Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093083511177921/episodes/16818093084021179053
After somehow getting through the test, I had come to Sakine-chan’s kindergarten to fulfill a promise I had made to her.
A few fathers had told me that it was vital to get a place at the field day, so I wondered if I would have to get a place, but I somehow heard from Matsumura-san that a father from a close family would get one for me, so I arrived at the kindergarten about 10 minutes before the start time.
Of course, there was no way I could go dressed as usual with all the other parents there, so I decided to wear my bangs up.
“XXX kindergarten will hold a field day from now on!”
I rushed into the field and looked for Matsumura-san.
I was sure that Matsumura-san knew that I was coming, because Sakine-chan had told her that I was coming.
So, Matsumura-san is aware of it. That’s probably why I was not invited by her
I was a little depressed to realize this fact, and as I was searching through the crowd, I found Matsumura-san at the very inside of the cheering section.
I called out her name as I made my way through the crowd.
“Matsumura-san!”
“Nakahara-kun! I was worried. I didn’t have your contact information, so I was wondering if you knew where I was.”
“There are so many people here~. I was so surprised.”
“I’m used to it now.”
“Where’s Sakine chan?”
“She’s already in line. Look over there.”
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw Sakine-chan among the children lined up behind an archway decorated with paper flowers.
I waved to her and she modestly waved back at me
[Enter!]
“Is she nervous?”
“Probably. Sakine is the type of person who gets really nervous in this kind of situation.”
“I see. Unexpectedly.”
“Look, look. See how her hands and feet are aligned?”
“It’s true.”
I was smiling at the fact that although she usually displays an adult-like appearance that is hard to believe for an older person, she also has a surprisingly age-appropriate personality.
Then the first event of the day, the running race, began.
The order was progressing at a faster and faster tempo, and finally Sakine-chan’s turn was just around the corner.
Before the previous group crossed the finish line, Sakine and her group were lined up right behind the starting line.
“Sakine~! Go for it!”
Matsumura-san cheered them on, and the teacher who was in charge of giving the order said, “Get into position”
The children lined up at the starting line leaned forward, and when they were ready, the teacher gave the signal with a special tool, and at the same time, the girls, including Sakine-chan, ran out at once, and their parents and children cheered loudly.
“Go for it!~”
“Go, Sakine!”
While everyone was heading toward the goal, Sakine-chan was one step ahead of the others. At the same time, as if to encourage her sister, Matsumura-san also leans forward, putting aside her camera.
Sakine ran to the finish line faster than anyone else, not even falling down along the way.
“Did you, onee chan onii chan? Sakine is number one!”
“I saw it! That’s great!~”
“That’s what I’m talking about, Sakine-chan!”
When we praised her, Sakine-chan puffed her chest out
After that, each year’s performances and competitions such as the giant ball rolling, ball tossing, obstacle race, and dance were over.
Then, as the Sports Day was drawing to a close, Sakine made a proposal.
“Hikarun onii chan, I want you to participate in the next one with Sakine.”
“The next one?”
”The one where the parents participate. I want you to carry Sakine on your back and run around the field.”
“Can I participate in that?”
“Don’t worry. It’s a free event, and I don’t think anyone will say anything.”
“Please. Hikarun pmoo chan”
Of course it was impossible to say no to such a request, so I decided to take part in the competition.
“All right, let’s go!”
I got up from the plastic seat I was sitting on.
I looked at the other fathers who were in the same situation as me, and they all looked at each other and said, “We won’t lose,” and sparks were flying.
I guess they are all desperate to show their children a good example.
I wonder if they are trying to take this opportunity to regain some of their fatherly dignity. I, who am not a father, could not quite understand the feeling.
The children in charge of the race led the fathers to the back of the starting line.
The father who would be running with me seemed to be several years older than I was.
“Hikarun onii chan! Let’s do our best!”
“Oh, leave it to me.”
In the meantime, it was my turn.
Each of them had a daughter, in my case a younger sister, on my back.
“Get in position!”
A dry thud sounded.
The teacher raised his right hand high in the air, and a small pistol emitted a thin stream of smoke.
As soon as everyone, including me, started running at once, the adults behind the ropes stretched around the trucks shouted in support. The cheers were as loud as the lively background music. The kindergarten’s field day was beautiful with colorful flags against the blue sky.
“Look, Sakine-chan. Hold on tight!~”
“Yes”
Sakine-chan clung to my back with a big smile on her face.
I was running as fast as I could carry myself, and when I passed the halfway point, I realized that I was running solo, and in the end, I was the first one to cut the goal tape, keeping the lead without letting anyone catch me.
“We did it!”
“We did it, Hikarun onii chan!”
I high-five Sakine-chan.
Perhaps it was because I was the fastest runner, or perhaps it was because I saw a young face I hadn’t seen before, but for a while after that, the children in the school crowded around me and asked questions.
“He looks like Hikarun, doesn’t he?”
“Not like him, he’s Hikarun onii chan!”
It was the Matsumura sisters who looked and talked.
After that, the field day went on without incident, and Sakine-chan’s big day came to an end without incident.
“Hikarun onii chan! Thanks for coming today!”
“Did you have fun today, Sakine-chan?”
“Yes!”
“Then it was worth coming, wasn’t it?”
“Thanks for coming too, onee chan!”
“Of course I did. I took a lot of pictures and videos, so let’s watch them when we get home.”
Holding hands with Sakine in between us, I sent them on their way home, talking to them as if we were a real family.
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