What's going to happen? I can't wait to see it. That was my mood when I went into the gymnasium with my dad and brother, who had come along to keep me company since Mom couldn't come. That and nervousness, of course, because I'd never been in a big stadium before. But there was nothing that could be done about it now; no point crying over spilled milk or something like that. And if the old man hadn't said anything about bringing the boys along, then he wasn't likely to change his mind now.
I heard them talking at the entrance to the gymnasium while we waited for the others, but they didn't speak much Japanese. Well, even if they did, they wouldn't understand most of what I would say back. So it wasn't a problem.
"It'll probably be pretty noisy," my dad said. "Your mom is worried you won't be able to hear."
My heart skipped a beat. Not hearing? Is this even possible?! He didn't know how loud the noise would get, after all!
But my father just smiled gently and patted me on the head. "Don't worry too much about it. We have earplugs. They're small enough that you'll barely notice they're in your ears."
They were there already?! Really?! How amazing! Now I could enjoy the match without worrying about losing my hearing. I was so happy...
Source
The others arrived, and we headed into the building. I hadn't realized how big it was until we got inside. There were lots of seats arranged around the court, and people standing up all around us. The place filled up quickly as more spectators filed in. Soon, it was packed.
We took our seats right near the back. My dad sat down beside me, and my brother next to him. Mom was sitting in the row behind us.
"I think we'll sit here today," she whispered.
"Oh, okay, thanks!" I replied, nodding happily. I couldn't see very well from where I was sitting, so I leaned forward to look past my dad's shoulder at the court below.
There were rows of bleachers on either side of the court, and the players stood on them during each game. It looked like there were two courts, one for practice and another for matches.
As soon as we settled into our seats, the announcer began introducing the teams that would play today. "Today's first game is between Team A, which consists of Ryouko Tachibana and Miho Fujita, and Team B, which consists of Tomomi Natsume and Yuya Yoshida."
Ryouko and Miho! My eyes lit up at their names. I couldn't help myself.
"Team B is composed entirely of high schoolers, which gives them the advantage of youth..."
Great! High schoolers are way stronger than middle school ones!
"...which means there is no question who will win this match."
I held my breath, waiting for the announcer to say, "And the winner is Ryouko Tachibana!"
Instead, he continued, "...but Team A is strong too. Their victory is not certain."
Huh?! What do you mean, "their victory is not certain"?
Ahh, I forgot...they're just announcing the starting line-up. He didn't say anything about who would win.
"And now, let's bring out the players."
Okay, time to cheer for Team A!
I turned to face the court. Two girls stood facing each other on opposite sides of the net, ready to go. One was tall and thin, wearing her hair in a ponytail. She had long, slender arms, and wore a yellow top and matching pants. Her opponent was short, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. She also had thick black hair and an expressionless face.
She's pretty strong looking, isn't she?
The taller girl raised both her hands, and the other girl followed suit. The referee blew his whistle. Then, they bowed to each other.
"Go!"
Their feet pounded the hardwood floor, making the wooden bleachers vibrate beneath us. All the spectators cheered.
This is great!
Both girls charged across the court. The shorter girl put up a good fight, but the tall one kept ahead of her. Soon, they reached the middle of the court. Here, the game begins!
The taller girl slammed the ball toward the shorter one. It hit the shorter girl's backhand, but she managed to twist her body just enough to send it flying off her racket.
Uh oh! This is bad! No wonder she's the captain...!
No matter how hard the taller girl tried to block the shot, she couldn't get her racket under it.
The ball ricocheted off and landed at the far end of the court.
The other girl grinned triumphantly as she returned to the center of the court. Meanwhile, the tall girl slumped dejectedly.
I was so excited, I started cheering. "Go, go, go!" I yelled. "You can do it!"
The taller girl finally came to life again and attacked her opponent with renewed vigor. When the ball bounced off her racquet, the shorter girl jumped back, and the tall one charged forward, trying to smash it toward her.
But the shorter girl was fast, and leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the ball. She landed right next to it and sent it back toward her opponent.
Unfortunately, the tall girl caught the ball just as it passed by her ear.
Then, the shorter girl ran toward the tall one and slammed the ball into her chest.
Wow! She's so quick!
The tall one dropped her racket and fell flat on her back. The smaller one picked up the ball and prepared to serve.
But before she could, the taller girl flung herself into the air, reaching desperately for the ball as it sailed through the air.
The crowd erupted in cheers as she caught it, then raced down the court to smash it toward the net.
"Aaaaah!"
Her opponent jumped to the side, but the ball still hit her racket, knocking it out of her hand.
She looked dumbfounded as she picked it up.
Right when I was about to watch another action, dad regrettably informed sit was time to go. It turns out he had an urgent call and our game night was cut short.
Now, I would never know whether my team won or not. Even though they did, I wouldn't be able to witness the euphoria of the moment.
I felt like I had missed the entire thing...