Part 6: Just Children
The arguments over teams lasted far longer than the actual team selection should have.
Riku wanted Daichi.
Daichi wanted Haruki.
Arashi wanted whoever would help him win.
Amaya refused to be on the same team as Arashi.
Arashi immediately claimed that was because she knew he was too good.
Amaya nearly threw the ball at him.
The resulting argument lasted several minutes.
And somehow—
for the first time all day—
it felt normal.
Eventually the teams were settled.
Or at least settled enough.
The game began.
Students ran across the field.
Voices echoed through the academy grounds.
Some competitive.
Some annoyed.
Some excited.
Haruto found himself running after the ball without really thinking.
For a while—
he forgot about hospitals.
About war.
About explosions.
About everything.
Just for a little while.
Nearby—
Kaito was yelling at everyone despite not being particularly good at organizing anything.
"Pass!"
"You were literally standing behind three people!"
"I was open!"
"You were not open!"
"I was emotionally open!"
That earned several groans.
Even a few laughs.
For the first time that day—
Souta smiled.
A small one.
Gone almost immediately.
But it was there.
Haruto noticed.
So did Kaito.
Neither said anything.
Because neither wanted it to disappear.
Across the field—
Misaki sat beneath a tree beside Izumi and Sanae.
Watching.
Not playing.
Just watching.
Every now and then—
a small smile appeared on her face before fading again.
The grief was still there.
The sadness was still there.
But for a few moments—
she wasn't carrying it alone.
The afternoon sun slowly crossed the sky.
Students laughed.
Argued.
Ran.
Complained.
Cheered.
Children.
Just children.
And beneath the shade of a nearby tree—
Daigo quietly watched them.
He didn't interrupt.
Didn't correct them.
Didn't tell them to train harder.
Instead—
he simply sat there.
Listening.
Because today—
that sound was more important than any lesson he could teach.
The sound of students laughing.
The sound of friends arguing.
The sound of children still finding reasons to smile.
His gaze slowly moved across the field.
Haruto.
Ayame.
Kaito.
Misaki.
Souta.
Amaya.
Arashi.
Daichi.
Haruki.
Riku.
Hina.
Naoko.
Raizo.
Shin.
Sanae.
Izumi.
And everyone else.
For a brief moment—
they looked exactly like what they were supposed to be.
Not future shinobi.
Not future soldiers.
Not people carrying the weight of war.
Just children.
The final bell eventually echoed across the academy grounds.
The game slowly came to a stop.
Groans immediately followed.
Complaints too.
Arguments about who would have won.
Who scored more.
Who cheated.
Who definitely did not cheat.
The usual things.
Daigo finally stood.
"...Go home."
The students slowly began gathering their things.
Still talking.
Still arguing.
Still sounding more alive than they had all day.
As they started leaving the field—
Haruto glanced back one last time.
The training ground was already becoming quiet again.
The laughter fading.
The game ending.
Tomorrow would come.
The war would still exist.
The fear would still exist.
The hospitals would still exist.
But today—
for a little while—
they had managed to forget.
And somehow—
that felt important.