“The Young Lady is a Goalkeeper!” Episode 2 [Creative Award 2024, Manga Original Story Category Entry]

2
“Yes, to the right!”
“Hah!”
“Now to the left!”
“Hmph!”
“To the right again!”
“Hah!”
“...Shall we take a short break?”
“Yes...”
“You’re in pretty good shape, Mizunokuchi-san.”
Moai is performing repetitive practice, catching the balls that Madoka throws alternately to the left and right, and throwing them back.
“No, more than that, Noborito-san...”
“I told you, you can just call me Madoka.”
“W-well, Madoka-san... I am terribly sorry.”
“Eh? For what?”
“For making you accompany me in my practice like this...”
“No, no, Mizunokuchi-san improving also leads to our team’s strength increasing, so you don’t need to worry about it at all.”
Madoka waves her hands left and right.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“However, if I may say so... isn’t this a little too monotonous?”
“You think so?”
“Yes, like the other day, perhaps you could kick the ball harder...”
“That’s certainly important too, but right now, cultivating your sense is also crucial...”
“Cultivating my sense?”
“Yeah, for catching. Maybe it’s better to say solidifying your foundation.”
“Solidifying my foundation... that is certainly important.”
Moai stares at her own hands. Madoka shows a smile.
“Right?”
“Then, please do about another thousand times.”
“N-no, wait, that might be a bit much...”
Madoka gives a bitter smile at Moai’s words.
“I got here first!”
“I was first!”
Shinju and Hinako enter the court while arguing.
“You weren’t there when I was changing in the locker room!”
“I went to the restroom!”
“Don’t lie!”
“What’s a lie!”
“The urge to pee!”
“The urge to pee!?”
Hinako is taken aback by Shinju’s words.
“Hmph, looks like you have no comeback for that...”
“I-I have no comeback because it’s too stupid...!”
“I don’t care, but both of you are quite late...”
Madoka directs a cold gaze at the two.
“Ugh...”
“Mmph...”
“I’d like to say ten laps around the court for both of you, but you’re lucky Viola isn’t here.”
“Huh? Come to think of it, she isn’t here.”
Shinju looks around the court.
“Did something happen?”
“She said she had an errand and would be late.”
“Hmm...”
Hearing Madoka’s reply, Hinako crosses her arms.
“...With that said, let’s gather again once we’ve finished warming up.”
“Yeah...”
Responding to Madoka’s words, Shinju and Hinako begin warming up.
“You don’t have anyone to warm up with anyway, right? I’ll do it with you.”
“Huh?”
“What...”
Shinju and Hinako glare at each other.
“...Since we’re doing this, I won’t lose, okay?”
“What kind of winning or losing is there in a warm-up!”
“Those two...”
“Yeah, it’s that thing about how they fight because they care...”
Madoka gives a bitter smile at Moai, who is concerned about Shinju and the others.
“A relationship of mutual improvement... I’m envious.”
Moai nods deeply.
“E-envious!? I-is that what you think...”
“...I’m done warming up.”
Hinako calls out.
“Yeah, well then...”
“Wait a second, why is Madoka the one in charge?”
Shinju frowns.
“Eh? Since Viola isn’t here, I have to be the one in charge as the sub-leader.”
“When was that decided?”
“That’s right, I’m the vice-captain, aren’t I?”
“Wait a minute, Spiky, what are you saying on your own?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me, it’s only reasonable that I’m the one in charge here.”
“I can’t leave the top spot to an idiot who acts like a lone wolf.”
“Wait a minute, who’s a lone wolf?”
“Nobody said it in English!”
“Oh, geez, just follow what I say for now.”
“No way.”
“I refuse.”
Shinju and Hinako’s voices synchronize. Madoka raises her voice.
“Why do you only get in sync at times like that!”
“Um...”
“Anyway, it’s me!”
“I said it’s me!”
“That’s why it’s me!”
“Um!”
“!”
The three fall silent at the loud voice Moai let out. Moai suggests with a smile,
“How about we each take a shot, and whoever scores becomes the temporary representative?”
“Ho... that sounds interesting...”
“Fine, let’s decide with that.”
A few minutes later... Moai was seen repelling all of the three’s shots.
“I-it won’t go in... Mizunokuchi-san, you really have a knack for this...”
“Come on, keep shooting!”
Moai claps her hands together with a smile.
“That’s exactly what I expected, my nemesis!”
“!?”
As everyone turns their gaze, a petite girl with reddish long hair enters the court.
“Fufufu...”
“Who is that?”
Shinju narrows her eyes.
“To think you had started playing futsal...”
“S-she started talking!”
Madoka is bewildered.
“I searched everywhere in the academy, I even staked out your route to and from school, and I even visited your home without an appointment... I was completely at a loss with nothing to go on...”
“She’s saying something casually dangerous...”
Hinako frowns.
“In the midst of that, I heard a rumor that you had joined a futsal team. At first, I thought it was some kind of joke, but... you really were here.”
“...”
“Fufu, are you so surprised that you can’t even speak...”
“...Who are you?”
“What!?”
The long-haired girl is stunned.
“What’s this, aren’t you acquaintances?”
“Yes, I believe so, but...”
Moai tilts her head at Shinju’s question.
“Excuse me, we are in the middle of practice...”
“Please go home.”
Madoka and Hinako tell the girl.
“W-wait a second! Moai Mizunokuchi-san, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten!?”
“Why do you know my name...”
“That is naturally because I am your nemesis and rival!”
The girl points sharply at Moai.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Shinju mutters.
“What, so you did have a nemesis.”
“It appears that is the case...”
Moai nods, slightly bewildered by Madoka’s words.
“What do you mean you don’t realize it... are you really rivals?”
Hinako directs a look of disbelief at the girl.
“I-it’s true!”
“S-something’s suspicious...”
Hinako and Shinju cross their arms in unison. Madoka asks.
“Is there anything that can prove you are rivals?”
“Eh? Moai-san and I are at the same academy, look, my student ID!”
The girl takes out her student ID from the inner pocket of her uniform and shows it.
“Hmm... come to think of it, the uniform is the same...”
“Wait, Madoka, there’s also a possibility she forged the student ID.”
“I would not do such a troublesome thing!”
“That uniform could also be a cosplay...”
“I would not do such a thing either!”
“Hmm...”
“It’s still suspicious...”
Shinju and Hinako stare intently at the girl.
“Y-you people, even though we’ve just met, you are quite rude... a-and, Moai-san, please say something too.”
Moai opens her mouth while still bewildered.
“Um, are you a child from the affiliated elementary school...?”
“I am certainly petite, but I am not that small!”
“A first-year in middle school...”
“That is wrong!”
“A second-year...”
“Wrong!”
“A third-year...”
“
Why are you breaking it down by middle school grades!? I am properly in high school!”“Eh!?”
Moai leans back slightly.
“I-is that something to be so surprised about!?”
“A-a junior?”
“I told you that’s wrong! Stop distancing yourself from someone younger!”
“Ah, so you were a senior, excuse me.”
“We are classmates!”
“Um, did you repeat a year...”
“I did not repeat a year! Why are you so stubbornly refusing to admit that we are the same age!?”
“The same age...”
Moai puts her hand to her chin.
“That is correct.”
“In the class at the end...”
“Wrong!!”
“In the next class...”
“That is why I said wrong!!”
“In the class on the opposite side of that...”
“Wrong!! We are in the same class!!”
“Eh, the same class...?”
“How can you forget that!?”
“Are you sitting in a seat in the front...?”
“No!”
“Then, in a seat in the back...?”
“No!!”
“Where is your seat?”
“
It’s next to yours!”“Eh!?”
“I’m the one who should be saying ‘Eh!?’! How can you forget when we see each other almost every day!?”
“Hmm...”
Moai stares at the girl’s head. The girl has an epiphany.
“! Could it be... how about this!?”
The girl puts her long hair into twin tails. Moai claps her hands together.
“Ah, I was wondering who it was,
Miran Saginuma-san!”“You finally realized!?”
“I didn’t recognize you because your atmosphere is different.”
“Could it be...
have you been recognizing me by my twin tails until now...?”“Well, yes.”
Moai nods.
“~~! W-what a thing to say! I will make sure to clear this humiliation next time!”
Miran points sharply at Moai again and leaves the scene. She passes by Viola.
“Oh, that girl is surely...”
“Viola, do you know her?”
“Yes, she belongs to the opposing team for our next match. I wonder if she came to greet us?”
“Eh!?”
Madoka and the others are surprised by Viola’s words.
“A match...”
Moai shows a smile.