The 1st of April was a beautiful day. The cherry trees just reached full bloom, as the early spring was surprisingly cold. But it was notably warm that morning. It wasn't only the first day of school. For Kai, this day was always even more special. But she was aware that no one knew, as she left all her middle-school friends behind. All except for that one idiot who didn't even realize it. She entered the empty classroom and took a seat by the window.
She was too early.
Resting her head on the desk, she looked out of the window. Her eyes were observing the vivid streaks of sunlight hitting the school grounds as her mind wandered beyond, following those bright beams. Her consciousness slowly waltzed away.
"Hey... excuse me... hey!"
A voice brought her back.
"The class is starting in a minute. You shouldn't be sleeping anymore. "
A girl was standing next to her desk, gently poking Kai's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't realize. Thanks for waking me."
The black-haired girl rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"You're welcome. By the way, my name's Natsukawa Yui."
She smiled kindly. Her warm eyes, short light hair, and whole presence were glowing with compassion.
"It's great to meet you. I'm Jiiroi Kai."
She greeted back. And just a second after that, the bell rang, and the class started.
On the way back to her dorm, Kai was fiercely eyeing a piece of paper in her hands. It was a copy of her club application. It's not like she came unprepared, not thinking about her other activity in advance. But she was starting to doubt her own decision last minute.
In the depth of her heart, she just wanted to go back to gymnastics, but she knew she couldn't. She remembered the doctor saying that regardless of how much she would try, it would never feel the same. Kai couldn't set a foot back on the gymnastic belt again. For her own mental and physical health.
Kai was once aiming high, but she missed and fell.
Those dark thoughts were furtively making their way back to her subconsciousness. She dismally reached her room and set the paper on her bed.
"Damn, Nana! She was right! How can I ever just give up like this?"
She muttered as she gently collapsed on the bed next to the piece of paper.
"Why am I even doing this?"
Her sorrow was disturbed by the high-pitched sound of her phone. She rustled through her schoolbag to find the device. When she finally caught a glimpse of the screen, it was the name written on it that startled her.
Why him of all people? She thought to herself.
She wiped the tears that never came and picked up the call.
"Hi there. I wasn't expecting to hear from you so early."
She started the unexpected conversation casually.
"Kai-chan, you picked up really quickly! I just wanted to tell you, I think I saw a ghost in my new school."
A playful voice echoed from the other side. The girl would never confuse the sound.
"I was doing something on my phone at the moment. Anyway, what did the alleged ghost look like?"
She replied curiously, sitting up on her bed.
"You won't believe me, but it looked just like you. It was super short and had a head full of messy black curls. I only saw them from the back, though."
She couldn't help but chuckle over that response.
"You already miss me that much?"
Kai said teasingly.
She was well aware that she never told him which school she went to in the end, and he didn't even realize. It was a part of her little plot all along. That's it, the plan she was working incredibly hard for over the spring break. The idea she started to get so hesitant about lately.
"I guess so."
The boy answered cheekily. What else she could expect from this person.
"By the way, happy birthday, Pipsqueak."
She almost forgot. Kai was so excited about her 15th birthday that morning, but with too many things in mind, she hardly had time to enjoy herself up until that moment. The girl was left utterly silent.
"Hey, you still there, Kai? Did the connection cut off?"
The voice sounded from the other side again.
"Nah, I was just left completely dumbfounded by your nerve."
The girl brushed away the restlessness of her mind.
"What did I do?"
The boy asked with pretended confusion. He knew it was the nickname he used that sparked Kai's temper.
"I'll bite your head off if you call me that just once more, Kazuya!"
Her played anger couldn't fool the boy, just as his acts couldn't trick her.
"Good grief, I'm so glad I'm safe in the dorms now."
He joked.
"There is no such a place in this world where you can hide from my wrath. Well, I gotta get going now. I still have some errands to take care of."
The girls caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall and realized she didn't have much time left.
"Bye then. And don't party too hard tonight, yea?"
She could clearly imagine the smirk on his face.
"As if..."
She clicked her tongue.
"Anyway, have a great day and see you around."
She quickly hung up. She knew the last sentence most likely left the boy confused. That was her intention. And hopefully, he'd stay like that for a little more.
She checked the clock one more time. Kai only had ten more minutes before the time for the interview, so she decided to leave. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun, so it wouldn't get in the way, and she closed the door behind herself. She suddenly felt way more confident and determined about everything. Kai unhesitantly strolled through the students' dorms. Then she headed towards the office of the head coach of the baseball club.
The short girl took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She took another deep breath just before the door was opened. A tall woman in her mid-twenties opened. Her long brown hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail, and her brown eyes were shining behind a pair of glasses.
"Oh, hi. Are you by a chance Jiiroi-chan?"
She asked warmly.
"Yes, that would be me. I'm here to apply for..."
Kai gave her a polite smile. She was glad she was so lucky to meet so many kind people that day. But her sentence was cut midway.
"Come in, the head coach was expecting you."
The lady opened the door wide and let the young girl in.
"Jiiroi-chan, please take a seat."
She pointed at a sofa in the middle of the room.
"I'm an assistant manager, Takashima Rei, and this is the head coach, Kataoka Tesshin."
Kai finally noticed the tall man looking from the window of the office. How could she not see him earlier?
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jiiroi Kai, and I'm here to apply for the post of assistant coach."
She stood up and bowed politely before landing back on the sofa.
"And why?"
The coach asked straightforwardly without even looking at her.
"Pardon me?"
The girl raised her eyebrow as she wasn't sure how to respond.
"Why do you want to be an assistant coach? In your application, it says that you were previously a part of a gymnastics club. Why did you suddenly change your path?"
He turned to face the short girl for a little bit. His gaze was burning through his shades, and the girl couldn't help but gulp. The atmosphere felt so heavy for that moment.
"Don't take me wrong. I'm not trying to discourage you or anything. I just want to make sure my players are in the best hands. I'm only looking for devoted people who are ready to support the team in any way possible."
His words made Kai's heart rattle. She could feel how he values all the players and the club as a whole. His statement only made her more resolved. She stood up and took a deep breath.
"I didn't give up on gymnastics based on my own decision. I was forced to. But I spent my spring break improving my abilities in sports injury treatment and prevention. I was, unfortunately, not able to acquire my certificates yet, as they can only be obtained by people over the age of 15. But I'm ready to spend more time educating myself to be more helpful for the team."
The drive was glowing from the girl's dark eyes as she stood there in the middle of the room. Seeing her expression, the assistant manager, Takashima Rei, suddenly felt like she'd seen the girl before.
"Jiiroi-chan, have we by any chance already met?"
The woman seemed to be trying to remember.
"Yes, Miss Takashima, I believe so. It was three years ago at the match between D middle-school and A middle-school."
Her eyes sparkled once again. She was excited that the lady remembered her.
"Jiiroi, you passed the interview. Welcome to the team. I'm looking forward to working with you."
The coach was now looking at the girl with a confident smile on his face. She was precisely the person coach Kataoka was looking for.