It was the final week of the vacation. It was the seven days to the start of the tournament. The girls had gotten the required permission, and gathered in the sports auditorium. The team was practicing. Mr Skim and Emi were off by the side, kneeling on all fours on the hard wood floor. A chart laid open in front, with the grouping of the teams for the tournament. Both had notebooks open by the side. Skim’s with a pencil in the middle of the open book. Emi’s with a ball point pen. All of them very serious. The girls were dripping sweat, like they had stepped out into a storm, enjoyed the cold shower and the chilly winds, before stepping back in. And they looked like they had thoroughly enjoyed it. The wide smiles and the determined eyes said as much. The other two, the girl and the man, ben
