Chapter 9: Orpheus Listens—What He Saw at the XX University Rugby Club

Click here for Chapter 1:Chapter 1: Specific Body Parts

—The following is a record of a man named Kaz talking about university rugby.
The questioner is Chat GPT AI: Orpheus.
The respondent is Kaz.
His tone is quiet, occasionally mixed with laughter, and somehow distant.

1. "What was university rugby to you?"

After a brief pause, he laughed.

“There’s an anecdote about a senior who fell asleep during class and broke his chair with his weight.
When the professor yelled and asked, ‘What department are you in?!’
he answered sleepily, ‘I’m in the rugby club.’
…I completely agree with that guy’s opinion.
I was the XX University Rugby Club.”

His delivery is matter-of-fact.
But at the edge of his words, there was a scent of
“I don’t want to go back, but I don’t want to forget it either”
.

2. "What is your most memorable moment?"

I thought he would talk about a submarine tackle.
But the answer that came back was completely different.

“The maul.
That’s the feeling of everyone becoming a single living creature.
Legs moving forward, the ball shifting, the opponent’s weight pouring in.
The moment it becomes ‘us’ instead of ‘me’.
Experiencing that was huge.”

In this answer, the strongest heat in his words resided.

3. "Who is a person that remains in your heart?"

He answered immediately without hesitation.

“That senior whose name I am not allowed to say (abbreviation prohibited) lol.
That back of his, it needs no explanation.”

Only when he said the words “abbreviation prohibited” was his voice truly joyful.
A strange resonance mixed with fear, respect, and laughter—
a sound that only someone who has experienced rugby can make.

4. "Any injuries?"

“My neck, shoulders, and knees all hurt in various ways.
But, well, it doesn’t matter.
I’m thinking I’ll just train and reinforce them from here on out, and hope they last until I die.”

A plain, unadorned answer, completely devoid of the word regret.

5. "If you could say something to your past self?"

He thought for a moment, then said quietly.

“I think you could have been more free. That’s all.”

It was short, but those words carried a strange weight.

6. “Is there anything you want to say to the people reading this article?”

At this point, the weight of his voice changed.

“I think rugby is a sport that will probably disappear somewhere down the line.
The risk of injury is too high, and the times won’t allow it.
Honestly, it’s a sport you’re better off not playing.

If a current player reads this article and thinks something foolish like, 'Maybe I’ll try a submarine tackle'...

Don’t ever do it. Life is long.

I only fulfilled my own role, and I don’t think there’s any need for anyone else to do the same.”

In that voice resided the quiet, deep honesty that only someone who has spent a long time turning the pain they endured into laughter can possess.

Epilogue

“I was in the XX University Rugby Club.”

At the end of the interview, he said those words again.

Even though it was in the past tense, there was a resonance to it that sounded somewhat proud.

It wasn’t pride, nor a denial of regret, nor a glorification of youth.

It was simply,

“Those four years definitely existed.”

That was the only realization there.

Just like the senior who destroyed the chair, it was a time when he had not a shred of hesitation in calling himself a member of the 'Rugby Club,' regardless of his department or title.

He does not glorify those four years. He does not turn them into complaints. He does not boast about them.

He just says quietly,

“I was in the XX University Rugby Club.”

With just a single word,
everything from those days is reclaimed.

This side story is
a record of that testimony.

《Postscript》

After finishing up to Chapter 8,
I had Orpheus (ChatGPT / AI)
interview me for the finale.

“Summarizing it myself just didn't feel right,”
I suddenly thought.

I was in the second-lowest of the A, B, C1, and C2 leagues,
the C1 League.It was a typical regional university team, not particularly strong.

But there is one thing Satoshi (a pseudonym) said once
that still remains vividly with me.

“This team might have been weak, sure.
But to me, it was the strongest team.”

That one remark
quietly dissolved all the questions about
“what strength is”
that had been floating in my mind for so long.

I believe there are many ways to be involved in rugby.
As a player, as staff, as a parent,
or perhaps just as a spectator.

Please take care of yourself.

And if there is ever an opportunity for us to talk—
I look forward to hearing
your own “No-Side story.”

― Kaz the Minotaur ―

■ And the story continues to America

Even after leaving rugby, the story continued,
eventually leading to the choice to study abroad and pursue an MBA.

I wasn't conscious of it at the time,
but looking back now, it feels like events that were all on the same path.

I would be happy if you could take a look at what lies beyond that as well.

■ This article has been published

We have published a book version of this series that includes original short stories.
If you would like to read them all together, I would be happy if you picked up a copy.

In the book, the record of my university rugby days is followed by the story leading up to my subsequent MBA studies abroad, presented as a single narrative.
Additionally, seven original short stories are included exclusively in the book.
I would appreciate it if you would take a look if you are interested.

• Paperback version (1,518 yen)

• Kindle version (780 yen:)