I arrived home, my heart still racing from the invitation I had received. I quickly found my mother in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
"Mom, today a man asked me to try out for a professional team," I started, trying to steady my voice.
She stopped what she was doing and looked at me with a smile.
"Really? That's great! What's the name of the team?" she asked, excited.
"It's Saikai FC, in Shizuoka," I replied, hesitating a bit.
Her smile slowly faded.
"Shizuoka? But… that's so far away, Akira. How would you get to training? Traveling every day is impossible."
I swallowed hard.
"I… I could live there. The club allows players from out of town to stay in the dormitory."
She sighed, grabbing a towel to dry her hands.
"You know that means being far from home, from family… and from our business. It's not an easy decision."
"I know, Mom. But this is my chance. I don't want to waste it."
She looked me in the eyes, serious.
"And the money? How are we going to pay for the tryout? What if it doesn't work out? That's a lot of money to waste, and you'll probably end up coming back with your dream broken."
My voice faltered a little.
"I know it's risky… but I promise if it doesn't work out, I'll come back and work with you in the shop. I won't give up that easily."
She hugged me for a moment, squeezing my shoulders.
"I'll talk to your dad when he gets home. We'll think it over together and decide what's best for you."
Then I suddenly remembered and pulled a card out of my pocket.
"This is his card," I said. "If your parents have any doubts, they can call him. He said he'd answer any questions."
When my dad came home, my mom told him she needed to talk to him. About fifteen minutes later, they came out to talk to me.
"Maybe we'll let you go," my mom said. "But first, we want to call them to see how things really are."
They called the number on the card.
"Hello? We want to talk about the tryout," my dad said.
"I'm sorry, it's past office hours now, so we can only talk tomorrow," a tired voice replied.
"This is urgent," my dad insisted.
There was a pause, then the voice responded more lively.
"Ah, yes, about your son Akira Norikami — what do you want to know?"
My dad explained, "Someone told me they want my son to try out. The club will pay all expenses, even the trip. If he fails, they'll pay to bring him back. If he passes, he can live there."
The voice on the phone paused, then spoke suspiciously.
"Yes, we cover all expenses. If he passes and shows good results, he can also earn money."
"Really? If that's the case, my son will go tomorrow. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."