CH 14

Ball game tournament. A school event where one competes for victory or defeat in sports, making using of balls.

Judging from the people who like doing physical activity, it is the best school event. But for people, whose strong points are not in sports, it is the worst.

In front of my eyes, the highly acclaimed ball game tournament, is in progress. The guys who liked to exercise, had a livelier face than usual.

On the other way, guys related to cultural activities, who are holding back others, are treated as nuisance by their classmates. There are many students, who are also being ridiculed by the girls.

While looking at those guys, I am not doing anything special and am just watching the scene as a spectator.

Right here, if you caution the people, ridiculing who can’t do physical activity, it’d be the right direction for becoming the protagonist of a story. However if you ask me, this a natural outcome.

Well then, let’s assume the people who are weak at sports and have difficulty participating in the ball games, have literary events, they are good at. In that case, surely they will also look down on the people enjoying the ball games right now.

This is why the event this time, is only for students who can only participate in physical activities.

Perhaps the guys who are happily moving their bodies right now, will be the ones having painful thoughts, next time. The school events have not been created as such that certain people can enjoy it each time. So, it is natural that there are people, who are having hard time participating in the sports, now.

This is not called inequality but being reasonable.

Even though I am trying to look cool, I don’t have any interest in the ball game tournament, myself. Rather, I wish it would end immediately.

The reason is simple. This year, the event for guys, is soccer.

I also used to play soccer in the past. If I tried hard, I am sure I will be able to do reasonably well. However, the surroundings will not tolerate that.

In our class… No, in our year, there is a guy.

“Ogiwara-kuun!” “Score the decider!” “So cool…!”

Yes, the guy who should be called the reincarnation of evil, the smile manufacturing machine, Ogiwara Yuuto.

From our Class 3, Yuuto is playing the leading figure in the game; everything from shooting, passing, free kick, corner, etc, all are done by him. There are also several members of the soccer club, but no one tries to do it himself.

In the first round held around an hour ago, not the student who got the PK, but Yuuto was given the position of kicker. All situations of activity have been awarded to Yuuto.

“Ogiwara, finish it!”

“If it is you, you can definitely do it!”

By the way, the two people of now, were passing the ball to Yuuto in front of our own goal, but were encouraging him to score the goal from there. Just a pair of idiots. They don’t seem to understand how long a shoot can be.

“Is this what, you call a team?”

By my side, Kirasaka is conversing while watching the game. The basketball match, she was participating in, has finished. Quickly, she came over to the schoolyard, to watch the boys’ contest.

“Uh… There is no one standing out except Ogiwara-kun.”

Shizuku, who also participated in the basketball match, commented on the sight in front of her, as if she was watching a bizarre event.

“Why is Shinra-kun, not participating? I came here because I wanted to see that.”

Kirasaka, who knew about me playing soccer, looked strangely over here.

“There are three guys in our class, who are members of the soccer club. However, those three guys are never trying to make any eye-catching plays…. Do you know why?”

“If that handsome guy is not standing out, then they will be the one, who would be criticized.”

“Exactly”

I turned my eyes towards the cheering squad of girls, near the court. Sometimes, when people got flared up at Yuuto making mistakes, the girls would simultaneously start disagreeing in low voices.

I continued my explanation, while the two were observing the situation.

“If I go out there now… Yuuto knows that I used to play soccer in the past. Since it is him, he would continuously start sending me passes. If that happens, that scary cheering squad will look at me with colder eyes than now.

The girls were convinced of my explanation and replied together with “I see”. While we were doing such things, the whistle signalling the end of match, blew.

Score was 4-0. It was a complete victory for Class 3.

“Ah… Minato should have participated too! Isn’t such enjoyable event, pretty good?”

After the match, coming gallantly in front of the three of us, Yuuto’s first words were as such. Since I had explained my reason for not going out there to the girls, both of them just looked at Yuuto with innocent expressions.

“I am fine with just watching. At this point of time, even if I play soccer, I will just get tired.”

“Saying such things, weren’t you, pretty good.”

Yuuto told me, while wiping his sweat. Most likely, he must be speaking his mind, without any malice.

However from my point of view, I can only think of being looked down.

“Weren’t you, pretty good.” It was as if he was acknowledging me, being lower than himself, as if saying “I could do it better than I thought.”

Someone who spent a lot of time and years, lost easily against someone who only studied at school. With this, I felt as if I was a fool.

Turning my eyes, away from Yuuto, who was doing the so called, ‘practice’ with classmates, I left that place alone and disappeared within the school building.