Kiyoshi sat alone on a bench in the garden, gripping his jersey tightly.
When he lost his first match, his mother's shoulder was there to support him. But this time, he was truly alone—
Kiyoshi exhaled, his grip on the jersey tightening. He lost again, just like before, just like always. But this time, there was no one to tell him it was okay.
No mother's gentle touch. No warm voice saying, "KEEP SMILING."
He looked at his hands. They weren't shaking, yet he felt like he was falling apart. He was grown up, yet inside, the nine-year-old boy was still crying—
"MOM," Kiyoshi whispered.
Then... he felt it.
Suddenly, a soft, gentle touch landed on his neck—a pair of soft hands, warm and familiar yet impossible.
Kiyoshi looked up.
His vision blurred with tears. He tried to see the face, but everything was hazy.
A soft hand... the same feeling he hadn't experienced since his mother last touched him.
"Who are you?" Kiyoshi whispered, his eyes filled with tears.
"You're crying like a nine-year-old boy," the person whispered.
"Huh?" For a moment, Kiyoshi was shocked.
Then, those soft hands wiped his tears away. As his vision cleared, he finally saw the face.
"You?" Kiyoshi whispered.
"Yeah! Me," a soft, sweet voice replied with a smile.
The hands belonged to Yueko Han. She had finally found Kiyoshi sitting alone in the garden.
Kiyoshi, still seated on the bench, looked up at Yueko. She stood before him, her hands gently resting on his neck, looking into his eyes. They locked eyes, saying nothing. The wind started to flow in a uniting direction, rustling their hair. The light, hazy black clouds began to disappear, and the sun shone more brightly.
Finally, Kiyoshi spoke—
"Why are you here?"
"I really didn't know you had a football match today," Yueko said.
"So, after my test, I came to support and cheer for you."
"But, I was too late."
"By the time I reached the stadium, the match was already over."
Kiyoshi started to ask something, but before he could, Yueko whispered—
"I was really disappointed."
"I was about to leave, but then my gaze caught you here in the garden."
"I saw you sitting like this... and crying."
"Huh!"
"Who—who is crying?" Kiyoshi quickly tried to hide his emotions, wiping his tears away.
Yueko gave a soft smile, closing her eyes for a moment. She sat beside Kiyoshi and whispered—
"Oh, don't lie. I saw you."
"No-no-no!" Kiyoshi protested, acting like a child.
The heavy atmosphere shifted to a lighter moment.
Meanwhile, school had just ended.
"Hey, hey! Let's go meet Kiyoshi!" Shiori said excitedly.
"Yeah! Sure!" Ryuuto replied.
"Hmm? Meiyu, don't you want to come?" Shiori asked.
"Huh? Why wouldn't I? I'm coming too," Meiyu replied with a smile.
"Meiyu, you're smiling?" Ryuuto asked, surprised.
"So? Do you have a problem with that?" Meiyu replied boldly, staring at him.
"Uhhh... no, no!" Ryuuto stammered, feeling embarrassed.
"Ryuuto, you're such a scaredy-cat," Reikou teased.
"What do you mean?" Meiyu said, keeping that same intense expression.
"Ahhh, ahhh! No-nothing!" Reikou raised both hands in defense.
"Shiori! Can you wait a minute for me? I'll be right back," Meiyu said.
"Yup! Sure!" Shiori nodded.
Meiyu walked off somewhere. As she left, Shiori whispered—
"Hey, what did she say after finding out your plan?"
"Did she mention her rules?"
"Actually, she did... but she already broke her own rule," Reikou said.
"Huh? What?" Shiori and Ryuuto whispered in shock.
"She said she has a rule—'Don't smile too much'—but she realized she needs to remove it. Because sometimes, smiling is necessary," Reikou explained.
"Oh..."
"So, how will you guess her rules now? Now Meiyu knows your plan," Shiori said.
Reikou smirked. "No, it's not over yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ryuuto and Shiori asked.
Reikou pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Let me explain."
"This is the original list of points. Now that she knows I'm trying to guess her rules based on her behavior, she'll definitely change how she acts. And if she doesn't change anything, that tells me something too."
"I might not be able to guess all her rules with this plan, but I can at least figure out one or three."
Shiori and Ryuuto listened carefully, but honestly, they didn't fully understand what he was trying to say.
On the other side, Meiyu was walking alone, deep in thought.
"I have to be more careful around Reikou."
"I can't change my behavior."
"If I change, he'll notice."
"And if he still figures something out, what should I do?"
She kept thinking, trying to find a way to stay ahead of Reikou.
Reikou, Ryuuto, and Shiori waited for Meiyu. After a while, she finally arrived.
"Hmm! Sorry, I was a bit late," Meiyu whispered.
"Girls are always late," Ryuuto mumbled under his breath, acting as if he hadn't said anything.
Meiyu stared at him but didn't respond.
"Let's go, Shiori," Meiyu whispered.
Finally, they all went to meet Kiyoshi.
Meanwhile, it was almost evening. The sun was starting to set, butterflies flew around, resting on flowers.
"So, you lost, huh?" Yueko whispered.
"Hmm... yeah," Kiyoshi replied in a sad tone.
"So, what's your next move?" Yueko asked with a faint smile.
"Nothing... it's over now," Kiyoshi said.
"Kiyoshi," Yueko whispered.
He looked into her eyes. Then she said—
"Listen. Everything happens for a reason."
"If you lost, then there must be something good in it."
"What good is there in this?" Kiyoshi asked, confused.
"When you win, everyone is with you. But when you lose, only those who truly care will be there. That's when you see reality."
Just as Yueko finished speaking, Kiyoshi suddenly remembered his mother. After her, no one had ever said something like this to him.
"Who...?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Look who's coming," Yueko said, pointing ahead.
Kiyoshi looked forward and saw—
"Yo! Kiyoshi!" Ryuuto shouted.
Ryuuto, Reikou, Shiori, and Meiyu had arrived.
"Yo! Buddy, congratulations!" Reikou and Shiori whispered.
Ryuuto held Kiyoshi's neck from the left side, and Reikou grabbed him from the right.
"Congratulations!? Do you all not know that I lost?" Kiyoshi whispered.
"Who said you lost?"
"You were the only one who scored for your team," Reikou whispered.
"This is for you," Meiyu whispered and handed a pastry box to Kiyoshi with a smile.
Kiyoshi couldn't believe it. He thought he was done, but actually, he was not alone.
His respect for his friends grew.
The day Kiyoshi felt at his worst, but this time, it became a beautiful day because—
"I can't believe it."
"I am not alone—not alone."
"I have my friends."
"I thought they didn't care about me." "But I was wrong," Kiyoshi thought in mind.
"Thank youuuuuu!" Kiyoshi said loudly and grabbed Ryuuto and Reikou tightly, showing his creepy, toothy smile again.
"Ngggg!" Ryuuto and Reikou groaned.
"But who told you I was here?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Yueko!" they said.
Kiyoshi looked at Yueko. She was smiling, her face showing something different—something soft, something warm. Her eyes closed with a gentle smile, her head tilted slightly.
Kiyoshi saw his mother in her.
Finally, the day ended.
They all walked together on their paths, filled with laughter and joy.
No one won.
Kiyoshi lost his match. Reikou failed to figure out Meiyu's rules. Meiyu had to break her own rule. They lost their missions, yet they all had smiles on their faces.
This was the victory of bonds, of friendship, of love—their friendship was so strong that even in loss, they smiled.
AT THE LAST— KEEP SMILING!