" Hey, hold on a minute. Shouldn't you be at your own school right now? " Akihiko asked.
" Eh. Who cares?" Sakurai-kun shrugs.
" But won't the teachers call your parents if they figure out you're skipping...?" I asked.
He laughs heartily. " Little lady, there's no need to worry~" he winks and gives a thumbs up. " I can just pay them."
" Somehow, I can imagine Ryou-san acting like this if she weren't so broke most of the time..." Kita-chan comments.
That's exactly what I was thinking too...
The bell rings, signifying that lunch break was over. Akihiko-kun heaves a sigh and gives his friend an apologetic look.
" Kenji, I think we'll have to continue our conversation later. I still have class..." he said.
" Whaaatt? You attend class now? What happened to the old you?" Sakurai-kun raises a brow. I notice Akihiko-kun flinch before smiling.
" The old him?" Kita-chan repeated, looking curious as to what he meant.
" Yeah! You see, this guy over here." He points to Akihiko. " Asachin always used to skip class to sharpen his skills in soccer! He was smart enough to get by in class, but he was a troublemaker that was passionate for the sport he loves!"
Akihiko-kun skipping class...?
It sounds like a completely different person! The Akihiko-kun I currently know, was always right on time and paying attention to the teacher as soon as class starts. I've never seen him being lost in thought as he always took down notes, and I've never seen him fall asleep because he's just that energetic.
" I was immature." Akihiko chuckles nervously. " Skipping class is not a good idea, and cramming things at the very last moment took a toll."
I can relate to that wholeheartedly. We are kindred spirits, Akihiko-kun.
Sleepless nights just before the exam, cramming everything you should've known by now all at once into your poor little head. And praying to every god in the sky that you'll get passing marks in all of the subjects, I was often practicing guitar and procrastinating on my studies....so......that hit home.
" Still though! Everytime I saw you on the field, I couldn't help but skip class myself just so I could practice with my best buddy!" He says.
" Forgive me, I was a bad influence. I'll prostrate myself before your parents...." Akihiko said with a gloomy look.
H....He's completely serious about that, isn't he...
I recall yesterday, when he sincerely apologized to my dad for almost hitting Futari with his bike. I could totally picture him kneeling on the ground and begging for forgiveness from Sakurai-kun's parents....
" Relax! My parents love you, after all.....if it weren't for you I'd...." Sakurai's smile drops, a soft expression was left on his face. " I'd probably would've stayed friendless..."
I silently gasped. So before Akihiko-kun, he was alone too? Friendless like me? I thought Sakurai-kun was an extrovert type....but it seems like despite his appearance, he sad also just another introvert adopted by Akihiko-kun...
I hear some sobbing noises beside me, and I turn to Kita-chan, who was indeed responsible for the sobbing and sniffling of tears.
" D-Don't mind me..." She says, taking out her handkerchief and wiping her tears away.
I watched as Akihiko-kun patted the taller boy's back, with an awkward but mutual endearing smile on his face.
( We completely forgot about class. )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" C'mon I said I was sorry!" The taller boy whined as he shook Akihiko-kun by the shoulders. Crying crocodile tears.
" No." Akihiko replied, blankly.
It was only the three of us during dismissal. Today was bizarre, Sakurai-kun had the gall to sit in with us during class, and when our math teacher found his presence a disturbance....things escalated.
" Mr. Whoever-you-are, just teach the class and pretend I'm not here!" Sakurai-kun said in a bored tone.
" Kid, don't test my patience. Return to your own school, is this how Oreha teaches its students? Skipping the day to do this?" the teacher scolded, but he kept his professionalism as best he could.
" Aw, cmon!" He whined.
" Kenji, please get off me--"
" It's not like I'm bothering anyone!"
" Kenji--"
" It's not like I was chatting away and stuff, so why are you so stubborn!" He continues chatting away.
The teacher releases a sigh.
" Not bothering anyone you say?
You're literally occupying Akihiko-kun's lap. Get off before I call security." He warns.
" Boooo" He does a thumbs down.
I was bewildered at the person that is Sakurai Kenji. If he was my seatmate, I probably would've died had he tried becoming my friend instead of Akihiko-kun.....thank the gods they sent Akihiko-kun my way instead of....that.
I nervously chuckled.
" I think....Akihiko-kun has the right to be mad at you this time, Sakurai-kun." I spoke up for his sake. Akihiko-kun gives me a thankful look while Sakurai pouts.
" Not you too, Little Lady!"
" Stop calling her that." Akihiko says, swatting Sakurai's hand away and giving him a warning look." She has a name. It's Gotou Hitori-san, show some respect."
I blushed and looked away. He didn't really need to do that....as someone who's never really had nicknames their whole life, I'll accept anything really.
[ Bocchi literally means ' Lonely'. ]
" Ah, sorry about that!" Sakurai-kun smiles apologetically. " Is it okay if I call you Gotou-chan?"
I nodded. " I...If that's what you want then--"
" No, no. Don't give me that. If there's a name that you prefer going by, then I'll be calling you that." He says, seriously. " I know that I'm pretty ' extra' in the way I act, and I come off as rude to others but.... a friend of Asachin's is a friend of mine too. And I'll show you the same respect as I do for him."
" Then....please just call me Gotou-chan." I smiled genuinely, touched by his words. " Thank you for being considerate."
" Woah..." his face morphs to shock for some reason.
" I...Is something wrong?" I asked, confused and a bit nervous.
" Gotou-chan, you should smile more. You look so damn beautiful." he says, placing a hand on his mouth in what seems to be amazement at me.
I didn't know how to respond, I just froze. Do I compliment back? Wait then what should I say as a good compliment--
" I know right," Akihiko spoke up. " Her smile is amazing." He says.
" E...Ehm...." I placed my hands on my cheeks, willing myself NOT to turn into a tomato. I don't want him to notice my feelings!
" T...Thank you." Was all I said.
" Ehh~? You sound a bit too proud there, Asachin." Sakurai suddenly says.
" Huh?" Akihiko raises a brow in question. " What do you mean by that?"
Sakurai stays silent for a moment, eyeing me ( which made me shiver ), and then to Akihiko-kun. He places two fingers under his chin, simulating a thinking expression. What's going on? And I didn't get what he meant to Akihiko-kun either...
" I see! " He snaps his fingers, a beaming smile on his face. " There's romantic tension between you two, right?"
" Huh?" Oh no, was I that obvious?!
That can't be. I took the time to search that video about ' How to keep your feelings low-key from your crush' and he's basically implying that it didn't work?! I will curse that random channel I found and pray it gets no revenue!
" There's no romantic tension, Kenji." I was currently covering my face, so I didn't see what expression Akihiko-kun was wearing. But I do know that his voice sounded so confident, that's exactly how convincing I wanted to be...
( Akihiko's face was just as red and Sakurai was deeply amused. )
" Geez, no need to take my words so seriously!" Sakurai laughs, " I was just kidding."
" Sorry, guys! I took too long, didn't I? I got held up and-- huh? Akihiko-kun, your face..." It sounds like Kita-chan has arrived, and why does she sound suprised about Akihiko-kun's face? Maybe I should take a look too--
Ah! I'm suddenly blind?!
I felt a fabric covering my eyes and as I tried to make out what it was by touching it, I realized it was an arm. Thinking I was being abducted, I was just about ready to scream-- Oh who am I kidding, I'm too frozen in shock to even ' meow'! Introverts like me who haven't used enough of their vocals will die faster by screaming than being killed by the kidnapper!
" Ahaha! Sorry Gotou-san. Kenji is flashing himself in public, so I'm covering your eyes." Oh, it's Akihiko-kun's arm-- wait, Sakurai-kun is doing WHAT?!
" THE HELL? NO I'M NOT--" I hear Sakurai-kun retaliate but then silence followed, till eventually I heard him grumble. " Yeah....don't look, Gotou-chan." He sounds absolutely humiliated.
" Eww! Sakurai-kun, how indecent! I feel absolutely violated!" I hear Kita-chan say, although it sounded a bit too dramatic that it felt fake...
" Yeah, Kenji. Have some shame." Akihiko-kun says as he slowly lead me towards somewhere while covering my eyes. For some odd reason, I had no sense of panic. Is this what absolute trust feels like?
" Argh! Whatever! Can we just leave already?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" So this is Shimokitazawa's park, huh?" Sakurai-kun said as he stopped and parked his bike. He looks behind to check on Kita-chan who decided to ride with him.
" You alright over there?" he asked.
" I love motorcycles!" Kita-chan says, a euphoric expression on her face as she happily takes off the protective helmet. Sakurai laughs, amused by my friend's behaviour.
" You should....r-really slow down, yeah?" Akihiko-kun said, panting. We arrived here by bike and he did his best to catch up as if it were a race. I pat his back worried, and he gives me a smile that meant he's okay ( I doubt it ).
" Maybe you should buy a motorcycle too." Sakurai-kun says, " I know ones that are on discount!"
" Nah...I'm good with my old bike." Akihiko-kun says, releasing another exhale as he wipes his sweat away. " Makes for good cardio."
" So...what are we doing here in the park?" I asked. Nobody really discussed a plan in particular when went here, and the sun should be going down by now.
" Oh hey, look! Kids playing soccer!" Sakurai points to the field where a lot of kids were playing soccer. Most of them were boys but a few little girls watched too, and they seemed to enjoy the game just as much. Sakurai-kun pulled out a pair of shoes out of nowhere, it looks like they were meant for soccer, he wore them quickly before heading off.
" Hop!" Sakurai utters as he jumps over the small stone bench and makes his way towards the field.
" He's really excited about soccer, huh..." Kita-chan muses. I nodded in agreement.
" Was...Akihiko-kun like that too?" I glance at him.
Akihiko coughs, refusing to make eye contact. Seeing his reaction got a giggle out of me, and from Kita-chan too. Today has been a wonderful time seeing how different Akihiko acts when it comes to these things, and to his best friend.
I watched as the ball got kicked way off course, the kids yelled for the others to chase it down, but before they could reach it. The ball stopped right under Sakurai's shoe.
" Hey! Got room for one more?" He asked. The kids looked at each other before nodding and gladly welcoming him into the game.
Kita, Akihiko, and I decided to sit by the side, just to watch Sakurai-kun play. When the game begun, it was a brown haired kid who had the ball first, leading the charge. I'm not too familiar with soccer and its positions, so my description of things is going to be a little off.....
" Hey!" Sakurai calls, giving a sign. The kid passes the ball to him and he grins as he received it, his crimson eyes filled with joy as he ran through the field and dribbling the ball expertly. The children were stunned by how fast he was moving, but they cornered him and tried to steal the ball, that unfortunately was very difficult as Sakurai played them like a fiddle and did tricks to confuse them, switching the ball from one leg to another, in and out, and around till the kid finally took the bait and went for it-- to which Sakurai saw as the opportunity to attack through the opening side and break free.
" He's so fast..." I muttered as he broke free from all the boys' defense.
" Awesome, Onii-chan!"
" H-He's like a beast!" The little girls cheered, maybe a little overexaggerated but once I looked closer-- I began to agree.
The way Sakurai-kun moved was so random and erratic, much like the way he introduced himself to us. His playstyle, his movement, his expression-- it's all him, he's owning this certain type of play.
" H-He really moves like a beast, doesn't he..." Kita-chan voiced out, a nervous chuckle escaped from her as we watched him nearing the goal. Akihiko-kun hums.
" That's just how Kenji plays. His ball handling was and still is a valuable asset to Oreha High's soccer team, the way he moves so fluently switching from a smooth fluid river to a rampaging hurricane in a second is such a scary thing to go against. Right now, he's just having fun like the free guy he's always been." Akihiko-kun explained.
He really is moving.....so free....
" Couldn't expect anything less of Oreha High's soccer captain and center forward, Sakurai Kenji." He smiles.
" Goallll!" Sakurai yells after scoring a goal. The children screamed with him, hyping it up. I smiled at the sight, it didn't seem like Sakurai-kun was trying at all but he still pretended to play at his best, maybe to teach the kids a lesson and inspire them.
" Big brother, you move so cool! How did you do that? I wanna learn too!" One of the boys said.
" Haha! Just keep practicing, and look for people who are just as skilled and are willing to teach!" Sakurai answered.
" W-Will you teach us?" They asked.
" Haha! No." He deadpanned.
" EH?!"
" Sorry kids, but I'm no teacher." he sighs, shaking his head. " I don't know how to teach others....and I doubt my pointers could really help you right now unless I simplify-- which I'm bad at doing." He laughs after.
" T-Then do you know anyone who can?" The boy from earlier who tried to defend him, asked.
A big smile adorns Sakura's face, bigger than all the others thus far. He holds a finger up. " There is someone." he says.
And he points to.......Akihiko-kun.
" Him, right there. Former captain of Oreha High, central midfielder position, and my bestest buddy in the whole world-- Asachin!" He announces.
" Asachin? Asachin!" The kids immediately repeated and began gathering around the brown haired boy. Akihiko-kun laughed nervously as he tried to calm the crowd down while Kita-chan and I couldn't help but share a momentary laugh at the scene.
" Please teach us!"
" We'll pay you with ice cream!"
" We promise we'll learn everything!"
" W-Woah, calm down!" he says, patting down his hands. " I'm sad to say but I don't play soccer anymore-- and you shouldn't trust the words of a rusty guy like me anyways. I don't wanna accidentally disappoint you all if you try to use what I teach in an actual game--"
" Funny to hear that, coming from the guy who led us straight to the championships!" Sakurai chirped.
Akihiko-kun's smile drops a bit, but still keeps it up for the kids. But then I began to feel something....a bit off-- like a very bad premonition about this whole thing. I stopped smiling and looked around confused as to why I was suddenly feeling this way.
" You led the team to the championships? Mister, now you've gotta teach us!"
" yeah, teach us!"
" Teach us! Teach us! Teach us!"
" C'mon Asachin! Show him how the master does it." Sakurai smirks.
"....Kenji..." Akihiko-kun gives him a look.
" Gotou-san, do you feel it...?" Kita-chan asked, we both had the same nervous expression.
I nodded slowly. " Something...bad is going to happen..." I said, clutching myself protectively.
There was an aura that had formed out of nowhere, and it's radiating from these two alone. What's with them?
" Why don't we give the kids a show?" Sakurai says, kicking the ball high into the air and then balancing it on his head. " You and me,1-on-1. First to score 3 goals wins."
"... I'm sorry but I don't--"
" C'mon kids! He needs a little encouragement! Why don't you cheer as loud as you can till he gives in, yeah? You wanna see how we play, right~" He winks.
Akihiko-kun's eyes widened as the kids immediately began to act. Their cheers were louder and the pressure was almost suffocating, I see it in his eyes. He's losing the will to say ' no'. Should I do something? No, I must do something. Things don't feel right at this moment, I need to stop them--
" Just 3 goals..." Before I could move, Akihiko-kun already agreed.
" That's the spirit, captain!"
" But answer me this one question first." Akihiko-kun says.
" Hm?" Sakurai tilts his head.
" Kenji, you set this up, didn't you? The real reason you came here....was it to--"
" Hey, how about I answer your question after the match?" Sakurai interrupts, a glow in his crimson eyes. " If you can beat me, that is."
"..."
~~~ To be continued ~~~
So many problems happened while making this chapter. Wattpad is truly a bitch when it tries to be.
This is supposed to be longer, containing the following 1v1 match but wattpad wont publish unless i cut out the last half of the chapter.
So I'll be finishing it and editing it in the next chapter! I'll probably release that chapter as soon as I wake up tomorrow.
Oh, and for those who are curious.
No, this won't become sport-centered. This little sports theme mini-arc is important to build Akihiko's character, the story is still Bocchi's. And in order to make this story work, the OC needs to be explored JUST enough!
Dont worry, this arc will end in the next chapter anyways before it focuses right back to Bocchi the Love Story
Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! ( and sorry for releasing late, I'll make up for it by making 2 chapters tomorrow if I can, one being the final part for this arc ofc. While the other is left for you to guess!)
See you in the next one~