Deposit Received -2
If we had lost the match against Bologna, or if my play hadn't been satisfactory, I probably would have returned the card to Dad.
Money? What money? I would have said I wasn't qualified to receive it, that I just had to do better from next week's match.
But... honestly, I did my part.
It's not self-praise.
My friends, Coach, and Manager all said so.
That I did well.
That I did really well, so I should rest up.
So... wouldn't it be okay to try doing something I've wanted to do for a while, just for today?
Hmm.
But what should I do?
Now that it's time, nothing really comes to mind...
"Hungry? Just wait a moment. Let's see."
While I was lost in thought like that, Dad, having changed clothes, headed to the kitchen.
And he rummaged through the refrigerator; it looked like he was trying to prepare a meal.
Ah.
Seeing that, something I wanted to do suddenly came to mind.
"Hey, Dad."
"Yeah?"
"Can we eat out?"
"Hmm? Eat out?"
"Yes. Let's go out and eat something delicious."
Dad had always looked after my meals, so today, I wanted to look after his.
I knew even without doing it myself. How annoying it is to prepare every single meal.
Dad doesn't need to have a hard time because of me anymore...
"I see... you wanted to eat something delicious..."
...Huh?
Dad closed the refrigerator door with a thud and put on a sulky expression.
Ah, no. Wait.
I think he misunderstood something.
It's not that your cooking tastes bad, so I want to go out to eat something better...!
"Hmm? Really? Hehe. Our son has grown up."
When I hurriedly explained, Dad finally laughed. Phew.
Anyway, we called Jiu too and decided to eat together, then got ready.
*
"Wow, the atmosphere here is great... right?"
"It's really nice. That place earlier was too crowded; it was chaotic."
"Right. I like places like this much better."
"Good, good."
Dad and Jiu looked around the restaurant with rather exaggerated gestures.
It seemed like they were trying to comfort me... Ugh. I appreciated the thought, but it wasn't comforting.
What I mean is... when we left the house, I was incredibly full of bravado.
I said I'd buy everything expensive, that we'd go to the most famous place around here, and walked with bold steps.
We arrived at a restaurant through a search, but what do you know? We got turned away at the entrance. Because we hadn't made a reservation.
It turned out to be such a famous restaurant that you had to reserve a day in advance to get a table.
Thanks to that, I was first embarrassed there.
We went into the restaurant next door as a fallback, but it was the same.
After wandering around with no other choice, we arrived here at this restaurant.
This place seems to be quite an old restaurant too, but... Sigh. They say you need experience to truly appreciate meat. It seems you need experience to truly spend money too.
I wanted to look so cool! Huh? Go to a fancy, high-end place! Without even looking at the prices! Order all sorts of expensive things, then coolly swipe the card! That's what I wanted to do...
Tch.
"What would be good... this looks good too... ah, this seems good too..."
Jiu muttered while looking at the menu.
Jiu usually took a long time choosing something because there was nothing he couldn't eat.
"Hmm... the price is more than I thought..."
Dad also couldn't choose easily.
Ever since coming to Italy, whenever we occasionally ate out, Dad always looked at the price first.
He would feed me expensive meat saying I was an athlete, while Dad himself only ate fried rice or risotto.
This won't do.
I have to vent my frustrations here at least.
"I'll just decide."
"Hmm?"
"You?"
"Today I'm going to order everything I want to eat."
I called the waiter and ordered all the dishes Dad and Jiu had been eyeing. On top of that, I added the most expensive items here too.
"Hey, aren't you ordering too much?"
"Right. I think ordering one each would be enough..."
"It's the payer's call."
Dad and Jiu tried to stop me, but I was going to be firm today.
Damn it. Don't stop me.
I'm saying I want to look cool for just one day too.
"It's here."
"Wow... amazing!"
I'd been bracing myself for no reason, and soon the ordered food came out one by one.
Each got their own steak, and there was pasta, pizza, and even a huge lobster.
Enough to fill the table completely.
...I really did order a lot. If there are leftovers, we'll pack them up, I guess.
"Wow, this is insane..."
"It certainly looks good."
Seeing Jiu taking out his phone to take pictures as soon as the food came out, and Dad smacking his lips despite saying we'd ordered too much, my mood lifted a little.
Watching that, I suddenly thought again about why I had wanted to earn a lot of money.
I was... always someone who caused worry to those around me.
Because I was a child lacking in many ways.
So I caused a lot of worry and received a lot of help.
I wanted to repay those who worried about me in the same way.
So that they could live without worrying from now on.
"Um... Dad, can I have just one glass of beer?"
At Dad's cautious question, I burst out laughing.
"Of course you can."
There's probably nothing that won't be allowed now.
Because these grateful people have worked hard for me, now I'll work hard too.
*
"That was delicious."
"Ugh, I'm full..."
It was a restaurant we ended up at due to various circumstances, but the meal was satisfying.
What can I say, it felt like a hidden gem?
As expected, a place like this suits me better than a fancy, high-end restaurant.
Just as everyone was leaning back in their chairs with full stomachs.
"Your dessert is here."
The dessert came out. It was the tiramisu Jiu had wanted to eat. As the server placed the plate before us, he suddenly spoke to me.
"Excuse me greatly, but would it be alright to ask for your autograph after you finish your meal?"
"...Yes? M-me?"
I looked at the server in surprise.
He was an elderly gentleman in an impeccably neat suit, his white hair neatly combed back.
He was the most polite server I'd met since coming to Italy, but anyway... how did he recognize me?
"Ah, well. If you'd like, I can do it now... but do you know me?"
"Yes. I do."
"How do you know me...?"
The server answered with a benevolent smile.
"I'm a long-time fan of Fiorentina. I go to watch matches occasionally. I watched yesterday's match as well."
"Ah... thank you."
Wow, even if he's a fan, to think he watched our match.
When I asked where I should sign, the server asked me to wait a moment and went back.
When he returned shortly after, he held a jersey covered in what looked like scribbles.
It was a considerably old jersey... Ah, looking closely, they weren't scribbles but autographs.
The server unfolded the jersey and spoke with a bright smile.
"This is my treasure. I've had it since the 80s. As you can see, there's Giancarlo Antognoni's signature here, this is Gabriel Batistuta's, here's Roberto Baggio's, and also..."
Like a child showing off his toys, he boasted about the signatures drawn on the jersey.
I couldn't recognize those names, but seeing Dad occasionally exclaim "Wow-", I figured they must be famous players.
"It's a lifelong hobby. It's also my most cherished collection. Let's see... I would be grateful if you could sign right here."
"Ah, yes. But... I'm not sure if it's okay for me to sign something so precious..."
My hands trembled for no reason.
It felt like a jersey holding the grandfather's life, too precious for someone like me to sign.
But the server smiled brightly.
"If you sign it, it will become even more precious."
"Ah... t-then I'll try."
Ah, I'm nervous.
I took the marker he gave me and practiced a few times in the air for no reason, then focused all my concentration and carefully wrote my name stroke by stroke.
Phew.
Thankfully, I didn't make a mistake.
The server smiled brightly once more.
"Thank you. Did I boast about Antognoni's signature earlier?"
"Uh... I think you did."
"Isn't it possible that someday I'll boast about this new signature I received today first? Thank you for taking the time."
The server greeted us like that and went back, and I stood there blankly before letting out a sigh.
I still don't know.
My signature on something so precious...
"What did he say?"
Jiu, who had been resting his chin in both hands, asked, and I told him exactly what the server had said.
Then Jiu's eyes sparkled.
"Wow... that's kind of romantic."
Romantic. Is it?
Anyway.
Jiu and Dad looked at me with proud eyes. That gaze made me feel like squaring my shoulders, but it was also a bit embarrassing, so I just scooped up some tiramisu for no reason. Ugh, sweet.
"..."
Hmm...
While eating dessert like that, I felt a bit strange.
This feeling... it seems a bit similar to what I felt after the away trip to Empoli.
I don't know.
"Wow, it's really sweet."
"Isn't that why it's delicious?"
I smiled at Dad and Jiu.
*
"Haaa... spending money is tiring too..."
I collapsed onto the bed.
Ugh. Maybe it's because I'm not used to it, but I'm exhausted. Spending money isn't easy either.
After finishing our meal at the restaurant, we went to the biggest shopping mall in the city. I bought a new pair of soccer cleats and a few sets of sportswear.
Dad said there was nothing he wanted to buy. He said he didn't need clothes, and that his shoes were fine.
But while walking, Dad suddenly disappeared at some point. So Jiu and I hurriedly looked for him, and found him at a golf supply store.
He was lingering there as if possessed by something, so Jiu and I couldn't help but laugh secretly.
He looked like a little boy who couldn't leave the toy section, not like Dad.
As expected of a man.
Anyway, I bought Dad some golf balls and a few golf clubs.
I had originally planned to buy him the best set, including the bag, but wow. It was much more expensive than I thought.
So I was going to buy something cheaper, but Dad said it would be better to buy one good thing instead, so that's what I did.
Well, I can just collect them one by one like that.
"...Haha."
At first, he said I didn't need to buy him anything like that.
But once I bought it for him, he kept looking at it this way and that, muttering about its weight and material.
Just like when I was little and Dad bought me a toy.
I felt proud.
"I'm really okay."
"If you're the only one going back empty-handed, what kind of person would that make me?"
I bought Jiu clothes and sneakers.
He said he was fine at first too... but took the longest when actually choosing. I don't know how many times he went back and forth to the fitting room just to choose one piece of clothing.
Even when I told him to just buy them all, he wouldn't listen. Dad cunningly left me behind and took refuge. Thanks to that, I was completely exhausted from helping Jiu pick out clothes.
Well, still...
"..."
Looking at Jiu's changed profile picture, a chuckle escaped me.
He had set the clothes and sneakers he bought today as his profile picture.
"...Cute."
It was a fulfilling day.
...
"So, what do you think?"
"Hmm. It's quite a delicate issue."
"I don't think it's right to ask the person himself either..."
"That would be a bit much."
The Fiorentina training ground bathed in autumn sunlight.
Manager Tony and Coach Luca were discussing something with deeply pensive expressions.
The topic of discussion didn't seem light, as both of their expressions were serious.
The problem was whether to send Lee Jian out for the match this weekend or not.
The reason this was a problem was because this week's opponent was none other than Juventus.
"Ha, this isn't an easy problem."
"Actually, if you think about it simply, we should just send him out."
"But it's not like much time has passed."
Truthfully, if you thought about it simply, it wasn't a difficult concern. There was no reason not to send Lee Jian out for a match now. He was someone whose growth was visible with every single game he played.
Moreover, if the opponent was a strong team like Juventus, especially considering Fiorentina's current position in the league, that was even more true.
Last season, Fiorentina finished 13th in Serie A. Generally speaking, this meant they would face strong teams more often than weak ones in the league.
The current U17 team was in the upper ranks of their group, but when thinking about the future, experience playing against strong teams like Juventus was bound to be extremely precious.
Thinking like that, there was no reason not to give Lee Jian that precious opportunity.
However...
The problem was that Juventus held a special meaning for Lee Jian.
He was someone who had failed to adapt at Juventus and had even gone through unsavory incidents.
Moreover, that was just last year. The problem was that he would face familiar faces during the match.
Lee Jian had changed a lot in recent weeks and had shown mental growth, but...
trauma was absolutely not something that could be easily fixed in a short time.
It was no wonder that Manager Tony and Coach Luca agonized over and over.
"Hmmm..."
"I think the person's own will is ultimately important, but..."
"For now, it would be best to watch, right? To see how enthusiastically he approaches training."
"I think so too. Not sending him out would be good too, but if the kid musters courage, it could be an opportunity for him to grow by leaps and bounds at once."
Of course, Lee Jian was still young and had plenty of time.
He was only 16 years old.
Even if it wasn't this opportunity, there would be plenty of chances to grow and gain experience.
However, Manager Tony already believed that Lee Jian had the skill to move up to the first team right away.
Not in a year or two, but right now.
But to do so, he had to completely resolve and overcome the mental instability.
As such.
"Courage..."
Manager Tony wanted to see Lee Jian face Juventus.
Because there was no more certain cure than crushing them with his own hands.
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