it?”
“You seem like you’re having more fun than usual today.”
“H-huh?!”
“Aren’t you having fun?”
“I-I am, but—”
Why am I the one getting flustered?!
…C-calm down. I’m the older one here. I need to show some composure.
“B-but you, Makishima, isn’t your face kind of red? Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed about holding hands with me—”
That was when it happened.
Behind Makishima, two familiar people appeared in front of a tank.
Ah… that’s Azaki and Aihara…!
Bathed in the blue light of the tank, Azaki glanced our way and seemed to smirk.
Don’t tell me… that guy.
“I-it’s not embarrassing at all! I’m totally fine holding hands with you—hey, what’s wrong, Sasaki?”
Ever since I found out Azaki had given Aihara a ticket, I thought something felt off. Could it be that that messy-haired idiot wants Aihara to see how close Makishima and I are?
Aihara did seem like she came to the group date interested in Makishima, and there’s a good chance she likes him.
So maybe Azaki is trying to use me to make Aihara turn his way…
“Sasaki?”
I reluctantly let go of Makishima’s hand.
“Sorry, Makishima. You didn’t like holding hands with me, right? I’ll let go now.”
I don’t want to let go. I want to keep walking around holding hands the whole time… but.
If I really am being used by Azaki, then the more I do this, the more stupid I feel for dancing to his tune.
“I don’t hate it.”
“…Huh?”
Makishima grabbed my left hand with his big right one.
“I said I don’t hate it. And if we get separated, that’d be bad, right? Places like this are dark, so it’s dangerous…”
Even in the dim light, I could tell Makishima’s face was bright red, and he didn’t let go of my hand.
“C-come on, let’s go to the next area!”
Still holding my hand, Makishima led me to another section.
Maybe he was worried because I suddenly started acting strange?
That part of him… I really love it.
Azaki’s trap doesn’t even matter to me anymore.
If Aihara sees us, it’ll really look like we’re rubbing it in her face—but still, I want to stay like this with Makishima.
I don’t want to let go of this hand.
Quietly, I intertwined my fingers with his.
✳︎✳︎
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