Vol. 1 Chapter 35 – Asahi Hikaru’s First Love

I think I was what you’d call a daddy’s girl, acknowledged by myself and others.

Ever since elementary school, whenever practice didn’t go well or I lost a match, I’d always run crying to my dad.

I’m quitting tennis.

When I sobbed like that, Dad would always take me somewhere fun.

A department store with all sorts of shops, or an amusement park full of fun attractions.

In that dream-like time, I quickly forgot the unpleasant things.

After having lots of fun and returning home, Dad would always pat my head and ask, ‘Did you have fun today?’

When I answered, ‘It was super fun,’ Dad would always promise, ‘Let’s go again.’

He never said things like ‘Work hard at tennis starting tomorrow’ or ‘You can do it, Hikaru.’

That’s precisely why, from the next day on, I could try hard again.

I loved my dad so much, and while I didn’t go as far as saying I’d marry him when I grew up, I vaguely thought I’d probably marry someone like Dad in the future.

To use as a reference, I remember asking Mom several times, “Why did you marry Dad?”

Mom would always smile a little embarrassedly and tell me, “Because being with your father was the most comfortable.”

Dad’s friends who came over often teased him, saying, ‘Never thought you’d catch such a beautiful wife,’ but Mom always laughed and said it was the other way around.

But if they liked each other that much, they should stick closer together more often…

If the person I loved most in the world was always near me, I definitely would, but apparently, they’re both very shy.

When I entered middle school, and both my older brother and I had grown bigger, Dad, who originally worked in international trade, started having more overseas business trips.

That became a catalyst for me to gradually graduate from being a daddy’s girl.

I started getting a little better at controlling my mentality, which I used to struggle with, and I couldn’t keep relying on Dad forever.

It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t lonely, but looking around, I think it was also natural.

More time passed, and I, having forgotten how to rely on anyone, became a high school student.

The first time I recognized his existence was in the fall of my first year of high school… right around the time of the cultural festival.

After finishing preparations for our class’s event, I decided to go check out the other classes with Ayaka and Akane.

The first place we peeked into was Class B’s shooting gallery booth.

The whole class was excitedly preparing together.

Among them, there was just one person silently performing safety checks, holding a checklist.

A boy meticulously inspecting the platform for children, checking if there were any defects.

Safety inspection duty… Watching him diligently handle a role that seemed like it might have been pushed onto him, I thought, ‘He’s kind of like Dad.’

His appearance, his demeanor, that reserved atmosphere overall… somehow…

I learned more details about him a little later.

His name was Kageyama Reiya-kun.

Different class, but same grade, and his hobby was gaming.

He wasn’t in any clubs, but I heard he worked part-time somewhere.

He apparently went to a different middle school in another area and moved here when he entered high school.

Maybe because he didn’t know many people, I often saw him alone.

I thought about talking to him several times, but each time I hesitated.

Because striking up a conversation with a boy just because he resembled my dad was, as expected, too embarrassing.

So… not exactly because of that, but from that day on, I started borrowing games from my older brother and playing them during my time off.

If we had a common topic, maybe I could at least try talking to him a little.

That’s what I was thinking initially, but before I knew it, I had simply gotten completely absorbed in it.

In the end, without any chance to talk to him, the months flowed by again.

As a second-year student, I was starting to hate tennis, which I should have loved.

The cause was the left knee injury I sustained at the end of my first year.

The injury itself healed quickly after seeing my regular doctor.

I knew myself that I could move without any problems now, yet when I tried to step into a shot, my body would freeze up.

What if the same thing happened again?

Maybe it would be more severe next time.

Maybe I wouldn’t be able to play tennis anymore.

The more I thought about it, the more my legs froze in fear, and I couldn’t even practice properly.

Mom told me I didn’t have to push myself so hard.

But I could tell that Mom, who had been forced to give up her own path as a pro, inevitably had expectations for me.

I knew my older brother quit tennis partly so Mom could devote more of her time just to me.

I couldn’t show this useless side of myself to Ayaka or Akane either, who had always supported me.

It was precisely because everyone had expectations for me that I had been able to work so hard until now.

And yet, now I felt the weight of those expectations.

Disgusted with myself, I fell into a vicious cycle where my mood sank even further.

In the past, at times like this, I always ran crying to Dad.

He’d take me somewhere fun, and by the next day, I’d be back to my usual self.

But that same Dad was now away from home on a long business trip.

Besides, having graduated from relying on him myself, I couldn’t cling to him now.

In the end, unable to rely on anyone, I ended up bottling up all my stress inside.

Some time after that, I got into a small argument with Mom during practice.

If it’s painful, why don’t you try taking some distance from tennis?

It started when I reacted negatively to Mom’s suggestion.

I knew it was my fault for not being able to do it, but hearing her say that was painful.

Because I still loved tennis, and I didn’t want to take any distance at all.

After the argument, feeling awkward, I decided to go home alone.

Waiting lonely for the bus by myself, my heart grew heavier and heavier.

Boarding the arrived bus with heavy steps, I spotted a certain person’s figure.

Kageyama Reiya-kun—the person who was somewhat like Dad, who ended up in the same class as me this year.

It wasn’t that I felt something fateful about the chance encounter, nor did I expect anything to change.

I just found myself talking to him before I knew it.

“Kageyama-kun… right? From the same class.” (Hikaru)

Without knowing that this would become the story of my comeback… and my rainbow-colored first love.