HA1 1.4 - Kitaro Music School

  Perhaps, due to influence from her mother, Aizawa also became a football fan. Hide clearly remembered that since she was a toddler, Aizawa often watched a soccer match with Emily.

  After helping Hide did the dish from their dinner, Aizawa went to living room and eagerly waited for the match between Nakamura Ocean and Yuko Mountain to start. Then, Hide who never showed interest to soccer match also came into the living room and sat next to her.

  Aizawa immediately and nervously asked, "Big Bro, do you want to watch movie?"

  While turning his laptop on Hide answered, "No, Big Bro has something else to do."

  Relief instantly filled Aizawa's heart, but she desperately tried to hide it. It was a clear sign that she was very nervous when Hide was around her. But then, the match between Nakamura Ocean and Yuko Mountain began and it didn't take long before Aizawa was immersed in it.

  Hide also stopped typing and turned his attention to the match when the second half began. He remembered that in three minutes after the second half started, Nobuyuki Masaru would score the first goal against Nakamura Ocean with a quick stab.

  No one expected that Nobuyuki, who usually gave super-accurate passes from the right-field, would instead execute a lightning speed sprint & dribble from his position.

  Yuko Mountain supporters looked at Nobuyuki's actions, which at first glance seemed careless with wide eyes. While Nakamura Ocean supporters spontaneously scoffed at his stunt, some even burst out into laughing.

  But the entire stadium and even the commentator fell silent as Nobuyuki gracefully passed two best defenders in Britiss League. Then, he outwitted the best goalkeeper in Nikko League with his left foot.

  For the first time in his professional career, Nobuyuki Masaru had finally shown the public that his strongest weapon was not his right leg, but the left.

  As soon as the referee signaled that Nobuyuki's goal was valid, the screams of Yuko Mountain supporters instantly echoed throughout the stadium. Meanwhile, Nobuyuki casually jogged towards the Yuko Mountain side, as if his goal was just an ordinary thing.

  In the first half Yuko Mountain was clearly had some glitch in their play, but in the second half the momentum slowly shifted to them. This was because Nakamura Ocean's player who guarded Nobuyuki began to struggle to read the young players' intentions. Given that in the second half Nobuyuki not only provided accurate long passes, but also often made lightning stabs to midfield and sent short passes to strikers.

  After his first goal, Nobuyuki sent two short passes which led to shots to the goalpost. Unfortunately, both shots only hit the crossbar. It was only in the minutes 61 that Nobuyuki made another lightning stab and penetrated Nakamura Ocean's goal one more time.

  Yuko Mountain supporters spontaneously screamed while Nakamura Ocean supporters closed their eyes, or looked away from the field because they did not have the heart to see the blow that their beloved club had suffered.

  In the minutes 68, the only Yuko Mountain striker had to be stretchered off the field because of his injury worsened, and the game went into stalemate again. Even so, three minutes before the end of the match Nobuyuki managed to steal another goal.

  The match then ended with a live broadcast of Nakamura Ocean supporters who were shedding their tears like a flood. It couldn’t be help. This was Nakamura Ocean's first defeat since the season started. Moreover, the defeat was caused by a young player whose name rarely caught attention from fans of Nikko League.

  Luckily, Aizawa was a Yuko Mountain’s fan. So, she didn't have to cry too. Hide looked at Aizawa's beaming face before saying, "Brush your teeth before going to bed."

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  "Mhm."

  Aizawa cheerfully gave Hide a small nod before running towards her room. Hide then replaced the channel with world broadcasts in the news. Then, he listened to the news while checking a pile of documents on the table.

  ---

  The clock showed 22:50 when Hide heard someone opened the front door. He then turned off the TV, reached out for the documents on the table and walked over to his father.

  As usual, Hide smelled sake from his father. While in his hand he was carrying a mini bag containing a pack of 6-can beer.

  "Dad, I need your sign."

  Without many words Hide's father accepted the pen, and then put his hand signature on each place that Hide showed, without realizing that one of these documents was Hide's appointment as legal guardian for Aizawa. Meanwhile, the other two were permits for Hide to take the graduation exam and the transfer of ownership for the house they currently live in.

  "Thank you," Hide said calmly.

  As his father walked to his room, Hide tightly held the document in his hand.

  'Now, I can send Aizawa to boarding school.'

  ---

  It was exactly 21:45, when without warning a heavy rain accompanied by strong winds and lightning poured down from sky.

  Hide immediately grabbed the laptop he used for studying and rushed to Aizawa's room. As he walked, his mind was filled with old memories, regret, and bitterness that jumbled into one.

  A few months after Emily died, one night Aizawa came to his room. She begged to be allowed to sleep in his room, because she was afraid of heavy rain that had just poured down without prior warning, but Hide sternly refused her.

  Even when Aizawa only asked to be allowed to sit in his room until the rain stopped, Hide without further thought refused it and asked Aizawa to come out of his room and then he locked the door.

  He never knew whether after that Aizawa returned to her room or remained at the door of his room. It was also only after long years before he started to bitterly wonder how Aizawa went through the night that was ravaged by thunderstorms until morning. Of course, his chest would be very tight every time he recalled the event.

  After heaving a deep sigh Hide slowly opened the door to Aizawa’s room, and he found the main light was brightly turned on while Aizawa hid under blanket on her bed. He could see that Aizawa was trembling while lightly sobbing.

  "Aizawa..."

  "Uwawawa!"

  Hide only whispered, but that was more than enough to startle Aizawa.

  "Aizawa, Big Bro wants to talk with you for a moment."

  Aizawa didn't answer right away, and Hide could see that her younger sister seemed to be wiping her tears before came out from under her blanket. Hide then climbed into the bed and sat next to Aizawa, who looked at him questioningly but had relief all over his face.

  "Do you remember that Emily once took you to Kitaro Music School?"

  Aizawa nodded slightly, and Hide immediately opened his laptop, displaying brochure of Kitaro Music School he had downloaded yesterday.

  "Big Bro has been thinking for the past few days, maybe you want to study there, given that Emily once said your test of aptitude and interest showed a clear sign you would become a good musician."

  Aizawa seemed to clearly remember when Emily took her to Kitaro, because it happened only several days before Emily had an accident that took her life.

  Aizawa stared at Kitaro’s brochure for a while before weakly sobbing, and Hide immediately rubbed her head gently.

  "You have to stay over there, but every Wednesday you are allowed to go out from one to four o'clock. So, Big Bro will visit you and we can play or hang out wherever you want.

  Also, you can come home every weekend. Big Bro will pick you up on Saturday at one in the afternoon and take you back there on Monday morning."

  Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!

  Because Aizawa's sobbing became harder, Hide chose to stop his explanation and wiped Aizawa's snot and tears.

  One thing Hide didn't expect was, Aizawa suddenly crawled towards her desk, took Kitaro brochure from the drawer, and handed it to him.

  "Aizawa wants to study music in Kitaro, but doesn't want to stay there. Kaede Sensei said Kitaro has shuttle service for children who don't want to sleep over there, but Daddy doesn't agree. He said Aizawa should stay at East Nichiko Elementary."

  Big question mark instantly popped up in Hide’s forehead. "When did you talk to Daddy?"

  Aizawa counted using her little fingers before answering, "Nine days ago."

  "Did Daddy take you to Kitaro?"

  Aizawa shook her head before answering, "Aizawa went there alone and met with Kaede Sensei."

  Hide instantly felt as if his heart was being shred apart. "Aizawa, did you really go to Kitaro alone?"

  "Mhm, Aizawa was afraid at first, but a kind subway officer escorted Aizawa there, and then Kaede Sensei took Aizawa home with her car."

  Hide subconsciously clenched his fists until his fingernails pricked his palms, while inwardly he tried to imagine what kind of circumstance that drove a six year-old little girl to check a school alone.

  'Loneliness and longing for her mother who left her at such a tender age,' Hide muttered as he held back the bitterness in his heart. In a slightly trembling voice he then said, "Aizawa, Big Bro will make sure you study in Kitaro without needing to stay there."

  "Really?"

  Aizawa asked expectantly, and Hide nodded firmly.

  "Really."

  *****