A Riot in the Soccer Club
Ueda’s PoV
We came back to the clubroom after practice as usual. Ah, I’m tired and sleepy, but we have a big tournament coming up, and this is the point where we have to make a decision. I heard that Kondo-senpai is off today.
Our soccer team was weak until Kondo-senpai came to this school. Thanks to that super high school genius, the level of our soccer team improved, and last year we made it to the national tournament.
We, the second-year and first-year students who were active in junior high school, admire Kondo-senpai.
Considering that we have more players than last year, we should be able to do better than we did at the national tournament.
We are crazy about Kondo-senpai and will do anything for him.
We bullied Aono because we wanted to please him.
If we can make Kondo-senpai happy, we can do anything.
“Kondo-senpai is amazing, isn’t he? He doesn’t practice, but he’s so good.”
Aida says excitedly. He’s even more fascinated by Senpai than I am. He’s almost like a fanatic.
“Yeah, yeah. Especially his soft passes.”
“That was J-League level. I’ve never seen such a genius. He’ll be a treasure for Japanese soccer. I’m sure of it!”
Chuckling a little at Aida’s excited tone, I regained my composure.
I easily escaped Takayanagi’s interrogation, but I’m starting to get a little worried. Actually, I’m a person who worries easily.
Aida is fanatical about Kondo-senpai and thinks there’s no way he could make a mistake. If I told him about my concerns, he’d probably laugh it off. “You idiot, there’s no way Kondo-senpai would make a mistake.”
“Hey, I found a strange envelope outside the clubroom.”
Mitsuda-senpai, a third-year student, spoke to us.
“What is that? There’s no address on it. We should open it anyway, right?”
When I answered, he said, “That’s right,” and ripped open the envelope…
“What the hell is this?”
Mitsuda-senpai’s face turned red, then white.
His hands shook, and the envelope and the photo inside fell to his feet.
We picked up the photo, and my friends and I saw what was inside.
I shouldn’t have seen it. I’d rather not know. There’s information there I wish I hadn’t learned.
The first photo showed Senpai secretly entering a love hotel with Amada Miyuki. From there, it documented their intimacy. This photo upset Aida and me. I had heard that Senpai had been consulted by Amada about the violence and stalking of her boyfriend, Aono. I don’t know when this photo was taken, but it makes me think they’re dating.
Was Aono really violent with Amada?
If you look at this photo, it seems more like…
Senpai is having an affair with her.
“No, it can’t be true. This is some kind of mistake.”
Aida trembled beside me. I could see that the image of the invincible Senpai in his eyes had shattered. I knew it because he idolized Senpai even more than I did.
“Oh no! This is against the law. Love hotels aren’t supposed to be used by people under 18. If this gets discovered, can we participate in the tournament? Even if we can, can we win without Kondo?”
The third-year senpais shouted. This year is their last, and they want to do well in the tournament to get college recommendations. So the upcoming tournament was also a matter of life and death for them.
“I wonder who took this picture. Maybe a member of the club? Otherwise, there wouldn’t be an envelope left outside the clubroom, would there?”
Mitsuda-senpai said in a raised voice. Everyone looked at each other suspiciously. Maybe one of the people nearby was the traitor, the culprit. Everyone seemed like the enemy.
“Let me see the next photo, quickly.”
There was more to the photos I had.
The next photo we saw was even more shocking than the last.
It showed Amada being grabbed by the shoulder by a policeman, and Kondo-senpai lying on the ground, being restrained as he tried to escape.
“What nonsense. This is a big scandal. The ace of the team was caught by the police. The club could be punished, and all support could be withdrawn. No, even worse—they might shut down the club…”
Mitsuda-senpai shouted hysterically. The club might dissolve? What would happen to our future if that happened? Why was he being detained by the police? Could he be accused of a crime? Could Aono be innocent? If so, we’re just as guilty…
I heard the sound of our bright future crumbling, a future that had seemed so close just moments ago.
“The culprit! The culprit who took these photos! Come out quickly! If you don’t, I’ll kill you!!!”
“It’s you, isn’t it?! You were always complaining about him, weren’t you?!!”
“What the hell did I work so hard for in the club for three years?”
The clubroom immediately descended into chaos.