All the students of Suisei High gathered in the blissfully air-conditioned gymnasium for our first semester's closing ceremony.
Once it was over, I joined the throngs of students heading back to their respective classrooms. The sweltering heat instantly clung to my skin, and a grand chorus of cicadas pounded my eardrums.
A month had already slipped by since the intense sports festival.
Glancing sideways, I could see the school grounds. Beneath a deep sky, sharp black shadows fell from thick poles holding up the net which enclosed the brown field. The scorching sun drew a clear boundary between light and darkness, its blinding light, almost physically oppressive in its intensity, appeared to allow no room for ambiguity or deception.
I let out a sigh, feeling overwhelmed. No surprise, given the outcome of our entrance exams would be determined by how much I could prepare during this last summer vacation.
"So yeah, Maru is pretty awesome, don't you reckon?"
"Huh?"
Turning towards the voice, I realized Yoshida was beside me.
"He made it through the third round."
"Apparently so."
Maru, the captain of the Suisei High baseball team, had already advanced through the third round of the East Tokyo regional qualifiers. And if they won the fourth round, held the day after tomorrow, they'd be in the top sixteen.
"This area is one of the toughest in the whole country. Making it to the top sixteen is pretty incredible. Maybe I should get Maru's autograph or something."
"You're into baseball, Yoshida?"
"Nah, not really."
Is that really true?
"Simply put, if I think it's awesome, I just wanna say it's awesome."
"Gotcha."
So Maru, through his hard work, even earned the admiration of those who normally couldn't give a rat's ass about baseball.
"Oh? You seem happy, Asamura."
"Well, yeah."
Yep, that's so like him, impressive as always.
***
After the closing ceremony, we had a short homeroom and were let go right after.
I had a shift at work in the evening, but there was still a bit of time before that. Should I go home for a while? Or maybe rest somewhere?
With summer vacation starting, I won't be coming to the classroom for a while, so I meticulously checked inside my desk to make sure I didn't leave anything behind. I felt the touch of bare steel. Empty. Good.
"Asamura-kun, can I talk to you for a sec?"
Turning towards the voice, I found Ayase-san standing there.
At home, we're distant, but outside, we're close. We'd gotten used to talking naturally in the classroom over the past month. At first, our classmates would say stuff like, "You two seem close lately," but when we kept replying, "We're just classmates," comments like that eventually stopped.
Well, it's normal for classmates to talk; nothing to see here.
"What's up?"
"Maaya said she has something to talk to us about."
Narasaka-san does? Not just to Ayase-san, but to me as well?
What could it be, I wonder.
"Saki~! Asamura-kun~! Sorry to keep you waiting! Here I am!"
That cheerful voice accompanied the female student who literally jumped into the nearly empty classroom.
Yep, it's Narasaka-san alright.
She came over to us with a broad smile lighting up her face. I remember Ayase-san once calling her a "sunflower." And it was true her presence alone definitely brightened up the place.
"Narasaka-san, you wanted to talk to Ayase-san and me?"
"What!? How'd you know!? Are you a psychic, Asamura-kun~!?"
Seeing Narasaka-san dramatically covering her mouth in surprise, Ayase-san let out a soft sigh next to me.
"You were the one who said you had something to talk about, Maaya. I just passed it on."
"Ahaha, oopsies~."
"Who's the mysterious foreigner you're imitating now?" I shot back.
Narasaka-san cleared her throat exaggeratedly before opening her mouth to speak.
"Umm, both of you! Have you already made plans for the day after tomorrow!?"
The day after tomorrow? That'd be July 22nd. The second day of summer vacation… and a Thursday. Do I have any plans?
"Not really."
"Something happening?"
Narasaka-san's eyes gleamed with a playful sparkle.
"You wanna come cheer for Maru-kun and the rest of the baseball club?"
Cheering? Oh, right, it's Maru's game that day.
"Anyways, it's not just the two of you, I've invited other peeps too. Y'know, nearly everyone who went to the pool last summer said they can come!"
Shinjo's refreshing face came to my mind. He's part of the group that's close to Narasaka-san.
"Everyone's coming, huh."
True to form for Narasaka-san the social butterfly. She puffed out her chest with pride.
"It's our last summer, and it's a match that could get us into the top sixteen! Since Maru-kun is doing his best, I wanna cheer him on. I want him to play with a sea of cheering fans all around!"
What she said reminded me of the sports festival a month back. It wasn't about shoving "expectations" onto him, it was more about "support."
"They're going against a seriously tough school!"
Oh, really?
I don't know squat about sports, so I don't know how strong a powerhouse school in the district is.
I might not know, but if Narasaka-san says so, it must mean that the opposing team is nearly equally matched.
"So, will that work? You two think you can make it?"
"Yeah. I'll go."
I thought about it during the sports festival anyway. I want to see Maru play in an official match at least once.
"How about you, Ayase-san?"
"Well... if it's just for one day."
"Alrighty! Yay! Saki~!"
Both of Narasaka-san arms shot up, seeking a high five from Ayase-san.
"Y-yay?" Ayase-san responded, albeit with confusion.
Their palms met with a clap.
"If you guys wanna invite anyone else, feel free to do so! On the 22nd, we all GO to the stadium! I'll go invite some other peeps as well now. So, Adyu[1]~!"
[She's mixing Japanese with the French word for "goodbye" (Adieu). It sounds like "Add-you" phonetically.]
Adyu?
After saying goodbye with a peculiar mix of French and Japanese, Narasaka-san left the same way she arrived—like a whirlwind.
I lost myself in thought. If I were to invite someone, it would be Yoshida, right? He's a mutual friend and was concerned about Maru's match.
As for Ayase-san, she'd try inviting Class Rep and Satou-san.
But… Narasaka-san is acting like a self-appointed cheer captain or something. She must get along pretty well with Maru, huh?