❝ What.❞
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Chapter 24
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Fudou's lips curled upward involuntarily, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He found himself unable to resist the warmth that your words had brought forth within him. It was a sincere moment, one that he would cherish forever. A gentle sigh escaped his lips, carrying with it a mix of contentment and weariness. His smile, though faint, spoke volumes of the quiet joy that filled his heart. With a blink of his eyes, he momentarily closed himself off from the world, lost in his own thoughts. And then- "Let's go."
"Fudou-san, do you have any intentions of kidnapping me?" In the most monotonous of tones, you uttered the words, observing with great satisfaction the dumbfounded expression that adorned his face. A slight grin tugged at the corners of your lips, as if relishing in the moment.
"I'm kidding, let's go."
The air hung still as they strolled along the path, their footsteps barely making a sound. There was no need for words, for the silence that enveloped them was not awkward, but rather a soothing embrace. It was a silence that spoke volumes, a language understood only by those who were truly in tune with one another. As they continued their leisurely walk, a sense of ease Fudou, lost in thought, couldn't help but feel that his question had gone unanswered. However, he refrained from probing any further, for he noticed the pleasant disposition that now adorned your countenance. This sight alleviated his concerns, if only to a certain extent.
"Fudou-san-"
"Call me Akio."
"Then, Akio-san. Can you help me improve my ability and defeat Nosoki's team?" You stopped in front of a convenience store and entered, which was followed by others.
"Who's Nosoki?" he inquired, but cut you off when you continued, "I told someone I'd give them my analysis if they-actually, we-win, and I predicted that Inakuni would win without a doubt."
As the words escaped your lips, a flicker of recognition danced across his face. His eyes, once narrow and focused, suddenly widened with a mix of surprise and anticipation. The realization dawned upon him like a sudden burst of sunlight breaking through the clouds. It was not Nosoki, it was Nosaka Yuuma. He glanced over at you, deftly holding two cone ice creams in your hands, as you made your way towards the counter.
He found himself unable to match the rapidity of your speech, his mind reeling from the revelation that you had elevated your persona to new heights and embarked on a war against another individual.
After paying the counter, you gave him one of the ice cream you have, and looked at him anticipatimg an answer.
"I can do that... But..."
"Are you aware that our playing styles differ?" You responded with a bow to his remark. The user was well aware of their own skills, yet they harbored a burning desire to delve into the intricacies of others' playing styles. You yearned for a profound understanding, a profound connection, that would elevate your abilities to unprecedented heights. It was a quest for expansion, an exploration of uncharted territories, where the boundaries of your own capabilities would be pushed to your limits.
"Indeed, the knowledge of all those things resides within me, which is precisely why I find myself reaching out to you for assistance."
"I will attempt to learn your playing style so that I can derive my own and create a new one, rather than imitating yours."
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As the first rays of sunlight gently filtered through the curtains, a symphony of melodious chirping birds filled the air, rousing you from your slumber. Slowly, you fluttered your eyes open, allowing the soft morning light to seep into your consciousness.
A contented hum escaped your lips as you savored the tranquility of the moment. Feeling the need to fully awaken your senses, you gracefully extend your limbs in a languid stretch, relishing the delightful sensation of your muscles coming to life. With renewed energy coursing through your veins, you made your way towards the inviting embrace of the shower.
You then carefully select a lovely pastel blue t-shirt and pair it with a stylish set of black short jeans. You feel a sense of satisfaction. The colors complement each other perfectly, creating a pleasing ensemble. With your outfit complete, you reach out and grasp the doorknob, gently twisting it to initiate the opening of the door.
Once again, you found myself trapped in the clutches of an agonizing existence, as the relentless passage of time marked yet another day of unrelenting torment.
Anyway, after a long and tiring bus ride, you finally arrived at the school of Raimon. As you stepped off the bus, you couldn't help but feel a sense of boredom and anticipation for what awaited you. Little did you know, fate had a peculiar surprise in store for you.
You made your way towards the entrance, you noticed a slightly ajar door, beckoning you to explore what lay beyond. Curiosity getting the better of you, you cautiously pushed the door open, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight - a bare-chested Haizaki standing before you.
In that split second, a wave of surprise washed over you, momentarily leaving you speechless. "Sorry, wrong room," without a second thought, your instincts kicked in, and you swiftly closed the door, as if trying to shield yourself from the unexpected encounter. The encounter left you with a mix of emotions - a combination of shock.
You turn around, your mind filled with thoughts of leaving, Haizaki suddenly springs into action. With a swift and unexpected movement, he firmly grabs hold of your collar, his grip tightening as he forcefully pulls you towards him. Resistance seems futile as you find yourself being dragged inside against your will, the urgency in Haizaki's actions leaving you with a mix of confusion and apprehension.
"It's not what you think!" Asuto's voice erupted with such force that it caused you to instinctively squint your eyes in response.
"Do you possibly think that I, as an individual, have actually taken the time to contemplate the idea of Haizaki, a man, being completely devoid of clothing in the presence of other individuals, solely for the purpose of highlighting and emphasizing your undeniable allure and various other captivating qualities?"
"What?"
"What."
"Of all the people, why does she have to be here?" He grumbled as he struggled to put on the outfit that had been handed to him. While Kidou watched you with the most analytical of expressions in his eyes.
"Excuse you, Haizaki-san. The feeling is mutual."
Even more, he grumbled, making it sound as if he was getting ready to punch you. You furrowed your brow and muttered to yourself aloud, "what did I do to make this man angry about me?" You then looked to Kidou for an explanation to this question.
"Don't worry because his personality is just like that."
Haizaki directed a glare in Kudou's direction as the latter grinned knowingly. You on the other hand, along with the other members of Inakuni, observed from the background as you suddenly spewed forth, "I swear, Haizaki-san, you have anger issues."
When you stated it, there was complete silence. Hiura, who is able to read the atmosphere, came and shielded you in case anything untoward occurred.
"..." Haizaki was in disbelief at your words.
"Hmm?"
Even though he doesn't hold a grudge against you, he found you to be quite annoying out on the field. He was fully aware of the fact that you hadn't played soccer in a very long time because of how sluggish or bored you were when you were playing the game; it seemed as though the goals you scored were just a matter of luck to him. He indeed felt strange; it was jealousy. How is it possible for someone to be that good when you, a newcomer, are present when, on the other hand, he and the rest of them play soccer with passion?
Furthermore, he didn't like how you appeared out of nowhere, just like you did the first time you met him during the current incident.
Whereas he was looking at you as if he were your prey when he was staring at you. You, on the contrary, were aware of the reasons why he had shown up in the first place, but you feigned that you were unaware of them in order to avoid arousing suspicion. If you acted as though you knew that he was transferring into Raimon, it would be highly suspect. You wouldn't take a chance, especially considering that Kidou was around; together with Nosaka, he was one of the characters that displayed the most intelligence.
You gave Hiura a little tap on the back and questioned him in a direct manner, "Why is it that your previous opponents are here?"
Iwato began to choke, and look at you, who can't stop pointing your finger at the two individuals who are in front of them.
Haizaki reprimanded him, stating, "Pointing at people is rude."
"So did dragging a person in the collar." you remarked with a hint of suspense in your voice.
Asuto, feeling a mix of anxiety and anticipation, let out a nervous laugh, his hand instinctively reaching up to scratch his cheek. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, positioning himself in the center of the room, determined to prevent any potential conflict from escalating. "Umm, Mui-san, I wanted to let you know that Haizaki will be joining our team, starting from today."
"Oh."
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"Where are you going?" Sakuma questioned Fudou's motives by inquiring about the person who was sneaking away while holding a ball.
"I-"
"And don't even begin to tell a lie when you're going to say that you're going to practice. As in, nobody will be tricked, just so you know. Because you pretty much ditched practicing practically every day." He confidently stated this fact, which led everyone else in the room to stare at Fudou.
He muttered under his breath that there was no way he could get away, especially since Sakuma had drawn a lot of people's attention to him.
Fudou stood in front of them and said, "Fine, I'm helping someone practice."
"Someone?"
"If I may ask, who exactly is this someone?" Kazemaru inquired.
"No. You wouldn't recognize her even if I said her name."
"Oh, I see. It's a girl." Genda, with a mischievous grin on his face, unexpectedly appeared right next to Kazemaru, catching him off guard.
Fudou let out an audible groan, clearly expressing his frustration. He couldn't help but facepalm, feeling a mixture of annoyance and resignation.
Finally, after a moment of contemplation, he reluctantly uttered the word, "For your curiosity, as well as scolding me practically every time we meet because I'm not at practice and you guys are annoying right now. Why don't you help me in teaching someone in improving her playing style?"
"Why on earth would we?" Sakuma's brows furrowed in disapproval as he considered the idea at hand.
"Well, for starters, I'm practicing, and secondly, since you want me to practice, I'm practicing. In addition to that, I don't like the idea of you guys coming around with me to train with her, but overall she asked me to help her, and I will gladly do so because she is a friend of mine, so the thought of having more players to help her can surely be better. "
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You went to visit Teikoku Gakuen, an opposing team, while the other members of your team, including Haizaki, went to see their captain. You received a text from Fudou informing you that he had modified the plan and that they would now train at the field of their school and that he would pick you up. You responded to his text by saying that you understood and respectfully declined his offer to pick you up on the place that you could go there yourself, so there was no need to be concerned about that.
You got where you were going by walking till you reached the location of your destination. You remained outside their school the entire time, merely standing in front of the entrance gate while chatting with Fudou that you had arrived.
After a few moments, you noticed that your friend had strange yet distinctive hair, so you waved at him in a nonchalant manner while maintaining a blank expression.
"Nozomi-"
You cocked your head to the side as you asked, "Akio-san, since you let me use your first name, why don't you call me Kamui so that we're fair?"
He stared at you with a look of complete bewilderment on his face, but eventually nodded. You could see that he was uncomfortable with others because he would purposefully avoid making eye contact with you.
"Then you should stop using such honorifics, Kamui."
"Okay."
Dry one again. Even though he could already see how you approach him differently from how you did in the past, he thought that it was almost as if you were building a new persona within you.
You arrived at the main door that led towards the stadium after a little period of walking in that direction. After opening them, while you were walking through the same hallway that was previously connected to the field, neither of you said a word.
Simply put, "We're here." He added that as you could now see the sunlight coming from that particular direction and then walking within it, you met three people, one of which is a person that you just saw a short time before. He also mentioned that the sunlight was coming from that precise way.
It was Sakuma Jirou, Genda Kyojirou and Kazemaru Ichirouta.
"What."
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Details
-Hajime and Hikkiri will not be appearing for quite some time due to issues outside the town.
-Fudou was the first one to develop something, or rather, feelings toward a specific person.
-Haizaki thought you could surpass him, which is why he was annoyed.
Would you like to continue?
-Yes
-No