High Speed!

Chaper 8:

If you went around the back of Iwatobi SC, there was a little garden visible from the poolside. In that back garden were several types of closely planted trees and bushes, appearing different each season. It fell on the head coach of the club to do all the trimming, watering, transplanting, pruning and other caretaking duties, so that it had become something of a hobby for the head coach.

The club members enjoyed looking out the window at it as they arrived and left, seeing what kind of flowers were blooming depending on the season. In winter it was red camellias. In spring, it went from rape blossoms to azaleas. The hydrangeas from early summer popped out like bubbles, chased after by the bellflowers. In the fall, the bright smell of the fragrant olive blossoms was carried out all the way over to the pool.

Right now the yellow rape blossoms were coloring the back garden most prominently.

Rin and Nagisa, along with Haruka, were waiting for Makoto in the back garden.

"Hey Rin-chan, why are we burying the trophy?" Nagisa asked.

"That's because it's something the four of us won, so it would be weird if only one of us took it home."

"But couldn't we leave it in the club's display case?"

The trophies and plaques won individually at competitions could be taken home, or if desired could be entrusted to the club and placed in the display case.

"No way. It's not something we want to show off to others. It only belongs to us. That's why we're going to bury it as proof of our friendship. I guess it's like a time capsule."

"So it's gonna stay buried forever?"

"No. Someday, the day's going to come when we need to remember today and the medley relay. When that day comes, we'll dig it back up."

"When will that be?"

"Who knows. Five or ten years later, who can say."

The rear exit door opened and Makoto came out. He carried the trophy and several gardening spades.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I got the head coach's permission. And he lent me these spades."

It wouldn't do to get caught digging around uprooting flowers without permission, so they had decided to obtain it beforehand. For the moment they had brought the trophy back to the club and taken a commemorative photo, then each of them had said what they wanted to do with it. After that Makoto had gone to get it.

"Okay, let's get going."

Rin opened the bag he had brought and took out a big empty cookie tin.

"Wow, Rin-chan. Do you always carry that thing around?" Nagisa asked, stunning Rin.

"Of course not. Only today."

"Oh, is that what your sister Gou-chan brought you?"

"Yeah."

"I seee. I'm glad she did."

"If I'd shown you guys what it was then, you would have thought I really was pushing my luck."

"But did you know we'd win the trophy from the start?" Makoto asked as he passed out the spades.

"Of course I did, Makoto. Don't tell me you thought we couldn't win?"

Rin opened the lid of the tin.

"No, I just think you had an awful lot of confidence."

Makoto passed Rin the trophy. It was about the size that could be handled one-handed, and at the top there was a relief in the shape of the starting posture, and you could see a bird with wings outstretched in the distance.