Sports Day 1: Soccer

For my therapy session, I told Dr. Shizuko about my two outings with Daishi last week. I talked about his personal circumstances that brought us together without revealing too many details, and also about my Proust effect moment with the vinyl.

He asked, "Did you investigate the pawn shop for answers?"

"Actually, I did. Last weekend I checked out the shop, but I didn't discover much when I asked around. There was only one worker who worked that day and he told me the girl that sold the record had pigtails and broke down cryin'."

Dr. Shizuko noted that and asked, "Do you recall any girl who had pigtails?"

I searched my memory of fellow orphans and classmates, though I didn't pay much attention to their features.
"Nope," I replied. "Just that little girl with the vinyl. The only other girl I know is Ringomori, and she doesn't wear pigtails, plus when I told her about the vinyl, she didn't say anythin' about ownin' one herself."

I figured I wouldn't find anything else out about it and simply left that case cold for the time being.

"Well Chamaru-kun," he said, taking off his glasses, "keep trying your best on that. I must say, you're showing excellent signs of improvement. Let's do our concluding assessment and you can be on your way."

After the session ended, I decided to ask Ringomori if she'd like to meet at the pie shop. We didn't do anything special, just sat at a table and studied for midterms while being absolutely silent; maybe it was special.

➼ ➼ ➼

The month of October was special for two main reasons. The first was something I had only recently learned about, it was the penultimate month for apple harvesting. The weather in Hokkaido and Aomori during late summer and early to mid-Autumn was perfectly cold and warm for the trees.

The second reason was because of school. No, not the midterm exams in three weeks, but because schools held their Sports Day early in the month. My Sports Day was on the second Monday, but I wasn't participating in any event and was simply a substitute. Friends and family were welcomed to spectate the games, though that didn't typically mean much to me. Although, that time was different since I spent most of the day with Ringomori.

We were away from the action, watching the games from the bench where I first met Daishi. It was a decent view, seeing all the tents and picnic blankets distributed along the field. She seemed to agree with me.

"I wish I could draw as well as you," she said. "This would be a perfect spot to do so."

She had given me an idea. I went to my locker where my schoolbag was kept and grabbed my notebook and pencil, then returned to the bench.

"What…are you doing?"

"I thought I could teach you how to draw, at least a little bit."

She turned red like a ripe apple and uttered, "Not again…" under her breath. I asked if she could clarify what she had said, and she responded with,
"I'm…just very terrible at drawing…"

I had to think of a plan that could convince her.
"Hey, did you bring your camera?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "However…I wasn't planning on…using it."

"Good, can you take it out? I'd like for you to take a photo of the field. Then, you can use that to retrace onto the paper. It'll be easier than drawin' motions."

She seemed hesitant at first, but eventually took the photo and showed it to me for confirmation. In order for this to work, we had to scoot closer to each other, which wasn't easy for social outcasts. I misjudged the distance between us and accidentally touched her leg with mine, and we both jolted stiff.

I turned away from her as I felt a burning sensation throughout my body.
"A-Ah, s-sorry…"
It took me a few seconds to really think about what was going on.

What am I gettin' all frizzy for? This really shows I'm not a people-person. This shouldn't be a big deal, I should recompose myself and focus on the task at hand!

I did just that, opening the notebook to the next blank page and started doing an outline of the landscape. I told her a few tips about what to draw first and how to properly gauge people's proportions at a distance. After she had a general idea, I gave her the materials and allowed her to sketch on her own.

Things were going well until Daishi appeared out of the blue, heavy-breathing and sweating. He startled the two of us on the bench, Ringomori cowered behind me.

"Is that…the boy from CLARIS?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah, he's a friend. I'll introduce you to him later."
I turned to him and asked, "What's the problem, Daishi-kun?"

He used a towel around his neck to wipe his face as he caught his breath.
"Your class has a problem, senpai. They need'ya as a substitute for soccer because of an injury. The game is start'n soon, so we need t'hurry."

Being called up for the team was unexpected, and turned into a hassle since it interrupted a perfectly fun and much preferable activity. I turned to Ringomori with a melancholic gaze.

"It can't be helped, Vieira-kun. Your class needs you."

I sluggishly stood up from the bench.
"Sorry to leave you here. I'll be back after the game.

She sent me off with a wave and a small cheer of good luck as I followed Daishi to the field. I would be playing in the soccer finale against his second-year class. Before the game began, I was chatting with him when his mom approached us.

"I wish you boys the best of luck on your game!" she exclaimed. "Be careful not t'hurt yourselves, okay? I'll be cheering for you both, so it's a win-win for me!"

"Thank you," I said in reply.

"You know I'm your son, right ma?"

Since the first time there, I had visited his home a few more times and also talked more with Ms. Ashikaga, mainly about school. I didn't count them as extra peer outings because we did the same thing each time and I felt like that was a bit of a cheat.

Ms. Ashikaga gave the two of us a hug; Daishi complained about being embarrassed…again, but I didn't personally mind the pampering. Before we entered the field, Daishi offered me another pack of pop rocks, and I declined.

The game started and I didn't really do much. I had never played soccer before, and didn't know what to do. My positioning was so bad that I was rarely the target for a pass, and if they did pass me the ball, it would be taken away before I could get a touch. I felt like I was nothing more than a burden to the team, and as the halftime whistle blew, I sank my head and moped off the field.

The teacher was giving a team talk to the players, but it was in one ear and out the other for me. It wasn't on purpose, but I had been staring off into the distance at the bench where I left Ringomori. She was still sitting there, looking down at her lap.

I wonder if she's still drawin' on her own. If she is, I kind of want to see how she does. I'm sure she'll do decent, though it would be a lot funnier if she was bad.

A lot changed during the second half. The score was 3-3 with only a handful of minutes remaining in regular time. I managed to touch the ball a few times, but I couldn't do much with it.

There was a corner given in favor of my team, and the time was ticking to its end. I didn't want to cause unnecessary problems or be inside the forest of players inside the box, so I waited around the halfway line as defense. When the ball was kicked, it was cleared by the opponent and landed close to me. I rushed towards it to prevent an attacker from launching a counter-attack, and I stood with the ball at my feet.

I could feel all eyes on me, with people roaring my name from the field and crowd. I felt the hairs on my neck and arms tingle as if an arctic breeze had brushed across. I took in the field around me, and at that point, something snapped.

I was a kid again.

➼ ➼ ➼

I was playing soccer in a park, it must have been a little league game because of the proper kits and referees. I was roughly in the same position and a player was darting at me.

Using my left leg to step over the ball, I dribbled past him and pushed forward. Two more pressed me and I managed to dribble past them to enter the forest of players with the ball glued to my feet. My teammates got out of the way, dragging some defenders with them, as I charged forward.

Looking up, I saw one more defender between me and the goalkeeper. I feinted left to trick him and cut right to open some space for me to shoot. With all my power, I struck the ball just underneath it to give it some air. It careered towards the top right of the goal and hit the back of the net.

I turned to see the scoreboard and saw that it was 4-3 at the final whistle.

➼ ➼ ➼

The whistle brought me back to Sports Day, and I realized I had just done the same thing as that sudden memory. Roars of cheers echoed in the school, and even an astounded Daishi celebrated the victory.

"Senpai, what kind of skill was that?! You kept that hidden in your locker this whole time?!"
His exclamations were deafening.

While I was happy that my class got the win, I was preoccupied in thought.
What just happened? I played soccer before? And how did I execute those skills like that? What triggered that memory?

I couldn't, and wouldn't, find any answers. My train of thought derailed when I walked with Daishi to see his mom, and I saw Ringomori standing next to her.

"Congratulations, Vieira-kun!" she triumphantly yelled. "What amaze'n skill you have, you must've been play'n for a long time!"

"It definitely seems that way," Ringomori concurred.
She shifted her eyes to me and said, "I'm happy you were the reason for victory again."

I hadn't known what she meant, and I ended that day more confused than before. Sports Day concluded with an overall victory for my class. Afterwards, I celebrated with Ringomori and Daishi at the pie shop, and I got to properly introduce the two to each other. She returned to her reserved self, and I had noticed again, a difference in her tone.