The Guidance of Benten: How I, Who Was Laughed At for 20 Years, Grabbed a Ticket to the National Tournament at 49

[A Brief Self-Introduction]
My name is Shinji Gojo.
I am currently 49 years old. My Chinese zodiac sign is the Year of the Snake.
While I compete daily against rivals in surfing tournaments in Hokkaido, I also write a business novel set in Sapporo called "Snowdrop Surfer."
Visiting various power spots is also one of my hobbies.

"What are you even aiming for at 49?" I have been laughed at for that for a long time.

　◇

After finishing my work for the day, I hurried to drive to the sea.

This was because the Hokkaido regional qualifiers for the national surfing tournament were scheduled for the day after next.

Suppressing my excitement,
I checked the nearest surf point, but

The sea was rough due to the influence of Typhoon No. 6, which had brought record-breaking heavy rain to Honshu.

The coldness of the Hokkaido sea, whipped by strong winds, did not feel like it belonged in June at all.

The waves would likely settle to a size suitable for surfing by the day of the qualifiers, but
I felt that forcing myself to practice at this point would only leave me exhausted.

(I'll check a few beaches that might mitigate the wind and large waves, and if that doesn't work, I'll give up and go home.)

The place I arrived at was just before the Hama-Atsuma coast, the venue for the qualifiers,
a beach called "Benten" where waves usually don't break.

When I looked up the origin of the place name,
I learned that long ago, there was a nest of giant snakes here, so Benzaiten was enshrined,
making it a land that avoided disaster through the power of the Dragon God.

There wasn't a single car parked in the lot.
The wind had weakened, but the waves also looked small.

However, after waiting a little while, waves with good shape, enough for surfing, came in beautifully.

I could probably ride them, but is the spot where the waves break too close to the shore?

Still, I feel like I could manage a light turn,

but I can't afford to break my board during this important time before the match...

The reason being, this was a place with a "history," as I had visited it two years ago on the day before I participated in my very first surfing tournament.

That day, too, the large waves from a typhoon had reached here,
and while all other beaches were wiped out, I had arrived at this empty "Benten."

I was elated,
"I've found a secret place where I can practice alone,"
and my surfing performance that day was also outstanding.

However, because I was doing too well, I kept riding until I reached the shallows where my feet could touch the bottom,

and I suffered a fatal injury of "damaging the fin box of my surfboard" on the beach paved with cobblestones.

That is why I was afraid of the shallows at this point.

However, I changed my mindset, saying,
I won't ride for long, I'll just do one light turn, and practice for only an hour until the sun goes down,
and took out my board.

The reason for this was that
there was a technique I absolutely wanted to practice and master before the tournament.

For the past few weeks, I had been observing my rival's surfing.
The signature move of Yusuke, a rival who is always cheerful to everyone and whom I truly respect

--- The 'off-the-lip,' a major maneuver where one surges toward the crest of the wave and sharply turns the board.

I wanted to make that sharp movement my own before the tournament.

When I entered the ocean, the waves felt bigger than they had looked from the outside.

I waited for a wave and caught the first one.
It was a good wave.

I caught speed, let the board run, and rode into the most critical part where the wave was curling.

As I turned my body, as if overlapping with the afterimage of Yusuke, the off-the-lip was executed perfectly.

But the next moment, like a deja vu from two years ago, those cobblestone shallows were waiting right in front of me.

The nightmare returns --- .

However, at the very last second, I shifted my weight on the board and managed to prevent myself from plunging into the shallows.

I checked the board fearfully, but there were no scratches.
Along with cold sweat,
only the solid feeling of the high-speed off-the-lip remained in my body.

I suddenly looked up at the sky to the right, and a round, hazy moon was floating beautifully.

The phrase 'The moon is beautiful, isn't it?' came to my mind.

However, there was no one in particular to say that to.

If I were to send a message to my wife,

she would probably just say bluntly,

'Did you hit your head instead of the board?'
(But that's fine. In fact, that response is perfect.)

I continued to ride the waves after that. I was just in great form.

It was as if I were riding on the back of a dragon, with turns that kept picking up speed endlessly.

Along the way, a car stopped and watched me intently, but perhaps overwhelmed by how well I was doing, it soon drove away
(...or so I like to think, anyway. Haha).

In the car on the way home, listening to 'Kaze ni Noru' by Ryokuoushoku Shakai, which I'd had on repeat for months,
the sunset that suddenly appeared before me was larger than ever before,

radiating a crimson glow as bewitching as the 'Moon and Susuki Grass' card in Hanafuda.

And for some reason,
the name of that place, 'Benten,' had been on my mind the whole time.

Koami Shrine in Tokyo, a power spot I visit every year at turning points in my life, also enshrines Benten, and snakes are considered messengers of Benten.

And my Chinese zodiac sign is the Year of the Snake.

Two years ago, when I visited here at 47, I had never even entered a surfing competition.

Having passed through my 48th year as a 'toshi-otoko' and now being 49, have I been able to shed my skin even a little?

The day after next, the day of the qualifiers

◇

The name of Yusuke, whom I consider my rival on my own terms,
was not on my tournament bracket.

Instead, what was there was
the name of 'Absolute Champion Kurata,' a regular on the national tournament podium
who possessed overwhelming skill.

While being pushed by the strong competitors, I desperately advanced to the finals.

The finalists were Yamashita, Shioda, myself, and of course,
the absolute champion, Kurata.

'Yamashita' was also a regular at the national tournament, a skilled competitor who had even been selected for professional tournaments as an amateur.

If the tickets to the national tournament were for the 'top two,'
then logically, it would come down to Kurata and Yamashita. It felt like there was no room for me.

When the finals began, as expected, the other competitors scored high points one after another,
and I was slowly being driven into a corner.

Final heat, 3 minutes remaining—

The ruthless call echoed.

At that point, I was in last place, 4th.

Kurata, Yamashita, Shioda.
Every time they put in a good ride and racked up high scores, the point gap between them and me widened mercilessly.

The back of the second-place rider seemed to be beyond my reach.

With less than two minutes left, I was on the verge of despair.

"You can't do your job, and you can't surf either!"
The face of the boss who once berated me so fiercely flashed through my mind.

"Are you still surfing?"
"A hobby you're bad at (lol)."
Those words, which I had been laughed at for for 20 years, rang in my mind like tinnitus.

Am I really just a hobbyist who is bad at it?
What have I been aiming for, going to the ocean for 20 years?

At that moment, a perfectly shaped wave appeared before my eyes like a miracle.

However,
from the left, the undisputed champion, Kurata, was coming toward me as if to apply pressure.

I couldn't back down.

I desperately grabbed the wave and took off.

What came to mind was that wave at Benten at dusk,

and Yusuke's off-the-lip.

Riding the speed, I drove my board up to the crest of the wave with all my might.

My body moved on its own.

A fierce, massive off-the-lip, the likes of which I had never succeeded at in my life, was executed perfectly.

Immediately after, the horn signaling the end of the match blared.

Fourth place? Third place?...

When I got out of the water, Yusuke, who had been watching the match, ran over with a huge smile.

"That was amazing! That last off-the-lip,
if you had added one more turn to that, you would have been in second place!"

The results were announced.
I had overtaken Yamashita and slipped into third place.

…But, just one step away...

I looked up at the sky, frustrated because I knew I had delivered my best riding.

The seawater running down my clenched lips
felt unusually salty.

However, at the end of the awards ceremony, an unexpected announcement came over the speakers.

"--- Also, since there are three spots selected this year, the top three athletes will advance to the national tournament!"

At that moment, my vision blurred,

and something saltier than before wet my cheeks and lips once more.

Twenty years ago, I was berated by a harsh boss,
and friends kept laughing at me, asking, "Are you still doing that?"

Yet, I am the one who
has now secured a ticket to the national tournament.

I want to tell my self from two years ago.

The immature man who broke his fin box in the shallow water that day,
after passing his 48th year, might have finally managed to break through his shell just a little bit.

I don't know if I was guided by Benten-sama.

However, I feel that God smiles just a little bit upon those who keep trying.

There are two months left until the national tournament.

With the memory of the vast sunset I saw on the way back from Benten that day in my heart, I will give my all to enjoy my first big stage.

This is the novel 'Snowdrop Surfer'.
I would be very happy if you could take a look at it!