Sasaki… kissed my cheek.
On my cheek… a kiss.
“Hey, Mommy! That man’s mouth is hanging open like a puppet!”
“Hey now, don’t stare.”
Being pointed at by a boy standing next to me on the subway platform finally snapped me back to reality.
Huh… when did I even get onto the subway?
Standing on the platform with my shoulder bag slung over me, I shook my foggy head awake and boarded the train.
A movie advertisement played inside the car.
Watching a man and woman sharing a passionate kiss, I instinctively pressed a hand to my cheek.
These days… do people kiss even if they don’t like each other?
No. When it comes to Sasaki, that’s absolutely impossible.
She always acts like the dependable older type around me, but she’s surprisingly pure, childish even. Ever since her idol days, it seems she’s only ever shown interest in sweets like pancakes…
But if that’s the case, then the person Sasaki likes would be me.
Which means… Sasaki’s first love is——
“Hey, Mommy! That man’s face is bright red like an octopus!”
“Hey! Don’t point at people! Do that again and I’ll give you an octopus-style beating… get it?”
“Eh, Mommy’s scary.”
Anyway, the one thing I don’t want is for this whole incident to create some weird distance between me and Sasaki.
I should send her some kind of lime message, even if it’s late.
Just as I thought that and pulled out my phone, I noticed I had a missed call from Azaki.
Come to think of it, my pocket had been buzzing nonstop for a while…
I got off at the station in front of the university—the one closest to my apartment—and as soon as I passed through the ticket gate, I called Azaki back.
“Hello, this is Azaki.”
“Sorry about earlier, Azaki. I was kind of busy.”
“Yeah, yeah, I figured. …Though personally, I wouldn’t have minded if you stayed busy until morning.”
“Don’t talk like you know everything, you pervert.”
“That’s how you talk to your partner? Do you know how much I do for you—”
“You’re just using me anyway. You did the same thing at the group date.”
“…Let’s get back on topic.”
“Changing the subject when things get uncomfortable—some things never change.”
Azaki cleared his throat on the other end of the line and resumed in a calmer voice.
“Makishima, listen carefully…”
“O-oh.”
“Starting next week, we’re being promoted to the A team. Naturally, we’re being added to the Emperor’s Cup roster too.”
The moment I heard that, my vision seemed to open up.
Me… on the A team?!
Three days of running myself to the brink of death—those efforts had finally paid off.
“It was decided at today’s meeting. I just got an email from the coach.”
“Thanks, Azaki. You’re the worst kind of scumbag, but I wouldn’t have made A without you.”
“No. Apparently the A-team coach chose us because of the two of us together. If it were just me… he wouldn’t have promoted me yet. Something about behavioral issues.”
“That’s a hundred percent behavioral issues.”
“A-anyway! The only one who can keep up with my passes—now and in the future—is you, Makishima Yuutaro.”
“That’s laying it on a bit thick. Save the praise for when I score goals with the first squad.”
“Fair enough!”
Azaki laughed, then shifted back into a serious tone.
“Someday, you and I will wear Koutou’s number 9 and 10 together. That’s my dream, partner—”
Koutou’s number 9 and 10 were legendary jerseys, said to practically guarantee a pro career.
If I could get my hands on those numbers… then maybe I really could go pro.
“So first comes the Emperor’s Cup. You and I are going to pull off giant killings against the pros.”
“…You’re unusually fired up. You’ve got a punchline ready, right?”
“Oh yeah! By the way, I’m calling you from a lovely hotel in Chiba. Tonight’s an all-night party with the girls we met during camp! Right, everyone?!”
“Wooo!”
I hung up immediately and set Azaki’s number to private.
The first person I want to tell about making the A team is Sasaki.
But telling her right now, with things feeling like this… doesn’t seem right.
Testing the waters, I sent her a lime message: “Thanks for today’s date.”
But it didn’t even get read.
Sasaki is usually quick to reply—normally it’s read within four seconds…
✳︎✳︎
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