Just before the end of first half, Yuko Mountain managed to score another goal. Yuko Mountain’s supporter immediately celebrated it by launching their thundering cheer. After that, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half and marked the start of half-time break.
The three toddlers who sat next to Hide also used the half-time break to replenish their strength. Kaede Sensei immediately gave them one of the popcorn cups while Hide helped them opened their soda.
After that, Kaede Sensei and Hide calmly observed the three toddlers. The two couldn’t hide their amusement as the three toddlers were happily enjoying their soda and sharing popcorn.
“Hide, thank you for bringing Aizawa to Kitaro,” Kaede Sensei sincerely said. “Kana didn’t have any real friend before Aizawa came to Kitaro.”
“Sensei, Aizawa also didn’t have real friend before she move to Kitaro.”
“Yeah, I have heard about it,” Kaede Sensei calmly said. “However, I believe that wherever school that Aizawa go to, she will make a lot of friend. As for Kana, she has a difficulty to fit herself into a group.
Actually, Aizawa has given up her chance to become a core part in some groups because she chose to hang around with Kana.”
Hide calmly said, “Sensei, I never measure friendship based on how many friend I have, but from how deep the relation. Even if it’s only one or two friends, it’s more than enough as long as they are my true friend.”
“…”
“I learn it hard way,” Hide said as he recalled his experience as an active member of 1st SFG, where the bond with his teammates was thicker than blood. “But fortunately, Aizawa doesn’t repeat my mistake.”
“Hide.” Kaede Sensei looked at Hide as big question mark filled her eyes to the brim. “Sometimes, I get impression you are far more mature than your actual age.”
Hide smiled before saying, “I will take it as a compliment.”
“It’s a compliment,” Kaede Sensei happily said. “Maybe you wouldn’t believe it, but some parents of my students actually tell their kids that having a large number of friends is more important than the deep of the friendship itself.”
“They are definitely the worst parent a child can get.”
“True.”
“Also, after Kana hanging around with Aizawa, her rascal level is going nosedive and now she is behaving more like a sweet kid.”
Hide instantly turned his gaze to Kana and said, “Sensei, Kana is just a kid and it’s very normal for her to cause some troubles.”
Hide was truly believed that it was very normal for a kid to cause some trouble. Rather than suppressed it with a strict rule and discipline, Hide believed it would way much better for a child to expressed their feeling, emotion, and rascal side when the parent were still have lot of room to guide, nurture, control their environment, and even punish them if they had to.
This kind of interaction maybe would give any parent headache and frustration. However, for Hide who had huge regret because in his previous life he had stupidly created lot of negative emotion in Aizawa’s childhood, and then losing her in the most painful way possible, parental headache and frustration were not a big deal. He would gladly let Aizawa grew in a flexible environment, even if it would also gave her a room to made mistake or broke some common rule and giving him a headache.
“Hide,” Kaede Sensei took a deep breath before frustratingly said, “I don’t mind Kana become a cheeky kid, but sometimes she goes too far.”
Hide immediately asked, “Sensei, how far a six year old kid can go wrong?”
“Very very very far,” Kaede Sensei firmly replied.
After seeing Hide gave her a curious look, Kaede Sensei immediately told him a story about the latest Kana’s rascal act. It was took place a day after Yuko Mountain beat Nakamura Ocean. At that time, Kana started her first day of football course and she came to the training center wearing Yuko Mountain’s jersey.
Coincidently, her instructor was Nakamura Ocean’s diehard supporter and she was still sour about Nakamura Ocean’s lost in the previous day. As soon as she realized that Kana was wearing Yuko Mountain’s jersey and looked at her with her big smile and brimming face, the instructor immediately dumped her pent up on Kana. She was also trash talk Yuko Mountain right in front of Kana’s face.
When Kana didn’t talk back or refute her trash talk, the instructor became more fervent and even forbade Kana wore Yuko Mountain’s jersey when she came to her class in the future. Then, the training was started, and in the middle of it, when the female instructor had let her guard down, Kana silently sneaked into her rear and pulled her shorts all the way down to her ankles.
The female instructor instantly gasped and froze in her place, while the other kids exploded into laughter. Even some parents in the edge of the practice field couldn’t hold back their laugh. In the end, the female instructor could only pull her shorts while putting her life on the line to contain her sky-high embarrassment.
“As for Kana, she casually walked to the bench, took her bag, and then asked her driver to take her home. She just leaved as if nothing had happened.”
Kaede Sensei closed her story while looking at Kana with a complicated gaze. At the other side, while munching a handful of popcorn, Kana calmly looked back at Kaede Sensei with her crystal clear eyes, as if the story about her rascal act was someone else story.
At the same time, Hide who already couldn’t hold back his laugh when he heard Kana had pulled her instructor shorts down to her ankles, finally burst into a laughter, and it made Kaede Sensei wanted to cry but no tears had come out.
“Hide, please don’t laugh,” Kaede Sensei bitterly pleaded. “At that time, I thought I had to do hara-kiri to redeem this rascal’s unforgivable act.”
“Sensei,” Hide took a deep breath a few times to calm his amusement before continuing, “Kana’s act is definitely wrong, but her instructor also deserve it. I mean… an adult, not to mention an instructor, shouldn’t dumped her pent up into her six year old student.”
“Even so,” Kaede Sensei frustratingly said, “What kind of six year old little girl who had an idea to pull down her teacher shorts as a payback?”
“A genius six year old little girl.”
Kana smugly praised herself before putting another handful of popcorn into her mouth, and when Hide gave her a big thumb, she responded it by showing her own thumb. Seeing this exchange, Kaede Sensei could only lament inwardly.
“Hide, don’t encourage this rascal to carry another crazy act. It will kill me this time.”
Hide didn’t reply and only lightly smiled. Meanwhile, Hanna whispered something to Kana, and Kana nodded a few times before turning her gaze to Kaede Sensei
“Aunt Kaede, please have no worry,” Kana assuredly said. “Kana have already learnt from her mistake.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Good.”
Kaede Sensei sensed something was wrong because it’s not normal occurrence for Kana to easily back down. Even still, she chose to trust her and treat her words seriously.
“Kana, I will hold your words as a sacred vow.”
“Okay,” Kana nodded before adding, “Next time, Kana will do it more carefully and ensure nobody know about it.”
In an instant, Kaede Sensei rolled her eyes, while Hide amusingly laughed. As for Hanna and Aizawa, it was clear that the two were fully supported Kana. In the end, Kaede Sensei chose not to talk about it anymore.
A moment later, the game was being resumed and the three toddlers returned to their cheering mode. Together with other Yuko Mountain’s supporters, they yelled as loud as they could. When Yuko Mountain scored another goal they even took their jacket off and swirled it above their head.
At the same time, Hide stole a glance to Aizawa. To be fair, Aizawa also had her rascal side and it was wilder than Kana. Last time she snapped, she had beaten the boy who triggered her. Well, Hide couldn’t go back to the past to prevent it, so he would do his best to ensure it would remain as a child’s over reaction and not develop into a long life dark emotion.
---
Prr-rrri-iiitttttttt……!!”
The cheer and scream from Yuko Mountain’s supporter immediately thundering to every corner of the stadium as the referee blew the final whistle. Yuko Mountain had bagged the game with score 4-1, so their supporters celebrated it as loud as they could.
At the same time, Yuko Mountain’s players deeply bowed to their supporter in all direction before leaving the field. People then started leaving their seat. As for Hide and his group, they calmly sat in their seat, waiting for the crowd to become slightly sparse before taking their leave.
In the distance, Hide noticed Isamu Sensei walked among the crowd with some members of Hiking Club. Sayaka, Tenma, Hiroki, and Tsugiyama were wearing Nakamura Ocean’s jacket, while the other four wore various sport jackets.
Sayaka had also accidentally noticed Hide, but she only gave him a glance before continuing her walk with her sour face. It seemed the second defeat of Nakamura Ocean from Yuko Mountain was truly crushed her heart, but Hide didn’t give a damn.
Hide then calmly proposed to the group, “Let’s enjoy some meal in Seiya before we go home.”
“Okay,” Hanna instantly agreed to the idea.
“It’s a great idea,” Kaede Sensei happily said after Kana gave her an expectant gaze. “It’s a rare chance for me, to be able eating outside without having over anxiousness about the crowd.”
The group then leaved their seat and went straight to Seiya. However, Hide never imagined that Isamu Sensei’s group also went to Seiya. Not to mention, the only vacant table they could use was right next to their table, but it was too late to go to other place. Aizawa and Kana instantly looked to every corner with their brimming eyes as soon as they entered Seiya, and Hide didn’t want to ruin their excitement.
‘What a small world,’ Hide muttered as he took Aizawa and Kana to their table.
*****
