I will never play rubber-boot ice hockey again.

Just because I'm from Hokkaido, don't assume everyone is obsessed with winter sports.

There are some of us who just huddle up in front of the heater, knees pulled to our chests, muttering, "Winter is just too cold..."

Furthermore, I'm not from Eastern Hokkaido, and I've never even stepped onto an ice rink, let alone had any skating experience.

The senior who asked me, "Why don't you play rubber-boot ice hockey?" was, to put it bluntly, completely out of his mind.

I mean, I was a fresh, bright-eyed new hire, right? And what a senior says is absolute, right? So, of course I'll do it. Yes, I'll do it.

◇

Reluctantly, I ended up playing rubber-boot ice hockey. It was the winter of my first year as a working adult.

We gathered on the rink, listened to a brief explanation, and received our rental gear and protective equipment.

A senior (different from the one who invited me) handed me a bib. The number on it was "1".
Then, he uttered the words that would plunge me into despair.

"Arlon, you're the captain."

Captain!?
Ca-ca-ca-captain!?!?

Hey, hey, is this team going to be okay!?
Making someone who can barely skate the captain!?

And to make matters worse, they said the captain is a position that requires running all over the field, which is incredibly exhausting.

No way! I can't do this sport! You idiots!

...Of course, I couldn't actually say that, so I had no choice but to answer "Yes" in a voice as low as my spirits.

The boot ice hockey tournament finally began. It had begun.

There were four teams in total. The matches would be played in a round-robin format.
There were not only working adults but also a local elementary school team. Since they were all members of an ice hockey youth group, they were clearly better than me.

I don't know the basic rules of boot ice hockey well, but it seems you just have to shove the ball into the goal with a stick.
So, other than the difference between hitting or kicking the ball, is it basically the same concept as soccer?

The buzzer for the start of the match rang.

The ball was with the opposing team.
For now, I had to somehow snatch the ball from them.

...Just as I thought that, a teammate caught the ball. And then, my teammate shouted.

"Arlon! Move up!"

I started running. On the ice, I could let myself be carried by the wind faster than I could run.

However, there was a miscalculation.I couldn't stop.

"Waaaaaaaah"

I slipped past the group scuffling for the ball, slipped past the opposing defense, slipped past the opposing goal, and crashed into the rink wall. Ouch.

When I turned around, the ball was somehow with the opposing team.

Immediately, my teammate shouted.

"Arlon! Get back!"

I started running again. I pride myself on having more stamina than anyone else on this ice rink.

However, my technique is immature. As expected, I can't stop.

"Waaaaah!"

I struggled, trying to stop this time, but there was nothing that could stop me once I started running. That sounds a bit cool, but it's just that I'm clumsy.

After passing everyone on the field, I slammed into the rink wall (this time on my own team's goal side) as expected. Ouch.

Then, I heard my teammate's voice again.

"Arlon! Get up there!"

No way, no way, no way, no way! Stop it already! Arlon's life points are already at zero!

...I couldn't say that, so I ended up making another rocket start.

However, just like Chiyonofuji, I had reached the limit of my physical strength. A sport I'm bad at, an unfamiliar rink, the pressure of being captain—everything was draining my stamina.

I tried to move forward somehow, even though I was exhausted. I was so exhausted that I couldn't even skate normally. I fell over for no reason at all.

Then, an elementary school student from the ice hockey youth team who was watching pointed at me and said:

"Hahaha! What is that!"

Humiliation. Why must I be looked down upon by elementary school students?
I graduated from university, moved alone to a town where I knew no one, and have been quietly fulfilling my duties as a public servant. Yet, to think I would be subjected to such treatment. If my mother were to find out about this, she would surely be moved to tears.

I've decided. I will never play boot ice hockey again.

I'm never doing it again! Who would ever want to play boot ice hockey anyway! You idiots!

...Of course, I couldn't actually say any of that, and a few years later, when my senior asked me again, I would once more turn into a clown on the ice.

#66DayWritingChallenge