3rd POV
Shindou and Akane: !
Akane: Thanks...?! Then Saegusa-chan really going to...?!
Shindou: ...Shirabe-san.
Beta: "Then it's settled! If you-"
Shirabe: "But no."
Beta: "...Eh?"
Everyone had their eyes on Shirabe.
Shirabe: "Thanks for the offer but... no. I refuse."
Akane: "Saegusa-chan...!"
Beta: "...Why? We have the same goal..."
Shirabe put her hand on her chest.
Shirabe: "True, we might have the same goal. But..."
Shirabe glared at Beta.
Shirabe: "You've hurt people I care about. And... you also stole something from Kiri-chan and I. It should be obvious we would never join you."
Beta scoffed.
Beta: "Well... that's too bad."
Beta smiled.
Beta: "I hoping to do this the nice way, but it seems you leave me no choice."
Beta threw a sphere device up in the air. Shirabe and Kirara immediately got into a defensive stance.
Beta: "Hehe, this what you get for being a bad girls."
Sphere Device: "Mind Control-"
Kirara quickly raise her hand up and her eyes glowed. Then suddenly the sphere device started malfunctioning.
Beta: ! "Tch. I forgot, that you're a second-stage child."
Kirara put her hand down and glared at Beta.
Kirara: "Leave while you can, next time won't be so easy."
Beta: "...Hmph."
With that Beta quickly ran with the sphere device into the woods. Kirara let out a sigh and her eyes went back to normal.
Shindou: "...."
Shindou looked to Akane and Okatsu.
Shindou: *whisper* "Okatsu-san, Yamana-san let's head back."
Akane: *whisper* "Eh? But Shin-sama..."
Shindou: *whisper* "Let's explain what plan you thought of to the others."
Shindou look to Okatsu.
Shindou: *whisper* "I'll explain everything later, Okatsu-san."
Okatsu nodded before the three left.
Kirara POV
Shirabe: "...Are they gone?"
I nodded.
"How rude... eavesdropping on us. Did you say no because they were there?"
Shirabe: "No. I meant every word. But..."
Shirabe turned to me.
Shirabe: "When did you learn to do that?"
I looked at my hand.
"...I, don't know myself. It's like... I've done before or remember something about it...."
Shirabe: "Hm... well anyway, it'll be awkward now with them."
"I'll say~"
I peeked over at Shirabe, she was looking at the ground.
"You really want those memories back?"
Shirabe: "...I want to know why I feel this way."
Shirabe placed a hand on her chest.
Shirabe: "Why does it hurt when I see them? Why do I want to support this team? The more we spend time with them, the more I see reason that we really did change."
"...Yeah."
*Timeskip*
3rd POV
Currently everyone was practicing dancing for the Sakura Viewing Party. They were taking a break and Miria saw Shindou and Okatsu sitting down together in the grass. After Okatsu left Miria noticed someone.
Miria: "Oh? Tsurugi?"
Miria quietly walked over to Tsurugi not disturbing Shindou who went back to practicing.
Miria: *whisper* "Tsurugi?"
Tsurugi: "Miria."
Miria: "Watching Shindou-senpai?"
Tsurugi: "Well... just thinking about some things."
Fei: "I see you've caught on to something."
They turned to the sound of Fei's voice.
Shindou: "Fei."
Fei: "Let me help you."
Shindou: "Thanks."
Then the two started practicing.
Shindou: "Fei."
Fei: "What is it?"
Shindou: "The reason why want to protect soccer is because you love it too, right?"
Fei: "No, that's not it."
Shindou: "Eh?"
Fei: "The word "love" isn't enough to express my feelings. That's because soccer is everything to me."
Shindou: "Everything... I see, it's that important to you..."
Fei: "Now, one more time!"
Shindou: "Yeah!"
Miria: "Everything...?"
Tsurugi: "Soccer is everything?"
Miria: "That's..."
Tsurugi and Miria became silent.
*Timeskip*
The time of the Sakura Viewing Party came and unfortunately everyone was caught to not be real dancers... Raimon ended up telling the truth that they came from the future and would play in a soccer match against Protocol Omega 2.0 as they posed as Imagawa Yoshimoto's retainers.
*Later that night*
Shinsuke: "It's boiled tofu!"
Shindou: "I'm sorry that you had to do all of this for us."
Okatsu: "Not at all..."
Shindou: ?
Okatsu: "Eat all you want! There's plenty to go around with."
Shindou: "..."
Shinsuke: "It's delicious!"
Tenma: "Yeah, it's so soft!"
Tasuke: "Of course it is! My family made this!"
Akane: "It has a nice color too."
Nishiki: "In any case, I'm surprised you told him he wouldn't rule the country."
Midori: "I didn't think you would tell him the truth."
Shindou: "He doesn't seem like the type to be fooled by superficial lie."
Nishiki: "Oh? Does this mean you're closer to understanding more about Nobunaga? In that case, your Mixi-max for next time will work for sure!"
Shindou: "No, not yet. The more I learn about him, the more I grow painfully aware of how different in size our vessels are."
Akane: "Shin-sama..."
Tasuke: "Oh yeah! Is it true that you guys came from the future?"
Everyone: !
Okatsu: "Tasuke!"
Tasuke: "But I want to know! Beside, that officer who caught you today was also from the White Deer Gang, isn't she?"
Fei: "You could tell?"
Tasuke: "Of course! Do those guys who call themselves Imagawa retainers have something to do with this, too?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Tasuke: "Did I say something wrong?"
Fei: "Maybe it's best we told you the truth."
Fei and Ciel looked at each other and Ciel hesitantly nodded.
Fei: "Our upcoming battle with Protocol Omega is going to be incomparably more difficult compared to the White Deer Gang."
Tenma: "Then I'll explain."
Okatsu: "... I'll go out to get more tofu...!"
Shirabe kept her eye on Okatsu as she left. Then after Tenma explained everything to Tasuke, Shirabe got up.
Kirara: "Shirabe?"
Shirabe: "I'm going to get a little fresh air."
Kirara: "... Okay. Don't stay out too long."
Shirabe smiled at Kirara as she gave her an understanding look.
Shirabe POV
I left the stronghold and looked around. Not too far away I found Okatsu. I quietly approached her from behind and sat down next to her.
Okatsu: "Saegusa-sama..."
"You can drop the -sama. We're around the same age after all."
Okatsu: ! "....."
"It's hard to believe, I know. That we're from the future."
Okatsu: "No... I believe you all."
"...You believe it but do you accept it?"
Okatsu: "....."
"...To tell you the truth, we're not just here to protect soccer."
Okatsu: "Eh?"
"Back home... everyone had friends that loved soccer too. But, those feelings got erased."
Okatsu: "Erased?"
"They aren't here with us now, Protocol Omega made them hate soccer. Which made them leave the team."
I looked at Okatsu with a blank face.
"Those friends... were important to Shindou-san."
Okatsu: ! "To Takuto-sama..."
"Shindou-san is fighting to get them both back."
Okatsu: "...But Saegusa-san, you and Shirogane-san don't mind if that comes true right?"
".....Yes, I don't care what happens."
Okatsu: "Then why..."
".....I too, with Kirara... we've lost our feelings for the team too."
Okatsu: "....Eh?"
"Kirara and I have no memories of the times we spent on the team, we're honestly only here because my mother told us to aid them. And yet..."
Shirabe looked down.
"And yet... they're fighting to get our memories back too. I thought it was weird. Someone else other than my family cared about us. Kirara and I were... bewildered."
Okatsu: "Saegusa-san..."
"We were bewildered but at the same time... delighted."
I slightly smiled.
"The more time we spent with them, the more I thought it was possible. That we really did... love being with everyone."
Okatsu: "That's a nice smile you have Saegusa-san."
I turn to Okatsu and smiled.
"Thank you."
The two of us became quiet before I spoke again.
"Okatsu-san."
Okatsu: ?
"I know this will be hard for you to accept. But... it's selfish of me but I hope you understand."
Okatsu: "....."
I got up and bowed to her before leaving.