On The Side Of The Pitch With You

A Farewell For Now

I'm counting on it. She turned to the rundown shelter in front of her. Her hand traced on the crack in the sign. He's going to be just fine. All that's left is...

"Kimiko." She did her best not to tremble at his tone. "Tsurugi Kyousuke, the first-ranked SEED you were meant to keep an eye on, has led Raimon to victory a second time and deserted Fifth Sector. Do you understand what this means?"

"Kuroki-san..." She met his gaze straight on. "The deal is still on. I was the one who brought him in, so I'll be responsible for all of his actions. His punishment falls on me."

"Then you can certainly expect that Fifth Sector will not be lenient with you, no matter what relations you may have with the Holy Emperor."

She gritted her teeth. "Understood."

~~~~~

He looked around when he entered the clubroom. "Huh... So, she really didn't come today..."

Aoi blinked. "Who are you looking for, Tenma?"

"Ahh, no, I just..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I saw Kimiko yesterday. She said some stuff came up, so we won't be seeing her for a while, but... I was kind of hoping she'd be here in the morning to tell the rest of the team."

"Isn't she usually with Tsurugi, though?"

"I guess..."

Midori smirked. "What's this? Since when were you close to Kimiko?"

"I-I'm not! It was just a coincidence!"

Shinsuke blinked. "Then why is your face all red?"

"W-What?!"

The shorter boy toppled over in fits. "I'm just kidding!"

"Hey, Shinsuke," Kurumada was smiling as he called. "I dare you to joke like that again when Tsurugi's around."

He immediately stopped laughing. "N-No way!"

"If she doesn't show up with him later, then maybe Tsurugi knows where she went." Amagi stated. "She did say that they were friends even before they became SEEDs."

"That's true. Tenma, you should ask him." Shindou suggested.

"If he comes―" Kurama was interrupted when the door opened.

"Tsurugi!" Tenma's grin went ear to ear at the sight of the navy haired boy. "You're here!"

Endou looked up from his conversation with Haruna. His grin practically matched Tenma's. "Hey, Tsurugi! Are you officially joining the Raimon soccer club?" The boy looked away but nodded. "Then, it's good to have you!"

"What about Fifth Sector?" Haruna asked. "Are they going to punish you for betraying them?"

"... They stopped contacting me. That's all."

"I see..." They all sighed in relief.

"Tsurugi," He turned to the brunette, who was still beaming. "Is Kimiko with you today?" At his raised eyebrow, he laughed nervously. "I actually ran into her after I ran into you yesterday. She said she had some business so we wouldn't be seeing her for a while, but I thought she might be here in the morning to let Coach Endou and the rest of the team know why."

Tsurugi shook his head. "She wasn't at the station, so no. She's not coming."

"Station? You mean the train station by the riverbank?"

Midori blinked. "She must live pretty far away from here. Can't believe Fifth Sector would send her to a school that she can only reach by train."

"But I don't think I've ever seen her in class before." Shinsuke stated. "I mean, I've even seen Tsurugi in one. And I don't think SEEDs are actually allowed to skip classes."

"Not surprising since she's not enrolled."

"She isn't?!"

Tsurugi raised an eyebrow at him. "She's homeschooled, and even if she wasn't, she's twelve years old. She'd still be in elementary."

"WHAT?!" All jaws within the clubroom dropped. None of them had even got a clue.

Tenma shook himself out of it. "O-Oh... Then..." His brain wasn't able to put together a comment, so he decided to go back to the original topic. "Where do you think she is now?"

"Overseas, probably. She goes on sudden trips a lot."

"Ah... Okay..."

Seeing how none of the children had anything more to say, Endou took the reins. "Okay! Now that all that's out of the way... Everyone, change. We're going on a trip!"

And so, they went back to Teikoku, learning about the resistance and much, much more.