Volume 3 - CH 10

I first met Yuu-kun when I joined a local soccer club in the fourth grade of elementary school.

I have always loved sports since I was a little girl and played a lot of sports with my dad on weekends and holidays. I loved soccer so much that when I turned 4, my dad encouraged me to join a new soccer club.

———

“You are good at soccer! My name is Yuuri Yamagishi. What’s your name?”

“Ka, Kanade. My name is Kanade Miyama.”

At that time, I was so shy that it was difficult to say my name. I really wanted to ignore them when they spoke to me, but I knew that if we were going to play soccer together in the same soccer club, I had to do my best here, so I mustered up the courage to tell them my name.

I got so lit up that I could tell my face was turning bright red, and I ran away to the field saying, “I, I want to return to practice.”

(Ugh… did he think I was a… weird kid?…)

After that, I was so embarrassed that I turned my face away every time I saw Yuu-kun.

———

Two months have passed since I joined the soccer club, and I realized.

By this time I had become quite accustomed to everyone around me, but for some reason, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when I saw Yuu-kun. I had no idea why that happened.

My relationship with Yuu-kun took a slight step forward when we decided on our positions for the fourth-grade team, with Yuu-kun as an attacking midfielder and me as a forward.

“Miyama-san! I think we should talk more from now on. If I don’t know more about Miyama-san, I won’t be able to pass the ball to you in the best possible way.”

After being informed of his position, Yuu-kun came to me at once and spoke to me with a twinkle in his eye.

I was a little startled by the momentum of the conversation, but the boy talking frantically in front of me looked so cute that I found myself smiling a little.

Yuu-kun looked at me strangely for a moment, but then smiled more than before, as if he thought I didn’t mind, and said, “Let’s practice combinations together now,” and took my hand and started running to the center circle.

I was very nervous to have a boy grab my hand for the first time, but I didn’t feel bad at all, in fact, I felt a little happy.

———

I noticed that Yuu-kun started calling me “Kanade” and I started calling him “Yuu-kun.”

Yuu-kun and I went to different elementary schools, so we could only see each other on Saturdays and Sundays when the soccer club was in session. I missed him so much that as soon as practice was over, I kept thinking about how I wished the next practice would be sooner.

Oh, by the way, there was a slight change in me when I became friends with Yuu-kun. That is, my shyness has improved a little. I think it was because playing soccer with Yuu-kun, who is like the sun, warmed my heart and made me think positively.

Yuu-kun is amazing because he even changed my heart from such a pathetic one.

Finally, during the summer vacation, the day came when the 4th-grade team had their first game. Yuu-kun and I went to the game to show the results of our practice, but we lost 5-0.

As I was shedding tears of frustration, Yuu-kun came up to me and encouraged me with a smile, saying, “Let’s practice a lot again and win next time.” I turned my head and looked at Yuu-kun’s hands and saw that he was clenching his fists so tightly that his fingers were digging into his palms.

(That’s right. How could Yuu-kun, who worked so hard, not be frustrated?)

I felt so miserable crying alone that I rubbed my eyes with my cuffs and said, “Yeah. Let’s win next time,” I replied with a smile.

After the game, I went to my parent’s and looked around to see where Yuu-kun was. Then I saw a very beautiful girl I had never seen before next to Yuu-kun. She had a kind smile on her face and was patting Yuu-kun’s head. It seemed that Yuu-kun was crying.

I felt a pain in my chest.

Yuu-kun can cry in front of that girl even though he never shows tears to me…

What kind of relationship does Yuu-kun have with that girl?

I asked Yuu-kun who he was at practice the next week.

“Uwaa. Did you see me crying by any chance?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, I saw it.

“I see. Well, it’s okay. And, let’s see… Oh, yes. I was with my childhood friend named Hazuki. We live next door to each other like brother and sister, and we’ve been together for a long time.”

“Oh, I, I see. You seemed to be close with her…”

Seeing Yuu-kun’s slightly embarrassed but happy manner of speaking, I somehow understood that Yuu-kun had feelings more than siblings for the girl called Hazuki. I was very sad about that.

———

Time passed and Yuu-kun and I went to the same junior high school.

Of course, Hazuki-chan went to the same junior high school.

I have been playing with Hazuki-chan since elementary school, and before I knew it, we had become good friends to the point where we could be called best friends. Another member of our group that we often hang out with is a boy named Kouki.

We had been good friends ever since elementary school, but something happened that caused a major breakdown in our relationship. In the second year of junior high school, Yuu-kun and Hazuki-chan became lovers.

I was prepared for this day to come, but it was a big shock. I know. Yuu-kun had only had his eyes on Hazuki-chan from the moment they met.

No matter how much we improved our soccer combination, Yuu-kun’s feelings would never turn to me, and I would feel like I was the one who kept passing the ball to him. If it were actual soccer, it would have been Yuu-kun’s role to pass it to me.

There was a time when I wanted to keep my distance from those two because it was so painful to watch the distance between them that I felt like my heart would burst.

However, I realized that it would be more painful if I couldn’t be near Yuu-kun, so I decided to quietly cover my feelings and watch over him from behind.

———

Even in the third year of junior high school, those two had always been good friends.

Apparently, they are also applying to the same high school.

I had asked him which high school he was planning to go to before, and he told me it was an advanced school that I would never be able to get into with the grades I have now.

I was scared.

I was afraid that if we went to different high schools, my relationship with Yuu-kun would be completely cut off.

Because even though I was his childhood friend, I was only one of his many friends.

I am not special to Yuu-kun, but I really did not want to be separated from him, so I decided to apply to the same high school as Yuu-kun.

My teacher told me that it was reckless with my current grades, but there are still about 10 months left until the entrance exam. I was not going to give up now.

I studied as hard as I could even while I slept.

The more I studied, the better my grades got, and finally, I was able to rank in the top five in the school. By the way, Hazuki-chan was in the first place and Yuu-kun was in third.

Then, together with Yuu-kun and Hazuki-chan, I took the entrance examination and managed to pass it.

I was more relieved to be able to spend my school life with Yuu-kun again than to have passed the exam or to be released from the hardships I had gone through.

(Thank goodness. I can be with Yuu-kun again for the next three years.)