Chapter 13: Volume 1 - CH 2.6

It was after 7:00 p.m. and Yuriko and I was cycling side by side on our way back to the same neighborhood. We were often accompanied by two or three other members of the soccer club on the way home, but once we entered the residential area where we lived, it was usually just Yuriko and me.

We stopped at a red light. It was the time of day when people were going home, and many cars were on the road.

Yuriko said to herself, "I haven't kicked a ball for a while, so my legs feel heavy."

"When was the last time you kicked a ball?"

"I think it's been about two months. I haven't played women's soccer in a while."

"It will be myalgia you know, probably."

"I think so," she rubbed her thighs over her skirt. Then she turned her head toward me.

"Kenichi, you've gotten so much better, haven't you?"

"What's with you all of a sudden? When you praise me like this, I want to read what is the meaning behind it."

"You don't have to read it. I felt it when we played together for the first time in a long time. When you had the ball, you were very calm. And you will also observe your surroundings"

"Thanks," I said honestly.

"You used to kick the ball out as soon as you got pressure. It looks like you've gotten over that."

When I was on the same team as her, I did indeed try to kick the ball forward as soon as I was about to get the ball. If I passed the ball to the back of the opponent, even if they couldn't reach it, we wouldn't be directly pinched. Besides, we had a fast FW who could pick up even a slightly loose ball.

"My dad also said that I made you run too much. If you put it that way, it's true that it's been a habit of mine for a long time."

Yuriko laughed but was a little proud of herself.

"It was fairly difficult. We had to sprint again and again, and we sometimes collided with the enemy in the middle of chasing. I was probably the hardest worker on that team."

"Maybe," I nodded in nostalgia, thinking back to my elementary school days.

As our conversation trailed off, I let out a single breath, as if to exhale the day's exhaustion. I looked up at the pale blue sky with barely a trace of sunlight remaining in the west. Thin gray clouds were floating in the dark gradient of the evening sky, and white stars were appearing in the gaps between them. As I gazed at it in a daze, Yuriko muttered something.

"...... Come to think of it, next month will be three years since Oji-san passed away."

A truck drove in front of us, making a loud noise. The smell of exhaust fumes lingered around for a while.

Yuriko stared straight ahead at the traffic light. When I turned my head to the side, I saw a slender curve from her chin to her throat and her eyelashes curled slightly upward. Yuriko's face looked familiar, but when I stared at her profile again, I felt as if it belonged to someone I didn't know. Like earlier when we were stretching, I suddenly felt Yuriko's feminine side strongly again. I don't know why.---I don't know why, but somewhere in my heart, I had the feeling that it was because of Izumi.

"Oji-san, he wasn't very good at playing soccer, but he was very good at teaching."

Yuriko turned her face toward me and said with a somewhat mischievous expression on her face. My father, who had been a volunteer to coach the boys' team in elementary school, had taught us the basics of soccer when we were both in elementary school.

"He was a college teacher, so I guess he was used to teaching others."

When I said this, Yuriko nodded with a smile and said, "Maybe."

Then, the traffic light turned green.

With the chain clanking, we started pedaling our bicycles. A little later, we arrived at Yuriko's house. It is a house with a small garden, just like mine. The house is surrounded by brick blocks.

"Bye."

Yuriko waved one hand as she got off her bicycle.

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

I said that to Yuriko and cycled on for a while. It took me about five minutes to get from Yuriko's house to mine by bicycle.

When I arrived at the street where my house is located, I saw two figures in front of the house.

At first, it was too dark to see them clearly, but when I got closer, I saw that the figures were Izumi. Beside her was a short, serious-looking girl in the same uniform, wearing glasses and with her hair tied back in two.

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"Oh, Kenichi-kun," Izumi said to me as I got off my bicycle.

"Izumi... Did you just get home?"

"Yes," she nodded.

The girl beside her, perhaps shy, squirmed and hid behind Izumi as we exchanged words. The girl is wearing the same uniform as Izumi. I didn't recognize her, but the fact that she was with Izumi on her way home at this time of the day suggested that she also lived in this area.

"......Um, Rina-chan, do you know each other?"

"Oh, yeah. His name is  Sakamoto Kenichi......."

Izumi started to introduce me to the girl. Without thinking, I reflexively opened my mouth.

"I'm a relative of Izumi's. I live near here."

Eh? Izumi's mouth dropped open.

"I-I see."

The girl said, still fidgeting. Then, "My name is Hoshino Aiko. Nice to meet you," She bowed her head as if to escape my gaze.

"Oh, hello...," I said, scratching my head. I'm a shy person myself, so I understand the uncomfortable feeling that Hoshino-san must be feeling right now.

"See you later, Izumi."

Then I got on my bike and started riding again.

"Eh, ah, yeah."

Izumi looked at me with a confused and troubled expression.

I rode around the residential area for a while, circled the house, and then parked my bicycle in the front yard, making sure that Izumi's friends were gone.

At that moment, I was sure that Izumi was going to tell her friend, Hoshino-san, that she was living with me. For some reason, I felt like she shouldn't do that and had reacted that way instantly. On second thought, it's possible that she had already told her friend that there were boys her age at the place she was moving to. I wondered if I had done anything unnecessary.

"I'm home."

When I took off my shoes and entered the living room, Izumi, who was sitting at the table, gave me a troubled look and immediately spoke to me.

"I'm sorry, Kenichi-kun. I feel like I made you feel uncomfortable."

"No... Me too. I was acting out of reflex. I thought that if we explained to that person that we were living together, it might be a hassle....... But if she was a good friend of Izumi's, we might as well have told her."

I remembered Yuriko. I was hiding Izumi from her at first, but that had gotten me into a bit of trouble later on. If that girl was a trusted friend of Izumi's, it might not have been a good idea for me to pretend to be someone else.

When I said this, Izumi shook her head.

"I'll explain everything to her next time we have an opportunity like this, don't worry. She's not the type of girl who's going to go around talking about that kind of stuff in a weird way."

"I see."

Izumi nodded. Then, as if to change the atmosphere,

"What are you going to make for dinner tonight?" She said cheerfully.

"Ah, let me see. We had minced meat in the fridge, I was thinking of making a hamburg steak or something..."

"I understand. I'll help you then. I'm going to get dressed, so just wait for me."

Izumi said this and left the living room. It was already dark outside, and the surface of the window glass reflected the lighted living room like a mirror. I closed the curtains and went back to my room to get dressed too.

End of Chapter 2

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