Join the Team
A slow boy joins the relay team
One afternoon, my teacher called me to the field.
His name is Mr. Tanaka, and he is our .
"Sora, I watched you run yesterday," he said.
"You are slow, but you never stop," he added.
"I want you to the ekiden ," he said.
Ekiden is a long race between many runners.
Each runner carries a to the next teammate.
I was very surprised, and my heart jumped.
"But I am the slowest boy in school," I said.
" is not everything," Mr. Tanaka answered kindly.
The next day, I went to my first .
The other members were older and much faster than me.
The , Daiki, was the fastest runner on the .
He was taller and stronger than all of us.
" to the ," he said with a warm smile.
We ran together, but I was slower than everyone.
My face was redder than a tomato after one .
The seniors did not laugh at me at all.
"Your form is better than last week," Daiki said.
I felt happy because someone believed in me.
That night, I was more excited than ever before.
I was slow, but now I was part of a .
For the first time, running felt bigger than just me.