Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Because It's There, Now It's Gone - 1
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I must have been accumulating fatigue without realizing it.
Probably because the discomfort in my calves lasted longer than I expected.
Truthfully, the medical check-up results were fine, and it didn't feel like a major pain either.
I thought I'd be able to return without any issues if I rested for a short week, or at most two weeks.
The doctor had also said I simply needed rest; he hadn't brought up scary words like injury recovery or rehabilitation.
I had no doubt that I could return to the training ground as soon as I rested a little.
However, the discomfort wouldn't go away.
Although I got rid of the crutches after a week of follow-up tests... the state of being able to do daily life and being able to play a match were completely different.
Walking for a morning stroll or going to the fruit shop to buy fruit was no problem at all, but when I tried to run a little, thinking I was mostly healed, I felt the discomfort without fail.
This felt like my calves were throwing a tantrum.
Like they were saying, "I went through all that hardship, and you don't know it, so I'll let you know this way."
What does this brat know about hardship?
Hmm.
Well, when I think about it... isn't it true that I've been sprinting non-stop for the past few months?
I really haven't stopped running.
From the non-existence of the U17 team to the position of the first-team starter.
I broke through that long distance in just a few months, so there was no room for rest in between.
Even I was in a position far behind the starting line.
Since I was lagging far behind others, I had no choice but to run faster, and even when others rested, I had to keep running.
Thanks to that, I was able to get here.
If my calves, which couldn't stand it anymore, declare a strike like this, what can I do?
I have no choice but to stop for a bit.
The club wanted me to return in perfect physical condition, even if it took time.
They gave me an 'order' to get plenty of rest and return, saying it didn't matter if it was a month or two.
By two months, the league would be almost over, so it meant I could essentially rest for the rest of the season.
Of course, I didn't think it would take that long.
The doctor's opinion was the same, and from my perspective, it would be at most a month.
I was planning to return to the field within that time.
However, even if I had to rest for two months, I felt like I could rest comfortably for some reason.
What I mean is... I wasn't anxious.
Meaning, I wasn't anxious even though I was doing nothing like this, just eating up food.
I was always like that.
I was the type whose mind felt at ease only when my body was exhausted, and whose mind felt uneasy when my body was comfortable.
So I was the type who couldn't stay still and had to do something even when resting.
But this time, it wasn't like that.
During the first week I had to use crutches, I really did nothing, just as the saying goes.
I would just get up, eat, and then lie down without even washing to read books all afternoon.
Then, just before Jiu came, I would get up, wash, eat with her, and watch TV until evening while chatting.
Of course, my body felt itchy during that time... but at least my mind wasn't uneasy.
If I think about why, well.
Maybe it's because the feeling of being chased by something, which I had always felt, had disappeared.
Clearly, I had been running to escape from something chasing me from behind.
Then, when something I wanted to grab with my outstretched hand appeared, a reason to run without stopping was added.
But still, that something chasing me hadn't stopped its pursuit.
I was constantly being chased, so I couldn't rest comfortably.
I felt ticklish on the back of my neck, afraid of being grabbed by the scruff.
But for me, who could rest comfortably, it felt like that something that had been chasing me had finally given up on me.
Thanks to that, for the first time in a long while, or perhaps for the first time ever,
I was able to enjoy a rest with my mind at ease.
And as for how much I was enjoying it...
Me: In the fridge's vegetable compartment
Me: There are cherry tomatoes
Me: Bring those to my room
I lay in bed and sent a message with just my fingers moving.
Then, surprisingly, a clattering sound came from the living room beyond the door, and I suppressed a laugh.
Soon after, the door burst open, and my personal nurse appeared holding cherry tomatoes.
"Ah, geez. You really ask for the weirdest things. Here!"
...Hmm.
She's a nurse with a slightly nasty temper.
I took the plastic container filled with cherry tomatoes that Jiu handed me and asked.
"Did you wash these?"
"...Do you want to die?"
"No. I'll just eat them."
"Ha. Of course I washed them, so eat without worry."
Suppressing a laugh at Jiu's reaction, I popped a cherry tomato into my mouth.
It wasn't an intentional act to look provoking, but it must have looked that way to Jiu.
Jiu, sitting at the foot of the bed, glared at me and let out a hollow laugh.
If someone who didn't know us saw this, they'd think I was bullying Jiu, but that's not it.
She just volunteered to take care of me since the day I got injured.
I didn't ask her to.
No, I wasn't seriously injured or suffering from a severe pain.
I told her it was ridiculous and refused, but she packed her bags and came to my house anyway.
She said she'd sleep in the living room, so I should tell her if I needed anything.
The funny thing is, my soft-hearted dad gave her his bedroom bed, and in the end, my poor dad ended up sleeping in the living room.
What was even funnier was that the next morning's menu was porridge.
She said that whether my calves hurt or not, if I'm in pain, I should eat porridge first.
At this point, I started to wonder if she wasn't actually worried about me, but just wanted to play nurse.
"Hey. But what's with the tomatoes in the middle of the night. I've never seen anyone eat tomatoes for a midnight snack."
Jiu grumbled.
At first, for a few days, she was dead serious about nursing, but after a few days, it seemed she found it a bit bothersome too.
"Then what should I eat?"
"No, usually when you say midnight snack, greasy food is the best. Like chicken or something."
"I'm not hungry."
"Then why are you eating tomatoes?"
Well.
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
Truthfully, I didn't call for them because I really wanted tomatoes.
In times like this, changing the subject is best.
"Open the window a bit."
"You can do that much yourself now, can't you?"
"I can, but when I get up and lower my legs to the floor, it might put a shock on my calves, and I might accidentally hit the corner of the desk with—"
"Fine. I'll open it. You're so loud."
I desperately suppressed my laughter at the sight of Jiu clicking her tongue as if she was fed up and heading for the window.
It's so fun, it's only natural to want to ask for one more thing.
"Haa, the night air is nice."
Jiu, who had opened the window and sat back down at the end of the bed, took a deep breath and said.
A cool night breeze flowed in through the black window, and I flared my nostrils wide too.
Like that, for a moment, we sat in silence, feeling the night air.
Then Jiu spoke.
"Suddenly, I'm thinking of the old days."
"...That time?"
"How did you know I was thinking of that time?"
"Are you talking about when I slept over at your house?"
"...What. Can you see inside my head?"
Well, it was obvious.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
"Anyway, doing this makes me suddenly think of that time. Remember when we opened the window in the attic and looked at the stars?"
"I do."
"That was fun, back then."
"It was fun."
Jiu and I simultaneously shifted our gaze to the window.
All that could be seen beyond the window was the neighbor's wall, but for some reason, it felt like I could see the stars.
"You were really funny back then."
"What was."
"It was your first time sleeping somewhere other than your own bed, so you couldn't sleep and whined, so I sang you a lullaby."
"...I don't remember that."
"Don't lie. You remember."
"I don't."
"Wow, unbelievable. You don't remember the embarrassing stuff."
...My face flushed in real-time, and I pulled the blanket up a little.
No, that was because I was really young back then.
And I just said I couldn't sleep; I never asked her to sing a lullaby.
She sang it herself.
"Can't you sleep now too? Should I sing you a lullaby?"
"...What are you saying."
"I'll remind you of that time. It's time to sleep now. You have to sleep so I can get off work."
Jiu said that and suddenly got up and came closer.
"W-what are you doing."
"Close your eyes. I'll put you to sleep."
Then she sat by my pillow and actually started singing a lullaby.
She even patted my chest, covered by the blanket...!
"Lullaby, lullaby. Our... not a baby. Our Jee-an. Sleeping so well, our Jee-an."
I gripped the blanket tightly at that unfunny act, and then, unable to hold it in any longer, I ended up shouting.
"Ah, get out now!"
"Huh? Why are you suddenly getting annoyed?"
"I-I'm not annoyed... I'm really getting sleepy, so get out..."
"Why? I'll sing for you until you fall asleep, like back then."
"Ah, I said get out..."
"Sheesh. Fine. You don't know the grace of this heaven-like older sister. Alright, I'm going, I'm going. Sleep well, you brat."
"..."
At my irritable reaction, Jiu got up, grumbled, and left the room.
And after the door closed...
"..."
I pulled the blanket down and slapped my own cheek.
Lee Jee-an, you crazy bastard.
How can you think of such a thing, you beast...
"...Huu."
My face was still hot, and even the sigh I let out was hot.
...Now, I really think I need nursing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It has been three weeks since I started resting.
Consistently visiting the hospital to get various tests and trying simple exercises.
The doctor finally gave me the words I had been waiting for.
"It seems you can join training starting next week. You do recover quickly. It looks like your muscles have filled out a bit more too."
He said I could return to training starting next week.
Truthfully, from my感觉, it seemed I could return right away without any issues, but I didn't want to cause any problems just by being impatient, so I was just waiting for the doctor's permission.
That permission was finally granted, and the thought that I could return next week made my heart pound for some reason.
It wasn't the kind of pounding I felt in the old days because I didn't want to go; it was the excitement of wanting to go.
Clearly, I was no longer being chased, but my desire to run was still the same.
Now, it wasn't to escape; it was to catch something myself.
Things I wanted to grab right in front of me were running away far away, and I had to run to catch them.
Not because someone told me to, but because I wanted to myself.
"Ah, this is so frustrating, really. Why can't they even take a single shot!"
"The opponent is strong, Jiu."
"Strong what? When we met them last time, they were pathetic!"
"That's because Jee-an was there."
"Ah, this is all your fault. Lee Jee-an!"
While we were all watching the broadcast together, the blame suddenly came to me.
We were watching the league match between Fiorentina and AC Milan, and it was now approaching the 80th minute.
The match had us trailing 0-2.
"Certainly... it is a bit frustrating. At this rate, with the league standings and losing two in a row, the second leg of the semifinals will be difficult too."
Dad sighed and said.
The week before last, there was the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals.
The opponent was AC Milan, and we lost 0-2.
And today, although the match isn't over yet, if it ends like this, it will be two consecutive losses to Milan.
The second leg of the semifinals against such a Milan is the day after tomorrow.
It means it will be a very difficult fight, having lost twice in a short period to the same team and facing them again in a disadvantageous situation.
I understand why Dad sighed.
Because of that, I thought it was time to reveal the doctor's opinion.
"U-uh, don't worry too much about the second leg."
"Why? It's our home game? But today is also a home game."
"No, that's not it. I-I think I might be able to play again starting from that match."
At my words, Dad and Jiu turned to look at me at the same time.
Both of their eyes widened.
"Really?"
"R-really?"
"Yes. The hospital said I can return to training starting next week. So, I think I might be able to play in the match the day after tomorrow."
"T-that's great!"
"Great! That's great!"
Dad and Jiu clapped their hands together in celebration.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Yeah, show them a thing or two! When you were there, those guys were nothing. Right?"
"That's right. With Jee-an, we don't have to worry about Milan or anyone else!"
"You'll show them, right? Huh?"
I nodded at Jiu, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
"I'll show them."
It was a look that I had no choice but to nod to, but anyway, it wasn't a forced nod.
I wanted to be on that field with my seniors, running together as soon as possible.
And I wanted to taste the roar of the fans and the joy of victory again.
No matter how sweet the rest was, my body was itching so much now that it was becoming unbearable.
It wasn't because I hadn't washed up.
I had showered just a while ago.