C29

Chapter 29: The Target of Irritation — Renya Kujo Side

After school.

Homeroom ended, and students filed out of the classroom one after another. Kujo headed toward the exit on the corridor side, and right as he was about to step out, Kokona and Kaho walked side by side past him from behind.

"Kokona."

Kujo called out. Yet, Kokona didn't lift her face, walking side by side with Kaho with her head bowed, passing straight by Kujo's side.

"......"

Kujo's brow twitched slightly. He silently watched the back vanishing past him.

"What's her problem..."

As Kujo stepped out of the classroom himself, a voice called out from behind.

"Kujo-kun?"

Turning around, Meiko and Rinko had emerged from the classroom.

"What's wrong?"

"No... it's just, it feels like Kokona's ignoring me."

When Kujo said that, Meiko glanced slightly toward Kokona and Kaho's backs.

"Well... Kokona's probably dealing with a lot, you know."

"......Maybe."

Even while replying like that, a sense of unresolved dissatisfaction remained inside Kujo.

Besides, it wasn't just about Kokona today. The strange atmosphere in the class he'd felt since the morning hadn't left his head either.

"More importantly, why are those guys in class acting so..."

Kujo couldn't phrase the rest well. He didn't know how to express the snag in his chest. As if sensing what Kujo was thinking, Meiko opened her mouth.

"Well, since Tachibana hasn't been coming, people are probably just overthinking things."

"..."

Kujo didn't reply, remaining slightly bowed with an unappeasable irritation lodged inside him.

"Once Tachibana comes back, things'll go right back to normal."

Meiko said that and laughed lightly.

"Everyone'll forget about today's stuff in no time."

"......You think so?"

"I do."

Meiko stated it plainly.

"More importantly, you've got club, right?"

Saying that, Meiko gave Kujo's back a light push.

"Come on, go get to it."

"......Yeah."

"Rinko, let's head back."

"......Yeah."

Rinko nodded slightly as well.

"See ya, Kujo-kun."

"Later."

Parting ways with the two of them, Kujo walked off toward the locker room all by himself.

◇

Changing his shoes at the shoe lockers, he stepped outside the school building.

Though his pace was no different from usual, the back of Kokona—who hadn't looked back when he called out and had walked away from Kaho—refused to leave his head.

(...What is her deal?)

What I did for Kokona wasn't wrong.

Figuring a gentle girl like Kokona would have a hard time bringing it up herself, I stepped in and told him in her place...

Granted, while there was some personal bias on my part, why did she have to avoid me... No matter how much he thought about it, no answer came, so Kujo let out a small breath and opened the club locker room door.

"Yo."

"Hey."

Several members were already changing, and Kujo put his bag in his locker and started changing into his practice gear just like always.

"Apparently today's mini-game session is gonna be long."

"You serious? We ran a bunch yesterday too."

"Don't ask me. Go ask the coach."

Nodding along to the stupid chatter, he proceeded with his preparations, but today he just couldn't get into the spirit of conversations he would normally laugh and join in on.

To begin with, today had felt weird since the morning.

Everyone was distant, and as time passed, that incongruity only grew clearer.

And what came to mind was the scene from lunch break—the cold stares of his classmates and their attitude of refusing to play along with him no matter what he said. Even conversations that should have been laughed off and brushed aside today carried an air of pushing him away.

(...Why are they acting like that, too?)

"Kujo, let's go."

"Yeah."

Leaving the locker room together with the other members, the sound of kicking balls and teammates' voices reached his ears from the ground where many members had already gathered, just like always.

"Gather!"

The coach's voice rang out, and the members assembled.

"Warm-ups first. Then passing drills. After that, we're moving into 1-on-1s."

"Yes!"

Unified replies echoed across the ground, and practice began. Kujo ran while moving his body, receiving incoming balls and returning them to his teammates.

"Nice!" "Switch!"

His voice came out naturally.

"Kujo, nice!"

"Yeah!"

The usual Kujo—at least from the surroundings' perspective, his body moved through the repeatedly practiced passing drills without needing conscious thought. Even so, thoughts of lunch break refused to leave the corner of his mind.

(...Did I really do something that bad?)

Receiving a ball, he faced forward and passed to a teammate. Right as he tried to move to the next position, Kujo's movement was slightly delayed.

"Kujo, one more time!"

"Yeah."

Kujo received the returned ball and immediately passed it back this time. It was a minuscule mismatch. An issue he wouldn't normally give a second thought to, but today it grated on his nerves.

Right after, a teammate's pass rolled a bit too far away from his feet.

"Pass it a bit earlier."

"My bad."

"......Right."

Though he replied shortly, the irritation lingering deep within his chest didn't vanish.

◇

Once the passing drills ended, they moved on to 1-on-1 practice, and Kujo took his usual spot, facing the junior who stepped up across from him.

"Start!"

Simultaneously with the signal, the ball moved. Kujo read his opponent's movement, closed the distance in a flash, extended a sharp foot to touch the ball first, and wedged his body in to steal it away.

"Nice, Kujo!"

The usual play—the moment he thought that, the junior lunged forward toward the ball.

Kujo immediately matched his body, their shoulders colliding. Even so, pressing forward without stopping, the junior's body staggered heavily, taking a few steps back before finally managing to plant his feet.

"......My bad."

"I'm fine."

The junior answered and quickly recovered.

Kujo didn't care and moved on to the next play. However, similar scenes repeated afterwards; every time he challenged for the ball, his body checks grew harsher, and his movements after winning possession lost their composure.

"Kujo, you playing kind of rough today?"

A nearby member muttered softly.

"......Maybe."

Another member replied, but Kujo couldn't hear them—or rather, even if he had, he didn't have the bandwidth to care right now.

What happened at school today wouldn't leave his head.

The stares directed at him, the atmosphere that differed from before, being avoided by Kokona—everything was snagging in his mind.

(...What is this.)

Right then, a ball rolled right in front of him.

Before his brain could process it, Kujo moved his body, stepping in hard to touch the ball before his opponent. Wedging his body in to steal it, he carried it forward.

"Nice!"

A voice flew in from behind.

His plays were going as usual—yet in the corner of his head, the events of school today remained without disappearing.

◇

As practice progressed and shifted to mini-games, Kujo took his usual spot on the front line, running whenever he received a ball and shouting instructions to his teammates.

"Right side's open! Collapse in!"

Listening only to his voice, it was no different from usual, and his plays hadn't significantly broken down either, but he lacked composure, immediately closing down distance and throwing his body in to win the ball whenever opponents possessed it.

"Nice!"

A voice flew from behind.

"Yeah!"

Kujo ran forward, but right then, cheers from the girls watching from outside the fence reached his ears. Several had gathered near the fence, shouting toward them.

"Kujo-senpai, do your best!"

Normally, he would have raised a hand lightly or laughed and responded to those voices. But today, even upon hearing the cheers, he didn't cast his gaze their way, simply continuing to run forward.

Immediately after, a teammate's pass strayed slightly from his feet.

"Hey, Tanaka!"

"Yes!"

Kujo's voice grew sharp.

"Look properly before you pass."

"......Sorry."

When the junior lowered his head slightly, Kujo didn't reply, running straight ahead.

One of the girls watching that scene spoke up in a mutter.

"Hey... doesn't Kujo-senpai look kind of scary today?"

"......Yeah."

The two voices went no further than that.

The mini-game continued, and Kujo ran the front line, winning balls and shouting repeatedly to his teammates.

Though he intended to move as usual, his irritation—still lacking a distinct shape even to Kujo himself—bled out into the edges of his plays.

"Right!" "Collapse!" "That's open!"

Judging by his voice alone, it was no different from normal. Yet every time he saw teammates failing to move as he wanted, irritation piled up deep inside his chest.

Another pass came in from a teammate. Kujo started running forward, but the ball drifted slightly behind him.

"Tch."

Kujo clicked his tongue and stopped his feet.

"Sorry!"

The junior who made the pass called out in a panic.

Kujo turned around.

"How many times is that now?"

"S-Sorry."

"Look around properly before you pass."

"Yes..."

The junior gave a small nod.

Kujo turned back forward without saying anything more, but his irritation didn't subside.

(Why can't you even do something this simple?)

On the very next play, Kujo himself had the ball stolen.

"Kujo, switch!"

"I know!"

A sharp voice slipped out involuntarily.

At the voice echoing across the ground, the movements around him halted for a fraction of a second. The gazes of the members chasing the ball gathered slightly on Kujo.

Kujo himself noticed that shift in the atmosphere. Even so, saying nothing, he immediately faced forward.

Moving his feet, chasing opponents, throwing his body against loose balls. His body moved just like always. Yet, what floated in his head were things entirely unrelated to soccer.

The scene at lunch break.

Kokona's attitude.

The stares his classmates directed at him—in today's classroom, the very people who would usually laugh and play along with his words hadn't smiled a single time.

(...Why do I have to go through something like this?)

Right then, a ball rolled in front of him.

Kujo stepped in all at once, extending his foot toward the ball ahead of his opponent. The moment he touched it, he slid his body between his opponent and secured the ball.

He didn't react to voices flying from around him, running straight forward with the ball.

◇

By the time the mini-game ended, the members were out of breath.

"Gather!"

The coach's voice echoed across the ground—signaled by that voice, everyone assembled, regulating their ragged breathing. Kujo joined the line as well, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Kujo."

"Yes."

"Come here for a second."

Called out, Kujo stepped out before the coach.

"What's going on today?"

"......Nothing."

"It's not 'nothing.' Your body checks have been way too rough since a while ago."

Kujo stayed silent.

"I don't mind you getting heated in practice. But don't make plays that lead to injuries."

"......Sorry."

"You were coming down pretty hard on the junior just now, too."

"......Yes."

"If you've got something going on, don't bring it into practice. Switch your mindset here."

"Understood."

Kujo bowed his head.

"I'm sorry."

"Alright. Get back."

"Yes."

When Kujo returned to the line, he made eye contact with a few members. Yet, they immediately averted their eyes. Though he returned to his position without a word, despite practice still having time left, his chest felt heavier than it had moments before.

(...It's not like I like being pissed off, either.)

Avoided by Kokona, looked at by his classmates as if he were the villain, and now getting chewed out at club.

Kujo simply couldn't accept it.

(In the first place......)

Flashing in his head was Reo Tachibana's face.

(It's because Tachibana isn't coming to school.)

That guy was skipping.

Just because of that, the classmates kept dragging up what happened that day and started thinking unnecessary things.

—It's all because that guy stopped coming to school.

Facing forward, Kujo clenched his back teeth hard.

(...Seriously, what a pain in the ass.)

That irritation still hadn't formed into clear words.

Yet, inside Kujo, its target was gradually turning toward a single place.

When practice resumed shortly after, Kujo chased balls as if nothing had happened, suppressing his movements just a fraction compared to before, returning his shouted instructions to teammates to their usual level.

On the surface, he looked like he'd returned to his usual Kujo.

"Right side's open."

"Nice."

Responding shortly to returning voices, Kujo replied in kind.

As long as he was running, he didn't have to think about unnecessary things. While chasing the ball and moving his body, he could forget what had piled up deep in his chest.

Yet, the moment his movements stopped even slightly, unnecessary things crossed his mind again.

Kujo unconsciously clenched his fists.

(...Why is it always me?)

Kujo clenched his back teeth as he ran.

Back on that day, he had explained things properly to everyone. Explaining that it was for Kokona's sake, that he acted so Tachibana wouldn't misunderstand any further, and even bowing his head.

Weren't those guys convinced back then, saying "Understood"? It was supposed to have ended there.

And yet—the moment Tachibana skipped school for a few days, their eyes looking at him changed.

As if to say the story was different.

(...You gotta be kidding me.)

Deep within his chest, irritation swelled up once more.

Even though they hadn't said a word back then, now they're flipping the script on him.

Right then, a ball came in from a teammate.

Kujo stepped a step forward to receive it, carrying it forward. Dodging an approaching opponent, he wedged his body in against another closing in to protect the ball.

The goal drew closer.

The voices flying from the surroundings had faded into the distance before he knew it.

Only the irritation lingering deep in his chest smoldered without fading.

Kujo replayed the events of the entire day.

The classroom atmosphere that had been weird since morning.

The cold stares directed at him during lunch break.

And now, getting reprimanded at club.

—It's because Tachibana stopped coming to school.

Everyone starting to dig up what happened that day.

The classroom atmosphere turning weird.

Kokona starting to avoid him.

It was all because that guy wasn't coming to school.

The more he thought about it, the more muddy the feelings pooling at the bottom of his stomach became.

(...It's all Tachibana's fault.)

Kujo stepped in hard.

Fixing his eyes solely on the goal ahead, he swung his foot through.

(Because of you, I'm going through all this crap—!)

The swung-through shot sailed far wide of the goal frame.

"Kujo! Where the hell are you kicking?!"

"......My bad."

Kujo raised a hand lightly and headed off to retrieve the stray ball.

Suddenly, he recalled what Meiko had told him in the corridor.

Once Tachibana comes back, things'll go right back to normal—

Kujo repeated those words in his head, walking in silence for a while.

If so, there was no need to think about unnecessary things right now.

(...Once Tachibana comes, everything'll go back to normal.)

Without doubting that thought, Kujo picked up the rolling ball.