"What, calling me at this hour—could it be that your assessment results are out?"
Yoshida's lazy voice came through the receiver, but Kazuo's tone this time was very respectful as he said, "Yes, I've checked the results. I passed the exam, so I should be considered an official Trainer."
"Hoh..."
Yoshida let out a soft sigh of wonder, but then chuckled, "And? You shouldn't be satisfied with just this, right? This isn't the finish line; at most, you've just gotten your ticket. To keep going, to go further... I think you know what to do, right?"
"Yes—"
Kazuo nodded very sincerely. The old man had actually been guiding and teaching him ever since he enrolled, not just academically, but more importantly, he taught Kazuo principles of conduct and various deeper thoughts and perspectives.
Influenced by him, Kazuo was able to reach this point. By now, how could he not realize that Mr. Yoshida was actually guiding his growth little by little?
So, after hanging up the phone, his second call was to Yoshida.
Hearing Kazuo's reply, Yoshida's voice also softened. He didn't offer many congratulations; in his opinion, plenty of people would say those things to him. What he wanted to tell him more than that was actually—
"Asama... In the future, you will meet all kinds of athletes and Trainers. You will compete with them on the same stage; you will contend with them for championships... But there's one thing I hope you don't forget, and that is the purest feeling for the competition, the belief and bond with your athletes. Only then can you go further—you and your athletes can go further, to a higher stage... Understand?"
These heartfelt words perhaps made Yoshida think of another person at this moment.
And this time—
Yoshida also clearly spoke Kazuo's name.
Just as he had told Kazuo before, respect is earned through one's own efforts, not bestowed.
And this also meant—
Yoshida recognized Kazuo for the first time.
"Yes... I understand... Thank you, Teacher Yoshida—"
How could Kazuo not be grateful for this recognition and guidance?
Their relationship was both teacher and friend; even with their usual bickering, this bond was more like that of an old friendship.
Heh... Alright, stop with the sappy talk to an old man. Save that for those to whom you need to make promises.
Yoshida chuckled a few times, reverting to his usual self. Kazuo could only give a wry smile and nod, saying, "Yes, yes..."
After hanging up the phone, Yoshida, sitting in his study, narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.
In the spacious and bright study, scented candles were lit, and one wall was filled with framed photo albums.
"Truly remarkable... Unbelievable, you actually accomplished all this even more dramatically than you did... Asama... Truly a chip off the old block, you've worked hard and even achieved things I couldn't... Hahahaha..."
For the first time, the old man's face looked so weathered, his features, smoothed by time, filled with a nostalgic expression.
He narrowed his eyes and turned his reclining chair towards the wall of photo albums.
His gaze was fixed on a sepia-toned photograph. Yoshida in his middle age was embracing a handsome young student, both smiling so brightly.
The background suggested it was taken beside a foreign race track, and a page from a newspaper was framed beside it.
That was a memory from that era, with large characters clearly stating:
"Yoshida Zenya and Asama Takehiro, the strongest Trainer master and disciple of the Japanese academy!"
Time—
It really flies... After hanging up the phone, Kazuo called Aoi and Kiryuuin. Aoi, of course, congratulated him excitedly. As for Kiryuuin, he boastfully praised himself, "Those things I told you were exactly what was on the test, a full forty points for the debate question, how about that!?"
To this, Kazuo also smiled and thanked him, but such direct gratitude actually made Kiryuuin uncomfortable. He mumbled a few words and then hung up.
Miss Hayakawa had already spoken to him earlier. She also informed Kazuo to remember to visit the Chairman tomorrow, as the labor contract and salary would be renegotiated.
As for Tojo Hana, she was much calmer, congratulating him very seriously, then immediately began to admonish him with phrases like, "Don't be complacent," "The road is still long," "This is just the first step," "You still have a long way to go—"
It made Kazuo himself think he hadn't passed this time—
However, before hanging up, Tojo Hana did offer a congratulation, then said:
"Starting tomorrow, you will continue to study with me, but it will no longer be theoretical things. I have more things I want to show you, what a Trainer truly needs to do. You understand what I mean, right?"
"Yes!"
.
After everything was handled, the last call Kazuo made, he knew without thinking who it was to.
"Oguri Cap, I did it."
That was the very first sentence after connecting—
"Then that means—"
Oguri Cap's voice couldn't help but rise a few octaves.
"Mm... I'm officially a Trainer now, so I also want to fulfill our previous promise."
The night was quiet, the evening breeze brushed his face, yet his heart was so calm.
The person on the other end of the line also seemed to hold their breath involuntarily.
At that time, she had chosen him through a reverse nomination, picking him out from among everyone else... and now it was his turn to respond.
"Previously, at the voluntary selection meeting, Oguri Cap, you chose me. As a rookie, perhaps I don't have much experience yet, and I'm just a Trainer who recently obtained his license. Perhaps I'm still a bit unreliable, and perhaps I'll need to continue to explore and learn—"
"But, I hope to continue this journey with Oguri Cap in my current capacity... So, will you be my athlete?"
After a moment of silence, the voice on the other end, mixed with emotion, a hint of shyness and excitement, responded gently and gracefully:
I will.
These simple three words encapsulated the meeting, acquaintance, and interaction of the two over the past month, and now, their paths had converged.
The athlete and the Trainer sealed their contract that night.
"Thank you... Oguri Cap."
Kazuo thanked her softly. Without Oguri Cap, he might not have reached this point—
With such a goal, and with her support, Kazuo had the motivation to strive hard.
"Also, I have one more thing."
"Actually, there's something I wanted to tell Asama-kun—"
After a brief silence, they both spoke at the same time, as if by telepathy.
This feeling was truly wonderful.
Oguri Cap asked with a smile:
"Asama-kun, you go first... What do you want to say?"
In the quiet night, Kazuo cleared his throat and solemnly announced:
"I want to form my own team. I wonder if you agree..."
"Of course I do... In fact, Asama-kun, you're thinking the exact same thing as me... If Asama-kun wants to become a great Trainer, he must form his own team."
Oguri Cap agreed without hesitation. In many matters, she stood by Kazuo's side, thinking from his perspective.
Naturally, she understood his thoughts.
"However—"
Oguri Cap paused slightly, "For the team I want to form, besides me, Daijin and Rice Shower should also be members, right? I really enjoy being with them!"
Hearing this, Kazuo chuckled, "Hmm... I think so too. Tomorrow, I will personally go and persuade them, begging them to join my team."
But then he shook his head with a wry smile, "Hmm... if they refuse, it would be quite embarrassing..."
If acquaintances refused, how awkward would it be to see them again? However, the only candidates he could think of at the moment were Bimyo Shisei, Rice Shower, and Daijin... "Regarding this... I feel Asama-kun... hmm, Trainer-san, you don't need to worry so much~"
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