# May 27, 2016
#-1. Oahu, Hawaii
#-2. Honolulu, Kahuku CDP
#-3. Kahuku High School
#-4. Football Team Equipment Room
It's been five days since I joined the Red Raiders. In case you didn't know, "Red Raiders" is the nickname of our football team.
"Son of a... did I really come here just to do this?"
"Shut up and keep scrubbing."
"Moi!"
"What?"
"How do I handle this part?"
"Apply the wax, rub it gently, then wipe it down one more time with a dry cloth!"
From last Monday until today, we've been stuck in this warehouse for two hours a day, cleaning protective gear and maintenance equipment. The only person we've seen is the "enforcer," Enokk. Not a single other player—let alone the head coach or assistant coaches—has shown their face.
I realized on the first day that this was an initiation. Actual training will likely start next week.
"Moi, let me ask you something," Marcus said, tossing his rag aside while cleaning a helmet. "We've played football before, so we know how to maintain basic gear. But repairing and servicing training equipment? We didn't know a thing about that. Be honest, Moi."
"Spit it out."
"Do you have a family member in the NFL or something?"
At Marcus's wild guess, I just gave him a playful middle finger. He grumbled and went back to work. How do I know how to maintain the equipment? It's simple: I'm living my second life.
In my previous life, I went through this exact same "welcome ceremony" when I entered Columbia University. Even after I got a job in a pro team's front office, I worked in positions that involved managing training equipment. Maintaining high school-level gear is a piece of cake. Honestly, it's even a bit fun.
"God, he's humming again."
"Stop it! You're making me feel crazy!"
"Why? This is actually pretty fun. It clears the mind."
"Somebody take this guy to a hospital."
For these guys, who can't stand the monotonous labor of sitting in one spot, this is torture. But I'm truly enjoying it. It makes me feel like I've really been reborn.
Since this isn't a simple case of time travel to the past, I haven't been able to enjoy many "reincarnation perks" until now. This is a completely different world with zero overlap with my previous one, so I couldn't use my memories to play the stock market or make investments. I was just a bit more mature and calculated than others—that was it.
But the moment I joined the football team, knowledge that was once useless outside of training started to become valuable. Right now, it's just equipment, but it will grow into much more.
"You... you really finished it all?"
"Oorah!"
"...."
Enokk, the senior enforcer, looked completely bewildered. Actually, he's looked like that every day. On the first day, he threw us in the warehouse and said, "Make this place shine." That was it.
Normally, he would have caught us fumbling around, given us a hard time, and then reluctantly taught us one thing at a time. But because of me, he hasn't had the chance to do any of that. Since Monday, we've only been punished once—when Marcus tried to make a run for it. He just went outside for a breath of fresh air, but for a senior waiting for any excuse to pounce, it was more than enough. Since that day, Marcus has been listening to me very well.
Friday, 11:00 AM. We were finally liberated from manual labor.
"Damn! It's finally over."
"It was tedious, but thanks to you, it was smooth."
"Don't mention it."
As a result of being stuck in a warehouse for two hours a day for five days, I've become close with all my fellow freshmen. We sat together at the bus stop; since it's the weekend, everyone is heading home. Marcus and Sol-Jay took the same bus, while I waited for the one to Honolulu. Kaonohi stayed with me even though he lives right nearby.
"Bus is here. I'm heading out."
"See ya."
"Good job this week."
"See you Monday."
"Yep."
After fist-bumping each of them, I boarded the bus and found a seat. I waved back at them through the window and pulled out my phone to text Aunt Mel. Then, I opened a book I had in my bag.
It was Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0 by Pat Kirwan, a football tactics book. Curiously, the tactics in this world are slightly different. It's not that they are "better" or "worse"—that's just the nature of football. A strategy from 30 years ago can be used as a surprise card today, and something labeled a failure 10 years ago can suddenly become the meta.
Until now, I've focused solely on building my body. You could say I was distracted by the blessing of a physical ability I never had in my past life. Being fast and strong was incredibly exciting. But from now on, I have to fill my head, too. I'm a quarterback, after all.
Lost in the book, I arrived in Honolulu an hour later. Aunt Mel was waving from outside. I hopped off the bus with a light step and a bright smile.
# May 29, 2016
#-3. Kahuku High School
#-4. Lodgings
My family wasn't happy about me heading back to school on Sunday. Aunt Mel offered to drive me early Monday morning, but I told her it was fine and headed back to Kahuku right after lunch.
However, there was someone standing in front of my unit. Actually, three people.
"Who is it?"
From a distance, I thought it might be the Huamatu. Since they don't exactly welcome me, I thought they might try something with my housing. But it wasn't them. It was girls.
"I heard you were staying here~"
A blonde girl trailed off her sentence. Is she from L.A.? She had that West Coast "Valley Girl" accent.
"Yeah, why?"
"Just~ wanted to say hi in advance~ I'm Stephanie~ I'm a senior on the cheerleading team~ and I'll be captain next year."
"I see. Nice to meet you, Stephanie."
Listening to Stephanie, I was reminded of someone. Was it my third wife? No, my fourth? By the time we divorced, I hated even the sound of her voice. Hearing that same dragging tone now immediately put me in a bad mood. What's worse, she lacked the same sense of social awareness.
"So, I was thinking~"
"Sigh."
"Would you like to grab a cup of tea nearby~? Or you could invite me into your place~ Of course, these two won't be coming along~"
If I let her in, I knew exactly what would happen. Regardless of whether anything actually happened, rumors would fly instantly: Dwayne Moi Stone and Stephanie What's-Her-Name are dating. The two friends with her were clearly there to spread the word. Honestly, I had zero interest. It's not that I lack the drive; I just didn't like her.
But there was no point in making an enemy of a senior like Stephanie, so I decided to give her a polite rejection. In other words, I lied.
"Your father is coming~? Well, I guess it can't be helped then~"
"It was nice meeting you, Stephanie."
"You'll call me next time, right?"
"We'll see. Bye for now."
Keeping a smile plastered on my face, I slipped inside, trying not to make it look like I was running away. I broke out in a bit of a cold sweat. It's best not to get involved with girls like that. I've seen it many times—talented prospects with great reputations hitting rock bottom because they got tangled up with the wrong person.
If I were a real 16-year-old, the story might be different, but fortunately, I have the patience that comes with age. After a long while, I peeked through the curtains. They were gone. Finally, I could breathe.
I need to be careful. In the world of high school, dating the football quarterback is a status symbol—it makes you the "Queen" of the school instantly. I hadn't really thought about that. I think I've been so immersed in the idea of living in a parallel world that I treated my past memories like a fictional novel. I can't do that. I need to use what I know, even if it's not about football.
But before all that, I had a reason for coming back on a Sunday. I headed back to the equipment warehouse.
Dwayne Moi Stone's enrollment wasn't just big news for the football team; it was the talk of the whole school. He was the boy ESPN interviewed at 13, the one called "the greatest talent in the history of American sports."
Because of that, some people expected him to be lazy or arrogant. Most athletes who have been in the spotlight since childhood have a high opinion of themselves—especially quarterbacks.
But this case was different.
Thump. Thump.
Tamati Uta'i, the security guard at Kahuku High, walked toward the sound coming from the football field. What he saw was a large boy kneeling on one knee in a corner of the field, throwing a ball.
It was Moi. On a Sunday?
Thump. Thump.
Moi had set up a large plastic bin on its side, propping it up with various objects so it wouldn't slide. He kept throwing balls into it, and when he ran out, he would get up, collect them in a basket, and start all over again.
Tamati watched, mesmerized. In his 13 years as a guard at Kahuku, he had seen many freshmen, but none had ever done individual training on a Sunday. Not even the seniors.
Thump.
Tamati walked as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb the boy's focus. He felt he had to.
"Don't even get me started. He was incredibly focused," Tamati told a colleague later. "Really? Huh."
"I thought he'd be some arrogant kid riding on natural talent, but maybe that's not the case." "We'll see."
Tamati wanted to argue with his skeptical colleague, but he just nodded. He thought to himself: Soon, everyone will know.The image of Moi silently throwing balls on that empty field was burned into his mind.
Knock, knock.
Late at night, there was a knock at my door. Instinctively, I grabbed a baseball bat. There are guards, but you never know. I approached the door cautiously.
"Who is it?!"
"Moi? It's Tamati! The security guard!"
"Is something wrong at this hour?"
"Could you open the door for a moment?"
Keeping the latch on, I cracked the door. I saw a man in a security uniform. I relaxed slightly.
"My wife baked some pie. Would you like some?"
Pie? I noticed something in his hands, and it smelled amazing. I closed the door to unlatch it and then opened it fully.
"It's pecan pie," he said.
"Wow. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. Is everything okay here? Anything you need?"
"Nothing specific, but there are more bugs than I expected."
"It's probably the lights. I'll look into it tomorrow."
"Thanks. But... did you come all this way just to give me this?"
"Yes."
Answering as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Tamati tipped his cap and turned to leave.
"Wait!" I called out. "I'll really enjoy this! Thank you!"
"Just leave the dish out front when you're done! I'll pick it up!"
I watched him walk away for a moment, then quickly shut the door to keep a moth out. I sat on the floor, unwrapped the cloth, and felt the warmth of the dish. It smelled incredible. My mom has baked a lot of pies, so I can usually tell how good one is just by the scent. This was going to be delicious.
"Oops, a fork."
Resisting the urge to eat with my hands, I went to the small cabinet Mom had bought me. She insisted I live like a civilized human being and packed forks and knives. I'm glad I listened.
"Mmm. This is the stuff."
The crunch of the crust, the hint of butter, the perfectly roasted pecans, and the balance of brown sugar and cinnamon... this was a masterpiece. I devoured it in no time and immediately flopped onto the bed. Between the training all day and cleaning the equipment afterward, I was exhausted.
The warmth of the pie combined with my fatigue made sleep unavoidable. I managed to stumble up to hit the light switch before collapsing back onto the mattress.
Tomorrow is the real start. I'll meet the whole team.
It's okay to sleep without brushing my teeth just once, right? Ah, whatever. I can't move a finger.
The excitement of the first day of training and the thought of facing the Fuamatus were both swallowed up by the sandman. I didn't resist; I let sleep take me.