Chapter 3: Life Of An 'Almost' Normal Kid (2)
Mayeda Residence, Saitama, Japan
After eating a warmful meal, the four little boys got back to the gym while their parents were currently inside the main building talking.
Of course, they did not immediately play around doing volleyball as their parents told them not to because it will give them tummy aches.
So, while waiting, they sat in a circle as they play around the toys they got from happy meals.
"Argh! I want to get Eeyore!" Nunoe grumbled.
"Eeyore is ugly" Ukio whispered.
"No! You're ugly!" Nunoe retorted.
They argued for a while. As for Tatsuo and Fuku, they were busy with their own worlds.
Tatsuo was planning how to teach kids volleyball in simple words while Fuku was staring at his hand with Tigger in torns. He thought 'Fat...need operation' while doing that terrible thing.
'Poor thing...' Tatsuo thought to himself.
They played around for a while waiting for the food in their stomach to dissolve.
.....
A few moments later.
Tatsuo and the boys were currently standing up while wearing their sports uniform. Tatsuo was in front of the three who were standing beside each other.
Others may ask 'why is he teaching them volleyball?'. One reason is that he does not have anyone to play with his age. And he knew if he play with adults or younger, he would be in an extremely unfavorable position because of his height, and also not a normal kid would do.
He needed to act like a kid while he is a kid. As many adults say 'Live your life to the fullest' and that's what he's doing right now. Also, the reason why he was training by himself.
The other reason is that when they were 8 and were outside the school field doing physical education activities, they were the kids he noticed being special among other kids.
Akira Ukio, though he was shorter than other kids, was flexible and runs fast. He was more suitable for the libero position than others. The only downside is that he was quite possessive about things he like.
'I hope it doesn't worsen when he grows up...' Tatsuo thought.
Agata Nunoe was an energetic kid. His jump was high compared to others. So, he decided to put him in as the wing spiker of his future team.
Gakushin Fukuhara was a rather quiet kid. He was smart though acted like an idiot sometimes. What makes Tatsuo notice him is that his physique is quite strong for a kid and decided to put him as a middle blocker.
Lastly, of course, was Mayeda Tatsuo, he'll play the role of the setter just like in his past life's position.
Also, there is the consent of their parents. So, he's not forcing them to play with him just because he felt lonely. Yes, not because of that.
He shrugged that problem off his head and started teaching them the basics.
"Uhh, let's start doing this first" Tatsuo then looked at Nunoe and asked, "Nunoe, can ya' throw the ball up towards me?"
"Okay!" in which Nunoe replied instantly.
Nunoe threw the ball up in the direction of Tatsuo.
"Nice pass, Nunoe!" Tatsuo said as he took position and then...
*Pah*
He bent down his knee slightly and stretched his arms forward as he let the ball fall unto his forearm and made an arc in the air and landed beautifully.
Thud!
"This is what I'm going to teach you right now, understood?" Tatsuo looked at his friends in front of him and nodded as he got the answer just by looking at their faces.
"Then let's start by copying my moves, alright?" Tatsuo asked to which the three nodded then he started teaching them.
Tatsuo, first, clasped his hands together, one palm inside the other while his thumbs were pointing to the ground. He looked at them to see if they did anything wrong.
He noticed that Nunoe is having trouble with his hand placement and walked toward him to start helping him.
"You put your thumb in the wrong position. Here look at my hands" Tatsuo demonstrated to which Nunoe complied and adjusted his thumb to copy what Tatsuo did.
Tatsuo look at their hand placements and then continued teaching.
"Okay! that's it for the hands. Now, I'm going to teach you how to dig"
As he said that, Fuku ran toward his bag but was interrupted when Tatsuo asked him where he was going.
"I'm going to get my shovel" Fuku replied almost instantly as he opened his bag.
Tatsuo looks dumbfounded.
"No, no. You're misunderstanding it. We're not going to dig the ground. Come back here" Tatsuo waved his hand.
The anticipation in Fuku's eyes faded as he walked toward his previous spot depressingly.
'He looked so disappointed...' Tatsuo sighed and decided to say something.
"Sigh, we're going to dig outside after this, okay?"
Fuku's shining eyes came back more powerful as he nodded excitedly.
"Let's bury Tigger" Fuku whispered to Nunoe beside him.
"Okay! Should we also plant this seed?!" Nunoe brought out a seed out of nowhere.
Fuku nodded as he thought 'Tigger will become a tree.'
Seeing this, Tatsuo can't help but think if his decision to befriend them was the right decision. But he quickly put that thought away and started teaching them again.
.....
Night time.
"Bye, Tatsu! Bye, Oneesan! Bye, Ojisan!"
Akira, Agata, and the Gakushin family took their time to say goodbye before driving away from their Mayeda residence.
As for their family, they walked inside their house. It wasn't until they reached the living when his mom asked him a question out of nowhere.
"When are you planning on telling us?" mother Chiyoko asked as she looks back at her son.
"Huh?" Tatsuo tilted his head, confused about the question.
Seeing his reaction, mother Chiyoko knew that he did not understand her question and said the keywords.
"The school festival" Chiyoko stared menacingly at Tatsuo.
Hearing this, Tatsuo suddenly remembered what he had forgotten.
"Ah! that... I'm sorry..." Tatsuo said as he droop his head low.
Seeing his reaction, father Shigeru took action to alleviate the atmosphere as his wife kept staring at their son without saying anything.
"Chiyo-san, baby Tatsu said his sor..." before he even finished his sentence, mother Chiyoko looked at him even more powerfully than before and he unconsciously shivered.
"Sigh, I just didn't want to hear that from other people..." Chiyoko looked at his son more amiably but with slight disappointment.
Knowing this, Tatsuo was even more disappointed in himself as he droop his head even lower.
Tatsuo promised himself that he will not burden his parents anymore. With that thought in mind, he decided not to tell his parents about the school festival even though it was announced a month ago as he knew they were busy with their work.
But now, it had come to this point. Not only did he disappoint his parents but also broke his promise.
"I-I'm sorry..." Tatsuo said under his breath but even then, his parents heard it.
Seeing this, Chiyoko and Shigeru panicked and immediately reacted.
"It's okay, it's okay. We're just wondering why you did not tell us." Chiyoko said as she hugged Tatsuo in her arms.
Tatsuo, knowing that there is no point in hiding it anymore, started explaining himself.
"I-I just noticed that... you were busy at work and decided not to tell you..."
Getting his reply, Chiyoko and Shigeru was saddened as they feel guilty. It was true that work was quite hectic and often getting home late, they felt terrible. As a result, they often leave Tatsuo to their housekeeper.
"Ohh, Tatsu..."Chiyoko, once again, hugged Tatsuo with even more grip.
"While we were glad you're thinking about us but... you're our son. You are not supposed to think about us at this age..." Shigeru said.
"That's right, Tatsu. We can always take a leave for you" Chiyoko added.
"Yes..." that was the only reply his mouth let out.
Heartwarming moments happened after that.
.....
Inside Tatsuo's bedroom.
It was midnight right now but Tatsuo was still awake. He was now on his bed, lying on his back while staring at the ceiling.
Just a few hours ago, he broke his promise to himself. He knew that promises are meant to be broken. But he did not want his promise to ever be broken.
He even felt disappointed in himself.
But he learned his lesson, just because he did not want to be a burden doesn't mean that he will not ever be a burden. One way or another, they will feel burdened whether he likes it or not, hiding something or not.
If he did not hide something, then his parents' work would compile on top of each other because of him and he did not want that to happen. If he did choose the latter option, then the situation earlier will happen.
His situation is more about making decisions. As he did not have a choice then he would have to pick among options. Picking the best among others.
With that in mind, his eyes were now drooping while he let himself succumb to its embrace and slowly fell asleep.
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Japanese honorifics are confusing AF. I'll start adding honorifics if I can.
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