SCHOOL SUCKS!!!!!!
(Because I have to go to literal school, no more online school)
BUT I'VE SURVIVED!!!! >:D
~'0'~
Tenma and Kariya both went to the clubroom together in order for Kariya to join the club. Of course, with the brunet guiding the way since the other is still new around the school. They eventually arrived at their destination and once they stepped in, with full view of everyone in the room, Shindou asks
"Who are you?" The teal headed boy looked right towards the voice owner and spoke up
"My name is Kariya Masaki and I would like to join the soccer club. Nice to meet you." Kariya proceeded that speech with a bow and a hidden mischievous grin, shadowed by his hair, which pretty much goes unnoticed by everyone in the room, except for two
'Seems like coach Endou is the only one catching onto his actual behaviour.' Tenma's eyes are not only sharp enough to detect the boy's grin, but also sharp enough to see that the adult has also caught a glimpse of it. Though that isn't exactly important at this moment, so to say
"Then that means you have to pass the entrance exam, right?"
"E-entrance exam?" Repeated Kariya incredulously, clearly not expecting a test in order to join
'Oops, I forgot.' Tenma on the other hand, has completely forgotten about the entrance exam, but he mostly felt a bit naïve for forgetting the pain he had endured during his exam 'Now I wish I could return the pain I've suffered.'
The brunet was in deep thought until the voice of his coach brought him back, asking if Kariya likes soccer. The teal headed boy's face was pretty much a picture on his own, as he slowly answered a stuttering yes to the adult, and surprisingly, that was it. That was all it took for the coach to accept him in the team, a pretty massive change from what the others have gone through, but it's not like there's a convincing reason for them to argue about it, so they just ended up accepting the 'exam' as it is.
~'0'~
Right off the bat, at the beginning of training, coach Endou placed Kariya as a defender with Kirino, going up against Tenma and Shindou who had to get pass them and score in.
The training began with Shindou being the dominant of the ball and then passing it to Tenma since he eventually got blocked. Tenma didn't have any problem with recieving the pass, but right after taking the ball under his dominance, he noticed that Kariya is very quick to catching up to him and the fact that he can't shake him off no matter how fast he runs
'Interesting.' Thought the brunet in his head, and suddenly, he sees the other smirking quite freakishly and a cold shiver runs down his spine 'Tch, I know that face...'
"Aaaaagh!" And with that loud scream, Tenma is now lying on the grass due to the painful body hit of the teal headed defender, Kariya on the other hand, simply kicked the ball outside the line right after knocking the brunet down
'Damn, that kind of hurts. Oh well, at least he didn't do it on one of my teammates.' The brunet is definitely not happy with that physical hit from the other, but on the bright side, he did keep his word to not go against his own teammates. Tenma then saw the teal headed boy lending him a hand to lift him up with his fake, angelic smile, which made him almost sweat drop at the sight of it 'Wow, what a change.
... Just play along with it.'
"That was great!" Says the brunet as he took the other's hand with a very realistic smile, which manages to fool pretty much everyone, including the coach
"I tried to stop you in whatever way I could and I ended up trusting my luck."
"No, you have very good speed and a great balance overall." Says the captain of the team as he went up to the two first years. Kariya seems to be getting shy when in reality he's just lowering his head down to hide his evil grin, which doesn't go unnoticed by Tenma
'God, I hate that smile of his.'
"That might've been a good play, but you went way too hard."
'Ooh, seems like Kirino-senpai is catching up too.' Tenma isn't actually sure if the other defender is seeing through the first year's fake mask or if he just said that because he saw the rough play he just did, but either way, it's not like he gives that much of a care to it, since he's very confident that sooner or later, either Kariya will show his true self or the rest will plainly find out
"Good job! Next team!" Announced the coach
"Hai!"
But right as Endou kicked the ball to one of the players, somebody else took it away and surprisingly, the one who took the ball is Kidou Yuuto
'Oh! I forgot that he's becoming the assistant coach.' Tenma isn't surprised at all by Kidou's sudden appearance, but more over by the fact that he's forgotten about something pretty important in his opinion, considering how worried he was for the team when he first heard that the older strategist is gonna become their assistant coach
"What are you doing here, Kidou?" The said adult simply smirked at the questioning coach
"I'm the new assistant coach of Raimon."
"Eh!?"
At the incredulous exclamations from the others, Kidou still kept his smirk on his face and Tenma couldn't help but compare the strategist's smirk with Kariya's smirks
'What's up with the smirks today!?'
Of course, Endou and Haruna both had major questions to ask, but Kidou held the most obvious and probably most logical answer of all, and that is to help the team get stronger, he also proceeded to reveal their next opponent
"Your next opponents will be Gassan Kunimitsu."
Everyone in the team knew who they are, especially since they've made quite the fame since last year in the nationals, but that only means that they have to work harder in order for this revolution to succeed.
~'0'~
'Phew, always feels good to have a nice and refreshing shower right after coming back.'
Tenma straight up just plopped on his bed with his towel behind his head, but eventually he sat up and began drying his hair like a normal person. But right as he began drying his hair, his phone also began playing his call recieving tune, so he picked it up and right on the screen he saw that the caller is Aki
"Hey, auntie."
"Hi Tenma." The sound of the woman's voice rang through the device "So, I called you to inform you that tomorrow, your team is going to play against my team, The Golden Oldies."
"Huh? But aren't you guys going to play against some other team tomorrow as well?"
"Well, we were, but they suddenly cancelled the match out of nowhere, and me and Kogure-kun ended up having to convince Endou-kun for your team to be the substitutes for that other team."
Tenma on the inside, was raging a bit from the other team's sudden and most importantly, selfish decision, but he kept his calmness for the most part, thinking that maybe the other team had ran into some kind of trouble or something along those lines
"Alright, thanks for the news auntie."
"You're welcome, bye Tenma, love you."
"Love you too, bye."
After that call, Tenma simply began drying off his hair again, not really thinking about tomorrow's match since it isn't 'important', so to say.
It took a little longer to dry off his hair then he would've liked, but in the end he got it done. Then he went into his walk-in closet to pick out something comfy and cozy for the rest of the night before changing into his pyjamas.
After he was done, he went back to his bed and his phone began ringing again, he picked it up and on the screen it said Kidou-san
"Hello, Tenma."
"Hello, Kidou-san, is there something you need?"
"Kind of, but first of all, I believe Aki has already told you tomorrow's match, right?" The young brunet simply hummed in response from the other side of the line "Ok, and as for me, I have something to tell you about Gassan Kunimitsu."
Tenma immediately got intrigued by the sudden topic of their next Holy Road opponents, but other than that, he could definitely detect a slight hint of worried undertone in the adult's voice
"What is it?" A worried voice coming from the older strategist is never a good sign, so Tenma began preparing his heart and mind for whatever information was coming in his way
"An ex-teammate of Raimon, Minamisawa Atsushi, is part of Gassan Kunimitsu."
"What!?" Tenma had to blink twice before taking in the words of the adult that's on the other side of the line. He seemingly remembers the significantly short amount of time he spent with the ex-teammate, a rather rough period to be exact
"It is exactly what you hear, I believe you already know who he is and I'm pretty sure you already know the fact that he left the school, but I also know for a fact that neither you or the others knew about him being part of your next opponents."
"We certainly didn't, did you tell the others?"
"No, I'm afraid their fighting spirit will collapse from hearing the news. But then again, it isn't a good idea to keep them in the dark either." Tenma can almost picture the grimacing expression on Kidou's face, and he certainly doesn't like it one bit, but then, a switch in his head suddenly clicked, though he isn't as confident as he should be at the thought of the newly created idea
"Tomorrow's the match against the Golden Oldies right?" Asked the brunet, the older strategist simply gave him a confused yet intrigued hum as a response "We can either tell them before the match starts or after the match finishes. Either way, they have to know about this."
Deep inside, Tenma knew it was a long shot, but he also knew that he's already hidden enough things from his team, and still is, not only from his teammates but also from his coaches - including Kidou -, so he doesn't want to hide anything additionally unnecessary, at least when it comes his teammates
"Alright, I'll tell them after tomorrow's match, but be prepared, because I might need you to lift their spirits up in your own ways."
"Got it, goodnight Kidou-san."
"Goodnight, Tenma."
After the call, Tenma was left thinking about tomorrow, mainly about the team's reaction and stability after they hear about the news, and needless to say, Tenma can already picture the scenario, and it isn't a good one
'Seems like I've got my work cut out for tomorrow...'
~'0'~
"Listen up everyone, today we're having a match against a team of adults. And today's match is simply about having fun, no more worries about the revolution and the Holy Road." Announced coach Endou to the team and the teammates themselves quickly grew fond of the idea of a friendly match, after all the grueling matches they've been playing, it's nice to finally have a well-deserved break
"We can do whatever we want, huh...?" As soon as Tenma heard the light whispering of Kariya, he quickly looked over and sure enough, there he saw him grinning like an evil scientist. But before he could even open his mouth, his senior - Kirino Ranmaru - took a step ahead of him to warn the other
'Kirino-senpai has caught on for sure.' To be able to detect Kariya's sly grin and knowing exactly what his intentions are, Tenma had no more doubts in his mind, the pink headed defender has definitely seen through the first year's fake self.
----
The match started off with Kurama having the ball and immediately using his hissatsu technique
"Sidewinder!"
His hissatsu may be strong, but the adults didn't come into this match unprepared
"Senpujin!"
Kogure managed to successfully stop the student's hissatsu and he proceeded the play by passing the ball to one of his own teammates, Johnny.
Once the adult has got the ball, he got blocked by the young brunet and after a few seconds, Tenma got passed him with the ball beneath his feet.
The match continued on as a friendly and very enjoyable game, until a certain point. It was supposedly Kirino's job to defend the spot where he was at, but Kariya suddenly ran off of his coordinated spot to steal the ball away from the opponent and kicking it out of the sidelines.
The senior was definitely not happy with the first year's bold movement since he left a big gap that could easily be trespassed, so he went up to him to give him a scolding, but when he least expected it, his scolding backfired to Kariya trying to rage the nuts out of him.
Tenma watched the entire thing unfold from his own spot and he could clearly see Kirino's displeasure and Kariya's hidden satisfaction
'This is no good.' Tenma can already imagine what kind of nasty things the teal headed defender is telling to the senior, so he certainly understands why Kirino is mad at Kariya and truthfully, he doesn't blame him, but even so, if the two of them don't get along anytime soon, it may become a lost cause for the entire team.
----
The second half of the match started with the adult's team having the ball under their possession, they got in front of the defenders and Kirino successfully swept the ball away, but then, an element of surprise suddenly came, Kariya suddenly bumped against him, or more like, body slammed against him. And as if that wasn't enough, the pink headed defender ended up catching a glimpse of the other's smirk before receiving a painful pressure on his foot.
The senior fell on his face and once he lifted his view up, he saw the teal headed defender smirking shamelessly at him
'Grrr...' Kirino really felt humiliated at that moment, but it's not like there's anything he can do to him, especially since he's a junior
'Oh god...' Tenma was already having a headache watching those two glaring at eachother, and seeing that somehow the others still aren't noticing Kariya's true self, he knows that he's on his own on this one 'Why me...'
The brunet was honestly internally crying, dramatically. He may not be a stranger to responsibility and duties, but it doesn't mean he likes it. Although, he knows that as a fellow teammate and friend, he has to do whatever it takes.
~'0'~
After the match, Kidou gathered the team together and without sugar-coating anything, he went straight to the main point and needless to say, the team were on the brim of breaking due to the news.
But Shindou then stepped up and encouraged the team to not give up, a very brave movement to do, and something to be expected from a captain.
The strategist's speech was soon followed by Tenma's union, and very soon, everyone was back on their feet once again and a huge wave of relief crashed over Kidou and Tenma's minds and spirits.
After that whole Gassan Kunimitsu ordeal, Tenma and Kariya agreed to walk together to their homes and Tenma took the opportunity to talk to Kariya about today's match's events
"Kariya."
"Hmm?"
"Why did you do that to Kirino-senpai? And don't come at me with your poker face, you know for a fact that it doesn't work on me."
Kariya wasn't shocked at all, after hanging out with the brunet for a while, he eventually realized that his first ever friend is full of surprises that can practically pop out of nowhere, in other words, he has gotten used to this by now
"Because his angry face is super funny, besides, I really do see him as the weakest link of the team. It would be better for everyone if he quits." Responded the teal headed defender while throwing his arms behind his head. The brunet on the other hand, instead of feeling furious, he felt a hole in his stomach
"It must be lonely to say something like that..."
"Huh?" Kariya turned around, only to see the other grimacing, with a pair of very dull orbs
"See you tomorrow." Said the brunet while walking past the other towards his house. By the time Tenma was gone, Kariya lifted his hand up to his heart and clasped the cloth with his fingers, he felt his heart pumping yet cold, loose but tight, but most importantly of all, it felt painful, almost as if it's crying
'What... Is this...?'
~'0'~
The next day, when Tenma had entered the school gates, he saw Kirino and Kariya face to face with eachother and he immediately sensed something he didn't like between them
'Oh no...' He didn't know what was going on, but his gut was telling him that it was anything but good. He ended approaching closer to the two of them while hiding behind a tree, he could've gotten even closer if he wanted to, but he only remained close enough to hear their conversation
"Are you a Seed?"
"A Seed?"
"A member of Fifth Sector who infiltrates in other teams to spread chaos, that's what I believe you are. Now answer me, are you a Seed or not?"
"Heh, believe what you want." And with that being said, Kariya left a very pissed off Kirino behind and went inside the school building. The pink headed senior didn't even bother to chase after him, since he's now even more confident that the other is an undercover member of their enemy.
Tenma let out a faint yet defeated sigh, he didn't expect their hatred against eachother to grow this much, he just hopes that he's still in time to turn the table around and make them actually build some kind of trust/bond
"Kirino-senpai." The said senior jumped a little at the sudden voice, but then, he quickly recovered from it
"Oh, Tenma, good morning. Is there something you need?" Kirino immediately sensed that something was about to go down based off of the serious look that the other was giving him
"Morning, senpai." Greeted back the brunet, and judging by the look on the senior's face, Tenma could already tell he knew that the other is fully aware that something was about to happen, so he just went straight to the core "And yes, there is something I would like to talk about and that is Kariya, specifically your assumption about him being a Seed."
Kirino has no clue how Tenma knows about his deduction on the teal headed defender, but he couldn't care less about that right now
"And what do you want to talk about that?" The senior seemed pretty pissed off by the unsettling topic, but he also didn't bother to avoid it
"I know for a fact that you and him haven't been getting along at all, but I would like for you to stop doubting him." Said the brunet calmly. The pink headed defender was right on the brim to say something, but Tenma managed to cut it in front of him "I know that he's faking his personality and I know he has bumped against me and you intentionally, during training and yesterday's match. But even so, I can assure you he's not a Seed by any chance."
"And how would you know?" Kirino seemed very skeptical about it, but that didn't faze Tenma at all, he was fully confident about his statement
"Which one of us has known him longer? You or me, senpai?"
The pink headed defender didn't know how to respond. It is true that Tenma has known the junior longer than anyone in the team, especially because he still vividly remembers the day when Kariya first joined and Tenma telling the team that he already knows him, so the chances of the brunet knowing the truth about the teal headed defender are actually much higher than he could've ever thought
"All I'm trying to say is, you can hate him as much as you want, that's all up to you Kirino-senpai. But all I'm asking, is for you to stop assuming things without solid proof, it's not good for either of you, and neither for the team."
With that being said, the brunet walked off to his class, leaving his processing senior behind.