It was November 20, a Friday, the last week of November. Today all the students, teachers, parents and staff, from the chairman down to the janitors, were gathered in the school auditorium. The stage was set to look like a classic theater, with deep velvet curtains draped behind it. There were bulletin boards hanging on the left and right walls of it. On the bulletins hung pictures of clubs, students, and school events along with some important circulars. On the stage, there were 13 wooden chairs, 12 for each homeroom teacher of the school (each grade had 3 sections each) and the center one for the chairman. There was a speaking podium with a microphone on the left side of the stage, and a banner reading, "CONGRATULATIONS RAIMON STUDENTS" in big yellow and blue letters. The students were seated properly in the auditorium chairs; the seating arrangement was based on which club you were in, not which year you were. The teachers, club admins and staff sat on the first and second rows, closest to the stage. The auditorium seats were divided in two halves, an aisle separating them both. On the right were the liberal arts clubs, and on the left were the sports clubs. The soccer club sat just behind the staff in the second row, with their captain and head manager in the third. All the students wore their school uniforms and got ready for this day - graduation day for the third-years and moving-up for the lower levels.

On the stage, just after the students' awards were given out, the chairman was giving a speech about how grateful he was for the students and staff who have worked with him to the very day; and unlike his other speeches, he really meant it. It came from the inside and he was crying when he finished. Some of the teachers dabbed their eyes. After the chairman's speech came the section advisers' speeches, starting from section 3-C down to section 1-A. All the speeches made by the preceding advisors were warm and heartfelt, and most of the people there had to use a handkerchief. As the program was drawing to a close, the chairman called on one person to give one last speech to the whole school. It was the soccer club's coach, Endou Mamoru. Being the coach of the club that the school was most famous for, the chairman felt that he ought to ask him to give the closing speech to the whole school, and after much hesitation, he finally agreed.

The announcer called "And the last but never the least speaker for this occasion, I hereby introduce to you Endou Mamoru, coach of Raimon's soccer club and alumni of our beloved school!". As he approached the stage, he felt a little nervous as he had never given a speech on such an occasion as this before, and even though his wife had asked him to, he didn't prepare one on paper. But he told himself to be calm and just let out whatever he ought to say in front of all these people. And so he began by saying, "Dear students, parents and staff of our beloved school, thank you all very much for coming to this special occasion to commemorate the graduation and moving up of our dear students. I have not much to tell you, as our speakers have said most of the things that are needed to say. However, I still would like to congratulate our students for sticking with us up till today, our teachers and staff for bearing with these kids no matter what they did, and the parents for helping and guiding our students all along the way. All of you contributed to what we are today - a school with a good reputation and fine students.

"Like I said earlier, today is a very special day that comes only once a year. Today, graduation day, is the time of the year where we celebrate and congratulate our students who have worked so hard to receive their diplomas, awards, certificates and medals. The mere receiving of these things brings feelings of joy and happiness to us as we celebrate this joyful day. However, aside from these feelings of joy and happiness, some - if not most - of us feel another set of feelings. As we bid goodbye to some of our classmates and friends whom we have come to enjoy this schoolyear with, we may feel sad, seeing that we are leaving some of the best people in our life behind. This graduation is a happy and a bit sad occasion as it symbolizes the graduation of our students and the bidding of farewell to our dear friends. As this ceremony commences, I would like to remind our beloved students that even though we may be bidding goodbye to some of our friends, not all is lost as we still have the hope of seeing each other again in the very near future. This is my speech." He bowed, and the whole audience gave their most appreciative round of applause the school had ever seen since the graduation of the first Raimon Eleven a decade ago.

At the area near the soccer field, as Tenma stood alone and looked at the field, he smiled and softly said, "Look at this place, our field of memories. Where we first met each other and became a team, and friends in the process. Where we spent our days laughing and talking with each other, helping each other grow and become stronger, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I remember everything, from the time Fifth Sector was dominating our school, when Fei and Wondeba took us time traveling, and to when we fought aliens in the galaxy. We may not all be together in that last part, but still, we felt your happiness and faith in us that we would bring victory home - and we did! I was so happy, me and you guys, when we finally won and put an end to all the quarrels going on out there. And not only did we make friends here, but we also made lots of them from other teams! All those matches were really exciting and enlivening." Then he sighed and closed his eyes. "I wish we could do them again... together. Because I know that someday, whether it be near or far, we will meet each other again. Sayonara, Raimon Jr. High..." He smiled. "For now."