Still

The Devil Within

UwU

~'0'~

Endou gathers the strips of paper. He rises and makes his way to the door, gesturing for Gouenji and Kidou to follow him. A few minutes later they return to the meeting room, where the other coaches are still lingering.

The moment they catch sight of his dark expression and the strips of paper in his hands, they are all business. ''Endou, what did you find?'' asks Jirou instantly.

Raimon's coach places the strips on the table, sliding them in the right order again. ''I figured it out. When placed in the correct order – the order in which they were delivered – they spell the words 'Vain Delusion'.'' He doesn't look up as he addresses the room.

The other coaches share a look, except Gouenji and Kidou who have already caught on. ''And?'' asks Housuiin. ''What about it?''

Endou's voice is uncharacteristically grim when he answers. ''Mannouzaka is about to have a match against a team named Vain Delusion.'' Dark eyes finally look up at the room as he speaks his next words.

''Vain Delusion is Ishikawa's new team.''

~'0'~

I'm Underneath Your Skin, the Devil Within

~'0'~

Isozaki Kenma smiles at his team, something he wouldn't have done only half a year ago, as they wait for their opponents to arrive. ''Okay guys, this is an unknown team but that doesn't mean we can underestimate them, got it?''

The players nod in understanding. Their coach, Kuroba Noboru, gives the captain an approving look. Isozaki's smile widens at that – it was hard after their old coach installed by Fifth Sector, Yorozuya, was fired, but coach Kuroba has really helped their team with creating their own real soccer.

Busujima, his best friend, frowns. ''Though, what's up with their name? 'Vain Delusion'? That's not a school name, is it?'' he asks.

Their keeper shakes his head. ''No, apparently it's a team outside of school activities,'' he says. ''But you're right, it's kind of... eerie.'' The rest of Mannouzaka nods in agreement, some uncomfortable looks on their faces.

Isozaki is about to reassure them when the chatter of the audience dies down suddenly. The captain frowns in confusion at the strange silence, but grows alarmed when he sees the shocked expressions on his teammates' faces, looking at something behind him.

He whips around to look at the cause of the complete and utter silence in a stadium filled with people. What he sees causes his mouth to fall open in shock, for their opponents have finally arrived.

~'0'~

''How did you figure it out?''

Endou looks up and meets Kidou's eyes at the sudden question. Teikoku's commander seems tense, but that is to be expected, considering their current situation. ''What do you mean?''

His friend frowns. ''The letters. How did you, of all people, figure it out? No offense,'' clarifies the Teikoku coach.

His ex-captain sighs and adjusts his bright orange headband a bit. ''Well, it's probably because I got more letters,'' he responds after a moment of thought. ''I thought it was odd, that the letters were delivered to different people, but the thing that really stood out to me was the timing.''

''The timing?'' asks Gouenji, looking away from the window of the car and instead shifting his focus to his best friend. ''What about it?''

''Well...'' Endou frowns. ''Some of the letters were delivered yesterday and others only a few hours ago. Yuuichi mentioned that his letter suddenly appeared on his doorstep in the few minutes he went inside. Why go through the risks of being caught, if they could've done it any other time?''