A sarcasm that deliberately felt like it was meant to provoke the other person’s anger.
Henry’s face rapidly hardened. When he turned toward where the sound came from, he saw Grady walking over with a beaming smile.
“Grady, that’s not what I meant. You know that.”
David countered gently with a forced smile.
“Is that so?”
Grady asked, opening his eyes wide.
“Yeah. I just told Henry I was rooting for him.”
“Rooting? But so blatantly for only one of them?”
He blatantly nitpicked at David’s words. It was an utterly unreasonable claim.
Henry had to hold back from immediately intervening to say something to Grady. Because he knew it wouldn’t help David if he stepped in.
“Grady. Dennis, who recommended you, will root for you. I recommended Henry, so I just rooted for Henry. How about you stop picking pointless fights?”
“Hm? Dennis is just a junior, but David, you’re different.”
The tone was polite, but the content was anything but.
“How am I different?”
“Dennis is just a student in the junior year, but David, you were the captain and a senior.”
“Right. Let’s say I could influence the vote because I’m the captain. Even if that’s true, you’re the only one who heard me rooting for Henry.”
At David’s words, he shrugged his shoulders.
“I wouldn’t know about that. You could tell everyone that Henry should become captain when I’m not around.”
Henry couldn’t hold back anymore and let out a deep breath.
David knew Henry well. He knew that while Henry was fundamentally kind and gentle in nature, very occasionally, there were times when he wasn’t.
So the moment he heard the sigh, David noticed that Henry’s mood had been disturbed.
He tried to stop Henry before he could spew twisted words at Grady.
“Grady. As someone who didn’t receive David’s support, do you see any possibility that you could beat me?”
But Henry reacted one beat faster, so he failed. Henry’s mouth, which had been making constant efforts not to interfere unnecessarily, opened.
At Henry’s question, the corners of Grady’s mouth, which had been constantly smiling brightly while picking a fight with David, stiffened. Conversely, a smile was blooming on Henry’s face.
Colton was dumb. It was hard to find any talent for football in him, and he didn’t even know how to work hard.
Presumably, if he hadn’t had backing, he would have spent his high school years accomplishing nothing.
But Grady William was different. He was an excellent student in all areas, like Henry. He was also one of the only members of his group who could play as a starter alongside Colton.
Grady, who didn’t have the same backing as Colton, earned his starting position solely through his own efforts.
Because he was such a Grady.
When Henry first met him, he had been tense at the similar yet different appearance from himself.
The anxiety that seemed like it would continue until graduation at the time was resolved very soon.
He hung out with Colton.
The moment he started hanging around with Colton’s group, Grady’s reputation naturally hit rock bottom. It was inevitable.
If it hadn’t been for his backing, Colton was such a poor-quality student that you’d think he would have been expelled long ago.
Henry thought the reason he couldn’t get the students’ support was because of Colton. Conversely, it also meant he was a decent guy except for the fact that he hung out with Colton.
From the moment his reputation hit rock bottom, Henry conversely came to like him more.
It was natural since he was a guy who didn’t threaten his position while being helpful in games.
Until just yesterday, that is.
Just now, Henry’s evaluation of him had changed.
“If you think you can beat me, you’re mistaken. Even if I didn’t receive David’s recommendation and wrote the application myself, you can’t beat me.”
Henry looked down at him with a confident face, acting threatening. He was confident he could beat him, and he was certain of it.
He and Grady were different.
Henry’s reputation was something he earned by firmly suppressing and enduring his original temperament. Henry’s starting position was the result of his younger past self falling down hundreds of times, getting up, and honing his skills.
Even the trust he received from the coach was a privilege he gained through consistent effort and self-management.
One thing was certain: all of this was the product of Henry Lowell’s efforts.
Henry had never been hung up on David’s support in becoming captain. He had never wanted his support or help.
Even if David had recommended someone else.
He would have been hurt and disappointed, but it would have been an emotion that passed briefly.
Even without a recommendation, Henry was the type of person who would have walked to the coach himself and said he wanted to be captain.
Because he had reduced his sleep and worked hard, sweating, for this until now.
In Henry’s world, if you worked hard, it was natural for results to come back.
That was how Henry had lived his life.
Except for just one thing.
Compared to that ‘one thing,’ obtaining the captain position through a vote among peers was an easy and simple matter.
“David. Didn’t David also become captain after being recommended by the previous captain who graduated?”
“Uh, yeah, I did?”
“The previous captain also became captain after being recommended by the captain before him.”
“Uh, yeah.”
David answered Henry with an extremely anxious face. Henry, with the same face he’d been smiling at David with, turned his face and asked Grady.
“You heard, right?”
“……”
“It’s not the first time, and it’s not an unusual situation. All of Platts’ captains became that way. Rooting for the person you recommended isn’t strange. What would be strange is recommending a junior who’s not captain material as the next captain. Unless you’re deliberately doing it to screw over the juniors.”
Grady’s mouth was firmly shut. Henry felt happiness at that.
“Oh, but come to think of it. I guess everyone who’s been chosen as captain so far was recommended by the previous captain, right, David?”
“Most of the time… that was the case?”
David, though anxious, faithfully answered Henry’s question. Hearing his answer, Henry said,
“Oh dear, what should I do about being sorry. I’m the one David recommended. I’ll have no choice but to become captain, Grady.”
“Henry Lowell, you…”
Like a beast growling. Grady called Henry’s name in a voice that had become quite rough.
It was a call meant to threaten, but he couldn’t bring even a bit of tension to Henry.
“I think the conversation’s over. Should we go first? David?”
“Henry, wait…”
Without even listening to David’s words, Henry immediately turned around and left the field.
David, who had been conflicted between Grady and Henry, added,
“…If you want to become captain, just blaming Henry won’t solve it. No matter how it turns out, you and Henry are on the same team in the end—how do you expect to become captain while treating Henry like this? Instead of acting like this, do what you can do, Grady William.”
Finishing his one-sided advice, he quickened his pace and approached Henry. David’s voice remained in Grady’s ears for a long, long time.
***
Tuesday afternoon. Practice began in earnest, excluding the 12th graders. To figure out and assign positions suitable for each person.
After a simple warm-up, mock practice continued, composed only of 9th, 10th, and 11th graders who weren’t starters.
In the first set, each student played their desired position. From then on, it continued with positions randomly changed.
Already into the latter half of the third set. Henry, who had been concentrating on watching the game, felt puzzled. Just as he was about to talk to Joseph, wondering if it was just his imagination, Henry heard the coach’s low murmur beside him.
“Hmm, …why does the first set look the best?”
As expected. It wasn’t just him who felt that way. Henry answered the coach’s muttering like lightning.
“It’s not just my imagination, right?”
“Henry, you see it that way too?”
At his question, Henry quickly nodded and answered.
“Especially the 9th and 10th graders.”
It wasn’t common for 9th and 10th graders to push out 11th and 12th graders and take starting positions. It was a matter of insufficient physical growth and accumulated experience.
Since starting players practiced among themselves, training for those who didn’t make the starting lineup was conducted among themselves. The coach’s attention did reach them, but it was merely formal interest at best.
Some might feel it was unfair, but it couldn’t be helped.
Training time was limited, and the club needed results.
It was more rational to put more effort into the starting players rather than raising all players enough to send them into games.
Lack of opportunity, lack of experience, lack of time.
All of this was a situation the majority of those who didn’t get starting positions experienced.
In the end, it was perfectly natural that the 9th and 10th graders couldn’t find their strengths and weaknesses.
Because there was no one to look at them intensively and distinguish them.
So the current situation, where the positions most of them voluntarily chose matched their play the best, was quite unusual.
Eventually, after the game ended at the 4th quarter, Henry couldn’t contain his curiosity and tapped the shoulder of the 9th grade junior sitting in front of him, calling his name.
“Kevin.”
“Yes?”
He, who had been breathing roughly and pouring sports drink into his mouth, jumped in surprise and turned around. Henry smiled slowly and said to him,
“Drink slowly. You’ll throw it up otherwise.”
“Oh, yes.”
“You did well today.”
He, who had been wiping his mouth with his clothes, opened his eyes wide at Henry’s praise. Then he smiled brightly.
“Thank you! In your eyes, which position did I look best at?”
“You weren’t bad at any of them, but your movements were especially good at cornerback. First set. If you polish it a bit more, you could aim for a starting position.”
“I knew it!”
He, who had carefully asked for an evaluation of his play, sparkled his eyes at Henry’s answer. At him answering as if he’d expected his response, Henry asked,
“Did you know all along that your play style matched well with cornerback and practiced as a cornerback?”
“No? I originally practiced as an end!”
“Then how did you suddenly come as a cornerback today?”
Kevin couldn’t answer right away and watched Henry’s reaction. Though he didn’t know why.
To open the mouth of him who clearly showed signs of tension, Henry smiled gently.
“Why are you watching my reaction? You can speak comfortably.”
Only then did Kevin carefully bring out an answer to Henry’s question.
“Grady recommended it. He said cornerback would suit me better.”
