.
.
.
The next morning.
Soccer club practice started just like always.
But Leehan was different from yesterday.
When Riu passed the ball over, Leehan took it naturally, and when Riu moved, he sent the pass there a beat earlier.
The two of them were strangely in sync.
"Nice. Again."
Riu nudged the ball forward.
Leehan ran up and took the ball.
After getting past one defender and cutting inside, Riu came running in from the other side.
Leehan passed without hesitation.
Riu shot it as is.
Goal.
"At this point, maybe I don't even need to say anything?"
Riu said with a smile.
Leehan also smiled, catching his breath.
"I can roughly see where you’re going now, senpai."
"Hearing that makes me feel good."
"Why?"
"It means we’re in sync."
Leehan looked at Riu for a moment.
"I've always worked well with you, senpai."
"Since when?"
"From the beginning."
"From the beginning?"
"Yes."
Riu let out a snort of laughter.
"Back then, you barely even talked to me."
"I wasn't talking; I just wasn't out of sync."
"Sometimes you really say things that make a person's heart skip, you know that?"
Leehan blinked.
"That wasn't my intention."
"That's the problem."
Riu laughed and picked up the ball.
Then it happened.
"Senpai Riu."
Someone called from behind.
Both of them turned at the same time.
It was a first-year player on the soccer club.
"The coach is looking for you, senpai."
"Now?"
"Yes. And he wants Leehan to come too."
Riu and Leehan looked at each other.
"What's going on?"
When they went into the coach's office, a stranger was sitting there.
It was someone they'd never seen before.
The coach stood up from his seat and said,
"You're here?"
"Yes."
"This is OO, the soccer club coach."
Riu lowered his head.
"Hello."
The other coach smiled and looked at Leehan.
"You're Leehan, right?"
Leehan nodded.
"Yes."
"I watched yesterday's match footage. Your movement was really good."
Riu's expression subtly stiffened.
The coach went on explaining.
"We have a practice match with your school next month, right? Before that, I wanted to test Leehan once, so..."
"Test me?"
Leehan asked.
"Yeah. Another school has shown interest in Leehan."
Riu's hand stopped.
"Another school?"
The words slipped out before he knew it.
The other coach smiled.
"Right. It isn't an official offer yet, but if possible, I wanted to tell him to think about playing for our school starting next season."
The room fell silent.
Leehan didn't show much expression.
But Riu was different.
His mind became a mess.
Leehan going to another school.
For some reason, that thought felt awful.
"Anyway, his own wishes are the most important thing, so there's no need to decide in a hurry."
The coach said to Leehan.
"Think about it slowly."
"Yes."
Leehan replied.
Then Riu opened his mouth.
"I think Leehan should keep playing here."
Everyone's eyes turned to Riu.
Riu himself was surprised.
The other coach laughed.
"As captain, that's what you'd say."
"...Yes."
"He's a good player, so he'll do well anywhere."
Those words bothered him strangely.
Anywhere.
Then Leehan really was someone who could go anywhere.
And for Riu, that fact was frightening for the first time.
After practice ended.
Leehan was left alone on the field.
He was tidying up the balls when Riu approached.
"Leehan."
"Yes."
"About what happened earlier."
"Yes."
"Have you thought about it?"
Leehan looked at Riu with a ball in his arms.
"Not yet."
"Do you want to go?"
Leehan fell silent for a moment.
"I don't know."
At that answer, Riu's expression hardened.
"Why?"
"If I can play in a better environment, I might think about it."
"Better than here?"
"Maybe."
"......."
"What would you do, senpai?"
Riu couldn't answer easily.
If it were himself.
If there were a better opportunity, he would take it.
As a player, that would be the obvious choice.
And yet, strangely, he wanted to tell Leehan not to go.
"I..."
Riu started to speak, then stopped.
"If you want to go, go."
Leehan looked at Riu.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Are you okay with me going, senpai?"
Riu forced a smile.
"It's your life. What can I say?"
"I see."
Leehan nodded.
And turned away.
Riu watched that back and unconsciously clenched his fist tightly.
Why was he acting like nothing at all mattered?
Why was he the only one acting so strangely?
That evening.
Riu stayed on the field later than usual.
He kicked the ball again and again.
But he couldn't focus.
The image of Leehan wearing another school's uniform kept coming to him.
Playing for another team.
Taking passes from another captain.
Laughing with other people.
The more he thought about it, the more one side of his chest felt strangely tight.
"Senpai."
A voice came from behind.
Riu turned around.
It was Leehan.
"You haven't gone yet?"
"You hadn't left, senpai."
"Why?"
"I wanted to go together."
Riu looked at Leehan for a moment.
"You were waiting for me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Just because."
Leehan stood beside Riu.
"You didn't look like you were in a good mood today."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Nothing happened."
"Lies."
Riu let out a snort of laughter.
"You seem to know me way too well these days."
"Even if you try to hide it, I can tell."
"Then are you going to hide the fact that you might go to another school from me too?"
Leehan flinched.
"I haven't decided yet."
"But you might go."
"Yes."
Riu lowered his head.
"Then go."
"......."
"If you want to play somewhere better, then going is the right thing to do."
Leehan stared at Riu for a long time.
"Do you want me to go, senpai?"
Riu didn't answer.
"Please answer me."
"......."
"Senpai."
Riu finally looked at Leehan.
Then he said in a low voice,
"I don't like it."
Leehan's eyes widened.
"What don't you like?"
"You going."
For the first time, Riu spoke honestly.
"To be honest, I hate it. I hate the idea of you playing for another school, I hate you practicing with other people, and when I think about you doing even better somewhere I don't know, it makes me feel weirdly bad."
Leehan said nothing.
Riu smiled bitterly.
"But I can't tell you not to go. You might get a better opportunity, and if I keep you here just because I'm the captain, it feels like greed."
A long silence followed.
Leehan asked quietly,
"Do you really mean that as the captain?"
Riu's eyes wavered.
"...What?"
"You said you don't like me going to another school."
"Yeah."
"Is the reason really just because I'm the ace?"
Riu couldn't answer.
Leehan took one step closer.
"If the reason you want to keep me here is because of soccer, then I might go."
"......."
"But if it's not because of soccer."
Leehan's voice lowered a little.
"If the reason you need me is something else, then I won't go."
Riu stared at Leehan as if he'd stopped breathing.
"What do you mean by that?"
"If you tell me first."
"Tell you what?"
"What I am to you."
Riu's heart started beating fast.
But he couldn't answer easily.
What Leehan was to him.
Ace.
Junior.
Teammate.
None of those words could explain what he was feeling now.
Riu barely managed to open his mouth.
"You are..."
At that moment, someone shouted from outside the field.
"Riu! Leehan! You still haven't left?"
They both turned back at the same time.
Riu swallowed his words.
And Leehan smiled softly.
"Let's stop here for today."
"Leehan."
"Yes?"
"Let's talk tomorrow."
"Talk about what?"
Riu thought for a long time before saying,
"About what you are to me."
Leehan's gaze wavered.
"That's a promise?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'll wait."
Leehan left the field first.
Riu stood there for a long while.
He still couldn't tell exactly what his own feelings were.
But one thing was certain.
If he hated even just the thought of Leehan leaving this much, then he was already thinking about him far too much.