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“So today is the day, Kai.” The guy nodded. As soon as he entered the room, Hoshina took a seat next to his bed, calm and composed as always.
“How are you feeling? Ready?” He asked with a slight smile on his lips. His dark eyes narrowed in a kind expression, one of those which had always calmed Hayato. But that day it didn’t. As his friend had just said, that day was the day.
“Well… I’m a bit worried.” His eyes were fixed on the white and boring ceiling above their heads. Hoshina opened his eyes wide in shock and joked in a way that a stranger would have considered unusual for him, but that Hayato had been lucky enough to get to know well.
“What?! You worried? I’m the serious one of the two of us, don’t steal my lines!” A hearty laugh came out from Kaidou’s mouth, his body feeling already more relaxed than before.
“True… Well if you ask me honestly, then I’m seriously shitting myself, but!” And he raised his finger in the air to underline the turning point in his speech, “But! The nurse is really cute. Nari, 23 years old, from Tokyo. I’m gonna ask her out… If I survive!” This time was Hoshina the one laughing. Well, his laugh wasn’t as extremely loud as Kai’s one, let’s say he was smiling rather than laughing. Still, knowing him well enough, Kai was aware that a pretty smile of his was the same as another person’s good laugh.
“That’s the Kaidou I’ve known for 6 years, thank you. Now I’m less worried.”
“But I should be the worried one!!!” Hayato raised his chest and rested on his elbows while yelling at his friend. Taku sighed and with a light push on his shoulder told him to lay down on the bed and don’t move too much. He already had a line of drips on his left hand and a pressure sensor on the finger of the right one. Looking at his best friend being in such condition was weird for Hoshina, yet at the same time it deeply relieved him.
“I’m happy that this day has come. Finally, Kai.” At that soft murmur Kai felt a shiver running along his spine.
“I know you are. I know.”
“You know Kai, after all I’m happy.”
“Did…Did the ball hit you on the head or what?! We’ve just lost.”
“I know. We’ve lost, this was our last game with the team, I’ve just thrown away a pro contract I was ready to sign, yet I’m happy. I’m happy that I’ve lost today and not the next month at Nationals… because this means you’ll have the chance to get the surgery sooner.”
“…”
“…”
“Kai… you- you shouldn’t cry like a baby because of this.”
“Y-you are the one to talk! Look at you! I- Idiot!”
“…That’s my line… Idiot. Come here.”
“Five minutes!” The young nurse peeked out from behind the door, warning the two that the time was running out. Then, with a nice smile she disappeared. Hoshina lingered for a few more instants over the closed door, then he met Kai’s gaze and nodded in agreement.
“Not bad. Not bad at all.” Actually that nurse was quite pretty. And given the fact that Kaidou had decided to study sport medicine, one could say that they already had some common interests. And keeping in mind that Kai was an authentic Casanova, Hoshina was sure that it would have been a success.
“Hey, hands off!” His friend snapped jokingly, waving his finger with the pressure sensor in the air to scold him. “You’ve already got your Seiseki affair going on! Two girls at the same time are still too much for you, that’s the next level! Don’t worry, I’ll teach you, just wait.”
Hoshina couldn’t help but laugh again, this time feeling his cheeks getting warmer after his friend mentioned his developing friendship with Ubukata, Seiseki’s manager.
“Yeah, sure…” Kaidou was indeed a Casanova, yet a very loyal one. Never ever would he really teach him how to keep a relation with two different girls at the same time, because he was the first one who had never appreciated such disdainful tricks.
Kai nodded again with a serious expression on his face, which didn’t last much longer though. Then he stared at the clock on the light blue wall. A minute had already passed since the nurse left. Both of them took a deep breath and sighed in silence.
“Taku…”
“Yes?”
“If I’ll be okay after the sur-”
“You are going to be okay.” Hoshina didn’t even let him finish. Kaidou was going to be alright. He had to be alright after the surgery. He couldn’t take into consideration even the smallest inconvenience, he didn’t dare to. If anything bad happened to his best friend, well… actually he didn’t even know how he would have reacted. Kai smiled softly after those words and before resuming he locked eyes with his friend.
“Then... Would you like to play soccer together again?” He murmured with a calm voice, seeing Hoshina’s eyes open wide in surprise. Yet he went on without waiting for an answer, as he still had to tell him what kind of soccer he wanted them to play.
“A soccer like the one we used to play in middle school, when there were no painkillers and no doctors yet. Without you having to worry about me every time I enter the field. Without getting scared every time someone makes a foul on me. Without having to make crosses that are neither too high, because the doctor forbade me from jumping, nor too far, because we both already know that if I stretch or dive to hit the ball it’s going to hurt. And without having to feel guilty and blame yourself if in the end you couldn’t deliver that nearly impossible perfect cross.”
“I’m sorry Kai, that cross at the end wasn’t good.. ”
“Nah, it’s not your fault, my back hurt even before the match.”
“But now it got worse, I mean, look at you..”
“Look at you what? Is it the first time you come with me to the clinic? Even the assistant now calls you “Taku”, so I suppose it’s not!”
“…”
“Takumi, stop it. I’m going to ask Ura to come with me next time.”
“What? I didn’t say anything!”
“Stop making that face! Do you think I can’t read your mind? I’m sure now you are thinking “here we go again, I shouldn’t have passed to him if I already knew that it wouldn’t have been a comfortable cross which even a 90-year-old grandpa would hit”, am I wrong???”
“…I’m no good…”
“See?!? Taku, I’ve already told you. It’s. Not. Your. Fault. If you keep doing this I’m not going to play anymore, not even for five minutes. I will talk to the coach, seriously I’m not joking now.”
“But I’m just worrying about you!”
“I know, but you can’t ruin your day every time. We won today!!! And yet look at your face, it looks like a member of your family has just died!”
“You are exaggerating.”
“Taku, trust me, you are the one who exaggerates. C’mon, smile!”
“No.”
“What?! Smile!”
“No! I don’t feel like smiling now!”
“Really? Well, then..”
“OH DON’T.”
“Hihi, you are still ticklish on your hips like when you were in middle school!”
“Don’t- don’t even dare to do that again!! We are in a clinic!”
“Ohh, that’s a smile! Finally!”
“The kind of soccer where you don’t have to bring me to the doctor after a match because I can’t lay on my bed. Where you don’t have to stay by my side for days, bringing me food and helping me keep up with classes because I can’t even move. The soccer where after a match, no matter whether good or bad, we can go out for a drink together, like all friends do.”
“Now, let’s move to history class. We have a test next week about the Pacific War, you know that, right?”
“……”
“Right?”
“Yes…”
“Good. Tell me about Pearl Harbour.”
“W-what?!?”
“I’m testing your knowledge and getting you ready for next week. Pearl Harbour, when, who and why.”
“But…my back hurts!”
“Your mouth doesn’t depend on your back.”
“B-but I’m ill!”
“You are talking. This means you can talk about history too.”
“I- I need to rest!”
“You have been lying on your bed since yesterday evening. C’mon, let’s review this chapter and then we’ll have a break, okay?”
“…Okay.”
“I’ll go to the cafeteria, do you want me to grab something for you? A cup of tea? A fruit? Orange juice?”
“A cup of tea, thank you.”
“That’s okay. Now, Pearl Harbour.”
“Dammit!”
“Did you really think that I would forget what I’ve asked you two minutes ago?”
“A soccer where there are just me, you and the ball. No hospitals, no worries, no apologies. Where I am free to play like I’ve always wanted to play, without regrets, and you are free to play serenely, without having to fear for me. And where we don’t end up fighting and not talking to each other for days because of a fucking illness.”
“Why are you so childish? You pretend everything is alright when it’s the opposite!”
“Could you please stop repeating me the same singsong again and again?”
“I’m repeating it because you don’t understand alone.”
“I’m telling you it’s not-”
“You must undergo surgery, now.”
“I’m not gonna do that.”
“You are a damn kid. I’m sick and tired of your whinging. Do whatever the hell you want.”
“Who the hell do you think you are? Oi, I’m talking to y-”
“Don’t you dare to raise a hand against me, Hayato.”
“Wow, we are talking big now, aren’t we! Do you think you are the only one caring about soccer? I CARE ABOUT SOCCER TOO! I WANT TO PLAY SOCCER TOO! How am I supposed to play soccer in the third year if I undergo surgery now? Tell me, since you know everything I have to do!”
“I don’t know everything Kai, I don’t have the crystal ball. I only know that the longer you postpone this surgery, the worse it will get. This is why you sh-”
“Stop it with this "you should"! You should, you should, you should. Stop it! This is my back, not yours. It’s my business. And soccer is my priority.”
“I can’t believe you are such an egoist.”
“Me an egoist? Well, because you are a genius Takumi, aren’t you? Always telling people what to do with that damned expression on your face and expecting others to follow you like a gang of losers. You know, sometimes I really ask myself how the hell you became captain.”
“… Undergo surgery. Otherwise I’m not going to play soccer with you anymore.”
“…You are not going to play soccer with me anymore? Seriously? And I thought you were my best friend. You haven’t understood anything of me in these five years. Anything.”
“Kai, stop with this bullshit-”
“Bullshit? That’s the reality! You are a fucking worrywart. And I don't need someone like you.”
“I care about you-”
“If this is how you care about me than I'd live better with you not giving a damn shit. Oi, get your fucking hands off me!”
“Get a move on or you are going to end up on a wheelchair!”
“MIND. YOUR. FUCKING. BUSINESS."
“What the- Oi guys, stop!!!”
“What the hell is happening here? Captain! Are you okay?”
“Leave, Atomu. Ura, send Hoshina away.”
“B-but what the hell-”
“Send him away Ura. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to see him anymore.”
“There is no need Ura, I’m going on my own.”
“Do- do you need to go to the infirmary? Taku? Oi, Taku!”
“I don’t want to see him anymore…”
“W- What?! Why? Kai what happened?”
“I- I don’t want to see him..”
“Kai, calm down..”
“I- I…”
“Hey, don’t cry…"
“Would you like to play soccer with me again?”
He muttered those last words with a broken voice. A tear ran on his cheek and fell on the pillow. His eyes were still locked with those of his best friend, who an instant later had to lower his head and break that intense exchange of gazes. Hoshina’s long black fringe now covered his eyes, yet Kaidou could clearly see the tears falling down and getting absorbed by the fabric of his jeans, one after the other. It happened in the end. Both of them got emotional at the memory of the moments they had spent together so far. Good and funny moments… and bad moments. Kai saw Hoshina biting his lower lip with a tremulous force, nearly cutting his skin. It was evident that he was still in pain for what happened that day one year ago. He hadn’t forgotten and thinking about it still hurt him. For Kai it was the same, maybe even worse.
“I-” His friend tried to mutter a reply, but the sobs stopped him. Then his hand reached Kaidou’s one on the bed and grabbed it with desperate strength. Feeling Kai answering to that gesture with a firm grip was the only thing that could give force to him in that moment. Hoshina lifted his head, his teary and shiny eyes meeting the ones of his best friend. Because after all, they were still best friends.
“I will always be there to play soccer with you.”
That soccer. The one that made them meet and become friends six years before that surgery. The soccer he missed and dreamt of every day too.
As soon as a smile spread over Kaidou’s face, the nurse appeared again, this time entering the room.
“It’s time to go.”
Both of them tried to wipe away their tears, still holding hands. Then Hoshina got up and offered help to the nurse to move his friend on the stretcher. He accompanied him until the doors of the surgical room blocked his passage. He bent to get closer to Kai and grabbed his hand again, this time speaking with the confidence that had always made Kaidou feel safe.
“Don’t worry Kai. In a couple of hours it will be over. I will be waiting for you here.” Kaidou replied with a slight nod, before disappearing behind the doors. Hoshina leaned on the white wall, taking a deep breath.
“I will always be there to play soccer with you.”
“So, two-footed magic Ace!” The anaesthetist was a 50-year-old little woman with good and cheerful manners. She already knew Kaidou and since the beginning she had taken an immediate liking to him, like most of other people who met the striker. “Now we’ll proceed with the anaesthesia. As soon as I put the mask on your face, count backwards from ten to zero. You will soon start feeling sleepy and… well, I guess you already know this boring stuff!” Kaidou nodded with a smile. Indeed, he already knew everything about anaesthesia, since it was needed for some of the tests he had undergone. However, he didn’t know much about a real surgery and this made him tensed. He sighed, keeping in mind Hoshina’s words and trying to calm down. The nurse was on his left side, smiling sweetly at him. She passed the oxygen mask to the anaesthetist, who after the last arrangements finally rested it on Kaidou’s face. The time had come.
“Okay, now count!” The energetic woman told him, her big eyes shining behind the little rounded lenses of her glasses. At that point Kai turned his head in the nurse’s direction, locking eyes with her.
“You… are…… beautiful…………” He mumbled, quickly losing consciousness. The girl stood petrified, her cheeks red and hot, then she exchanged a gaze with the anaesthetist, who was still holding the mask on the guy’s face. Even the surgeon, who was finishing fixing his gloves, turned and stared perplexed at the guy, now resting peacefully on the operating table. In the end it was the little anaesthetist who broke the silence, trying hard not to burst into laughter.
“Well… that’s an original way of counting from ten to zero!”