Chapter 21 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

The semi-finals began in an arena filled with the smell of new plastic. The Lam Giang team had two players who had been in the youth team, warming up as if everyone in the field knew they would win. An looked at the scoreboard, then looked at Nhien in the row of seats. Nhien didn't say anything, just raised two fingers and rotated her wrist. Direction change signal.

Lam Giang pressed An continuously. She lost the ball in the first minute and was whistled by the audience. Mai Chi ran over, not asking if she was okay but pulling her into position. The ball was passed through Vy, then to An when the defense was deflected. An didn't throw it, she passed it to Mai Chi. Three points.

In the second half, Nhien received news of the results of a knee scan: no new damage, but had to rest more. She read the news, then put her phone away. An asked her if she wanted to go home. Nhien said she wanted to watch the team play, but didn't want everyone to keep running because she was afraid she would be sad. An nodded and gave her the signal board.

The match was tense. Bap recorded the errors instead of filming the whole thing. Phong checks his watch after each dead ball. The referee blew a handball foul, making An impatient. She was about to argue, but remembered the rules. She asked clearly, received the penalty and went back to defending. Ms. Hanh said it was An's most mature play, even though it did not appear on the scoreboard.

At the last minute, the team was two points behind. An saw Mai Chi being marked, Vy empty under the basket and Bap calling in Bap. She chose a difficult pass, the ball touched the defender's hand but Vy still caught it. Vy scored two points, the match was a draw. Lam Giang has eight seconds left and misses the shot. Extra time begins.

The women's team won 67–64 after a free throw by Mai Chi. Nhien didn't run down to hug anyone, she stood still in the row, clapping with both hands. An looked at her and understood that the captaincy did not need to be on the field to have weight. After the match, An interviewed that victory belonged to the person who called the signal, the person who kept the book, and the person who stopped at the right time.

The school board confirmed that the field will still be open until the end of the tournament. A permanent decision will await a meeting on the project. The team did not celebrate for too long; Tomorrow they have to submit a plan for “No Empty Yard”.

The semi-finals made the team realize they could win against a strong team, but also left many things to fix. An reviewed the statistics table and discovered that the team lost the ball a lot in the last three minutes of each half. Mai Chi said that was when everyone was tired, Vy said that was when the audience shouted loudly. Nhien suggested practicing fatigue situations by running lightly first and then calling on strategies, but Ms. Hanh reminded her not to turn fatigue into injury.

Phong checked the gymnasium floor and discovered water stains from a leaking sub-roof. He told the organizers not to post photos to cause pressure. Technicians set up water catchment tanks and put up warning signs. Bap asked if it needed to be recorded in the report, Tran said yes, because a safe yard needs to be remembered even when it is not yet achieved. Add processing time and name of person in charge.

The “Not Empty Yard” plan is divided into short sections for everyone to read. Part one is the stadium usage schedule, part two is operations, part three is safety, part four is image rights, part five is the budget. Mai Chi adds study and rest, because a team cannot operate by forcing students to always be present. The course adds a handover section, clearly stating that the replacement must be instructed in advance.

Bap suggested using the story of Thu Ha in the introduction. An asked Ha where she had given permission. Ha only allowed one anonymous sentence to be used in the internal file, so they omitted the details. Bap regrets but understands. He replaced it with a general sentence about the right to see the minutes after the match. The sentence is less intriguing, but doesn't make anyone lose control of their story.

Mr. Vinh read the first version and asked if the team could be responsible if there was an incident. Ms. Hanh said the responsibility must be divided between the school, the person on duty and the user. An adds how to report, response time and what level of work needs to be closed. The council asked to correct some numbers, they corrected and recorded the version. No one deletes old versions to pretend they were never wrong.

Bap suggests adding an explanation page in easy-to-read language. He said the plan has so many words that newcomers don't know where to start. Tran cuts long sentences, Mai Chi replaces terms with examples, Phong draws diagrams. Nhien checked the injury section and asked to clearly state that the player had the right to stop without having to prove how much pain he was in.

A teacher asked if the team could use the field at the same time as gym class. They tried drawing a schedule by area, dividing the yard in half and placing walkways. Some exercises cannot be practiced in sixth grade, but passing exercises can. An notes the principle of prioritizing safety and the registered schedule, not prioritizing acquaintances. Bap said that he probably wasn't given priority because he knew everyone. Tran said the more familiar you are, the more clearly you have to write.

Mr. Vinh wants the plan to have a number of video views. Bap provided it, but An added a note that the number of views does not equal the number of unique viewers and does not prove that the stadium is used directly. Mr. Vinh asked, what is the use of numbers? Bap said it shows where the content is, and the yard opening book shows where the people are. The two types of data must be placed next to each other.

The team tries to present the plan in ten minutes. An spoke too fast, Mai Chi interrupted, Vy forgot the small class part, Phong talked a lot about electric wires. Ms. Hanh asked them to practice again, each person only had two minutes and had to give the questions to someone else. Next time, the presentation will be more clear. No one said everything, but everyone knew their part and the team's part.

That night, An edits the final version, noting the date and person who made the changes. She sent it to the council, then turned off the phone. Of course, a plan doesn't need to be perfect to get started. An answer just needs to be clear enough for others to know what he or she is agreeing to.

The day of the presentation, the group arrived half an hour early. Tran placed the large print on the table, Bap checked the projector, Phong brought a spare set of cables. An wanted to check everything herself, but Ms. Hanh held her hand, telling her to let each person do their part. An stood at the door, watching small tasks being done without her prompting. That feeling was both strange and light.

The Council asked if the funding is not enough for the entire project, what should be the priority? An replied that the yard is safe, the paths are clear and the lighting system is; The decorations can wait. Mr. Vinh asked why the area for competing teams was not given priority. Nhien spoke from her chair, saying the field would only last long if both players and non-players had a reason to come back. An looked at her, not interrupting.

At the end of the session, a member suggested that the group operate on their own for a month of testing. Ms. Hanh requested a document clearly stating who was responsible and the time limit. Tran opened the sample, Bap wrote, Phong checked the device. An signed last, not because she was first, but because she reread every line and knew everyone agreed.

The ink on the paper hasn't dried yet, but the calendar has already been claimed.

Phong took a photo of the electrical wiring diagram, Bap saved a version of the report, and Tran recorded the review date. An watched them work, realizing "operation" was not a big word at the end of the plan; it is small actions repeated at the right time. When the council left, Ms. Hanh asked An if she wanted to keep the original. An said the original should be in a place where everyone can see it, and the copy should be in a moisture-proof cabinet. Ms. Hanh nodded and handed the key to Tran.

After the meeting, An did not leave immediately. She sat back in the room, read each of the council's responses and marked which questions needed to be asked again. There is an opinion to open the yard later so that students have more time to play, but the security guard said the school gate would be difficult to control. An puts both sides on the same page, not choosing the side that seems to suit the team better. Nhien made a video call, saw the notes and told An to ask the gatekeeper what they needed to feel safe. An texted to ask, then received an answer: a list of names, clear closing hours and a path without the ball rolling across.

Phong drew more shadow lines on the diagram to avoid the path. Lam tried walking from the gate to the warehouse with his eyes looking straight, and discovered that the sign was hidden behind a tree. Huyen asked permission to cut off a branch of leaves, but Ms. Hanh told her to wait for the person in charge of the trees. Huyen wrote that down in the section requiring permission, then placed a temporary arrow made of cardboard. The arrow is not beautiful, but anyone who passes by will understand. An saw that the plan to survive is the plan that knows how to distinguish between tasks that must be done immediately and tasks that must wait for the right person.

By evening, the council submitted three new questions. Bap wanted to answer immediately to avoid losing the opportunity, but Tran reminded him not to guess the number of users without data. They divided questions into things that could be answered, things that needed to be surveyed, and things that needed to ask for students' opinions. An sent a short email, scheduling an update time. She is not afraid of being thought slow; She is afraid that a beautiful but wrong number will take away the decision-making power of those who actually use the yard.