CHAPTER 6 – RUN TOWARDS TOMORROW!
PART 01
——
And with that, I finally stood at the same starting point as my close friends, ready to live out my high school life.
However, Ai-chan, who was probably having the most fulfilling high school life out of us all, suddenly appeared one day at the MAHO-do looking all depressed.
Three days ago, she had been so proud to be chosen to represent our prefecture at the national track meet.
“If I can achieve good results at the nationals, I’d be selected to enter a university famous for their track team, and becoming an Olympic runner won’t be a dream anymore! I’ll work super hard!” she’d declared.
“What’s wrong, why the dark face?” I asked.
“I feel super out of place in the track team.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Misora High School’s track team was small to begin with, and on top of that, was recently experiencing a decline. What Ai-chan was saying was that she was the only one who was training really hard in the team, and that made her feel out of place.
There were even seniors who told her that joining the team should just be a fun activity, and that her serious attitude was an eyesore.
“Don’t be bothered by them! Isn’t it your dream to compete in the Olympics and win a gold medal?”
“Yeah…”
“I think the other members are just envious that Ai-chan is progressing towards her goal. Don’t let their opinions get to you, just continue to practice like you’ve always done.”
“Thank you, Doremi-chan. I feel better now,” Ai-chan said with a smile.
~~~~~
At that time, I felt that Ai-chan was just putting on a strong front, but after one week, the Ai-chan I saw in school was the usual, super carefree self she had always been.
“Seems like my advice worked,” I called out to Ai-chan one day, as she was training in the schoolyard after school.
“Oh, no, it’s because of him,” Ai-chan laughed and pointed at someone.
“Oh, that hunk?! Ai-chan, don’t tell me you’ve gotten a new boyfriend?!”
“Eh? Who are you looking at?! I’m pointing at him, the guy who is with coach Nagao-sensei now.”
I looked away from the hunky senior to see an old man, who looked to be about 68 years old, conversing with Nagao-sensei, all while shouting commands at the track members who were jogging past.
“He’s Iiyama-san, a senior from the pioneer batch of our school and an old boy on the track team. He used to be one of the candidates selected to compete in the Olympic 100-m dash.”
“Wow, an old boy from the pioneer batch…”
“He has been coming down to watch us train recently. He also got all those lazy seniors to start training seriously.”
“I see. Finally, someone who understands Ai-chan has shown up.”
“That’s not all. He has given me lots of advice and tips, so I can try to beat my own record now.”
“I see.”
Just then, Iiyama-san spotted us and came over.
“Senoo, why are you slacking off?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Erm… I was the one who called out to her.”
Iiyama-san looked at me doubtfully.
“This is my close friend, Harukaze Doremi-chan.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Harukaze,” I bowed slightly.
“See you, Doremi-chan. I need to go train.”
With that, Ai-chan went back to working on her starting sprint.
Iiyama-san watched Ai-chan through narrowed eyes.
“Iiyama-san, thank you.”
“Hmm?”
“For helping Ai-chan with various things… I just want to say thank you, too.”
“Save your thanks. I decided to help Senoo of my own accord. That girl has a chance of going to the Olympics.”
“Really?!” Unknowingly, I had shouted out loud. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to shout at a super senpai,” I apologized, bowing my head.
Iiyama-san laughed out loud. “You’re just like Senoo, a girl with personality.”
“R-Really? You’re making me blush.”
“Hahahaha, how fun it would be to have grandkids like you girls.”
“Doesn’t Iiyama-san have any grandchildren?”
Iiyama-san’s expression immediately darkened.
At that moment, he really resembled a roly-poly daruma Doll.
“E-Erm… Did I say something wrong?”
Iiyama-san ignored my question and walked away.
His retreating back looked so lonely.
~~~~~
“Oh, so he said that to Doremi-chan, too. He said it to me when I asked about his grandchildren too, then he just got upset. Don’t worry about it too much.”
We were on our way to the MAHO-do after Ai-chan’s training. I had looked so anxious, as if I was stepping in a minefield, that Ai-chan had to comfort me.
“Maybe his grandchildren died?”
“Nah. Iiyama-san lives at a contractor’s store in front of the train station, and I’ve seen a pair of sisters, a junior high school girl and an elementary school girl, returning from school to that house.”
“I see… So maybe they don’t get along well?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, asking so many questions seems rude.”
“But he is a very important person to Ai-chan, right?”
“Yea. But even so…”
“Maybe Iiyama-san cannot communicate well with his grandkids. I really think so. Hey, maybe we should investigate a little and find out more.”
“But how?”
Just as I was about to say “with magic”, we heard a car braking in front of the store, and a horn soon sounded.
Ai-chan and I looked out the window at the road to see a taxi parked outside. Ai-chan’s dad was leaning out the driver’s seat window.
“Dad, what’s up?”
“Aiko, rejoice! I’ve bought a new takoyaki grill set!” Ai-chan’s dad said happily as he showed us a huge bag with the grill set inside.
“Our takoyaki grill broke down, and so we hadn’t been eating any these days,” Ai-chan explained to me.
“Haha, then that’s great,” I replied with a somewhat amazed look.
I knew that the takoyaki grill is a must-have item for Osakan families, but it was really not an essential thing for us Kanto people.
“Doremi-chan, come to have takoyaki with us soon.”
“Of course! You make the best takoyaki, uncle!”
Just then, Ai-chan shouted, “I know!”
What?
“We can have a takoyaki party at my place and invite Iiyama-san!”
“Ah, that sounds good!” I replied.
——
Notes:
1. A daruma doll is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. It is usually painted with an unsmiling face.
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