The afternoon sun hung high in the sky as students bustled about the school grounds, excitedly exploring the various club booths set up for the fair. The atmosphere was electric, filled with chatter and laughter. Sota wandered through the crowd, glancing at the colorful displays and enthusiastic club members trying to recruit new members.
"Kouhai! With your build, I think you're fit for the archery club!" one student called out.
"No, you should join us, the kendo club!" another shouted.
"Here you go, you're always welcome at the afternoon tea club," a girl said with a friendly smile.
"Isn't that for girls only?" Sota replied, somewhat bemused.
"Ah, you're exactly what we're looking for! Your face and that toned body? You're going to fit right in our drama club!" yet another student chimed in.
Weaving through the crowd, Sota felt like he was back on the football field, dodging defenders with the agility that once made him a star. He couldn't believe that the footwork he had drilled into his body would help him in these types of situations.
He had just finished inspecting the kendo club's booth when a familiar voice called out to him.
"Kazemachi-kun!"
He turned to see Tachibana Aiko waving at him, her bright smile cutting through the sea of students. She hurried over, her energy as infectious as ever.
"Tachibana-san," Sota greeted, returning her smile. "Checking out the clubs?"
With an eager expression, Aiko nodded as she naturally approached Sota and started walking beside him. "Yup! And I was actually looking for you. Have you found anything interesting yet?"
Shaking his head, Sota exhaled as he responded. "Not yet. Still looking around."
Aiko's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, I've got a surprise for you. Want to check out my club?"
Sota raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her tone. "A surprise? Uh, sure?"
Aiko grabbed his hand and started weaving through the crowd. "Follow me! You're going to love this."
Reddening, Sota's curiosity grew with each step they took. Aiko's enthusiasm was palpable, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of club she was part of. Moreover, she so naturally took his hand that he didn't have time to reject it.
As they weaved through the sea of clubs, each with their own booths that matched their energy, Sota began to wonder what kind of club Aiko was in. His thoughts brought him back to the time when someone asked him to join the afternoon tea club.
Then again, as long as the club is not a girls' only club, he would consider it.
As they approached the edge of the fair, Aiko finally stopped in front of a booth that was less flashy than the others but had a group of students gathered around, talking animatedly. A large banner hung above the booth, reading "Flag Football Club."
Sota's eyes widened in surprise. "Flag football?"
Beaming at him, Aiko nodded her head in animated excitement. One could tell that she was passionate about her club. "Yep! I told you it was a surprise. This is our club. We're always looking for new members, and I thought you might be interested."
On the other hand, though, it was evident that Sota wasn't as enthused with the offer. His expression became unreadable, and he felt a rush of conflicting emotions. "Flag football, huh?" he said, his voice going a notch lower as his expression softened.
"Yeah! It's super fun and not as intense as regular football. Plus, we're always looking for new members to join our team." Aiko nodded eagerly.
A tight smile appeared on Sota's face as the enthusiasm around him felt like a weight on his chest. Once again, he was reminded of the past— a dream long forgotten.
His gaze landed on Aiko who still wore her sparkling eyes and vibrant nature. To her, she had just found the best recruit for their club. Seeing him for the first time made her believe that he would fit right in.
After all, she was a manager, and it's her duty to attract promising recruits. This was her chance!
Then again, Sota still hasn't moved on to the roots of the past. Without mercy, his healed injury still haunted him, pulling him back on the ground whenever he wanted to break free.
With a heavy heart, Sota decided to reject Aiko's offer. Although he felt bad, he didn't want to take part in football once again. Not now, not ever.
"Thanks for showing me, Tachibana-san, but I don't think I'm interested."
Aiko's face fell slightly, but she quickly tried to mask her disappointment by shaking her head. "Oh, okay. Well, if you ever change your mind, we'd love to have you." She said, forcing a smile on her face.
Sota nodded politely. "I appreciate it. I'll think about it."
Without another word, he turned and walked away from the booth. Aiko watched him go, a hint of confusion in her eyes. One look was all it took for her to know that Sota was a sports type of guy... and yet he didn't want to join the flag football club.
"Then again, he's probably into football... maybe he thinks flag football is just a watered-down version of the sport. Urgh~! I should've given him more information before trying to recruit him." She said to herself, clenching her right fist as she made a mental note in her mind.
While Sota flat-out rejected her offer, she decided not to give up on recruiting him for the team.
—
Sota navigated through the bustling fair, his mind a whirl of thoughts and memories he wished he could escape. The cherry blossoms swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, a stark contrast to the storm brewing within him. He needed space, a moment to breathe.
As he found a quiet spot under a large cherry blossom tree, he sat down and took a deep breath. The path ahead was still uncertain, and the dream of being a star quarterback was a painful reminder of what he had lost. But with each passing day, he knew he had to find a new direction, a new purpose.
Sota watched the petals fall, each one symbolizing a new beginning, a chance to move forward. He wasn't sure what the future held, but he knew he had to keep going, one step at a time.
Suddenly, he felt all his nerves jolt inside him as an electrifying sensation coursed through his body.
Fwooosh~!
Then, as if on cue, he heard a familiar whistle— the sound of rushing wind as something was thrown, streamlining through as it traveled a whopping fifteen meters per second in the air.
"Full absorb." Something in Sota's mind clicked as he relied on his instincts. He could tell which direction the football was coming from.
In a flash, he raised his right hand to the back of his head, barely making any movements. His broad palm commanded attention, and his elongated and slender fingers seemed to suck the football in.
With one swift motion, he brought his hand back the moment it touched the ball, arcing it in a way that made him redirect the force of impact which enabled him to catch it easily with one hand.
It was easy work for him. Even the other students could tell that that wasn't just a mere fluke. Moreover, his fluid motion, which was drilled into his body, seemed like it was executed perfectly, down to the minutest of movements.
The onlookers thought that maybe Sota could do something so impossible, even in his sleep— that's how amazing his catching instincts appeared to them.
"Oops, that was close. Who's going around throwing these things?" Sota asked himself as he turned around, just then realizing that he caught an actual football.
Wait...
"HAAH!" He let out a scream in surprise as he dropped the ball in front of him.
Looking around, he realized that there were a lot of students who unexpectedly witnessed what happened. They couldn't believe what they saw, and some of them even started clapping.
Even those who don't know how football was played could tell that what he did was nothing short of amazing.
With a slight anxiousness in his expression, Sota bowed down to those who were clapping before he got up, fully intending to get out of there before the person who threw the ball caught up to him.
Judging from the speed of the ball, as well as the whistling sound it made, Sota could more or less guess that the person behind it was fifty to sixty meters away.
"Oi!"
Quickening his pace, Sota didn't want to interact with the person who screamed at him. In any case, he didn't want to get involved with anything related to football. It took him a couple of months to steel himself and give up on his dream.
And now it's trying to overtake him again. At this point, avoiding it would be the best move.
In retrospect, the reason why Sota chose this school was because he knew that it didn't have a football team, so no one would recognize him. Who would've thought that the school would have a flag football club and a full-fledged one at that?
"There he goes." The student heaved a sigh as he picked up the football, its leather comfortably cushioned on his hands. It should've just been a prank since he wanted to tell him to know his place. "How could he do that? That was a clean catch."
"Did you see that?!" A voice suddenly spoke from behind the student, causing him to jump off a couple of inches from the ground. Panicking, he turned around, wondering why someone was sneaking up on him.
"Ah, Tachibana-san." The student said. "And yeah... it was clean."
However, at the back of the student's mind, he was in disbelief. 'That was the first time I've seen such a clean catch and transition. If you were running and you caught the ball like that, you wouldn't lose your speed and momentum. Is he a pro? Where on earth did Tachibana-san find such a diamond in the rough?' He asked himself.
Then there was Aiko who wasn't listening to the student at all. 'I knew it! He's a football player! I mean, how do you explain that? Ughhh~ I'm going to recruit him to the team no matter what!' She told herself, once again steeling her unwavering determination as she watched Sota disappear in the backdrop.