"Wow... Your school is really big!"
He had invited her to his elementary as they were holding a little festival. She had passed by the building a few times, but this was her first time going in. Not a single corner of the field was left undecorated. Snack stalls lined up in the lobby while some of the classrooms were used as souvenir shops, or mini cafes in the older students' case.
Currently, they were in his class on one of the upper floors, looking down from the windows. The rooms there were mostly used as storage areas for spares that the groups of students might need.
"Yeah, unlike you."
"It's only been two weeks since you grew taller than me, Kyou. Two. Weeks."
"Serves you right for patting my head like I'm a kid all the time. I'm still older than you, so show me some respect."
"You liked it!"
"Yeah, when I was six." He rolled his eyes.
"Oh, so just because you're ten now, you're suddenly too cool for head pats?" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Jokes on you, 'cause I'll never stop no matter how tall you grow." A smirk formed on her lips. "Actually, I might even add to that and start tackling you in hugs."
"You wouldn't." He almost sounded threatened.
"Accept my affection, Kyou!"
"No!" He sidestepped to dodge her. From there, it became a game of chase. Luckily, no one else was present.
Suddenly, the speakers all around the school chimed the intro bell simultaneously. "Attention to all guests and participants. The exhibition match will begin in 14:30. To those who wish to have a seat in the bleachers, please come to the outdoor field to purchase a ticket. Ticket sales end at 14:15. Thank you."
"We've got half an hour." The boy stated. "Let's go. Our assistant coach is the one selling the tickets, so I can introduce you to the team while we're at it."
Her eyes gleamed at the mention of his soccer team. She heard plenty of stories about them from him, from their personalities to their play styles. "Oh, fun!"
They headed down and through the back entrance. People were starting to gather, but it wasn't too full yet. The two navigated their way to the side of the field, dodging past the waves of adults and children alike as if they were an enemy soccer team trying to block them from the goal. It didn't take too long before they came face to face with a woman in a tracksuit, sitting behind a stall.
"Assistant Coach." Kyousuke bowed in greeting, Kimiko following after.
"Tsurugi. You're pretty early." She smiled kindly at him. She gestured to a small shelter behind her. It was the soccer club's changing room. "Only the captain's inside right now. The others are still out eating or shopping."
"That's alright. We're here to buy a ticket." He pointed at the girl behind him. "Are there any VIP tickets left?"
She gave them an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but those tickets sold out some time before lunch." Seeing their disappointed faces, she quickly added. "But maybe we can get you a good place in the regular seats?"
"I guess there's no other way..." Suddenly, another idea popped into her head. "Okay! Then what about a seat that's near the enemy's goal?"
"Near the enemy's?" The woman blinked in confusion. "Why there?"
"That's where strikers get the most action!" She answered. "If there's anywhere Kyousuke's going to shine on the field, it's there! And I want to be the closest person to witness it!"
"Kimiko..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing." He quickly turned away, not willing to admit the split-second he felt touched.
On the other hand, the woman had a bright smile on her face. "Alright, let me just check―"
"Assistant Coach!" A boy ran towards them, a panicked expression on his face. He was wearing a blue captain's band on his upper arm. "There's a problem!"
"What is it, Takiko?" She asked, her attention completely turned to him.
"Soru just called to tell me he couldn't make it. A family issue came up at the last second. With the sub-members all volunteering for the stalls and shops, we don't have enough members to play!"
"R-Really? Couldn't we just ask one of them to come and play?"
"I don't think so... Not if the time is this close to the match..."
Kimiko and Kyousuke turned to each other. His eyes bore a question, which she replied to with a shrug. She silently pointed at the two people who were still deep in their conversation, looking for a solution.
He nodded before taking a step forward. "Captain."
"Huh?" Takiko was surprised to see that they weren't alone. "Oh, Tsurugi, I didn't realize you were there."
The navy haired boy decided not to address the fact that they got there before he did. "Captain, are we allowed to ask help from someone outside of our school?"
"Eh? Well..." His eyes went to the assistant coach, who continued with, "If they agree to, then I don't see why not."
"Do you have someone in mind?"
Kimiko walked up to her friend's side. "I can play. Do you mind having a kid on the team?"
Takiko smiled. "When the situation's this tight, I'll even take aliens in."
~~~~~
"Huh?! A nine-year-old?!" A boy that's only slightly taller than Kyousuke was looking down on her. Literally and figuratively. "You can't be serious, Takiko!"
"It's her, or we play with ten members. Deal with it, Hifuo!" The captain shot back. "She'll be playing in Soru's place as a striker, along with Tsurugi."
"At the front too?!" Hifuo is now fully facing him. "Are we really going to leave the scoring to the youngest member of the club and some stranger that's even younger than him?!"
She remembered Kyousuke telling her about how the first team is mostly made up of fifth and sixth graders. He was perhaps the first person in a long while to make it to the first team when he's only in fourth grade. And for him to be one of the top players, that must've been a jab in their pride. And now she, a should-be third grader, is there too. Yikes.
"She's been friends with Tsurugi for who-knows-how-long. For all we know, she's as good at soccer as he is!" Takiko grunted. "Besides, pairing them up is the best way to go. This way, the rest of us won't have to exert too much energy to get used to her."
As the two kept going back and forth, a girl approached her with a smile, holding out the white soccer uniform. "Don't mind what he says. I'm sure you'll do great."
She took it with a grin of her own. "Thank you. My name's Kimiko, by the way."
"I'm Minami." She eyed the navy haired boy sitting beside her. "I was surprised to hear you're a friend of Tsurugi's. He doesn't talk much about his life, you see... or about anything else for that matter."
"Understandable." She ignored the glare shot her way. "I'll do my best to help you in this match."
"We'll be counting on you then." Minami gave her a thumbs up before heading to her own locker.
The captain dropped his conversation with the protesting boy and told them all to change. The game is in ten minutes.
~~~~~
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the long-awaited exhibition match!" A boy stood behind the microphone in what was the ticket stall. "I, sixth-grader Masamune, will be the commentator for this match! And... Oh, what's this?" His eyes landed on the blonde girl at the center of the field. "We have a new face in the soccer club! I don't think I've seen you around before! May I know your name?"
"Just call me Kimiko." She replied.
"Kimiko? I don't think there's anyone with that name in this school..." The assistant coach ran over and whispered something into his ear. He nodded in understanding. "I see! Due to last minute issues, one of the members was unable to attend! And so, the club had to ask for help from an outsider! This is an interesting situation! What kind of plays will the newcomer show us today?"
Murmurs erupted from the stands. Their opponents were chattering among themselves, perhaps mocking them, but while some of her team members become uneasy, she stood firm in her spot at the center of the pitch.
She scanned over the field. There were a few gaps between them. She supposed it makes sense seeing how they were all in elementary. They wouldn't know how to execute middle school leveled strategies.
But she and Kyousuke did.
They turned to each other and nodded. The captain saw this. With a smile, he gave out a final note. "Let's have fun, everyone! And remember, trust is key!"
"Right!"
The whistle blew and Kimiko passed the ball to her partner, who kicked it back to the captain. He began to move up as the two dodged pass the people trying to mark them. Seeing an opening, he passed it back to their striker.
"Tsurugi!"
The navy haired boy managed to trap the ball, but his route was cut off by two midfielders with bodies much larger than his.
"You aren't getting through, kid!"
"We'll be taking that ball now."
He smirked. Without breaking eye contact, he kicked the ball to his right. They were rather near the edge of the field, so they thought the move would result in an out, until a blur of white and pale yellow appeared in the corner of their eye. Kimiko had caught the ball and was bringing it up closer to their goal.
"A-Amazing!" Masamune yelled. "Tsurugi just gave their newcomer a no-look pass! That's almost unheard of in elementary matches!"
A defender came to block her path, but she did a feint and kicked the ball upwards. In the split second where the two were distracted, Kyousuke had managed to break free and caught up, taking the ball before anyone else could.
"Now, Kimiko's the one who did a no-look pass! And the two continue to show off their magnificent plays! It's like they could read each other's minds!"
"This is just the beginning!" Right before another defender could steal the ball from him, he used his heel to kick the ball back. Kimiko was right behind him. Without a word, she kicked the ball up high.
"Where're you aiming, kid?" The goalkeeper sneered. However, his smug expression disappeared when a shadow casted over him.
Kyousuke had jumped and did a flip. He was upside down in midair, kicking down towards the goal, scoring.
"It's in! That's 1-0 for the Home team! After an incredible display of synchronized moves, the youngest member of the soccer team, Tsurugi Kyousuke, scored the first goal of the match with a bicycle kick!"
As the duo high-fived, the captain walked over to Hifuo, whose mouth was still hanging open. "Do you still think those kids would hold us back?"
No response.
But that was good enough for him. "Alright, team! Make Tsurugi and Kimiko the center of our attacks!"
"Right!"
~~~~~
"You two were amazing!" Minami flashed them a smile as she watched them pack up their belongings. "Though, don't you think 5-2 was a bit much?"
"It's not soccer if you hold back." Kyousuke replied nonchantly.
"Somehow, I just knew you were going to say that..." She sighed before turning to his friend. "Then, Kimiko, did you have fun today?"
The blonde nodded vigorously. "I did! This was my first time playing in an actual team, so that made it all the more exciting!"
"Your first time?" Takiko, who had been listening in, couldn't hide the surprise in his tone. "How did you and Tsurugi manage to do all that, then?"
"We play together every weekend, so without meaning to, we memorized each other's habits." She said, shrugging. "My relatives are also really into soccer, so they invite me to kick the ball around with them every once in a while."
"I see..." He gave her a nod. "Well, one thing's for sure. If you two keep this up, you guys might end up in the world tournament before the rest of us. Right, Hifuo?"
The other boy grunted. He was trying to slip out without anyone noticing, but now all eyes were on him.
"Isn't there something you wanted to say to 'our youngest member and his even younger friend'?" Minami taunted.
Sighing, he turned back around. He seemed to be really struggling to meet their eyes. "I'm... sorry... for all that and... thanks..."
The duo turned to each other before Kimiko offered him a smile. "You're welcome."
~~~~~
"Thanks for inviting me, Kyou. It's the most fun I had in a while!"
"It's no big deal. You don't go to school, so I figured I'd just let you in on one of the fun stuffs we get to do." They stopped at an intersection. One road let to the suburbs, while the other led to the train station. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you the whole way?"
"Mmhm." She said, giving him a thumbs up. "It's not dark yet, so I'll be fine."
"Alright then." He sent her off with a wave. "See you next week."
"See you!" She began to walk off before calling back. "And be prepared to get the biggest hug ever!"
"Forget it!"