The next two days were like an easy breeze, but at the same time it was like I was at Teikoku again. The hard training was good and all, but it wasn't really helping me be worried about the finals...
On the day of the match, mom had chosen to ride with us instead of taking the usual car. I sat next with her of course, and so did Kuroi...
After the motivational speech from Coach Hibiki, everyone else was fired up. But for the first time, I wasn't. I was really worried that my brother, and the rest of the team, would start hating me. Worst of all, Nina was still there, in my place what was once mine.
"Rena, you'll be fine."
I looked at my mom. "Jirou will understand that you chose this. And besides, didn't Yuuto already tell you that they weren't mad?"
"I know, I know..." I mumbled. "But Nina---"
"Ignore that blondie, we'll be the ones standing victorious!" Someoka exclaimed.
"Yeah, she's gonna eat her words!" Kurimatsu added.
"You guys..." I looked at them.
"If you want, Someoka can sub out, and you'd be in his position." Shuuya suggested. "We talked about it yesterday, and he agreed to it."
"Rena, don't be so nervous! If you see my brother or yours, and they ask, just answer! Not like they're gonna kill you!" Kuroi exclaimed.
"Yeah... so I wonder how Masaru and Jimon are doing..."
"Nope. Stay away from them at all costs." Kuroi panicked.
"Kidding, kidding."
"Hey!"
-------------------------------------------------
"Mom, I'm gonna look around, if that's fine."
"Be back soon."
I closed the locker room door and headed for Teikoku's locker rooms. Kuroi was busy checking traps with Coach Hibiki and the others, and Otonashi was gone right after we arrived.
I saw the locker room door. I was about to knock, but I hesitated. What if Nina was behind that door, and would give out something to humiliate me once I do? Or what if my brother would open door, then just close it once he saw me?! Or---
"Rena?"
I snapped out and saw the door already opened; Koujirou opened it. He looked surprised, worried, and sad at the same time... was it because I left? "I didn't... expect seeing you here... Get in; I'm alone."
I nodded and he led me inside. There was a chair for two people, so the both of us sat down in awkward silence. I admit, I missed Koujirou these past weeks, and I'm guessing he felt the same... I think.
"Rena, you didn't come here to gloat, didn't you?" He asked.
"No... I came to wish you guys a good luck before the match started." I said.
"Oh... then, good luck to you too..."
Another awkward silence, then he spoke up again.
"Listen, Rena, we're really sorry that we took you off." He started. "All that Nina said to us, we thought was true. Then Kuroi had told me everything that happened to you; You found yourself, and you stood up for yourself. I thought you were mad at us."
"I was, at first." I said. "Then I realized, the anger will turn into sadness, and I also realized that I was going to do the same mistake again." I sighed. "Sorry if I left you guys..."
"We should be the one apologizing," Koujirou took out his phone, and he showed me a video of me doing practice with Raimon, playing against Mikage, and doing Hyakuretsu Shot. "We never really understood why the Commander would keep you out of the field like that. We didn't really... well, didn't see a vision of you playing. But Kuroi showed everything; I'm going to be the first to say I'm sorry."
Kuroi had recorded me, just so he can prove that Nina's words were a right down lie. I was glad though; He wasn't angry, and he was just worried.
"Koujirou, I'm alright, and thanks for the apology." I said, patting him on the shoulder. Then I stood up. "I, have to go. I don't want Kidou or the others to think I'm intruding. I'll see you in the match."
"Yeah... Rena?"
"Hmm?"
He hugged me.
Genda Koujirou, my childhood friend, was hugging me. And here I thought he never spread out his emotions!
"Thanks for... sticking with me... I never thought that even after all this, you'd still forgive me... and... I... had grown attached to you... if that's another way for saying, 'I like you'."
I didn't have anything to say, but I pushed him off and immediately went out of the room. My heart was pounding rapidly, and my face was red, and then I bumped into Kino and Endou, and fell on the ground.
"S-Sakuma-san! Are you alright?!" Kino asked, helping me up.
"Y-Yeah! I-I'm good!" I exclaimed. "So what happened? How come you and Endou are... taking a stroll?"
Kino had explained that she and Endou had been spying on Otonashi and Kidou, and that Endou had encountered Kageyama, telling Kidou and Otonashi's backstory, which I knew because Kidou told me. I just said that what was going to happen, and they just didn't say anything.
Pretty soon the match was going to start. I went on ahead to the pitch, only to find that the place was half full, and the rest of the Teikoku soccer club were already there: Banjou, Oono, Jimon, Ena, Mukumoto, Nina, Jirou, Doumen, Narukami... everyone I knew, except Nina, and I was fighting against them.
Then Koujirou's confession came into my head. I shook my head to get the thought out but it still won't be let out. "Of all times, why now?!" I groaned.
Soon the stadium filled up. I was getting even more worried about this, and I was getting even more and more frustrated.
Kuroi and I did warm ups with the others; Doing practice will keep my mind of... what just happened.
"You OK? After seeing some of the members, you look pretty flustered." Kuroi said.
"Oh uh... nervous." I lied.
Before Kuroi could ask again, we heard a large "clang" sound. The both us looked up, only to see that the bolts landed down, and luckily, it didn't hit Kuroi. And his face was in a state of panic, that he turned white and ran to the benches with Kino. I sweat dropped, but then I thought of something... If Kageyama wanted to win this, maybe he should've done something by now.... what is he up to?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Both teams were lined up, facing each other. I was facing Doumen, so it wasn't a bad deal. But all of us had to shake hands with the members, which meant I had to shake hands with Jirou, Nina, and Koujirou. Why did I have to agree to sub Someoka?!
Then I noticed Kidou glancing around; He must've known that Kageyama had done something to sabotage the match. His teeth was gritted and his facial expression showed worry. I was getting worried myself.
Soon we started shaking hands. Doumen had a large grip on me, so I glared at him and he glared back. Shaking hands with the members were a nervous thing to me, and also my palms were getting a little sweaty.
I shook Nina's hand, and the both us glared at each other for 5 minutes, then I proceeded to shake Jirou's. I couldn't face him, so I looked down. Before I proceeded with the next one, Jirou whispered, "Move a few inches back."
After shaking Kidou's I went into my position, and Endou had said we had to move a few inches back. I raised my eyebrow at him, but he was the captain, and also, Jirou had told me to. All of us were confused, but we agreed anyway and moved back a few inches.
When the referee blew the whistle, that's when I knew why Endou and Jirou told us to move back.
Steel panes; Eleven of them; Fell from the steel roof. I widened my eyes with shock, and fell to the ground with shock. Kageyama went this far into winning the finals, and none of the other members didn't know about this either.
The smoke cleared up, and I saw Nina glaring. "I can't believe she's still alive! I was hoping at least she would die."
That. Was. It.
I stomped over to her, and no one didn't even try to stop me.
I slapped her again. Usually I'd punch, but Nina is still a girl after all.
"I. Have. Had. It. With. Your. LIES!!!" I shouted, and I know the whole stadium gasped. "You, have been the reason why I couldn't move on from the replacement thing!!! I was, so enraged when Koujirou, Narukami, and Jirou told me that you were replacing me! You think that would let me down?! WRONG!!! Guess what, I'm actually happy that you replaced me, because I found myself again and my motivation to play soccer freely like I always did, and not think about being replaced again!!! I am through with your lies, through with your manipulation, and through, with your methods of stopping me, from WHO. I. AM!!!!"
I took deep breaths; That was a lot to take in, and that was a lot stuff to be let out after for a while.
In a few short seconds, I was tackled to the ground.
"What the--- OW!!!" My hair was pulled.
"You---- You---- You're the reason why I decided to do this!!! You will pay for this, Sakuma Rena!!!"
"OW!!!" She kept pulling on my hair, and to be honest, it hurt, bad. "Why you stupid little---"
"ACK!!!"
I grabbed her by the throat, but I didn't strangle her, yet. I managed to use my knee to hit her stomach, and she got off me. I was about to sit up when she tackled me again. "You, your brother, and your family will never play soccer again!!! If I don't kill you, my name isn't Hernandez Nina!"
I felt my breath shorten; She was strangling me. She was going to kill me in a matter of minutes if someone doesn't----
"NINA!!!"
I saw Jirou; Narukami and Jimon hauled her off, and Jirou helped me stand. I kept taking little deep breaths, and Nina was struggling to get free from Narukami and Jimon's grip.
"Are you OK?! Can you breathe?!"
"I-I'm fine!" I exclaimed, breathing normally now.
"Lemme go!" Nina shouted. "She shouldn't even be here!!!"
"You're the one that shouldn't be here, Hernandez!" Jirou said furiously. "We never believed your lies, and we never will believe anything you say from this day forth!"
"Rena/Sakuma-kun!"
Kuroi and Kino ran over to me, along with Endou and Shuuya. "I can't believe she strangled you like that!" Kuroi exclaimed angrily. "Your mom called her parents; They'll pick her up in a few minutes." Shuuya said.
After a few minutes or so, Narukami and Jimon had led Nina in the locker rooms and locked her in there until the match was over. Also, we had to wait for the steel panes to be cleared up before the match would start.
Right now, all of us, including Teikoku, were in one of the vacant guest rooms (to be honest, I didn't know they had any of these) while waiting for the field to be cleared.
Jirou sighed in relief. "I'm just glad you're alright... dang I'm an awful brother..."
"I'm just glad, that you're OK! If something would've happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself as a brother!"
"I-It's my fault, not yours." I said. "I shouldn't have left, but if I didn't, I wouldn't have found myself again."
"We shouldn't have replaced you. Nina's lies were convincing, but I know you from the back of my hand. We're twins, and we made a code, remember? And I broke it." Jirou looked down.
"A code?" Endou looked at me.
"In times of need, twins have to have each other's back." I said. "You didn't break it."
"I--- S-Sis?"
I found myself crying again. "I-I'm just glad you stood up for me." I hugged him.
"Hey, let me in on it!" Kuroi, Koujirou, and somehow Endou, had joined in the hug. Wow. If dad saw this, he would never live this down.
"Alright, alright. I'm not crying anymore." I broke the hug.
"All steel panes are cleared. I repeat, all steel panes are cleared."
"Guess it's time for the match." Endou stood up and walked to the team.
"Come on, Rena!" Kuroi followed Endou.
I looked at the Teikoku team, and sighed before I followed them, but was stopped by Jirou, who was smirking.
"May the best twin win?" He asked mischievously.
I smirked back. "May the best twin win."
We gave each other fist bumps, and I followed Endou and Kuroi.
"Hey! It'll be our first time facing you!" I heard Narukami yell.
"Yeah! You better be worth fighting!" Jimon shouted, but I could tell he was kinda happy.
"We'll see how you do without us." I heard Gojou say.
"Good luck, Rena." Koujirou muttered, but I heard him anyway.
"Let's see how you play." I heard Kidou said.
'You'll see me play alright, but in my way.' I thought.