Chapter 45

"Wow, it's a soccer ball, right, this thing!"

Serala was delighted to see the football.

"It's a football. What's 'sakka'?"

"I thought they were the same... Hmm, how was it again? In any case, it's a sport where you can only use your feet, right?"

"Well, that's true. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to use their hands."

This is the first large-scale event of the school year, the Sports Festival.

We will hold it as a class competition. There are eight representatives per class.

Due to the student council's negligence, only this sport is held. The Sports Committee is in charge, so the student council isn't doing anything special. The tournament is divided by grade, and the winning team from each grade will face the winning team from the upper grades.

In the first round, the first-year team will play against the second-year team, and the winner will face the third-year team. This system means that the younger grades have more matches, which is a disadvantage. Well, it can't be helped. We don't have the time or stamina for a round-robin tournament. Starting next year, I'll change it to a draw-based tournament.

The boys and girls who are not participating will just cheer for their class. So, only a third of the class participates in the Sports Festival. I want to make it an event where more people can participate next year.

Sports are something that men do, so this is normal. But, thinking about it, we should probably come up with a sport that girls can participate in too.

During class, while the boys have football in PE, the girls have ballet...

"Isn't it eleven players?"

"We don't need that many... If there were twenty-two people on the field, no one would know what anyone was doing."

"I'm seeing soccer for the first time in this world. The field is smaller than the soccer field I know."

"It's not soccer, it's football! How much of a sheltered girl were you, Serala?"

"In my territory, no one does this kind of thing."

Serala is happily bouncing the ball with her hands.

"What is this made of...? It's covered in leather, but was there rubber?"

"Rubber is an import from the south, but the ball is supposed to be made from a cow's bladder. It's inflated inside."

"A cow's...?"

My class is determined to win with the best athletes.

I'm the goalkeeper. No one wanted to do it, so I volunteered.

It's fine for me. I'm already married, so I don't need to be cheered on by girls.

"No, that's not right."

"No, maybe it's actually a good thing?"

"Maybe it is..."

When I volunteered to be the goalkeeper, the class had a strange atmosphere.

What? Why?

When the game started, our class was strong!

The ball didn't even reach the goal!

Jack scored a point! Great job!

Silfa, who was cheering, was very happy.

The game time is twenty-five minutes. After winning the first match, we took a break. Serala put a towel over my head and gave me water from a canteen.

"I didn't get to play at all..."

"Of course not... Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"If the first prince of the kingdom is the goalkeeper, no one can kick the ball into the goal. What if it hits him?"

"That's right...!"

That's why...

"Hey, everyone, can we change the players?"

"No, not now..."

"Shin has been practicing as a goalkeeper, so it's too late now..."

"Shin, don't say something troublesome now! You can't just replace a goalkeeper easily."

Jack also scolded me.

There's nothing I can do, so I'll continue...

In the second round, the opponent defended well, and it ended in a scoreless draw, leading to a penalty shootout. As the goalkeeper, I have a big responsibility. I didn't expect to get a chance in this situation...

"Shin Midland!"

A very cool guy came forward and called me by my full name. I feel a bit embarrassed, so I wish he wouldn't do that.

"...I don't recognize you!"

Hmm, I'd like to hear what he doesn't recognize.

Beep!

The whistle blew for the first penalty kick!

Whoa! He aimed at my face with a powerful shot like an arrow!

Since it was right in front of me, I didn't move and caught it.

Humans are strange; they kick the ball right where they're staring. I think it takes some practice to kick the ball in a different direction from where you're looking.

Next.

He left the field looking a bit disappointed.

"Why did you kick it right in the middle?" his teammates asked, but he walked away silently. In a penalty shootout, the kicker has a huge advantage, so aiming for the right, left, or top usually results in a goal...

So, the first save I made became the decisive goal, and we won.

Next, we face the second-year team. Before that, we have lunch.

Serala and I sat on the grassy embankment surrounding the field and had our lunch. Serala's homemade sandwiches are delicious. We can't eat too much because we have another match later.

"Look. The event has started."

When Serala pointed it out, I saw the guy who aimed at my face earlier being approached by a pink-haired heroine. She sat down and, with her hands behind her back, leaned in to talk to him.

"Is he a target character?"

"That's Fried Black..."

Ah, there he is. He's the son of a marquis. He has black hair, black eyes, is quiet, unfriendly, and dislikes people. He's the cool type who talks down to everyone. Of course, he's a very handsome guy with sharp, slanted eyes. He has an aura that keeps women away, making him a lone hero. In other words, he's a cool guy who acts aloof.

"...How do you even approach a guy like that?"

"Well, you say, 'Wow, Fried, kicking the ball at that prince's face! That's amazing!' Fried will say, 'It's not amazing. It was stopped,' in a bad mood."

Serala, looking at the two from a distance, repeated the lines.

"If you say, 'But everyone was afraid to kick at the prince, but you really aimed at his face, that's amazing courage!' he'll say, 'It doesn't matter if he's a prince or not. I just wanted to teach him a lesson,' with a big attitude."

"No, no, no, I always say that. I've been asking everyone to do that since the opening ceremony. What's the point now?"

"You should say, 'Yeah, I get it. Fried, you showed your determination!'"

"No, that's clearly a miss... I don't want to be used as a tool to flirt with a guy..."

"Look, Fried is getting excited."

He's rubbing his head and face with a towel, probably to hide his embarrassment.

"'What do you know?' 'I know. Whether he's a prince or not, on the field, everyone is equal. I wanted to tell him to play fair and square without using cheap tactics.'"

Serala's ability to repeat lines is amazing.

Look, Fried is surprised and looks up at the heroine.

Ugh, so the prince being the goalkeeper was unfair after all!

I'm sorry, I won't do it next year, please forgive me.

"Look, Fried is already eating the lunch the heroine shared with him. He only opens up to her and starts to get excited."

"Feeding! Fried is so cute! He should be a bit more stubborn, or the cool character will be too easy to fall for!"

Indeed, he might fall for her without any resistance. Seeing the heroine approach and conquer her target is very clear.

The heroine is formidable...

He's eating fried chicken.

"Should I have done something about it...?"

"I don't think it would have worked. It's impossible to predict who the heroine will support today."

"That's true."

"Besides, interfering with someone's love life isn't a good idea..."

Oh, Serala, you shouldn't have said that...

"Serala, I understand very well. I'm convinced."

"?"

"The heroine is very skilled at making the target think she likes him. Men are so stupid; they fall for a cute girl who flatters them a little. Once they start thinking about it, they can't stop."

"That's it!"

Serala clapped her hands, feeling satisfied.

"Did I get skillfully approached by Serala too?"

"I don't know! There's no way for an antagonist to approach a prince!"

"Ahahaha!"

I fell in love with the real Serala, not a fake one.

I hugged the slightly angry Serala and kissed her cheek.

After that, we barely managed to defeat the winning team from the second year, but we lost to the third-year team.

The absolute queen, the duke's daughter, Elena Stradis, encouraged her third-year team to "win at all costs and not think of me as a prince," so they came at us with the intention of killing us.

The referee also made some questionable calls, so there was no way we could win.

"I won't be a goalkeeper next year."

After the game, I announced my retirement to the team.

"What? We can't let that go to waste when we have Shin."

The boys on the team protested.

"Can you handle that gaze next year?"

When I pointed it out, the girls from our class watching the game had very cold eyes.

The strategy of using the prince as a goalkeeper to prevent the opponents from kicking the ball was very unpopular. Even Serala was giving me a side-eye.

"...I get it. I get it."

Later, other first-year teams complained, saying, "That was unfair," and "No way."

That's right.

I'm sorry, everyone. I won't be a goalkeeper next year, so please forgive me.

On the way back, we walked on the sidewalk.

"Serala, did you know I would be the goalkeeper?"

"Yes, I remembered."

"If you knew, you could have stopped me..."

"Master Shin, I thought you loved being a goalkeeper..."

That's why...

"I only volunteered because no one wanted to do it. It's a dull role, and no one likes it."

"In my world, the goalkeeper is called the 'guardian deity' and is considered the coolest position! No one thinks it's dull!"

The values change in different worlds...

"Hey, Serala, is there any sport that women can do?"

"Hmm... Girls do ballet during the time boys do PE."

"I see..."

"In my previous life, men and women did the same sports. There was no difference. Most of the time, they competed separately."

"That's amazing. I can't even imagine women doing the same sports as men. What kind of sports are there?"

"Sports that women can do here... In my country, archery is popular among women."

"Archery. Archery... Indeed, archery is more about skill than strength, so women can compete. But in this country, it's a man's shame to let women fight, so they don't teach them martial arts. It would be opposed and wouldn't work."

"Maybe dance?"

"Dance isn't a competitive sport..."

"Gender equality is still difficult, isn't it?"

Serala pouted.

In Serala's world, gender equality was more advanced?

Here, noble women can't even choose their own marriage partners.

Thinking about it, I'm forcing a very harsh life on Serala. It makes me sad...

"Serala?"

"Yes?"

"Which do you prefer, this world or your previous life?"

"..."

Serala looked