That year, Sen's world was filled with two things: white ping pong balls, and the girl who liked Christmas trees.
In order to deliver the city championship trophy with a Christmas tree carved on it to her, he spent all the evenings after school by the table. He beat against the wall until dark, until no one wanted to play with him, until a mysterious senior who always wore a mask appeared and silently became his sparring partner.
Competing with him for a spot in the competition was a four-eyed boy in the class who also liked her. The two people who were originally at odds with each other gradually understood each other's thoughts with each swing. The carefree girl always smiles when Mori and Akatsuki pass on the microphone, but she hides her little thoughts tightly. There is also that talented girl who always has an expressionless face while playing basketball, even her breathing is as steady as a precision instrument.
It turns out that throughout the summer, more than one person was secretly exerting force.
No one knew that Sen had the blue headband hidden throughout the semester in his schoolbag, no one knew the tenderness hidden under the base of the trophy, and no one knew those unspoken confessions, all of which turned into a crisp crash on the table.
This is not a story about winning. It's about that summer when I ran with all my strength for someone. The racket remembers all the heartbeats and regrets, and also remembers the boy's purest love.
Purpose: Based on personal experience, I write to all those who hide their love in their hearts. Those unspoken confessions, those destinations that we have tried our best but failed to reach, are the truest youth that we can never go back to.
