Iโve Been Working My Hardest as Manager of the Girlsโ Track and Field Team, but Ever Since I Retired, the Team Members Have Been Coming at Me Like Crazy!?
โFourth place in Heat 2 goes to Takahashi from Kurokawa Academy. These four runners, along with the fourth-place finisher from Heat 1, have advanced to tomorrowโs final.โ
My club memberโs name was not among those announced over the PA system.
โIs it over, then?โ
Watching their heroic performance from the stands, I muttered that involuntarily and looked up at the sky.
My role as the track and field team manager had now come to an end.
โWell then. Knowing them, theyโre definitely crying behind the scenes. Maybe Iโll go comfort them later.โ
Watching the athletes head back into the stadium, I found myself reflecting a little on the past two years.
โ
It all started with something trivial.
In the spring of my freshman year of high school, the advisor for our track and field team singled me outโMitsuru Senba, the only student in the grade who wasnโt on a club team.
โYou. Be our manager and get the team to the National High School Championships.โ
Without any explanation, I was given this rough offer, so naturally, I turned it down.
Although joining a club was mandatory at our school, I rebelled against it, thinking it was the schoolโs problem. However, that same evening, the teacher called me in again.
There, I was asked once more to be the track and field teamโs manager, but I firmly refused again.
The reason I stubbornly refused was, well, purely for my own convenience.
I wasnโt particularly athletic, nor did I have any other outstanding talents. I believed that for someone like me, it was wiser to focus on my studies, get into a good university, and aim for a good job, rather than half-heartedly joining a club. Thatโs why I had no intention of wasting my time on club activities.
However, as if he had seen right through me, the teacher
made this proposal:
โIf our team makes it to the National High School Championships, Iโd be willing to give you a spot in the designated student quota for a prestigious private university.โ
To cut to the chase, that single sentence was the deciding factor, and I ended up taking on the role of manager for the track and field team.
It wasnโt that I was lured by a sweet temptation.
I simply chose the option I thought had the higher probability of success.
As an average student, even if I studied hard for three years, my chances of getting into the university the teacher had offered were extremely low.
In contrast, I figured the odds of someone from the track and field teamโonce hailed as the best in the prefectureโmaking it to the National High School Championships were far higher.
But as soon as I decided to join, I regretted it.
I wished Iโd done my research more thoroughly.
As it turned out, there were only three members in the clubโall of them my classmates.
And all three had been nobodies in middle school; they were nowhere near the level needed to compete in the National High School Championships.
Apparently, the track and field club was a shadow of its former self; for the past few years, it hadnโt even had any members and had been effectively inactive.
It had only just resumed activities after a few new members finally joined.
Of course, I immediately thought about quitting.
But as if he could see right through my shallow thinking, the club advisor said to me:
โIf youโre not in a club, you might end up repeating a year at worst.โ
It was an unmistakable threat, but for someone like meโwho believed that getting into a good university and landing a job at a good company was the only path to successโthe mere mention of โrepeating a yearโ weighed heavily on me.
The moment I started worrying about what would happen if that actually came to pass, I was already finished.
There was no way I could easily make a decision that carried even the slightest risk of that happening, so I officially became the manager of the girlsโ track and field team to support them.
And then came all the twists and turns.
No, reallyโso many things happened that I couldnโt possibly recount them all even if I spent the whole night talking.
All three of them had strong personalities, crying or getting angry at the slightest provocation.
Every time that happened, we clashed, talked it out, and deepened our bond of trust.
Somehow, it all feels like a distant memory now, and I miss it.
Even that day when Shiratori told me, crying, that she wanted to get stronger.
Even those late-night phone calls with Yukimura, yelling at each other over the practice schedule.
Even that afternoon after school when I went to visit Hayase after she fell ill.
Now, all of it is a precious memory for me.
The reason I made them endure such grueling practices, and the reason I established that ironclad rule forbidding romance until we retiredโat first, it was all just for the sake of my own college entrance exams.
But they stuck with it.
And they fought desperately every day to get results.
Moved by their determination, at some point I found myself no longer thinking just about my own future, but filled with the desire to get everyone to the National High School Championships.
So when all three of us qualified for the National High School Championships, I was so happy I almost cried.
Even so, I played the role of the tough guy until the very end, acting like the bad guy and pushing them by saying, โDonโt cry until the Nationals are over.โ
But I donโt have to put on that tough act anymore.
โAh, Mitchi!โ
As I stepped down from the stands, Shiratori Moeโwho had just competed in the 100-meter dash and lostโspotted me and ran over.
โGood job, Shiratori. You really gave it your all.โ
โAww! I lost!โ
With her faceโconsidered the most handsome in our gradeโall scrunched up, Shiratori threw herself into my arms.
โNo, no, you did great. Seriously, good job.โ
โI tried my best, you know? Mitchi, will you give me a compliment?โ
โOf course. You were really amazing.โ
For a guy like meโwhoโs never had a girlfriend in his entire lifeโbeing hugged by a beautiful girl like this would normally make my heart race or get me all worked up.
Actually, there was a time when just seeing them in their uniforms would make me feel a little restless.
But since this kind of thing was an everyday occurrence, Iโd built up quite an immunity to it.
Besides, Iโm not stupid enough to impose a โno datingโ rule on myself and then break it.
Though, letโs keep this between us: the โno datingโ rule was just a pretext to help them focus on practice. The real reason was that it annoyed me to imagine these girls going on dates with guys while I was putting together practice menus and managing the game schedule after practice.
โWhat about the other two?โ
โThey were in the stands with the coach, so theyโre probably on their way over here.โ
โI see. Yeah, but itโs over, isnโt it?โ
Our youthโwhich felt long yet flew by in the blink of an eyeโcomes to a close here today.
Overcome by that sense of accomplishment, those words just slipped out.
โNo, it starts today.โ
Shiratori said that while still clinging to me.
โโฆโฆItโs starting?โ
โYeah. All this time, right up until today, Mitchi has supported me every single day. So starting today, Iโm going to do everything I can for you.โ
โH-huh.โ
โSeriously, Mitchi, you donโt have to cook, you donโt have to do homework, and if you want, Iโll even drive you to and from school.โ
โT-thatโs quite the treatment.โ
โReally? Are you happy?โ
โY-yeah, Iโm happy.โ
โGood. Then, shall we go find everyone?โ
โY-yeah, letโs do that.โ
Maybe it was the sense of relief after the match, but Shiratoriโwhoโs usually so strong-willedโwas acting surprisingly clingy today.
Well, thereโs no reason for me to nag her now.ใ
If it had been yesterday, I might have snapped at her with something like, โDo you really think you can win with that lackadaisical attitude?โ
โHey, Mitchi.โ
โHm?โ
โhand. Can I hold it?โ
โโฆโฆWhy?โ
โWhy?โฆโฆIs that a no?โ
โN-no, if youโre tired, you can rest a bit first.โ
โCome on, youโre being mean.โ
After pouting, she leaned against me.
โH-hey. Youโre too close.โ
โNo way. Iโve been holding back this whole time.โ
Shiratori hugged my arm tightly.
โHolding back? What are you talking about?โ
โAll kinds of things. Seriously, every day was just nonstop grueling practice, wasnโt it?โ
โWell, you really did your best, honestly.โ
โโฆโฆI want to.โ
โHm?โ
โNext time.โ
Shiratori whispered softly beside me.
In a voice that sounded like a breath escaping her lips, she murmured:
โI want to really go wild with you, Mitchi.โ