Chikasugiru Karera no, Juunanasai no Tooi Kankei [LN] V2 Chapter 2.6

 

 Chapter 2 - End Of Summer

This year, our camp consisted of two nights and three days at the school's boarding house. The boarding house is a two-story building, with first-year students staying on the first floor and second-year students staying on the second floor, each in two separate rooms. There are two buildings, one for boys and one for girls, and the two managers sleep in the building utilized by the girls' club.

On the first night, during dinner in the cafeteria, I handed out souvenir sweets to the club members and our advisor. I gave Tachibana a box, telling her to divide it among the first-year students, and I asked my fellow club members to take one. There were several other club members who had been on the trip besides me, and they followed the same trend and started handing out souvenir snacks as well.

"It was unexpected. I didn't know Kenichi could be so thoughtful."

Yuriko said as she sat down in the pipe chair in front of me after getting a paper cup of cold water from the water dispenser in the cafeteria. Like the other members of the club, Yuriko, the manager, was dressed in training wear. She had her shirt sleeves rolled up to her shoulders and her hair tied in a ponytail, as she always did during club activities.

"This is the first time you've brought a souvenir or something. Did something good happen to you?" Yuriko continued.

I replied, "Not really," Yuriko opened the bag of baked sweets I had given her and took a bite. "It's good," she muttered.

The cafeteria has three rows of long tables. It had been about ten minutes since we had finished eating, and many of the club members had already started to return to their rooms. Some people around me got up from their seats, passing Yuriko. The ladies working in the cafeteria were also starting to clean up. I could hear Tachibana talking with the other first-year club members a short distance away. I thought they wouldn't hear me if I talked now, so I lowered the volume of my voice a little and said.

"......I'm buying some gifts for Yuriko, too."

When I said that, "No way," she said, her eyes widening a little as if surprised.

"I was going to give it to you earlier, but I couldn't find the time. I'll give it to you on the way back from the camp. It should be fine, since it's something that will last a long time."

Yuriko looked surprised and muttered, "Thanks," moving only her mouth.

She then drank from the paper cup of water that was still in her hand,

"Did you give Izumi-san anything?" She asked me.

"Izumi is not home right now. Her mother is back in Japan for vacation and she's temporarily back at home in Tokyo."

"Oh, I didn't know that. But you bought something for her, too, didn't you?"

"Yeah. She seems to like western sweets, so I decided to buy her the madeleines that the store we shopped at recommended, and Yuriko's is......"

"Oh, you don't have to tell me. I'll be looking forward to it."

She said so with a smile. It was only about 500 yen for a cookie, so I didn't want her to get her hopes up too high, but I nodded my head and said, "Okay,".

"It's time to get back," our advisor, who had been fiddling with his tablet the whole time, shouted. The analog clock on the white wall of the counter showed five minutes before eight pm. After that, we had until 10:00 p.m. to bathe, the lights would be turned off at 11:00 p.m., and we would be up at 6:00 a.m.

The remaining members of the club sat up and left the cafeteria, saying "thanks for the food" and "thank you" to the ladies who had stayed late to prepare our meal.

The night breeze felt good on my tired, exercised body as I walked outside. Yuriko's ponytail swished fluffy as she walked in front of me, talking about something with the second-year club members. The school grounds were quiet and the pitch-black school building loomed like a giant shadow.

The next day, the second day of morning practice, Tachibana kept rubbing her eyes sleepily. When we took a break, I asked her, "Are you okay?" She replied, "I'm a little sleep-deprived."

"I'm really scared of just the two of us in a big building. Moreover, Mori-senpai was playing scary story videos on her phone."

Then Yuriko, who was with us, said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think Akari was that scared. But you weren't trying to be cute, were you?"

"It's just you and me, senpai, so there's no point in showing off like that!"

When Tachibana said that, Yuriko giggled.

"You seem to be in a good mood, senpai. It's true that this is like a school trip, and makes you feel excited, but."

"Fufu. The break is almost over, so I'm going to the field."

Yuriko said in a good mood and walked from the shade of the tree toward the field.

During the red-and-white match in the afternoon practice, Yuriko joined the other team and for the first time in a long time we were playing against each other (there were some members who did not participate in the game, so we asked Yuriko to join us because we could not play with the same number of players).

We both went into the defensive midfielder position and even faced each other a few times. When my side attacked, I supported a player on the side and when I received the ball, Yuriko pressed me straight forward. I feinted and then shifted the ball to the side. Yuriko, whose center of gravity was tilted to one side, was slow to react. Before she could pressure me again, I turned the ball back to the center with my left foot. The keeper failed to handle the crossing, and a player on my team pushed the rebound ball in and the point was scored.

"Da*n. Kenichi could pass me with one shot," Yuriko said with a cluck of her tongue. 

"It's so obvious that you only cut vertically."

When I said that, Yuriko looked miffed and said, "Ugh, shut up," while clapping her hands and then, "I'll get it back," Oh, here comes the daring reply. The club members return to their positions to resume the game.

A little while later, I suddenly felt a strange sensation in my right calf. It was while I was dashing back to my position after a counterattack. I immediately thought, "Oh no," and I stopped running and collapsed in place. The moment I fell, the discomfort turned to pain, and I winced. Fearfully, I touched my calf and saw that the muscles were twitching.

The player holding the ball noticed my fall and immediately stopped playing. The other players around me also gathered around me and asked, "Are you okay?" I nodded, feeling embarrassed.

"I think I just cramped up."

When I said that, the people surrounding me looked relieved. Beyond the crowd, "Akari, get the first aid kit ready!" I could see Yuriko giving instructions.

It had been a long time since my legs had cramped up during practice. I was worried that it was a flesh cramp, something I had done once before, but on the spot, a nearby member of the club helped me stretch my leg, which immediately relieved the pain and the cramp subsided, so it should be nothing serious. However, our advisor, Nakata-sensei, once lowered me to the bench.

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"Are you okay, senpai?"

Tachibana took out a cooling spray from the first-aid kit and sprayed it on my leg over my socks, asking me that. I nodded and gently touched the white frozen fibers with my fingers. The ice cracked under my fingers.

"Was it really just a cramp? If the pain is too severe, I'll take you to the hospital."

Nakata-sensei asked me that, too.

I said, "It doesn't hurt anymore, so I should be fine," intending to go right back to practice, even though I still felt some discomfort, as if my muscles were still tight and stiff. I figured that as long as I didn't kick or run as hard as I could, there was no reason I couldn't play. But the sensei shook his head.

"But just to be safe, let's call it a day. See how it goes overnight, and if it looks okay, join us again tomorrow."

Saying that, I replied, "Okay," and pulled my socks down to my ankles and loosened the laces of my spikes.

Then Tachibana asked me, "Senpai, do you want me to put a compress on it?" while putting away the cooling spray, and I nodded my head.

"Ah, yeah. Then, just in case."

Tachibana wiped the dirt off my calves with a wet towel, then she placed a large compress on the affected area. It felt good to have the hot muscles cooled down.

"Thank you."

I thanked her, and turned my attention back to the field. The trees lined the back of the benches, and at this time of the day, sitting on them would allow me to get into the shade. It was cool and helpful, but I felt somewhat sorry for Yuriko and the others who were still running around on the ground in the direct sunlight.

After a while, Nakata-sensei suddenly pulled out his phone from the pocket of his training wear and began to talk about something.

"Tachibana, Sakamoto, I'm going to the staff room for a while, so when the time comes, please finish practice and start cleaning up like you usually do."

After saying that, he walked toward the school building. I wonder if he had something to do. Tachibana and I replied "yes" and sat on the bench side by side and watched the game.

Yuriko was the starting point of the attack, skillfully dodging the press and scattering the ball from a low position. She had been a scorer in elementary school, so it was very refreshing to see Yuriko playing a style of play that controlled the game. I realized again that Yuriko had been changing all along without my knowledge.

Yuriko made a soft long pass, and Nagai, as a forward, controlled it with one touch, then calmly shot it and scored a goal. Seeing this, Tachibana clasped her hands in a gesture of joy and said, "Yay!"

I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "You really like Nagai, don't you?" Then Tachibana stopped moving with a snap.

"Ugh, why did you say that, senpai......"

"I could tell by the way you look at him. I mean, did you think you were hiding it?" 

"...... Well, it's okay if it's Sakamoto-senpai. Please don't tell the other club members."

"I won't."

I nodded. I'm sure most of the soccer club members know that.

Then the conversation was cut short and Tachibana stretched out with her hands folded. It was a sunny, peaceful afternoon. The ground was filled with the sounds of footsteps, bouncing balls, and instructions from the soccer game, but there were not many cars driving around the school and it was quiet. The sky was filled with numerous overlapping clouds, forming an intricate curve.

"Nagai-senpai, has he said anything about me? Especially after the summer festival the other day."

I glanced to the side. Tachibana was looking straight toward the ground. I remembered that Tachibana was holding Nagai's hand at the summer festival. I don't really know what was going on in the air there, as I was watching from a distance. I had been occupied with my own affairs during this summer, but come to think of it, I wonder what had happened to Tachibana and the others.

"......I've never heard that guy say anything bad about Tachibana, even though he talks a lot."

Saying that, she turned her head toward me and put on a soft, relieved expression. 

"I'm glad to hear that."

In the school on a summer vacation afternoon, it was as if the flow of time had stopped. The only people on the field were the soccer team, who were currently practicing a game except for me and Tachibana, so no matter what we were talking about, we did not have to worry about being overheard. Perhaps because of this atmosphere, Tachibana began to talk about something like this.

"When I was observing the club activities, I thought it would be nice. That's how I decided to join this club."

"So you decided to join the club because you fell in love with Nagai at first sight?"

I was stunned at how simple it was, or rather, how dynamic she was.

"You're awesome."

"Ah, but of course, I was interested in soccer, too. I had been hesitant to join because I had no experience, but then I saw a cool guy, so I decided to join. But now, even without that, I'm glad I joined," Tachibana added hurriedly.

"After all, you want to go out with him, don't you?"

"At first, I thought it would be nice if we could become friends somehow, but I really like him these days. As we spend more and more time together, I feel more and more attached to him. So, if anything happens in the future, please help me out."

"I've been trying to do it up until now. Yuriko told me so, too."

When I said that, Tachibana smiled brightly and said, "Then please continue as you have been doing."

Even though I was talking about Tachibana and Nagai's relationship, my mind at that time was thinking about Izumi.

As far as I knew, Nagai was the only man with whom Izumi was in contact. He was hoping to get close to Tachibana, not only for Tachibana's sake, but perhaps also because of an unexplainable possessive desire for Izumi. I have tried to suppress this negative feeling many times, but it still comes up in my mind.

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