Chapter 81 - The Now, This Moment
(1)
"Good morning, Toya-kun~"
"Yeah, morning."
Alright, he's awake today.
...It's not like he couldn't sleep again, right?
He did break the DVD, after all.
I peek in at his face just in case.
Dark circles under his eyes... are gone!
In that moment, I was startled.
Toya-kun kissed me.
"My, you're being bold this morning."
I laugh it off to hide it, but my heart skipped a beat.
"A good morning kiss."
Toya-kun says this with a smile.
I'm happy, but...
"Still flirting since early morning, I see."
Toya-kun notices Kanna.
Toya-kun's face turns red in an instant.
"That's right, we're flirting since early morning~"
I grab Toya-kun's arm and say to Kanna.
You're jealous, aren't you?
"Keep it in moderation..."
Saying that, Kanna headed downstairs.
"What's up with her?"
Is Toya-kun being serious?
"She's been like that ever since the second semester started."
Hmm, he's so dense~
"It's because you've changed since the Obon holiday, Toya-kun."
Toya-kun looks blank.
"Kanna is lonely because she can't see Makoto-kun."
"Ah, I see."
"Maybe you should be a little more considerate."
"I guess so."
Toya-kun looks troubled.
"Anyway, change your clothes and get ready for the morning!!"
"I get it, so just go downstairs."
"Oka~y."
I say that and head downstairs.
When I get down, Kanna is drinking coffee in the dining room.
"Airi-chan, a café au lait is fine for you, right?"
Maya-san asks.
"Sorry for always doing this."
"It's fine, since you're the one waking up that sleepyhead Toya."
"He's been waking up on his own lately."
I miss the old days when I struggled to wake him up.
Though we had many emotional misunderstandings, Toya-kun has been changing gradually.
Should I call it growth?
I think the same goes for me.
I've grown, right...?
But maybe not as much as Kanna?
Kanna is amazing; even though she spends days wanting to see him but unable to, she stays connected to Makoto-kun through only messages and phone calls.
I feel like the depth of that bond is incomparable to ours.
I can't lose.
I feel like it's different from who is more amazing or something like that.
Just because the types are different doesn't mean the strength of the feelings is inferior.
Or so Toya-kun said before.
Even Kanna had a time when she lost her composure.
Was it last year?
The day of the prefectural tournament opening ceremony.
She was absolutely furious.
Right, if it were a normal girl, she'd be angry, right?
I lost my composure just because there was perfume on him.
Do boys not consider those things at all?
"What's wrong, Airi? You're staring at me and thinking about something."
Ah, I got lost in thought.
"No, I was just thinking that Kanna and Makoto-kun are amazing~"
"Hm? Why does it lead to that?"
"Because even though they can't always meet, they've made it this far without giving up. I'm sure it'll continue like this."
"...Makoto isn't really like that. He started saying, 'Let's live together once we graduate high school.'"
She says it while laughing, but does that mean cohabitation?
"When I asked, 'You don't have living expenses, do you?' he started saying he'd take a part-time job. When I asked, 'What about soccer?' he went silent."
Kanna speaks as if there were "lol" at the end of her sentences.
"Besides, maybe because we can't meet, we hardly ever fight? You guys are more amazing, Airi. Even though you've fought like crazy for these four years, I feel like your bond gets stronger every time."
"Toya-kun is still dense in some areas, though."
"We just have to view that as Toya's strong point, right? Also the part where he prefers eating over romance."
"That's true."
Toya-kun came downstairs.
He's eating breakfast.
Toya-kun eats very little in the morning.
Only one piece of toast, scrambled eggs, and salad.
Isn't it because you don't eat properly in the morning that you get hungry?
As soon as he finished eating, Toya-kun headed to the washroom.
After a while, he returns.
Kanna and I stand up.
"Shall we go then?"
(2)
When the day's classes ended, during HR time, Mickey invited me to practice again.
"Why not break a sweat once in a while?"
"I don't have a change of clothes, so I'll pass."
As I said that and tried to go home, there was a crowd in front of the school gate.
What is it?
Hmm, I have nothing but a bad feeling.
I try to pass by and go home.
"Toya-kun, I wonder what that crowd is?" Airi says.
Don't shout my name.
When you're on a bicycle, you inevitably end up speaking loudly.
The person in the center of the crowd notices me and kicks a soccer ball at me.
What do I do?
Evade?
Trap it?
Either way, the result was the same.
I lost my balance and fell pathetically.
"Toya-kun! Are you okay!?"
The culprit who kicked the ball approaches me.
He looks like he's wearing some soccer club's jersey.
"That was dangerous!"
Airi protests to the person.
Ignoring such an Airi, he looks down at me as I lie there pathetically.
"Are you Katagiri Toya?"
Ah, as I thought.
A soccer ball and my name.
He's already someone related to soccer.
Is he still continuing the recruitment?
If I say "You have the wrong person," will he leave?
"What do you want with Toya-kun?"
Thinking about it was a waste.
Airi completely crushed my slight hope.
"It seems there's no mistake. My name is Oki Sota. I play soccer at Tenzan High School."
Tenzan High School?
Ah, the prestigious soccer school that won the Inter-High.
I've seen this person's face somewhere.
Ah, he's the fantasista from the DVD.
"So Oki-kun, what do you want with me?"
"I heard you quit soccer. It was hard to believe until I saw you weren't appearing in the Inter-High."
"Yeah, I quit. So you have no business with me. Bye."
"Why don't you stop trying to leave without listening to the other person until the end?"
Why do unpleasant people always have the same way of speaking?
"You have a practice match today, right? Don't you need to go?"
"I don't care about a match you're not in. More importantly, won't you play with me for a bit?"
"Play?"
"Whether you can take the ball before I reach over there. That much is fine, right?"
Saying that, Oki-kun begins juggling.
I prop up my bicycle, put my things in the basket, and squared up in front of Oki-kun.
"That's more like it!"
Saying that, Oki-kun begins dribbling.
How stupid.
How many years did he play soccer?
When the goal is known, there are no passing partners, and the only option is dribbling, isn't the DF absolutely advantaged in a one-on-one?
He was probably thinking of a nutmeg anyway, right?
Here comes the ball.
I kick that ball to the left with the heel of my right foot.
I slide my body between Oki-kun and the ball he's chasing, steal the ball, and there, it's over.
Cheers are heard from around us.
Even if he's called a fantasista, he's just one player.
In a limited situation with no other options, movements can be predicted as much as one wants.
I should have known the outcome of this match from the start.
"Are you satisfied with this?"
Saying that, I return the ball to Oki-kun.
"How does it feel to touch a soccer ball for the first time in a while?"
"You are loved by the goddess of soccer. Doesn't your heart dance?"
Are all fantasistas like this?
If so, I am not a fantasista.
"I heard the fantasistas of Italy are called 'Italy's Lovers.'"
"?"
Apparently, he doesn't understand my intention.
Oki-kun tilts his head.
"Airi is enough as my only lover."
If I say it this far, he'll understand.
"Hmm, I guess you won't understand unless we play a game."
"That's too tiring, so pass. Bye now. Let's go, Airi?"
I call out to Airi, who was dazed, captivated by my play, and we head home.
"How was it? The rumored fantasista?"
The Tenzan High School coach spoke to Oki.
"I don't know yet, but I thought it looked fun to play with him. I definitely want him to come to the national team."
"Toya-kun, you're amazing! That person was in the DVD, right!? To steal the ball from someone like that."
Airi still seems excited.
You remembered, huh.
I explain to Airi.
"If the opponent just keeps the ball, it's one thing, but I don't think there's a DF who can't take it when they specifically say 'I'm going to beat you.'"
"But you can only say that because you're Toya-kun. If you say that, it's like saying everyone in soccer is just aiming for the goal."
"If there are multiple opponents and there are various options like passes, shots, and dribbles... I wouldn't know, but he specifically said he'd dribble. There's no way I couldn't take it."
"Hmm, that's also a line you can only say at Toya-kun's level... ah, am I upsetting Toya-kun again?"
"As long as it's just an explanation, you don't need to worry."
Since then, she stopped saying "Play basketball!" or "Play soccer!"
I'm grateful for that.
It seems she finally understood.
After clashing and having misunderstandings, there is probably a heart that can understand each other beyond that.
Airi accepted me.
I'll lean into that feeling.
"But saying 'I don't need to be called Italy's Lover, being Airi's lover is enough' in front of everyone, Toya-kun says such happy things."
"I just said my true feelings."
Airi is making a fuss all by herself with a "Kyaa."
It's dangerous to take your hands off the handlebars.
(3)
"Hmm..."
Mizuta-sensei was troubled.
After the announcement of the midterm exam results, I was called to the staff room.
My grades weren't that bad.
What could be the problem?
"Your grades aren't bad. Your target school should probably be fine."
If it's Mizuta-sensei's seal of approval, it should be fine.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Why is my class full of people with problems regarding their future paths..."
Problems?
"Tosaka says she won't go to Humanities III, and Katagiri says he wants to go to university..."
Is it okay to leak personal information so easily?
And what problem is there with my path?
"Katagiri, basketball aside, are you really not considering the path of soccer?"
Ah, so that's it.
Pressure is still being applied.
"I'm not considering it. I intend to study so that I don't have to rely on soccer."
"I know that. I've heard the reason, it's Tosaka, right?"
"Please don't use that kind of phrasing with Airi."
"I know that too. However, it's a bit odd for a teacher to say this, but they say 'no matter how far apart you are, if you truly love each other, your hearts are one.' Can't you trust Tosaka?"
"I believe I understand Airi. But when the talk of going to Italy came up, she clung to me in tears, saying 'I can't follow you all the way to Italy. Don't go.' Airi isn't that strong."
"Even if you don't go to Italy, maybe just the national team camp..."
"I no longer want to do things that leave lingering regrets. I might play soccer at university, but I'm not considering things like joining the national team."
"I see..." Mizuta-sensei held his head.
Being away for about a week for a national team camp shouldn't be a problem, right?
But what if I'm selected?
The time we spend together would gradually decrease.
"Hey, Katagiri? Why don't you enjoy the present more? Instead of only thinking about the future, enjoying this moment right now is also important in life."
This teacher says good things.
Enjoy the now rather than the future, huh.
Though soccer doesn't fit into that.
"I'm enjoying it plenty even now. Studying isn't a chore."
"I see... alright. I actually considered the option of a sports recommendation. Tosaka could probably get into any university."
"I'm sorry, but I want to go to the local university."
"Understood. Good luck."
Saying that, Mizuta-sensei smiled.
As I thanked him and tried to leave the staff room, Mizuta-sensei stopped me.
Mizuta-sensei took a DVD out of a drawer.
"I was told to give this to you."
"If it's a soccer DVD, I'll refuse."
I've had enough of those kinds of troubles.
However, Mizuta-sensei says.
"If your will is firm, it won't waver, right? I was just told to give it to you; I wasn't told to tell you to watch it."
Saying that, Mizuta-sensei grinned.
Ah, so that's how it is.
I accepted the DVD and left the staff room.
When I left the staff room, Airi and Kanna were waiting.
"Toya-kun, what were you talking about?"
Airi asked.
"It was nothing. We were just talking about my future path."
"They still haven't given up? You should just get angry and tell them they're being persistent."
Kanna is angry.
No matter what, I can't do that to a teacher.
"He gave in at the end. He said I don't need to worry."
"I see."
"Right, right, well then, shall we go?"
I say that to the two of them and head toward the classroom.
I cannot give up this time either.
Because I have found a "now" that I cannot yield.
(4)
"Toya-kun, what's that~?"
Airi said, looking at the DVD I brought home.
"Ah, Mizuta-sensei gave it to me and told me to take it home."
He didn't tell me to watch it.
"Then, shall we toss it?"
Airi took the DVD in her hand and made a gesture as if putting it in the trash can.
"I thought I'd watch it together since I have it... but if I watch it alone, I feel like I'll get lost in it again."
"When Toya-kun gets lost in it, it doesn't change whether I'm there or not~"
"That's why, when I'm lost in it, I want Airi to drag me out."
"...If that's the case. But, is there a need to watch it? It has nothing to do with Toya-kun."
"To be honest, I'm curious about the content."
"Hmm..."
Saying that, Airi sat snugly beside me and crossed her arms.
Um, her arms are pressing against her chest.
"Airi... I don't think it's something to worry about at this point... but Airi's chest is against my arm..."
My face is turning red. However, she didn't get angry.
On the contrary, she was laughing.
"I thought if I appealed this much, Toya-kun wouldn't get lost in soccer."
I see.
I'm incredibly curious, but with this, it's certainly true that I might not be thinking about soccer.
For now, I play the DVD.
The content was the Inter-High final match of Tenzan High School, if I recall?
Well, I had a feeling.
That it would be a soccer match or something.
The opponent was a high school representing Tokyo.
A team that has another fantasista.
Even though they both had a fantasista, it was a one-sided game for Tenzan High School.
Soccer is not something played alone.
It was exactly like that.
It wasn't a problem of the Tokyo representative lacking motivation or anything like that.
The difference in level between the players other than the fantasista was too great.
Still, the fantasista person worked hard and scored goals alone.
However, there is a limit.
The Tenzan High School teammates who assisted Oki-kun skillfully.
The result was a 1-3 win for Tenzan High School.
But I wonder?
The one I'd want to team up with is the Tokyo representative's fantasista.
It seems like we could do interesting plays.
"Hey."
There was one more included.
Apparently, the Tokyo fantasista went to Primavera alone after that.
And there he is, wearing number 10 and playing actively.
As expected, the originality is amazing.
Not just that, the level of the other members is completely different.
"Toya-kun!"
Ah, he makes a pass there!
If it were me, I'd aim a bit further...
Thump!
I was pinned down by Airi.
"What happened!?"
"Toya-kun was completely lost in it! So I've taken drastic measures~"
"Ah, sorry. I just..."
"It was the right choice for me to be here."
Airi says that with a laugh and takes the DVD out of the player.
Eh?
"Ei! Take this!"
Airi decisively tries to break the DVD.
I take it from Airi, break the DVD, and throw it in the trash can.
"This is what you wanted, right?"
"Yep♪. Now, let's study!"
Airi returns to her usual spot.
I also return to my usual spot and resume studying.
"Hey? If it's not a nuisance to Toya-kun, can I interfere again when it looks like you're about to get lost in soccer?"
"It's fine, I'd actually like to ask you to."
"Yay!"
I'm spending days that don't often go as planned, but I don't want to think of it as a waste.
Because the one who will be rewarded in the end is the me who didn't run away.
I don't think choosing the path of soccer is an easy path.
But I don't want to think that my choice to go to the local university was a mistake.
So that I can be proud of the path I decided on later.