Chapter 12 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

Old records are arranged by year, but one volume is missing the minutes. Ms. Hanh remembers sending a copy request, but the archive room moved twice. An, Bap and Phong were allowed to enter the warehouse under the supervision of the librarian. They found boxes of paper labeled basketball, volleyball and “other activities,” but the finals sheet was nowhere to be found.

Bap suggests using a text recognition app to read blurry pages. Librarians remind not to upload documents with personal information to external services. Phong set up a desk lamp, An took photos of each page and named the files by date. Mai Chi, outside in the yard, called to ask if they had found anything. An said no, but the truth also needs time to not be twisted.

In an equipment loan book, they saw Thu Ha's name appear many times: borrowing the tape recorder, returning the tape, asking to use the scoreboard. The last line says "request submitted". No results. Bap read it over and over again, then said this was proof that the old team had tried. Phong replied that was proof that they had submitted a piece of paper, not proof that the piece of paper had been read.

An found a piece of paper stuck in the cover of the physical education lesson plan. There is a yard diagram and green arrows on it. Ms. Hanh looked and recognized her handwriting when she was seventeen years old. She once recorded Ha's position in the final, but after the match was replayed, the chart was returned without explanation. Ms. Hanh asked to keep the original, the team could only use anonymous descriptions.

When leaving the warehouse, Bap asked why Ms. Hanh didn't tell her earlier. She said there are memories that become more like an easy-to-tell version the longer you keep them. She is afraid that if she tells, the current team will play to avenge her ex. An said they could play so they wouldn't repeat the way their ex was treated. Ms. Hanh looked at An and said those were two very different things.

That night, the team made a table of "what is known for sure / what needs to be verified / what is not told". Mai Chi underlined the last item. Nhien added Thu Ha's name to the list of people to ask first. She abandoned the idea of making a mysterious video and replaced it with an introduction to the document checking process. Phong edited the folder name, removing the word "case". An found the story still fascinating even though no one was named as the culprit.

The next morning, An and Tran printed the profile map in two colors of ink. Green indicates the original document, yellow indicates a copy, red indicates a page with information that needs to be restricted. Bap asked if there was a color for sad things. Tran said no, emotions are not an access level. The answer made him stop joking for a few minutes.

The librarian showed them the old handover book. Many pages say "returned", but do not state the condition of the tape. Phong found a line about a tape recorder with the same model number as the one Ms. Hanh was holding. Ms. Hanh checked and discovered that the device still had the old memory card but did not want to open it without asking Thu Ha. Compose a message asking for permission, clearly describing what they want to hear internally and not copy.

While waiting, Mai Chi and Vy built a yard usage history board from the remaining registration forms. There are five women's teams that practice four times a week, and there are five that only practice two times because the field is used for the fair. Bap discovered that many columns were empty and could not be turned into beautiful numbers. An suggests writing “no data” instead of guessing. Mr. Vinh looked at the table and said the economic plan also encountered similar gaps. The two of them talked for the first time without standing on either side.

Thu Ha replied, agreeing to listen to the memory card but only through a direct call. She doesn't want the audio saved. The team arranged a listening session, with each person signing a pledge not to record the screen. Bap puts his phone in his pocket, even though he usually doesn't leave it alone. Before opening, Ms. Hanh reminded them that they had the right to stop if Ha felt uncomfortable.

The recording contains only the sound of rain, the sound of skates and a short whistle. No one heard what anyone said clearly. Ha explained that she turned on the camera in her bag to retain the sound of the match, because filming was not allowed at that time. She heard the referee ask her to leave the field, but did not know if the score changed before or after the whistle. The audio does not conclude anything, but it shows that Ha tried to save the incident when it was not recorded in the minutes.

After the call, An noted that the memory card was not copied and sent a summary to Ha. Ha thanked her, then asked if the team still wanted to use the story. Nhien said yes, but only as a reminder of the right to ask, not as proof of victory or defeat. Ha replied that was enough.

An spent the whole evening re-reading the summary. She discovered that she used the phrase "Ha was stripped of her rights" in one line, while Ha only said she was suspended after the match. An deleted the old sentence, replacing it with "Ha said she was suspended and did not receive a full explanation." The small difference makes the sentence less dramatic, but it is true to what is known. Tran watched, nodded, and said every word that could misunderstand the absent person.

The next day, the group met Ms. Hanh to check the usage rights records. Ms. Hanh explained that the internal version cannot be sent via group chat, even though all are members. They create lists of people who can view them, encrypt folder names, and record deadlines. Bap asked what if I forgot my password. Phong said there must be a recovery process through the school, not on personal phones. Bap said he started to see his profile as more intimidating than his two-meter-tall opponent.

Mai Chi proposed to have a talk about the right to compete, not including the old match. She invited the school's law teacher to ask about the student's right to view the minutes, the right to respond, and how to complain. Some of you came out of curiosity, some because you had been punished without understanding the reason. The speaker emphasized that each tournament has its own rules, not promising that all disputes will be resolved in the desired way. An recorded the source material, does not turn the talk into an appeal.

After the talk, a friend came to see An privately. You've been kicked out of a match because you forgot your card, but didn't know how to appeal. An did not accept the invitation to be a representative, but only instructed you to find the regulations and ask the teacher. You thank him and go on your own. An saw that helping others is not always about standing in front of them; sometimes it's just the right door.

Thu Ha sent a text message at the end of the day, saying she did not want the team to mention her name in the school newspaper. An reported back, Tran updated the name ban list, Bap edited the video. Nhien asked if leaving out the name would make the story lose its weight. An said the weight lies in the narrator being chosen, not in the audience knowing the name.

That night, An put the summary in the closet. She doesn't feel like she's solved the mystery, but she sees that the team has learned how to hold a piece of the past without sharpening it.

The next day, the council asked to explain why the team did not make old match data public. An responded in writing, citing the terms of use and reminding that the provider had the right to withdraw. Mr. Vinh asked if caution would make the project suspect. Ms. Hanh said doubt cannot be cured by violating one more person.

Tran made a public summary that included only things that had been verified: current transcripts had errors, the school was upgrading the system, the team used reconciliation books. The design is on a white background, without the image of an envelope or a mysterious door. An finds the article normal, but normal is what they need when the past can easily be sensationalized.

A friend sent a message saying his father had heard about the old match, but couldn't remember it clearly. Tran replied thank you and asked if you wanted to share internally. You don't want it, the group doesn't ask any more. An objection does not make the data less rich; it keeps data from exceeding permissions.

Ha sent an additional comment: she didn't know the final result could change, she just wanted the current team to know they could ask. Nhien proposed to include this sentence in the match rules, not in history. An agrees. The sentence is written next to the section “compare points” in the handwriting of many people.

During practice, the practice team checks scores after each round. One sixth grader is the writer, one is the reader, and one is the signer. They wrote An's name wrong, then crossed it out and signed it themselves. Phong explains why he doesn't use eraser. An said a publicly corrected number is more trustworthy than a beautiful number that no one knows has changed.

At the end of the day, Ms. Hanh closed the filing cabinet. An doesn't feel as curious as before. She knows when to open, who to ask, and what not to take. From the field, the steady sound of the ball bouncing reminded her that the current story was vivid enough without needing to borrow more darkness.

Tran pasted a copy of the instructions on the inside of the cabinet door. Each entry has the name of the person in charge and the date of review. An read the last line: "If you're not sure, ask first." She laughed because that sentence was simpler than any process, but it was what kept the process from turning into a wall. Outside in the yard, the sixth grade group waited in line for their turn, not cutting in because they saw the schedule.