Chapter Four | Second Day of the Training Camp

♣♣♣

Early morning on the second day of the training camp.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I checked the time on my phone.

Five a.m. already? Waking up this early is rare for me.

“…Hm?”

Noticing a notification, I tapped it, and the Lime app opened on its own.

“From Sasaki…?”

I read the message from Sasaki.

“…Guess I’ve got no choice.”

Confirming my two roommates were still asleep, I slipped out of the hotel.

Even in early May, there was still a slight chill, so I zipped up my tracksuit all the way and headed to a nearby seaside park.

On the way, I spotted a familiar figure from behind and called out.

“Morning, Sasaki.”

“Eek! Wait, Makijima…?”

When I suddenly spoke, Sasaki—wearing her usual mask and glasses—jumped, her shoulders tensing in surprise.

“Why’re you so startled?”

“Well, because!”

“You’re the one who called me out here, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t call you out! I just, y’know, suggested a morning walk or something!”

“Yeah, yeah. Basically, you were lonely.”

“That’s not it!”

It’d been a while since we last met, but she was as lively as ever.

Her outfit had shifted to a light, summery dress… and she had the same sweet scent as Aihara did yesterday.

It was still early morning, and the seaside park was nearly deserted as we walked together.

“You didn’t tell me you were staying at this hotel. How’d you know?”

“Aihara-san told me.”

“Aihara?”

“Yeah. Yesterday, she came to the hot spring at my hotel, so we talked then.”

“You two went to the hot spring together?”

“Y-Yeah, but… you’re not thinking anything weird, are you?”

“I’m not thinking anything!”

“Really? Knowing you, Makijima, you’re probably imagining me and Aihara-san washing each other’s backs or something, right?”

I wasn’t thinking anything sketchy until she said that, and now I’m totally picturing it.

“You’re imagining it now, aren’t you?”

“N-No, I’m not!”

“Liar!”

“I’m not! Last night, I noticed Aihara had your scent on her, so I figured you might’ve gone to the hot spring together!”

“My… scent?”

Sasaki furrowed her brow and tilted her head.

“You can tell stuff like that, Makijima?”

“N-No… S-Sorry, that was kinda creepy, wasn’t it?”

Snapping back to reality, I realized I’d said something pretty weird and apologized to Sasaki.

“Hey, what do I smell like?”

“Huh?”

“Tell me, what’s my scent like?”

“L-Like… what?”

Sasaki, walking beside me, leaned in close to ask.

“It’s, like, sweet but not bad, and I don’t really get it, but it’s kinda calming.”

“Hmm~”

Sasaki shot me a sidelong glance with a sly smirk.

Tch, that face… she’s totally lording it over me!

“So, Makijima’s been sniffing my scent and feeling all calm, huh?”

“Stop making me sound like some smell-obsessed perv!”

“I went to the hot spring with Aihara-san.”

“Whoa, jumping back to that topic, huh?”

The mystery of why Aihara smelled like Sasaki was solved, but at the cost of a misunderstanding.

“You sure it was okay going to the hot spring with Aihara? No one recognized your face or anything?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!”

“Really?”

“Totally. It got a bit dicey, but I managed to play it off.”

Play it off…? Did she almost get found out?

“Anyway, your goal yesterday was amazing, Makijima! Scoring right at the start of the match? That’s my guy!”

Sasaki’s genuine praise hit me hard.

Man, that feels really good.

I fought back a goofy grin.

“Today’s a big match, though. It’s gonna decide my future.”

“I see…”

Sasaki gave my back a light pat.

“Here’s some fighting spirit. I’m coming to watch, so you better score a ton of goals today too.”

“…Yeah. I’ll definitely score.”

Or rather, I have to score, or there’s no way I’m making the A team.

No matter how it happens, I need to score and get to the A team.

Fueled by Sasaki’s encouragement, I headed off to the match against the A team.

The entire Koutou University soccer team gathered at the stadium. The sun was unusually intense today, and I shielded my eyes with my hand as we lined up.

The B team wore white second uniforms, while the A team sported their usual red ones

This is the top tier of Koutou University…

Fourth-years already signed to join powerhouse N1 League teams, and monsters like Chan-senpai—sophomores and juniors already catching pro scouts’ eyes—are all gathered here.

I have to break into this group of absolute beasts.

“Alright, everyone, huddle up.”

A quick meeting started in front of the B team’s bench. The coach took the whiteboard from Aihara, the manager, and began placing name-tagged magnets one by one.

“Time to announce the starting lineup.”

♡♡♡

I ate pancakes for breakfast to get pumped up, then came to the stadium and sat in the same spectator seats as yesterday.

This morning, Makijima looked worried.

I fired him up with “score some goals,” but I hope I didn’t put too much pressure on him…

“Hey, missy. Back again, huh?”

As usual, dressed in his tattered outfit, Coach Kishihara from the old Seijin Gakuen team called out to me.

“You’re here again today?”

“What, I’m not allowed to show up?”

“Don’t you have work?”

“This is my wor—uh, never mind.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve got passive income, so I’m fine!”

Kishihara insisted, chugging barley tea from his flask.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned to the pitch, where warm-ups had already started, and I spotted Makijima.

“Huh? Isn’t Makijima wearing a white uniform? And a bib… why?”

“This match is between Koutou U’s first team and second team, apparently.”

Oh, right—Makijima said this match would “decide his future.”

So, it’s the A team versus the B team today.

“And the bib means he’s a bench player.”

“Hmm… wait, what?!”

I pushed up my glasses, nearly falling off in shock, and turned back to Kishihara.

“Why is Makijima on the bench for such an important match?!”

“…”

“Hey!”

Kishihara stayed silent.

The match started, and I couldn’t help but sigh at the scene unfolding before me.

Not only was Makijima absent, but the game was a mess. The A team racked up five goals in the first half alone, and the flow was awful—yet Makijima still wasn’t subbed in.

“You seem pretty upset that Maki’s not playing, missy.”

“Of course I am. I… I came here to watch Makijima.”

“If he stood out as much as Azaki, they’d have no choice but to play him. But with so many fourth-years in their final season, the coach probably wants to prioritize them. It’s a parental instinct, you know.”

“That’s…”

All I could do was stare at Makijima sitting on the bench.

                             ☆☆

The moment I was told I’d start on the bench, despair hit me.

Now I understood why the coach was so emphatic about the fourth-years during yesterday’s meeting.

Azaki raised his voice in protest, but there was no way the coach would entertain his selfish outburst—his decision was firm.

As expected, the match turned into Azaki versus the entire A team of eleven. The B team’s seniors, who’d been around for years, couldn’t keep up either. Still, the coach didn’t budge.

Azaki managed to break through and score a single goal, but after that, it was all defense.

“…Makijima, you’re up.”

By the time I was finally called, there was barely any time left—just ten minutes in the second half—and I was sent onto the pitch.

Sasaki came all this way to watch me… I hope I haven’t disappointed her so much she’s left already.

“…”

Spotting Sasaki in the stands, my eyes widened.

She was holding up a clenched fist toward me.

“You’ve got this, Makijima.”

That’s what it felt like she was saying.

I had to make an impact, leave my mark.

As soon as I stepped onto the pitch, Azaki called out to me.

“Sorry, man. Only got one goal.”

“Scoring even one against that A team by yourself makes you a monster.”

“Ten minutes left. The score’s too far gone to win, but I wanna score with you.”

“Hell yeah.”

Azaki slapped my back and returned to his position.

Even with ten minutes left, the A team was dominating possession, and Azaki was clearly drained.

Even when Azaki got the ball, the A team’s defense was so organized that pulling off a move like last time wasn’t an option.

What do I do?

“Makijima! Come for it!”

I followed Azaki’s call, rushing to support him and receiving the ball.

But in that instant—

“Guh…!”

A sharp pain shot through my back, and my vision tilted toward the sky.

A tackle from behind sent me crashing down, earning a foul about five steps outside the penalty area.

“Nice. Free kick.”

“You… you used me to draw that foul, didn’t you?”

“Think about it. A free kick means we can use that.”

That…?

Oh, right—the free kick we’ve been preparing.

“Let’s do it, Makijima.”

I gave a small nod, getting ready for that as we set up for the free kick.

I positioned myself at the edge of the opponent’s final defensive line, waiting for Azaki’s kick.

At the whistle, a sharp, low-trajectory shot burst from Azaki’s right foot.

The shot-like free kick sliced past the defensive wall, heading straight for the goal.

But Chan-senpai, the goalkeeper, reacted with uncanny instincts, already diving to the right.

The moment everyone froze, expecting Chan-senpai to make the save, I alone darted in, cutting across the path of the low shot.

“Maki…-chan?!”

Before the camp, Azaki and I had practiced redirecting the trajectory of free kicks.

A goalkeeper who reacts early can’t adjust to a changed course.

Azaki had aimed the kick anticipating my touch, and Chan-senpai, lured by the initial path, couldn’t switch directions now.

“…Hit it!”

Azaki’s free kick struck my right foot, redirecting it to the opposite side of the net from where Chan-senpai had dived… but my momentum carried me forward, and I crashed into the goal along with the ball.

“Maki-chan?!”

Chan-senpai rushed over, looking worried.

The studs on the sole of my cleats got tangled in the goal net, and I ended up lying flat on my back inside the goal.

♡♡♡

The moment the whistle blew to end the match, the B team players collapsed in unison.

The score was 6-2—a crushing defeat for us.

“Just one goal…”

In my biggest chance to shine, I only managed one goal.

I wanted to resent the coach for giving me just ten minutes, but maybe I should be grateful for even that much leniency.

After all, some of the seniors who didn’t even get to play had already left the stadium.

With free time until the afternoon match, I had nothing to do, so I decided to go find Sasaki in the stands.

I threw on my tracksuit from the bench and headed to the spectator seats.

Sasaki was around here somewhere, wasn’t she?

When I reached the stands, I saw Sasaki talking to a shady-looking guy.

Who’s that…?

It was a hot day, but he was wearing a tattered, heavy coat, with sunglasses and a neck warmer hiding his eyes and mouth.

He looked like a total creep—could he be trying to kidnap Sasaki?!

“Hey, you! What’re you doing with her?”

Thinking it was an emergency, I stepped between Sasaki and the man, shielding her behind me.

“Makijima? Why’re you here?”

“Stay behind me, Sasaki. I’ll call security right now.”

“No, Makijima, this guy’s—”

“Been a while, Maki… I mean, Makijima-kun.”

The man took off his sunglasses and neck warmer… wait, what?

“Coach… Kishihara?”

“Glad to see you’re doing well.”

That chiseled face and those piercing eyes that seem to see right through you.

He hasn’t changed a bit.

This man is my mentor, the one who gave me everything—practically a second father.

“C-Coach Kishihara?! W-Why are you here?!”

“What, I can’t come watch my former student’s match?”

“No, that’s not it! Sorry for jumping to conclusions!”

It’s been since that day at the hospital that I last saw Coach Kishihara, and the first time we’ve properly talked since high school.

“But why were you and Sasaki talking here?”

“This missy doesn’t know much about soccer, so I was just teaching her a thing or two.”

“Oh, is that it?”

Turning to Sasaki, I saw her clinging to my back like a cicada.

“H-Hey, why’re you hanging onto me?!”

“You told me to hide!”

“I didn’t say cling to me!”

“Gahaha! What, missy’s your girlfriend, Maki?”

“No! Sasaki’s not—”

“I don’t wanna get in you kids’ way, so I’m heading out.”

With that, Coach Kishihara turned to leave, but I instinctively called out, “Coach!”

“I read your letter at the hospital! You’re with Tokyo Frontier’s scouting department now, right?”

“What, really?!”

Sasaki let out a surprised gasp.

Why’re you so shocked?

While I was distracted by Sasaki, the coach slipped away without a word.

“W-Wait, Coach! I’ll keep working hard so we can play soccer together someday!”

“See ya, Maki. Don’t sleep with your belly out.”

The coach’s back disappeared down the stairs.

I had a ton of questions, but at least I got to tell him my resolve.

“Kishihara-san’s gone, huh?”

“You knew Coach Kishihara?”

“I told you before—I interviewed him when I was an official manager.”

“Oh, right.”

That story she told me when she stayed over at my place… it was true?

“…Wait, so Kiraboshi Ayane came to Seijin Gakuen?”

“Yup! I did the interview at Seijin Gakuen, and I still remember how freezing it was.”

So, Sasaki was in Toyama three years ago… for work?

Could it be… Sasaki’s first love was—

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing. Just… thinking.”

No way, that can’t be right.

Even if she was at Seijin Gakuen, there’s no chance she’d fall for a total nobody like me back then. Love at first sight? Impossible.

And why am I even getting my hopes up…?

Sasaki and I sat down in the empty stands.

“It’s so hot today. This mask is rough.”

Sasaki pinched the nose fit of her mask, flapping it to let some air in.

“Now that you mention it, what’d you do last summer? Got a summer mask or something?”

“Last summer, I didn’t wear a mask. I mean… I was in Paris.”

“Paris?! Like, France Paris?!”

“Huh? France?”

“You didn’t go to England?!”

“Nope. Never been.”

“What about… England?”

“England’s part of the United Kingdom, you know? I just said I’ve never been.”

Sasaki looked at me with an exasperated expression.

Wait, if Kanagawa Ryushin was in England and Sasaki didn’t go there, why was she overseas…?

“Hey, Makijima-kun!”

Aihara and Azaki climbed the stairs to the stands.

“Oh, Sasaki-chan’s here too.”

“Aihara-san… it’s been since yesterday, huh?”

Sasaki said awkwardly.

Yeah, something definitely happened between those two yesterday.

“Yo, Makijima!”

Azaki slung an arm around my shoulder.

I really wish he hadn’t come along.

“Sitting in the stands, huh? What’s this… oh, ho?”

Azaki’s eyes landed on Sasaki sitting next to me.

“Isn’t that Shinohara-san from the group date?”

“It’s Sasaki.”

“Sakuragi-san, then?”

“Ugh… Makijima, can I punch this guy?”

“Go for it.”

“Stop her, man! We’re best buds, right?”

Says the devil himself.

“I’m about to grab lunch with Aihara-san. Jealous, Makijima?”

“Uh, I didn’t agree to that.”

Aihara shut him down, clearly weirded out.

No promise, huh?

“How about we invite Sasahara-san and you to our lunch?”

“It’s Sasaki!”

“If Sasamoto-san and Makijima come, you’ll join us, right, Aihara-san?”

“…Well, I guess.”

Inviting a group to rope in Aihara for lunch… classic Azaki (sneaky and super creepy).

“Alright, it’s settled. We’re short on time, so let’s go!”

And so, Sasaki and I got dragged along to satisfy Azaki’s craving to have lunch with Aihara.

♢♢♢

Dragged along by Azaki, we reluctantly left the stadium.

The area around the stadium was deserted, and we walked down a country road until we finally found a family restaurant.

It was an Italian-leaning chain, with the savory aroma of pizza wafting through the air.

We were led to a table where Sasaki and Aihara sat on the sofa in the back, while Azaki and I took the chairs up front.

“…”

Sasaki’s stare from across the table was piercing.

Man, she’s giving me some seriously grumpy eyes.

“S-Sasaki-chan! Look, they’ve got pancakes too!”

Aihara, sitting next to Sasaki, pointed at the dessert menu, trying to cheer up her sour mood.

Who’s the older one here, anyway?

For Sasaki, with her refined palate, a family restaurant’s pancakes clearly didn’t cut it.

Such a foodie.

“Makijima, Makijima.”

Azaki, sitting next to me, leaned in, hiding his face behind the menu.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

“Assist me.”

“What’s with the sudden demand? Come on, Azaki, you’re being way too reckless. Aihara doesn’t even like—”

“Don’t say it. One more word, and our deal’s off.”

“…You devil.”

Azaki was holding that stupid contract over my head again.

If I don’t help with his love life, he won’t pass me the ball in matches—a simple but diabolical deal.

“I assisted you in that match earlier. So now you assist me here!”

“Fine, fine. What do I have to do?”

Azaki whispered his plan.

…This guy’s scheming something ridiculous again.

“Do it when the food arrives. Got it?”

I had no choice but to nod reluctantly.

Poor Aihara, being targeted by a guy like this.

Sighing, I took the menu from Azaki and started pondering what to order.

There’s another match this afternoon, so something light would be best…

As I was lost in thought over the menu, I suddenly felt a tickle at my feet.

Is someone’s foot touching mine? …No, it’s probably just Azaki messing around.

Thinking I’d give Azaki a quick jab for messing with me, I glanced down—only to see it wasn’t Azaki’s foot but Sasaki’s black socks poking at mine under the table.

“What’s up, Makijima?”

“Huh? N-Nothing!”

“Hurry up and order already.”

What’s Sasaki playing at?

I shifted my gaze from the menu to her, and she smirked, narrowing her eyes.

Then, under the table, her foot mercilessly grazed my calf and knee.

“Guh!”

The more I tried to endure the tickling, the more my legs tensed, my focus completely hijacked.

Oblivious to the chaos under the table, Aihara and Azaki casually chatted about today’s match, while I was left at the mercy of Sasaki’s foot.

What is this… it’s way too flirty!

“Makijima, you decided yet or what?”

“Eek! Y-Yeah, I’m good—hyah!”

“Dude, what kinda noise was that?”

Whatever, I just need to order something.

I pointed at the hamburger set at the top of the menu.

“Hmm, so Makijima’s into stuff like that, huh?”

Sasaki said with an innocent face, all while her foot kept stroking my calf.

“Ugh… you’re gonna pay for this later.”

Gritting my teeth through the tickling, I rang the order bell.

“Sasaki-chan, you’re really just getting the drink bar?”

“Yup. I ate a bit in the stands earlier.”

Sasaki, probably because of her mask, ordered only the drink bar. Aihara got a hot sandwich lunch set, Azaki went for pasta, and I, in my desperation, stuck with the hamburger set.

♢♢♢

Aihara-san, who ordered a lunch set with a drink bar, and I, who just got the drink bar, went to grab our drinks together.

Normally, eating means taking off my mask, but with just a drink, I can sip through a straw under it. Perfect strategy, right?

“I want some corn soup, so you go back first, Sasaki-chan.”

“Okay.”

Aihara-san lined up for corn soup after getting her drink, so I filled my cup with oolong tea and returned to the table.

“Huh?”

When I got back, the only one at the table was Fuzzball.

Fuzzball was tapping away at his phone, sipping water to stay hydrated.

Being alone with this guy is, like, the worst…

“Hey, where’s Makijima?”

“Hm? Makijima? He said something about cooling off his red face and wandered off.”

“Hmm.”

Did my little prank earlier actually get to him?

It was just a tiny tickle… weird.

“Hey, Sasakuma-san.”

Fuzzball looked up from his phone and called out to me.

“Just oolong tea? You on a diet or something?”

I ignored him and plopped down on the sofa.

Engaging with him is a losing game. This guy’s my least favorite type—annoying, scruffy…

The moment we were one-on-one, Fuzzball started staring at me.

“Hmm, whoa, nice.”

Ugh, save me, Makijima…

“But, like, looking closely, you’re kinda cute, Sasakuma-san. Maybe, like, second runner-up after Aihara-san.”

“…Ugh, gross.”

“So, Sasakuma-san, at that group date, you slipped away with Makijima, right? Be real—do you like him?”

“…Not really.”

“So you do like him, huh?”

“It’s not like that!”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Makijima’s got a good face but doesn’t mess around with girls. Total nice guy, right?”

Well, he’s not wrong about that.

Fuzzball chugged his water and set his phone on the table.

“Anyway, lately Makijima’s all fired up about the Emperor’s Cup, super motivated. That’s totally the Sasakuma-san effect.”

“…Well, duh! Makijima’s a mess without me!”

“Exactly. So, stick close to him, shower him with praise. The guy’s got skills but, like, zero self-confidence, so if you keep hyping him up—”

“—if you keep hyping him up, even Makijima will start to believe in himself. Keep it up, alright?”

Fuzzball dropped his creepy tone for a normal one, sounding sincere.

He got my name right for the first time… maybe he means it. (So he knew my name and was messing up on purpose, huh?)

I thought he was just a gross dude, but when it comes to Makijima, he’s actually a pretty good friend.

“Oh, right! Since Makijima’s always in your debt, here’s a little thank-you.”

Azaki pulled two tickets from his wallet and set them on the table.

“I was gonna give these to a girl from Chiba I met on SNS, but after she got what she wanted, she ghosted me.”

“What are these tickets?”

“Chiba Aquarium. The camp ends tomorrow morning, so I was thinking of going after, but… you and Makijima should go instead.”

I glanced at the tickets.

This aquarium’s pretty famous…

“For real?”

“In exchange… when the food comes, Makijima might say something weird, but just ignore it.”

“Ignore it?”

“Yeah, cool?”

“Uh… cool.”

This guy’s still impossible to follow.

I took the tickets and slipped them into my bag.

Right then, Aihara-san returned with her corn soup and drink.

“Sorry for the wait. I’m a sucker for corn soup… oh, where’s Makijima-kun?”

“Oh, that guy? He went outside to cool off.”

“Outside?”

“Said he wanted to exercise before eating. Probably jogging out front.”

“What, like some Takeshi So ritual?”

A bit later, Makijima returned, back to his usual self.

“I’m back…”

He’s glaring at me—probably mad about my prank earlier.

What? I was just teasing him a little.

“Makijima-kun, you all set? Ready to eat?”

“Set? What do you mean?”

I sipped my oolong tea, watching Makijima across the table.

When should I give him the tickets?

An aquarium sounds way more couple-y than anywhere we’ve been. Maybe the vibe will lead to something… more?

As I daydreamed, the waitress brought our food.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Oh, right—Fuzzball said Makijima might say something weird…

“Hey, Aihara!” Makijima suddenly blurted out, his voice shaky.

“What’s up?”

“Uh, Azaki… he says he sprained his wrist when he fell during the match and needs someone to feed him…”

Got it. That’s why he told me to ignore it.

Azaki smirked beside Makijima, who was stumbling through his words.

This guy… total sleaze.

What’ll Aihara-san do?

“Hmm? Then why don’t you feed him, Makijima-kun? You’re right next to him.”

““Huh?””

Aihara-san flashed a chilly smile, shutting down both guys with a perfect counter.

“You think so too, right, Sasaki-chan?”

Her (probably angry) smile turned to me.

“Right?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Hey, Sasaki!” Makijima yelped.

“Here, Makijima-kun, a fork.”

Aihara-san grabbed one from the case and handed it to him.

“A-Alright, Azaki, here we go.”

“…Bring it, Makijima.”

“Ngh… h-hold still, Azaki.”

“You’re the one… you’re gonna pay for this later.”

Azaki grimaced as Makijima fed him with an “ahh.”

Watching two guys feed each other, I sipped my oolong tea.

I don’t know… just a tiny bit.

Just a tiny bit… I was jealous of Makijima’s “ahh.”