Karuno Higashi Elementary School was located beyond the industrial area of Kamisu. The word "complex" in the school song conveyed a close relationship with the factories. On this day, 28 boys and 18 girls from the fifth grade participated in recreation on the school grounds. A commemorative photo was taken with all the students, excluding the fourth graders who were on a field trip.
The waiting room was next to the principal's office. As the teacher had said, "Many kids love soccer, and they're so excited they're almost fighting," there were many students who couldn't wait for the players to appear.
The two were welcomed with chants of "Kashima Antlers," but first, they introduced themselves.
The demonstration started with arm wrestling! Strong children challenged player Kawamata. The child who challenged player Kanamori was quite strong, and player Kawamata cheered him on with enthusiasm. Even when two people, a teacher and a girl, challenged player Kawamata together, the powerful player Kawamata was impressed, exclaiming, "Teacher, you're strong!" The last challengers, two girls, were so strong that the match ended in a draw.
In the subsequent juggling competition, player Kanamori playfully tried to make the challenging students drop the ball.
The boys engaged in a mini-soccer game. The teams, led by player Kawamata and player Kanamori respectively, formed huddles to boost their morale. A student wearing a T-shirt with Osako's name on it, who was competing for the ball with player Kanamori, was exceptionally good at soccer and scored two goals!
Player Kawamata, positioned as the goalkeeper, protected the goal and celebrated the victory without any major crises.
The girls enjoyed a game of tag. The rule was that when someone was caught, they would hold hands, and the number of people would increase. The trick to catching others was for the children holding hands to synchronize their movements. The girls were happy to hold hands with player Kanamori.
Finally, the girls' team, joined by the players and a teacher, played a mini-game against the boys' team. There was a scene where the girls' team narrowly prevented a goal, and player Kawamata exchanged high-fives with them.
Player Kanamori took the corner kick, and player Kawamata also moved up to the goal, but they couldn't quite connect with the ball. Just before the end, player Kawamata made a spectacular save!
After the interaction, the students expressed their gratitude. Player Kanamori greeted them by saying, "I felt energized watching all of you run!" and player Kawamata said, "If you see me at the clubhouse or something, please call out, 'I'm [your name], the one who played soccer with you!'"
When asked, "Who has been to the stadium with a Kids Pass?", many hands went up. Then, the student representatives were presented with autographed cards and pennants from the players.
Player Kawamata became very popular through this interaction and was surrounded by students asking, "Carry me!" and "Hug me!"
