As mid-November approached, the trees surrounding MAHO-do turned beautifully red, and a crimson and yellow carpet was spread across the garden.
“Swaying leaves fall down♪,
Sweep them away with a brush’s sound♪,
Swaying down♪,
Sweeping around♪…”
Doremi was singing a casual song while sweeping the fallen leaves in the MAHO-do garden.
The carpet of fallen leaves quickly became just a pile of dead leaves if left for a day.
For the past few days, sweeping the fallen leaves was essential.
Oh, it's rare to see Doremi cleaning the garden. And in such a good mood too.
Looks like it's going to snow...
“Today, I was able to come home from school unusually early, and as for tomorrow… Mufufufu… swaying down♪, sweeping around♪…”
Ignoring the cleaning, she started dancing with the broom.
At that moment,
“Doremi, I’m home~~♪!”
“Phew… I made it back safely~~.”
Hana arrived home from school riding on the back of Sang-yoo’s motorcycle.
Doremi hurriedly grabbed the broom properly, not even noticing the fallen leaves she had just swept up scattering as she desperately pretended to sweep.
“Welcome back~! You two came together?”
“Yeah. When I got to the station, Sang-yoo happened to be passing by, so he gave me a ride. Here, thanks for the helmet!”
“No problem!”
As Sang-yoo put the helmet away, he said,
“Hana-chan, you were being so lively on the back, it was scary…”
“But the engine was going vrrrroooommm! Gyuun gyuiin, it was fun. Just like riding a broomstick…”
Doremi hurriedly shoved the broom into Hana’s hands.
“Here, the broom. Go put it away.”
“Okay! Vrrooooommm!!”
Hana straddled the broom, pretending to fly as she ran off towards the storage shed.
“Hana-chan is really spirited, isn’t she…”
“Ahaha… oh, that’s right Sang-yoo. A package arrived from your mother!”
“Really!?”
Sang-yoo excitedly ran into the entrance.
When Sang-yoo opened the cardboard box in the kitchen, he found ramen, seaweed sheets, and a cooler bag inside.
Hana exclaimed as soon as she saw it,
“Yay! That’s probably your mother’s kimchi!!”
Sang-yoo opened the cooler bag to find it packed with pouches of kimchi.
“Daebak! (Awesome!)”
“See! Maybe we’ll have Kimchi stew tonight? Oh! Kimchi dumplings sound good too~.”
Then Otojiro and Ryo, who were playing a board game at the big table, said,
“Dumplings! That would be wonderful!! I absolutely love them.”
“We have ground meat and dumpling wrappers in the fridge. Why don’t we all make them together?”
“Yay! Kimchi dumplings it is~~.”
From behind the excited Hana,
“Umm~~.”
Doremi grinned mischievously.
“If I may, I’d like mine without kimchi and garlic, please.”
Everyone turned to look at Doremi at once.
Hana firmly grabbed Doremi’s shoulder.
“Doremi~~, could it be…”
“Doremi-san, I bet you have a date tomorrow, right?”
“You got it~~!!”
“Oh my!”
“If he breaks his promise again, I’ll punch Kotake.”
“San-chan, you should trust Kotake a little more! Gufufufu…”
Just the mention of the name “Kotake” made Doremi swoon.
So that's what it is!
But it's been a while, hasn't it? They haven't had time to see each other.
That's true.
Hana hugged Doremi tightly and exclaimed,
“Where are you going? What are you going to do?? Tell me everything~~!!”
“Uhyahya… I haven’t decided yet!!”
“You’re lying~~.”
“Well then, Doremi-chan, you’ll be taking the day off from working at the cafe tomorrow, right?”
“Don’t worry, San-chan. Onpu-chan has agreed to help out in my place.”
“Oh~! So it’ll be a cafe where we can meet a former idol!!”
“It seems there may be quite a line, indeed.”
“That’s why you have to keep it a secret.”
Upon hearing this, the spacing-out Sang-yoo suddenly spoke up,
“Was Onpu-chan really that popular?”
“Oh that’s right, you don’t know, San-chan.”
“Onpu was super popular~.”
“Back when we were in elementary school, she was called a child idol and appeared on TV a lot. Her live concert tickets sold out instantly…”
Doremi and Hana nostalgically recalled Onpu’s stardom back then.
Bathed in the glamorous spotlight while singing, Onpu sparkled like someone from another world, despite being the same age as them.
Even though they saw her at school every day, it felt strange watching her act like a completely different person on the other side of the TV screen.
And she always had a huge crowd of fans around her…
“She even had a fan club…”
At that moment, the same face popped into Doremi and Hana’s minds.
Fan Club Member #7! No way! With the revival of the fan club, I'm #1 now!!
“I wonder how Oyajide is doing?”
“I hope the principal is managing it properly~?”
Well, Oyajide is now the charismatic principal of the magical kindergarten.
He's an eccentric old man, but surprisingly popular with the kids.
“Well, anyway, she was an incredibly popular idol.”
“Wow… Onpu-chan was such an amazing person, huh?”
“We’ll have to watch out for things like unauthorized photography or other nuisances. I’ll be out tomorrow after all…”
“Then leave it to us, Ryo-san! San-chan and I will guard her.”
Otojiro said, patting Sang-yoo’s shoulder.
“Thanks Oto-san, I’m counting on you!”
Upon hearing that, Hana’s eyes sparkled as she muttered,
“Hmm… like a secret hacker meeting?”
“Hana-chan!”
Doremi flicked Hana’s forehead.
“No kimchi and garlic in the dumplings, you say…”
Peering into the fridge in the kitchen, Sang-yoo suddenly had an idea.
“Instead of just kimchi, how about making dumplings with each person’s favorite fillings?”
“Good thinking, San-chan! Then I’ll mix ham and melty cheese with cabbage!”
“Quite a Western style, I see. Perhaps I’ll add some taro.”
“Hana wants sausages! Make it like an octopus, make the dumpling skin like a shell, let it stick out like ‘guooo~~’, it’s the ‘Octopus vs Dumpling Shell Battle’!!”
“Hana-chan, you’re really out-there!”
“Oh, kids would love that! Then maybe I’ll make crab-shaped sausages.”
“Yay~~! Ryo-chan and I can have an Octopus-Crab Battle~~~!”
“Ahaha… things are getting exciting~~!”
You're excited right from the start!
That's okay. Tomorrow is the day to look forward to.
The next morning, Doremi posed in front of the mirror, styled in a newly bought deep pink sweater, checked gaucho pants, her favorite collarless jacket and short boots.
“There’s a huge announcement today too~!”
After confirming that there was an envelope in the bag she was carrying, she energetically ran out of the room.
On Saturday, the bustling streets of the downtown area were crowded with young people and families.
From the window of a cafe on the second floor of a building, Kotake observed the scene while drinking coffee from a paper cup.
People were waiting at the traffic light across the street.
Then, Doremi came running over, looking frantic.
When she reached the traffic light, she panted heavily, tapping her chest to catch her breath.
Kotake smiled gently and muttered,
“Don’t panic, don’t panic. This is all within expectations…”
Before taking a sip of his coffee.
Unaware of this, Doremi ran desperately, weaving in and out of the people crossing the crosswalk as soon as the traffic light changed.
She was considerably late for their appointed time.
She hurried up the stairs of the building, opened the cafe door, scanned inside and saw Kotake gazing outside while drinking coffee by the window seat.
Though it was the usual Kotake, her heart couldn’t help but pound.
“Sorry for the wait!”
As Kotake turned towards her, his tanned and firm face, along with his sturdy shoulders, seemed more reliable than ever, making her feel strangely embarrassed.
But at that moment…
Squeeze!
Doremi’s cheeks were squished by Kotake’s large hands.
“Mmpfh!?”
“Late again!”
“Hey, cut it out!”
Feeling self-conscious with everyone watching, she hurriedly pushed his hands away.
Then suddenly, Kotake grabbed Doremi’s hand.
“Let’s go!”
And they dashed out of the cafe.
Kotake, who was running while holding her hand with a mischievous face, was still the same old Kotake.
The strange feeling vanished in an instant as they ran down the stairs together.
However, as soon as they reached the street, Kotake released Doremi’s hand and walked ahead.
“Huh?”
Was it over already?
Feeling somewhat irritated by Kotake’s actions, just as she was about to pounce on his arm from behind, she almost collided with a man approaching from the front.
“Ah!”
As Doremi let out a small cry, Kotake pulled her towards himself protectively.
“Watch out, will you?”
“Eheh…”
Feeling happy, she held onto Kotake’s arm tightly.
“Where are we going?”
“Anywhere is fine. As long as it’s with you, Kotake…”
She was spouting such mushy stuff or whatever, but...
So this is where you wanted to go all along!
“Gyaaaaaaaaa~~~~~~~~~!!”
Doremi, who was riding the roller coaster that was descending rapidly at an incredible speed, screamed with all her might.
Next to her, Kotake remained silent but gritted his teeth desperately.
While it was said that from the top of the roller coaster, you could see the whole city of Tokyo, and sometimes even Mount Fuji, but they arrived at the final destination without any spare time to see such things.
“Phew! It wasn’t as scary as it looked.”
“You’re lying! You had a really intense look on your face.”
“You were the one yelling at the top of your lungs!”
“It’s an amusement park!? You gotta let it all out!”
“I see…”
“I’m gonna beat you~~~~~~!!”
“Like I’d let you~~~~~~!!”
Their eyes were fierce as they raced neck-and-neck through the winding go-kart course, overtaking each other.
“Well, that was a great race, Kotake-san.”
“I was going easy on you, Dojimi-chan.”
“Oh, come on~~.”
Suddenly they noticed a couple happily spinning around in the teacup ride.
“Hey, let’s go on that one!”
“Pass!”
“Why not~?”
She followed after Kotake, looking enviously at the couple.
“Hey, don’t go in alone!”
Doremi grabbed the back of Kotake’s shirt as he strode into the haunted house.
Even though she knew it was artificial, the dimly lit path in the field was still eerie.
Doremi unconsciously clung closer to the hem of Kotake’s jacket that she clutched.
Kotake felt his jacket being tugged from behind, and he shouted,
“That’s why I told you not to go in!”
“But it’s been so long since I’ve been to a haunted house. I can’t leave without experiencing that thrilling feeling.”
“Fine, I get it! So let go of my shirt!!”
“Okay…”
Then suddenly, Kotake moved behind Doremi and hugged her tightly.
“Doremi, here we go~~!!”
And they charged straight through.
“Kyoooo~~~~!”
A female ghost with disheveled hair and a blood-soaked white kimono dropped from the ceiling!
A large, eerie lantern suddenly split open with a rustling sound!
A skeleton leapt out from the darkness!!
“Buwah! Gegege! Guo!? Dohyaaaaaa!!”
Anyway, Doremi was startled by every single eerie thing, screaming as she dashed through the haunted house.
During all this, she felt like she kicked Kotake’s legs and hit him on the head, but that didn’t matter at all.
“Wow~! That was psycho~~~~!! Scary but fun!”
After escaping the haunted house, Doremi looked back at Kotake with a sense of exhilaration from all the screaming.
But Kotake seemed rather worn out.
“Kotake? What’s wrong? Were you too scared and drained?”
“With your loud voice, you keep hitting me, kicking me, I’m just exhausted!”
“Eh? Ahaha… sorry about that.”
The food court was crowded with many customers relaxing.
Doremi and Kotake also managed to find an available table, and they bought a bunch of junk food that is a staple of amusement parks.
From hamburgers to fries, yakisoba, grilled frankfurters, and takoyaki…
Doremi licked her soft-serve ice cream and said,
“You gotta finish with ice cream, right?”
Most of the food on the table had made its way into their stomachs, leaving just wrappers and containers behind.
As Kotake picked up the last french fry on the wrapper with a fork and took a bite, he said,
“You ate two servings by yourself, Sensei. Well, at least it was cheap.”
With that, he swiftly scooped up some of the ice cream that Doremi was licking with the fork.
“Ah~~~!”
“Harukaze-sensei is angry~~!”
Seeing the large Kotake mimic a child, Doremi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Not cute at all~~.”
“What was that!”
“Kyahahaha…”
Seeing Kotake sulking, Doremi couldn’t stop laughing.
After a good laugh, Doremi suddenly fell silent.
“What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”
“You know, I’m glad I didn’t give up on becoming a teacher after all.”
“…Yeah.”
“There were times when I felt like giving up because of various things, but I’m really glad I persevered.”
“Yeah, you did well to persevere.”
Saying so, Kotake reached out his long arm and gently shook Doremi’s head.
“Nihihihi…”
The feeling of Kotake’s hand was so comforting that Doremi couldn’t stop grinning.
“Sure, the work is incredibly busy and difficult. But, there are times when I laugh, cry, and even get angry with the students… but somehow, I get excited about those kinds of days.”
“Excited, huh…”
“I thought teachers were just supposed to teach students. But I feel like I’m learning so many things from my students every day! It’s like growing together with the students, you know?”
“…There might be something similar in soccer too… When I teach the things I learned from my seniors to my juniors, one day, I suddenly start to see things in a different way.”
“Exactly! For now I’m still a clumsy, inexperienced, terrible teacher. But I hope I can gradually become a real teacher that way. Oh, and hey… Ta-dah! I passed the new teacher recruitment exam!!”
She took out the acceptance letter from her bag and displayed it before Kotake’s face.
“Eh!?”
Kotake looked puzzled.
“What’s with that reaction! I told you I passed the first round in summer, didn’t I? Guess you didn’t think I’d pass the second round too. But now I can finally officially become a teacher!!”
“I see… That’s great. Yeah.”
“That’s it~~?”
“Hmm~~ In that case, I’ll ride on a teacup for you.”
“For real? Yay~~~!”
Riding the teacup with Kotake, the delighted Doremi eagerly spun the handle.
At first Kotake had a smile, but his expression gradually became serious as she watched.
“Are you getting dizzy?”
“No way!”
Kotake started spinning the cup handle as well, not wanting to be outdone.
Cafe MAHO-do, where people could meet a former idol, closed safely as usual that day.
“I was a bit worried about causing trouble by helping out, but thanks to everyone, I had a great time working as a cafe staff. Thank you.”
Onpu bowed to Hana, then to Otojiro and Sang-yoo.
In fact, some annoying fans had shown up trying to secretly photograph Onpu. But Otojiro noticed their suspicious behavior.
“San-chan, please pay attention to the customer at the terrace seat.”
“Yes!”
As soon as Sang-yoo saw one of them trying to sneakily take a photo of Onpu serving, he quickly confiscated his smartphone and turned it off.
“Please stop, as it disturbs the other customers.”
He stared at the customer intently and calmly warned him in a low voice.
Seeing Sang-yoo’s dignified figure, Hana exclaimed,
“San-chan is like a super hero~~~!!”
Hana then struck a pose as if she were also protecting Onpu, which made Onpu smile wryly.
And of course, the well-mannered fans also watched over Onpu.
It turned out to be a very enjoyable day for everyone.
After finishing dinner, Hana, Momoko, and Onpu sat at the large table, eating the cocoa cookies that Momoko had baked, while waiting for Doremi and Kotake to return.
“I wonder if Doremi-chan will be back soon?”
“Kotake is coming too, right?”
“That’s what she said, but…”
Then the doorbell rang.
“Ah! They’re back!”
However, it was Ryo who returned, carrying a paper bag.
“Oh, it’s just Ryo-chan.”
“Oh dear, did I disappoint you?”
“No! Ryo-chan, welcome back~~!”
As Hana hugged her, Ryo placed the paper bag on the large table and said,
“When I went back to my parents’ house, I was given many things that my relatives had sent me.”
The bag was packed with chestnuts.
“Wow! Chestnuts!! So round and cute~~!!”
“Momo-chan, can you use them for cakes and such?”
“Yeah! Pound cake, Mont Blanc, and…”
“I want to have chestnut rice.”
“Oh, Onpu-chan, you like chestnut rice too? Then shall we make it next time?”
“Ehhhh!? Ryo-chan, you can make chestnut rice??”
“I sure can. But I’m too tired today, so I’ll go to sleep first!”
“I see. Good night~!”
Watching the yawning Ryo go upstairs, Hana said,
“A hacker who can make chestnut rice… is that also a disguise!?”
“Hana-chan, honestly!”
Momoko gazed at the glossy chestnuts in her palm and asked,
“I wonder where Ryo-san’s parents live?”
“Hmm~~ I’ve never heard of it.”
“See~~ It’s a secret organization after all~~~!”
Momoko and Onpu lightly bonked Hana on the head.
Around that time, Doremi and Kotake were walking down the road to MAHO-do, carrying bags of souvenirs from the amusement park.
“Today was really fun~!”
“How many years has it been since we last went to an amusement park? Though you sure played and ate a lot. You even wolfed down a katsu curry at the station before coming back.”
“But the curry was calling me. Play, eat, charge up with happy energy!!”
Doremi struck a heroic pose, prompting Kotake to pinch her cheek.
“Idiot!”
“Owow… is that how you treat a young maiden’s face?”
Watching Doremi dashed ahead, Kotake smiled.
Despite being clumsy, Doremi was relentlessly cheerful and determined, which always made Kotake want to tease her.
“Hey, I…”
As Kotake started to say something, Doremi interrupted, looking back at him.
“Hey, we’re stopping by MAHO-do, right?”
“Eh, yeah…”
“Everyone’s waiting.”
“Right, I suppose…”
At that moment, Kotake realized they were standing on a bridge.
The scene from a few months ago flashed back in his mind.
At the riverside, Doremi was being embraced by Sang-yoo.
Kotake had witnessed that scene from this very bridge.
Though he had dismissed it as trivial, it had weighed on his mind for a long time.
If he were to see Sang-yoo’s face…
He didn’t want to ruin today’s pleasant mood.
When Doremi and Kotake arrived in front of MAHO-do, he didn’t go through the gate, instead saying,
“Well, see you later!”
“Eh!? You came all this way just to leave??”
“It’s getting late.”
He started walking away while still facing Doremi.
“Ko-ta-ke-e-e!”
Kotake lightly pushed the pouting Doremi through the gate.
“I’ll play with you again sometime!”
Doremi instinctively turned back.
“You promise!?”
“Promise.”
Doremi continued waving her hand until Kotake, who was walking back while looking back several times, disappeared completely from sight.
“Sigh…”
Doremi opened the entrance door with a slightly sad look.
Meanwhile, Sang-yoo had been watching from the upstairs window.
Soon, he heard Hana, Momoko and Onpu’s voices from downstairs.
“Kotake’s not here~~!”
“He went home.”
“Ehhh!? Kotake went home??”
“I thought we could see him after so long.”
“Doremi-chan seems kind of sad…”
What is Kotake thinking! With that intimidating physique, why is he still fussing over trivial matters endlessly!!
Still, wasn't he about to say something?
Oh yeah, you're right! ...Geez, he's just indecisive as always!!
Doremi was bothered by that too.
She had forgotten about it amidst the commotion with everyone, but…
“What was that ‘Hey, I…’ about?”
In the middle of the night, it suddenly came back to her, and she couldn’t sleep well after that.
On her way home after finishing her work at school, as she walked across the bridge, she found herself thinking about it again.
“Aahhh! Seriously, what was that about! If I had known this would happen, I should’ve pressed him about it back then!”
At that moment, the sound of a motorcycle approached from behind.
Turning around, she saw Sang-yoo coming towards her on the motorcycle.
“As I thought, it’s San-chan.”
But Sang-yoo didn’t stop.
“Doremi-chan, it’s something amazing! Hurry, hurry!”
He shouted as he passed by.
Doremi was taken aback but said,
“What~~~! Then take me for a ride!!”
And hastily chased after him.
“Kyaaa~~~!”
Doremi’s scream seemed like it would echo all the way outside of MAHO-do.
Doremi was clutching a ticket for the Marinos game in her hand.
“You’re giving this to me? And it’s for the main stand!! What’s this about!?”
“My friend gave it to me because he suddenly couldn’t go.”
“Then San-chan, you should go.”
As Doremi tried to return the ticket,
“I’m not that into soccer, so I thought you should go instead, Doremi-chan!”
Sang-yoo pushed Doremi’s hand back.
“But…”
Doremi looked affectionately at the ticket she was handed.
Momoko, Hana and Onpu had also arrived and added,
“San-chan is so kind.”
“You haven’t been to a game in ages, Doremi!”
“Since he went through the trouble of getting it, just go.”
“But I just took time off from the cafe recently.”
“Ah… I have work on the weekends.”
“We’ll figure something out! Like magic…”
Onpu hurriedly covered Hana’s mouth and said,
“It’d be great if a staff member appeared like magic, huh?”
“What about asking Pop-chan?”
“Ah!”
Doremi quickly took out her smartphone.
Pop is also a university student now, and she's way more capable than Doremi.
Ufufu... She did complain that her parents won't let her live at MAHO-do, so I'm sure she'll be delighted.
Why me?
Pop’s voice came through the smartphone speaker.
“Pop~~.”
Just kidding. It's fine. I'm free anyway.
“I should have known, the best thing to have is a little sister!”
This is a loan though.
“Okay, I’ll repay this favor double!”
Try tenfold.
The call was abruptly ended with a beep.
Doremi pumped her fist and shouted,
“Alright~~~!”
Hana and the others hugged Doremi.
“Congratulations, Doremi!!”
“That’s great!”
“How exciting!”
“Yeah!”
To Sang-yoo, who was quietly watching with a happy expression,
“Thanks, San-chan. Saranghae (Love you)~~~♪.”
Doremi made a heart shape with both hands.
“You’re welcome.”
Sang-yoo scratched his head shyly.
The next morning, as usual, Doremi hurried down the stairs, almost late. She saw Hana and Otojiro eating rice balls in the living-dining room.
“Oh, rice balls this morning♪.”
“San-chan left early this morning, so Otoji and I made them.”
“We had spam and canned tuna. Would you like some too, Doremi-san?”
“Thanks~~ What happened to San-chan? I thought he said no classes today…”
“Did he now… maybe he went out with friends?”
“I see. Well, I’ll take the spam-filled one and head out!”
Watching Doremi leave while eating the rice ball, Hana joked,
“She’s always eating on the go. A secret from her students, huh?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Otojiro put his index finger to his lips and said that, and they snickered together.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
That night when Sang-yoo returned late, Doremi and the others exclaimed in shock.
Sang-yoo had an enormous bump on his forehead.
Doremi stood on her toes to closely examine the bump.
“Wow, that’s quite a bump! What did you do!?”
“I went to help a friend move, and got hit by falling luggage…”
“Woah! That must’ve really hurt…”
“Thank goodness it didn’t hit your eyes.”
After saying that, Momoko and Onpu quickly tidied up the sofa, put a cushion in place of a pillow, and laid Sang-yoo down.
“You don’t need to make such a fuss~~.”
“No, no~~!”
Hana rushed over with a plastic bag filled with ice and water, wrapped in a towel.
“You didn’t cool it right away, did you? That’s why it swelled up so much. Here, like this…”
She applied the improvised ice pack to the bump.
“Ow… it hurts~~~!”
“Endure it, endure it…”
Otojiro and Ryo came downstairs from the second floor as well.
Ryo found a medicated patch from the first aid box.
“We need a patch, right?”
“Yeah. But let me cool it down first!”
“So it seems, Ryo-san. But it’s a shame for such a handsome face to get messed up like this.”
“Did you feel nauseous or have a nosebleed?”
Hana asked with a seriousness that no one had ever seen before.
“No, really. It’s just that the plastic case hit me with a bang and I felt a spark~~~.”
“Hmm… It’s probably just a simple bruise, but please rest today anyway.”
“Yes, Sensei.”
Sang-yoo unintentionally responded that way.
“It must be reassuring to have a doctor at home.”
“Ehhen!”
Even though Hana had been acting quickly and efficiently like a doctor, everyone exchanged glances and laughed when they saw that she had turned back into her usual childish self.
Looking at it that way, Hana is really a fine doctor-to-be, huh?
Hard to believe she can be so childish normally.
Sang-yoo’s bump turned bluish-purple in a few days, and although his handsome appearance had considerably diminished, he didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. He continued to attend school as usual, work diligently at MAHO-do, and his popularity only increased.
Then finally, the day of Doremi’s soccer game arrived.
Doremi was clad in jeans, a stadium jacket with the Marinos uniform underneath, her hair tied up with a tricolor headband, and a towel scarf wrapped tightly around her neck.
Upon seeing her in the living room, Hana, Pop, Otojiro, and Sang-yoo were stunned.
“My, you are quite fired up.”
“Hehe, and here’s something else!”
As she quickly took off her stadium jacket, what emerged from underneath wasn’t just any regular uniform…
“It has the number ‘11’ and ‘KOTAKE’ printed on the back~~!”
“Fufufu… it’s just a replica after all~~.”
“You’re way too into this, big sis…”
“This is perfectly normal!”
Then, Ryo descended the stairs and saw Doremi,
“Oh my, doesn’t that just suit you!”
She said with sleepy eyes.
“See? Oh, that’s right!”
Doremi dramatically put on large framed sunglasses like an actress.
“I’m keeping this a secret from Kotake, so just in case… And then I’ll surprise him by waiting outside~~! Something like that?”
“Doremi, you’re being too suspicious! Right, San-chan?”
“I pray that security doesn’t stop you.”
“You guys~~!”
Pop placed her hands on Doremi’s shoulders.
“Big sis. You can fantasize freely, but see reality too.”
“Pu-pu-puu!”
“There it is! The classic!!”
Pop mockingly clapped.
Doremi squeezed Pop’s hand and said,
“Anyway, I’m lucky to have a reliable little sister. Please take care of things.”
“Huh? Yeah… well, have fun.”
Pop was exasperated by Doremi’s excitement.
“Yeah, I’m off then~~♪.”
Filled with happiness, Doremi left MAHO-do with light and airy steps, as if she had sprouted wings.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and the stadium was packed with spectators.
Having arrived early, Doremi watched from the stands as Kotake and the others warmed up before the game.
Kotake continued to juggle the ball with a soft touch.
Kotake made an exquisite pass, considering the position of his teammates to receive the ball.
Kotake shot a powerful knuckleball, aiming for the right corner of the goal.
Each movement sparkled in Doremi’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but turn heart-eyed.
“Kotake is definitely the coolest…”
She nonchalantly glanced at the coach, and noticed a slender, model-like woman standing next to him.
The coach called out to Kotake.
Upon noticing the woman, Kotake happily ran over.
The woman opened her arms wide, embracing Kotake.
“Haah!?”
Kotake and the woman seemed to be chatting amiably.
Doremi could only watch, desperately suppressing the urge to run away.
Eventually, Kotake returned to the field with a smile.
“What was that about……?”
It might have been an ordinary scene under normal circumstances.
Hey, I...
But for Doremi, who still didn’t know the rest from that time, even small things became as bothersome as a splinter in her pinky finger.
However, as soon as the game started, Doremi instantly switched into spectator mode.
The supporters cheered and sang in unison… Doremi’s excitement rapidly built up.
Kotake swiftly pressed to steal the ball from the opponent.
Kotake sprinted behind the defensive line and delivered a cross.
Kotake fired a powerful left-footed shot in the penalty area.
He tried to chase the loose ball, but was stopped by the goalkeeper.
Lamenting voices echoed from the home side, while cheers erupted from the away side.
“Uwah, so close!!”
Ohhhhh! Soccer is really entertaining!
As expected of a Japanese national team player!!
Amidst the loud cheers of the supporters, the players fought hard but were ultimately unable to score a goal until the end, partly due to injuries, and Marinos lost this match.
“Ahhhhh!!”
Doremi looked up at the sky and let out a hoarse scream, then sat dazed in her seat for a while.
The players were already off the field, and the supporters were leaving their seats one by one.
She tried to get up from her seat, but ended up sitting back down again.
The bright lights that had illuminated the field so vividly just moments ago now looked somehow cold and dreary.
“……”
As she sat there, the image of that model-like woman hugging Kotake came back to her mind, along with their friendly conversation.
“What is this? He’s getting all lovey-dovey with that model-like woman when I’m not around…”
Hey, I...
“Does that mean you have something going on with her!?”
Doremi pounded her own head with both fists,
“Ahhh, I shouldn’t be thinking these stupid thoughts!!”
She looked around and realized hardly anyone was left in the audience seats.
“I had thought about at least seeing the team bus off but…”
She trudged towards the stadium exit.
The players’ bus had already departed from the stadium.
Doremi was alone on the train swaying back and forth.
“Haah… what am I even doing…”
Dressed in her replica uniform with determination, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly miserable.
At MAHO-do, Hana, Sang-yoo and Pop were finished with dinner, drinking Otojiro’s coffee while waiting for Doremi to return.
“I wonder if Doremi got to meet Kotake?”
“I hope so.”
“Did she really go to see off the bus dressed like that? Oh big sis…”
Ryo, who had been engrossed in her notebook screen on the sofa, commented,
“Oh dear, they lost today’s match.”
Sang-yoo, still rubbing the blue bruise on his forehead, sighed,
“Ahh, I helped with the move for nothing…”
“What? So you even got hurt to get the ticket for big sis?”
“Uh… well, not exactly…”
“Fufufu… you really are so considerate, San-chan.”
“Well, it had been a while since big sis got to see a match. That alone was enough to delight her.”
“Yeah, yeah!”
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“Oh, looks like she’s back.”
“I’m home~~~.”
Doremi drifted in like a ghost, clearly emanating a negative aura.
Everyone unintentionally held their breath.
“What’s wrong, big sis!? You look like you’ve lost your soul!”
Doremi forced a strained smile and said,
“I took quite a bit of damage somehow…”
Then she sluggishly climbed up the stairs.
Hana rushed to the bottom of the stairs and called out,
“Doremi~~ what about dinner? We’re having steak tonight!”
“I’ll eat later…”
“No way…”
Pop muttered involuntarily, causing a stir among those present.
“Oh dear~~, she may be in quite serious condition…”
“I wonder if she found out the steak is actually hamburg steak?”
Hana furrowed her brow as she said this,
“That can’t be.”
But Pop immediately denied it.
Sang-yoo scratched his head in perplexity and added,
“I feel like I messed something up…?”
“No, it’s big sis who’s out of sorts. Sorry to trouble you, San-chan.”
“Ah no, not at all!!”
“Well, there are days like this. She is at that age, after all.”
Doremi lay on her back on the bed, lost in thought.
Why was her heart feeling so heavy?
Kotake had given her such an enjoyable time on their date.
And in today’s match, he had shown such brilliant plays.
“That’s right! I need to praise him for his efforts today!”
She sat up abruptly and took out her smartphone to type a message.
“I went to watch your match today! Kotake, your plays were amazing…”
But then the image of Kotake being intimately friendly with that model-like woman resurfaced.
Her hands stopped typing the message.
She shook her head vigorously, and tried typing again, but couldn’t find the right words no matter how much she typed.
She ended up throwing her smartphone onto the bed.
“I might have been the most unfortunate pretty… girl in the world…”
Around that time, Kotake was walking through the lively nightlife district with the model-like woman.
In Kotake’s hand was a small paper bag.
After that, Doremi and Kotake couldn’t find time to meet for a while.
Despite this, they continued to exchange messages and video chat as usual. However, Doremi was unable to bring up the subject of going to the match or confront Kotake about his earlier remark. They were swept along by their busy lives.
But then, that day suddenly came.
It was when Doremi passed through the ticket gates after returning from school.
“Doremi!”
She looked up in surprise to see Kotake standing in front of the gates, wearing a coat.
“Kotake…”
Without exchanging a word, they began walking together as if they both knew where they were headed.
And they ended up in front of the gate of Misora Elementary School.
Of course, the gate was closed.
But some lights were still on in the classrooms, likely from teachers working late.
The two grasped the gate and looked over the school grounds.
“Feels nostalgic, doesn’t it…”
“Yeah. Was the schoolyard this small?”
“We’re the ones who got bigger.”
“Heh… I guess so.”
“I wish Seki-sensei was here.”
“She probably transferred to another elementary school.”
“Yeah. It would be nice if we ended up working together at the same elementary school someday.”
“Even if you become a capable teacher, Doremi, wouldn’t Seki-sensei find it troublesome?”
“Oh, come on!”
Doremi playfully smacked Kotake’s back.
“Hahaha… Fufufu…”
Then Kotake suddenly looked down and started laughing.
“What’s wrong? Why are you laughing!!”
“I remembered the day of our graduation ceremony.”
“Eh…”
“You boycotted the graduation ceremony and barricaded yourself in MAHO-do…”
“Ugh… T-That story…”
She clearly remembered that day even now.
She didn’t know why she had done such a thing back then… now it felt more embarrassing than nostalgic.
That's basically a Misora Elementary legend by now. Graduating and parting ways with classmates, deciding not to become a witch, and having to part ways with us, you barricaded yourself in MAHO-do because you were so sad about it.
We were really moved by it though, weren't we?
“Seki-sensei, Nishizawa-sensei, Yuki-sensei… your entire class, they all desperately tried to persuade you out… Oh, your father, mother, and even Pop came. And in the end, we had to redo the graduation ceremony.”
“So I don’t want to talk about it anymore~.”
“I said to you back then, didn’t I…”
Everyone here loves you so much!
That’s what Kotake, a sixth grader at the time, shouted at Doremi as she barricaded herself in MAHO-do.
“You know, back then, what I really wanted to say was ‘I love you so much.’”
“I knew it! I kept wondering if that’s what you meant whenever I remembered it.”
“Even after that, I couldn’t bring myself to say it clearly… it took me six whole years. I really was a coward, huh?”
“Can’t be helped. I ended up falling for such a coward after all.”
“Doremi…”
Kotake gazed at her with serious eyes, and Doremi felt flustered.
Flustered, the words slipped out unintentionally.
“But you know, at the match the other day, you seemed really friendly with that beautiful woman?”
“Eh!? Beautiful woman?? Julia? Wait, you were there the other day!?”
“So her name is Julia-san, huh. I see~~.”
“She’s just an interpreter.”
“But the coach is Japanese!!”
“No, not like that!!”
Kotake seemed to be desperately searching for the words to explain.
But in the next moment, he suddenly embraced Doremi.
“Doremi, come to the Netherlands with me!”
“Eh!?”
“I’ve received an offer from a team in the Netherlands. So I want you to come with me!!”
Doremi stared intently at Kotake’s face.
“Does that mean…?”
“Yeah! Marry me, Doremi!!”
He hurriedly dug his hand into his coat pocket.
“Why would it come to this!?”
Doremi said that in a strong tone.
“Why… If I go to the Netherlands, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. Could you really wait for me?”
“Then what about me? I worked so hard and finally passed the teacher recruitment exam, but now you’re telling me to give up on becoming a teacher!?”
“You haven’t even been assigned a school yet, right? You can become a teacher anytime later on!”
Doremi shook off Kotake’s arm as he grabbed hers.
Tears began to flow uncontrollably from her eyes.
“Why do you decide everything on your own like that! I have to work really hard too. Work really hard to become an even better teacher. I can’t just do it anytime! I have to do it now!!”
“For me too, it has to be now! If I don’t take this offer now, who knows when the next one will come… No, there may never be another chance!!”
A strong wind blew, and falling leaves showered between them as if to separate them.
The two of them just stood there.
It felt like both an instant and an eternity to them.
Eventually, Doremi let out a deep sigh.
“I’m not going to the Netherlands.”
Saying that in a hoarse voice, she turned around and started walking down the slope.
“Doremi!!”
But for some reason, Kotake couldn’t move from that spot.
Kotake stared blankly at Doremi, who disappeared into the darkness of the night without even looking back. In Kotake’s hand was a ring with a small red stone.
“Stupid, stupid Kotake!!”
Doremi shouted internally as she kept walking relentlessly.
The light from the distant MAHO-do was blurred by her tears.
No matter how much you care for the other person, there are often times you fail to realize you've fallen into mere assumptions about them. The difference in emotional temperature... Is it an effort by both parties to make it equal? Or is it compromise? Or could it be time...
......
NOT THE DRAMA AGAIN, WHY CAN’T THEY JUST HAVE A MOMENT OF PEACE? I WANT A CUTE LOVE STORY, AND I DON’T CARE IF IT’S UNREALISTIC, IT’S FICTION 😭. I’m getting too invested in these characters fr, I just hope everything ends alright in the end, I really hate how the writer went into the drama route in this volume ugh, give the lil guys a break, the chapter starter so well it kinda gave me hope nothing would go wrong 😔.
Bro that drama at the end just stunned me! Wow!
That was big surprise, but that little selfish, you can’t decide on yourseft, but i also hope this couple get married before end
BRO DOREMI YOU QUEEEEEN TELL HIIIIM GURL. Like yeah she worked hard on her dream why tf would she throw that off for her bf’s sake?? Im a Kotadore fan but above anything else a Doremi fan. Women be like Doremi, you CAN refuse a marriage proposal if it doesn’t align with your personal goals
Click here to leave comments on GitLab.