Chapter 47 – Doki Doki Soccer Camp
Mio's POV
*Quick Note: As this story arc continues going on, chapters 41 & 42 take place on one day. And chapters 43-47 all take place on a different day. I wasn't sure if I made that clear beforehand. So, I'm doing it now. Enjoy!*
Wh-What the…is this really Ritsu? It's hard to believe that she would be wearing such a cute cosplay costume. Where did Miharu take this picture?
*Tsugi no teishaeki wa Takaoka. Takaoka tsugi no teishaeki. Deguchi wa migigawa ni arimasu.*
Oh, well. I'll just bring it up with her later. With all the years of her embarrassing me, I finally have something to get her back with! Thanks a bunch, Miharu! *giggle*
As the train pulled up at the station, I gathered my things and headed for the nearest door. Once I stepped outside, there was one thing that it instantly noticed.
"Holy crap! It's so freaking hot!"
When I was told by Yui-san that Takaoka was going through a severe heatwave, she wasn't kidding. The heat became unbearable the moment I stepped off the train. Even for "Summer in Japan" standards, this is completely insane.
And the fact that it's been going on for over a year makes it even more insane.
Yet, people ask why I don't like coming here…
"*sigh* I need to hurry up and get out of this heat. Furutani-san said that they were practicing at this new facility that opened up. Hopefully, it isn't far."
And so, I began my trek through the streets of the town where weird stuff tends to happen. Asking anyone along the way if they could give directions to…uh…Yamabuki Sports Park.
…
Why does that name sound familiar?
I eventually found the place after about 30 minutes of looking for it. And once I went inside, I was pretty shocked at the interior of this place. It looked more like a small resort than a place to practice sports.
When did Takaoka get a place like this?
"Excuse me, Miss."
"Gah!" I jumped up nervously after feeling someone touch my shoulder. It ended up being a woman in a red polo shirt and black pants. So, she probably worked here.
"Ah! Sorry for startling you!" The woman said. "Did you need something?"
"U-Um, well…I-I'm looking for the Shinohara Girl's Soccer team. They're supposed to be practicing here."
"Oh, you must be here to help them out during their training camp. Just head down this hallway and you'll find the soccer field. They just went in there not too long ago."
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Ma'am." I said with a bow before heading down the hallway she point out.
It wasn't long before I found the soccer field…which was inside, by the way. I've never heard of an indoor soccer field before. So, I was kinda amazed that it was even a thing.
Then again…this is Takaoka. ANYTHING can become a thing over here…
"Over here!" I suddenly took notice of what looked like a small exhibition match going on. With two groups of 3 girls battling over the ball.
One of those girls just happened to be…
*GOAL SOUND*
"Haha! Nice one, Furutani!"
"As expected from the star player of the team!"
"With you on board, we'll definitely win the championship for sure!"
"Hehheh…c-come on, guys. I'm not that good." Said a certain blue-haired girl as she rubbed the back of her head. Feeling rather embarrassed about the multiple praises she was currently getting.
"Hey! Furutani-san!" I called out.
"Mio! You made it! Hey, time out real quick." Furutani-san rushed over to me as her teammates sat down on the field to take a break. Some even had water with them.
It isn't even that hot in here…compared to outside, that is…
"So, how was your trip?" Furutani-san asked. "Felt that heat yet?"
"Yes…I had the rather unpleasant experience of walking in that monstrosity you call a heatwave for 30 minutes. And it was worse because I had a suitcase with me. How the hell is it so hot only in this city?"
"No one knows. It's been going on for over a year at this point and we're just flat-out used to it now."
"Geez…you got used to it~? I felt like I almost died~." I said in an exhausting tone. Which Furutani-san found to be hilarious.
"So, what is this place, really? I've never heard of an indoor soccer field before."
"It's a rec center that caters to all sports in the known area. Built around last year due to it being too hot to practice outside. The development got the support of the Yamabuki Group."
"Yamabuki…that name sounds familiar…"
"You're probably thinking of Yamabuki Works Co. They're the same group."
"Yeah, that's it! I LOVE the work they do! Especially their new Happy Go Lily series! I just got the second one with Risao Kasakubo and Ayami Negishi!"
"Risao Kasakubo and Ayami Negishi…I see…" Furutani-san gained a sweatdrop.
"What?"
"O-Oh, nothing. It's just…those names kinda sound familiar, don't you think?"
"Do they?" I gained a confused look.
"You really don't notice it?"
"Notice what? Do we know Risao and Ayami?"
…
"J-Just forget it." Furutani-san said. "I can only imagine how those two are handling it…" She then mumbled that last part to herself.
I was still rather confused. But seeing as how Furutani-san didn't want to go any further, I'll just put it aside for now.
But still…are Risao and Ayami real people that I know?
"A-Anyway…thanks again for helping out with the training camp. It really takes a huge load off of our shoulders."
"Sure thing, Furutani-san. Glad I could help out a friend in need. Is it really just you girls here?"
"Yeah, pretty much. We don't have a coach due to the one we got at school not giving a damn about the girl's team of any sport Shinohara has. So, we're basically on our own with everything. Which is why I posted that ad online."
"I see…"
"Although…I'm still kinda shocked that it was you that answered it, Mio. I didn't think you knew anything about soccer."
"Well…" I grew a faint blush on my face. "…to be honest, I'm a HUGE soccer fangirl. During the season, I catch almost every game that comes on. It's a huge rush of excitement that I just can't let go, you know."
"I see. Never would've thought…"
"And so, when I saw an ad online about an assistant for a soccer training camp, I signed up almost immediately. Though, it wasn't until you emailed me that I realized that it was you who posted it. Didn't think I would know an actual soccer player."
"Yeah, well I only just started back in March. I had to wait a whole year in order to join because of me missing tryouts. But now, I get to finally live my dream of becoming a pro soccer player. And I'm gonna use every last minute of it."
"Wow…I had no idea you had such a huge passion for soccer, Furutani-san. It's actually rather surprising."
"Yeah…I get that a lot." Furutani-san gained a sweatdrop. "Especially since I was total crap at gym class back in middle school. The fact that I enjoy soccer took everyone by surprise. Sakurako especially."
"I see…"
To even surprise Ohmuro-san with that…she's must've kept this a secret for a long time…
"Hey, Furutani! We're about to start again!"
"Coming!" Furutani responded to a teammate. "Well, at this point, I could introduce you to the team. Since you're going to be helping us out for the summer."
"Sure thing. Might as well get to know the girls that I'm going to spend a whole month with."
"Great! Follow me." Furutani-san then took me to the center field where all the players were at. You could tell they'd been practicing for a good while. Because most were all sweaty and…um…didn't smell good.
You would think them playing inside with air conditioning would prevent that…
"Everyone. This is Mio Akiyama. She's going to be helping us during the duration of the training camp. So, please treat her nicely."
"Nice to meet you, Akiyama-san! Please take good care of us!" The team chanted with an added bow.
"It's nice to meet you all, as well. I hope we get along nicely." I responded with a bow of my own.
The team practiced for about another hour before calling it for lunch. Furutani-san said that there were drinks in the café area down the hall. So, I went there with a list of drinks that the entire team wanted.
…
And to my surprise…a lot of them were flavors of sparkling water.
Could that really keep you hydrated during a heatwave?
With that thought in mind, I ended up getting one for myself. I was still thirsty as hell from walking in that heat earlier. So, I was basically killing two birds with one stone.
"Hmm…strawberry-flavored water…it sounds interesting…" I said before taking a sip.
…
"Woah…this isn't that bad. In fact, it's actually really good. I can see why the others wanted them so badly. Sure beats actually water."
"Oh! Akiyama-san, is that you?" I suddenly heard a voice.
"Huh? Oh, Sasaki-san. Didn't expect to see you here."
"I can say the same about you. Are you on a family vacation here?"
"Well, no. I'm actually helping out a friend with her team's training camp. They play soccer."
"Soccer? Wow…I didn't think you knew about soccer, Akiyama-san. It actually makes you more admirable…"
"What?"
"N-Nothing! I-I mean…th-they must find you dependable, right?!"
"Oh…yeah. They sure do." I gained a sweatdrop.
I could've sworn I heard her say something else…
"So, uh…what are you doing here? Are you on vacation yourself?"
"Well…kinda-sorta. Mika's practicing with the volleyball team here and she brought me along because I didn't really have much to do back home."
"I see. So, you're helping her out."
"Yeah, pretty much. Although, it's actually kinda bizarre…seeing Mika working up a sweat while playing a sport. It's doesn't fit her girly personality at all, don't you think?"
"Uh…"
*BONK*
"Quit calling me girly, damnit." Then, as if it was perfectly timed or something, Saeki-san retorted her friend's comment while hitting her in the head.
Almost like me and Ritsu…
"Hello there, Saeki-san." I said.
"Akiyama-san. Funny to run into you here."
"I didn't know the school's volleyball team was aware of this place. Or, rather…Takaoka, as a whole."
"Well, actually…it's just me. I'm practicing with another school's volleyball team. Uh…Shinohara, I think it is."
"Shinohara…I see…"
Come to think about it…didn't Yui-san say that Sugiura-san was playing volleyball nowadays?
"Right now, we're taking a lunch break and I came here wondering why Yoko was taking so long. Now, I clearly see why."
"Wh-What's that supposed to mean, Mika?!" Sasaki-san asked with a blush on her face.
"I mean…you were doing that again, weren't you?"
"Wh-Wh-What?! C-Come on, Mika! You're crazy! I totally wasn't secretly watching Akiyama-san from a nearby corner only because I saw her earlier and nearly lost my cool! That's like…so creepy! And a torturous bliss…"
"What?" I asked.
"I-I mean…I totally wasn't watching porn out in public! That's like…so totally pervy! Hahahaha!"
"Uh…"
I then noticed Saeki-san trying really hard to not laugh at what was just said. She was kneeling over the table and not even looking at us. So, from the looks of it…it was THAT hard.
"…I see. Well…I'm gonna go now."
"W-Wait, Akiyama-san!" Sasaki-san yelled out in a panic. "H-How long are you going to be here, exactly? J-Just wondering."
"The whole summer."
"R-Really?! *clears throat* I-I mean…so are we. So, we'll be seeing each other a lot for a good while."
"I see. Well, that sounds nice. I'm gonna head back now. See you girls around."
"O-Okay! S-See you around, Akiyama-san!" Sasaki-san cheered. Meanwhile, Saeki-san was still trying not to laugh at her friend's strange behavior. And she still wasn't having much luck.
Well…that was something. Sasaki-san was acting kinda weird back there. Is she always like that? I don't really talk or hang out with her much for me to notice. And that's even including me finding out about the Mio Akiyama Fan Club last year.
…
And, yes…I'm aware of the stalking. It's rather hard to ignore a group of girls spying on you every once in a while. The only reason I don't report it is because they don't have any ill intentions.
…
I-I hope…
"Hey, Mio. There you are."
"Oh. Furutani-san." I said as I noticed her walking up to me.
"You sure took a while. I was actually on my way to seeing if you had gotten lost or something."
"Oh, no. I actually just ran into a couple of classmates here. We were having a…interesting conversation. So to speak."
"I see…" I could tell from the sweatdrop she gained that she wanted to question that conversation. "…Well, anyway. We're on a bit of a break. Actually, the other girls want to test your soccer knowledge so we're throwing a little quiz game. You in?"
"Oh, I am SO in!" I yelled in excitement. "My knowledge holds no comparison! I'll prove to you all how much I love soccer! And then some! *giggle*"
"Well, we'll save the "and then some" part for later. Let's just head back for now."
"Sure thing!" At this point, I was super excited about this quiz game. So much so, that I already had forgotten what happened with Sasaki-san earlier. And I usually don't forget stuff like that.
Maybe this is what it's like to not worry about normality all the time…
Yoko's POV
"Gaaaah! I screwed up big time!" I yelled in self-anger as I slammed my head on the table in front of me.
"Yeah, you really did a number on yourself there."
"Shut up, Mika. You at least could've help me instead of laughing the whole time."
"Well, you're the one who brought up watching porn in public. I didn't know you even had a naughty side to you, Yoko. *giggle*"
"I-I don't! Sh-Shut up!" I grew a huge blush on my face.
"Relax, I'm just joking." Mika said as she sat next to me. "But you really did screw up that lucky chance you had with Akiyama-san."
"Don't remind me…" I replied in a gloomy tone. "…And after thinking that I would be wasting a month here, too."
"You would've been wasting a month back home too, you know. Inviting you to this training camp was out of my kindness to not have you bored out of your mind for once."
"Yeah, yeah…" A thought then came to mind. "…by the way, Mika. How the hell do you know the daughter of the biggest publishing company in Japan?"
"U-Um, well…" Mika went silent for a bit. "…you know how I had issues with my breast size back in middle school?"
"Yeah, you were flat as hell. What about it?"
"Tch! Well…I met her when I went to Volleyball Camp during the summer and she…taught me this technique that makes your breasts bigger. And as you can see, it worked GREATLY." Mika then pumped out her chest to make her breasts giggle in a confident, yet braggy manner.
"You know…if I had breast size problems now like you did in middle school, I would totally punch you right now for showing off." I said in an exasperated tone.
"Point is, we still keep in touch nowadays. And she invited me to practice with her volleyball team this summer. Hence why we're here. At this sports center/resort spa place. Pretty cool, right?"
"Yeah…I guess." I was still baffled by the fact that such a thing could exist. But I kept it to myself.
I guess rich people can make anything happen…
After listening to how Mika's breasts got us to spend the summer at a resort-type thing, I looked on my phone to see if I got any messages from Himeko. But to no avail.
"She still hasn't responded…"
"Leave her be. She said that she was going to spend as much of the summer with Hirasawa-san."
"Yeah, but…ugh! It just pisses me off that she got it first! And after we were both struggling together all this time beforehand! How could she betray our pact like this?!"
"What pact?"
"The pact of Lonely Lesbians Looking for Love. You wouldn't know about it because you're straight."
"Well, excuse me for not finding girls sexually attractive…" Mika gained an exasperated sweatdrop.
"Point is…with Himeko now together with Hirasawa-san, it only brings more pressure on me to confess to Akiyama-san. Because after March, it's game over."
"Do you know if she even swings that way?"
"Huh?"
"I mean…no offense to Himeko or anything, but the only reason it worked out for her is because Hirasawa-san is the type of girl who would go lovey-dovey with anyone."
"Yeah…she is kind of a yuri-obsessed idiot."
Himeko's POV
"Tch!"
"Yui, what's wrong?" I asked her as she started clenching her chest for some reason.
"N-Nothing, it's just…it felt like someone was making fun of me just now."
"Making fun of you?"
"Almost as if they just called me a yuri-obsessed idiot."
"Who would call you a yuri-obsessed idi…" I then went silent for a bit. "…Actually…I think I have an idea on the person. Or rather, people."
"People?" Yui gained a confused look on her face while mine grew more exasperated.
Those two are gonna pay when I see them again…
Mika's POV
"So, with that said, do you really think it'll be easy to confess to Akiyama-san if you don't even know if she swings that way?"
"*sigh* Damnit…you have a point." Yoko gained a gloomy look on her face.
Normally, I wouldn't be getting involved this deeply with my friend's crush problems. But in Yoko's case, standing aside is starting to become not an option. Mainly because…I talked to Tainaka-san about what Akiyama-san's preferences were.
And ended up telling her that Yoko has a crush on her.
*EARLIER…*
"Seriously? Yoko has a crush on Mio?"
"Yeah…and it's not the "fan club admiration" type, either. She full-blown loves her from the bottom of her heart."
"I-I see…" Tainaka-san went dead silent.
"What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing. It's just…kinda bizarre. There's actually someone with actual feelings for Mio instead of people just shipping me with her because we're childhood friends. Never thought it would actually happen."
"Does that really bother you?"
"You have NO idea! It's annoying as all hell going through FanFiction to find a crap ton of stories of me being in a relationship with Mio! Some of them are just straight up sex!"
"W-Wow…" I grew a faint blush.
"Yeah. It's THAT bad."
Being a main character must be tough…
"So…why are you telling me this? Wouldn't Yoko be pissed if she found out?"
"Well…yeah. She would. And I'll deal with it when the time comes. But the reason I'm talking to you about this is because…I want to know Akiyama-san preferences."
"Huh? Mio's preferences?"
"I don't think Yoko even knows whether or not Akiyama-san swings that way. And if she doesn't, I don't want Yoko to be completely heartbroken about it. She's had this crush on her since the beginning of high school and she's doing all she can to get her feelings out. So…"
"Y-Yeah, I get it. I would feel the same way if I was in that situation."
"I'm just trying to look out for a friend, you know."
"Yeah, totally." Tainaka-san went silent for a bit. "But…you know…"
"She doesn't swing that way?"
"Well, I don't know about that. But what I'm saying is…Mio...doesn't have much respect for that fan club of hers."
"Huh? No respect?"
"There are days where she'll just complain about the girls stalking her and leaving her love notes and doing all of these favors for her. She said that it annoys her to no end. To the point where she's pretty much disgusted by them."
"D-Disgusted? Really?"
"*sigh* Yeah...and what's worse is that Mio would talk crap about them without any caution in the world. And some of the girls would walk away in a crying mess. I really do believe that some of them had genuine feelings for her. But...you know."
"Yeah...I know."
Yoko did mention that the number of club members was shrinking as of late...
"So, if what you're saying about Akiyama-san is true, then...*sigh* it's going to be hard to tell Yoko..."
"You two are childhood friends, right? After learning from my own past experiences, the best thing you can do is to tell Yoko the truth. Otherwise...she'll just be as heartbroken as the other girls before her."
"I…I see." Was all I was able to say. The sad emotional aura kept building around me like a crumbling tower. Regretting ever bringing this up to someone in the first place.
Now, I've gone and done it…
*PRESENT TIME*
So, now here we are. Coincidentally in the same building as Yoko's biggest crush who pretty much hates her for being a part of her own fan club. And now I gotta tell her that it's pointless to continue this pursuit for love.
Damnit…why is it me and not Himeko? I don't wanna break Yoko's heart!
…
Maybe…if I go easy on her…
"Hey…Yoko…"
"Well, I'll just have to ask her."
…
…
…
"Wh…What?" I turned to her with a blank look.
"I'll just ask Akiyama-san if she's into girls. That should be simple, right?"
"W-Well…yeah. B-B-But I really think you shouldn't do that."
"Why, though? It makes sense."
"B-Because you just can't, okay?! J-Just…let it go for now. Or like…forever."
"What?"
"N-Nothing! J-Just forget it!"
"Okay, sheesh. What's with you all of a sudden?"
"*sigh* Sorry. It's just…there's a lot on my mind right now. Stuff that's…hard to explain."
"Huh…well, whenever you're ready, you can tell me, alright? I'm here for you."
Yoko, you have no idea how much I want to tell you…
"Thanks, Yoko." Was all I could mutter out.
"So…what do you wanna do now? Head back?"
"Eh…we still have some time left. Let's just walk around a bit. There's still a huge chunk of this place that I haven't seen yet."
"Ooh~! In that case, you gotta see the Choco Island!"
"Choco Island?"
"It's an entire room filled to the BRIM with chocolate! The walls, the floors, the furniture! There's even a Choco Mountain!"
"Choco Mountain?"
"And then the best part is that there's these giant Donut Plains that you use to float around a Vanilla Lake! And it takes you to a chocolate Frappé Snowland! It's so cool!"
"Really now?" I gained a sweatdrop.
Does she not realize where these names are coming from?
"Well, we have some time left. I guess I can go check it out."
"Trust me, Mika! You're going to love it! You'll feel like you're in giant Sweet Sweet Galaxy!"
"Okay, you at least have to know where that one's from."
"Huh? You mean these names came from somewhere?"
I facepalmed hard at this girl for being so damn dense when it comes to video games.
"J-Just forget it, Yoko." I said as I started walking away. With her quickly catching up as we both headed to the Choco Island that is somehow able to fit inside this sports resort place.
Rich people can truly make anything a reality…
Author's Note: As Mio begins her summer helping out Himawari, Yoko continues to struggle with confessing her love to Mio. But a secret conversation Mika had beforehand may crush any and all future attempts for good.
It wasn't planned to give Yoko and Mika POVs. But with them appearing in this chapter, I decided to go along with it. It's honestly rare for me to give minor characters a POV. So, this might not happen again.
So…I've been doing some thinking lately. Even though it's still a LONG ways from now, this story's going to end. And after that…I'm not really sure what to do next. A sequel based on the manga or…a story starring Himeko, Yoko, and Mika…these were just some ideas I came up with. Like I said, the possibility of another K-ON! fic is still a LONG ways from now. So hopefully, I'll have something by the time this story ends.
Next chapter, it's back to Mugi, Azusa, and Sumire for…pretty much the rest of the ark. There's still one more with Yui, but that's gonna be minor.
Thanks for reading. Later.
