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Chapter Text

Hiroto's childhood, and probably the only part of his childhood that he remembers clearly is this.

A red-haired child walks up to him with a soccer ball in hand and opens his mouth to speak about a dream. And at that moment, Hiroto felt as if time was going backward. Brown noise was ringing near his ears. 

Flashes of an alleyway, a case closed as an accidental death due to a government official's son being somehow involved, his father's mourning and revenge, Sun Garden, a boy whose appearance was alike him, Aliea Gakuen, fights, friendship, rivalry, near death, Kiyama-

"...Hiroto." Hiroto mutters under his breath.

Then, the spell is broken by the arrival of his father.

Hiroto watches quietly from the stairs as the red-haired child- no, Kiyama Hiroto runs over to him to greet his father. His father pets Kiyama Hiroto's head and asks the red-haired child how he got here.

A grotesque emotion swells inside Hiroto's heart, and he returns to the huge, white, and lonely mansion, leaving the scene without turning back.

There's another memory Hiroto remembers from his childhood.

This memory begins on January 2nd, Hiroto's birthday. He escapes from the big birthday party his father held for him through the first floor window. A big birthday party with a three-tier cake, confetti, balloons, and unknown people invited to it.

Since Hiroto met Kiyama Hiroto last year, he hasn't been able to sleep well. Memories from a past life cut short, and a memory of following a small red-haired child eager to please his foster father occurs in every dream.

Maybe it was because of the memories, but Hiroto doesn't know how to look forward to his birthdays. Because every time he thinks of his birth, the memories of his death appear along with them.

Hiroto runs and runs until his legs give out, until it's difficult to inhale and exhale oxygen properly, and he arrives just a few feet outside a building with a blue roof.

An image flashes in Hiroto's head. And he immediately knows what this building is.

Sun Garden, the memory engraves itself in Hiroto's mind. The Sun Garden in his memories looks slightly different(like, this building has blue roof tiles instead of pink) than the Sun Garden in front of him, but he knows it's still Sun Garden.

Hiroto tiptoes around the building. There are windows on the front, and dusty boxes plied on the left side of the building, and his eyes widen at the sight of a familiar road.

Hiroto hears the sound of a ball being kicked, and he walks near the edge of the road. There's a field at the end of the grass slope below, and he sees the Sun Garden kids running across the field playing soccer.

Hiroto stops in place and watches the Sun Garden kids shouting and laughing at each other. The moment his eyes see the field, another memory overlaps his vision. In that memory, his father is coaching the young Sun Garden kids.

("Fuusuke! Haruya is right there!")

Hiroto's father teaches them how to block, how to defend, how to dribble, and how to shoot. It's a simple happy memory of his father coaching the Sun Garden children how to play soccer, but then it changes just as quickly as it came.

("Hey, watch it! You almost hit me!")

Suddenly there's harsh training, children who are unable to see the emotional manipulation because they love their father so much, then there's a meteorite and-

"Watch out!" someone calls out.

A soccer ball grazes past Hiroto's right ear, and he snaps out of the memory.

"It flew towards the forest again?" an exasperated sigh came from a green-haired boy with black eyes(Midorikawa Ryuuji, Hiroto's memory corrects).

At those words, Hiroto turns around and walks in the direction where the soccer ball went flying. Behind him, he hears someone running up the stairs to catch up to him.

"W-" the voice behind Hiroto nearly trips on his own step, "-ait!" he turns to see Kiyama Hiroto balancing himself from his near fall.

"Let's go retrieve the ball together." Kiyama Hiroto said. Having no reason to refuse, Hiroto nods and the two children head into the forest together. With Hiroto leading at the front, and Kiyama Hiroto following behind.

Above them, they hear the sounds of birds chirping. A small breeze tickles Hiroto's face as he and Kiyama Hiroto carefully step over tree roots, rocks, and bushes. "It's been a long time since I've seen you." Kiyama Hiroto said, giving Hiroto a bright smile as they continued to walk through the forest. Not knowing how to respond, Hiroto merely nods.

"Right! I forgot to introduce myself back then." Hiroto glances back at Kiyama Hiroto, who's just said those words.

"My name is Tatsuya. And you must be..." Tatsuya? Hiroto blinks. That can't be right. The red-haired child in front of him should be Kiyama Hiroto, not Kiyama Tatsuya.

Additional memories carve their way into Hiroto's mind. It shows his father giving his name to a child nearly identical to his appearance after his death. It was his father's way of mourning, a means of hoping for the future.

Hiroto physically shakes the memories away with a pained expression, not noticing how Tatsuya's staring at him with confusion and concern.

Kiyama Tatsuya, Hiroto spells out the name in his mind. The memories swell inside his head. 'Tatsuya' must be the original name he had before he was given the name 'Hiroto', his name.

But in this world(or timeline, Hiroto isn't sure how this waking-up-with-memories-from-another-life thing works) Hiroto didn't die. Therefore there was no need for his father to pass on his name to someone else.

And that should be it. Hiroto is Hiroto, and Tatsuya is Tatsuya. A spectacular conclusion to these memories swirling about in his head.

But the name Kiyama Tatsuya feels inappropriate. It twists and turns and feels off.

"Kiyama Hiroto" Hiroto mutters, staring at the red-haired child with a blank expression.

Tatsuya blinks.

"Your name is Kiyama Hiroto." Hiroto repeats, this time with less uncertainty. The memories claw at him, it screeches from beneath the surface of his mind. The sensation is strange, but it feels right.

"Um, my name is Tatsuya, not Hiroto." Tatsuya replies, his eyes filled with pure confusion. Hiroto's face mirrors Tatsuya's expression.

"That can't be right." Hiroto said, unconsciously gripping his hair with his left hand. The red-haired child in front of him must be Kiyama Hiroto. Because it should be. It doesn't matter if Hiroto is alive or dead, calling the red-haired child in front of him other than Kiyama Hiroto feels so wrong.

Tatsuya opens his mouth to speak, sees the disoriented expression on Hiroto, and closes it.

"Kiyama Hiroto then." Tatsuya nods his head with a smile on his face, still feeling strange, but not wanting to upset the other at the moment. Then, his face brightens up as if remembering something. "What's your name?" he asks.

Hiroto loosens his grip on his hair and slowly lifts his eyes to meet Tatsuya's.

A small red-haired child turns right into an alleyway. It's the shortest route to the soccer training field. He smiles as he dribbles the ball along the way, thinking of what to do when he arrives. Then, there's pain, his small body falls on the cold hard stone, and he becomes nothing.

"Nothing." Hiroto replies with a blank expression. There isn't a name to call a person who was once dead. Tatsuya doesn't know how to respond to Hiroto's odd answer, so they ignore it and move along.

A few minutes later, Tatsuya and Hiroto found the missing soccer ball in a small bush, and they parted ways, the former not knowing how much of an impact this meeting will hold in the future.

Chapter Text

Hiroto couldn't bear going to school ever since he entered elementary school. Despite putting in the effort to stay put and be a good kid, sitting in one place for long periods made him restless. He wanted to get out, play soccer, anything but being forced to sit in a classroom for at least two-thirds of a single day.

Not only that but ever since he received his memories from another life, his dreams were plagued with it. And since his past life ended so shortly, each dream was always, always from Kiyama Hiroto's perspective. Some days, he was lucky enough to be blessed with a dream based on happy memories. On other days though, it was just plain nightmares.

On those days, he wakes up in the middle of the night with cold sweat. He sits up from his bed and goes to check the bathroom mirror if he has red hair instead of grey, or teal eyes instead of pink, and goes back to sleep again after making sure that he's here in the moment, alive.

In the second grade of elementary school, Hiroto pushed himself to skip a few classes. At first, he felt guilty for his actions. He knew that rationally, his father doesn't pay attention to him. After all, in his eyes, his father clearly loves Kiyama Hiroto, the golden child who deserves to inherit the Kira legacy.

Perhaps, his father's neglectfulness might've played a huge part in his decision leading him to skip classes. Yet Hiroto had still felt guilty nonetheless.

But as once became twice, and twice became a regular occurrence, his guilt slowly faded away and was replaced with relief. Relieved that, instead of sitting in a boring classroom with boring classmates and teachers, he was free to do anything. So naturally, he used the time he made himself to practice soccer.

Once, halfway through Hiroto's 4th grade of elementary school, Hitomiko came to his room a few minutes after he had returned from his daily personal soccer practice. Hitomiko pulled the chair beside Hiroto's bed and sat down while Hiroto sat on the edge of his bed. Just as Hiroto wonders why Hitomiko is here, she begins to speak.

And as Hiroto listens further and further, his eyes widen. Practicing soccer indoors in their mansion caught the attention of a new housemaid, who had reported what Hiroto did during school time to Kira Seijirou. After hearing that, their father called Hitomiko and suggested sending Hiroto to study soccer abroad because he was absent from school almost daily. As Hitomiko finishes her story, Hiroto stares back blankly.

"He said he wanted you to flourish your potential in the world." Hitomiko added. But Hiroto interprets it, 'He said he wanted to get rid of you from the house because of your bad behavior' as that. A nuisance to the Kira legacy. Besides that personal feeling, there was another reason Hiroto didn't like what his father was suggesting.

That being, the fact that his past life ended after he had been sent abroad for the exact same reason Hitomiko had told him right now.

The image of the small red-haired child flashes in Hiroto's head, and his breath hitches from the sudden chill running down his spine. The comfortable room suddenly turned suffocating at the realization. The walls felt like they were closing in, the ceiling lights seemed to flicker, and Hiroto's blood circulation slowed. Without a moment's hesitation, Hiroto bolted out of his room, leaving behind an alarmed Hitomiko calling out to him.

After that day, the mention of sending Hiroto abroad was never brought up ever again. Additionally, Hiroto went out of his way to avoid Hitomiko, his father, and everyone in the mansion as soon as he even felt their presence a few meters away. Going as far as switching his training route from the indoors of the mansion to outside the forest or any place where there were no people.

This is how Hiroto unintentionally mastered the skill of avoiding people.

When Hiroto was younger, he tried to do Kiyama Hiroto's signature Hissatsu, Ryuusei Blade. Back then, he had overestimated his small body's capability and passed out near his house. A few hours later, he woke up with a gasp, dusted off his clothes, and returned to his house as if nothing had happened.

After experiencing that, Hiroto paid more attention to his body while working himself to its limits, and also focused on making his own Hissatsu.

During his 4th grade in elementary school, the result of his hard work was a Hissatsu similar to Ryuusei Blade. But instead of a single concerned shoot point, it required acceleration from high-quality self-passes.

An explosive star equipped with superior individual play. No, much more than that. The beginning of the universe, the first explosion for the birth of stars. The physical theory of how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature.

The big bang.

The thought made Hiroto feel like a god.

Tomorrow was Hiroto's elementary school graduation. So naturally, he decided to steal one of his father's credit cards. Okay, perhaps this wasn't natural, but Hiroto couldn't care less, nor did he think his father would notice. Hiroto never asked his father for anything, nor what he wanted except for soccer balls. That's all. Soccer balls to practice soccer. And it would've continued to be that way if Hiroto hadn't seen a hair-dye video between soccer forums a few days ago.

Being the teenager Hiroto is, wanting to dye one's hair seemed pretty cool. It would also fit with his 'God Striker' persona on the field when he goes into a soccer team.

The day after, on Hiroto's elementary school graduation, he attended. Waiting til it ended just so Hiroto could walk to the main plaza for an hour on foot. If Hiroto wanted, he could've just called and asked one of the mansion staff to drive him there. But some deeply rooted part of him didn't fancy vehicles for some reason.

So, with the, in Hiroto's opinion, rightfully stolen credit card, Hiroto arrived at the main plaza and entered the closet hair salon. Entering the hair salon, an energetic man introduced himself as 'Atsushi-san' because that's what every other customer called him.

"What's your name, dear customer?" Atsushi asked cheerfully as Hiroto observed the inside of the hair salon. "Hiroto." Hiroto answered. "Hiroto-kun, yes? What a dazzling name!" Atsushi said. Hiroto stared back blankly. Despite Hiroto's lack of reaction, Atsushi's energy never went down. "I want to dye my hair." Hiroto spoke after a beat of silence.

After that, Atsushi enthusiastically asked many questions about how Hiroto wanted to do his hair. Hiroto was honestly skeptical of the hairdresser at first, but Atsushi handled his hair with precision and care. As Atsushi worked with Hiroto's hair, he threw in some gossip about how he would be moving to a different region in a few weeks and funny moments in his life.

Hiroto couldn't help but adorn a small smirk at Atsushi's storytelling. And he was very impressed when he saw the results of Atsushi's work.

After paying Atsushi, Hiroto receives his business card for his new hair salon location before leaving. Hiroto then goes on his way to buy lots of expensive chain bracelets in jewelry stores and even finds some cool fake tattoos in the shape of lightning, reminding Hiroto of Raimon.

That day was the most high-spirited Hiroto had felt in his life.

Hiroto arrives home late.

It's nothing new. Even if he's halfway through the first grade of middle school now, skipping most classes to practice soccer, and wandering outside during his free time leads to him arriving home late most of the time. However, today's reason for arriving home late was slightly different compared to other days.

During P.E. class, Hiroto heard some gossip about the Sun Garden children. Some nosy students somehow found out that the Sun Garden children were orphans raised by his father, and soon enough, word spread out across the entire school.

Hiroto quickly tuned out the other students and turned to walk away from the unnecessary gossip. Or was about to, when suddenly, one of them began to speak ill of the Sun Garden teens.

The rude student was talking about the way the Sun Garden teens acted, and how they talked and walked. They blamed all their behavior on the lack of parenting. And before they could take it any further, Hiroto, without a single cell of hesitation in his DNA, jumped and kicked them right in the head. A satisfying crack echoed throughout the gym.

The rude student fell onto the gym floor with a loud thud. Hiroto can't recall what happened next. He only knew that the gym suddenly became dead silent, and he ran away before the gym teacher could take him to the principal's office.

Hiroto clicks his tongue as he mentally shakes today's memory away from his head as he heads towards the Japanese traditional house behind the mansion. Why was he going there? Even he didn't know. He thinks he needs a change of space.

He quietly enters the front gate and takes off his shoes before walking through the exterior hallway. A few steps ahead, Hiroto hears muffled voices through the door of his father's room.

"I've heard that he's gotten into another fight with a student and inflicted harm on them. That boy is a disgrace to the Kira conglomerate." Kira Seijirou spoke. Hiroto's blood ran cold. "If this keeps up, he will be forced to go into custody." Kira Seijirou said.

"Isn't that because you made him that way?" Hiroto hears Hitomiko, his older sister who doesn't deserve any of his problematic behavior, firing back.

Kira Seijirou doesn't know, nor does Hiroto know that Hitomiko knows, but a few months ago, Hitomiko had spotted Hiroto sneak into his father's office room in the mansion and coming back out holding a drawing he made on a piece of paper with a complicated yet blank expression on his face.

Not only that but growing up, Hitomiko has spotted Hiroto nearly tearing up in frustration time and time again when he failed to get his father's attention. Eventually, he completely gave up.

"Me?" Kira Seijirou chuckles. Hitomiko's expression doesn't change, but her eyes are unnaturally steady as she stares at her father with a knowing look. "Never mind that." Kira Seijirou steers away from the conversation.

"Anyway, those are my conditions. This conversation is over. You may go." Kira Seijirou ends with no room for further discussion.

Outside the room, Hiroto hears his older sister standing up. His eyes widen and speed tip-toes away from the door. Hitomiko opens the door and leaves the room just after Hiroto is gone. She closes the door behind her and walks down the exterior hallways to her room where she left her phone.

A couple of minutes later, Hiroto arrived at the entrance door of the mansion and slowly breathed in and out. He hadn't expected his father to be at the Japanese traditional house tonight. He grimaces as he recalls the words he heard repeatedly in his head.

Just before Hiroto completely drowned in his father's words, a ting sound came from his left pants pocket. Hiroto fished out his phone and saw a message sent from his older sister Hitomiko.

Hitomiko-neesan : Hiroto, you asked me why there wasn't a soccer club in Eisei Academy a few months ago

Yeah, Hiroto will never forget how Hitomiko stared back at him blankly in the hallways of their mansion, and responded with, "I'll see what I can do." before turning away with a resolute stance. The next few days, Hiroto saw Hitomiko with quite a generous amount of soccer related manual books, finding just the right sponsorship and convincing a lot of people.

Hitomiko-neesan : Well, starting tomorrow you'll be attending Eisei Academy's soccer club with the Sun Garden children. I've already told the Sun Garden children about the details

Hiroto stares at the message for a while before it fully sinks in. Starting tomorrow, he'll meet all of them. The teens that haunt his memories, dreams, and nightmares.

Hitomiko-neesan : I know you read this, don't be late tomorrow

Like Hiroto would be late to something like this.

Hitomiko-neesan : And Hiroto

Hiroto waits.

Hitomiko-neesan : Just remember that you can always talk to me if you need anything, okay?

Hiroto's pretty sure Hitomiko wanted to ask about what happened today and stopped just before sending it. Because she's just that kind of person. A patient, considerate and caring person, unlike me, he thinks.

God Striker : ok

Hiroto quickly sends a single reply. He turns off his phone and puts it back in his left pants pocket. 

Now then, Hiroto thinks as he turns to the exit of the mansion. He reaches into his right pocket and takes out a light green bubblegum packet. He begins to chew on the apple-flavored bubblegum. Perhaps it was time to visit Sun Garden and introduce himself.

After making at least 20 bubbles from his light green bubblegum on the way, Hiroto finally arrives at the entrance of Sun Garden. He hears someone excitedly talking loudly on the rooftop.

"...Eisei is gonna get a soccer club!"

"Soccer club?"

Hiroto listens carefully around his surroundings as he sneaks into the building. He hears the shuffling of feet and the sound of the rooftop door being opened.

"...We're doing it, no matter what you say..."

The power of friendship and trusting teammates must be nice, Hiroto thinks to himself, amused. He finds the stairs to the rooftop.

"...I think we'd make a good team..."

The Sun Garden teens have no idea how accurate that statement is.

"Our team... In Football Frontier..."

Hiroto wonders how to introduce himself as he stands in front of the door to the rooftop.

In Hiroto's memories, Gran's entrance was quite dramatic. There was smoke and their opponents, Raimon, held their breath as Gran and his team stepped into view. He felt sorry for Raimon for the scare, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be awed at Gran's entrance.

"You want to go, don't you?"

This seems like the perfect timing to come out, Hiroto thinks. His entrance must be as dramatic and eerie as possible. So he opens the door, "Leave that chickenshit alone." and says whichever first thing that comes to mind. All heads turn to that strong language.

Hiroto takes slow and confident steps, chewing his light green bubblegum as he steps out from beneath the shadows to reveal himself. The Sun Garden children are unable to take their eyes off of him as he stops from a few feet away, and turns to them with an unreadable expression on his face while continuing to chew on his light green bubblegum.

"Who are you?" Ryuuji said, already defensive. Instead of replying, Hiroto levels him with an uninterested stare.

It doesn't take less than 5 seconds for Ryuuji's eyes to widen in recognition. "Wait you're..." Ryuuji trails off.

"Hiroto-san..." Reina finishes for him.

Hiroto's quite surprised by how Sun Garden teens already knew him. For a split second, he wonders if his father told them about him. No, wait, Hiroto stops himself. It's probably Hitomiko who talked about him. Not his father. He ignores the hollow feeling in his heart.

Hiroto stops chewing his light green bubblegum and gives a small smirk. "You know me? The name's Kira Hiroto." he introduces himself as condescendingly as possible. The tension on the rooftop becomes thicker.

"I heard from Hitomiko-neesan that you guys will be part of the team, so I came here to see what kind of people you were." Hiroto said. It was a half-truth.

"Kira..." Osamu trails off. Then, his eyes widen. "You mean, you're the chairman's son?" Osamu said, surprised.

"That's right. You've heard, haven't you? I'm the disgraceful son he keeps talking about." Hiroto said, placing his left hand just below his neck.

"I thought you'd joined a group of bad friends and ran away from home?" Natsuhiko asked. "Yeah, I heard that too." Geki said. Hiroto had heard some ridiculous rumors about him spreading in school, but he didn't think they were that bad.

Well, not that Hiroto cares too much about it anyway.

"Don't tell me that you're also part of the team?" Ryuuji asks, clearly not fond of the idea. Didn't nee-san tell them everything? Hiroto wonders as he turns to Ryuuji.

"You could say that." Hiroto replies with a smirk.

"Just asking, but can you play soccer?" Haruya calmly asks. And oh, how Hiroto wants to laugh at that. To him, asking if he's capable of playing soccer is like asking a living human being if they're capable of breathing.

Beside Haruya, Fuusuke opens his mouth. "I have no intentions of teaming up with a useless stupid son." he said, kicking a soccer ball near Hiroto's feet. Well, damn. Someone's got a sharp tongue, he thinks as he picks up the soccer ball with his left foot.

Hiroto lightly kicks the soccer ball up and down once, twice, thrice. He spots a light bulb hanging above the rooftop door, and the Sun Garden teens stand still as the soccer ball curves around Fuusuke and hits the light bulb, shattering it to pieces.

After the soccer ball hits the light bulb and onto the floor, Hiroto briefly glances over to Tatsuya, who looks like he has a lot of things he wants to say. Hiroto gives a sharp grin in his direction before turning to the rest of the Sun Garden teens.

"It's what you call "a skilled hawk hides its talons." Hiroto said calmly. Then, his eyes glint in glee.

"Listen up." Hiroto begins, wondering how to finish up his dramatic introduction. "All of you will bow down to me." because, in their past lives, they have shined brighter than him, "To Eisei's God Striker," now he'll be the one, "Master Kira Hiroto!" to shine above the rest.

Little by little, Hiroto's small chuckles switch to low evil laughter. Above the sky, moonlight shines down and reflects his pink eyes, making them glint brighter than the sun. The Sun Garden teens watch him wearily as his low evil laughter dies down. 

Hiroto's eyes turn to Tatsuya once again, and Tatsuya stares back. The Sun Garden teens are still wary of him, which is exactly what Hiroto wanted for his first introduction. He takes his eyes off Tatsuya and walks back towards the rooftop door.

Near it, Hiroto spots the shards of the broken light bulb. He slightly frowns at his work and with with his right shoe, he nudges the light bulb shards away from the rooftop door so that nobody accidentally steps on them.

"Well then," Hiroto's head turns to Tatsuya one last time, "I'll see you later Hiroto." before shutting the door behind him. Leaving a wide-eyed Tatsuya to deal with the swarm of questions aimed at him on the rooftop.

As Hiroto walks down the stairs, he thinks about how he always thought dramatic entrances and exits were over the top. But after his little show, well, he just can't help but find it fun.

Fun, huh? Hiroto stops walking and looks up to the sky. He wonders if that's really what he thinks, before shaking the ridiculous thought away.

So what if he heard his father say he's a disgrace? So what if there are bad rumors surrounding him? So what if his feelings for the Sun Garden teens and Tatsuya are complicated? He's a God Striker, he'll do as he pleases.

Chapter Text

In Kiyama Hiroto's memories, everyone in Raimon, Aliea Academy, and Inazuma Japan were amazing team players. Trusting each other, having their backs, and the pure loyalty each teammate had to their teams were admirable.

But Hiroto, who's currently in the second grade of middle school, in the early stages of the FF, is having too much fun to care about all that. Hoarding the ball all to himself, playing his opponent's heart into a false sense of hope before sinking them all in despair, making their discouragement grow with each passing time, and scoring on his own without his teammate's assistance was something he never imagined to be this thrilling.

"There he goes again!" Hiroto hears Ryuuji's frustrated voice from across the field as he scores another goal. Yes, there Hiroto goes again. Creating chaos for his teammates and darkness for their opponents. A god that does as he pleases, with adrenaline pumping in his veins.

Hiroto's plays don't resemble the magic of friendship and intimate bonds he has repeatedly seen in his memories time and time again. He relishes in this euphoric state. Breaking the traditional mold of teamwork and making his plays feels like fist-fighting fate and coming out victorious.

Then again, Hiroto's a god, an explosive god at that. And gods never follow fate, for they are fate themselves.

"Hiroto!" the voice that haunts his nightmares calls out to Hiroto. The image of a god shakes. Hiroto's ferocious grin visibly turns abated as he's locked in an unwanted stare match with Eisei Academy's captain, Kiyama Hiroto- no, Kiyama Tatsuya. Hiroto has to regularly differentiate between Kiyama Hiroto's memories and his current life's memories to stay in reality.

"What?" Hiroto retorts with what he hopes is a sharp tone. Judging by Tatsuya and the rest of Eisei Academy's reaction though, he thinks he failed to do so. It comes out more irritated than he had thought.

"Hiroto." Tatsuya tries again, knowing he has Hiroto's full attention. Hiroto notices how Tatsuya's eyes never sparkle like their first meeting. Instead, it's replaced with something else. Something more sharp and precise. It makes Hiroto slightly uncomfortable.

It also makes Hiroto want to cut off Tatsuya's next words before he can get them out, so Hiroto does exactly that. "What?" he snarks. He's being unnecessarily emotional, he realizes. He swallows once, and when he speaks again, his tone is back to his usual apathetic one. "Work together with my teammates? Pass more? Don't horde the ball?" he said, every syllable he let out tugging his heartstrings tighter and tighter, speaking the words he knew Tatsuya would say, what Tatsuya would want from a selfish person like him.

Because, unlike Hiroto, Tatsuya is a kind-hearted person who genuinely cares for others. That's what he thinks. If he's an explosive star, Tatsuya is the sky that transcends the earth. Hiroto's spark dulls whenever he's near Tatsuya. He thinks to himself how pathetic that is just as he hears the referee's whistle across the field. Reminding the players to resume the match. The tension that was radiating from Tatsuya and Hiroto dissipated.

Tatsuya has a lot of things he wants to say to Hiroto after this one-sided match, but he holds it in as he continues to stare at Hiroto. "Whatever." Hiroto clicks his tongue, turning his head away from those sharp and precise. You can do what you want, he doesn't say, as he walks back to his position.

After that one-sided conversation, Hiroto didn't repeat any reckless or sadistic moves he made before towards his teammates and opponents. He toned it down to just simply playing around, not letting anyone take the ball from him. Surprising all the players on the field, the audience, and even himself.

The next day, at Eisei Academy's soccer club practice, Hiroto was absent.

"Where's Hiroto?" Hitomiko asks the team, knowing full well what the answer will be.

"Probably went off to who knows where." Ryuuichirou said, crossing his arms in disinterest. Someone lets out a sigh from the other side of the training field.

"Seriously, where does he run off to?" Satoshi mutters to himself with a slight frown on his face. A few feet away, Kurara raises her right hand to get Hitomiko's attention. "Hitomiko-sensei, I saw Hiroto go off in the direction of the locker room a couple of minutes ago." she said calmly.

Before Hitomiko could respond, Fuusuke opened his mouth. "Oh good, now we know where he is. But it's not as if he's going to listen to us if we ask him to come back here." Fuusuke said in disdain. At his words, everyone in the team, except for Tatsuya and a few other people, collectively nodded.

"He might if Tatsuya's the one asking him." Haruya suddenly suggested.

The training field falls silent. And something clicks within Hitomiko. Growing up, no matter how much Hitomiko tried to get him to open up to her, or ask their father to have a proper conversation with her younger brother, she had never succeeded. This resulted in Hiroto distancing further away from her, their father, and other people.

No matter what anyone said or tried, Hiroto ignored all their efforts and did as he pleased. Yet whenever it was Tatsuya doing it, he would noticeably become passive. He stood still and listened to whatever Tatsuya said before placing his opinion.

After organizing her thoughts, a larger question appeared in Hitomiko's head.

Why Tatsuya? As in, why would Hiroto become like that around him?

"Why me?" Tatsuya blinks, curious about why Haruya thought that way.

Haruya stares at Tatsuya as if he'd just swallowed a soccer ball. "Haven't you noticed? He only listens when you're the one who's talking." Haruya answers.

Hana puts her fingers under her chin in a thinking motion. "Now that you've mentioned it, didn't you say you were the one that convinced Hiroto to attend a few classes?" she asks Tatsuya.

"Was that why he was at history class yesterday?" Reina, who was in the same class as Hiroto asked in surprise. Yesterday, Reina's entire class and their homeroom teacher were surprised at Hiroto's entrance. Her homeroom teacher looked like she wanted to say a lot of things, but wisely decided not to open her mouth as Hiroto quietly walked over to his seat. He listened to one-half of the class before standing up and exiting the classroom. 

A few feet away, Hitomiko's brain was trying to catch up to this new information. This was the first time she had heard any of that. From the field, Tatsuya stands still, thinking, before looking straight at Hitomiko. "I'm going to get Hiroto." Tatsuya said with a determined look on his face. The others glance at each other with worried expressions as Tatsuya jogs away from the field.

In the locker rooms, Hiroto was sitting on a chair placed in the middle with the lights turned off. He was blankly staring up at the ceiling, his smartphone placed on his lap facing upwards. Any media he was consuming previously forgotten on his brightly lit screen as he indulges in his thoughts.

Mainly the ones about Kiyama Hiroto, the child who did everything for his father after his death in the memories that aren't his. And this, Tatsuya who keeps dragging him around without a second thought. He doesn't know why, but it's almost irritating just how different yet similar the two are.

Outside, Tatsuya is walking through the hallways of the soccer stadium and finds the locker rooms. Kurara said he would be here, Tatsuya thinks as he pushes the door open. The locker room was dark save for a single smartphone light in the middle of the room. There in the middle of the room, sat Hiroto, who made himself comfortable on one of the locker room's chairs. 

The sight of Hiroto's nonchalant behavior, something about the way he sat without a care for the world stirred something within Tatsuya. "Hiroto! Get a grip already!" the words came out before he could think. Hiroto snaps out of his thoughts, his eyes open wide in shock, and turns his attention to Tatsuya.

Honestly, I shouldn't be this surprised, Hiroto reminds himself just how common these types of conversations are. He returns to his usual neutral expression as Tatsuya walks closer to him. "Why aren't you joining practice?" Tatsuya continues, stepping closer and closer until he's standing right in front of Hiroto.

"We're all serious about the Football Frontier." Tatsuya said. Hiroto wants to laugh at that. I'm serious too, Hiroto answers in his head. But what comes out is an apathetic, "Who cares if I'm at practice or not, you all seem to play better when I'm out of the picture." answer without any trace of emotion.

Tatsuya's expression hardens. "Our next opponent is Raimon and tougher than those we've faced before. We need your help." he said firmly. At the mention of Raimon, Hiroto's head clouds with all the memories from Kiyama Hiroto's matches against Raimon. He resists the urge to roll his eyes at Tatsuya needing the help of all people.

"My help? That's not what I would expect the golden child to say." Hiroto smirks, closing his eyes again as he waits for the memories to quiet down in his head. Tatsuya's frown deepens.

"I want everyone, as Eisei Academy, to give this tournament our all." Hiroto wishes Tatsuya would just shut up. "Winning the Football Frontier is a dream for all of us, who were raised at Sun Garden." Tatsuya said. Hiroto opens his neutral pink eyes to properly meet Tatsuya's determined teal ones. A dream. Tatsuya talks about a dream. Something about it provokes an ugly feeling bubbling from the core of Hiroto's soul. He desperately tries to search for the source of his agitation. And then, it clicks.

"Isn't that what you want?" Hiroto retorts. A dream that was Tatsuya's, but not his, never his.

Tatsuya looks taken aback. Hiroto stares into Tatsuya's eyes, challenging, daring him to say something back. Tatsuya slowly steadies himself and tries to answer. "That's..." he wavers, unsure of how to continue from here. He came here to convince Hiroto to come to practice, but instead, he's facing something that's lurking beneath the surface of Hiroto's mind. Hiroto ignores Tatsuya's inner struggle and pushes further. "Then what? You want my help with your dream?" Hiroto scoffs.

A few years ago, Hiroto once thought he would never feel proper emotions ever again. But here he is, arguing with Tatsuya. Not with his usual apathy, but with extreme aggravation. He stands up from his chair, shoving his phone into his left pants pocket as he steps just a few inches from Tatsuya.

Hiroto's feelings for Tatsuya are complicated. From the memories that weren't his, he felt grateful to Kiyama Hiroto for taking care of his father when he couldn't. In this life, while he couldn't help but feel empty whenever thinking about his father, he felt oddly grateful to this Tatsuya as well for doing what he couldn't. Yes, both Kiyama Hiroto and this Tatsuya took everything away from him, but despite it all, he doesn't hate, nor wants to hate Tatsuya.

Perhaps, that's why Hiroto listens to Tatsuya more than anyone else in this world.

But that's also why, Hiroto doesn't want to listen to Tatsuya right now.

"I'm leaving." Hiroto stated, after tense 10 seconds of silently staring at a speechless and unnerved Tatsuya. He wants to end this conversation before he has the slightest chance of feeling true anger and hatred towards the person in front of him. He walks out of the locker room and meets eye-to-eye with Reina and some of the Eisei Academy's soccer players.

Seriously? Hiroto thinks, annoyed. They must've followed Tatsuya and listened outside from the locker rooms. He walks past them without sparing a second glance and walks through the stadium's hallways. As he's walking, he hears footsteps of someone chasing after him from behind.

Hiroto, instinctively knowing whose footsteps those belong to, picks up his pace. The footsteps behind him speed up, and Hiroto has no choice but to slow down as Tatsuya blocks his path. Now they're face to face again.

"Hiroto, listen to me." Tatsuya said. Hiroto can't help but frown. "You're so," Hiroto tries to find the correct words, annoying, bothersome, infuriating- "stubborn." he finally settles on. Tatsuya isn't, or at least doesn't show he's bothered with what Hiroto said.  

"I'm sure that the chairman is expecting great things from you, too." Tatsuya tries. Wrong move. "Now that you're on the team-",

"He isn't expecting anything from me." The words come out too quickly from Hiroto's mouth. Tatsuya opens his mouth to speak again, but Hiroto shoots him down with a hard look.

"You should've heard what he said about me after that incident. You've probably heard all about it, right?" Hiroto said. Seeing Tatsuya's expression, it was safe to assume he did hear about the incident. Based on the rumors, Hiroto got into a one-sided fight with a student and inflicted harm on them in the school gym for reasons unknown.

"By my father's words, 'That boy is a disgrace to the Kira conglomerate.' as if I wanted his fancy hand-me-down company in the first place." Hiroto said, his gaze turning sharper. Tatsuya keeps his expression carefully neutral. "But unlike me," he can't help but feel a huge void in his heart as he continues, "he's expecting a lot from you. So keep it up and leave me alone." he finishes.

There's silence. Tatsuya was calm and contemplative as Hiroto waited for a response if any at all.

"Did Father really say that to you?" Tatsuya finally asks, looking slightly concerned. Hiroto can't help but blink at the question. Was that what Tatsuya had latched onto? He wondered as he answered, "Obviously." despite the sudden uncomfortable feeling in his chest. Tatsuya goes silent again. Hiroto's eyes twitch from the tension.

"I don't think that's right." Tatsuya said, giving a hard look.

I don't think that's right, the words echo throughout Hiroto's head. It twists and turns and he suddenly feels sick.

Tatsuya must've seen something in Hiroto's expression. Because he steps closer to him. "Hiroto, we should go and talk to-" Tatsuya's words are cut off by Hiroto abruptly turning away and walking to the other side of the stadium's hallway.

"Hiroto, wait." Tatsuya said, walking alongside him.

"Hiroto, listen to me." Tatsuya tries again.

Hiroto, that will be your new name. A memory that doesn't belong to him appears in Hiroto's mind as he ignores Tatsuya.

My new name? The child asks, his heart fluttering in anticipation. A new name was given to him by Father! Hiroto's head hurts. He and Tatsuya passed by the Eisei Academy members who were returning to the field. They look surprised at Hiroto's geniuely frustrated expression and Tatsuya trailing behind, telling him to stop as they keep walking.

Yes, it's a very special name. Father said, smiling warmly. Hiroto keeps walking. A special name? I promise to take care of it, thank you, Father. The child promises with his best serious expression. Father chuckles in amusement. Then, after a few moments, he looks out the window with a melancholy expression.

Hiroto's mind is becoming fuzzy, grey clouds are obscuring his vision. He wants the memories to stop clawing at him. "Leave me alone, Hiroto." he spits to the child of the previous life following right next to him. The red-haired teen stands shocked still as he leaves the stadium.

His father's mind, body, and soul broke down after Hiroto's death. But in this life, where Hiroto's now alive, his father could care less about him. The sheer irony was almost hilarious.

Chapter Text

Hiroto spends the next few days avoiding Tatsuya like the plague.

Tatsuya was the first to notice. Usually, during school recess time, he would see Hiroto lingering around Eisei Academy's hallways near Tatsuya's class, the schoolyard, or the soccer stadium. And they would have a few chats before Tatsuya's next class began.

However, on the first day after that conversation, Hiroto was nowhere to be seen. Tatsuya wanted to find Hiroto and work things out with him again, but unfortunately, with the match against Raimon coming up, he had no spare time for such. His schoolwork contributed to the factor as well.

Meanwhile Hiroto, during school time, was at Eisei Academy soccer stadium's field as always. Practicing his main hissatsu, along with some hissatsus he had seen in Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

And so Hiroto practices til Eisei's match against Raimon, despite having no intention nor desire to contribute in the next match.

The next few days pass quickly, and the fateful match against Raimon arrives.

Hiroto clicks his tongue in annoyance as a buzzing sound comes from his left pants pocket. He stops walking to fish out his smartphone and sees Hitomiko calling on the screen. Without hesitation, he mutes it and puts it back into his left pants pocket. He hears the roaring of the crowd as he enters the soccer stadium where Eisei and Raimon's match is held. He walks through the hallways, enters Eisei's vacant locker room, and places his Eisei Academy soccer club duffle bag in an empty locker.

Hiroto silently stares at his duffle bag, conflicted. He wants to go up against Raimon. It's not the same legendary Raimon from Kiyama Hiroto's memories, but it's still Raimon. The Raimon that Endou built and retained until that fateful exhibition match against Spain's Barcelona Orb.

Hiroto remembers watching the video from his desk, eyes filled with pure shock and disbelief at how badly Raimon had lost against Barcelona Orb. He couldn't believe that Raimon was so weak. But then, Kiyama Hiroto's memories reminded him of Raimon's matches against Aliea Academy. In the memories, Raimon lost over and over, each loss harder than the last. They went through entire episodes of losing multiple teammates, gaining new ones, went through grueling training just to narrowly beat Aliea Academy.

Because of Aliea Academy, Raimon went through physical and mental hell. But ironically, because of Aliea Academy, Raimon leveled up so much that they were more than enough to go up against world-level soccer at the Football Frontier International. As the memories plied in his head, Hiroto, for a just split second, thought that his death might've had much more meaning than being alive.

It was Hiroto's death that made his father grieve for him. Making Aliea Academy in the process, and resulting in making strong soccer players. He remembers feeling a sudden void in his chest at that thought, and how he immediately jumped off his bed to leave the house with his soccer ball held underneath his left arm.

Hiroto was never the type to want to indulge the implications of his unconscious thoughts, so he simply did what he always did. Training vigorously in the forest near his house, alone. Or inside Eisei Academy's soccer stadium during school time. Following the training regimen of Aliea Academy and Raimon from Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

Hiroto closes the locker door before heading out to the soccer stadium hallways. He walks up the stairs and watches Eisei fighting Raimon from the top of the stadium. The match had barely started, and it was already getting intense. Players from both Eisei and Raimon decided to go all out, and his eyes rapidly scanned the field as the ball went back and forth. No no, to the left, he scolds Osamu in his head as the ball goes into Eisei's net.

Hiroto blinks, once. He wasn't even playing the match down below, and his heart was already beating in excitement. For a moment, he had considered running down to the field, ignoring the current tension with Tatsuya. Just as the thought occurs, he sees Tatsuya on one knee, clutching onto his left ankle in what looks like pain.

Huh? Hiroto thinks as he stares down at the field, his eyes slightly widening.

"Looks like something's happened to Kiyama Tatsuya!" the commentator said.

What? is the only thing Hiroto can think of right now. The commentator's voice rings over the stadium, but it doesn't fully register in his head. He couldn't believe the child plaguing his memories and dreams whose plays were strong and sharp, was so careless in this life. With that thought, he watches blankly as the match continues with a stubborn Tatsuya who keeps straining himself as his injury worsens.

Hiroto watches the match continuing with Raimon taking the lead. His eyes scan every player until he sees it, Tatsuya's eyes glistening with, desperation?, he thinks. No, that's not desperation, he quickly realizes as he keeps watching the match. What Tatsuya had wasn't weak desperation, it was a spark, a fierce determination to see this match til the end.

What the hell, Hiroto curses in his head. And before he could properly register his behavior, he turned around and speed-walked back into the soccer stadium's hallways and down to Eisei's locker room.

"Without Kira Hiroto present, he can't afford to go on the bench during this important game!" Hiroto hears the faint voice of the commentator talking as he walks along the hallways. He reaches Eisei's locker room, walks over to his locker, opens it, and grabs Eisei's uniform out of his bag. He hurriedly changes into his uniform and leaves the locker room before heading towards the soccer stadium's exit to the field.

4-2 with Raimon in the lead, and Tatsuya doesn't look like he's going to stop playing anytime soon, got to get 2 to 3 more points before he gets impatient or something, Hiroto subconsciously thinks as he steps outside the soccer stadium's hallways, the sunlight shining brightly above. 

"I'm going back on the field!" Hiroto hears Tatsuya saying to Hitomiko.

"Please. It can't end like this!" Tatsuya continues to say, almost begging to be let go, staring straight at Hitomiko's eyes with an unwavering gaze. Hitomiko's eyes falter, just barely noticeable, before hardening once more. And she speaks, in a firm tone,

"You can't-"

"Nah nah!" and is unexpectedly immediately cut off by Hiroto who's right behind. "It's me who's going out there, y'know." he continues, walking closer to Tatsuya, as Hitomiko exclaims Hiroto's name in surprise. Tatsuya looks down at his left ankle in frustration, adrenaline still high from the match. "I'm not switching out with you." he said.

"Huh? Who said that?" Hiroto immediately responded, expression neutral. Tatsuya looks up, blinking in confusion. "I'm not substituting you," he continues, and he can feel Tatsuya's eyes slightly widening bit by bit as if the sun switched with the moon. Hiroto isn't particularly a violent person, but for a split second, he wanted to smack Tatsuya on the head for giving him such a look.

Hiroto continues. "I'm just buying you some more time." time that means something to you, "Use it to heal up that leg, then come back." because, to the world, you're the brightest shining star on this field right now, "You're gonna be running on that field til the final whistle." because you won't settle for anything less, his neutral yet firm speech and inner subconscious thoughts clashed as he looks down at Tatsuya with an unreadable expression. 

"Why...?" Tatsuya asks, wondering what Hiroto could be thinking right now.

"No reason." Hiroto simply responds because it's the only truth he sees right now, just as the referee's whistle blew from the field.

"There's been an accident!" the commentator said, and Hiroto turned his gaze from Tatsuya to the field and saw Haruya lying down, Raimon player number 5 panicking in front of him. Another accident? What? Again? Hiroto wonders for a second. It seems like the sudden curse of injuries, starting from Tatsuya, spread to Haruya.

Hiroto can't help but slightly frown as the commentator speaks, "Eisei Academy is switching Nagumo Haruya out! Substituting him is..." he takes one step onto the field and suddenly, images from one of Kiyama Hiroto's memories overlap with reality for a moment, "Kira Hiroto!" the commentator finishes.

That never happened before, Hiroto thinks, blinking in surprise. Kiyama Hiroto's memories never overlapped a match before. He decides to ignore it for now as he observes the other team, Raimon, staring at him with either caution or nervousness. He can't help but click his tongue at the sight. Bunch of weaklings, he thinks as he steps onto the field. The Raimon in Kiyama Hiroto's memories and the former Raimon in this life wouldn't be afraid like them.

The match resumes, and Hiroto is already running down the field, dribbling the soccer ball. "Kira Hiroto moves quickly up the field!" Hiroto hears the commentator speak as the crowd cheers in excitement. He knows that nobody on this field stands a chance against him. He skillfully dribbles past several Raimon players with his high-level individual play and reaches just a few meters away from the goal.

Hiroto shoots the soccer ball up, it's lifted high into the air, and the accumulated energy is returned many times in the air, exploding all at once.

The Explosion!

The shooting technique that thrusts the ball into the goal with such momentum. The ball hits the net before Raimon's goalkeeper could use a hissatsu. Hiroto hears the crowd roar from their seats as, "Goal!" the commentator yells over the mic, the score switching to 4-3.

"No goal! Raimon's defense just narrowly blocks the ball!" the commentator yells over the mic, silently relieved that Raimon protected their goal. Hiroto stands still in place, barely managing to keep his expression neutral as Kiyama Hiroto's memories overlap with reality in his head.

"Norika!", he hears two frantic voices from Raimon, clearly worried about their goalkeeper. "Tsunami-san!" the frantic yet relieved voice, Tachimukai, is shocked. He's looking back at Tsunami who landed upside down in the net after blocking the ball. 

"Hey! What are you looking at?" Hiroto snaps out from Kiyama Hiroto's memories as he turns his head to Raimon player number 9 who had just called out to him. He decides to give Raimon player number 9 a small smirk, before jogging back to Eisei's side, preparing for the next round.

Hiroto slightly turns his head to glance towards Eisei's bench to see how Tatsuya's doing. Hiroto's eyes accidentally meet Tatsuya's and he quickly tears them away to focus back on the match. Meanwhile, Tatsuya is still wondering what Hiroto could be thinking about as the referee's whistle signals for the match to continue.

"Raimon can't allow Eisei Academy to catch up, but this is Eisei's chance to even the score!" the commentator said. The crowd cheers louder as Raimon player number 10 runs to Eisei's side of the field. Reina slides in for the steal. She kicks it toward Hiroto and clutches her right ankle in pain.

"Oh dear... Has Yagami hurt her leg?" the commentator said as Hiroto saw the ball coming towards him. If he weren't in the match, he might've seriously considered making a bet on just how many Eisei players were going to get hurt today.

Hiroto sees Raimon tensing up the moment he receives the ball passed to him. "Let's go!" he said to himself as a bright yellow and pink light surrounded him. He's not going to give Raimon a single chance to stand their ground.

Zigzag Strike!

Hiroto slips through the Raimon front-line players' offense and defense with ease. "He really is scary!" Raimon player number 5 exclaims as Hiroto gathers energy for his shot. "You'll be fine, Golem! You can't let fear take over all the time!" Raimon player number 4 encourages from behind.

"We'll stop it!", "Perfect Tower!", "In this crisis, a new hissatsu technique is born!" the memories overlap, and Hiroto can't help but smirk as he watches the Raimon player's determined expression. Compared to the Raimon in Kiyama Hiroto's memories, their determination is like a storm without the rain, a half-baked immature will.

Hah! Bravery won't get you guys anywhere! Hiroto unconsciously thinks as he kicks the ball earlier than he had planned. Both Raimon's defender and their goalkeeper couldn't even conjure up their hissatsu techniques as the ball quickly went in.

"G--Goal!" the score turns to 4-4 as the commentator exclaims, stunned. "Truly, this right here is the ultimate individual play!" the commentator said. "I have Father on my side! As long as Father is there, I don't need friends!" Kiyama Hiroto shouts in his head as he- Hiroto tries to forcefully stop the memories from boldly showing in his head, and while doing so, he can't help but slightly grimace.

Hiroto continues to play despite the match slowly taking a toll on him. Not physically, but mentally. Kiyama Hiroto's memories begin to overlap strongly with reality to the point where it's difficult to discern which is which.

"Kira can't be stopped! But he's gradually showing signs of fatigue!" the commentator said.


Shut up! Hiroto snaps in his head as another memory overlaps with reality while he continues to dribble the soccer ball. He knows just what potential high-level monsters could be in the soccer world based on Kiyama Hiroto's memories, and he had made sure to practice much more efficiently than others to accommodate the world level since he was a child.

Objectively speaking, he had the potential to become world-class. And he would've played as such in previous matches if the other team weren't so weak. Which led to him not taking them seriously, and playing around with his opponents in every single possible way he could think of. If only he had the luxury to do that in this match as well.


"Five minutes left in the first half, and Eisei Academy is putting Kiyama Tatsuya back on the field!" the commentator spoke, and Hiroto shifted his eyes to Tatsuya stretching his legs to test his current state before stepping onto the field. Hiroto takes that as a cue to leave the field.


"Wait, Hiroto, where are you going?" Tatsuya asks, stopping Hiroto midway on the field. Hiroto looks straight into his eyes. "Didn't I say that I'm not substituting you? I'm keeping my word." he answered, his expression unreadable.

Tatsuya looked conflicted. "That was what you said but I was hoping that..." We could play together this time, but he doesn't finish. Hiroto is already walking off the field and takes a water bottle from the bench.

"W--W-What? Is Kira Hiroto leaving?" the commentator exclaimed, the crowd equally confused as Hiroto headed into the soccer stadium and out of sight from the world.

Chapter Text

Yesterday, Eisei lost the match against Raimon. The injured Eisei members, including Tatsuya, and along with Hiroto's departure at the end of the first half, put Eisei at a major disadvantage. Raimon took the opportunity and ended the score with 6-4.

After the match, Haruya and Reina, who got objectively minor injuries were good to go after resting for a single day. However, Tatsuya's injury was slightly more severe so he was told to take it easy and rest for two more days before returning to practice. That's what Hiroto heard from Hitomiko through their messages, and that should've been the end.

"So why are you here?" Hiroto questioned, slight irritation slipping out of his voice as he stared at the person before him. After his daily morning soccer practice and breakfast routine, he was lying down on his stomach in his bed watching Eisei's match against Raimon yesterday on his tablet propped up with one of his pillows. It was a perfect Sunday morning until a certain someone decided to knock on his room's door calling his name.

Hiroto ignored them during the first few knocks, hoping the person on the other side of his room's door would stop. But Hiroto had unfortunately underestimated their stubbornness and was subjected to the opposite of peace. "Hiroto, I know you're in there. I met coach Hitomiko downstairs and she told me you're in your room." they had said. Reluctantly, Hiroto hopped off his bed to open the room's door, and let them inside. Now they were face to face with Hiroto sitting cross-legged on his bed while Tatsuya, the stubborn person who kept knocking on Hiroto's door, sat on one of his spare chairs.

"I just wanted to talk to you, Hiroto." Tatsuya replied to Hiroto's question. Like that wasn't obvious, Hiroto thought, holding back the urge to roll his eyes. Tatsuya takes Hiroto's silence as a sign to continue. "Do you remember our first meeting?" Tatsuya asks, throwing Hiroto for a loop. Why the hell are you asking that all of a sudden? Hiroto wonders. But instead of voicing his thoughts, he gives Tatsuya a short nod, slightly curious as to where this conversation will lead.

Tatsuya takes a moment to think about what to say. There's a lot he wants to ask Hiroto. Questions like, 'Why did you come to the match yesterday? And why did you leave?', or maybe something more personal like, 'Why do you look so bitter whenever Father is mentioned? What exactly happened between you two?', and so on.

However, those could be saved for later, as Tatsuya came here to ask the one single question lingering in his mind for many years. "When we met for the second time," Tatsuya begins, "you insisted on calling me 'Kiyama Hiroto' even after I introduced myself." he speaks, voice steady and calm. Hiroto stares back, unsure of how to react. "Not only then, but on Sun Garden's rooftops. And even in Eisei's stadium hallways you..." Tatsuya trails off as he meets Hiroto's eyes slightly narrowing in disdain at the mention of the conversation they held in Eisei stadium hallways.

Tatsuya closes and opens his eyes slowly to steady himself. "Anyways, my point is, you keep calling me by your name. And I was hoping you could tell me why." he said. Hiroto stares back with a blank expression, unsure of how to react. Truthfully, calling Tatsuya, 'Hiroto' was something that happened whenever Kiyama Hiroto's memories occasionally overlapped with his, or when he was emotionally overwhelmed. It was never something he did intentionally.

"It just feels right." Hiroto finally answers after a few seconds of silence because he frankly had no idea how else to respond. Whatever answer Tatsuya was hoping for, it certainly wasn't that. "It just feels right? Hiroto, I don't understand." Tatsuya responded, raising a brow. "Too bad for you then." Hiroto mutters as he uncrosses his legs and gets off his bed. It's only been a few minutes, but he's done with this conversation.

"This was a waste of time." Hiroto said, his tone laced with his usual apathy as he walked towards where Tatsuya sat. Hiroto stops just a step away from Tatsuya's feet and glances down at his left ankle wrapped with an elastic bandage peaking through the ends of the long pants. "I don't know why you decided to barge into my room for a simple chat." Hiroto said.

"But you should leave." Hiroto spoke as he slightly tilted his head to his room's door far behind him. Hiroto then stares down at a frowning Tatsuya. Hiroto keeps an unreadable expression as he waits for Tatsuya to stand up, leave, never to return here again. This is why Hiroto blinks when Tatsuya opens his mouth and says a firm,

"No." and Hiroto can only blankly stare back.

Silence. It stretches out for a good few seconds. Then, "I'm not making the same mistake twice." Tatsuya begins calmly. He usually doesn't think too deeply about things. However, Hiroto's contradicting words and actions made it impossible for him not to ponder. "You're difficult to understand and stubborn to a fault. So I prepared myself to go forward even without you." Tatsuya's expression hardens as he says this, remembering how he felt before Eisei's match against Raimon.

"But then," Tatsuya pauses for a moment, "you came to the match, and played with us to stand against Raimon." he continues. So what? Hiroto questions in his head. "It means you want to fight with us." Tatsuya said, so sure of himself as if answering correctly on a golden point question on an exam. Hiroto wants to throw that golden point back to Tatsuya's, in his opinion, stupid naive face.

Hiroto hates having complex conversations like these. He'd rather return to his usual apathetic self than feel these unorganized mixed ugly emotions in the middle of his room. "I only took your place cause you guys were losing pathetically." Hiroto said, wanting and hoping desperately Tatsuya would get the hint and leave. But of course, once again, Tatsuya shows his stubbornness and the power to say absurd things that catch Hiroto off balance.

"Hiroto. I'm sorry." Tatsuya suddenly said. "Your behavior isn't... favorable to others, and everything in our team would be much easier if we could all work together." Tatsuya continues, as Hiroto falls silent. "But that doesn't mean we should've given up on reaching out to our teammate." especially since it seems you didn't give up on us in that match, Tatsuya doesn't say the rest of what was in his unconscious mind.

"Why the hell are you saying sorry for?" Hiroto mutters under his breath, his eyes slightly wide and becoming more overwhelmed with ugly and complex emotions. Tatsuya looks thoughtful for a brief moment, then responds with a simple, "It just feels right." throwing Hiroto's earlier words back to him.

"You, what, huh?" Hiroto is stumped as he lets out these words. He takes a few steps back and slowly sits back on his bed. Ah... aha, Hiroto feels like he's going insane. What is this? Hiroto unconsciously asks himself as he stares blankly down at his lap. "You're genuinely stupid if you think I would just accept that weird nonsense apology." Hiroto said, trying to ease his internal warfare with unintentional and meaningless words as he stared back at Tatsuya with a raised brow.

Tatsuya shakes his head slightly as he responds with a blunt, "I wasn't expecting anything." and stands up from his chair. "All I ask of you is for you to work together more. I think we can all be a good team." Tatsuya nods to himself.

Then, with that, Tatsuya starts heading towards Hiroto's room door. Hiroto snaps his attention to him. "Wait, you're leaving? Just like that?" Hiroto asks, quickly standing up from his bed.  "Hm?" Tatsuya turns back and makes a noise akin to confusion. "I'm not going to ask any more questions,", even though a proper answer to those questions would've been nice, Tatsuya thinks, "so I'll leave the choice to you." and conveys his intentions to Hiroto.

"Since when did you give me a choice on whether or not I'll work together with the team?" Hiroto mutters under his breath. "No, I mean." Hiroto tries to say something, "Eisei is having a day off tomorrow. " but he has no clue on what. Hiroto doesn't understand why he stopped Tatsuya from leaving his room when that's all he ever wanted before Tatsuya even entered his room.

"Let's go watch tomorrow's match together." Hiroto settles on eventually. "Tomorrow?" Tatsuya looks at him, surprise clear on his face. "Since you're out for a few more days," hinting at Tatsuya's injury, "maybe watching Raimon's match against Tonegawa Tousen will ease your boredom." Hiroto finishes.

Hiroto has difficulty understanding why he's offering to spend time with the person he fought with merely two days ago. Perhaps he felt the need to understand why and how Tatsuya was doing this and maybe, just maybe, try just a little bit better as well since Tatsuya made an effort to continue to reach out to him even after their argument.

Today was Monday, and Eisei Academy was conveniently having a day off so there weren't any classes to attend. Most students were thrilled, and some students were not. Eisei Academy's soccer club took this chance to practice even more. And Hiroto used this day to bring Tatsuya to Raimon's match against Tonegawa Tousen and secure a seat somewhere in the secluded part of the stadium.

The stadium went crazy with cheers as Tonegawa Tousen, or more accurately Endou Mamoru, came into view. Hiroto was no exception. He wasn't cheering, "Endou! Endou! Endou!" loudly like most of the crowd, but there was a very small but noticeable grin on his face, and his eyes were glinting with excitement. Even if he knew the Endou on the field wasn't the same Endou in Kiyama Hiroto's memories it still felt like meeting an old friend after a long time.

And it has been a long time since Hiroto saw Endou. The last time Hiroto saw Endou was when he watched the old Raimon's exhibition match against Barcelona Orb last year. He was secretly looking forward to Endou's growth since that day. Meanwhile, Tatsuya who was sitting beside Hiroto is slightly surprised. Tatsuya had never seen Hiroto showing genuine excitement that wasn't condescending or showing overwhelming confidence.

The match begins with Raimon quickly passing around the ball. The ball ended up to Raimon player number 9 who got near the penalty area and kicked the ball, only for it to be stopped with ease by Endou. Then, Raimon player number 11, showing frustration, took the ball from Raimon player number 9 and shot his own Fire Tornado.

However, Endou just smiled. And in the most savage way Hiroto had ever seen someone block a shot, Endou kicked back Fire Tornado. That was so badass! Hiroto exclaimed in his mind, looking at Endou's direction in glee. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew objectively the current Raimon was no match for Endou's goalkeeping skills, therefore he did not need to be surprised. However, he was too immersed in the match to care about his illogical excitement.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Tatsuya commented beside him. Hiroto snapped his head back to him and frowned at Tatsuya's expression. "What's that face for?" Hiroto asked Tatsuya, who simply shook his head. "It's nothing." Tatsuya turned his attention back to the match. Hiroto muttered something unintelligible before being immersed in the match once again.

The match was truly dramatic. Raimon fell apart after Tonegawa Tousen came back with exceptional team play. Quite the opposite of how I play, Hiroto thought briefly. Then watched as Raimon's captain talked to Endou at half time, and after that gave a very motivational speech to all the Raimon players.

After their captain united all the Raimon players, the team began to push back and somehow managed to earn a score against Endou. For someone who boasts about being the 'God Striker' and playing solo, you seem pretty interested in their teamwork, Tatsuya muses, glancing at Hiroto as the injured Tonegawa Tousen player number 7 gets carried away by a stretcher. Hiroto watches Endou smashing his right fist against his left open palm in frustration.

The match continues with Raimon taking the flow now that Tonegawa Tousen has gone down to 10 players. Tonegawa Tousen tried their best, but their stamina was steadily draining, and Raimon was leading ahead smoothly until, "Change of player!" Hiroto hears someone exclaim from the field. Hiroto's eyes quickly shift from the field to the person who said those words.

Is... that a tail? What the? Hiroto's thoughts halt to a stop. His confusion is extended further when the commentator says, "Now, Tonegawa Tousen will change their players.", on the big screen in the stadium, it shows the players exchange, "This is Tanukigahara Ponko's debut match. What kind of play will she show us?" and that's when Hiroto decides to drop it.

Hiroto has seen fake Aliens, Angels, Demons, Kappas, and real Aliens in Kiyama Hiroto's memories. He shouldn't be surprised that a living, breathing Tanuki potentially exists as well. The match continues, with both teams pushing each other to their limits and during the last few minutes of the match, Raimon somehow manages to score a final point against Endou with their half-baked 3-person Hissatsu.

How the hell does Raimon win every time? Hiroto ponders for a moment as the crowd cheers and roars across the stadium. Hiroto's immersion in the match slowly fades away as some teammates shake hands with the opposing team in respect, and he suddenly remembers Tatsuya exists right beside him.

Hiroto turns his head to see Tatsuya staring back at him. "Let's get going since the match ended." Hiroto awkwardly said, standing up from his seat and heading towards the stairs to the inside of the stadium. Tatsuya follows right beside him. "It was unexpected, but thanks for inviting me Hiroto." Tatsuya said, smiling. "Yeah yeah, whatever." Hiroto answers without looking.

The sound of Hiroto's chain bracelets jingling against each other was the loudest in the stadium's hallways as the two continued to walk toward the exit a couple of meters away. On usual days, the silence wouldn't bother Hiroto a single bit. It would've been freeing and made him feel at ease. But right now, it was the most suffocating entity in these hallways.

So, after thinking for a second, Hiroto decided to speak what was on his mind. "Hey, about yesterday." Hiroto begins, and Tatsuya turns to him, attentively listening. "I couldn't answer your questions 'cause they were weird as hell." Hiroto continues, subconsciously shoving his hands in his pockets for comfort. He knows that if he were in Tatsuya's position, he would be asking the same questions as well.

"But the last thing you said to me," Hiroto stops and gives Tatsuya an unreadable expression, "I'll accept. Your weird giving-me-a-choice thing. You'd just annoy me to death if I didn't accept anyway." he shrugs. "I wouldn't do that." Tatsuya frowns, before stopping himself. "But I'm glad. Thank you, Hiroto." Tatsuya responds, smiling. Hiroto wordlessly nods back, having nothing more to say.

That's when they both hear two pairs of voices talking to each other coming from the other side around the corner. "Let's wait for Endou around here. His team will surely pass through these parts." a familiar voice said. Wait a minute, is that- Hiroto's thoughts were interrupted as two figures appeared from the corner and showed themselves.

Gouenji and Kazemaru? What are they doing here? Hiroto's eyes slightly widen in surprise and a bit of awkwardness. Even if they eventually became teammates and friends who covered each other's backs, the horrible things Gouenji and Kazemaru went through because of the Aliea Academy incident in Kiyama Hiroto's memories made Hiroto feel slightly strange to see them in front of him like this.

Beside Hiroto, Tatsuya's eyes widen for a completely different reason. "Gouenji-kun and Kazemaru-kun?" Tatsuya said in slight awe. Tatsuya had seen old Raimon's first-year matches and was shocked to see two rightfully respectable legends in front of him.

Gouenji and Kazemaru meet Hiroto and Tatsuya's wide eyes. "Ah, you must be Kiyama from Eisei Academy?" Kazemaru said, looking at Tatsuya. "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you both." Tatsuya said. Gouenji, who was beside Kazemaru gives a glance to the silent standing Hiroto. "And you must be the infamous Kira Hiroto." Gouenji said. Hiroto, who was slowly spacing out to Kiyama Hiroto's memories comes back to the current situation at Gouenji's words and simply nods.

"Gouenji! Kazemaru!" a voice from behind Hiroto calls out to them. Endou too? Hiroto exclaims in his head. The past few days have been crazy for him. First, he gets into a fight, then he argues with Tatsuya and swears to not play in Eisei's match against Raimon but does anyway, for some reason Tatsuya decides he's going to play the nice person and tries to rekindle what little friendship they had, and now he's meeting face to face with some of the most significant people in Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

"Asuto, this isn't the way to the bathroom." a familiar exasperated voice comes from behind Gouenji and Kazemaru. Hiroto sees a slightly tired-looking blue-haired and confused black-haired teen wearing the Raimon uniform.

That's the precise moment Hiroto decides he's done for the day, and half drags Tatsuya by the wrists to the stadium's exit. "Hey, isn't that Kiyama and Kira from Eisei Academy?", a curious voice coming from the black-haired Raimon player asks the other, "I thought they were on bad terms with each other according to the rumors." a calm, blue-haired Raimon player whispers back. Hiroto ignores the Raimon player's whispering words and continues to walk. For one, Tatsuya is still injured, and standing still for long periods wouldn't be good for the strained ankle. On the other, he wants to go home.

Hiroto is not yet ready to properly meet face-to-face with the people in Kiyama Hiroto's memories and those who aren't.

Chapter Text

Although Hiroto's been going with the flow of the present, he has always been living in Kiyama Hiroto's memories for a very long time. And Hiroto knows those memories are a part of him therefore will never truly escape from it. And he's boldly reminded of it almost every day.

For example, it's been 2 days since Hiroto and Tatsuya watched Raimon's match against Tonegawa Tousen. 2 days was enough time for Tatsuya's left ankle to heal. It was also enough time for Hiroto to realize the consequences of his accepting Tatsuya's offer catching up to him.

This is so stupid. What am I doing? Hiroto bitterly thought as he walked towards Eisei's soccer stadium. The answer to that question? He was about to find out soon. The hallways were quiet as he walked towards Eisei's locker room. He pushed open the door and placed his Eisei Academy duffle bag on a nearby bench.

It took little to no time for Hiroto to change into his Eisei soccer uniform, exit the locker room door, and head towards the soccer field in the middle of the stadium. "Fuusuke! Go to Haruya's right!" the sound of Ryuuji yelling could be heard on the other side of the doors. Hiroto feels a weird sense of deja vu as he opens the door to the soccer field. "Watch out!" someone calls out frantically.

Hiroto doesn't get to take even one step inside as a soccer ball grazes past his right ear- or it would've gone like that if he hadn't jumped and trapped it with his right foot. "This is the worst passing technique I've seen." he says, kicking the ball back to the closest person in his vicinity, a small grin growing on his expression. Iderou receives the ball, eyes widening at who exactly passed it back to him.

Silence spreads across the field like a fire blizzard. "Am I seeing things or did Hiroto come to practice?" Kurara whispers to Natsuhiko next to her. Fuusuke, who quickly recovered from his unstable combination shoot hissatsu technique practice with Haruya stares at Hiroto, then at Tatsuya a few feet away, and says, "You were serious about convincing him to join us?" with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Tatsuya nods back to Fuusuke as Hiroto brushes off their reactions and simply smirks back. "Ha! Of course, you'd miss the one and only God Strik-", "Hiroto, I knew you'd come." his dramatic speech is interrupted by Tatsuya walking up to him.

If Hiroto were a person who indulged in his thoughts, he would've wondered why he could never say the words 'God Striker' in a single sentence. However, Hiroto was no such person so he quickly moved on and stared back at Tatsuya. "What? You thought I would chicken out?" Hiroto responds, walking past Tatsuya.

Near the bench, Hitomiko looks over to Hiroto's direction as he walks towards her. Hiroto stops in front of her and stares up. "Hiroto, you're here." Hitomiko said, a slightly surprised emotion showing on her face. Hiroto opens his mouth and speaks, "I'm-" but stops before he can say, sorry. Hiroto's been avoiding his older sister and father since he was a small child. Or more specifically, after he had received- cursed, his subconscious bitterly supplies -with Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

So back to the important question. Would saying those words make a difference? He would like to say 'I'm sorry' because she was the only person in this world, and in Kiyama Hiroto's world, who always tried her best.

In Kiyama Hiroto's memories, their father experimented with a dangerous meteorite on his children for revenge. When that happened, Hitomiko put aside her emotions, placing the duty to defeat Aliea Academy first and foremost. And in this life, Hiroto was having trouble adjusting and somewhat unintentionally isolated himself. Despite that, Hitomiko messages him nearly every day, asking where he is, and even tries to stand up for him when their father has said a few unpleasant things about him.

"-here. Kept you waiting, huh?" Hiroto finishes smoothly. Perhaps one day, he'd muster up the courage to apologize to his older sister. But that day wasn't today. Like most things in this new life, he wasn't ready yet. Hitomiko's expression slightly loosened, and she seemed to have resolved when she nodded and answered, "Yes, we've all been waiting for you. You're just in time" even though most of what she said wasn't true.

Hiroto smirks back. "Of course, just in time." he repeats her words. There was nothing to be nervous about, yet the sound of his heartbeat was thumping near his ears. It wasn't nervousness, because for no reason in particular he was confident that the decision to be here was correct. However, like with his other complicated and inexplainable emotions, he doesn't get the chance to understand them as Hitomiko orders Eisei's players to switch formations.

With some explanations from Hitomiko, Hiroto officially began to join the practice. Before Hiroto arrived, everyone was practicing new hissatsu techniques, what they lacked, and compensating for their mistakes in Eisei's match against Raimon.

They made a 6 VS 6 with Tatsuya, Ryuuichirou, Reina, Ryuuji, Satoshi, and Iderou on one team. And Haruya, Fuusuke, Natushiko, Geki, Kurara, Hana on the other. Osamu was on Haruya's team as the goalkeeper. The split teams reminded Hiroto of The Genesis and Chaos team.

Additionally, Hiroto asked about Osamu's role, and Hitomiko further explained that Osamu was on the team whose opposite team scored more. Hiroto nodded and wordlessly walked to the field where Tatsuya's team was getting ready.

The kickoff begins with Tatsuya passing to Hiroto on his left. Hiroto easily zips through the opponent's defense, reaching past the halfway line and near the penalty arc. "Ha! That all you got?" Hiroto exclaimed in glee, as Kurara failed to steal from him. Hiroto prepares to use his signature shoot hissatsu technique, or at least, that's what Osamu sees before Hiroto quickly switches up and does a normal shoot instead.

He's so much slower than in Kiyama Hiroto's memories, Hiroto can't help but think, looking at a wide-eyed Osamu who failed to block the shot. Osamu quickly pretends that it doesn't bother him, and will be prepared to catch the next. Tatsuya watches from a few meters away. Every time Hiroto effortlessly dribbles past his opponents like they're merely humans beneath a god, Tatsuya's subconscious tells himself that if Hiroto were to go all out, perhaps even the world wouldn't be able to stand a chance.

But, even so, Tatsuya walks up next to Hiroto and says, "Your plays are indeed impressive as usual, but I was hoping you'd try out a secret technique with us." Hiroto turns his head to meet his eyes. "And what's this 'secret technique'?" Hiroto asks, an odd sense of skepticism building up. And Tatsuya, with a completely straight face answers, "The secret technique," there's a split-second pause, "is passing." and Hiroto is lost on how to respond to that.

"That was so lame." Hiroto eventually says after a short pause. "Hiroto, I'm serious." Tatsuya said. Hiroto makes a motion nearly rolling his eyes. Hiroto already made a promise. And if Tatsuya's team wants a pass? Well, he supposes he should do exactly that. "Yeah, whatever. But just so you know, my pass is a little intense." Hiroto responds, walking back to his position.

The next kickoff begins with Haruya's team. Hiroto quickly intercepts Fuusuke's pass to Haruya and decides to test his passing to an unsuspecting teammate to see what would happen. "Is that a shoot?" Fuusuke exclaims as the soccer ball that Hiroto passed to Ryuuji zooms past a few meters away. "What was that?" Ryuuji asked, giving a pointed yet confused look to Hiroto at least a couple of meters away.

Hiroto smirks. "It's a pass." Hiroto pointed out the obvious. Didn't Eisei always talk about teamwork and whatnot? He's been practicing this shoot-like-pass since he was a child. Taking inspiration from some of the Fifth Sector matches in Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

The way Fifth Sector's Seeds injured other players was not to Hiroto's liking, but the brutal pace they brought onto the field made him realize that if utilized well, it could become a good weapon. And he had practiced til it became one, so he didn't understand why Ryuuji couldn't catch it. A perfect team play requires good passes, and he had full trust in his skills to send a pass that considered Ryuuji's speed, and in Ryuuji's skills to catch that pass.

Wait, trust? Hiroto's subconscious catches on. And suddenly it clicks. He doesn't trust me, his subconscious concludes. Of course, accepting Tatsuya's offer didn't mean that Hiroto would immediately be capable of working with others. After practicing alone for so long which made him grow into a solo player, it just wasn't possible.

And not to mention his reputation and actions have separated people from him except those who aren't Tatsuya and Hitomiko. Just because he's a good player, didn't automatically make him a good teammate you can trust your back to. This realization didn't hurt Hiroto's feelings. But it felt quite discomfiting just how disconnected he was from others.

"That was Hiroto's version of a pass?" Ryuuji muttered to himself. Before practice started, he and most of the Eisei members had promised Tatsuya that they would try to give Hiroto a chance. While Ryuuji doesn't know what happened when Tatsuya went to retrieve Hiroto from the lockers, observing Hiroto's conflicting actions and words, Ryuuji could somewhat see why Tatsuya's perspective on Hiroto differed from the rest of the Eisei soccer members. He takes a moment to think it through properly.

That was fast. Just how am I supposed to reach that? Ryuuji ponders, his thoughts trailing off from there. Tatsuya, who barely noticed Hiroto's slight change of mood from Ryuuji's reaction, opened his mouth to ask Hiroto to give the pass to him next. But before he could, "Give me that pass again." Ryuuji said to an internally stunted Hiroto. What? Hiroto thinks, taken aback. "Hah? You couldn't catch my pass, what makes you so sure you'll be able to next time?" Hiroto said, refusing to show his discontent on the surface, as he stared right at Ryuuji.

Ryuuji was about to return to his position without answering if he hadn't noticed Hiroto's slightly stressed eyes. Ryuuji blinks, wondering if he'd just seen things. But despite his doubts about what he'd seen, Ryuuji felt a strange sense to reassure Hiroto. "I will, you can trust me." Ryuuji states, before returning to his position.

Hiroto blinks. "What the hell. Don't tell me what to do." Hiroto slightly frowns, confused by the sudden change in Ryuuji's behavior. The next kick-off begins with Tatsuya's team. Hiroto receives the ball from Tatsuya and dribbles toward a far-side area. At least 10 meters away, Ryuuji continues to run, Haruya marking him right behind. "You better catch this." Hiroto said, instinctively looking for the best route before sending his powerful shoot-like pass to Ryuuji.

It's way too fast! Ryuuji exclaims in his head as he starts running faster and faster. But despite looking impossible to receive at first glance, Ryuuji eventually catches it. Ryuuji grunts, the force of the shoot-like-pass affecting his foot. "That's seriously one harsh pass, damn it!" Ryuuji exclaimed while Haruya, who was left behind, was shell-shocked. It was as if Hiroto forced Ryuuji to push to his full potential.

Ryuuji prepares his signature shoot hissatsu. He forms the ball into an unearthly aura that grants the player the power to annihilate anything. Astro Break heads towards the goal and Osamu also prepares one of his signature catch hissatsu. A warp space with an infinite net to swerve the ball off course, Wormhole, clashes with Astro Break. Hiroto, who was marking particularity no one watches the Astro Break in Kiyama Hiroto's memories, a black hole that devoured everything it touched.

Hiroto blinks, and the scene disappears. Ugh, it's been happening since I've fought against Raimon, Hiroto thinks, annoyed. He has all of Kiyama Hiroto's memories in the back of his head, and he knows it takes over his mind in unwanted highly emotional situations, but he still doesn't understand why it overlapped with reality in the match against Raimon and just now.

While that's happening, from the goal, Osamu barely manages to stop Ryuuji's shoot hissatsu. "You still have a long way to go til you can stop me." Osamu boasts, holding the slowly decelerating ball proudly. "You barely stopped that." Hana, who was in the defense area said. Osamu laughed awkwardly in response to Hana's direct words. From a few meters away, Haruya looked in Hiroto's direction.

"That pass was ridiculous. How did Ryuuji catch it?" Fuusuke, who got out of his half-shock and half-impressed state makes his way over to Haruya. Haruya thinks it over for a moment and responds, "It's way fast, but not so much that you can't reach it." from what he observed. Between the half line and penalty area, Hiroto hears Haruya's words, and for some reason feels just a little bit lighter.

"So that's Hiroto's team play style." Reina said, walking up to Tatsuya across the half-line. You dropped the honorific, Tatsuya briefly notes, turning in Reina's direction. "Yes, it suits him." Tatsuya responded, nodding. Hearing their conversation from a few meters away, Hiroto turns in their direction and flashes a haughty grin. "You all better work harder to catch my passes." Hiroto said. Outside the field and near the bench, Hitomiko observes, a small smile creeping up on her face.

After that, the rest of the practice match went well. After a few more rounds, they switched teammates, almost every single one of them managing to catch Hiroto's shoot-like passes. Though the teammates that managed to catch it had stinging feet, in the end, all the members of Eisei's soccer team slowly but surely started to open up to Hiroto's presence, and took the first step in trusting him.

About 2 hours and 30 minutes later, Eisei's soccer practice ended and they all headed to the locker room to take their belongings. Hiroto, the first to arrive was also the first to leave, saying that he needed to do something. Hiroto exited the locker rooms, leaving the rest of Eisei's soccer members to chat with each other. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." Fuusuke admitted to Reina as he removed his Eisei duffle bag from his locker. "You really didn't like Hiroto before, huh?" Reina said.

Fuusuke raises a brow. "After that first impression? You can't blame me for being skeptical in the beginning." Fuusuke said. The memory of Sun Garden's rooftops was as clear as the stars shining in the dark sky. Fuusuke looks to Tatsuya's side, "No offense." Fuusuke quickly says, feeling awkward for some reason. Tatsuya blinks, before giving a small smile in amusement. "It's okay. I was also wary about it at first. But after talking to Hiroto, I've realized he's just another teammate we haven't tried to work with until now." Tatsuya spoke his honest thoughts.

Exiting the locker rooms, Eisei's soccer members talked about what they should eat for dinner, plans for tomorrow, and other simple conversations as they left Eisei's soccer stadium. In a fair amount of distance, somewhere in the middle of Eisei's outdoor field, there was a teen wrapped with elastic bandages around their head surrounded by their friends, a few taller teens who looked slightly older than the first, and Hiroto with an unimpressed irritated expression. Every Eisei's soccer members stop and stare at the sight.

Surprisingly, Reina's the one who speaks first. "Isn't that the one who got beat up by...?" Reina trailed off, eyeing Hiroto and then at a teen whose head was wrapped with elastic bandages. The Eisei members were at a fair distance where they couldn't be easily spotted, but close enough to hear what the group in the middle of Eisei's outdoor field was saying.

"This brat," one of the taller teens eyes the injured teen, "refused to tell me who beat him up until we kept asking, and I'm not surprised it's someone like you." they said. Hiroto was on his way to his house to start personal soccer practice. And would be halfway to his house if he wasn't blocked by these rude taller teens on the way. Hiroto clicks his tongue at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. "You're all blocking my way, move." Hiroto said, trying to walk around them. Unsurprisingly, he gets blocked by one of the rude taller teens.

Are you kidding me right now? Hiroto's thoughts show in his expression as he tilts up at the rude taller teens. From the Eisei soccer member's position, Tatsuya feels a sense of wrongness and makes eye contact with the rest of the Eisei members. And in collective silent agreement, they all decide to walk over to the group of teens and Hiroto.

The group of teens spots the Eisei soccer members walking over to Hiroto with guarded expressions. One of the rude taller teens scoff. "Of course. You're even friends with the orphan group. Is that why you beat up an innocent person over them? Huh?" the taller teen sneered. At their words, Eisei's members freeze, dumbfounded. Most of them were unable to understand why they were suddenly insulted. However, Tatsuya and some of the sharp Eisei soccer members catch on to the second sentence.

Hiroto's blood runs cold.

Kiyama Hiroto's memories made Hiroto subconsciously sensitive to those types of insults, which was why he punched the currently injured teen behind the rude taller teens without a second thought on that day in the gym. He feels the stars hidden by the light of dawn slowing down. He slightly narrows his eyes, an ugly emotion building up inside his heart as his eyes meet each one of the people in front of him.

Today was a good day for Hiroto. He didn't have nightmares last night, though feeling bored from the difference in strength between his teammates he quite enjoyed playing with his team, and Kiyama Hiroto's memories haven't affected him much either.

Hiroto's unable to think as Kiyama Hiroto's memories begin to cycle through his head. Abandoned, alone, child, Sun Garden, Father, sister, family- Fuusuke notices Hiroto's hand lightly crackling with hissatsu energy -soccer, teammates, Aliea Academy, power, crushing opponents- the rude taller teens stop their rambling and can't help but step back, feeling the power of a star in the universe -admiration, rivalry, friendship, farewells, job, partner- 

a cold hand grabs Hiroto's left wrist.

"Outsiders are off-limits from this school." Tatsuya firmly spoke, pulling Hiroto to his side. One of the rude taller teens who quickly recovered from their fear narrows his eyes and speaks. "That's not the problem here! That violent delinquent" they point to an unresponding Hiroto, "beat this little guy up for no reason. He should be expelled." Tatsuya's eyes twitch at that last sentence.

Reina crosses her arms. According to the rumors, Hiroto got into a one-sided fight with a student and inflicted harm on them in the school gym for reasons unknown. Before, Reina thought it was simply delinquent behavior. But after the rude taller teen's words, Reina's beginning to see a bigger picture in her mind. "Your words are inconsistent. I remember clearly that one of you said that Hiroto beat them up because of us. I wonder if there truly was no reason?" Reina said, emphasizing the last two words. She hears footsteps approaching them.

Another rude taller teen was about to speak. "What's going on here?" Hitomiko's voice from behind the Eisei soccer members interupts the rude taller teen. As that happens, Hiroto tries to process his surroundings, slowly returning to reality from Kiyama Hiroto's memories. Hiroto barely hears Hitomiko talking, the rude taller teens arguing, and eventually the sounds of footsteps leaving the area.

After some time, Hiroto finally registers Tatsuya holding his left wrist, and pulls it away. "I could've handled them just fine on my own." Hiroto said, annoyed by himself more than Tatsuya. A few meters away, Hitomiko and over half of the Eisei members are half-forcefully escorting the teen group to the front gate.

Tatsuya looks at Hiroto with a serious expression. "That was dangerous. They looked like they were about to fight you." Tatsuya said, frowning. Hiroto narrows his eyes at him. "And like I said, I could've handled them on my own." Hiroto said. But Tatsuya doesn't miss a beat, "Maybe you're capable of fighting them. But that doesn't mean you'd be safe from repercussions." responding to Hiroto's disappointment.

"Does it look like I care?" Hiroto raises a brow. "I don't think that's the main concern here." Ryuuji said, mostly to himself. Hearing Ryuuji's comment, Hiroto turns his head to glare at him. Ryuuji instinctively and quickly raises both his hands in a defensive motion. Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Hiroto drops his glare to stare at particularity nothing.

Feeling awkwardness building up around them, Haruya speaks up. "So, about what they said." Haruya carefully starts. "About what?" Hiroto said. Haruya awkwardly glances at an equally awkward Fuusuke and then back to Hiroto. "About your fight?" Haruya continued, his tone still careful. Hiroto huffs. "Those idiots said a lot of stupid things. Ignore it." Hiroto scoffs, turning around and leaving them behind.

The rest of the Eisei soccer members watch Hiroto walk away from them. And after a few minutes, they turn to each other. "Did what just happened imply Hiroto punched a guy because they were smack-talking us?" Fuusuke asked, feeling complex emotions welling up inside. "It seems that way, yes." Osamu replied. "Should we ask him about it?" Haruya said, looking at Tatsuya. Feeling a bad sense of deja vu from his conversation with Hiroto in the hallways a few days ago, Tatsuya lightly shook his head. "I don't think we should." Tatsuya replied.

Tatsuya learned the consequences of bringing up possible sour topics to Hiroto the hard way. So instead of chasing after Hiroto and asking him questions, Tatsuya has decided to listen and carefully nudge Hiroto with his honest thoughts. Later, when everyone arrives home, Tatsuya takes the time to explain his thoughts to his friends and family. And he thinks that, in the end, everyone came to a collective agreement on how to treat Hiroto from now on.

Hiroto is subconsciously aware that the reason for developing into a solo player stemmed from detachment from everyone. If that's the case, perhaps, a bit of attachment can convince him that it's okay to join the teamwork logic sometimes. And develop step by step from there.

But Hiroto doesn't have the emotional luxury to think and come to that realization. He's kicking the ball in the forest near his house, with discontent. He feels like a little kid again, using the walls inside his house to kick the ball back and forth to himself and accidentally breaking one of his father's expensive bases. He remembers tearing up, anxiety rising in his throat, wondering how to explain his stupid behavior to his father.

The ball bounced off one of the trees and flew back in Hiroto's direction. Raimon VS Outei Tsukinomiya will be the final match of the FF. Hiroto catches the ball and shoots it back toward one of the trees again. There's also a small rumor going on that Outei Tsukinomiya, the team trained by the Ares program is sketchy. What's with dark manipulative bastards using soccer to achieve their goal anyway? Hiroto thought as he continued to bounce the ball back and forth.

Well, no matter which manipulative bastard was holding the Ares program and Outei Tsukinomiya, Hiroto has a weird sense of faith that Raimon will defeat the darkness and triumph in the end. After all, one of the many things Kiyama Hiroto's memories have shown him is that Raimon always wins no matter what.

Additionally, the Football Frontier International, more commonly known as the FFI will be coming in a few weeks after the FF final match. Hiroto has full confidence that he'll be selected as one of the starters for the FFI. And as 'Eisei's light', he has a feeling that Tatsuya will join him too.

Hiroto stops kicking back the ball and looks up at the darkening sky. A lot happened today, and it'd probably be awkward to meet his team after what they've seen today. But he's tired of experiencing high emotional situations for the past week. So instead of dwelling on it, he closes his eyes to focus, opens them, and begins to practice for the world stage.

Chapter Text

On the day of the FF finals, Eisei's soccer members figuratively dragged Hiroto to sit with them in the soccer stadium. Reina, who always sat next to Tatsuya's right, subtly gave her usual seat to their newest teammate and sat next to Haruya's left. It was as if the entire team agreed that Hiroto would feel more comfortable sitting beside Tatsuya, the one person who had kept trying to talk and reach out to him. Hiroto had no idea how to feel about this, but in the end accepted his fate without another word.

The match between Raimon and Outei Tsukinomiya began with the infamous devil from Seishou Gakuen unexpectedly showing up as one of Raimon's forwards. Then Outei Tsukinomiya's forbidden Hissatsu Technique, Grid Omega, failed to knock out their opponents. After a long battle, Raimon emerged victorious and became the champion. Later, the Ares program was exposed and prohibited from continuation. When everything happened, Hiroto felt immense excitement like everyone else who had watched the match from start to finish. Despite Kiyama Hiroto's memories reminding Hiroto that it was a fairly predictable outcome.

It's already been a few weeks since that happened. And today was another new day. Hiroto closes his eyes, leans against the seat, and puts his arms behind his head. "What a huge crowd!" Hiroto listens to the commentator's voice over the cheering crowd. "The gate to the world is about to open folks!" the commentator continues, voice upbeat, "The announcement for who will be on Japan's representative team, Inazuma Japan, is about to be made!" and the crowd cheers louder as the commentator continues explaining.

Two seats away from his left, Hiroto hears Ryuuji inhale and exhale shakily. "I'm so nervous." Ryuuji says, placing his right hand on his heart. Tatsuya, who's on Ryuuji's right, pats the nervous teen on the back and says, "Fumbling around here won't help now." to help clear Ryuuji's head. Ever the overthinker, Hiroto thought. In Kiyama Hiroto's memories, Ryuuji's overthinking made him overwork himself out of Inazuma Japan.

"They can't call it a representative team without the great God Striker here present." Hiroto said aloud, deciding to interrupt the two, which seemed to be his way of helping clear Ryuuji's further thoughts. This moment seems to be the only time he wasn't interrupted when he tried to speak 'God Striker' in a sentence. Perhaps it was because he wasn't on the field. But of course, Hiroto will never know this ongoing gag no matter which universe he's in. Osamu and Reina briefly converse on Hiroto's right, but their further conversation is held back by a preppy voice saying, "Isn't this such a blast?" as they sit beside Osamu's right. "Who cares." a displeased voice responds to the preppy one. The displeased voice was oddly familiar. Curiosity gets a grip on him, and Hiroto opens his eyes and turns his head to the right. That was his first mistake.

"You two, be careful not to disturb-" Fubuki stops talking as he meets Hiroto's marginally wide-eyed stare. Fubuki blinks back, and the other Fubuki, who felt his older brother's pause turns towards the source of it. Stuck in surprise, Hiroto fails to turn his head back quickly enough. That was his second mistake. Kiyama Hiroto's memories remind him of Raimon meeting a small shivering person in the snowstorm, the switch, the obsession with perfection, an agonizing breakdown, and the truth. All of these scenes which Kiyama Hiroto, or maybe more accurately, Gran was watching to get more information on Raimon. If Kiyama Hiroto's memories recalled, Fubuki told everyone the name of his dead twin was,

"Coach Zhao Jinyun will now be announcing the representative members!" Hiroto snaps back at the commentator's words and turns his head back to the middle of the field. Hiroto ignores the other Fubuki muttering, "What a weirdo." to his older brother. Hiroto's seen Hakuren's match against Raimon on his tablet. They're not twins in this life but Hiroto personally doesn't care nor does it matter. What mattered was briefly seeing them both in person like this after watching Fubuki going to hell and back starting from The Genesis and the eventual breakdown during Epsilon Kai's match in Kiyama Hiroto's memories, Hiroto can only feel glad that the other Fubuki is alive and well in this life.

The crowd's cheer goes quiet as Coach Zhao Jinyun presses the red button in the middle. The big screen in the soccer stadium lights up. Inazuma Japan's logo is shown and the commentator's voice edited on the big screen announces the selected players. "Forwards: Gouenji Shuuya. Haizaki Ryouhei. Kira Hiroto-" Hiroto doesn't react much even as his name is shown and said on screen. "-Midfielders: Inamori Asuto, Kidou Yuuto. Hiura Kirina. Ichihoshi Mitsuru. Kiyama Tatsuya-" Hiroto takes a quick glance to his left and sees a happy-looking Tatsuya, "-Fudou Akio, Nosaka Yuuma. Defenders: Kazemaru Ichirouta. Mansaku Yuuichiro. Fubuki Shirou-" Hiroto tunes out the rest of the players until, "-Saginuma Osamu. Captain Endou Mamoru." the screen transitions to the FFI logo and the video slowly fades out.

Ryuuji turned to his right, "Congratulations Tatsuya, Hiroto, Saginuma-san." and congratulated the three. "Ryuuji." Osamu responded, seemingly still in a state of shock at being chosen for Inazuma Japan. Hiroto can second that with less shock, and a more mild surprise of something unexpected. "It's good to be working with you, Hiroto." Tatsuya turned his head to Hiroto with a smile. "Of course, you'd be." Hiroto acknowledged. He couldn't help but show a pleasant smirk growing on his expression.

Hiroto hears an exasperated sigh a few seats away to his right. "Congrats, Bro. Looks like I've been dropped." the other Fubuki's exasperated voice from a few seats away. Dropped? Hiroto stops all previous thoughts. Despite seeing them on his tablet once, Hiroto was used to seeing two Fubuki twins in one. His brain didn't truly register until just now that only one twin getting chosen, didn't mean that both of them were. "But you're not the type to quit here, are you?" Fubuki said, and the other Fubuki responded, "I'll climb my way back up, even if I have to kick you out of your spot to do it." to show his determination.

What the other Fubuki said was true. Nobody should be swayed because they're going forward or left back alone. Aside from that, Hiroto couldn't help but feel a weird sense of deja vu from how everything unfolded. Tatsuya gestures to Hiroto and Osamu to stand up as the commentator tells the selected Inazuma Japan members to come down from their seats to receive their Inazuma Japan soccer uniforms. Hiroto follows Tatsuya right behind, congratulations, cheers, and promises from the Eisei soccer teams fading into the background.

Hiroto's thoughts and feelings of deja vu fade away, but his subconscious doesn't know rest. The Fubuki twins are an undeniable power combo, and the coach is throwing one away? Aphrodi didn't even return to play for South Korea this time, why wasn't he chosen? There are better forwards, defenders, and midfielders than our current ones. Also, three goalkeepers seem overkill. And who's that blue-haired midfielder? He kind of looks like Tsurugi, subconscious thoughts like these kept twisting, turning, and questioning.

Hiroto receives his Inazuma Japan soccer uniform and goes to the locker rooms. In Kiyama Hiroto's memories, Inazuma Japan's soccer uniform was a less vibrant blue than the one held in Hiroto's hand, and Kiyama Hiroto's uniform number was 18 while Hiroto got 9. It was somewhat strange. Kiyama Hiroto and Hiroto had different soccer uniforms, uniform numbers, teammates, and circumstances, yet both loved soccer and played the position of a forward.

Hiroto quickly changed into his Inazuma Japan soccer uniform and went to the double-file line in number order excluding Endou, whose captain position allowed him to stand at the front by himself. After a moment, the door slowly opened and Hiroto stepped out to the roaring cheers from the crowd. Blue and white balloons surrounded him and his new teammates. "Here they come!" the commentator speaks, "Japan's team has changed into the Inazuma Japan uniform and is lining up on stage!" Hiroto feels his heart pumping with expectancy, a physical reaction stemming from an emotion that betrayed his previous deja vu. Hiroto has already seen what playing and winning the FFI looked like, but this will be the first time he'll personally experience it.

"What a magnificent sight!" the commentator continues. Hiroto can't help but agree as he feels his new teammates' excitement, hears the crowd cheering louder than ever, and sees the clear sky above. "There's even further good news for everyone! The FFI Asia preliminaries will be taking place in Japan!" the commentator delivers excitedly. Kiyama Hiroto's memories and experiences related to soccer are briefly put aside so Hiroto can bask in his current positive state. He can't wait to see the world and test his skills. After a couple of minutes of more explaining from the commentator, every Inazuma Japan member heads off to the bus.

The Inazuma Japan members were told to sit in the bus seats by number order, with Endou included this time. So naturally, the way to the representatives' campgrounds was a slow torture for Hiroto. It wasn't that Hiroto had motion sickness or anything. No, it's just that being inside vehicles made him slightly uptight. If there's one of the many things Kiyama Hiroto's memories taught him, people dying from car crashes were much more common than he ever wanted to know. Which is why Hiroto prefers walking when leaving the house.

Not to mention that Hiroto's seatmate was number 10, Gouenji Shuuya. Being so close to a person you were familiar yet unfamiliar with at the same time was not an experience Hiroto wanted to go through so soon in this life. Hiroto had met the Eisei soccer members for quite some time to discern them enough from Kiyama Hiroto's memories. But Hiroto had no idea what differences his new teammates had to their counterparts in his head.

While Hiroto is staring at particularly nothing in his window seat, something unexpected happens. Gouenji turns his head to Hiroto and asks, "Are you nervous?" with an all-to-familiar calm voice. Hiroto's internally caught off guard. "What?" Hiroto raises a brow, side-eyeing Gouenji. Gouenji's not the talkative type. Why's he talking to me? Hiroto thinks, both confused and slightly uncomfortable. "You seem spaced out." Gouenji replied. At that, Hiroto quickly decides to reply with a confident smirk.

"Spaced out? Nah, I'm just thinking of dominating the world stage as the God Str-" The bus suddenly halts abruptly, and Hiroto's cognitive thinking immediately shuts down along with his expression. Unable to register outside noise, the sound of his heart beating near his head, the pace of the universe seems to warp. Once was enough already, but hearing about repeated car accidents from his friends- they're Kiyama Hiroto's friends, but Hiroto once wished they were his -amplified his cautiousness. Not to mention, Hiroto had already died once. Hiroto doesn't want his life to go down in a car crash, or anything other accident.

"Woah! Was that a deer?" someone exclaims in shock and relief at the apparent deer's safety. Hiroto's rationality slowly recovers as the instinctive fear of death or injury fades away, and comes to a breathtaking realization that his right hand has a death grip on Gouenji's left arm. Hiroto's eyes trail to Gouenji, who is staring right back, seemingly caught off guard by Hiroto's unexpected action. There was no judgment, just pure unbridled silence. Somehow it's worse than scorn.

Hiroto quickly releases Gouenji's arm as if burned. Talk about an overreaction. It was just an animal appearing on the road, and the bus stopped just in time. There was nothing to be afraid of, surely. Or at least, that's what Hiroto wants to feel as his quickly beating heart slows back to normal. It seems no amount of apologies or excuses could ever dissipate the awkwardness. Hiroto turns his head away from Gouenji and looks outside the window with an unreadable expression. The bus driver switches his foot from the brake pedal to the excel pedal, and the vehicle goes along its path.

After quite some time, the bus arrives at the representatives' campgrounds. Gouenji sits up and leaves the bus to meet with his old Raimon friends. Hiroto, not wanting to be on this bus any longer, follows behind Gouenji and separates from him as soon as he took one step outside the bus. Taking a quick look around the area, Osamu seemed to be introducing himself to Fubuki. The sheer irony of the pair was astounding.

Just a few feet away, Hiroto sees Fudou walking up to Kidou. "So you're the absolute commander of the pitch, Kidou Yuuto." Fudou said, showing an intrigued smirk. "You must be Teikoku Academy's lone problem child, Fudou Akio." Kidou deadpans in response. Hiroto takes a mental step back at Kidou's uncharacteristic humor. "It's lone rebel!" Fudou quickly corrects, irritated that his first impression was something so lame. "Sorry, that was a joke." Kidou admits quickly, a small satisfied smile on his face.

It's always odd to witness a disconnection from Kiyama Hiroto's memories whenever a familiar scene happens. Hiroto was unaccustomed to seeing Kidou and Fudou's first meeting without any negative tension or caution. "I've heard of your service to your team. It's a delight to be playing together with you." Kidou said. Fudou makes a hmph sound as he sees Kazemaru smiling behind Kidou and picks himself back up from his previous irritation. "I'll be seeing for myself whether you're worth all the fuss those Teikoku guys sing Kidou, Kidou about." Fudou said seriously. "Have it your way." Kidou replies smoothly.

Hiroto stops eavesdropping on Kidou and Fudou's conversation as he hears Tatsuya stepping off the bus from behind. Tatsuya notices Hiroto and walks up to him. "We're finally here. How was the ride?" Tatsuya asked. Hiroto clicks his tongue and answers with a half-truth, "Just fine, until that deer jumped out of nowhere." Tatsuya nods in agreement. "Ichihoshi-kun grabbed my arm very tightly when that happened. I had to assure him that nothing bad happened." Tatsuya shares his experience. "Ichihoshi?" Hiroto repeats, quickly scanning through his memories til they stop at the Inazuma Japan member selection ceremony.

Then, Hiroto realizes how similar Tatsuya's experience was compared to his. The only difference was that he was the 'Ichihoshi' in that situation. Hiroto quickly decides to move on to a different topic. "Oh right, Osamu's right there talking to Fubuki." Hiroto says Fubuki's name as if talking about an old friend. Tatsuya glances at Hiroto puzzlingly before walking up to the conversing pair.

"Ah, Tatsuya and Hiroto, you're both here! This is Fubuki Shirou." Osamu introduces the other. Fubuki gives the approaching duo a sweet, easy-going smile. "Hello, it's nice to meet you two. You must be Kiyama Tatsuya, and Kira Hiroto-kun?" Fubuki greets, repeating what Osamu told him. Tatsuya nods. "That's right. Hello, Fubuki-kun. And you can just call me Tatsuya. " Kiyama greets back. Hiroto thought that seeing Osamu and Fubuki talking to each other was ironic enough. But this group just doubled it.

Tatsuya and Fubuki lead the conversation, sharing each other's soccer experiences while Hiroto and Osamu mostly listen attentively. "You're the representative who joined in from abroad, right?" Hiroto hears a few feet away. "I'm Inamori Asuto. Nice to meet you." Inamori introduces himself, holding out a hand. The other shakes back Inamori's hand once, "Oh, I didn't introduce myself." before letting go and straightening. "I'm Ichihoshi Mitsuru. I played on Russia's team." Ichihoshi introduces himself.

"Ooh!" Inamori reacts in awe. "Russia, huh? They have pretty strong soccer there." Hiura compliments. Ichihoshi laughs awkwardly before answering, "Yes, but I'm still in training." rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. "It seems like I was picked for my experiences abroad." Ichihoshi said in a slightly confused tone.

Hiroto can't help but feel a sense of wrongness. Kiyama Hiroto's years of memories and experience were ingrained in Hiroto's subconsciousness ever since he was a child. Perhaps it was Ichihoshi's too-sharp eyes or the half-forced friendly tone he used. Whichever it was, right now, that subconscious was telling him something was off about Ichihoshi. "And what about you Hiroto-kun?" Fubuki's voice cut off Hiroto's attention from Ichihoshi back to the group.

The four of them were now discussing the topic of how they felt being chosen for Inazuma Japan. "It's obvious that I'd be chosen." Hiroto answered confidently. Osamu crosses his arms and boasts about how he had thought the same as well. The four of them chat for a while until the Inazuma Japan members are told to enter the Kawaguchiko Sports Center.

Everyone enters the building, into the main room, lines up, and waits for their new coach to speak. Just then, Hiroto experiences something new for the first time. Kiyama Hiroto's memories slowly overlap with reality. Yet this time it wasn't cruel or harsh like when Hiroto went out of his way to fight Raimon to buy some time for an injured Tatsuya. No, it was more akin to nostalgia than an abnormal response to his negative emotions. The scene shows Kiyama Hiroto entering the gymnasium, waiting a couple of feet behind Gouenji, and coming out to greet Endou, the first to show him the true meaning of soccer. Endou goes up to Kiyama Hiroto with a big smile, excited to play alongside him. Kiyama Hiroto felt the same way and tells Endou as such.

Then, Ryuuji walks up to the Inazuma Japan members dramatically before showing his true colors. Fudou enters the dynamism by kicking a soccer ball at Kidou. Nearly all the others tense up in wariness at Fudou's evil guy entry, Kiyama Hiroto silently observes Fudou's behavior for he also had a history of being the bad guy. The scene switches to the introduction of coach Kudou and their kind, sweet, and funny managers Aki, Haruna, Natsumi, Fuyuka, and Megane.

"Before I explain the camp rules, I want you all to pay attention." Assistant coach Kudou gives a deliberate glance towards a spaced-out Hiroto as he speaks. Kiyama Hiroto's memories snap away, and Hiroto's heart stops momentarily when he meets Kudou's hard stare. Hiroto isn't good at dealing with adults. Especially attentive types who pay close attention to their surroundings.

Assistant coach Kudou finishes speaking and instructs all the Inazuma Japan members to head to the inner soccer training field next door. Time flies quickly as the Inazuma Japan members warm up, and practice with their new teammates. Focusing on training brought Hiroto's God Striker persona back on track from his previous bad gut feeling. The power of soccer truly had no limits.

After team practice in the afternoon, dinner in the cafeteria with Tatsuya, Osamu, and Fubuki, waiting a certain amount of time for the food to digest, and brushing his teeth, Hiroto decides to spend the rest of the night practicing one of Kiyama Hiroto's hissatsu, Tenkuu Otoshi. Hiroto's been training this particular hissatsu since a little before the FF ended for several reasons. One of them is that since he's going toward the world stage, he might as well prepare a slightly stronger hissatsu. Another reason for it was the possibility of finding his own Tenkuu Otoshi like how he took inspiration from Ryuusei Blade to create his signature hissatsu, The Explosion.

Right now, Hiroto practiced enough to control the sheer power of the shooting stars and planets, yet a certain spark was still missing to complete it. Tenkuu Otoshi's original spark came from playing against Little Gigant, a formidable and respectful rival whose strength came from pure grit and hard work. But that was Kiyama Hiroto's spark, Hiroto needs to find his own. Hiroto also needs to find secluded places with a wide enough area.

Behind the main building, there's a stone dirt path surrounded by leaves and many trees. Hiroto follows his intuition. The dirt path leads him to a secluded soccer field surrounded by mesh wire fences. It was the perfect spot for practice. He sets the soccer ball in the middle and does some simple warm-ups.

By simple warm-ups, Hiroto means stretching his arms and legs, then starting with his main hissatsus. Even after afternoon training practice, he seemed in nearly perfect condition as he does The Explosion, and Zigzag Strike. Then, just as he prepares the beginning action for Tenkuu Otoshi, he feels a presence nearby. Ignoring the soccer ball he kicked up high, Hiroto turns to meet Gouenji outside the mesh wire fences, holding a soccer ball underneath his left arm.

The soccer ball Hiroto kicked up high is falling back to the field. "Seems I'm not the only one who decided to practice during this time." Gouenji said, opening the mesh wire fence gate. Seriously, why the hell is he so talkative? Is it because Aliea Academy didn't exist? Hiroto stops the thought right there as he perfectly catches the falling soccer ball with his right foot.

Of course, the answer was so simple. Aliea Academy didn't exist, therefore the experiences of less violent and stressful situations would've been replaced by Endou's positive energy influence. Then, Hiroto realizes he's stayed silent for a second too long. "That makes two of us." Hiroto simply replies. He's still not used to this Gouenji.

There was another important matter. That, being, Gouenji's reason for coming all the way here to a secluded soccer field when there was a perfectly existing soccer field in the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. The first thing that came to Hiroto's mind was, "Are you here to practice some special hissatsu in secret or something?" what he had planned on doing before being interrupted. Gouenji slightly nods. Confirming Hiroto's thoughtlessly let-out words were in fact, correct.

Gouenji walks over to where Hiroto stands. "Since you're here, I might as well show you." Gouenji said, dropping his soccer ball onto the field. Gouenji, the legendary flaming ace striker of the original Raimon, intended to show Hiroto his secret hissatsu. Hiroto's eyes spark in anticipation. There was a chance one of the hissatsu's in Kiyama Hiroto's memories would be used. Even if not, being able to watch any one of Raimon player's special techniques was always welcome to Hiroto. "You better show me something out of this world." Hiroto said.

Seeing Hiroto's expectant smirk, Gouenji responds with a confident nod. Hiroto walks to the sidelines on the direct opposite side of the mesh wire fence gate as Gouenji starts and finishes his warm-ups. Hiroto crosses his arms and waits for the surprise. Unaware of how unprepared he is to see one of the most flawless hissatsu shoots in history.

Gouenji crosses his arms over his head before quickly uncrossing them, causing smoke to appear around him and a massively large red and blue ball above his head. Then he jumps up and does a back flip, using both legs to send the ball flying downwards, covering the ball in a blue aura. As the ball travels downwards, he quickly slides in and lies down, doing a back-kick using his left leg to spin the ball causing it to emit a red-orange spiral. He jumps up towards the ball and kicks it again using his left leg, causing it to emit a purple aura. The ball follows the field like a dragon, fluctuating the surrounding terrain as it heads towards the goal.

Calling it amazing isn't enough to explain what Hiroto feels right now. Kiyama Hiroto's memories tell him that while it's worthy to call it Japan's Ultimate weapon, it's not Gouenji's full potential. Hiroto ignores the information from Kiyama Hiroto's memories to feel the current moment.

Hiroto, unable to contain his amazement, opens his mouth to say, "That was," but stops before saying his next words as he feels another's presence for the second time on this night. Noticing Hiroto unnaturally cutting off, Gouenji follows Hiroto's gaze and frowns slightly when he sees Clario Orvan of all people staring right back at him.

Thinking it'd be too late to turn back after being noticed, Clario swiftly enters through the mesh wire gate. "Clario Orvan." Gouenji said, wondering what Clario's motive could be. After all, a player from a different country walking around another country's sports center raised several warning flags. "It seems Japan has acquired an ultimate weapon." Clario said. Which he spoke in perfect Japanese from an outsider's perspective. Of course, this is something that nobody finds out of place. It's normal in this universe. Every player speaks, or at the very least, can understand perfectly what the other is saying without a translator. We move on.

Clario's response didn't tell why he was exactly here. But the reason doesn't matter. "We won't lose to your team a second time." Gouenji responds to Clario's comment with fierce determination rivaling Endou's. Ever since that fateful match against Barcelona Orb and Endou's influence. It fueled Gouenji's blazing spirit for improvement. "That's quite the statement." Clario's stern words don't match his pleased expression. From the sidelines, Hiroto finally decids to interrupt the conversation. He puts his hands in his pockets and walks up to them.

"Hm?" Clario watches Hiroto stand beside Gouenji with an unnerving stare. Clario was already somewhat impressed that Gouenji's eyes looked more like a warrior, a sign of growth. But Hiroto's eyes looked like he'd seen and experienced war and came victorious. "You've got interesting eyes." Clario spoke about what he observed. "Interesting eyes?" Gouenji and Hiroto repeat simultaneously, both raising a brow in confusion.

"Whatever." Hiroto said, pointing his left index finger at Clario. A world-level player was right in front of him. It would be stupid not to take the chance to test out his current skills.

Nobody expected that multiplying the final score numbers would be the same as Kiyama Hiroto's Inazuma Japan uniform number that night.

The next morning, during breakfast in the cafeteria at a considerably early time, Tatsuya enters what he expected to be an empty cafeteria occupied only by Kino and Yone-san. Instead, two people are seen sitting at a table together, over halfway through their healthy and balanced meal. Tatsuya can't help but stare surprised at what he's witnessing.

One of the two people is Hiroto, chewing on his rice and fish at least ten times before swallowing, a habit he's grown into since he acquired Kiyama Hiroto's memories. Hiroto was having a perfectly peaceful breakfast if you excluded the constant staring nearby. It was getting a little unnerving. So after Hiroto chews and swallows a portion of his salad he tells Tatsuya to, "Stop staring." with an unimpressed expression.

Tatsuya seems to have the slightest tendency to look apologetic. "I didn't mean to be rude, it's just that I didn't expect you to be with," Tatsuya shifts his gaze to the person sitting in front of Hiroto.

"Gouenji! You already made a new friend?" Endou, everyone's respected captain, suddenly pops out of nowhere. Tatsuya nearly jumps in surprise at the sudden intrusion while Gouenji and Hiroto barely flinch, as if already used to being exposed to similar circumstances. Behind Endou, Kidou is a few steps away. "It seems you've made a new acquaintance, Gouenji." Kidou spoke from behind, hiding his surprise far better than Tatsuya or Endou. "Though I must admit this is quite a surprising development." Kidou said.

Gouenji doesn't get a chance to answer anything as more people enter the cafeteria and see Hiroto's little group. "Endou and everyone else? You guys are up early today." Kazemaru said, a bored-looking Fudou walking reluctantly beside him. Endou sees Kazemaru and beams like the sun. "I couldn't sleep well because of the excitement." Endou admits sheepishly. "Same here." Fubuki's voice entered the cafeteria, responding to Endou before Kazemaru could.

This group consists of Kiyama Hiroto's friends from a previous life. In other words, another personal hell for Hiroto. Yesterday was already awkward enough with what happened on the bus. Thankfully, Gouenji wasn't the type to bring previous experiences to the table. Moreover, after last night, the two got to know each other a little better. This was one of the reasons why they both silently agreed to eat together early in the morning to discuss their new weapons after they finished.

Hiroto hears Aki calling out, "Yone-san, More people arrived." in the catering kitchen. The topic quickly moves from Hiroto and Gouenji to Endou's stomach growling in hunger. At that signal, the rest of the standing group briefly leaves Hiroto and Gouenji to get their breakfast from the very kind Aki and Yone-san and returns to the same table. Fudou tries to sit at a different table, only for Endou to grab the back of his jacket with an encouraging smile. Half-forcing an annoyed Fudou to sit with them. Somewhere through their meal, Kidou asks Gouenji again about Hiroto. Gouenji responds, "It just happened." and leaves it at that.

A little while later, all the Inazuma Japan members eventually arrive at the cafeteria. They all eat, brush their teeth, and walk to the sports centers inner soccer stadium.

"Good morning." Coach Zhao greeted with his usual never-ending enthusiasm as everyone gathered around their coach. "Allow me to introduce you to a special guest today!" Coach Zhao gestures behind him, and all the Inazuma Japan members' eyes widen in surprise. Especially those from the original Raimon team.

"This is the captain of Spain's team, Clario Orvan-san!" Coach Zhao finishes. A joyful smile grew on Coach Zhao's face at everyone's stares aimed at him, Clario, and another player behind. Hiroto and Gouenji silently meet each other's eyes as Clario greets, "Nice to meet you." to everyone in his natural stern voice. "It's Clario Orvan!" Kidou exclaimed. No amount of analytical skills could've predicted Clario's sudden arrival. Some of them whispered to each other in either surprise, wariness, curiosity, or excitement.

Coach Zhao claps his hands two times, bringing back Inazuma Japan's members' attention to himself, "Okay, I'd like you all to have a little contest with Clario-san." and announces what they'd be doing. Various reactions such as those below followed,

"A contest?" Kidou frowns.

"Now?" Inamori exclaims, all too sudden.

"Wait a se- I mean, please wait, Coach!" Goujin catches himself and switches to a more respectful speech. "There's eighteen of us here." he gestures to all the Inazuma Japan members.

"I don't mind." Clario honestly responds. Clario briefly glances in a particular direction. In that direction, Hiroto was positioned next to Gouenji's left, and Gouenji was next to Kidou's left but closer to Hiroto's right. Nobody notices this brief exchange except Coach Zhao, Assistant Coach Kudou, and Kidou.

A few minutes later, everyone positions themselves as Clario quickly changes into his soccer uniform.

"C'mon, are you kidding me? Is he really going to face all eighteen of us by himself?" Goujin said, still bewildered.

"Looks that way." Inamori answers, accepting it for what it is.

"Now, please begin!" Coach Zhao signals, and Ootani blows the whistle to start the eighteen-on-one. Clario and Hiroto meet each other's unreadable eyes. Hiroto begins with a slight fake to the left before going right, and Clario, seemingly prepared for it this time, manages to dribble through Hiroto. Not making the same mistake twice, huh, Hiroto thinks, deciding not to chase. Looking back, Clario effortlessly dribbles through with Goujin, Haizaki, and the rest of Inazuma Japan's forwards. The difference in skill was immaculate.

Clario's main shoot hissatsu, Diamond Ray, passes through all of Inazuma Japan's midfielders, and defense with sheer brute force before eventually reaching the goalkeepers. "I'll stop it this time!" Endou exclaimed, preparing one of his catch hissatsus, Fuujin Raijin. "Oh?" Clario can't help but let out a small smirk as he watches Fuujin Raijin enduring Diamond Ray's brute force for about eleven seconds before going into the goalpost. "None of us stood a chance." Hiura said, a shell-shocked Inamori in front.

A moment passes. "I see you've raised your level a bit." Clario eventually said. "What is it you want?" Kidou demands calmly. "I've grown fond of Japan's soccer." Clario responds with both hands on his hips, genuine. Hiroto stands next to Tatsuya as Clario continues his speech.

"When I fought you before, your soccer had a good feeling to it, and it charmed me." most of the Inazuma Japan members' eyes slightly twitch, wondering if it was sarcasm. "Although in terms of soccer, it was a low level." Clario said honestly. "Are you here to mock us?" Kazemaru reacts. His self-esteem took a heavy blow after playing against Barcelona Orb, and it was only because of Endou that he'd decided to rise again. But that didn't mean Kazemaru had enough patience to tolerate Clario's speech this early in the morning, after, once again, getting completely overwhelmed by sheer power difference.

"Japan's team now is completely different from before. Your eyes look more like those of real warriors. It's a good sign." Clario continues. "You're just here to sit back and watch us?" Kidou asked because he couldn't see Clario having this much free time. "Yes. To be honest, that was what I had in mind. But I've changed that way of thinking." Clario admits.

"The Japan of the past had skill that fell far short from ours. But yesterday, I caught sight of a certain Japanese player practicing. When I saw that, I cut short my stay here and decided to return to my country, so that I could train in order to meet Japan head to head." Clario can't help but smile at the memory of last night as he continues speaking, "That player's plays took me by surprise. It made me feel that Japan's level was approaching ours by the heels." and watches as every single one of the Inazuma Japan members' eyes widen, except for Gouenji and Hiroto.

"R-Really?" Endou exclaimed, a wide and expectant smile growing on his face. Kidou opened his mouth to ask who it was, but, "But that's not all." Clario said. Kidou reacts with "What?" as he sees a slightly wider smirk growing on Clario's expression.

"After that, I met another player who challenged me to a one-on-one match." Clario said. "What?" Ichihoshi, an individual whose first introduction indicated him as the quiet and humble type, surprisingly reacts out loud. "That's seriously reckless-gosu!" Iwato exclaimed a few feet away from Fudou's right, worried for the person's safety. "What kind of idiot challenged someone completely out of their level?" Fudou commented, his arms crossed, standing behind Tatsuya's right. "A one-on-one against Clario after afternoon practice, if that's the case I wonder if someone's hiding their bad condition." Tatsuya speculates. And Hiroto, next to Tatsuya's left, listens to it all in silence.

"And I completely lost." Clario drops the bombshell onto the field. No cookie-cutter words, or going around it, just straight to the point. The amount of shock Inazuma Japan received couldn't be expressed by their face. "What?" Tatsuya reacts. That was the third 'What?' this morning.

"Who were they?" Kidou quickly digested his shock and asked the main question in everybody's mind. Clario lowly chuckles, quickly understanding the situation. Well, if those two chose to stay silent, it wasn't in Clario's place to expose them. "I see. You don't realize it yet." Clario said before turning away with a wave from his left hand. The other Spain player follows right after. Total silence spreads onto the field.

Then, like a light in the dark, the sun overtaking the night, "Guys, what's wrong?! Did seeing that amazing play scare you?" Endou calls out to the downed players. "Who could see that and not get scared?" Mansaku said, holding down his white cap with his right hand. "This all feels impossible-gosu." Iwato said.

Hearing everyone already sounding so defeated doesn't seem right. So Hiroto, with his unorthodox method of encouragement, decides to pour oil onto a dying flame. "Hah! So what?! That level is n-", "You can talk big all you want, but it's just talk. Right now, we don't have the skill equal enough to counter that." Haizaki snapped, quickly cutting off what he thinks is Hiroto's ignorant arrogance. A few steps away, Gouenji gave an unreadable glance at Haizaki, while Hiroto held back his tongue, a little irritated that he'd been interrupted.

That's when Fubuki spoke up, "But if you lose in spirit, you'll lose a match that could be won." pushing Hiroto's original intention to the front. "That's right." Kazemaru followed, looking at everyone. "Are you guys going to let fear take over just because the power of the world was flaunted at you?" Kazemaru said. The difference from the Kazemaru whose spirit was destroyed during Aliea Academy's invasion was shown in his speech. "Clario didn't come here to scare us. He came to see just how serious we were." Gouenji backed up his friend. "If Japan is the real thing, restraining them would only make them stronger... Is that what you mean?" Tatsuya summarized. "That's right." Gouenji answered.

"Guys, isn't that interesting? Doesn't that excite you?" Endou smiles, firing up, "Something hot and fierce flows up from deep within your hearts, doesn't it?" placing his gloved hands on his heart and then swinging his arms outward to the rest. Hiroto thought Endou was cool before, both in Kiyama Hiroto's memories and in this life. But seeing Endou's spirit up close, it's no wonder Kiyama Hiroto fell in love with those eyes of his.

Everyone else also seems to be enraptured by Endou's spirit. "Endou-san- No, Captain! I'm getting excited too!" Inamori said, pumping up. Endou gives a quick smile at Inamori. "Guys, the wall of the world is a high hurdle! But if there's a thick, high wall in front you, you just gotta be the cannon that  knocks it down!" Endou said.

"Let's fight the world!" Endou shouts, both his hands in fists. And everyone follows, sharing their determined spirit as one.

After the cheer dies down, Ichihoshi suddenly pipes up. "Wait, are we all going to ignore what Clario said? Personally, I want to know who won that one-on-one match." Ichihoshi said, scanning all the players. Hiroto feels polluted stars dripping down his spine. Ichihoshi's gaze feels unusually sharp for someone who's curiously looking around. "Wait, he's right. I want to know too!" Sakanoue exclaimed, innocent curiosity shining in his eyes. A complete contrast to Ichihoshi. Hiroto and Gouenji's eyes silently meet each other while everyone either looks thoughtful or agrees with Ichihoshi.

"Let's not dwell on that!" Endou breaks the silence, a wide smile on his face. Everyone looks at their captain. Especially Ichihoshi, who blinks in bewilderment. "But captain, if we know who those two players are, we can make a training plan surrounding them." Ichihoshi said, looking at his captain and even taking a quick glance at the coach. Endou hums, looking thoughtful for a single second. "As much as I want to know, we should focus on training." Endou pushed. "Huh?" Ichihoshi reacts, unable to follow his captain's train of thought.

Endou chuckles at Ichihoshi's expression. "They probably have their reasons." Endou nods to himself as he continues to speak, "So I'll trust my teammates and do what I can do for now!" without a doubt. Nobody responds to that. After a moment of silence, Kidou steps up, "Ichihoshi has a good point but I agree with Endou. If our two unknown skilled players chose to stay silent til now, it'd be pointless to try and find them." he gives a moment to let everyone digest his words before continuing, "So it's best to do what we can for now. Leveling up to match our opponents." and seals away any further complaints or opinions.

Every Inazuma Japan player agrees with Endou and Kidou one by one. Coach Zhao looks pleased by this development, while Assistant Coach Kudou seems expressionless but, when looked closely, has a barely formed smile on his face. Ichihoshi looked disappointed but quickly followed everyone else's opinion.

Hiroto's heart thumped in wordless admiration. Kiyama Hiroto had the right idea of admiring the original Raimon.

Morning training went well. Coach Zhao put them through training and a randomized match-up just like yesterday. "I've never seen anyone work this well with Gouenji before." Kazemaru commented, surprised after seeing Hiroto and Gouenji synchronize their plays almost perfectly. Beside him, Kidou looked thoughtful. "Wow! It's like Hiroto already knows how Gouenji moves!" Inamori said, amazed. Hiroto froze for a millisecond at Inamori's unintentionally sharp comment. Quickly moving on, "Hah, I know right? Get on my level." Hiroto replies with a mocking smirk.

Instead of feeling insulted, "Of course! I'll train harder!" Inamori answers with genuine enthusiasm. That response, filled with pure earnestness, which seemed to transcend even Endou's, kind of threw off Hiroto. Beside Inamori, Haizaki narrows his eyes. "Don't get too full of yourself." Haizaki said, staring right at Hiroto. Being interrupted mid-sentence, and then being told off just about an hour ago already sucked. Once, could be ignored, but twice? Haizaki was slowly starting to get underneath Hiroto's nerves.

Post-training Lunch went well. "Hiroto-kun kind of reminds me of Atsuya." Fubuki spoke to Tatsuya in front of him as half of the same members from breakfast sat down at the table. "Is that so?" Tatsuya responds, already interested. Beside Tatsuya, Hiroto swallows down his yogurt. "I don't think your twin would appreciate being compared to others." Hiroto said without thinking. "Twin?" Tatsuya blinks, and Hiroto quickly realizes his mistake. Fubuki only smiles back, "Ah, it's okay. Some people occasionally mistake Atsuya and me for twins." and assures them, followed by a small chuckle.

"Even I sometimes think we were twins in a past life or something." Fubuki jokes lightheartedly. Hiroto doesn't know how to respond to that. That wasn't lighthearted or funny to him at all.

Afternoon training went well. After seeing Hiroto and Gouenji's unexpected synchronization during morning training, Kidou suggested having those two training together more would raise Inazuma Japan's potential. Coach Zhao however, seemed reluctant to that suggestion for some reason. Instead, had encouraged Hiroto and Gouenji to train separately. "It'll be okay!" Inamori assured a frowning Kidou. "This is the Coach we're talking about, so I'm sure there's some sort of reason for this." Hiura added by the side.

Dinner went well. After everyone finished their meals and returned to their unassigned rooms, Hiroto tried suggesting Gouenji include Tatsuya in their night practice. Before Gouenji could respond, they both saw Tatsuya, Haizaki, Fudou, Inamori, and Hiura about to exit the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. "Tatsuya." Hiroto called out to what he thinks is the most peculiar group of five. "Oh, Hiroto. And Gouenji-kun too." Tatsuya stopped and smiled back as he spotted the two.

"Don't tell me you became friends with those guys." Hiroto frowned, looking behind Tatsuya. "Eh?" Inamori points to himself. "Nah, you're fine." Hiroto assured the innocent teen with his usual neutral tone. "Then," Hiura begins. "Not you either." Hiroto cut the other off quickly. "Stop it. We're getting off track." Haizaki cut in both of them. "Let's hurry up and finish the coach's errands." Fudou said, sounding less annoyed than Haizaki. This late? Hiroto thought, turning his attention back to Tatsuya. "Have fun with that then." Hiroto gives the best of luck. And as if he could feel Hiroto's intention, Tatsuya thanked him in response before leaving.

Afterward, Hiroto and Gouenji practice at the secluded soccer field surrounded by mesh wire fences behind Kawaguchiko Sports Center. Just like yesterday.

"Do you have a special training regimen?" Gouenji asks. They're both taking a small break after finishing several rounds of one-on-one matches, with every single win gone to Hiroto. "I just took inspiration from Raimon, that's all." then, remembering there are two Raimon teams in this life, "Endou's Raimon I mean." Hiroto added. A half-truth. Kiyama Hiroto was chosen for Inazuma Japan, and during the Aliea Academy era, he took an interest in Endou and Endou's team and began stalking them in the name of spying on the enemy to gain more information.

Gouenji looked at Hiroto strangely. "I don't really understand." Gouenji honestly admits. Because it sounded like Hiroto either met someone from Raimon and that someone taught them their training regimen, or spied on them to gain inside information. Both theories were technically true and false at the same time. "Raimon's plays taught someone the true meaning of soccer." Hiroto's vague explanation kicks through those previous theories. "I didn't understand at first. But I eventually came to admire Raimon." Hiroto said, walking up to the soccer ball lying in the goalpost from their last round.

The soccer ball is kicked in the direction of the half-line point. Gouenji, who was standing there, received the shoot-like pass. "Got that?" Hiroto said, clearly not referring to the pass just made, "I trained hard in order to surpass you guys. So you better show me what you can do." and Gouenji stayed silent for a while. After musing, a small smile formed on his face. "I see, so that's your way of encouragement." Gouenji said, confident in his reasoning. If Hiroto was able to become that strong after rigorous training, then Gouenji could as well. "Think what you want." Hiroto responded.

And with that, they continued practicing every night until the FFI preliminaries.

One week later, at the FFI preliminaries. Hiroto, unfortunately, got the Fudou treatment. "The first match in the Football Frontier International's Asia preliminaries is here at last!" and has to listen to the commentator's voice on the bench. Funnily enough, Fudou was chosen in the starting lineup for the first half.

On the field, the chosen players are preparing themselves. "Guys, we're up against the world!" Endou's voice could be heard even from the bench. "With the world before us, let's play soccer!" and all on-field players cheer, each unique personality shown in how they did. Hearing Endou's voice was nice, but Hiroto wished he could listen to it on-field. "It's Japan VS Korea! Asia's rivals clash together! Who will the goddess of victory smile down upon?!" the commentator said.

"Unfortunately, Japan will lose this match." Ichihoshi barely whispers under his breath. What? Hiroto doesn't dare to turn his head to his left. "Did you say something?" Goujin, who sat next to Ichihoshi's right asked. Did nobody seriously hear that? Hiroto's subconscious yells. Ichihoshi straightens up from his hunched-over posture, "Not at all. I can't wait to see how far Japan can go!" and responds with a smooth smile. Something sick and ugly swirls in Hiroto's gut. The sense of wrongness after seeing Ichihoshi and Inamori's interaction. Those unnaturally sharp eyes scanned the field. It all leads to a single conclusion backed up by evidence of Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

Meanwhile, on the field, the match has already begun. And Inazuma Japan quickly moves forward. The ball connects through the hotline between Inamori, Gouenji, and Haizaki at the front. Haizaki quickly dribbles through Red Bison number 9's tackle, does a roulette spin on Red Bison's number 4, and makes his way forward. He mocks the two opponents before getting his ball stolen by Baek who cuts in with precise timing and heads to Inazuma Japan's side of the field.

Fubuki stops Red Bison's starting momentum with his hissatsu, Ice Ground. However, it slightly differed from the Ice Ground in Kiyama Hiroto's memories. Instead of encasing the opponent in large spikes of ice from the start, ice began to form on the ground and crawled toward the enemy before doing the previous action. Fubuki sends the ball with a long pass. Back and forth both teams went. Kazemaru stops the ball from heading to the goal with his new savage block hissatsu technique, Spinning Fence. The multiple tornadoes were a scene to witness. Neither side was giving in. "This is the world-level brawl, folks!" the commentator said, excitement firing up in the soccer stadium.

Somewhere, far away from the soccer stadium. Two players from Muteki no Giant watch Inazuma Japan's match against Red Bison on a big TV screen shown in Tokyo International Airport. "He calls that "world-level"? Hmph, don't be ridiculous." Bergamo said, turning to his teammate. Beside him, Clario listens to Bergamo continuing to rant, "You said that we needed to train in order to fight Japan. What exactly do you see in them?" and doubts harshly. To be fair, Clario hasn't added up a proper reason for his interest in Japan. No, Bergamo just saw Clario return to the dorm room hotel they were staying at one night and said something along the lines of, "I have greatly underestimated Japan's players. We shall go back to Spain in a few weeks to train to match their level." and left it at that.

Back to Inazuma Japan's bench. To say Hiroto wasn't having a good time would be an understatement. After hearing Ichihoshi's words, Kiyama Hiroto's memories wouldn't stop showing him memories of soccer. Specifically, the unfortunate circumstances that have continuously occurred whenever a soccer match was involved.

Whether it was corrupted adults manipulating children, using soccer to gain their own selfish goals and desires, using soccer to destroy soccer, rigging soccer matches, time traveling to reverse the history of soccer, or literal aliens threatening to destroy Earth. Like that saying when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. It seems soccer was destined to become a tool instead of a dream that heals the souls of every player in every universe.

Receiving Kiyama Hiroto's memories was truly both a blessing and a curse. It helped Hiroto train and be able to prepare for the world stage. Yet at the same time having knowledge of all the bad things that happen every time a soccer match is held leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

On the field, Inazuma Japan pushes back against Red Bison. With an unexpected defense from Tatsuya, Haizaki, Fudou, Inamori, and Asuto. Pulled together by Kidou showing the physical manifestation of his genius game-maker title. Making way for Gouenji to use his new secret hissastu technique, Last Resort, to the entire world. Words like amazing, beautiful, and astounding can't even begin to describe the sheer genius and power behind it. Teammates and opponents alike can't help but be absorbed as it heads to the, "-Goal! What kind of shoot was that? That was overwhelming! Unbelievable!-",

It's a shame that the first person Gouenji showed it to was overwhelmed by unstable emotions and memories to appreciate the final result with excitement.

"-Who would have guessed that a player from Japan could pull off a shoot like that?!" the commentator nearly stands up in amazement as Gouenji celebrates. "What was that?" Haizaki utters out, thunderstruck. "So he perfected it after all." Kidou spoke proudly, as if Gouenji's accomplishments and success felt like his. "Gouenji... You sure are Gouenji!" Endou compliments. Haizaki silently closes his eyes as if he could physically block that incomprehensible comment while Kidou turns his head to the goalpost, "Endou, what kind of compliment is that?" and asks seriously. Endou simply laughs back in response.

Kidou crosses his arms and looks ahead, seeing Gouenji surrounded by Kazemaru and Hiura. "But seriously... at this point, the words "ace striker" are no longer sufficient enough to describe a player like him." Kidou said. Gouenji walks back, and as he walks past Kidou, they both clap each other's hands. The Japanese players that made Clario take us seriously, one of them was you, wasn't it? Kidou concludes. He smiles as he watches Endou wave his hands up in the air to greet Gouenji coming over to him.

Though, something was amiss. One last mystery left in Kidou's mind. Last Resort was an ultimate worthy hissatsu technique, there was no doubt about it. However, Kidou's analytical brain told him that Gouenji, who's always playing at his fullest potential, wasn't on par with Clario's experience and skills to win a one-on-one match. So then, if Gouenji was one of the players who impressed Clario, who was the other? Unfortunately, there was no time to indulge in these thoughts as the match resumed shortly after Gouenji's goal.

The scene cuts back to Tokyo International Airport. "Gouenji Shuuya... That's right." Clario slowly began, "That play was what charmed me." and his memories go back to that night.

Clario was walking around the Kawaguchiko Sports Center when he found a path to the secluded soccer field by coincidence. There, behind mesh wire fences, he saw Last Resort for the first time. "That's..." Clario mutters, eyes glued to the hissatsu technique.

"World-level players have appeared in Japan as well..." Clario can feel the on-field players' shock through the screen as he speaks. Bergamo side-eyes Clario, not one to let small details slide. "What about the other player you mentioned last week?" Bergamo sharply asks. Clario stares ahead at the screen without an answer. He remembers quite clearly, the night he had experienced what a true God felt and looked like.

"Whatever." the player said, pointing his left index finger at Clario. "Play one-on-one with me." the player calmly demands. Clario and Gouenji's eyes widen at the same time. "Clario's not to be underestima-" Gouenji's warning gets cut off, "And what makes you think you can match up to me?" Clario asked. It wasn't condescending nor intending to look down on the other. No, it was a completely logical question of Japan's players' capabilities after experiencing and watching their previous skills. Gouenji just happened to become a potential exception tonight.

Clario expected his question to be met with silence or doubt. However, the player responds with an unexpected line, "Japan, Korea, China, Spain, Russia whatever. Still no match for me." a confident smirk growing on his expression. Clario doesn't blink. Gouenji went completely silent beside both of them. All of them wait for Clario's answer. Clario eventually lets out a huff, letting out a low chuckle. "How interesting. I accept." Clario met his opponents' eyes. He doesn't think showing his skills to a new player was a bad idea. Especially after witnessing Gouenji's plays.

The one-on-one rules go like this. They play to 11 points. And whoever has the most points wins. It's a very simple one-on-one match.

The score is settled. Pink eyes reflect moonlight, shining underneath. For a moment, it was like an otherworldly star in the cosmos, a god transcending this universe, looking down at the earth beneath. The player chosen for Spain's international team, Clario, looks at the god, lost for words, having not expected such a loss. Japan's legendary flaming genius striker had watched it all from the sidelines, standing still as the trees around them.

The god steadies his breath as does Clario. And after the clouds in the night sky move an inch, Clario eventually finds the strength to speak. "It's a shame such a player like you was born in Japan." Clario's words are met with a carefully neutral expression as the god turns to him. "What." the god stared down at Clario. "Hmph. Don't take this the wrong way. I'm simply amazed by your skills." Clario answers with a newfound respect for his opponent.

However, that didn't quell the god's stare-down. Clario's comment was quite insulting since the god gained their knowledge and power from a Japanese person's experiences in another universe, but Clario doesn't and will never know that.

"You're never going to elaborate on that, are you?" Bergamo asked. Clario's silence was an answer by itself.

On the field, Gouenji suddenly let out a pained noise. Hiroto's attention snaps back just in time to see a barely noticeable light shining underneath the cleats of a red-haired Red Bison player while everyone in the stadium is distracted by Gouenji's injury. Ichihoshi immediately stands up and runs over to Gouenji as soon everyone besides Hiroto, stands up from the bench, stunned. Unfortunately, Japan will lose this match, words Ichihoshi said before the first half were brought up to the surface in Hiroto's head. It made it all the more frustrating as Hiroto saw Ichihoshi letting Gouenji lean onto his shoulder and walking back to the bench.

Hiroto eventually finds the strength to get up after everyone else crowds Gouenji. "Are you okay, Gouenji?" Kidou asks. He's clearly not, Hiroto thinks, seeing Gouenji struggling to contain the pain in his injured left knee. "Are you hurt badly? Do you think you can join the second half?" Kidou continues asking. Gouenji struggles to smile back. "Hey Hey, I'm not a doctor. I don't know how serious the wound is." Gouenji responded. If Hiroto were the type that enjoyed dark humor, he might've found Gouenji's answer laughable.

There are only two forwards left on the bench, and Hiroto doubts Goujin's the one who's suitable to be Gouenji's replacement. "What happened?" Kidou asked, his brain wanting evidence to analyze the situation more clearly. "I couldn't see. Something shone into my eyes just at that moment." Gouenji answers. Hiroto silently steps back from the crowd and starts warming up far away, but close enough to listen to Kidou and Gouenji converse with each other as the coach and assistant coach begin one of their own a few steps away. "I've heard the stories, but I didn't expect them to set us up this far..." Hiroto hears Kudou speak. Huh? What stories? Hiroto attaches to Kudou's words. "The Disciples of Orion have started to bare their fangs at us." Coach Zhao worryingly said.

A pattern could be seen. Kidou's theory on the other opponents cheating, Gouenji's feeling of something invisible lurking beneath the surface, Ichihoshi's words before the match, The Disciples of Orion having a similar feeling to the SEEDs from Fifth Sector, coaches knowing all the important information, yet for some reason choosing not to explain the dangers to their players, the ones going through the actual hardship until it got to a certain point. Kiyama Hiroto's memories showed the patterns time and time again, and it was proven correct by the exposure of the Ares no Tenbin project after the FF and the consistent bad guy, Kageyama Reiji, in this life. Considering all this, perhaps, wishing for a normal FFI was too much.

"Hiroto-kun!" Coach Zhao said, about to ask his player to warm up. But stops when he sees Hiroto already finished stretching. And for the first time in his adult life feels a chill down his spine as Hiroto's pink eyes stared right back. Gone was its calm, and in place was frigid alienation. The silence was a second too loud. Hiroto's teammates follow their coach's eyes and they all can't help but be paralyzed in disconcertment as they see Hiroto's detached expression. Even the ones like Fudou and Haizaki can't help but mentally back away. Nobody says a word, nor dares move even as the commentator speaks,

"It's Inazuma Japan VS Korea's Red Bison, and Gouenji unexpectedly drops out of the game! This is a hard blow on Japan! Now that they've lost Gouenji's dynamic shoot, Last Resort, what will they do next?! Whoever comes in to replace him in the second half will also be noteworthy!" the words go over everyone's head.

Hiroto wants to calm down. He knows this is uncharacteristic of him. Return to his God Striker personality and show their opponents the true power of an otherworldly star. That's what he should be, what he should be alive in this life for. But apathy has been overtaken by overwhelming emotions. It's difficult to pretend to be ignorant, and uncaring when he's been shown otherwise. It feels different from before the FFI where he wasn't directly involved in the bad stuff. And his rationality knows, that even if he says something here, the only two adults in this team would refuse to share any further information until later or never at all, and the hidden darkness won't disappear until they fight for their lives. But, still, he truly hoped he'd never experience anything similar to Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

"Just act only in your capacity as the coach." Hiroto said after a moment, his voice unnaturally neutral. Because if the coach for some reason genuinely decides to trust his players, that'd be even more troublesome for him. Tatsuya looks at Hiroto worriedly as all the others watch him walk onto the field before talking amongst themselves. Someone follows Hiroto from behind. "Hey, what was that? Just because you think you're all high and mighty doesn't give you an excuse to be rude to the coach." Haizaki criticizes. For a brief moment, Hiroto seriously considered taking a page out of Gouenji's treatment. In other words, shooting The Explosion at Haizaki.

Instead, Hiroto expressionlessly looks at the opponent's field. "Say what you want." Hiroto answers neutrally, letting Haizaki have his win. However, instead of ending the conversation like Hiroto intended, "And you call yourself the God Striker? Don't make me laugh." Haizaki mocked. Oh, and wasn't that a low blow? The identity and symbolism of being a God Striker were diminished during a highly negative episode. Hiroto finally looks back at Haizaki. "Just don't drag me down, Mr. Devil of the Field." Hiroto said. A vexed smirk formed on his face. Then adding, "Seriously, what a stupid title." right after just for good measure. Sparks dangerously fly off between the God and Devil as the commentator announces the beginning of the second half.

The big screen in the soccer stadium shows the player cards, "Inazuma Japan switches in Kira Hiroto! He'll be sharing the striker position with Haizaki Ryouhei!" the commentator explained their positions. It's a shame that Kira Hiroto and Haizaki Ryouhei did not intend to share the striker position. Inamori nervously looks back and forth between the only two forwards in front of him. "Are these two going to do well...?" Inamori's thoughts formed in words, mostly worried for Haizaki's safety after experiencing the tense atmosphere around Hiroto. "Let's go." Haizaki looks beside him, frowning. No answer is returned as Inazuma Japan begins the kick-off.

"The God Striker and the Devil of the Field align side by side!..." the commentator speaks excitedly. But Hiroto quickly separates from Haizaki and easily dribbles through Seok. Like that, Hiroto continues keeping the ball to himself as he advances up the field. "...Is Kira Hiroto aiming to score a goal all by himself, even at the world's stage?" the commentator's voice continues from where he left off. Hiroto doesn't need help scoring a goal when everyone is below him. Moreover, he has a personal grudge against the player who helped in aiding Gouenji's injury. He swears he'll kick The Explosion in that player's path if a chance comes to him.

However, for now, Hiroto's priority is to pressure Red Bison. And what better way to do that than by mocking, trolling his opponents, and faking a hissatsu shoot? "Oh my! The Devil is left behind as The God dominates the holy grounds!" the commentator said, gripping his mic as he leaned near the glass window. Like Haizaki had a chance in the first place. Hiroto can't help but grin as he side-steps and dribbles past Red Bison's defense with his superior individual play. Carefully making sure to let each of the players think they had a chance of intercepting the ball, only for him to take it back before they could narrowly reach it.

From the bench, Sakanoue stands up and turns to the coach. "What is he doing?! This is the world tournament!" Sakanoue said in disbelief. Everyone who has played in Japan's FF before slowly come to realize it. That Hiroto has gone back to his old playstyle. No, it's, much more aggressive, Gouenji realizes, subconsciously pressing the ice pack harder against his left knee, his eyes not leaving the field for a second. Their coach was in a thoughtful posture just as the bench members heard Haizaki calling out, "Stop hoarding the ball!" his annoyance clear to the world. Everyone's attention returns to the field.

Hiroto doesn't bother listening as he reaches his shooting point and fakes a hissatsu, making the goalkeeper tense up, before shooting a normal one. The ball goes in easily because, for some reason, every other goalkeeper who wasn't Endou Mamoru was suspiciously incompetent so far in this life. "Goal!" the commentator's voice rings across the field as the score switches to 2 to 1 with Inazuma Japan in the lead. "The first goal of the second half is made by Kira Hiroto!" the commentator said. Baek looks infuriated. It was to be expected as he was the one Hiroto messed with the most. Baek's right hand calmly taps the Eleven Band on his left wrist. "Our next target will be..." Baek looks ahead, "Kira Hiroto." with a satisfied smirk. Seok glances at Baek warily from behind.

Red Bison begins the next kick-off. Baek sees Hiroto and mockingly gestures his index finger towards him. A universal sign of 'come and get me if you can'. Hiroto was going for the player who helped injure Gouenji anyway, so he ran up to him to steal the ball. Gotcha, Baek thinks, reflecting sunlight on a mirror from the bottom of his cleats as two Red Bison players go in to tackle from each side. Not knowing how stupid it was to think that'd work a second time after what happened to Gouenji. Hiroto accumulates energy for Zigzag Strike, but instead of gathering it all to himself as he'd normally do, he releases the energy outwards.

You see, hissatsu techniques are also very bright. So now all four of them were blinded. The three Red Bison players close their eyes in reflex, unable to plan their next step. Hiroto however doesn't stop. After all, memorizing your opponent's position even after being blinded was child's play for a player like him. And no matter what material the mirror was made of a hissatsu user's strength was enough to break it. Baek's eyes widen as he feels something brutally stepping on the mirror and separating it from the bottom of his cleats.

After Hiroto breaks the mirror into at least a dozen smaller pieces, he takes advantage of Zigzag Strike's light obscuring them from outsiders' gaze. Hiroto makes a rough play on Baek, making him fall to the ground in great pain, but not enough to injure. The other two Red Bison players collide with each other after Hiroto narrowly dodges them. When that's all done, Hiroto quickly kicks the ball outside Zigzag Strike with no route planned. Everyone, including the players from Inazuma Japan, on-field and off-field watches with bated breath as the ball flies out of the bright ball of yellow light. A shoot-like pass only one player on Inazuma Japan was capable of doing heads straight near a surprised Haizaki.

The bright ball of yellow light dissipates. Everyone saw the two Red Bison players who tried to pressure Hiroto tangled against each other, with Baek sitting on the ground, looking flabbergasted. "Hah! What a bunch of dumbasses!" Hiroto sharply grins, staring down at Baek, not a hint of remorse behind his maniacally glinting pink eyes. The three Red Bison players lift their heads and look at Hiroto as if he were insane. They have undeniably failed to take down their target, and have even lost in the battle of their pride as a Seal.

Haizaki receives the ball and briefly looks at Hiroto standing near a little over the half-line. "Something's seriously wrong with that guy!" Haizaki grits out, both baffled and discreetly amazed. Far from Haizaki's left, Inamori also looks at the scene where Hiroto stands above their opponents, strongly reminiscent of a cruel god. After seeing that, Inamori decided to take back what he said before the second half began. Haizaki wasn't the one he should've been concerned about.

"You-" Baek starts, stepping on something as he stands up. There are broken mirror pieces beneath his cleats. "You don't have time for trivial things like that." Hiroto's nonchalant-sounding tone only manages to fuel Baek's anger. "Trivial? How dare you! It's because of you that-" Baek stopped because the situation finally resonated within his head. He just failed to take down his target and to add insult to injury, the target has broken an important object made by Orion. If Orion knew about this, Baek wouldn't finish the thought as the whistle blew. A signal that the ball had gone out of the field.

Baek turns away. The other two Red Bison players quickly stood up and followed after untangling themselves. Hiroto watches it all as the whistle signals Red Bison's throw-in. "Now! Don't let this chance pass up!" Baek shouted. The score is 2 to 1, Red Bison needed to take this chance for Baek to accomplish his mission. "Let's go!" Baek commands Seok and Lee to follow up their combination dribble hissatsu technique, Tokkou Buffalo Train. The three managed to push away multiple midfielders and defenders of Inazuma Japan and quickly advanced towards Inazuma Japan's goal. Baek prepares his hissatsu shoot, Red Break.

Kazemaru had little time to prepare his hissatsu technique. So instead, he blocks Red Break head-on. Literally. Inamori and Fubuki's warning shouts were in vain as the ball is thrown slightly off-course, along with Kazemaru who flew back from Red Break's power. It's enough time for Endou to prepare his catch hissatsu, Fuujin Raijin. And because the universe didn't bother to limit Endou's coolness when creating him into existence, Inazuma Japan's goalkeeper stops the soccer ball with Fuujin and catches Kazemaru with Raijin.

If Hiroto were a spectator watching Endou in the crowd, he might've wanted to stand up and cheer from the sheer hype. But given the situation, Hiroto couldn't do such things. The ball rebounds off Fuujin, and Hiroto reaches it before either Hiura or Red Bison's 11 could. When did he run back here? Red Bison 11 thought in surprise. Hiroto fakes a struggle against Red Bison 11's tackle before advancing up the field. "That little-!" Baek cursed from a few meters, before chasing after Hiroto.

Eventually, Baek catches up, or what he thinks is catching up, and clashes with Hiroto's left shoulder. "So damn slow." Hiroto provoked him. "Cut the crap! I caught up with you!" Baek seethed, struggling to take the ball as Hiroto's ferocious grin greeted him. "Caught up to me? Ha! Don't get ahead of yourself!" Hiroto quips, his eyes piercing through Baek's furious ones. "I let you catch up to me." Hiroto said ominously. Just as the words leave his mouth, he easily shakes off Baek. And without a person sustaining Baek's weight, he stumbles, nearly falling to the ground for the second time since the second half began.

Fury doesn't even begin to describe what Baek is going through right now. He balances himself and runs to the shooting point that Hiroto has already reached after dribbling through a few Red Bison players. As a Disciple of Orion, Baek needed to stop Hiroto no matter what. Because if the score gap widens from here, it'll become almost impossible to turn it around. Gotcha, Hiroto thinks, seeing Baek's desperation just before he does his shoot hissatsu. The Explosion's path curves towards Baek, who is already preparing to stop it.

"Grk!" Baek grunts, eyes widening as the ball hits near the left side of his abdomen. Blunt trauma courses through his back, upper thighs, and most of his left leg. Baek goes flying as the ball continues its path to the goal. Hiroto didn't want to send Baek out of commission just yet, so he significantly decreased his shoot power. Because of this fact, after Baek's body decreased the ball's spin, Red Bison's defenders and goalkeeper were able to knock it off course. The crowd's cheers roar throughout the soccer stadium.

From the crowd's perspective, Hiroto was your average good striker, and Baek was an equally good and brave player who went in to stop his opponent's shot. Endou, who just made sure Kazemaru was okay, both watched Hiroto's play with slight frowns on their faces. After all, nobody knew intentionally hurtful plays when they saw one more than the original Raimon team and many other Inazuma Japan players. Fudou, who criticized Baek and his two helpers that they needed to stop screwing around after Endou caught Kazemaru, slightly raised a brow at Hiroto who landed on the field after The Explosion. "Something's seriously wrong with that guy." Fudou said after a beat of silence, looking ahead at Hiroto walking back to Inazuma Japan's side from near Red Bison's goalpost with an unreadable expression.

From Red Bison's side of the field, near Red Bison's goalpost, Seok calls out, "Baek! Cut it out already!" to Baek, who glares in response. Hiroto slows down his steps, but not stopping, and glances back. "Huh? Can't you see that I just got deliberately hit!?" Baek said, remembering how Hiroto met his eyes before he shot the ball. The adrenaline rush and Orion's teachings prevent Baek from feeling or expressing intense pain. It would come back to bite him later. But that wasn't a priority right now. Because Seok, Red Bison's irritatingly moral, rational, and fairly competitive captain began to scold Baek. "Deliberately? Are you sure?" Seok questioned before shaking his head. "No, whether or not it's true doesn't matter. If that's the case, that Inazuma Japan player only retaliated because you played dirty against their team!" Seok hit the nail on the head.

"I know the truth!" Seok continued, reaching out to pull down Baek's soccer uniform's neck part just below his right shoulder. "You're one of the Seals." Seok said, looking down at Orion's mark laser imprinted on his right shoulder. Baek narrowed his eyes and swung his left arm to shake Seok's hand off his clothes. "That shoot you made before was clearly hazardous. Keep playing like that, and I'll advise Coach to switch you out of the game." Seok continues, just as Baek returns his uniform the way it was.

If only Seok knew their new coach was also in on the dirty plays. "Okay, okay, I'll play fairly." Baek smirks at the thought. Seok turns away to go back to his position. From the half-line, Hiroto sees Baek tap something into his Eleven Band. And Hiroto, unfortunately, subconsciously realizes what Baek might plan to do next. The match resumes with Inazuma Japan's kickoff by Haizaki, who glanced at Hiroto beside him with a frown before passing the ball to Inamori instead. Haizaki was getting frustrated with Hiroto taking all the spotlight for himself, so he passed to Inamori first intending to score a goal this match. Hiroto gave an unreadable look at Haizaki as Inamori ran down the field.

"We've reached a critical moment for both teams. Will Inazuma Japan protect their score, or will Red Bison score a point and enter overtime?" the commentator spoke as Baek stole the ball from Inamori and moved up instantly with his pure skills. Hiroto keeps a close eye on Seok a few meters beside him even with Baek at the front. Kidou and Hiura pressure Baek, and so he calls out, "Seok, go for it!" and gives a long pass to Seok who's behind. "Okay!" Seok answers. But before he could jump up trap the ball with his chest, someone strongly clashed against his right shoulder. The excessive force from the shoulder press made Seok stumble quite a few feet to the left.

The ball passes right behind Seok and hits his teammate straight in the face. Park, who was running up to Seok after Lee was supposed to collide with Seok, brutally knees Lee in the gut instead. "Oh dear, Red Bison's teammates crash into each other!" the commentator said, and the referee signaled to halt the match. Hiroto and Seok simultaneously look back to see Seok's two teammates on the ground. Red Bison's 11, whose entire body lay on the ground struggled to lift his head before falling completely unconscious. While Red Bison's 9 was holding his left shoulder, groaning in pain.

Beside, Seok, Hiroto had already retracted from his shoulder press and looked downcast at the two with an unnaturally neutral expression. "Ugh. They really tried to crush their own teammates. What a bunch of idiots." Hiroto mutters under his breath. He was kind of disappointed that his gut feeling was correct. Seok's eyes widen beside Hiroto, and the gears turn in his head.

At Inazuma Japan's bench, everyone's eyes are glued onto the field. Gouenji subconsciously pressed his ice pack harder against his left knee after Lee fell unconscious on the field. "That looks painful." Sakanoue physically winced as if he were the one who got injured. "Is Hiroto okay? He nearly got caught up in the accident." Osamu, one of the two on this team worried for Hiroto's well-being, asked with a concerned frown. What's even happening out there? Ichihoshi questioned. His non-analytical brain going haywire. The entire second half of the match seemed like the universe was against Red Bison's Seal and his helpers. And few moments later, the unconscious Red Bison's 11 is moved onto a stretcher, and Red Bison's 9 is on the bench, getting treatment from their manager.

"Lee Dong-hyuk exits the field!" the commentator said. As Red Bison's captain, Seok asks the medical staff about Lee's condition. After hearing that Lee's condition will eventually improve, he goes up to Baek immediately. The few Red Bison players who've come to see Seok look at each other with complicated expressions as Lee is moved off the field. Standing a few meters from the team, Baek's head turns to Seok as if he'd expected him to come up. Seok looks angry. Or at least, as angry as a usual rational person like him could be. "Baek, what did you do." Seok demanded an explanation. Baek's expression wasn't any better. "I played fairly just like you said." Baek replied. They begin to argue with each other.

From Inazuma Japan's side of the field, Tatsuya hurriedly walked up to Hiroto after Seok went back to his team's side. "Hiroto, are you okay?" Tatsuya asked. Glancing at Red Bison's side of the field and then back to Hiroto. "Huh?" Hiroto reacted with an unnoticeable frown, not expecting that at all. "Those two were going for that blue-haired captain guy and would've nearly hit you if it weren't for that ball. Didn't you notice?" Haizaki commented from beside with an incredulous tone. It seems Haizaki had taken Hiroto's confusion as an incorrect interpretation. Hiroto doesn't even get the chance to respond as he hears Fudou sharply saying, "That press looked kind of unnatural for someone who just needed to steal the ball." from behind Hiroto and Haizaki.

Hiroto places his left hand at his side. "I don't need your witty comment." Hiroto smoothly avoided Fudou's observational verbal jab. Hiroto proceeds to ignore Haizaki who noticed and didn't appreciate being left out, and went straight for Tatsuya. "Yeah, I'm fine." Hiroto reassures Tatsuya. "Though," Hiroto glances at Red Bison's side, "going as far as injuring their teammates. They really don't know their limits." and back to Tatsuya. "Did I seriously hear that from you of all people?" Hiroto hears Fudou muttering under his breath in disbelief. Hiroto chooses to ignore Fudou like he did with Haizaki.

Soon after, the whistle blew, resuming the match with a kick-off from Red Bison. "Time is running out in the second half!" the commentator said. The score is still 2 to 1 with Inazuma Japan in the lead. Yet Red Bison's coordination is a mess. Red Bison's captain was at the tilting point of his patience, and Baek was hoarding the ball, running up the field. As a Disciple of Orion, a Seal, Baek has no room for failure. Orion's two assistants were out of the game, so Baek will finish this, even if it were by himself.

However, desperation came with impulsiveness. In this situation, the most rational decision a team could make was to work together. Like Inazuma Japan was doing. "Put everything into defense!" Kidou commanded, running up with Inamori and the rest of the players. "Okay!" Inamori responds and all 10 players surround Baek who's dribbling the ball. Kidou initiates a defense hissatsu tactics, Angel Robe. A hissatsu tactics that Inazuma Japan had practiced last week. The sky becomes cloudy with rays of light peeking through the clouds. Every player crosses their arms and a bright yellow blanket forms on top of their opponent.

Kidou stole the ball from Baek and ran up the field with Inamori on his right and Tatsuya on the left. "Let's go!" Kidou commanded. Seok runs up and tries to steal the ball, and Kidou passes to his left. Tatsuya receives the ball and observes the field. On the far right side of the field, he meets Hiroto's eyes. "Hiroto!" Tatsuya exclaims with a smile, making a long pass as a Red Bison player comes in to tackle him. However, Haizaki intercepts the pass in the middle.

Running beside Tatsuya, Kidou looked at Haizaki like a resigned parent would look at their disobedient child. Both Tatsuya and Hiroto's eyes widen in shock. "Hey! That was mine!" Hiroto shouts as he quickly catches up to Haizaki. "Not anymore!" Haizaki answers with glee, delighted to see genuine frustration on the supposed God Striker's face. "How dare you little-!" Hiroto swallows his curse as he clashes with Haizaki. Hiroto and Haizaki pass Red Bison's forwards. "Inazuma Japan's God and Devil are skirmishing with each other!" the commentator's voice annoys Hiroto.

Haizaki dribbles through one of Red Bison's midfielders. "A show of individual play, even in this final stage! God and Devil aren't just refusing to work together, they're fighting fiercely one-on-one to bring each other down!" the commentator said. "Stop screwing around and give me the ball!" Hiroto demands, because he doesn't want to stoop so low to steal from his teammate like Haizaki did. "Come and get it then!" Haizaki provokes Hiroto as if he weren't capable of just easily stealing it back. "Don't underestimate me!" Hiroto is one second away from giving Haizaki the Gouenji treatment.

"I don't give a crap! I'll finally show you my new hissatsu technique, Penguin The Devil!" Haizaki stats, kicking the ball up high. Hiroto jumps and follows the ball up high, golden wings sprouting behind his back. Haizaki took away his pass, so Hiroto plans to take away his shoot and show him what a God looked like. Penguin The- Hiroto's thoughts are cut off as Haizaki follows Hiroto not long after. "Penguin The-" Haizaki sees Hiroto already in the sky, "God!", "Devil!" and yells their titles simultaneously, trying to overpower the others' voices with their own.

Hiroto and Haizaki's unintentional combination shoot hissatsu technique, Penguin The God & Devil heads to Red Bison's goalpost, with most of its power supported by The God. "Goal!" the commentator yells as it went into Red Bison's goalpost. The score is 3 to 1, and, "The match is over!" the referee's whistle overlaps with the commentator's excitement. "Inazuma Japan makes a splendid win in the first match of the Asia preliminaries!" Hiroto looks back at Haizaki with an irritated expression as he hears the commentator announce Inazuma Japan's win.

"You did it! Haizaki! Hiroto!" Inamori runs up and comes to congratulate them, blissfully ignorant of Haizaki and Hiroto's disgust. They both separate from each other in spite. Inamori smiles awkwardly as Hiroto takes Inamori's right, and Haizaki takes Inamori's left path to the bench.

On Red Bison's side of the field. The match had ended, which meant the adrenaline rush did not need a reason to continue pumping through Baek's veins. The pain from the previous blunt trauma increased like a slow-reacting poison. "How did it end up like this?!" Baek seethed, walking slower than usual to decrease stimulating his pain. Ichihoshi, another Seal who infiltrated Inazuma Japan, and one who Baek knew personally, gave him a hard stare. Baek resists the urge to snap back as he walks back to Red Bison's bench.

Later, in Inazuma Japan's locker room. "Congratulations on that magnificent victory!" Coach Zhao claps with a proud smile. The managers clap beside the team. While the rest of the team either talks excitedly or, "We did it!" Goujin pumped his left fist up, showing their joy like the non-chosen forward.

"Hiroto, I was happy to be on the field with you." Tatsuya adorns a small smile, approaching Hiroto who was standing off the side from the rest of the team. "Same here." Hiroto answered, unable to match Tatsuya's positive energy. Then, Tatsuya's expression changes into a more serious one. "But you didn't look like you were enjoying soccer." Tatsuya said, and Hiroto's eyes slightly widen. Was that what it looked like? Hiroto thought, his eyes subconsciously gesturing to Gouenji who was getting treatment from one of the medical team on the bench.

Tatsuya follows Hiroto's eyes. "I couldn't tell you how bad it is until you've been medically examined..." Tatsuya saw the person from the medical team speaking to Gouenji. Ah, I see, Tatsuya notices as an idea clicks in his head like a twinkling star. Tatsuya gently holds Hiroto's left wrist just above the eleven band with his right hand. Hiroto doesn't protest and lets Tatsuya guide him to the bench where Gouenji sits.

"Gouenji-kun." Tatsuya said, approaching beside Gouenji's bench. Gouenji lifted his head from his injury. "Tatsuya. And," looking at the player downcast on his left leg, "Hiroto." Gouenji greeted both of them. Hiroto's still focused on Gouenji's injured left knee. "I've seen your plays on field." Gouenji started, and Hiroto finally lifted his head, looking at him with an unreadable expression. Gouenji stares back, thinking for a bit.

Due to experiencing the early Teikoku days, and early Zeus days led by Kageyama, Gouenji had developed a certain amount of sixth sense for malice. And Gouenji felt something similar yet different as he had watched Hiroto's plays in the second half of the match. Starting from the sudden disrespect towards the coach, ignoring orders of teamwork, clashing too many times with the three Red Bison players leading the dirty work, and the absence of enjoyment on the field compared drastically from during the FF. Gouenji had seen a few of Eisei's matches after seeing 'Eisei's light and dark' trending on the soccer forums. Hiroto looked much more carefree there.

"You didn't look like you were enjoying soccer." Gouenji eventually spoke. Hiroto heard those words for the second time in a short period. Receiving Kiyama Hiroto's memories since Hiroto was a small child made it impossible to truly enjoy soccer. The only thing he could do was to brush it off and focus on soccer itself. His God Striker persona was created in the process. Never mind that, he cuts his subconscious off. Even with all that, enjoying soccer in these conditions was impossible.

Hiroto closes his eyes. "Hah. Whatever you say." Hiroto let out dryly, placing his left hand on his side. "You though," Hiroto starts, opening his eyes to meet Gouenji's confused ones, "you better return to the team with some badass comeback line." and finishes seriously. Gouenji stares for a moment, before smiling back. "Of course." Gouenji answers, despite not understanding what Hiroto truly meant by that.

"That goes for me as well." Endou comes up from behind Gouenji. Tatsuya's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden appearance of their captain as Hiroto and Gouenji's heads calmly turn to their captain. "Endou." Gouenji said. "Just when I was standing with you on the field to the world, right?" Gouenji's smile matches Endou's. "What, this is only the beginning." Endou said, opening his arms wider. "We'll somehow manage by ourselves until you come back to us!" Endou declared a promise, thumping his chest with his right hand. Gouenji returned the promise with his declaration as Endou placed his left hand on his right shoulder.

"This team is sure to keep moving further!" Gouenji said. "All of us together are what make Inazuma Japan!" Endou answered, letting go of Gouenji's right shoulder. "So Gouenji, make sure to fully heal up." Endou gave his friend his best hope.

"I'll accompany you to the hospital." Ichihoshi offered generously, placing his right hand on his heart to show his genuineness. Which seemed like crap, so, "No." Hiroto cut in. Everyone's eyes are on him. He scans every player until he sees the player standing beside Kazemaru, and points his left index finger to Fubuki. "Fubuki will accompany him." Hiroto said without any previous warning for whom he singled out. "Me?" Fubuki reacts, slightly uncomfortable with how everyone's eyes fixated on him. This is too sudden for Fubuki. But before Fubuki can voice his opinion, someone else made it for him.

"How about the three of us all go together!" Endou suggested as if it were the best idea ever. Nobody wanted to argue with their captain. Especially against that blinding smile.

Tatsuya turns to Hiroto promptly after Ichihoshi, Fubuki, Endou, and Gouenji leave the locker room and outside the soccer stadium where the coach had called a taxi to take them to the hospital. "Hiroto, what was that?" Tatsuya quietly asks as everybody leaves the locker rooms one by one. "I don't like that guy." Hiroto said bluntly. Tatsuya gives Hiroto a questioning look. "That guy?." Tatsuya asked for an elaboration. Hiroto stays silent for a moment. "Ichihoshi. I have a bad feeling about him." Hiroto answers with unusual seriousness. Kidou, the last to exit the locker rooms, overheard it before following the others.

If it were any other normal person, they would've brushed Hiroto's words off thinking he was overreacting for no reason. But Tatsuya had spent quite some time with Hiroto to know he would never randomly say things like that out of the blue. After thinking it through, Tatsuya met Hiroto's serious expression with his own. "Alright, I'll keep an eye on him." Tatsuya answered with a nod. Tatsuya couldn't help but notice how Hiroto visibly relaxed slightly at his answer. Even Hiroto himself didn't know how glad he was to have someone's trust.

"I'm sitting next to you on the bus." Hiroto declares. Tatsuya and Hiroto lost their seatmates this afternoon but, "Is that even allowed?" Tatsuya wonders. "If the coach has a problem with that, I'll punt him to the next life." Hiroto declared with glinting eyes. Tatsuya awkwardly smiles back. "I think you'd be kicked off the team if you tried that." Tatsuya responded as a matter of fact. Hiroto stares at Tatsuya for a second before closing his eyes. "I was only joking." Hiroto said. Tatsuya didn't tell Hiroto that his earlier declaration didn't sound like a joke at all as they left the locker rooms and followed the rest of their teammates to the bus.

Thankfully, the coach didn't even bat an eye, or more accurately, wasn't paying attention to small insignificant things like two players switching seats. The bus ride back to Kawaguchiko Sports Center was as long as they had arrived at the soccer stadium. And the sky began to turn dark when the Inazuma Japan members arrived.

Everyone had gathered in the resting area after being assigned their official dorm rooms. And Hiroto had unfortunately gotten the same dorm room as Haizaki. "Will Gouenji-san be okay?" Inamori wondered in concern, holding a tablet in his right hand. "If anything came up, I'm sure that Captain would give us a call." Mansaku assured Inamori with a confident smile. "That's true." Inamori smiled back and focused back on his tablet.

"Woah! Look at all these articles on the match!" Inamori exclaimed, finding an article titled 'Inazuma Japan Wins!!' at the top of the News. Hiroto, sitting on the arm of the armchair couch Tatsuya sat in, crossed his arms, and listened to Inamori and Goujin talk excitedly. With all the excitement sprouting from Goujin. Fudou, not wanting to be with all this noise for another second, leaves the room first with his Inazuma Japan sports bag held over his right shoulder. 

"Haizaki! Hiroto!" Inamori suddenly came up near the two excitedly. "Check out this title, it says "The two forwards leading Japan's team, 'Inazuma God and Devil!'" and both Hiroto and Haizaki flinch in disgust after Inamori finished with a huge innocent smile on his face. Especially Hiroto, who was still salty at Haizaki for stealing Tatsuya's pass. Hiroto stands up and goes over to Inamori, just as Haizaki does.

"Don't lump us together!" Hiroto and Haizaki exclaim at the same time.

"You're very synchronized." Ootani commented beside with a smile.

"No, we're not!" Hiroto and Haizaki exclaim at the same time, unfortunately, again. Hiroto's eyes twitch. "As if you'd ever be on my level." Hiroto said seriously, pointing his index finger near Haizaki's face. "Shut up, noodlehead!" Haizaki shouted back, seeming to have taken Hiroto's seriousness as arrogance. "Huh?!" Hiroto reacts. But recovers quickly. "Look at yourself! That straight hair you've got pisses me off!" Hiroto fires back, stars crackling behind his eyes.

It only manages to fuel Haizaki's infuriation. "Says the delinquent-looking dumbass!" Haizaki shouts back. "You stole my ball!" Hiroto didn't want to hear delinquency from someone like him. "And you intruded during my new hissatsu technique!" Haizaki doesn't back down. "I didn't intend to intrude on your lousy hissatsu technique!" Hiroto argues back. "Like you have a better one!" Haizaki refuses to back down. "I do have a better one! And it's much more powerful than your stupid penguins!" Hiroto then blinked as he remembered who was sitting on another armchair couch beside Haizaki.

Kidou raised a brow at the sudden attention from Hiroto. "No offense Kidou." Hiroto quickly assured just as Haizaki spat, "Oh yeah, then prove it!" very confidently. "Like hell I'd show it to a weakling like you!" Hiroto seethed. That's when Inamori, our long-forgotten protagonist, attempted damage control. "Um, guys," Inamori tries, shrinking nervously when the unwanted God and Devil duo turns to glare at him. The God somehow adorning a much more terrifying expression than the Devil. Seeing Inamori's reaction, Hiroto quickly loosens his seething frustration.

"Damn it. I hate it here." Hiroto snaps first. He then picks up two Inazuma Japan sports bags from the floor and turns to Tatsuya. "Come on, Tatsuya." Hiroto said, expression and tone returning to his usual neutral one. "Me? Wait-" but Hiroto grabs Tatsuya's right wrist with his left hand and practically drags him out of the armchair couch and the room. Haizaki narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What's with him?" Haizaki questions after Hiroto and Tatsuya are out of sight. "Well, you did steal a pass made for him during the match." Hiura said from beside. Haizaki glares at Hiura.

Meanwhile, on Hiroto and Tatsuya's side. The elevator stops on the second floor. Where all the dorm rooms were. Hiroto power-walks through the hallways, opens door number 209, and shoves one of Inazuma Japan's sports bags into Tatsuya's arms. Then, he opens door number 210 and chucks his Inazuma Japan sports bag onto the bed on the right with skillful accuracy. Tatsuya blinks as Hiroto turns to him. "Hurry up and put that in your dorm room. We're going for a walk." Hiroto said, with no room for argument. Despite being worn out from today's match, Tatsuya quickly does what he's told and soon later they both ride the elevator back down and head outside of Kawaguchiko Sports Center.

It turned out that Hiroto's way of going for a walk was going to a secluded soccer field surrounded by mesh wire fences to train. There was even a fairly new soccer ball already on the field. Tatsuya wasn't in a condition to practice after a draining match like today, but Hiroto told him to at least watch regardless of whether or not he could run. Having no other reason to refuse, Tatsuya stood on the sidelines and observed Hiroto practice his hissatsu techniques. And during it all, Tatsuya could only think how Hiroto had this much energy left to train.

Somewhere, far away from Kawaguchiko Sports Center, in one of the dorm hotel rooms of Red Bison, a chair and several items are ferocity knocked over onto the floor. "Damn it! Nobody told me that Japan had players like him!" Baek seethed out, shakily breathing in and out as pain coursed throughout his body. The force of that hissatsu technique's power gave pain and nausea yet was calculated enough not to cause severe harm. Baek might've been impressed if he wasn't the victim of such a shot. Then, someone opens the door and steps into the dorm room. Baek recognizes those footsteps before he even turns around. "Baek." Seok said, his eyes downcast to the thrown items on the ground before looking back up. "I want an explanation." Seok demanded. For a moment, Baek doesn't answer. After all, the unscathed Seok is another physical reminder of his failure as a Seal.

Suddenly, two men in black suits and dark sunglasses enter the room. Seok's eyes widen in surprise and confusion from the unexpected intrusion. In contrast, Baek's eyes widen in pure unfiltered fear. "Your role is finished." one of the men said. There wasn't anger or disappointment in his tone. It was just stated as a fact. All of Baek's surroundings seem to disappear from his sight. "Wait! Please give me another chance-" Baek begs, in a state of panic. The situation was so out of place that Seok didn't know how to act even as one of the men pushed him out of the way to approach Baek.

"You failed your mission." one of the men said. Then holds underneath Baek's armpits to secure him in place. It hurts. Everything hurts. The Disciples of Orion were taught to never raise their voice against their superiors. So it was unfortunate for Orion that years of education all crumbled in front of an injured human's survival instinct. "Let me go! Hey!" Baek shouted, panicking, pain burning intensely inside from the touch. He flailed in the man's hands, trying to escape.

The path to the doorway is blocked. Seok, who's also never opposed an adult before, does so for the first time despite his nerves. Standing between the men and the doorway, Seok furrows his brows. "This isn't right." Seok said, ignoring his anxiety as the two stone-cold men turned their heads toward him. "Please stop hurting him." Seok demanded as politely as he could. "This doesn't concern you." the man who wasn't holding Baek said. They both ignore Seok and forcefully move him out of the way.

However, the two men should have recognized that Seok was a reasonable and competitive player. Being reasonable meant rationality layered with a strict moral code, and competitiveness meant that he was capable of taking whatever chance he could manage to get. So, with strength, only a rational-minded hissatsu user could muster, Seok recklessly yanked the pained and panicking Baek away from the man holding him.

The hold on Baek's right arm is cool, calm, and brave. Baek loses the ability to speak or think as Seok begins to run, dragging him with him. Pain, panic, and fear increase every second in the heart of the former Disciple of Orion, disorientating his senses. "No, wait, stop, they're going to, I can't-" Baek lets out jumbled words. Baek didn't want this to happen. He was supposed to suppress Inazuma Japan, eliminate Red Bison's captain, and replace him. Yet, despite the outcome, Baek subconsciously matches Seok's speed as they run through the hallways. Dodging unassuming cleaning staff, a few shocked teammates who were getting some snacks, food and beverage staff, security staff, and many more. The mess the two teens left in their path created enough distraction for the two men in black suits to slow down.

Seok was honestly still boiling from what happened during the match. And he never thought or dared to defy any adults in his life. But as soon as he saw Baek's reaction to those two men in suits, it was as if everything pieced itself together. Whether or not Seok or Baek was brought up in different environments, leading to their different positions, didn't matter. Not this moment, at least.

This place wasn't safe for either of them.

"My heart won't stop racing!" Iwato talks to himself, clutching his heart with his left hand, "Something new might develop from this letter!" as if he knew who the other person was. To my dearly beloved Hikaru-san. Iwato begins to write. This is Iwato from Japan's team, Inazuma Japan. Iwato lets his heart continue the rest. I write this letter while contemplating what sort of person you are... 

Ichihoshi walks through the hallways of the second floor.

The Orion Foundation settled their targets on how much their absence contributed to the downfall of their respective teams. For example, eliminating Gouenji took away Inazuma Japan's main power source. Ichihoshi even speculates that the flaming ace striker was the one who won the one-on-one against Clario. So, the first step of Inazuma Japan's downfall was a success. The next target should be Endou. Who was not only Japan's best goalkeeper but also the team's heart and moral support. The team would shake without him. Then Kidou. A genius tactician. Whose absence would bring the team's disorganization in a match. Everything was all according to Orion's data. So there was no doubt those three's elimination was a top priority.

And Ichihoshi doesn't plan on straying from the plan. Though, Ichihoshi thought back to today's match. Today's match was strange. Red Bison's Seal and his assistant players always got hurt whenever a certain Inazuma Japan player was near them. From an outsider's perspective, even Ichihoshi's, what happened during the second half easily seemed like a reasonable soccer match accident.

However, even though Ichihoshi knew good players, like Haizaki, Kazemaru, and Fubuki weren't considered a top priority for elimination, he couldn't erase his gut feeling about that certain Inazuma Japan player. That Inazuma Japan player, like Haizaki, was on the 'good players with an aggressive side' section in Ichihoshi's mind. Kira Hiroto, Ichihoshi thought, frustrated. The rest of Inazuma Japan was predictable. It was obvious to the third eye that even players like Haizaki and Fudou didn't enjoy Red Bison's rough plays. But Hiroto felt off. I don't know why, but I feel like something's seriously wrong with that guy, Ichihoshi thought, frustration and caution building up his gut whenever he thought of Hiroto.

Ichihoshi stops just in front of Endou's door. He'd keep a close eye on Hiroto. Until then, he will focus on the main task that he was ordered to do. The next card to disappear will be you. Endou Mamoru! Ichihoshi glares at Endou's door as if it would break down any second. No matter what I have to do, I will bring you down! Ichihoshi declares. But first, he needed to calm down. Patience is a virtue, as someone had once spoken. Ichihoshi breathes in and out, masking his expression before raising his hand to knock twice on the door.

In the main office of the Orion Foundation, Gustav Nikolsky puts down his smartphone after finishing a call. "That Zhao Jinyun is on the move. He may eventually become a nuisance to us." Gustav said, closing his eyes in thought. Performing his duties and performing the functions of the Orion's chairman was no easy task. The chairman's aide, Shinjou Takuma stands before the chairman with hands behind his back. "I've already sent one of our Seals to infiltrate Japan's team. He will destroy them from the inside." Shinjou reported.

Gustav opens his eyes. "Yes, that is the role of those who bear the seal." he said. After all, everything was to create a perfect world in his eyes. He turns to the huge monitor that is as huge as the wall. It's displaying Red Bison's match against Inazuma Japan. More specifically, repeating the scenes of what Park, Lee, and Baek were doing on the field.

Zhao Jinyun has an interesting team. And the team has an even more interesting player. Especially, Inazuma Japan's number 9, Kira Hiroto. Gustav was a very old man. His eyes and brain were slow compared to the relatively young Seals and Shinjou. But still, his years of experience and intelligence could tell that player had the potential to become a great nuisance for his perfect world. Yes, that player's actions were deliberate enough that very few experienced people could barely notice. It's almost too perfect. Much more than the teachings that Orion taught. But if there was a Seal already infiltrating Japan, Gustav can be rest assured that they would also prioritize Kira Hiroto's elimination along with their established targets. And that Shinjou would order and aid in the Seal's mission.

What Gustav didn't know was that Mitsuru wasn't the analytic type. That went to his brother, Hikaru. In a way, Inazuma Japan is very lucky Mitsuru's personality is the driver of Ichihoshi's body. Because if it were Hikaru, the brains of the Ichihoshi brothers, Ichihoshi would've analyzed the players and found out the two Clario was talking about much faster. But as it stands, only very few observant people would be able to see the broken mirror pieces on the field after Hiroto's hissatsu technique dissipated, and Ichihoshi Mitsuru wasn't even observant enough to see what Gustav saw in Kira Hiroto.

More importantly, Shinjou, the person who gave the Seals orders when Gustav was busy, had a different idea of what to do with Kira Hiroto.

In the screening room, Kidou was rewatching today's match on the big screen, the only light source in the dark room.

Kidou thought back to Hiroto's sudden hostility towards their coach. Just act only in your capacity as the coach, Hiroto had said. His tone conveyed that their coach may be acting out of line. Then, Hiroto went out of his way to target the three players who played a central role in Red Bison's rough plays. Yes, Kidou unfortunately knew the difference between accidental plays and intentional plays. And he knew the rest of the original Raimon saw it too. And Endou, after returning from the hospital, seemed especially determined to find Hiroto and talk with him. Not long after, Kidou saw Ichihoshi lingering outside Endou's room. That scene reminded Kidou of the conversation he overheard from Hiroto and Tatsuya before he left the locker rooms.

"What's bothering you?" Haizaki's calm voice entered the dark screening room. Kidou's head turned and he stood up from his seat to face him. "Is it about today's match?" Haizaki asked. "No..." Kidou answered. Because every scenario he'd thought of so far were all speculations at the current moment. "I'll tell you another time." Kidou promised, passing by Haizaki's right. Kidou needed another person's insight on the situation.

Perhaps he should find Hiroto and ask him to go visit Gouenji tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Perhaps, if he were an adult or even just a teenager, the memories he had received would've been easier to digest. However, he is none of those. Instead, he's a small child who has seen death, violence, friendship, healing, human experimentation, admiration, and everything beyond. He sobs and sobs untiinjl tears stain his bed sheets. His throat has long since dried up as he continues choking on his misery. He wishes his father would enter his room and comfort him. But like many other nights, he's alone. His father is always busy.

With what? Work? Taking care of those orphanage kids but not him? Never him? His supposed precious biological son? Maybe he should've died just like that small red-haired child in the alleyway. If he died, at least then his father would finally miss him.

'That's probably not a good idea.' someone speaks, and the small child named Kira Hiroto sits upright on his bed in panic. Who? He looks around and sees a small red-haired child in the mirror beside his bedside table. 'If you die, then people will suffer just like what you've seen in your nightmares.' the red-haired child speaks, pointing his finger directly toward a disoriented Hiroto.

'Do you want to see Gouenji unable to play on the field in fear for his sisters' safety? Do you want to see Fubuki struggle and break down? Do you want to hear about Kazemaru turning to the Aliea Meteorite's power because he felt helpless?' the red-haired child stabs each sentence into a shaking Hiroto with an innocent smile on his pale complexion.

Hiroto hurriedly shakes his head. He doesn't want that at all. Hurting his friends was out of the question. Even though they're not his friends. He just wants to play soccer. That's all he ever wanted. It was even his main dream. 'Then you should live, since dying will only bring misfortune anyway.' the red-haired child cheerfully said, a complete contrast to the mess Hiroto was. The red-haired child stood still, observing as Hiroto breathed in and out shakily. There are tear stains left on Hiroto's cheeks. But he has long since stopped crying.

Then, the red-haired child smiles sweetly and reaches out to ruffle Hiroto's hair as if proud of his answer. But Hiroto only sees the shadow of his death, a ghost haunting his mind, so he squeezes his eyes and cowers away from the mirror. Behind the mirror, the red-haired child doesn't move an inch as he observes Hiroto's trembling figure.

After a long silence, the red-haired child retracts his small soft hand. 'I see.' The red-haired child nods in understanding. 'I'll only bring more painful memories for you.' Even as the red-haired speaks, Hiroto doesn't understand a single thing.

'After all, my life already ended in that alleyway.' the red-haired child smiles sadly before perking up. 'But someone else continued to my name. He lived a life I couldn't and even made lots of friends.' the red-haired child cheerfully said. Hiroto can't match the red-haired child's unnatural enthusiasm.

The red-haired child wipes off his smile and stares at Hiroto with an unreadable expression. 'So,' The red-haired-haired child's arm shatters the mirror, grabbing harshly onto Hiroto's right arm. 'You better do that as well.' The red-haired child said ominously before yanking Hiroto off the bed.

And Hiroto,

falls to the floor with a thump.

Nearby, someone grunts slightly awake from the sound. Hiroto chokes out air that doesn't seem to exist, mind still repeating that nightmare. A pulse came from his back, head spinning from the contact with the floor, and vision was hazy. Multiple scenes from his nightmares conflict with the waking world. His subconscious tries reassuring him that he can recover from the unsettling scenes, for this wasn't the first time something like this happened.

So, despite the confusion, Hiroto instinctively tries his best to recognize his surroundings. The ceiling has big squared light blueish-grey tiles, he can hear his teammate rustling in bed from his right, and he's a teen. Once these facts are fully registered in his head, his quickened heart returns to its normal pace, and the blood circulating in his head finally seems to flow back to his almost sickeningly cold arms and legs.

Hiroto stays dead still on the floor, hanging onto his conscious for dear life. And he lets his subconscious thoughts do their job of calming him down. That nightmare he woke up from stemmed from his childhood. When he was a child, his short past life and Kiyama Hiroto's memories often manifested into nightmares and he would wake up crying. One particular night, the nightmares were overwhelming enough that even after waking up, he panicked so badly that he had imagined that entire scene with that red-haired child. He remembers falling back to sleep in mental exhaustion soon after.

To think that this childhood memory would come up now in this particular method, Hiroto didn't understand why. He doesn't know if anything good will come out of finding out the reason either. The single window in this shared dorm room indicates it'll take a couple more hours before morning. So, he begrudgingly lifted himself from the floor, picked up the fallen blanket that tumbled down with him, and tucked himself into bed.

What a shame that the stars were shimmering beautifully tonight. Hiroto would've loved to stay awake and stargaze for a while if it weren't for the fact that he needed sleep very badly after his first tainted FFI match. Another reason was, that Coach Zhao let them have free time in the morning to lunch to reward their victory, and Hiroto promised two, no, three people his time.

A few minutes later, Hiroto somehow eventually falls back to sleep.

After about 18 minutes, Hiroto stopped abusing his soccer ball and turned to Tatsuya watching on the sidelines. Training, tonight, was just a small excuse to get his nerves out of his system, for there's another, more important reason Hiroto brought Tatsuya at this time, in this place. "Finished already?" Tatsuya asks as Hiroto kicks the soccer ball in the middle of the field. Returning the soccer ball to its position when the two arrived. Tatsuya watches Hiroto looking at him, then at the soccer ball, momentarily in thought.

Tatsuya wonders, if, "Hiroto, do you have anything you want to say to me?" and a small cool breeze flows through the locks of Hiroto and Tatsuya's hair. Hiroto looks both lost and resolved as he walks over to the sidelines. "I need to tell you something about today's match." Hiroto said, hands gripping in fists by his side. Tatsuya waits for Hiroto to speak, but what he didn't expect was Hiroto to drop a bombshell so casually. "I was also blinded, like Gouenji." Hiroto admits, and Tatsuya doesn't even bother hiding his surprise. "Wait, when?" Tatsuya asks, concerned and a little confused.

When a person was suddenly blinded, they would instinctively close their eyes, trying to shield the light with their hands, flinching to a stop. From what Tatsuya had seen from the midfield section, Gouenji seemed to have reacted with the first and third. However, from what Tatsuya had seen, Hiroto, who had mostly kept the ball to himself for the second half, hadn't shown any unnatural reactions. "Just before my Zig Zag Strike?" Hiroto replies as if it's the most obvious answer in the world. The person himself had no clue how well hidden his reaction to being completely blinded was from other people's eyes.

Hiroto's reply only managed to confuse Tatsuya further. "But you've never used that hissatsu technique." Tatsuya said, racking his brain back to today's match. The only hissatsu technique Tatsuya saw Hiroto use today was his combination hissatsu technique with Haizaki at the end, and that new hissatsu technique that surrounded Hiroto and three Red Bison players with a bright yellow sphere during the second half of the match. The same color as ZigZag Strike. A realization comes to Tatsuya's subconscious thoughts like a twinkling star.

That wasn't a new hissatsu technique? But that would mean Hiroto shifted the energy flow of an already existing hissatsu technique. And if that was the case, didn't that mean Hiroto had meticulous control of, not an individual skill of each different hissatsu technique, but the hissatsu power itself?

What was the matter with him? Hiroto thinks, looking at the silent Tatsuya strangely. "Anyways," Tatsuya's attention snaps back as Hiroto continues, "our opponents were hiding mirrors in their cleats. That's why Gouenji got blinded." without sugarcoating a thing. Tatsuya didn't expect to receive so many surprises in one night. "What?" Tatsuya reacts. An appropriate reaction to receiving such a shocking revelation. "That's how they injured Gouenji-kun?" Tatsuya said in disbelief. Hiroto nods as if this isn't something so out of place. "But that's blatant cheating. Why didn't the referee do anything?" Tatsuya asks, and he realizes the answer before Hiroto answers it for him. "Do you think the referee could see something nobody else has even noticed?" Hiroto answers. Even Tatsuya, who was on the field for the entire match hadn't known until Hiroto told him. And judging by everyone else's reaction they haven't seen it as well.

"You have a point." Tatsuya said, nodding awkwardly. "In any case, I'm glad you're unharmed, Hiroto." Tatsuya said, a small relieved smile on his face. Hiroto stares back, feeling a warm star tickling his head from receiving such genuine emotions. Though the good feeling quickly goes away, the warm star goes cold, once he reminds himself of what happened to Gouenji. "As if I'd fall for such a dumb trap." Hiroto replies, self-assured in his abilities on the outside.

There are a lot of things on Tatsuya's mind. Hiroto's been acting differently ever since just before the second half. That was for certain. Initially, Tatsuya thought Hiroto was making reckless plays because of Gouenji's injury. The two forwards seemed to get along quite well, after all. And that doesn't seem wrong. However, something feels off. It doesn't explain why Hiroto had suddenly been rude to their coach, suspicion towards the helpful Ichihoshi, nor figured out the secret of Gouenji's injury so quickly. Also, what was Hiroto even doing with his hissatsu technique? If he realized the mirror much sooner, couldn't he have simply passed or sent the ball out to the field? That was what Tatsuya would've done in that situation.

Really, Hiroto makes it difficult for Tatsuya to put it into words. "Hiroto." Tatsuya starts. To press or not, that was the question. Tatsuya's answer was, "Thank you for telling me." to not. It was getting pretty late, Tatsuya was starting to feel a little drowsy. And while Hiroto certainly didn't look like it, Tatsuya was sure Hiroto was tired as well. That was the reason on the surface, at least. A hidden thought in the corner of Tatsuya's head knows he's unable to ask further because of the incident, their conversation in the Eisei soccer stadium's hallways.

Hiroto nods and gives a small smile back. Soon after, Hiroto and Tatsuya leave the field. Sounds of leaves and various forest sounds tenderly enter Hiroto and Tatsuya's ears as the two enter through the main back door of Kawaguchiko Sports Center. Through the hallways, past a few rooms, the two bump into Kidou walking from the direction of the screening room far away, brows furrowed in contemplation. Tatsuya briefly wondered what could be on Kidou's mind that caused such a serious expression this late.

Then, Kidou notices Hiroto and Tatsuya coming from the other side. This is a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation. "Hiroto. Just the person I'm looking for." Kidou suddenly spoke up, stopping Hiroto and Tatsuya in their tracks. This was all sudden. But, well, Hiroto wasn't about to question Kidou.

Last night, Kidou asked Hiroto, and also Tatsuya since he was right beside them, to visit Gouenji with him tomorrow. An offer made by Kidou, and no particular reason to refuse. That's how Hiroto promised three people in his free time.

And now, Kidou, Tatsuya, and Hiroto walk side by side in silence to the hospital after getting out of the taxi. Before they left Kawaguchiko Sports Center, Kidou explicitly stated the topic of yesterday's match would be discussed once entering Gouenji's hospital room. Hiroto and Tatsuya had no complaints about that. So the two followed behind Kidou inside the hospital. Kidou went to the counter and told the receptionist sitting behind that the three were visitors. The receptionist gave directions on Gouenji's hospital room number with an even voice and a few hand gestures. Kidou and Tatsuya thanked the receptionist and the three all walked along the hallways and entered Gouenji's hospital room.

The first thing Hiroto saw, was Gouenji looking up at his visitor's footsteps. The second thing Hiroto noticed, was the photo frame stand with Gouenji and Yuuka, his younger sister beside his hospital bed. "You three are pretty early." Gouenji gave a genuine smile at his three visitors. "It's good to see you up, Gouenji-kun." Tatsuya responded, showing a smile of his own. "How is your injury?" Kidou asks immediately. "It's not as bad as I'd thought." Gouenji said. Hiroto's gaze lowers to Gouenji's bandaged left leg. "But it will be difficult for me to return in time for the Asia prelims." Gouenji admits. Tatsuya notices Hiroto closing his eyes briefly before opening them, and looking back up to the main conversation. "I see..." Kidou crosses his arms in thought as he shifts his eyes to the table beside Gouenji's hospital bed.

"Your sister must have been really worried." Kidou commented, glancing to the photo frame stand. Hiroto is reminded of the Aliea Academy days when all of the team members, especially Gran, gathered background information about everyone in Raimon. According to Aliea Academy's intel, Gouenji Yuuka was in a coma because of an accident manipulated by none other than the dark emperor, Kageyama Reiji. Gouenji had stopped playing soccer for a long period since then. Because of this, Aliea Academy concluded that threatening Yuuka's safety was a good idea to instill anxiety in Gouenji and shackle Raimon from using their full potential.

What a terrible memory to be reminded of in the room of the main person involved in those memories.

"Gouenji." Kidou's voice takes Hiroto's attention back. "When you said that something felt out of place in the Korea match..." Kidou trails off, and Gouenji answers, "I think this tournament is hiding something." matching Kidou's serious expression.

"Like that isn't obvious." Hiroto couldn't help but let out dryly. The other three in the room turn to him. "Yes, about that. I wanted to ask you something as well." Kidou said, turning to Hiroto. An absolute leader on planet earth takes one metaphoric step to dissect knowledge from the God high above the universe. "Your sudden hostility towards the coach, and rough plays on our opponents intending to injure them." Kidou went straight to the point. So much for a tactical approach. Hiroto internally cringes slightly as Tatsuya's eyes widen in shock from this new revelation. "Intentional?" Tatsuya repeats. Instead of feeling doubtful of Hiroto's actions, Tatsuya seemed even more confused than anything. To think trust could be this uncomfortable. "I wanted to know why you did that." Kidou stared right at Hiroto.

There was a reason Hiroto accepted Kidou's offer last night. Despite sounding like a hypocrite, he knew that giving out information to everyone without more concrete evidence might not be the greatest choice of action. Especially, since Hiroto knows he's in an influential position to end soccer corruption with soccer matches as a player, yet being in one of the most powerless positions for the same reason. That's why he decided that Kidou, a better strategist than anyone else, should know what he knows.

Hiroto doesn't show anything in his expression as he speaks. "Both our coach and assistant coach are hiding something from us." Hiroto shares his opinion. "I think so as well." Kidou nods, a sign of agreement. As a child subjected to Kageyama's long-time obsession to become his best creation, he understood how just how secretive someone in a coach's position could be in the eyes of players. He also understood that, how potentially bad their current situation could be if the coach had to hide important information from them. "And someone injured Gouenji with a mirror from the bottom of their cleats. So I thought to go after them." Hiroto drops the next information without any warning. Kidou and Gouenji's eyes widen.

"A mirror?" Kidou and Gouenji reacted simultaneously. "But it felt like some type of laser." the light was much too blind to have been simply reflected by sunlight in Gouenji's opinion. Kidou however, has an intense stare. "How did you know that?" Kidou asks for an elaboration. "Hiroto told me he got blinded as well." Tatsuya steps in and answers in stead. "When did that happen?" Kidou reacted similarly to how Tatsuya had last night. A difference between the two was, that Kidou was a little faster in pulling out a conclusion from past events. "Was it just before you did your new hissatsu technique?" Hiroto nods at Kidou's conclusion. Tatsuya stays silent.

This information was certainly surprising, but, it only raised more questions for Kidou. Hiroto either gained what he knew before the match, somehow saw the mirror on the bench, or just before he got blinded. For a brief moment, Kidou considered Hiroto a suspicious individual but discarded that theory immediately after remembering Hiroto's reckless violent plays against Red Bison. There was also the question of using a new hissatsu technique to escape being blinded if one knew what was coming beforehand. Kidou had a lot of questions on the information Hiroto provided. However, the door to Gouenji's hospital room was opened before any more questions could be asked.

The four in the room turn to Endou sliding the door open with a group of people in tow. "Hey, Kidou! You're here already!" Endou sees Kidou first, and then his round brown eyes lock with teal and pink. "Tatsuya and Hiroto too? You guys really beat us to it!" Endou smiles widely, stepping into Gouenji's hospital room room. "We're in a hospital, so keep your voice down, Endou." Kazemaru reminded beside his lively captain. The others behind Endou crowd Gouenji's bed on his right side. "Gouenji-san. We've come to visit!" Inamori said with a huge smile. "It's a hospital, so keep your voice down, Asuto! They'll think we're hicks!" Goujin warns, voice the loudest of them all. "Goujin senpai, your voice is the loudest of us all-gosu." Iwato carefully tells him so. "Huh?" Goujin reacts.

From Gouenji's left, "It's gotten lively in here all at once." Kidou comments, still crossing his arms. Endou smiles and raises his left fist. "Gouenji, heal up completely and come back to us! Inazuma Japan will definitely be going to the world!" A promise to move forward towards a larger stage. "Endou..." Gouenji smiles back, gaining energy from Endou's declaration. "By that time though, you can expect me, Goujin Tetsunosuke," Goujin points a left thumb to himself, "to have taken Gouenji-san's ace position for good!" and speaks proudly.

A light breeze flows between the thin white curtains. "Hey, why did you all go quiet?!" Goujin exclaims, waving his arms up and down as everyone else stares with different levels of silence. Hiura looks at Goujin blankly with half-pity. "I'm sorry." Hiura seriously apologized. "Your joke just came out of nowhere, so I wasn't prepared to quip..." Hiura trails off. Goujin exclaims even louder, "I wasn't joking!" hands on his sides. "But Goujin-senpai and Gouenji-san's names are kind of similar, don't you think?" Inamori popped in, raising his index finger. Like a kindergarten teacher revealing an amazing fact to small children. "You're right, they both have "gou" and "ji"!" Sakanoue adds.

The two were unhelpful to Goujin's cause. "That's not important!" Goujin is getting more and more frustrated that he was made out to be a joke. Unfortunately for him, everybody in Gouenji's hospital room smiles or laughs out loud at this comedic display. Goujin's face is steaming with embarrassment. Seeing Goujin's expression, Hiroto can't help the small smile creeping up on his face. Eventually, after a moment, everybody's amusement slowly dies down.

After a thoughtful moment, Kazemaru decides to speak up. "On the topic of ace positions, who do you guys think is most suited for it?" Kazemaru quickly realized too late that perhaps this wasn't the greatest idea for the next conversation topic. As if answering Kazemaru's concern, Goujin lets out a huff. "It's obviously me!" Goujin smiles, ignoring Hiura's even more blank stare. "What are you talking about? I'm the most suited for that kind of position." Haizaki gives a light smirk. It only fuels Goujin's pure determination to prove him wrong. "I'll make you eat your words when I become better than you!" Goujin points to himself with his left thumb. "I'd like to see you try." Haizaki smiles arrogantly.

Before anyone else could break the argument, a voice from the bed reaches everyone's ears. "Hiroto is most suited for the ace position." the mentioned person stood perfectly still as all eyes were on him after Gouenji spoke with strong conviction. "What!?" the other two forwards react simultaneously. Goujin looked bewildered, and Haizaki went silent. Gouenji turns to his left, lifts his head, and meets Hiroto's unnoticeable shaking gaze with a determined one. "I know," not believe, or thinking, but knowing, "he has what it takes." Gouenji gives a light smile and a nod before turning his head back to the rest of them. Kidou looks a bit caught off guard but thoughtful while the others, especially those from the original Raimon team meet Gouenji's firey eyes.

There was a struggle to return such blazing words. But thankfully, Hiroto doesn't have to make any decision because just then, Goujin looks straight at Hiroto. "If that's the case, I'll take over your spot in no time!" Goujin said, determined. Iwato takes a few steps back from Goujin's loud declaration to protect his ears. "Really now?" Hiroto mutters absentmindedly, showing a small smirk. Goujin seems to have taken Hiroto's reaction as a challenge. "Of course, I will! You better be prepared til then!" Goujin responds seriously. Hiroto stares back, and Goujin, though a little intimidated by Hiroto, doesn't falter. "We'll see about that." Compared to an annoying Devil brat, Hiroto didn't dislike a genuine competitive spirit like Goujin's.

One of the hospital staff members outside the hallways seems to have a different opinion as they calmly barge into Gouenji's room. "I ask of you all to leave this room. Your voices are disturbing the other patients." the nurse orders, with a smooth and cutthroat tone leaving no room for excuses. Goujin avoids the nurses' gaze, and soon after, the group visiting Gouenji is kicked out of his hospital room.

Outside the hospital entrance, Goujin sulks. "I wasn't being that loud, was I?" Goujin asks himself. "It was." Hiura doesn't even hesitate. An imaginary soccer ball hits Goujin's back. "It hurt my ears a little-gosu." Iwato admitted. A second soccer ball smacks Goujin's ears. "No wonder we got kicked out." Haizaki said, closing his eyes for a brief moment as sunlight hit his face. A third imaginary soccer ball brutally beats up Goujin's head. Goujin lets out a defeated sound.

A hand rests on Goujin's back. "It's okay Goujin-senpai." Inamori ressaures. "Inamori?" Goujin said to his would-be-savior. "At least we know who's going to win if we hold the loudest voice contest!" Inamori, the sunny boy, gives an innocent smile in a genuine attempt to lift up Goujin's mood. The final imaginary soccer ball knocks off Goujin's mind. "Ugh, I'm sorry guys..." Goujin apologizes. Besides the new Raimon trio, Kazemaru eyes Goujin. "Just be careful next time. We're lucky the nurse only gave us a warning this time." Kazemaru said. With that, the conversation moves onto a different topic.

Much later, the hospital visitors returned to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center, ate lunch, and went to the screening room as Coach Zhao told everyone yesterday.

From the front perspective, Hiroto, Tatsuya, Osamu, Fubuki, and Ichihoshi sat in the row behind Haizaki, Endou, Kidou, and Kazemaru. Tatsuya and Osamu were discussing what their coach might bring today, while Fubuki and Ichihoshi were talking about escorting Gouenji to the hospital with Endou yesterday. Perhaps Hiroto should've kept quiet in the locker rooms after the match against Red Bison. Because he singled out Fubuki and had no heart to refuse Endou's suggestion, Ichihoshi and Fubuki seemed to have gotten to know each other. Hiroto would have to wait for the right moment to take Fubuki's time and talk about Ichihoshi.

A boisterous laugh comes from Coach Zhao after all Inazuma Japan members sit and quickly quiet down. "I will now be showing you video footage" the light in the room dims down after a switch from Coach Zhao's remote, "of the matches played by your next opponent, Australia." the big screen in front lights up to show a huge leaf covering the entire video. Hiroto blinks, dumbfounded, as two hands push down the huge leaf, showing a smiling lady in a swimsuit. "Mr. CEO!" the lady calls out, and the camera switches to show Coach Zhao sitting comfortably on a white beach chair. "This isn't Hawaii!" the lady complains, voice still cheery.

The screen is turned off quickly. "Oh dear! That was video footage of when Natasha and I went to a Hawaiian center." Coach Zhao is smiling, yet he fails to hide the awkwardness in his tone as he speaks. "Don't show us the wrong video!" Goujin complains from the left front row. Behind Goujin's row, Fudou seemed to agree, looking unimpressed with their coach's antics. Coach Zhao lets out his trademark boisterous laugh before showing an apologetic expression. "Well, to tell you the truth, I couldn't obtain a video on the Australian team." Coach Zhao admits. "What?!" nearly everyone in the room reacts out loud from sheer bewilderment. "Then what's the point of this meeting...?" Kazemaru voices out his unimpressed thoughts.

Coach Zhao doesn't even hesitate an answer. "There's none." he responds. Then, raising both his arms, "With that said, you're dismissed for today!" Coach Zhao quickly spoke before leaving the room even quicker. Haizaki clicks his tongue. "Tch, he's as frivolous as always." Haizaki said, resigned. Sakanoue turns to the person they rely on the most. "What should we do, Endou-san?" Sakanoue asks, quickly moving on from his shock. "If there's no info, then we'll just have to wing it." Endou stands up from his seat. Well, that's certainly one way to move forward. "Everyone, work on improving your weak points!" Endou clenches his fists in determination. He's not wrong though, Hiroto thinks as Sakanoue and Inamori follow Endou's words with a loud, "Okay!" while everyone else agrees without a word.

After that, everyone in the room stands up from their seats to do their respective training session. Hiroto also stands up, but before he can follow behind Tatsuya and the others out the door, Kidou stands beside him. "Wait." Kidou lowers his voice so that only Hiroto can hear. Hiroto follows Kidou's eyes trailing to Ichihoshi who had just separated from Fubuki, and heading towards Endou in the hallways. The two of them watch as, "Endou-san!" Ichihoshi calls out Endou's name. "Could you join me in practice?" Ichihoshi asks. "Sure! Lay it on me!" Endou accepts without hesitation. "Thank you!" Ichihoshi shows his gratitude. "Wow, Endou-san will be watching my plays. This is a dream come true!" Ichihoshi smiles widely. Endou put his left hand on Ichihoshi's right shoulder and said, "You're exaggerating, Ichihoshi." with a huge smile, not knowing just how accurate those words were.

From near the door frame, Kidou frowns and crosses his arms, deep in thought as Ichihoshi and Endou leave with the others. "I'm going to talk to the coach." Kidou decided after a moment of thought. Hiroto side-eyes him. "I doubt coach will tell you anything." Hiroto said, already having an idea of what Kidou would want to ask about. Kidou finds it peculiar how Hiroto sounded so certain of that. Even at the hospital this morning, Kidou felt the absence of hesitance when Hiroto shared his words. "I see. That's what you think." Kidou said. Whether or not Coach Zhao would answer, Kidou had to try either way. "Let's talk when after I come back." Kidou said, deciding Hiroto would be a good partner with whom to share intel. After all, Hiroto's insight widened Kidou's perspective on a possible larger problem. Hiroto silently watches Kidou walk away towards the opposite of the others after saying that.

Many others went to train. Nihiskage in the fitness room. Fudou jogging outside Kawaguchiko Sports Center. Endou and Ichihoshi inside Kawaguchiko Sports Center's soccer field. The rest of the players excluding Kidou were training in the outdoor soccer field, which is the same secluded soccer field at night. The three managers, Yone-san, and Li Kobun are in the cafeteria's kitchen preparing a delicious and healthy dinner for everyone.

Much later, in Coach Zhao's office. A conversation between a player and coach happens with a smartphone timer on the table. "Hmm, I see." Coach Zhao mused. "You're telling me that Gouenji-kun was intentionally blinded in the Korea match..." Coach Zhao has an easy smile on his face. "Gouenji would never be beaten so easily otherwise." Kidou said. "Also, this might be coincidence but Korea's captain, Seok, would've collided with his teammates if it weren't for interference." Kidou points out another suspicious problem. He still needs to talk to Hiroto about this. "Something is happening in this tournament," Kidou follows Hiroto's words, "and you're hiding something from us." and states without a hint of hesitance. Coach Zhao does his signature laugh, noticing the sheer confidence in Kidou's words.

"Did you come to that conclusion on your own?" Coach Zhao asked, a sharp smile pointed towards his player. Kidou chooses to stand his ground in silence. "As coach of the national team, there's no way that I'm keeping secrets from my players. There's no need for you to worry. The FFI is a respectable world tournament for youth soccer." Coach Zhao assures lightheartedly, despite knowing Kidou won't be convinced. Especially, since it seems a certain someone had influenced Kidou's behavior. "I sure hope so." Kidou does. But he knows that's not the case. Coach Zhao's refusal to speak more or less confirmed most of Kidou's suspicions. "Then, I would like to ask another thing." Kidou meets Coach Zhao's eyes again after discarding away Coach Zhao's response as unhelpful in his head. "As you wish." Coach Zhao chirps.

Kidou's frown only deepens in response. "There's one player on this team with an unknown background." Kidou starts. "Could you tell me more about Ichihoshi Mitsuru?" His question is finished with Coach Zhao pressing his smartphone screen, and a buzzer ringing throughout the room. Time out, the screen shows. What a perfect time to end the conversation. "Unfortunately, I'm unable to divulge in others' private information." Coach Zhao smiles widely. Kidou noticed there were at least 5 minutes left on screen before Coach Zhao forcefully ended the timer. Hiroto was right. Inazuma Japan's coach truly didn't intend to share any information with his players.

"I see." Kidou responds after a moment of silence. "Pardon my intrusion." And simply turns away, walks to the wooden door, and exits Coach Zhao's office.

Meanwhile, on the outdoor soccer field. An argument started as soon as the two players clashed with each other. "Um, guys." Sakanoue tries. Unfortunately, nobody can seem to quell the storm that is the God and Devil. "Stop complaining, impatient loser." Hiroto only did his usual shoot-passes, and Haizaki, for some reason, failed to catch it. "You're the loser here!" And now Haizaki's letting out his frustration onto Hiroto. How annoying.

Kazemaru steps in with a stern expression. "Can both of you stop arguing?" the wind has suddenly gone chilly. I wasn't trying to, Hiroto thinks, subtly avoiding Kazemaru's eyes. It felt unfair that even Hiroto was included in those words. "But-", "We need to win the next match. For that, everyone has to work together." Kazemaru smoothly cuts off Haizaki's retort easily as a breeze. "If you can't even do that," Light brown eyes sharpen, "then at the very least cool your heads before you step onto the field." with that Haizaki hesitantly backs down, feeling an unusual aura coming from the Azure Gale. To think Kazemaru could be this scary. He just needed a long-sleeved jumpsuit going down in an X-shaped pattern in blue and black stripes to complete the look.

Dark Emperors was not a team Hiroto should be reminded of right now.

In any case, cooling your head off the field sounded like solid advice. Without further comment, Hiroto turns away from everyone and walks off the soccer field. "Hiroto! Where are you going?" Tatsuya calls out. The answer to that question was, not wanting to practice on the same field as Haizaki, and checking up on Kidou's current status while he's at it. Every player watches as Hiroto completely leaves the field without an answer.

After a moment, Fubuki approaches in front of Haizaki. "Haizaki-kun, is something wrong?" Fubuki asks, then frowning, "You seem more irritated than usual." and points out what Haizaki himself didn't want to know. "That guy gave me an impossible pass, of course I'm irritated." Haizaki said. "We all caught his passes just fine though." Hiura mutters loudly, a hand under his chin. Haizaki's eyes slightly twitch. Kazemaru lets out a small sigh. Where were Endou and Kidou when you needed them the most?

In the hallways. Hiroto was heading to Coach Zhao's office when he saw Kidou turning a corner in the direction of the inner soccer stadium of this center. Hiroto blinks, heading in the same direction. After a few twists and turns, Hiroto hears the kicking of a soccer and two loud voices. One sounded encouraging, and the other enthusiastic. Hiroto turns another corner and sees Kidou standing just on the outlines of the soccer field. "I'll definitely get the last one in!" Ichihoshi exclaims, determination shining in his pupils. "Sure! Hit me with all the strength you've got!" Endou takes his stance. "Okay!" Ichihoshi answers Endou's spirit with his own, and he lifts his left leg and prepares to kick the ball.

From one of the shadowed entrance hallways to the soccer field, Hiroto's blood ran cold as he saw Ichihoshi's eyes turn unnaturally sharp, and the next scene unfolded on the field.

"Don't let it touch you, Endou!" Kidou shouted. The soccer ball slices through the goal's net and into the wall behind. "W-What?" Endou's mouth was wide in disbelief. "Are you okay, Endou?!" Kidou ran up to Endou, his heart racing with relief at Endou's safety, and the boiling anger building up following right underneath. "If you hadn't warned me, Kidou, that would have gotten me." Endou said, and Ichihoshi quickly ran past both to take the soccer ball off the wall. "T-This is terrible! Who would pull a prank like this?" Ichihoshi said, the spike glinting dangerously. Far away, Hiroto wanted nothing more than to puncture Ichihoshi's fake confusion.

Kidou seemed to share the same feelings with Hiroto about Ichihoshi's downright ridiculous-sounding words. "A prank?! Are you kidding me?!" Kidou snapped, grabbing just beneath the collar of Ichihoshi's Inazuma Japan uniform and shaking him in pure unfiltered sizzling anger. "It was clearly you who was trying to hurt Endou, Ichihoshi!" Kidou's best friend, the light savior in his darkness, and everyone's respected captain was nearly stabbed by a sharp spike attached to a soccer ball. "W-What are you talking about? It wasn't me..." Ichihoshi had the gall to plead innocence like he wasn't the one who activated the small button in the soccer ball. Ichihoshi turned his head to his right, "You have to believe me, Endou-san!" and didn't even think twice about using Endou as a scapegoat.

Without even giving time for Hiroto to register the situation, "Ho ho, you seem quite busy, Hiroto-kun." a familiar voice comes from behind. Hiroto's eyes widen in surprise and he shifts his body to face none other than Coach Zhao giving him a mysterious smile. "And you seem quite relaxed, coach." Hiroto answers quietly. All energy has been sucked out of his body. "On the contrary, I'm doing my best to ensure every player's safety." Coach Zhao assures with a smile. Hiroto stares back blankly. Safety. The word had lost meaning after one of the worst-case scenarios unfolded before Hiroto's eyes. So players being injured to the point of possible no return was considered safety? A sudden chilling epiphany stirs up Hiroto's subconscious. Was this one of the reasons that Inazuma Japan had an unnatural amount of players? So even if some players are injured other players will be there to back up their space? Ichihoshi's actions, or whatever position Coach Zhao is in, Hiroto can't find himself to care. However you looked at it, this situation was utterly disgusting.

Without further comment, Coach Zhao walks to the bench where Endou and Ichihoshi are currently talking to each other while Kidou is leaving the soccer field. Hiroto follows the coach behind intending to get Endou away from Ichihoshi as soon as possible. "...Sure! You'll definitely be part of any upcoming matches at that rate!" Endou was reassuring Ichihoshi that his hard work would pay off. "Really?!" Ichihoshi replied, smiling. Hiroto wanted to wipe that smile off his face. "Yes, he's right." Coach Zhao walked up from Endou's right and Ichihoshi's left. "Coach." Endou responds. Endou and Ichihoshi are both surprised by Coach Zhao's sudden appearance.

"Ichihoshi-kun will be a starter in the next match." Coach Zhao announced. "This is great!" Endou pats Ichihoshi's back with his right hand in delight. "Yes!" Ichihoshi looks at Endou, "Coach, thank you!" and Coach Zhao. "I look forward to seeing those single-minded plays that you always show during practice in a real match." Coach Zhao said, then adding, "Another thing I should mention. You'll be mostly paired up with Hiroto-kun here from now on." Hiroto, hidden by his coach's large frame, froze completely, as Coach Zhao stepped aside like a magician revealing their hidden dove.

Both Endou and Ichihoshi's eyes widen for different reasons. "Hiroto!" Endou reacted in pure joy. If this were any other day, Hiroto might've genuinely smiled back. But as of right now, he feels like nothing. Ichihoshi couldn't move either. This wasn't the most welcome news. His coach just requested to practice more with one of the people he was cautious of. No, wait, Ichihoshi realizes, that this was a chance to come into contact with Hiroto and get more information on him. While he does that, Ichihoshi can think of another plan to eliminate Endou and even Kidou if possible. It's practically killing two, or in this case, three birds with one stone for him.

Hiroto didn't know what Coach Zhao was thinking, but this was one of the worst outcomes one could ever have anticipated. Future soccer training sessions seemed grim. Wait, like a shooting star falling onto the earth, a realization hits Hiroto. This was one of the most dangerous ways Hiroto could keep an eye on Ichihoshi. But if lucky, Hiroto could use Coach Zhao's orders as an opportunity to create contact with Ichihoshi. While both Ichihoshi and Hiroto are deep in thought, "After analyzing Ichihoshi and Hiroto-kun's plays, I've concluded that both of you working together might bring Inazuma Japan's potential higher." Coach Zhao continues to explain with a bright smile. What a manipulative adult.

"Really? That's great news!" Endou was the only player in the group who was genuinely happy to hear about this. "Do your best, Ichihoshi, Hiroto!" Endou nodded to Hiroto before handing Ichihoshi a clean towel to wipe his sweat from today's practice. Ichihoshi answers Endou's enthusiasm with his own. Hiroto stares up at his coach on his right with an unnerving stare. Coach Zhao smiles back, unfaltering, never losing its spark. Endou and Ichihoshi's conversation comes to an end. "I'll be heading out then." Ichihoshi gives a small wave to everyone as he leaves the field first. Hiroto's glad Ichihoshi's out of sight. "It's good to see everyone get along." Coach Zhao said from behind. Hiroto isn't glad Coach Zhao isn't out of sight yet. The adult must've felt his players' hard stare because he smiled back before quickly leaving through the hallways where Ichihoshi had just gone.

Then, Endou meets Hiroto and says, "Right, I almost forgot! Hiroto, I've been looking for you all day after yesterday's match." with a serious smile. "Me?" Hiroto reacts, blinking once. There were too many surprises today. Hiroto closes his eyes, placing his left hand on his side, right arm hanging on the other, as Endou nods, once. A gloved hand is placed on Hiroto's left shoulder, and he stands perfectly still as round dark brown eyes meet blank pink. "As captain, I'll keep an eye on all my teammates." Endou declares, smiling. "Where is this coming from?" Hiroto asks immediately, a little lost.

"You looked way less excited during yesterday's match than during our practice matches." Endou starts, and Hiroto feels a sense of deja vu. You didn't look like you were enjoying soccer, Tatsuya and Gouenji's words ring inside Hiroto's head. "And you have a similar vibe to Kidou's when he's thinking too much." Endou looks a bit thoughtful. "So what I'm trying to say is," Endou gives a small pat on Hiroto's shoulder. "don't think too much, 'cause me and everyone on the team got your back no matter what!" truly, Endou's eyes were mesmerizing. However, it only shackles Hiroto's heart even more in the name of 'trust', 'belief', and 'friendship'. "Sure." Hiroto manages to let out, and Endou smiles back before retracting his hand.

There's still a lot of time left before dinner. Endou said he'd end training for today, at Ichihoshi. But he didn't mention himself. "Endou, train with me." Hiroto said, wanting to keep Endou in sight for a little longer. Endou blinks before giving the other a huge smile. "Of course!" Hiroto knew Endou wouldn't refuse an offer to train together. And so, the two head towards the center of the field. Endou stretches his arms at the goalpost and smashes his gloves together to prepare for Hiroto's incoming shot. And Hiroto prepares to shoot as he drops the soccer ball in front.

Soccer practice was supposed to make Hiroto feel better and much more alive. Instead, as Hiroto is about to kick the ball, an image of Endou receiving the shoot and getting his flesh tearing along the surface of his skin flashes in his head. Hiroto's leg swings over the ball. "What's wrong?" Endou calls out, and Hiroto looks up at the waiting goalkeeper. Hiroto doesn't understand what just happened. But he should be used to images popping up in his head randomly about now. "Wrong? I'm just getting started!" Hiroto answers, and this time he properly engages in practice. By controlling his strength just above Endou's, and shooting the ball into the net. The determined expression Endou made after he let Hiroto's goal in, was worth watching.

They say time passes by quickly whenever you're with someone. But for Hiroto, time flew without as much as a blink after what happened during the early evening. After training with Endou, going to the cafeteria to eat dinner, and his night daily night practice, he returns to the main building. The hallways are dim, and every step Hiroto makes echoes throughout the empty walls. A different step turns around a corner, and Hiroto meets Kidou in the almost same place and time frame as yesterday.

What a coincidence. "I knew you'd return to the building at this time." Kidou spoke. Okay, never mind, it was planned then. Of course. It wouldn't be Kidou otherwise. Kidou's head turns to the screening room a few meters away and back at Hiroto. The message is clear. Hiroto follows Kidou, enters the screening room, and closes the door behind him. The screening room showing Inazuma Japan's match against Red Bison paused on a random scene. Hiroto looks at the screen, leans against a wall, and waits for Kidou to start explaining.

Kidou crosses his arms and stares at the clean tiles on the floor. "I've confirmed and theorized multiple scenarios based on today's events and your information." We're off to a great start from Kidou, "Something is happening in this FFI, a secret so sensitive that even our coach refuses to give out information. This is for certain." he frowns, remembering the conversation in Coach Zhao's office. "The most possible scenario is one influential person, a big organization or someone else pulling all the strings from behind..." excluding these, Kidou also explained the other theories he had put together.

Kidou remembers how Ichihoshi had tried to harm Endou. "Ichihoshi must be a hidden spy sent by the person or people who want to destroy our soccer." Kidou said, his teeth slightly clenching at the thought of it. Without concrete proof for some of them, "This is what I've thought so far." Kidou concluded. Then, "Any thoughts you want to add?" Kidou asks, lifting his head slightly to meet the others' stare. Huh, Hiroto thinks. In Endou's wording, Kidou was very Kidou.

The wall Hiroto's leaning against is getting slightly warmer. Some details were left out due to Hiroto being interrupted at the wrong timings but, "That pretty much aligns with what I've been thinking." he answers. "I see." Kidou said. The two of them fall into silence. "Hiroto. I need to ask you a favor." Kidou spoke up after a moment. Hiroto wonders what Kidou had in mind. "From now on, if you find any more information regarding this FFI and Ichihoshi, report to me first." That was easy enough,

"And, don't tell anyone about what happened today or yesterday's match." Kidou finishes, expression serious.

Why? is the first question that enters Hiroto's mind. His subconscious, however, had already answered. Information like one of your teammates attempting everlasting physical harm on your captain could stir up disorder out of everyone's control. After all, it's a completely different scale of shock than a suspicious teammate who may or may not be a spy. Which is exactly what Ichihoshi and maybe whatever organization Orion is, would want. Hiroto wants to refuse. He feels like another one of the many manipulative adults who hid important information from everyone.

Hiroto knows Kidou. Or more accurately, Kiyama Hiroto, Gran, and Kira Hiroto knew Kidou. Perhaps it was due to this that Hiroto's subconscious chose to trust Kidou whether he wanted. This led to him accepting Kidou's proposal to share information in Gouenji's hospital room. "How about telling someone who already knows some of what you said?" Hiroto asks, feeling like a child asking permission from their parent. Or a younger sibling to their older sibling. Knowing Kidou's family history, the latter sentence seems more accurate.

Kidou already has an idea of who Hiroto wants to share information with. Tatsuya seems like an excellent choice, in retrospect. However, Kidou answers with a cutthroat, "No." for several reasons. Ichihoshi, or whatever darkness lurked in the FFI seemed to be aiming at players having a huge influence over the team. Gouenji was obvious as he was Inazuma Japan's ace, and Endou was also obvious as he was the heart that kept Inazuma Japan's spirits together. As for other potential targets, Kidou assumes he could also be one for questioning Ichihoshi's position. He'll be careful of Ichihoshi's behavior for the time being.

The conclusion was that Hiroto sharing information with others might put him in danger if word spread to Ichihoshi. Furthermore, Hiroto was on the extreme side of using his methods to accomplish his goals. That might not be good in the long run. Kidou needs to stop Hiroto's energy here. "I know this might sound extreme. But until we get more concrete evidence, I'd like to keep this information between us." Kidou said, tone even.

Nothing ever came good from keeping others in the dark until it's too late. But regardless, Hiroto nods wordlessly.

The score is 9-2.

Winning was easier than Hiroto initially expected it to be. He knew he was strong, but for the score to end like this was unthinkable. Standing still a few meters away from the goalpost, he slowly breathes in and out to cool down his sweat. "It's a shame such a player like you was born in Japan." Hiroto hears Clario speak up a few feet away. "What." Hiroto responded, staring down at Clario despite the latter being taller than him. "Hmph. Don't take this the wrong way. I'm simply amazed by your skills." Clario answers. Hiroto would be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit disappointed. There wasn't much struggle against a world-level player.

Not to mention those words were quite insulting. Tonight's win was achievable because of Kiyama Hiroto's memories. "You," Hiroto stares back at Clario as he speaks, "I will wait for our rematch." then, with that, turns away and walks to the exit of the mesh wire fences. It's a bit strange hearing that kind of line from your opponent. After all, the only reactions Hiroto previously received from his opponents were perplexion, exhaustion, and frustration. The night is cool. Sounds of feet shuffling come from Hiroto's right, and he's reminded of Gouenji's presence just after Clario leaves. "You won." Gouenji said. "Yeah, I did." Hiroto responded. 

The two were silent for a while. It would be logical of Gouenji to ask Hiroto how he won, why he hide his strength for so long, or anything else. But instead of wanting to ask such questions, it only ignited more sparks inside. Gouenji had experienced firsthand how much Clario overshadowed the rest, so to think someone from his team had beaten Clario like that was unfathomable. Until now, that is. Gouenji needs to get stronger, and Hiroto sees the exact moment when that spark blazes in Gouenji's eyes. "Let's train together from now on." Gouenji states. There's no reason to refuse such an offer. "At this time?" Hiroto said, and Gouenji nodded in confirmation.

From that day forward, every night, Hiroto and Gouenji trained together. On the second night, after training, they silently walked back to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. The third night, however, after the two finished, began to talk about other things. Mostly related to soccer. "...then, Kazemaru's ramen spilled onto the floor and Kurimatsu tried to run away..."  Gouenji told Hiroto about his days in Raimon. "...Osamu suggested going to karaoke. And Tatsuya and Ryujii seemed hellbent on dragging me along..." And in turn, Hiroto shares his days in Eisei.

All this becomes a daily routine Hiroto waited for the most. "You're more talkative than I've expected." Hiroto admits on the fifth night. Gouenji stares back. "Same here." Gouenji answers, and Hiroto stops in place. Him? Talkative? "What?" Hiroto let out, his neutral expression slightly overtaken by surprise. Gouenji nods. After all, it was Hiroto, who began a conversation on the third night. Gouenji was internally caught off guard when Hiroto spoke so easily to him as if they'd known for years. Hiroto went through a similar thought pattern. "That so?" Hiroto mutters. He once thought that Kiyama Hiroto's memories influencing his perspective on others were a bit frustrating. But here, instead, Kiyama Hiroto's memories made it easier for him, not Kiyama Hiroto, to actively try to make friends. At the very least, Hiroto considers Gouenji a friend. 

And then, the scene quickly switches to the first FFI match. From Hiroto's perspective, the rest of the field is a black void, and can only hear the sounds of Gouenji's pain despite being outside the field. Sat on a bench. Just after, a mere coincidence happens. Reflective light from someone's cleats angled specifically only Hiroto could notice. Stars sizzled beneath the surface of its heat.

That day, Hiroto lost the first friend he had actively made in this life.

From his assigned bed, Hiroto's opened eyes blankly stares up at the dark ceiling. Lungs breathing in and out silently throughout his body. A memory from a week ago manifested into a dream. How typical.

Hiroto wants to go back to the nights when he had a night-time training partner. First Gouenji, then Endou. Who could possibly be next? Perhaps Kidou. Hiroto internally kicks his subconscious thoughts into the further depths of his mind. Waking up in the middle of the night didn't feel great at all. He struggles to go back to sleep.

A few hours later, morning arrives. Wake up. Breakfast. Ichihoshi is sitting in a table with Inamori, Iwato and Hiura. Endou is sitting in a table with Kazemaru, Kidou and Sakanoue. News. The title is 'Inazuma Japan In Big Trouble!'. "It's been announced that Inazuma Japan's ace striker, player Gouenji, will be leaving the team due to his injury in the match with Korea." a news reporter said. "This is a terrible blow.", "Now that Inazuma Japan has lost their pillar of support, all I can say is that their chances of winning the Asia prelims are looking dim." another news reporter continues. And Hiroto wants nothing more than to find the television's remote controller and turn off the blazing screen above. "Tch, they think they can say whatever they want..." Hiroto barely hears Haizaki muttering under his breath at another table. For once, Hiroto agrees with Haizaki.

Time passes after breakfast and into morning training. Endou is with Nishikage, something about wanting to try Nishikage's training. Ichihoshi is in the inner soccer stadium with Hiroto and a few others with Assistant Coach Kudou. Hiroto is paired up with Haizaki for this training as per Assistant Coach Kudou's orders. Something about bringing Inazuma Japan's potential if they just worked together. It reminded Hiroto of what Coach Zhao had said about him and Ichihoshi. Haizaki kicks the ball to start up Penguin The God & Devil, but the hissatsu power dims and fades away. Osamu, who was their goalkeeper, saw this and stood still. Letting the weak ball into the goalpost.

"Hey hey, I can't get into this if that's all you've got." Osamu frowns, raising both his hands in confusion. Tatsuya crosses his arms and looks at Haizaki. "What's the matter, Haizaki? The timing of your shoots keeps getting quicker every time." Tatsuya said. "Tch!" Haizaki lets out a tisk, side-eyeing Tatsuya on his left. Then, Haizaki looks to his right, where Hiroto is blankly staring at where the soccer ball landed. "It's because you're being too slow!" Haizaki started, and Hiroto glanced to his left. Deep in the depths of Haizaki's head, he knew Hiroto was syncing up with Haizaki just fine. But as of right now, Haizaki's impatience had no room for any rationality. "What? Got nothing to say? Then don't drag me down!" Haizaki continued. Hiroto feels strange. He barely feels anything ever since yesterday.

Tatsuya finds it unusual that Hiroto's gone completely silent. "Haizaki, calm down." Tatsuya walks up to Haizaki, using a more forceful tone than intended. Quickly realizing, he switches to a more stern tone, "You're not enemies anymore. You're teammates." Tatsuya emphasized those last two words. "If you're not willing to put in the work, then there's no point in me practicing with you." Haizaki narrows his eyes before turning and walking away without further elaboration. Haizaki's been hellbent on clashing with Hiroto, ever since Gouenji left the team. And Tatsuya feels Hiroto getting less energized as the days pass by. "I think Haizaki's affected by Gouenji's absence." Tatsuya walked up right beside Hiroto. And Hiroto, for some reason, feels like it's not directed at Haizaki only. "Figures." Hiroto comments with no particular mocking tone, his eyes following Haizaki walking away from the field.

A few meters away, Kidou observes it all in silence. Someone comes up behind. "Are you concerned about Haizaki?" Assistant Coach Kudou asks and Kidou turns his head slightly to left. "Yes." Kidou answers. Assistant Coach Kudou crosses his arms, responding, "Then do what you want." with that, Kidou walks where Haizaki has left. "Let's see what the absolute commander of the pitch has got to show." Assistant Coach Kudou said, watching Kidou exit the field. Isn't Kidou just going to console Haizaki or something? Why is Kudou so dramatic? Hiroto thought, taking a step to return to his position.

One step, and Hiroto feels the soccer cleats he's wearing feel a bit loose. He excuses himself to the locker rooms. Ichihoshi sees this as an opportunity. An opportunity to pit two people against each other so he can take one of their positions. Ichihoshi also excuses himself after Hiroto exits the field.

A few minutes later, Hiroto was sitting on one of the many benches in the room, tightening his shoelaces. "I understand how you feel, Hiroto-san." Ichihoshi said. Hiroto looked up. Ichihoshi is in the locker room with him. "Haizaki-kun is a first-year like me, but he utterly lacks respect for his seniors." Ichihoshi complained, opening his arms wide to show his disbelief. Hiroto honestly forgot that Haizaki and Ichihoshi were his juniors. After all, one was annoyingly brash, and the other had shown unbelievably low morality. "You saw that, huh?" Hiroto responded mindlessly. "Yes. I observe the seniors that I respect closely, so that I can learn as much as I can from them." Ichihoshi seemed genuine. But to Hiroto, Ichihoshi just looked like a lying rat. "Haizaki-kun clearly messed up back there, but he totally got full of himself, pushing all of the blame on you, Hiroto-san!" Ichihoshi said. Hiroto stands up from the bench.

Ichihoshi smiles a sickeningly sweet smile as he speaks, "Hiroto-san, you should set things straight with him-", "What are you so worked up about?" but is cut off by a tired Hiroto who's frankly getting sick of people attempting to manipulate him. Ichihoshi blinks once, not having expected that. "I mean, it's just," Ichihoshi tries to rack his brain for a response. "Haizaki's always like that, so I'm not bothered." Hiroto answers, cutting off Ichihoshi's thoughts.

"You should be!" Ichihoshi lets out, "I mean, doesn't it bother you, Hiroto-san? Not even the slightest?" a desperate attempt to salvage his control. Not really, Hiroto answers Ichihoshi's question in his head. Haizaki had shown a surprisingly fairly normal reaction to having their teams ace injured. Though Hiroto would appreciate it if the annoying devil could stop poking his nerves as a method of releasing frustration. "Why should I? When you're the one pushing all the blame onto him." Hiroto said, his pink eyes sharp as the silver spike Ichihoshi tried to injure Endou with. The temperature in the room seems to drop drastically. Ichihoshi's heart froze. Hiroto feels less like a person and something much more, otherworldly.

Ichihoshi let out a barely noticeable nervous laugh. "I don't quite understand what you mean, Hiroto-san." Ichihoshi replies, though his instinctive cautious step back told otherwise. Hiroto takes a step forward. Taking a step back, Ichihoshi regrets not taking one of his cameras from his duffle bag before coming here. Hiroto takes another step forward. Ichihoshi was already careful around Hiroto, so he waited until the right moment to strike. But to think his attempt would backfire like this. Hiroto takes another step forward, and Ichihoshi holds his breath.

"We've wasted enough time, let's go back to the field." Without further elaboration, Hiroto walks past Ichihoshi to the door. The tension in the room follows Hiroto, leaving Ichihoshi alone in the empty room. Ichihoshi stands still, wondering what happened just now as he lets out a small breath of relief. "That didn't go well now, did it?" an amused voice comes from Ichihoshi's right. Startled, Ichihoshi turns to Fudou sitting on the window frame in surprise. "Fudou-san? We're on the second floor, what are you doing?" Ichihoshi quickly changes from a frown into a slightly bewildered expression.

Fudou gives Ichihoshi a sly smile. "That's not what you should be concerned about." Ichihoshi raises a brow at Fudou's response. "Honestly, I thought you'd be more entertaining." Fudou nudges Ichihoshi's nerves. Ichihoshi's innocent smile slightly twitched. Entertaining? at Ichihoshi's unfiltered confusion, Fudou nearly lets out a chuckle from the sheer hilarity. "But you're less interesting than that self-proclaimed God Striker." Fudou hopped off and landed on the floor. Ichihoshi only knows one player on this team with that title. "You mean Hiroto-san? Fudou-san, do you know anything about him?" Ichihoshi asks calmly. Fudou thinks Ichihoshi's feeble attempt at pushing for more information on Hiroto is quite entertaining. "Who knows? It doesn't really matter to me." Fudou smirks back, placing his right hand on Ichihoshi's left shoulder. Relishing in how Ichihoshi's eyes subtly twitch in frustration.

"Try your best to entertain me. Mr-Pretending-to-be-Goody-Two-Shoes-all-innocent-like-a-cat." Fudou let go of Ichihoshi's shoulder and waved back as he exited the door. The door closes behind Fudou, leaving a confused Ichihoshi all alone in the locker room. Oh? Fudou notices Hiroto leaning on the wall on his left with both hands in his pants pockets. Hiroto moves away from the wall and walks back to the training field. Fudou follows and walks beside him. "Eavesdropping, huh?" Fudou lowered his voice, clearly amused. Hiroto glances to his left. "Not really. That's your thing." Hiroto responds, not a hint of sarcasm or mockery in his tone. Just stating knowingly, as if already familiar with Fudou's behavior. "Wow, you say that like we've already met before." Fudou's grin widens, preparing to hear Hiroto say a witty comment back.

What Fudou hadn't expected was for Hiroto to silently stare back. Fudou raises his brow as Hiroto gives him a small smirk. "Hah. Wouldn't that be funny?" Hiroto comments.

At the outdoor soccer field, Kidou dribbles around Haizaki with ease. "Why are you being so impatient?" Kidou asks. "Impatient?" Haizaki furrows his brows, looking at Kidou like he were the irrational one. "Why the hell are you guys being so carefree?!" Haizaki snaps, clashing with Kidou. "Don't you get it? We're facing the world!" A harsh soccer world filled with skilled players, "I want to win with this team." wishing for victory, "Now that Gouenji isn't here, I'm the only one the team can rely on!" and Haizaki's true feelings are shown underneath Kidou's light. Haizaki slides, going in for a steal, and Kidou dodges by jumping to the side while keeping the ball.

Haizaki quickly stands up, and Kidou has the ball in his hand. "That just now was a good move, Haizaki." Kidou said, smiling. However, "Not yet." it's still not enough, "If I don't get stronger, I'll never be able to beat Gouenji or Kira Hiroto!" for Haizaki. "Kira Hiroto?" Kidou repeats. "I hate to admit, but he might be more powerful than me." Haizaki confessed. Despite Hiroto looking like he struggled in Inazuma Japan's match against Red Bison, the way he eventually moved through their opponents told Haizaki enough that he might not be the same level as Hiroto. "What's more, his potential was acknowledged by Gouenji of all people." The memory of yesterday's morning hospital visit is still clear in Haizaki's head, "That pisses me off!" and he yells out his jealousy.

Kidou won't laugh or dismiss at Haizaki's words. "You're like your old self." Kidou comments on Haizaki's behavior. "Tch!" Haizaki clicks his tongue, avoiding Kidou's gaze. Looks like I was worried for nothing, Kidou thinks, relieved that he was able to figure out Haizaki's true feelings underneath the darkness.

Enough about Gouenji and Hiroto, thinking about them hurt Haizaki's head. There was something else Haizaki wanted to ask Kidou about. "Do you remember what that Clario guy said?" Haizaki asks. Kidou never forgot them. "You're talking about the two players that made Clario take Inazuma Japan seriously, is that right?" Kidou said, and Haizaki nodded in confirmation. "Other than Gouenji, any idea of who the other might be?" Haizaki asked. At this point, the entirety of Inazuma Japan have no doubt the mentioned players is definitely Gouenji. However, "Gouenji isn't strong enough to beat Clario in a one on one." Kidou said, mind wondering to Clario's words.

That player's plays took me by surprise. It made me feel that Japan's level was approaching ours by the heels, those words impliciated that someone had potential to take over the world by wildfire, and Kidou had seen Gouenji's new hissatsu technique. After that, I met another player who challenged me to a one-on-one match. And I completely lost, those words impliciated pure strength that was above a world-level player like Clario. But there was no one in this team that matched those words. At least, on the surface.

The question is, why? "As for the other, someone might be hiding their true strength." Kidou continues. There were several reasons one might hide. Ichihoshi might be hiding his true strength to sabotage their team much more harshly later on. Or maybe it was that mysterious person Haizaki talked about encountering with four others after running errands for Coach Zhao. Perhaps it was someone else entirely. "I still have no clue who it might be." Well, to be more accurate, Kidou had a lot of possible theories but no evidence.

Haizaki is uncharacteristically quiet, for Kidou somehow holds the power to make people listen closely to every word he spits out. "So even you don't know." Haizaki said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Why did you ask anyway?" Kidou asks, because it didn't sound like Haizaki asked that out of pure curiosity. "So that I can go up against them in a one-on-one." Haizaki said, as if obvious. If only Haizaki could know who it was, maybe he'd be able to challenge them constantly to raise his level.

Mutekigahara Fujimaru, or at least that's what Li Hao calls himself without the mask, smiles as he walks along his favorite hidden path inside Kawaguchiko Sports Center. Nobody ever uses this route, so it was basically hidden from everyone else in Inazuma Japan. "Woah!" Mutekigahara yelps as someone grabs the back of his shirt and slightly lifts him from the ground. An almost hidden route, then. "What are you doing?" a familiar tone speaks from behind. Mutekigahara slowly turns his head to meet dangerously sharp eyes staring back. It's Hiroto. With a soccer ball held underneath his right arm. And he looks about a second away from throwing Mutekigahara to the floor. "Hello! I'm a new player here!" Mutekigahara said, smiling.

Hiroto isn't buying that poor excuse. The day after Tatsuya ran errands, Tatsuya told Hiroto, Osamu and Fubuki about a short boy with green hair who beat him and everyone else who went to complete Coach Zhao's errand. Which is the same description as the appearance of the person in his grasp. Seeing Hiroto unmoving stance, Mutekigahara hides his nervousness, "Can you please put me down now?" and asks innocently. Hiroto responds by lifting Mutekigahara above ground just a bit higher.

"I'm giving you five seconds to explain yourself." Hiroto demands, expression unchanging. Ichihoshi was already bad enough by trying to subtly disrupt Inazuma Japan from the inside, making it difficult to catch him in the act. However, right now, there was no excuse for a stranger lingering around inside a national team sports center, claiming to be a player when he wasn't. "If you don't drop me right now, I'll report you for assault and battery." Mutekigahara threatens with a small smirk, quickly realizing that trickery won't fool. So he hopes to catch Hiroto off guard by making this statement.

Wrong move. Hiroto's grip tightens. "Huh." Mutekigahara lets out an awkward laugh, running out of options. While Hiroto, "I'm dragging you to the coach's office." has, "And call the police for trespassing on a national teams sports center." a, "Or maybe, I'll just send you to the hospital." lot. Mutekigahara's eyes visibly darken at the options, and the half-threat at the end laid out by Hiroto. Letting Coach Zhao know he was caught by a player, being arrested by police officers, or getting beat up was not what Mutekigahara had in mind today. Out of all the things Hiroto had said, the first one was the best one. "Actually, never mind. Forget about it. I'll just deal with you right now." Hiroto said. Thinking it again, Coach Zhao's unorthodox way of handling things, nor the police, would be enough to satisfy him.

There went the plan of escape. Worse yet, Mutekigahara's gut instincts send warning signs that Hiroto would go through with his words no matter what. So rather than experiencing every bad thing he could, Mutekigahara chooses to surrender with a secret that will lesson Hiroto's suspicion and the least confidential information. "I'm the coach's assistant." Mutekigahara confesses, raising both his hands up in a surrender motion. Li Kobun? Hiroto thinks. Well, there's one way to tell if Mutekigahara was telling the truth. "What did Aki tell you to do this morning?" Hiroto asks, recalling overhearing Aki and Li Kobun's conversation before breakfast. If Mutekigahara couldn't answer this question, it would be over. "She asked me to bring the trash can near the counter so she can throw out the used food ingredients." Mutekigahara answers, catching onto what Hiroto wanted.

That answer was enough for now. Hiroto carefully places Mutekigahara down on the ground. "Whew, finally!" Mutekigahara looks relieved that his feet are touching a solid surface, and then he looks up to lock with Hiroto's gaze. "Hey, don't tell anyone about my identity." Mutekigahara said, completely serious. "Hah," Hiroto gives a light smirk, "I'm not that mean." finding it a bit funny. Hiroto and Mutekigahara seem satisfied with the others' words for now. "By the way, what were you doing?" Hiroto asks, not having yet to receive a proper answer from him. "I was going fishing before someone decided it would be a good idea to pick up a person like some bean bag." Mutekigahara says, a ticked smile on his face. Hiroto held back a comment of Mutekigahara's hair being a similar color to green beans. "What were you doing?" Nobody comes around these parts of the center. It's even more difficult to stumble upon here by accident, Mutekigahara adds, not saying his thoughts out loud.

Many minutes ago, Hiroto had gone to find Kidou when he saw a suspicious figure turn a corner on his way and decided to follow. Kiyama Hiroto was quite talented at sneaking around, and Hiroto had gained it from him. "I was walking when I noticed someone scurrying around the hallways." Hiroto said, an unnerving smirk on his face. I can't believe I didn't notice a person near me, Mutekigahara prided himself on his spatial awareness, so to think he didn't realize something so simple as that was unthinkable until now. The coach had given Li Kubon several orders. One was to keep watch on Orion's Seal, Ichihoshi, as much as possible and send updates if anything new came up. The other was to make sure Inazuma Japans players didn't do something reckless like what Hiroto did in the Red Bison match.

Mutekigahara isn't sure if this counts as reckless, but he'll discuss it with his coach later. "Well, if you've got nothing else do to, how about a one-on-one?" Hiroto said, wanting to know more about Mutekigahara's skills. Prior to this interaction, Coach Zhao told Li Kobun to teach a lesson to five players who would return from errands about an hour later, so Mutekigahara still had a lot of time left. "Heh, sure. Why not?" Mutekigahara accepts. The two decide to just take it out here since Hiroto has a ball. The one-on-one is simple, Mutekigahara tells Hiroto he just needed to steal the ball from him once. "You sure about that?" Hiroto said, positioning himself. "Yep." Mutekigahara gives an unnerving smile. He's curious to know what sorry excuse of skills another Inazuma Japan player had.

And that's how much later, both players on the opposing side fish together at the lakeside.

"Hey! There he is!" Inamori shouts, pointing to Mutekigahara sitting on an ice box with a fishing pole in hand. Then, the group notices someone else squatting beside a bucket, silently observing a fish trying to escape from it. "Hiroto?" Fubuki let out, as the group approached the two. "Huh?" Mutekigahara turns his head to the left, "It's you guys." still holding onto his fishing pole. "Errands, again?" Hiroto comments, looking at Inamori and Hiura's hands holding white bags filled with market items.

"Mutekigahara Fujimaru. Just who are you?" Hiura's tone means business. "Heh? I'm just a kid who loves fishing." Mutekigahara smiles back. Yeah, right, Hiroto sarcastically sent a message with his eyes. Quiet, Mutekigahara side-eyed him, smile not dropping. Mutekigahara didn't want any further mocking from Hiroto after that frustrating one-on-one. "No, those plays aren't the level of someone who just loves fishing." Hiura had the same idea as Hiroto but for different reasons. "Hah?" Oh really? Mutekigahara retracts and puts down his fishing rod.

Hiroto watches as Mutekigahara kicks the soccer ball next to the ice box into his right palm. "So you're saying that you want to fight me in soccer again?" Mutekigahara asked, a small smirk growing. "Yeah!" Hiura said. "We want to get our revenge from last time!" Inamori said, even more determined. "If you beat us, we get back at you!" Goujin punches his right palm with his left fist. "Wait, before that, what is Hiroto doing with you?" Kazemaru demanded, eyeing Hiroto who had now stood up from his squatting position. "Hiroto-san! Let's beat Mutekigahara together!" Inamori exclaims, eyes lighting up at the hope of another teammate joining their fight.

Mutekigahara answers before Hiroto can. "Huh? No. He'll be helping me out." Fubuki frowns at Mutekigahara's words. "What do you mean by that?" Mutekigahara doesn't elaborate even after Fubuki's question, and Inamori and Hiura's revenge match against Mutekigahara begins. With Goujin, Kazemaru, and Fubuki replacing Tatsuya, Fudou, and Haizaki on the team.

Of course, the same players that have already experienced, and different players who have yet to experience Mutekigahara's moves aren't enough to beat him. Hiura looks back in frustration after Mutekigahara easily dribbles past him. "Huh? Weren't you guys gonna get your revenge this time?" Mutekigahara mocked, giving an amused smirk to the five players surrounding him. "I'll steal it from you this time!" Hiura tries again, only for Mutekigahara to spin around him while keeping the ball. "What incredible technique!" Kazemaru observes. "Didn't you say that he specialized in rough plays? That's not the case here!" Goujin said to Hiura and Inamori. "But that's how he was before!" Inamori defends himself. "One-on-one isn't going to do the trick.  Let's surround him and steal the ball!" Fubuki commands and the five players immediately go in all at once.

Mutekigahara is still smiling. "No use, no use." Mutekigahara said, smoothly avoiding all five players' attempts. Then, Mutekigahara sends the ball up high, jumping on top of Kazemaru and Goujin's backs to make them stumble. "I can't predict his next moves!" Inamori exclaims as Mutekigahara lands in front of Fubuki, startling him. "Huh?" Mutekigahara looks back at the fallen five players. "Is this all that-" Inazuma Japan- no, wait, remembering his one-on-one match with Hiroto, "-you five have got?" Mutekigahara said. "Damn it! I'm not done yet!" Goujin stood up from where he had fallen, frustration clear in his tone.

A couple of minutes later Mutekigahara smirks and passes to Hiroto who was watching from a few meters away. And Hiroto joins the fray, but on Mutekigahara's side. "Huh!? All that talk about getting your revenge on me," Mutekigahara begins to speak as Hiroto spins around Fubuki and Kazemaru, "Yet you can't even beat your own teammate?" and mocks the five players who are struggling against Hiroto. Hiura looked at Mutekigahara watching from a few meters away, "Is that what you meant by 'helping'?" and asks as Hiroto dribbles through. Goujin looks the most frustrated about being unable to take the ball from Hiroto. As the same position as Hiroto, it couldn't be helped that Goujin would feel that way.

Mutekigahara and Hiroto switch every couple of minutes. Mutekigahara is an unreachable force who played the five players like they were toddlers, and Hiroto shows why individual plays were his speciality. Because of this constant switch every a couple of minutes, the five players have to deal with two different play styles coming at them for almost an hour. 

The sky is showing a bit of orange when the five players are all beaten down on the ground by the sheer power difference between them and the two. "Well? Are you satisfied now?" Mutekigahara asked. Hiura breathes in and out, trying to catch his breath. "Who on earth are you?" Hiura asks, taking another breath. "I'm just a kid who loves soccer." Mutekigahara answers, smile widening even more. "Your name," Hiura finds the strength to stand up, "Mutekigahara Fujimaru. It's clearly fake." and stares at Mutekigahara. "What?" Inamori said in surprise from the ground. Hiroto picked up all five groceries beside the ground where Mutekigahara left his fishing tools and walked up to the group, standing beside Mutekigahara.

Mutekigahara looks amused at Hiura's accusation. "Heh? Where's your proof?" Mutekigahara asks. Hiura's resolved, like a detective about to point out the clues to the hidden criminal. "I found that by the lake where you were fishing." Hiura begins, "Your surname "Mutekigahara" I think you took it from here, the Mutekigahara Wharf." Mutekigahara stares back with a poker face, "Your name "Fujimaru," taken from a boat. Isn't that right?" Hiura lays out his theory. "Well, I couldn't say." Mutekigahara closes his eyes, finding a smile creeping up his face. Mutekigahara won't lie, Hiura's reasoning was kind of impressive. "What on earth are you up to?" Hiura demands.

Hiroto steps in to answer before Mutekigahara could. "This tight-lipped brat won't answer that no matter what." Hiroto said, with no change in expression. "Brat!?" Mutekigahara is taken aback. Of all the things Mutekigahara has expected to hear from Hiroto thus far, that wasn't one of them. Hiroto stares down at Mutekigahara, internally a bit frustrated. If Mutekigahara were a spy, then at the very least Hiroto wouldn't have any hesitation to beat Mutekigahara up after catching him in a suspicious act, a firm proof. But instead, the suspicious person is Li Kubon, Coach Zhao's assistant. Though Hiroto doesn't believe Mutekigahara completely yet, he also doesn't feel any unsettling auras that he felt in Ichihoshi.

Mutekigahara turns back to the rest of the five players. "Anyway, today was fun." except when I lost to him, Mutekigahara smiles, ignoring Hiroto's piercing stare from beside. "See you later." Mutekigahara waves, walking back to his fishing spot. "What is up with that guy?" Goujin furrows his brows. "But there's no mistake that he's an incredible player." Inamori answers Goujin's frustration. "I will solve this mystery..." Hiura points his left index finger to where Mutekigahara just left, "In the name of my grandma!" and declares. Hiroto and Kazemaru blink. "Who on earth is your grandma?" Kazemaru asks from behind.

Then, another thought enters Hiura's head, he then turns around and points his index finger to Hiroto. "I will figure out your mystery as well." Hiura said. Me? Hiroto thinks, as everyone else stares, wondering why Hiura switched his target. "I haven't seen Mutekigahara for that long, but my intuition tells me he won't just take any random player to be on his side." Hiura stated confidently. "It's not that deep. Seriously, what's with the detective gimmick?" Hiroto raises a brow, as he returns each grocery to its owners. "Agh! I'm so beat!" Goujin said, wiping his sweat with the back of his right hand. "Thank you, Hiroto-san!" Inamori said, smiling as he grabbed one of the white plastic bags from Hiroto's hands.

Hiura goes back to thinking as Hiroto returns a white plastic bag with his left hand. Hiroto's individual play style being his speciality was amazing for sure, but Mutekigahara's level was far beyond all six of them, so Hiura still doesn't understand how that would work.

"Seriously though, what were you doing with Mutekigahara?" Kazemaru asked Hiroto as all six players began to walk back to Kawaguchiko Sports Center. "He asked me to assist him with fishing." Hiroto answers. Mutekigahara offered after Hiroto used just enough power slightly above Mutekigahara's, and quickly stole the ball from him in their one-on-one. Then, Hiroto provoked Mutekigahara to steal the ball from himself this time. To say that Mutekigahara was shocked and frustrated for the rest of the one-on-one was an understatement. "And you just went out of your way to help a stranger?" Fubuki asked, more curious than skeptical. "He seemed harmless enough." Hiroto shrugged. 

The conversation switches from Hiroto to Inamori, Hiura, and Goujin talking about their training today. "...then Ichihoshi came into our room and said he brought a recording of Australia when he was abroad!" Inamori happily continued his story of how Ichihoshi went around everyone's rooms showing it to them. And how Ichihoshi brought Inamori, Hiura, Iwato, Mansaku, and Goujin on a quote on quote, 'special training' to prepare for their future match.

Hiroto can't help but feel it's suspicious. Ichihoshi, at this point, who seems to be advertising that he's here to cause trouble, just happened to get intel on a specific teams data that even Coach Zhao couldn't get his hands on? Yeah, fat chance. "Must've felt pretty good to train with a clear goal in mind." Hiroto said, following Inamori's enthusiasm. Inamori nods. Hiroto closes his eyes, takes an internal deep breath, opens them, and stares at Inamori with uncanny seriousness. "But I don't think you should trust others too much." Hiroto said, and Inamori stopped in place as did the others. "Huh? Why?" Inamori reacts.

Hiroto's expression doesn't change. Kazemaru frowns at Hiroto. "What do you mean by that?" Kazemaru asks, and Hiroto looks at Kazemaru. Kidou had explicitly told Hiroto not to tell anything. So, "Think carefully about it." Hiroto said, leaving at that.

The five meet Endou along the way. Endou is waving to them near the entrance. Hiroto takes a route to the dorms, and meets Iwato. According to Iwato, Ichihoshi is in his dorm room. 

Time passes even more, and the golden hour sky covers above. Haizaki is panting, out of breath from training. "Haizaki." Kidou calls out, tossing one of the water bottles he brought back. Haizaki catches it and immediately drinks to help his dehydration. Kidou smiles as he speaks, "I understand why you feel impatient, but try to keep yourself from snapping at those around you all the time." then as an afterthought, "Especially Hiroto. He doesn't seem to want to hear you argue constantly." if his lack of reaction says anything, is left unsaid. "Do you think you're my guardian?" Haizaki complains, unimpressed by Kidou's nagging. No matter how true it is. Kidou smiles at Haizaki's reaction. "When I look at you, I can't help but remember my past self." Kidou said, reminiscent of the old days. If Hiroto were beside the two, he might have thought about Kidou in Kiyama Hiroto's memories as soon as he heard 'past self'. "Huh?" Haizaki is confused.

The two stare at the center from the outdoor soccer field above. "You mentioned that before, too." Haizaki said, not knowing what Kidou wanted. "I was also searching for a light in my life." Kidou said, staring up at the beautiful orange and yellow colored sky. It reminds him of a determined captain. "Then I found that light in Endou." Kidou said, remembering the first time Endou's spirit had resonated in his heart. Haizaki stares, Kidou's nostalgic figure reflected in his red and black eyes. "You were urged on by the darkness that was created by Midouin, and guided by the light in Inamori." Kidou said, turning his head to the left to properly meet Haizaki's silent stare.

"For you, the next light in your life may be found across the ocean." and Haizaki mutters, "Across the ocean." to himself in response to Kidou's words. Kidou places his left hand on Haizaki's right shoulder. And like Gouenji had said to Hiroto in the hospital room, Kidou told Haizaki that, "I believe that you have what it takes to become Inazuma Japan's ace." and Haizaki's eyes impossibly widened. Another light shines in Haizaki's darkness.

Kidou retracts his hand and walks down the stairs. Leaving a silent standing Haizaki behind. Haizaki is going to be all right. What I must do now, for this team, is... Kidou's thoughts trail off. Endou's safety was secured, for the time being. After yesterday's incident, Kidou noticed Hiroto subtly putting one or two people who weren't Ichihoshi with Endou at all times. Hiroto's safety was also secured, because Kidou is confident all of Ichihoshi's attention went to him.

Hiroto stands in a destroyed soccer field. He looked around, and there stood Kiyama Hiroto, or more accurately, Gran.

Gran comes closer. Hiroto tries to take a step back. Gran comes closer. Hiroto realizes he can't move. Gran comes closer. Hiroto stops trying to move. Gran comes closer, and he suddenly realizes he's at the edge of a cliff. Behind Hiroto, the main building of Aliea Academy stood tall and imposing.

'Stop faltering.' Gran said. Hiroto can't even blink. 'If you don't act soon, Endou-kun and Kidou-kun will eventually get hurt.' Gran continues, pointing to Hiroto's head. Hiroto doesn't understand. Shouldn't he trust Kidou's capabilities? Gran narrows his eyes, 'Trust? Since when did you trust others?' as a huge meteor appears in the sky. Hiroto's eyes widen. 'Even Kidou-kun probably thinks your actions are too violent to be completely trusted.' Gran taps Hiroto's right shoulder with his left finger. The sky turns into a toxic dark purple as a huge meteor comes crashing down-

and that's the nightmare Hiroto woke up from.

These past days have been, well, hell doesn't even begin to explain it. Every day, Hiroto wakes up, and goes to the cafeteria with Tatsuya for breakfast. The first he does when entering the cafeteria is taking note where Ichihoshi is, what he's doing, and which people he's talking with. Hiroto takes extra steps to make sure that Ichihoshi's never alone with another person. Especially Endou.

Yes, Endou. Hiroto never wants to see anything happen to Endou ever again. So every day, Hiroto wakes up, goes to the cafeteria with Tatsuya for breakfast. The first he does when entering the cafeteria is taking note where Endou is, what he's doing, and which people he's talking with. Hiroto takes extra steps to make sure that Endou never went near Ichihoshi.

Taking note of where Ichihoshi and Endou was every day was only the beginning.

Morning training was even more worse. When Coach Zhao was in charge of group training, Hiroto was paired up with Ichihoshi. Learning to work together, passing to each other, building comradery. It was infuriating. Having to pretend like Hiroto hadn't seen what Ichihoshi was capable of when he was near, interacting with everyone day-to-day with that irritating fake innocent smile that he always adorns on his round face.

These fast few days sucked all energy from Hiroto. Emotionally draining. And the days go past by a blur.

"It's the second match of the Asia prelims, Japan VS Australia!" the commentator booms over the excited crowd. Hiroto unfortunately can't follow their excitement. This match might become his most disliked match second to Eisei VS Raimon in the FF. "Japan defeats Korea and desires to continue their momentum upwards, but with their ace striker Gouenji absent, how will this affect their chances?" Even the commentator would not stop talking about Gouenji. Hiroto can't keep listening to this over and over again. Hiroto doesn't want to be reminded of Gouenji's absence for what feels like the millionth time.

Furthermore, the lineup for today's match personally hit all the wrong nerves. Ichihoshi had replaced Tatsuya as Inazuma Japan's midfielder. Endou is speaking something along the lines of an inspirational speech about how they represent Japan, and how they had the power to win through any difficulties that may come their way. "Very nice! Gouenji-kun may have left the team, but the team's morale is as high as ever." Hiroto dislikes how he seems to hear Coach Zhao's never-ending cheery voice better than Endou's pure determined sunlight one.

"Japan's team looks to be in high spirits!" except for Hiroto, "In comparison, it's been revealed that Australia's team bears the nickname "Satans of the Sun". What on earth could that nickname mean?" the commentator explains, rising the crowds' expectations. At the bench of Australia's team, Shining Satan's coach lets out a low sinister chuckle. "We'll drag them into a wicked light that runs over deeper than the darkest darkness." Shining Satan's coach states, confident of his teams' capabilities to win against Inazuma Japan. How unfortunate. It seems Shining Satan will have to learn the difficult way of facing a God hidden above the universe.

"The kickoff for the Japan VS Australia match will begin momentarily." the commentator said, and the crowd cheers louder. "What sort of match will we be seeing today? Both teams are in position!" Hiroto and the rest of Inazuma Japan are prepared for a battle against the darkness.

"So they're Austraila." Hiroto hears Inamori say from a few meters behind. Haizaki hears it too, and a menacing determined smirk makes its way to his face. "Heh! I'll crush them!" Haizaki declares, the whistle blows, and he starts the kickoff by passing to Kidou. Kidou passes to Inamori, and the midfielder heads up the field. Just as Inamori was about to pass Sar and As, something unexpected happened. Hiroto does a double take as the ball easily goes to the opponent's feet. Inamori looks baffled if his reaction of, "Oh no! But how?" told anything.

Inamori runs back to catch up to his stolen ball. "What's wrong, Asuto?" Hiura said, running up beside Inamori's right. "Huh?" Inamori reacts. "Why did you pass the ball to them so easily?" Hiura asked, confused about his friends' behavior. "It's my fault?" Inamori looks even more confused. "This isn't like you." Kazemaru frowns from his left. "Play seriously." Fudou warns. "O-Okay..." Inamori trails off after receiving unfair comments from his teammates.

In the defense line, Fubuki rushes in the way of Sar and As. "I won't let you go from here!" Fubuki said, as he does his hissatsu technique, Ice Ground. Only for Sar and As to dribble past Fubuki effortlessly. "Something's not right. They're not doing what we're expecting from that video." Inamori said to Hiura. Yeah, because Ichihoshi lied to you all, Hiroto thought, sharply staring at Ichihoshi who was focused on pretending to be too shocked to move. Hiroto subtly slows down to observe the situation a bit more before deciding on his next move.

"Japan isn't a threat. We just have to make them fall into our trap and bury them alive!" Shining Satan's captain, Satan Gaul- what a name -says as he runs down Inazuma Japan's side of the field. "Yes, of course, Satan-sama!" Sar answers with glee, letting out a creepy laugh as he dribbles the ball. "The Asia tournament is nothing but a checkpoint for us." how ironic, someone else in Inazuma Japan was thinking similarly about this entire FFI, "What we're really after is the world, the source of our sun-", "As, you're very hot-blooded." Sar cuts off As's dramatic speech. "What's wrong with being hot-blooded?" As frowns, asking seriously. "Never mind that." Satan cuts off the two's argument. "In any case, I wonder how far the famous Zhao Jinyun can cope with our strategies." Satan said.

Shining Satan will never know, but Coach Zhao's strategies consisted of careful planning and surprisingly a lot of luck. Sar and As pass between each other until reaching Satan's shooting point, and As passes to Satan. Satan chuckles as he receives the ball, and prepares his hissatsu shoot, Time Trance. Endou responds by summoning Fuujin Raijin. Hiroto watches as Shining Satan's weird methods happens for the third time. "Unbelievable! Japan's ultimate guardian, Endou Mamoru, easily concedes a goal!" the commentator said, as Endou looked back at the net with wide eyes. The score switches to 0 to 1 with Shining Satans in the lead.

"Endou-san completely messed up on the timing for his technique." Sakanoue speaks up, Hiura is frowning at their opponents, while Inamori looks at Fubuki worriedly since he had also experienced the same thing as Inamori. "Why would he make a mistake like that?" Sakanoue continues, clearly confused. "No, something's wrong. Australia has something up their sleeve." Kazemaru said. The five players continue to converse with each other about the strange occurrences.

Hiroto was seriously not used to being in a team thinking too much and not focusing on looking right ahead. "Hah! Who cares." Hiroto places both his hands on his sides. The five who were discussing the situation turn to Hiroto's voice. "I'll just have to show them that a god's power is greater than the devil's." Hiroto stated confidently. It's no use for his teammates to worry this early in the match.

"But you haven't even succeeded in surpassing this devil right next to you." Oh, Hiroto momentarily forgot Haizaki existed beside him. With crossed arms, Haizaki bares a light teasing grin. Shut up, Hiroto answers in his head. "Big talk for someone who had to steal their teammates' pass to shine on field." Hiroto replies mockingly, not in the mood for one-sided bickering. That wasn't the response Haizaki expected to get from the other. Kidou told Haizaki to 'tone down his frustration', and he thought he did a pretty good job at it. Haizaki doesn't get to say anything as Hiroto ignores, walks away, and quickly returns to his position.

A whistle blows from the referee, a signal to resume the match. Hiroto, Fubuki, and Fudou all come from each side. Fubuki prepares to stop the ball again with Ice Ground. Satan smirks, crossing his arms, confident that he'll get through. This is the perfect time for Hiroto to test something. "Oops, my bad!" Hiroto said, not sounding sorry at all as he cut in front of Satan, disturbing him from advancing further. Satan gets noticeably startled, managing to keep the ball away from Hiroto's plays, and Fubuki's Ice Ground freezes Satan in place. The ball lands in front of Fubuki safely. "What?" and Satan lets out. "Attack!" Haizaki smiles, rushing ahead. Hiroto runs past Fubuki, as Fubuki passes to Haizaki.

Five Shining Satans players' have gathered around Haizaki, and they use their hissatsu tatics, Invisible. Haizaki halts, as the five Shining Satans disappear, and mist covers most of the field in the on-field players' eyes. Hiroto stops moving. Haizaki was just a few meters ahead, a rush of wind from fast movement told someone else was heading towards Haizaki's position. Hiroto blinks as the mist dissipates, the five Shining Satans players return visible, Satan has the ball, and has already reached his shooting point.

Time Trance enters the, "Goal! Australia wins another goal! ", the score switches to 0 to 2 with, "Japan is behind by two points!" the commentator yells. "How is the ball stopping mid-air?" Hiroto hears Endou mutter in frustration as he, Haizaki, Kidou, and the rest of Inazuma Japan's on-field players excluding Ichihoshi gather around the goalpost. "Endou. You look as though you've been entranced by the devil." Kidou said. If Kidou had experienced Angels and Demons like the Kidou in Kiyama Hiroto's memories, Hiroto was sure Kidou wouldn't say such things. "How the hell are they doing it?" Haizaki spits out, still unnerved that his ball was stolen so easily.

Hiroto is silent beside Haizaki's right. "That moment..." Fubuki opens his mouth, and everyone gathered around turns to his direction. "I was able to steal the ball from them because of Hiroto's irregular playing." Fubuki said. "So you're saying that Hiroto's actions interfered with their trap in some way?" Kazemaru asks. Fubuki nods, "I think so." and answers. "You're right. Teleportation is impossible." Kidou agrees, stepping in. Well technically, teleportation isn't impossible. But Hiroto doubts Shining Satans are on that level yet. "There must be some kind of mechanism behind it." Kidou said, thinking.

Kazemaru is looking between the bench and the gathered group. "What's the matter, Kazemaru?" Kidou asks, noticing Kazemaru's behavior. "Don't you think the non-reactions from the people on the bench and the spectators is strange?" Kazemaru asked. "Yeah, I thought it was odd too." Kidou agreed. "You're right. If the opponent and the ball are really vanishing in front of us, I think they'd be more surprised." Endou answers, in thought. "But the commentator and everyone watching thinks that we got the ball taken from us in a normal fashion." Kazemaru said. "What does that mean?" Inamori asked, unable to follow. "Put it more simply!" Haizaki demanded, confused as much as Inamori. "The only people who are able to see the opponent's "teleportation" are those of us on the field." Kidou summarized.

Only the players on the field. Lack of reaction from the bench. Something clicks in Hiroto's head, like a twinkling star. During Gran's information gathering, they gathered all information on which teams Raimon had fought so far. And while the memory is dim, Hiroto briefly remembers a team confusing and tricking their opponents using hypnotic suggestions. The Occult team. Now that Hiroto looked back, Shining Satans did some unnatural crossed armed hand signs before they made the ball 'disappear' in Hiroto's teammates perspectives. Perhaps that was Shining Satans mechanism, a type of hypnosis.

"Huh?" Haizaki reacts to Kidou's explaination. "We're fighting with an invisible opponent, huh?" Endou smiles, making a determined fist. Truly, "This is getting interesting!" only Endou could get excited even in this situation. "You're right." Kidou smiles at Endou's typical ethusatic spirit. Every Inazuma Japan players' mood lightens, and everyone returns to their positions for the next kickoff. Haizaki and Hiroto are side by side at the front.

Hiroto receives the ball from Haizaki and dribbles toward Shining Satans' field. Sar runs up, and crosses his arms. Hiroto gives his opponent a small grin. It's just a hissatsu tactic. Invisible doesn't mean teleportation. A person would still be moving after taking away the ball. So just like how Hiroto kept track of where and how Red Bison's positions were after being blinded, he closes his eyes momentarily. Using the scene before Hiroto closed his eyes, and focusing all his senses.

There's movement coming from Hiroto's right, and he dribbles to the left with ease. "What?" Sar exclaims, mouth open in shock after failing to steal the ball. The crowd cheers in excitement as Hiroto advanced up the field. Perhaps that was overkill. If Hiroto truly wanted, he could've just dribbled through all his opponents with pure speed alone before they even did their hand gestures. After all, Shining Satans were slower than Clario.

But whatever. Going all out from the start isn't Hiroto style anyway. Hiroto shoot-passes to Haizaki who's further up the field, in a much better position to reach the goal. Except, Hiroto kind of forgot that Haizaki haven't yet to realize what Hiroto had, nor is has the same strength level has him, and the ball gets stolen again. Hiroto stares at Haizaki trying to steal back from his opponent.

Sakanoue runs up but suddenly stops moving, seemingly in shock. "Japan is at the mercy of Australia's plays!" the commentator said. As passes Sakanoue easily. The ball is passed to Satan, and Fubuki goes in for a tackle, only for Satan to jump and dodge. "Japan's team today looks as if they're staring into space! What has happened to them?" the commentator said. Fudou goes in for a block, Sar does a crossed arms gesture. From Fudou's perspective, the player and ball disappear, appearing behind. "What?" Fudou and Sar say simultaneously for different. Fudou reacted because he finally realized how Shining Satans players' arms moved might be related to their invisibility, and Sar reacted because Hiroto had stolen the ball, again.

A few minutes ago, at the Inazuma Japan bench, Raimon Natsumi has finally returned from her studies overseas. "Is it just me or is Hiroto the only one moving naturally?" Osamu said, observing the field. "I don't think you're seeing things, everyone else just, stops moving when they get close to the opponents." Ootani answers, thoughtful. Natsumi has a small smile on her face. "I see. So one of our players already figured out the trick." Natsumi said, looking proud. "Trick?" Tatsuya said, a little lost.

On the field, Hiroto is dribbling, playing around a Shining Satans player who tries to hypnotize and steal his ball. It's a useless attempt. At this point, Hiroto doesn't need to close his eyes to move through them. He's already confirmed the ball doesn't teleport during the invisible spell. "Hey!" Fudou shouts from a few meters away, running towards Hiroto's direction. And Hiroto dodges another incoming tackle. "What?" Hiroto answers, slowing down a bit. "What are you doing?" Fudou asked, demanding. I'm playing soccer? would've been Hiroto's first response, if he didn't see a particular spark in Fudou's eyes. "Be more specific." Hiroto said. He's not a mind reader. Also, he's focused on dribbling the ball and bad at multi-tasking. Fudou quickly corrects himself, "How are you getting past our opponents?" narrowing his eyes, waiting for an answer.

The answer comes from Inazuma Japan's Eleven band instead. Hiroto lifts his left wrist to read the message. Close your eyes. Kissy face, Hiroto read, immediately cringing from reading the emote in his head. Hiroto gives a strong kick out of bounds, giving extra time for his teammates to have a short discussion. Kidou and the other players excluding Ichihoshi, have all gathered around Endou's goalpost.

Where's Ichihoshi? Hiroto finally notices Ichihoshi's absence in the group as Kidou calls for everyone's attention. "Listen up, everyone. If the opponent shows any strange movements with their arms, close your eyes right away." Kidou ordered. "Keep your eyes closed and move by using only your ears and sensing the other players' presence." Kidou adds further advice. "Huh? What do you mean?" Inamori reacts, surprised.

Fudou stares at Kidou, looking skeptical. "Hey hey, there's no way we can play with our eyes closed. And besides," Hiroto feels dark green eyes on him, "he's been playing just fine this whole time." Fudou signals out. "No, it's possible." Sakanoue said. "I've heard that an excellent soccer player is able to hear and sense the others around them as ways of watching their surroundings." Sakanoue begins to explain, "The sense of sight is just one way of obtaining information in order to make plays." bringing up what he studied when Endou first starting building Tonegawa Tousen. "You can play soccer without the use of your eyes. There's even a competitive sport known as "blind soccer" based on that." Sakanoue concluded, with extra information at the end. Hiroto is half-listening, and half-focused on scanning outside the group to find where exactly Ichishoshi is with both hands on his sides.

Fudou still doesn't seem too convinced. "Play soccer without using our eyes?" Fudou leans his head outward a little, his left hand placed on his side. "This sounds ridiculous." Fudou said, then turning to Hiroto, "C'mon, spill." and continued to demand an explanation. "Although I'm not sure how Hiroto-san is unaffected by our opponents' invisible magic." Sakanoue looks at Hiroto who's looking at anywhere else but the group, "It won't hurt to try for ourselves." and adds with a determined expression. Kidou notices Hiroto's wandering eyes. "Is something wrong?" Kidou asks. Hiroto turns his attention back to the group. "Ichihoshi's way over there." Hiroto said, and Kidou trails his eyes to one of the Shining Satans player conversing with Ichihoshi. Kidou turns back to Hiroto, and even though Hiroto can't see through Kidou's goggles, he can feel Kidou's eyes shining in understanding.

Kidou faces the rest of the group again. There's no point in dealing with Ichihoshi right now. "Everyone, don't doubt. Just close your eyes and when you see our opponents make any noticeable hand gestures." Kidou eyes Hiroto, "Until someone else manages it, we'll focus all our attacks around Hiroto." and Haizaki clicks his tongue. "Why only him?" Haizaki complains. "Because right now, Hiroto's the only one who's able to move freely without being effected by our opponents." Kidou answers seriously, crossing his arms. "I know that!" Haizaki shouts, and then he turns to Hiroto. "You. How the hell are you doing that?" Haizaki demands. He's the second person to demand from Hiroto—unfortunately, no answer is returned as the sound of a whistle signals for every player on the field for the throw-in.

All the players position themselves. "Hiroto-san." Inamori said, placing himself next to Hiroto's right. Hiroto acknowledges Inamori's presence with a short turn of his head. "I want to try what Kidou-san suggested." Inamori determinedly states, eyes shining like the sun. Hiroto, unlike the aggressive Haizaki or too boisterous Goujin, was the only one who would silently give small tips whenever Inamori actively sought advice for shooting or other soccer skills. This is why Inamori has always seen Hiroto as a good person and a respectable player.

Of course, Hiroto doesn't know what Inamori is thinking, but he understands Inamori's desire of wanting to try new things. "Go for it." Hiroto will step back to let Inamori do his own thing and cover for Inamori if he misses. Inamori smiles back with a small nod at Hiroto's short response as As throws in the ball.

Inamori closes his eyes. Sense your surroundings. Don't let the slightest sound escape you. Those are the thoughts Inamori holds as he takes off a slow step, and steadily increases his pace. Hiroto watches as Sar tries their hand gesture, but Inamori seemingly ignores their hypnosis, managing to cut in and steal the ball. "I did it!" Inamori exclaims happily, leaving Sar staring at the space where he should've stolen the ball and the crowd cheers.

Kidou receives the ball passed from Inamori and turns to Haizaki and Inamori behind his right. "Let's go!" Kidou orders. Inamori and Haizaki answer with a short noise of confirmation. Kidou initiates Hissatsu Tactics, Soft and Hard. The ball is bounced from Kidou, Fudou, and Inamori lined up from Kidou's left, Inamori passes to Haizaki who jumps high in the air from the middle, and makes a powerful kick in a straight line. Inamori is the one who catches it and gives a pass to Kidou.

And Kidou, in Haizaki's perspective, does one of the most diabolical things he's ever since in his life. Kidou smirks to himself, secretly delighted to finally show this off as he kicks the ball up into the air, whistling and summoning penguins from the ground. Completely copying one of Haizaki's hissatsu techniques, Overhead Penguins. "What?" the sheer disbelief on Haizaki's expression was quite a sight. Hiroto would've found Haizaki's face hilarious, if he weren't also a bit dumbstruck from what Kidou did.

Kidou's Overhead Penguins manages to, "Goal! It's in!" and the score switches to 1 to 2, making this the first goal that Inazuma Japan made in this match. "Kidou uses #18 Haizaki Ryouhei's signature move, Overhead Penguins!" the commentator lifts his left arm. Hiroto watches Haizaki going up to Kidou and questions why he used that hissastu technique. "Hiroto-san!" Inamori calls out, stopping next to Hiroto's right. "I managed to do it!" Inamori said, clearly pointing out how he managed to move with closed eyes. Hiroto won't lie, what Inamori attempted was quite impressive on the first try. "Not bad." Hiroto said honestly. And Inamori's smile seems to beam brighter.

The match resumes after a moment. "Time to turn the score around!" Kidou shouts, and Haizaki answers with a short noise of confirmation. "Don't let your guards down, everyone!" Fubuki warns, and Inamori answers with a serious, "Okay!" as the kick-off starts off from Shining Satans side. Hiroto stares, thinking if he's conscious is playing tricks on him. Satan's hair had switched from orange-fluo to yellow-orange completed with a different hairstyle. Wait, that's not surprising at all. Hiroto's seen much more astounding things in Kiyama Hiroto's memories.

Sar dribbles the ball, confident that he'll get through, but Kidou has analyzed his movements enough to make an efficient steal. That's when Hiroto sees lights reflected in Kidou's goggles. Kidou stumbles and falls to the ground, clearly caught off guard. Every Inazuma Japan player excluding Ichihoshi stares in shock.

It happening again. Molecular clouds crawl up and seem to cover Hiroto's head, trying to encase the stars with dust. Hiroto's eyes widen, quickly scanning Shining Satans field as he runs, looking for any signs of light from the bottom of every of the Shining Satans players' cleats. "Be careful, Inamori! Haizaki!" Kidou warns as Sar steals back the ball and dribbles toward their direction. Inamori and Haizaki are stunned, eyes reflexively closing, shielding their eyes from being exposed to bright light with their arms. The two stumble on their feet, nearly bumping into each other. "Where did that come from?" Haizaki frowns, looking for any signs of irregularity on the field. What a good question to ask Haizaki, Hiroto's trying to find the answer right now.

Satan receives a pass from Sar and chuckles lowly under his breath. Feeling exhilarated that Inazuma Japan had been successfully disrupted once more. "Take this." Satan smirks, running to his shooting point, and prepares to use his hissatsu technique, Time Trance, for the third time. Satan uses his first illusion to make Endou use his hissatsu technique, Rajin Fujin. From Endou's perspective, Rajin Fujin had caught the ball. Endou blinks as the illusion fades away with Rajin and Fujin, the reality showing that Satan was just about to shoot.

A perfect timing to win a goal when Endou was at the weakest. It was also the perfect timing for Hiroto to break in Satans' hissatsu technique, steal the ball, and makes a shoot-pass out of bounds. Hiroto needs to talk to Endou. Satan visibly scowls as Hiroto stares back with an equally intense stare.

"Kira Hiroto blocks and sent the ball out of bounds!" the commentator said. Endou looked frustrated from yet another failed attempt to stop the ball. As captain, it's Endou's duty to protect the goal, and have everyone's backs, so that his teammates can play without worry. And yet, Hiroto had to step instead of Endou. "Is goalkeeper Endou in a slump today?! The timing of his techniques is completely off the mark!" the commentator voices his confusion.

"How do I stop that shoot?" Endou asks himself, looking at his gloves. "Can it even be stopped? Is there no way to stop it?" Endou furrows his brows in frustration. "No... There is a way!" Endou assures. "There absolutely is a way! I just don't see it yet! I'll find it, no matter what!" Endou declares. After seeing Endou's never-ending spirit, Hiroto decides to leave him alone and walks to the group of four consisted of Kidou, Inamori and Haizaki who were blinded, along with Kazemaru.

Kidou is explaining about some of the knowledge he's gather these past few days into his observations. "They're using mirrors? From the bottom of their cleats?" Kazemaru asks. That was pretty specific information, even for Kidou's observation skills. Kazemaru moves on from that brief thought. "Did you see who did it?" Kazemaru asked. "No, I haven't." Kidou admitted. "Damn it! They're so underhanded!" Haizaki frowns. "It would have made no difference even with our eyes closed. Even through my goggles, it was blinding." Kidou said. "That light wasn't from a mirror, but a type of laser." Kidou delivers what Gouenji said in his hospital room when he and two others visited him. "They're using laser beams?" Kazemaru asks. "Yeah, I don't know which of our opponents did it though." Kidou said, deep in thought.

"But Kidou-san," Inamori speaks up, "I got the sense that I was being blinded by someone not on the opposing team." pointing out what he felt. Hiroto's head stops. Of course. Ichihoshi would also have specialized cleats. "What do you think that means?" Inamori asked, looking down at the ground. What it means is that if Hiroto thought it more deeply, he could've thrown out Ichihoshi's cleats or something before today's match. Too late for that now. Haizaki and Kazemaru's eyes widen in shock, but Hiroto and Kidou come to the same conclusion immediately. Ichihoshi Mitsuru. No one else on the team would try to disrupt them in this way. "Everyone, keep an eye on Ichihoshi." Kidou orders as the whistle blows, signaling a throw-in from Shining Satans.

The next few minutes go by with Kidou constantly trying to avoid being blinded. The time left in the first half is too ambiguous for Hiroto to step up and take the lead, and that's how the first half of this match ends. The score still the same, 1 to 2 with Shining Satans in the lead. All the on-field players walk back to the bench, and Kidou stops in front of Ichihoshi. "You're intentionally making plays that put us at a disadvantage. What are you up to?" Kidou narrowed his eyes at Ichihoshi, who gave Kidou a small frown. "Huh? That's a false accusation." Ichihoshi responds. "Despite all my flaws, I still represent Inazuma Japan. I would never do something like that." Ichihoshi continues, though he knows at this point, Kidou's trust in him has completely gone like a dying star.

So instead of continuing to play the nice guy, Ichihoshi gives Kidou a light unreadable smile, "But anyway, Kidou-san, you should be careful." the light smile turns into a sly grin, "We wouldn't want you getting injured during a match like Gouenji-san." and he relishes in Kidou's immediate reaction. "Ichihoshi... You...!" Kidou makes a fist with his left hand, emotions popping up, down, coursing through every cell in his nerves.

Hiroto had slowed down during his walk to bench, watched that entire interaction, and his heart sinks at Ichihoshi mentioning the word 'injury'. Tonight's nightmare stirs up in Hiroto's head. If you don't act soon, Endou-kun and Kidou-kun will eventually get hurt, Hiroto needs to stop his subconscious thoughts. It'll be okay. Kidou knows about the dangers, and is clearly observant enough to avoid trouble. Furthermore, Hiroto swears to to hell and heaven, life and death, stars and galaxies that he won't let anything bad happen to Kidou or anyone else in this match.

Hiroto's feet reaches the bench, gratefully takes a towel from Ootani, sits down on the ground next to some others, and drapes it over his shoulders. It's only been the first-half, but Hiroto already feels a little drained. "Coach. Please expel Ichihoshi from the team." Hiroto overhears Kidou talking to Coach Zhao. "He's definitely making plays that are unfavorable for Japan." Kidou said. "Oh? Do you have proof?" Coach Zhao asks. Well, there's no definitive proof yet. Hiroto hears Kidou and Coach Zhao converse back and forth. With Kidou strongly pushing Coach Zhao, and Coach Zhao saying that Ichihoshi is some kind of 'national ambassador' which means he has to be put in a match no matter what. All the access information jumbles in Hiroto's head, but in the end, he understands one thing. That Coach Zhao had completely handed over the responsibility of Ichihoshi's elimination to Kidou.

The beginning of the second-half arrives sooner than Hiroto expected, and he's back on the field. "You two." Kidou calls to Hiroto and Haizaki from behind. "Huh?" Haizaki reacts, turning to Kidou. "I need to speak with you." Kidou said. Haizaki is attentive as Kidou explains his plans to disrupt Ichihoshi, while Hiroto absentmindely listens. "Destroy Ichihoshi? Sounds interesting." Haizaki grins. Yes, destory Ichihoshi. That was the order Kidou had given.

But It's strange. Hiroto should feel more excited to get back at Ichihoshi under a plan from someone capable. Yet Hiroto only feels stars being slowly pulled into a black hole, going empty. C'mon, be more excited. You haven't forgotten what he did, didn't you? Hiroto's subconscious tries to lift his suppressed emotions back to the surface. Remember what Baek and his two helpers did to Gouenji, what Ichihoshi tried to do to Endou, the threat he made to Kidou. "I'll make him prostrate before me as his god." Hiroto smirks, with lack of all arrogance out his tone. No, Hiroto will never forget what Ichihoshi did. Not even in a million years. "The second half will begin momentarily!" the commentators voice barely registers in Hiroto's head. The commentator continues, something about Australia being one point in the lead.

The kick-off begins with As's pass to Sar. With Inazuma Japans team disrupted by being blinded, along with the existence of Inazuma Japans Seal, Shining Satans was sure everything would go smoothly from here. "Gimmie that!" Haizaki demands, letting some of his frustration that was built up during the first half. Hiroto is running just a few feet beside him as Haizaki efficiently and aggressively steals the ball from Sar. "There's Haizaki and Kira Hiroto!" the commentator yelled as Haizaki quickly passed to Hiroto.

Hiroto receives the ball, subconsciously wondering how much strength he should use. Hiroto's no sadist, and he truly doesn't want to cause others pain. But Ichihoshi doesn't count as 'other's, and he wants nothing more than for Ichihoshi to suffer until the rest of the match. Slow and steady it is. Hiroto will give all the fun to Haizaki for most of the second half, and Hiroto will strike when Ichihoshi's at his weakest. Hiroto dribbles through a few of their opponents and notices Ichihoshi a few meters away from his left.

This is the best time to start Kidou's counterattack. Haizaki is close enough to Hiroto's right, so Hiroto gives a normal pass to Haizaki, and Haizaki makes a so-called pass to Ichihoshi. Ichihoshi flinches as Haizaki's ball hits him on the right side of his chest, where one usually traps the ball. The ball rebounds near Hiroto's right foot, and he passes back to Haizaki as, "Japan is making powerful passes!" the commentator said. The ball lands near Haizaki's left foot, and he looks down at Ichihoshi. "Hah! Nice trap." Haizaki smirks, mockingly. Ichihoshi glares at Haizaki as Hiroto runs past.

"Ichihoshi! Are you okay?" Inamori said, running up behind as Ichihoshi lifted himself from the ground using his arms and legs. Ichihoshi wasn't really okay, but anger took over the fleeting soreness he had felt. "Yes." Ichihoshi answered shortly, his eyes trailing to Haizaki. Haizaki was making his intentions too obvious, so Ichihoshi knew there were no mistakes, and no doubt that the ball was aimed like that on purpose. Kidou looked satisfied with Ichihoshi's clear frustration a few meters behind.

Haizaki dribbles past Shining Satans defense line, and Hiroto's always a few meters away from him. When the two reach near the Penalty Area, Haizaki makes, "A swift shoot, but no goal!" like the commentator said after Shining Satans goalkeeper catches that ball. That was one of Kidou's orders. The two were told to save up all their energy, and concentrate on dealing with Ichihoshi first and foremost.

Shining Satans goalkeeper makes a long pass to their captain. Satan thinks about what had happened in the last minutes, and turns to his teammates. "That fake devil is attacking their teammate." Satan said with a small smirk on his face. Satan makes a long pass to Sar, connecting with As, and Ichihoshi sends some sort of signal with a suspicious glint in his eyes. "You're not using your cheapass tricks anymore!" Haizaki shouts, purposely blocking Ichihoshi's path.

As and Sar gets past the half-line. Inamori and Hiura come in to defend, prepared to stop the two oncoming opponents. However, Hiroto sees As and Sar's mirror coming out from the bottom front of their cleats, blinding Inamori and Hiura. "What?" Hiroto hears Haizaki saying a few meters away, eyes widening. Ichihoshi was almost in a good position to adjust his mirror. Ichihoshi frowns, "Hey! What did you do that for?" making sure his tone is rightfully upset and confused. Sending the underlining meaning of 'if you hadn't came to stop me, I would've been able to keep running and support Inamori and Hiura. Why did you disturb my plays?' sent in his tone. Haizaki looks a bit dumbfounded as Ichihoshi leaves and tries to catch up to the ball.

Kidou specifically told Hiroto and Haizaki to be on guard with the lights. No, Hiroto doesn't blame Haizaki for trying to stop Ichihoshi. It just means Hiroto will have cover for Haizaki better, so he continues running without stopping.

Ichihoshi catches up to Satan, running right next to him. In the crowds eyes, Ichihoshi had managed to catch up and mark his opponent after supporting Haizaki. To Satans eyes however, Ichihoshi looked like a frustrated traitor whose intentions were revealed, and was racking his brain for another plan. "They're got you completely marked." Satan comments, not mocking nor encouraging. Just saying as it is. Ichihoshi's expression doesn't change. Satan's appearance switches from yellow-orange back to orange-fluo completed with a different hairstyle. "But they're not getting away with it anymore!" Satan declares. Like you've even succeeded in the first place, Hiroto thinks, running just a couple of meters away from the right side, and behind the two.

"We will do what we Seals are here for!" Satan declares even louder. Coincidences are in Hiroto's favor, for he briefly sees a blue mark shining on the right of Satans' neck. Seriously, Hiroto can hear and see Satan so clearly from his position. It seems every Seal Hiroto encounters are either cruel, stupid or both like Ichihoshi.

As dribbles past Kidou. "Australia's As Taroth moves quickly up the field!" the commentator yells as As avoids Fubuki's steal and makes a long pass to Sar. Kazemaru goes in for defense, but Sar easily moves through and passes it to Satan. Like he had waited for this moment, Satan receives the ball from Sar, and quickly reaches his shoot point, right near the Penalty Area.

Endou makes his stance, prepared to catch Satan's hissatsu shoot. "You can't stop me, no matter how hard you try!" Satan yells. Well, it's true that Endou still hasn't figured out a counter to Satan's Time Trance. But Hiroto comes out of nowhere from the right and steals the ball. It seems Satan didn't have it in mind that his opponent would steal the ball before he makes his time trickery shot. "Where the hell do you keep coming from!?" Satan said, looking quite pissed as he tries to steal back the ball. Hiroto controls the ball, just enough for Satan to think he'll manage to take it, but not enough for him to actually succeed.

Hiroto gives Satan a light smirk, devoid of all humor. "Your plays would shame the actual Demons." Hiroto said, completely serious. Though Satan takes this as mockery. "And you call yourself a God?" Satan narrows his eyes, making another attempt at a seal. Hiroto controls the ball, narrowing avoids it again, and dribbles away. "Damn it!" Satan curses, turning his head behind. Hiroto makes a left diagonal shoot-pass, towards Haizaki's direction. Haizaki, positioned between the Penalty Area and the Halfway Line of the left side of the field, receives the pass, and avoids a steal from a Shining Satans player.

As tries to mark Hiroto, but Inamori cuts through, holding off As from stopping Hiroto running near the Halfway Line. Haizaki passes to Hiroto, just as Hiroto sees Ichihoshi just a few meters over the Halfway Line on the right side of the field, positioned in a good spot to receive the ball and advance further without much trouble.

It's a chance. Hiroto adjusts his power quite more above his usual shoot-passes, and aims for Ichihoshi's anterior shin. Similar to where Gouenji had been injured.

From the crowds' perspective, Hiroto gives a very strong pass to Ichihoshi, who's in one of the good spots on the field. In Ichihoshi's perspective, he understands he's in a favorable position, but doesn't understand why Hiroto of all is passing to him. In Sar's perspective, this is good timing to intercept Hiroto's shoot-pass. Orion analyzed every single one of Inazuma Japans players, especially those who spent a lot of time on-field, and Hiroto was one of them. Shining Satans were trained to deal with every single one of Inazuma Japans players unique styles, which is why Sar was sure he could easily catch Hiroto's shoot-pass.

That would've been the case if it were Hiroto's usual power shoot-pass. The ball hits Sar's left foot which he lifted to receive the ball. For a split second, a strong wave of shock traveled through Sar's nerves from his ankle. Sar flinches in pain but somehow manages to keep the ball. "Sar Gatanas intercepts their pass!" the commentator shouts as Sar advances towards Inazuma Japans' side of the field.

"Those guys...!" Haizaki stops running to exclaim in anger. The amount of frustration Haizaki felt was unable to be contained. Feeling a presence coming near, Haizaki's eyes behind him to see Hiroto running and stopping a few steps away. Giving an unreadable smirk, Hiroto controls his voice so only Haizaki can hear and suggests, "Let's crush them along with Ichihoshi." knowing that Kidou wouldn't mind the two going for extra targets. Also, if As or Sar didn't leave the field soon, Hiroto doubts he'll get many chances to target Ichihoshi. Because like Hiroto was covering for Haizaki, the Seals- yes, Hiroto will actively call players with mirrors in their cleats, 'Seals' from now on because that seemed to be one of the requirements to become a 'Seal' -seemed to be covering for Ichihoshi, another Seal.

Hiroto and Haizaki run towards Sar. A few meters away just before the Halfway Line, Inamori stares at the two as he runs, wondering if Haizaki's aiming for Ichihoshi on purpose, and feeling a sense of wrongness in the way Hiroto was playing. Quite a few meters away from Inamori, "I feel like those guys are up to something..." Fudou said to himself, looking at Haizaki and Hiroto.

Hiroto continues giving Haizaki the ball with his shoot-passes. Like God would gift the fallen angel, the Devil, a gift to crawl back to the heavens. Except, in this case, Hiroto's gift was a tool for Haizaki to drop his opponents further into a deeper hell not even Satan knew about. "This isn't a match anymore, it's more like an altercation!" the commentator said, as Sar and As breathed in and out, after being brutally beaten down by the Devil. Or as Li Kobun, "With that sort of behavior, he isn't the devil of the field." and Ootani, "But more like the bully of the field..." on the Inazuma Japan on the bench described out loud.

Haizaki isn't subtle with his actions at all. They're bold and brash, and every shot he aims for As and Sar is filled with vengeful malice. Hiroto, on the other hand, only made another shoot-pass with a little more strength than when he used at Sar, to As. While making it look like he was originally going to pass to Fudou.

In Ichihoshi's perspective, every plan the Seals came up with was getting destroyed. "Oh dear, looks like Ichihoshi got caught by both teams' quarrel!" the commentator yells, as Ichihoshi wheezes, laying on the field as he tries to catch his breath. In the background, Fudou's hissatsu technique fails to get a goal. "Ichihoshi!" Inamori calls out, hurriedly running towards him. "Are you okay?" Inamori asks, for the second time in this entire match as Ichihoshi struggles to lift himself up with his arms after getting hit near the chest with a ball kicked by Haizaki. Do I look okay to you? Ichihoshi frowns as Inamori reaches out his right hand with a smile. Ichihoshi stares up at Inamori for a good moment before reaching out his own and lets Inamori lift him back up to his feet.

"Hey..." Ichihoshi doesn't blink, "Has Haizaki been aiming for you...?" as Inamori asks carefully. Hiroto seems to be in on Haizaki's scheme because he's the only one actively passing to him, but Inamori didn't want to say that part out loud just yet. After all, Sakanoue also passed to Haizaki a few minutes ago, but denied when Inamori went up to him and asked. Well, that was all Inamori experienced. Ichihoshi meanwhile, thought this was a good opportunity to split Inazuma Japan up. "Yes. Maybe he doesn't like my plays?" Ichihoshi asks, looking a bit upset. "Huh? But why would..." Inamori turns his head behind to see Haizaki a few meters away walking up to Kidou.

The second half resumes with a kick off from Shining Satans. Satan is on dribbling the ball to Inazuma Japans side of the field with Sar and As a few meters behind. "They're getting full of themselves!" As exclaims. Like the Seals haven't cheated first. "It's time to bring out that guy!" Satan agrees, and turns his head give a knowing look to his coach. Haizaki's aggressive plays with Hiroto's support messed up Shining Satans plays immensely. Then, Satan realizes something after he kicks the ball out of bounds. "Hey! Why are you guys getting so slow?" Satan said, giving a side eye to Sar and As.

"Australia will be substituting players!" the commentator speaks. "Kidou-san!" Inamori calls out, running to Kidou in the midfield part of Inazuma Japans side of the field. "It was you who ordered Haizaki to attack Ichihoshi and the opponent team, right?" Inamori asks, confident. Kidou's brief silence is an answer of itself. "Why? That's not soccer!" Kidou walks away, "Kidou-san!" and Inamori shouts louder. From a few feet away from Inamori, "You don't see anything, do you?" Haizaki said, with his hands placed on his sides. Inamori is even more confused as the commentator speaks, "Australia is substituting players!" and a few moments after, the throw-in begins with Hiura to Fudou.

Fudou is dribbling the ball away, when suddenly, he feels a looming presence speeding towards him. From behind, a quick sliding manages to take away Fudou's ball. "The newly entered Luci Fanos takes the ball!" the commentator said. "Who is that guy?" Hiroto said, as he continues to run a few meters away from Luci. This match was starting to wear Hiroto down. Hiroto gave Haizaki all the passes because he knew he wouldn't be able to take Ichihoshi and their opponents out slow and steady, managed to injure and slow down Sar and As, and he was doing good, but, there was too much to focus on. It was making Hiroto dizzy, mentally.

Luci continues dribbling. "You won't get past me!" Sakanoue said. From one of the shadowed entrance hallways to the soccer field, Hiroto's blood ran cold as he saw Ichihoshi's eyes turn unnaturally sharp, and the next scene unfolded on the field. And like a hunter who has already locked onto their target, Luci's eyes turn unnaturally sharp.

Hiroto's eyes widens as he sees a sharp metal spike come out from the bottom of Luci's right cleat and, an image of Endou receiving the shoot and getting his flesh tearing along the surface of his skin flashes in his head.

No.

That won't happen.

Luci's eyes widen as someone clashes against his shoulder, and loses the ball to Hiroto, who quickly kicks the ball out of bounds. The force of the clash was stronger than expected. Luci stumbles and falls to ground as Hiroto, the person who clashed with Luci walks past, head pounding from the sudden spike of his subconscious emotions. The commentator was saying something about the ball being out of bounds.

"Sakanoue! You!" Hiroto said, frowning as his head was unable to form proper words. "Hiroto-san! Are you okay?" Sakanoue exclaims, even more surprised than Hiroto. After all, Sakanoue had just saw Luci hiding a blade in his cleats, and Hiroto had just saved him from injury. "Sakanoue! Hiroto-san!" Inamori calls out, running and stopping in front of the two. Sakanoue turns to Inamori's voice. "What happened?" Kidou arrives just a moment after. "I saw him hiding a blade in his cleats!" Sakanoue told the two with an angry frown. "What?!" Inamori reacts, in unfiltered disbelief.

Hiroto's heart is pounding loudly in his rib cage. This is strange. Hiroto didn't run that far, not that fast for blood to pump through his veins this quickly. Hiroto doesn't understand why his body and mind is overreacting this much. Sakanoue almost got injured, and it was a natural response to feel negative emotions. But Sakanoue is fine right now, so why? Why hasn't Hiroto's heart stopped shaking?

"...But what on earth is going on here?" Hiroto picks up on Inamori's voice. "Everything we're doing is to protect the team." Kidou states, honestly. Protect the team. Yes, that's the most important thing. "Sakanoue. For now, you should take it easy." Kidou said, turning around to head back to his position for the throw-in.

"Wait!" Sakanoue calls out, "I'll stop them." determined.

"No." Hiroto's neutral yet cold tone startles the three of them.

Forget about Kidou's order to attack Ichihoshi and their opponents with Haizaki by aggressive plays.

Hiroto adorns a small smirk, though there's a no particular emotion behind it. "Kidou's right." Hiroto said, placing his left hand on his side, his right thumb pointing towards himself. "You should watch as I, your god, pummel through our opponents with ease." Hiroto said, and Inamori looks worriedly at him as Kidou nods. "We're counting on you both." Kidou said, glancing at Haizaki a few meters away, conversing with Hiura, Kazemaru and Fubuki. "No, I'm not working with him this time." Hiroto said, side-eyeing Haizaki. Kidou stares at Hiroto, observing.

Hiroto stares back at Kidou. And Kidou notices Hiroto's eyes mirroring the same gaze as in Inazuma Japans first FFI match. "I see." Kidou understands. "Go for it." Kidou gives Hiroto permission to act. Inamori looks back and between Kidou and Hiroto, already having a bad feeling about this.

Hiroto glances at the scoreboard high up at each end of the stadium. The score hasn't changed since the first half. It's still 1 to 2 with Shining Satans in the lead.

The match resumes with a throw-in. Hiroto receives the ball and dribbles towards Shining Satans side. Luci is running towards Hiroto. Prior to this, Shining Satans coach directly ordered Luci to target Hiroto. Luci had never been given a specific target before. Coach would always let Luci do which target, whatever methods, and how he wanted to execute his plan. That's why Luci mustn't fail like moments before.

It's unfortunate Luci's target doesn't care. Hiroto sees the moment Luci brings out the blade with his right cleat, and Hiroto kicks towards it. The ball sticks to Luci's right cleat due to the blade stuck inside. The next action that Hiroto will take is probably one of the most brutal things he has done in this life.

Instead of kicking the ball in a straight direction, Hiroto aims his kick up, and a wave of electrical shock supported by power starts from the ball and travels up to Luci's legs and tingles through his body. Nerves are pulsing, it feels like muscles are tearing away skin by skin. In pain, in instinctive desperation, Luci forcedly shakes his legs to try and get the ball off his blade. And in recklessness, like needles winding through string and fiber, he twists his right ankle.

From the crowd's perspective, Hiroto is going in for a steal. The moment his feet make contact with the ball, it deflates from too much air pressure, and Luci falls onto the field, clutching his right ankle with his hands, gritting his teeth in pain. "What happened? Looks like something's wrong with the ball!" the commentator said as everyone else looked at the fallen Luci in surprise and disbelief. "And Luci Fanos looks to be injured!" the commentator continues, leaning against his window closer.

Hiroto briefly looks down at Luci with a slightly complicated expression before turning his head away. Luci's current state reminds Hiroto of Gouenj's state when he got injured. Even if they're the enemy, it feels disgustingly uncomfortable.

But Hiroto couldn't risk another one of his teammates getting severely injured. So instead of dwelling on it any longer, Hiroto side-eyes towards Ichihoshi's direction. Ichihoshi hasn't noticed Hiroto's gaze, for he's too busy staring at Luci's elimination.

Hiroto walks back to Inazuma Japans side of the field, and Inamori comes up to him as medics arrive on the field Luci at Shining Satans side of the field. "Hiroto-san. Did you do that on purpose?" Inamori asked, eyes piercing. Hiroto frowns, placing both his hands on his sides. Inamori looks frustrated by that response. Because, "Please, I need to know-", "Come on, we need to discuss the next plan with the others." Kidou said, cutting in Inamori's words. "But Kidou-san! This isn't right!" Inamori tries again, looking like he's about to tear up. Kidou completely ignores Inamori's voice and gestures Hiroto to follow along.

Every on-field Inazuma Japan player except for Ichihoshi gathers around Endou's goalpost. Some of the players are discussing what just happened. Kazemaru is reminding Kidou that he should not lose sight. Haizaki and Fudou are listening to the others talk, mostly staring at Hiroto. Hiura is trying to ask Inamori what is wrong. Sakanoue explains the blade in Luci's cleats to Fubuki and the others.

Hiroto sees Fudou walking up from his left. "You're much more harsher than I thought." Fudou lowers his voice so that only Hiroto can hear. Hiroto side-eyes Fudou, giving neither confirmation nor denial. This Fudou is really, just a little bit more condensing than the one in Kiyama Hiroto's memories. Perhaps it's because he hadn't got to a turning point in this life yet. Not important right now. Focus on the match, Hiroto.

The match resumes. What Hiroto does on the field seems to go by quickly, like a sped-up movie. It's a strange feeling, like an out-of-body experience with everything still intact. Hiura uses his hissatsu technique, Kōri no Yari. It heads near Shining Satans goal. Kidou, Fudou, and Haizaki run after it to form an override technique, Death Crusher Zone. Death Crusher Zone heads to Ichihoshi, who looks like he is going to stop it. Only to be brutally hit in its path as it explodes into the net. The, "Goal!" switches to 2 to 2. A tie. "An override, using hissatsu techniques combined together, explodes into the net! It's a new hissatsu technique!" the commentator yells from above.

Satans hair switches from yellow-orange to red hair with an even more spiky haircut. "There's no other way!" Satan said, eyes wide with glee. Hiroto thinks Satans expression looks ridiculous. "We'll use our la-a-a-a-ast secret weapon!" Satan exclaims loudly. Whatever secret weapon Shining Satans use, it'll be useless. That's the energy Satan feels as he meets the unsettling glint in Hiroto's sharp stare. The Satan of the Sun has a sudden chill down his spine as darkness from a universal god creeps up on him.

The match resumes shortly. Again. There's so many interruptions in this match, it's almost ridiculous. Sal and As are too injured and slowed down to even try and cover Ichihoshi at this point, so Hiroto finds the perfect moment to strike. Similar to at the beginning of the second half, Hiroto makes a shoot-pass with more power and spite. This time however, it's laced with hissatsu power. More accurately, instead of circling his hissatsu energy outside the ball to push it forward like with his other hissatsu techniques, Hiroto changes the directory of the energy so that it travels inside the ball like a bomb prepared to explode at contact.

On the surface, the ball crackles with barely noticeable colors, and it speeds toward Ichihoshi's leg. Just as Ichihoshi sees the ball traveling at speeds similar to a hissatsu shoot technique, he receives a blunt hit to his legs the moment the ball makes contact with him. "Urk!" Ichihoshi grits out. Pain is throbbing throughout his body. This one hurts compared to the ones Kidou and Haizaki have thrown at him. Like cluttered stars, Ichihoshi's head tries to piece back past matches, this current match, and what he had just experienced as he struggles to stand on his own two feet.

If Ichihoshi weren't a professionally trained Seal of Orion, he would've fallen onto the ground in pain instead of stubbornly enduring with pure spite and adrenaline. If Ichihoshi wasn't a hissatsu user, the hissatsu-powered soccer ball would've caused more damage. Whether or not that was a good thing, would be judged on what came after.

Kidou is set on targeting Ichihoshi, determined to eliminate him by any means. Partnering up with Haizaki, back and forth Kidou and Haizaki's pass went, hitting Ichihoshi repeatedly near his abdomen and chest. The thought and a certain conclusion Ichihoshi was almost getting to scatters away like star dust spreading across space. Every blunt hit causes Ichihoshi to nearly double over, making him clutch his hit body part with his arms. It was already bad that a self-proclaimed god had gotten to him, now he also had to deal with the wrath from the commander of the field with his Devil.

The aim to mess Ichihoshi up so bad that he'll never be able to stand on the pitch seemed to be working. Slowly and steadily, Ichihoshi's field of vision decreases, his mind dissociating from the world with more hits. And Hiroto, even in the slowly growing detachment from the conscious world, notices Ichihoshi's unfocused eyes after he falls onto the field on all fours. Hiroto had made the biggest contribution to Ichihoshi's downfall. Kidou's plan, with Haizaki's assistance, was to finish up the job.

Kiyama Hiroto observes the match from afar. Desarm's Drill Smasher has just won against Fubuki's Eternal Blizzard. "What was that?" Desarm brings his right hand in front of his chest and clenches it in clear frustration. as Fubuki stares at Desarm, eyes wide and shaking. One more Eternal Blizzard. Failed. Another. Failed. A few more times.

Yet, Hiroto's subconscious couldn't help but notice Ichihoshi's condition. Something about it is familiar. The way Ichihoshi's eyes were shaking, body slightly cowered, breathing subtly uneven.

Desarm catches Fubuki's Eternal Blizzard with his bare hand. "I was looking forward to this moment, and this is all you have to show me?" Desarm said, releasing the ball from his hand. Turning his back to Fubuki, "I have no need of you anymore." Desarm spoke. Fubuki stood there with the look of someone's world cracking apart, unfocused eyes, it was,

Ichihoshi's reaction was much more mild compared to the memory Hiroto had unintentionally brought up. And Hiroto personally doesn't care what happens to Ichihoshi right now. Ichihoshi had it coming for him after what he tried to do to Endou. Yet Hiroto can't help but slow down his fast pace and stare from quite a few meters away. Ichihoshi, who is still on fours on the field, closes his eyes as this continuous plan driven by Kidou drags on, without much as a,

"Stop!" Inamori yells, and Hiroto blinks as he takes the hit for Ichihoshi and is sent backward a few steps away from whom he tried to protect. Haizaki, who made the pass looks, "Asuto!" and sounds just as livid that his momentum was stopped. "Whoa, that looked as if Inamori has gone purposely, for some reason, to get hit by Haizaki's shoot!" the commentator said. 'for some reason'? You've got to be kidding me, a brief thought passed through Hiroto's head.

The target was Ichihoshi, not Inamori. "He lies on the field, immobile!" Hiroto hears the commentator's voice above. Ichihoshi should've been the one whose struggling to get up, sweating immensely from running through the match from the first and second half, not Inamori. That was definitely not Hiroto, Kidou, or even Haizaki's intention.

Ignoring Ichihoshi, who's still frozen in his position, Hiroto quickly heads to Inamori and stands nearby. With his left hand placed on his side, right arm hanging on his other side, Hiroto looks down, shielding the sunlight from Inamori's eyes. Feeling a shadow over him, Inamori's eyelids slightly twitch before slowly opening his eyes. "Hiroto-san." Inamori spoke, eyes barely opened. It's unusual, seeing the usual bright Inamori quiet like this. Hiroto silently held out his left hand in response. Inamori's legs aren't injured. If Inamori wanted, he could get to Inazuma Japans bench with Hiroto's help. Wanted. That was the important part, wasn't it? Hiroto knows Inamori isn't dumb. Sure, Inamori is positive and seems ignorant at times, but his Intuition is quite sharp.

Inamori is first one to succeed in playing with his eyes closed, notice that the light came from someone on their team, and was the only one who spoke up about what Hiroto, Kidou and Haizaki doing wasn't the most favorable plays in the history of soccer.

For the first time in his life, conscious complex emotions stirs inside of Inamori as he looks up at Hiroto. Calm, level-headed, and a flicker of something in those pink eyes that resembled reassurance and guilt? Inamori blinks, and that split second illusion is gone. Even though it was shorter than a brief moment, Inamori doesn't think he imagined such a gaze, so he reaches out and shakily took Hiroto's left hand with his own and let himself be slowly pulled up to his feet.

Hiroto makes sure to take it easy, careful not to increase Inamori's headache as he swings Inamori's left arm over his shoulder and brings him to Inazuma Japans bench to lie down. From the Inazuma Japans bench, Coach instructs something to the managers. A few minutes later after Inamori is brought to Inazuma Japans bench, mattresses are laid in front, and Inamori is carefully placed on it with the help of Ootani and Iwato. "Are you okay, Asuto?" Hiura asks with sincere concern, kneeling next to Inamori. Haizaki walks over to both of them. "Why did you get in my way?" Haizaki asks, narrowing his eyes down at Inamori, whose right hand is holding an ice pack, covering his head. Cold numbs the affected area, reducing the pain.

Instead of answering Haizaki's question, Inamori trails his eyes to Kidou right beside Haizaki. "Kidou-san." Inamori calls out. Hiroto watches as Inamori speaks, "If you're going to protect the team..." propping himself up with his left arm, "Then I'll protect soccer!" declaring as he completely sits up.

Hiroto has heard that line so many times in the memories that aren't his.

Protect soccer? In these conditions? Hiroto and Kidou have speculations and observations, but with Coach Zhao and Assistant coach Kudou keeping every player in the dark, they can't tell anyone anything nor make a complete solid plan with their lack of information. Hiroto and Kidou can only make do with what they have.

Sitting right behind Inamori, on Inazuma Japans bench beside Ootani, "Why did you protect someone like me?" Ichihoshi suddenly speaks up. Hiroto had no idea, nor didn't care how Ichihoshi returned to Inazuma Japans bench with his condition, but Ichihoshi's asking a question that Hiroto wanted answers to.

"I won't tolerate it when someone is hurting my teammates." 

The universe seems to stop. Won't tolerate it? When someone is hurting your teammates? What is Inamori talking about? That's exactly what Hiroto has been doing from the beginning.

"Soccer isn't something you use to throw anger and hatred at each other."

Of course, it isn't. But that's what Ichihoshi and whatever the Seals, and whoever is behind all this been doing since the start of the FFI.

"If you guys keep doing this, soccer won't be soccer anymore."

The sheer ignorance, the contradiction of those words would've been the final straw of Hiroto's patience. But the subconscious latching onto Kiyama Hiroto's tries to calm him down.

Remember, nobody on this team except for Hiroto and Kidou had seen what Ichihoshi tried to do Endou. The rest only heard Kidou's theories and the half-confirmation of Ichihoshi blinding his teammates. Nobody in this world except for he, Hiroto himself has his past life and Kiyama Hiroto's memories. Everybody else has yet to experience or have information on the potential danger Ichihoshi's existence could bring. Be rational, think again. Everyone is a teenager, Inamori is just a teenager, who simply wants to fight for what he believes.

"Tch, quit thinking so naively all the time." "Do what you want." Haizaki and Hiroto say simultaneously. Haizaki snaps his head to Hiroto. "What the hell do you mean, 'Do what you want'!? Asuto is trying to protect our teams traitor!" Haizaki grits his teeth. Hiroto simply stares back. "That's not what I'm trying to do!" Inamori defends from below. Haizaki ignores Inamori's protest and glares harder at Hiroto. "I can at least see why an ignorant goody-two-shoes guy like Asuto, but you!?" Haizaki's voice is grating, "Don't you care about our teammates!?"

A metaphorical meteor slams down Hiroto's head.

Seeing Hirotos' eyes flicker with incredulity, Tatsuya quickly stands up from his seat. "Haizaki, stop." Tatsuya spoke. Even Kidou looks a bit taken aback at Tatsuya's sudden interference. "You're going too far." Tatsuya continues, calm and steady as ever. Haizaki narrows his eyes. "I'm going too far? Ichihoshi has been continuing to sabotage our teammates and now Asuto and Hiroto of all people are saying shit like that!" Haizaki said, the stress finally hitting its peak. A blazing comet goes cold. "I understand that those two probably have their reasons for thinking that way. What I'm not understanding is you directing your energy on the wrong person." Tatsuya said, teal eyes glinting, tone stern and unyielding.

Hiroto couldn't hear Haizaki nor Tatsuya's voice. What the hell was Haizaki getting at? Hiroto? Him? Uncaring of his teammates? Everything Hiroto did, everything Hiroto felt in this life was because he was cursed with attachment for these people who he knew but didn't know.

Hiroto's hands are clenched in fists. He's not a particularly violent person, but he's one split second away from grabbing the hem of Haizaki's shirt collar and shaking him like Kidou did with Ichihoshi a few days ago.

Hiroto should calm down. This is exactly what Ichihoshi and those behind him want. Disorder between the team. And Hiroto should be better than picking a fight with Haizaki. Hiroto's energy should be pointed at their opponents, not his teammate. But, for the love of god, the nerve Haizaki has to utter that distasteful nonsense.

"Haizaki, shut up." Hiroto spoke with a surprisingly even tone, pink eyes glinting. Like an intoxicated god, like the universe covering planet Earth, the tense atmosphere he has unintentionally created suffocates every single one of those near Inazuma Japans bench.

Everyone went silent as Hiroto continued to speak. "Inamori is just that kind of person. So we should just focus on what we can do." Hiroto flickers his eyes toward Inamori and back to Haizaki. Inamori was like how Endou Mamoru in Kiyama Hiroto's memories behaved. (Kiyama Hiroto has observed enough during Aliea Academy and from being his teammate.) That's how Matsukaze Tenma during the Fifth Sector incident behaved. (Kira Hiroto saw from his screen and heard enough from Endou and Kariya.) Believing the best in everyone despite their hidden bad intentions, aiming for a better tomorrow from today's hard work. Those worked in the end, didn't it? Actually, now that Hiroto thought about it, wasn't that how...

Hiroto stops himself. No, he doesn't want to say it. There's no point in acknowledging it. Because it's a very stupid thought, and it contradicts everything he had done and felt so far, but if he does, if he does,

was he any better than Ichihoshi?

Stop thinking. Hiroto needs to stop thinking. His current situation and his current feelings are what's most important. Not whatever Kiyama Hiroto's memories have concluded.

(Somewhere in the dephs of Hiroto's heart. Once the realization had sunk, all spite towards Ichihoshi, to the Seals, to his coach, to everyone all dissipated like dust in space. He doesn't know what to do anymore.)

"Asuto-san." Ichihoshi said, standing up from the bench to get near, but the moment he does, pain sparks from his left ankle. "Ichihoshi!? Are you okay?" Inamori asked frantically as Ichihoshi trips over, falling onto the ground on all fours for the second time today. "Ichihoshi-kun. Don't push yourself." Coach Zhao assures with his unchanging boisterous smile, walking and stopping in front of his player.

Ichihoshi lifts his head, turns to his right, and grits his teeth in frustration. Kidou observes Ichihoshi's reaction. "The injury doesn't look too serious, coach." Kidou said with an even tone, staring directly at Coach Zhao. Not that it matters, but in Hiroto's respectable opinion, Ichihoshi is nowhere near in the 'okay' section of physical condition. "Kidou-san?" Inamori let out from his sitting position. Then, Hiroto remembers that this is Kidou.

The conclusion comes to Hiroto immediately. Elimination was Kidou's goal, but because Hiroto hit Ichihoshi to the point he needed player exchange, that option was going to be erased.

In Ichihoshi's perspective, he thought Kidou was simply mocking him. However, Coach Zhao quickly notices Kidou's intentional words and smiles even wider. "You're right, Kidou-kun. However, even the most small injures can lead to big ones." Coach Zhao answers. "Which is why Ichihoshi-kun will be switched with-" Goujin stands up proudly and points towards himself with his right thumb, "Tatsuya-kun!" Coach Zhao chooses.

Hiroto turns to Tatsuya who's right next to Haizaki. It's the first time Hiroto properly looked at Tatsuya since this match has begun. Tatsuyas' eyes are the same as usual, yet something, Hiroto can't help but feel mildly uncomfortable by something in the others' eyes.

No, there's nothing there. Hiroto is just imagining it. Ever since his 'certain realization' he feels slightly uncomfortable meeting Tatsuya's eyes. But of course, Hiroto moves on quickly. There's no point in dwelling on this, after all. "Looks like I'm up." Tatsuya said, giving a determined glance towards his teammates. Hiroto avoids his eyes as he meets Tatsuyas' sharp stare in his direction.

Goujin sits back down. "Hmph. Looks like the coach is saving my strength for an important moment." Goujin said, crossing his arms with a smile. "Goujin, your positivity is world-level." Osamu gave a genuine compliment from beside, impressed with Goujin's spirit.

As players return on-field, Tatsuya walks beside Hiroto. "Hiroto." Tatsuya said. "Yeah?" Hiroto answers without much of a thought. "Let's win this, together." Tatsuya said. Hiroto blinks and then frowns. "Sure, whatever." Hiroto answers. If that's what Tatsuya wanted to go for, then okay.

Kidou must've been really frustrated that he lost the chance to eliminate Ichihoshi. As soon as the match resumed, Kidou's plays became even more rougher than before. Pushing Satan out of the way, more precise dribbles and passes. The ball goes to the closet one to Shining Satans goalpost, Haizaki. The power that the Devil had brought to throw off the Satans of the Sun was, of course, another penguin-related hissatsu technique. Perfect Penguins flies to the, "Goal!" and score becomes 3 to 2, in Inazuma Japans favor.

The match continues. And somewhere along the way, Tatsuya receives the ball and makes a pass to Hiroto. Hiroto mindlessly syncs up with Tatsuya and is preparing to shoot another goal, just because he can. Yet for some reason, Haizaki decided it would be a good idea to interrupt and try to steal the others' shot. "You have-" Hiroto said as he clashed with Haizaki, "got to be kidding me!" and Tatsuya, from a couple of meters away, was staring at Haizaki like he had just hit everyone in the head.

Just like in the Red Bison match, somehow, the fight for the final score turns into the two of them doing a combination hissatsu technique. Penguin The God & Devil head towards the goalpost. The hissatsu technique between the Devil of the Field and the God Striker explodes into the, "Goal!" the commentator yells as the score switches to 4 to 2 just as the whistle blows. Hiroto is so done with all of this. "The match is over! Inazuma Japan makes a huge comeback from the first half to turn the score around!" Hiroto hears the commentator's voice over his head. At the very least, there were no causalities this time. No, his opponents and Ichihoshi didn't count.

Just as Hiroto is about to turn around and join Tatsuya a few meters away, Endou suddenly pops out of nowhere and holds Hiroto and Haizaki's shoulders together.

"You're so synchronized!" Endou said happily, his hands unintentionally enclosing Hiroto and Haizaki's distance. Too close! Hiroto's eyes widen in pure unfiltered distaste. Haizaki has a more shocked and disgusted expression as Endou obliviously continues, "I'm counting on you two in future matches!" with an expectant smile. A smile strong enough to blind the universe. And despite Hiroto wanting nothing more than to get away from Haizaki, unfortunately, nobody on this team had the heart to refuse that smile. Especially Hiroto, since Kiyama Hiroto was an idiot who admired the sun, Endou Mamoru.

That reluctant duo in Endou's hold turns their heads away from each other simultaneously. And once both were allowed to stand on their two feet again, Hiroto speed-walked back to where Tatsuya was waiting.

Natsumi made the teams' victory much more lively. She even brought hanami dangos to share with the team instead of self-made salty onigiris. Which was nice. Almost everyone in the locker room crowded around the table where Natsumi had put the hanami dangos on. It's a shame Hiroto couldn't get the chance to greet Natsumi since everybody else from the original Raimon team got to her first. Nor could he indulge in his sweet tooth because of the others gathered around the table, and he wanted to rest after another emotionally draining match. So Hiroto just kind of lingered around Tatsuya, Osamu, and Fubuki.

There was another player in the locker room who wasn't in the mood to neither celebrate or join his friends. "Coach, you knew, didn't you?!" Hiroto turns his head to Kidou shouting at the coach. "You knew that Ichihoshi was sent to us by some kind of organization!" Kazemaru is right beside Kidou as he continues his, honestly, very fair accusation. "No, I don't know any details at all." Coach Zhao said, you know, like a liar. Though it was only seen by Kidou and Hiroto. "We have a right to know who he really is!" Kidou demands. If Inazuma Japan were going to get involved in whatever darkness was happening behind the scenes, they had to at least know what they would be facing.

"Kidou." Assistant coach Kudou finally decided to speak up. "Whatever reason you may have," That reason is seriously valid, "voicing your dissent towards your coach disrupts team discipline." discipline was already broken the moment Ichihoshi decided to have his way in Hiroto's opinion. "But-" "Back off, Kidou." Assistant coach Kudou cuts off Kudou as he stands up from his seat. "Management has no need to explain its decisions to the players." Assistant coach Kudou further explains.

Hiroto's subconscious chooses to tune out the background conversations. Endou tells Kidou to calm down and Kazemaru says that Kidou isn't being like himself. Kidou is saying about a traitor in their midst. Endou responds, saying Ichihoshi doesn't seem like a bad guy. There's the mention of Gouenji's injury from Haizaki. Hiroto wishes everyone could shut up about Gouenji, he's seen and heard enough. Haizaki and Sakanoue yelling. Kidou doing his determined and spiteful speech. Hiroto knows Kidou will have a better plan next time. There's too much yelling and tension all at once. Tatsuya has a thoughtful expression and is standing beside where Hiroto is sitting, along with Osamu and Fubuki standing beside Tatsuya.

Hiroto's just glad that today's match ended up quite okay all things considered. Nobody excluding Ichihoshi was seriously injured and Inazuma Japan won against Shining Satans.

Wait, Ichihoshi? Hiroto looks around the crowd of people. Ichihoshi wasn't in the locker room with any of them. Hiroto swore he had seen Inamori helping a bandaged left-ankled Ichihoshi to the locker rooms before. What happened? Where is... where is Ichihoshi right now? 

Suddenly, the door to Inazuma Japans locker rooms is opened by men in black shirts. "No one move!" Hiroto snaps his head to the voice. "We are from the FFI administration bureau." a man with short grey hair speaks as he steps in with his colleagues. It's like a fog went away from his head. "Hey, that's my stuff-gosu!" Iwato exclaims as the stuff he's spent taking his time to arrange in his duffle bag get disarranged. "Don't go through my things!" Goujin shouts, alarmed. "Whose locker is this?" two men stop in front of a locker. Isn't that? Hiroto glances at Kidou. "It's mine." Kidou responds, frowning.

"These are doping drugs." one of the men said, holding up a small white case with two white pills.

In what universe would Kidou take doping drugs to increase his soccer skills? Apparently, this one. No, there must be a mistake, Hiroto thinks, feeling polluted stars swimming above. Something must be wrong. Endou seems to think so as well if his yelling at the men holding Kidou in place is telling anything. As Kidou struggles, for a brief moment, red eyes behind his goggles glint and meet Hiroto's wide eyes.

Hiroto feels a little lightheaded as Kidou is taken away right in front of him.

Before Hiroto has time to register what had happened, a headache in the form of Ichihoshi Mitsuru enters the locker room with a self-satisfactory smile. Hiroto notices he's slightly limping from the injury, but otherwise looks outwardly fine. "Aww, Kidou-san got disqualified." Ichihoshi said, internally struggling and somehow succeeding in looking threatening despite the pain and awkward steps. Hiroto thinks he really should've just beaten Ichihoshi straight to the hospital. "Ichihoshi... You set him up, didn't you?" Haizaki grits his teeth. "I don't know what you mean." Ichihoshi replies. "But wow, doping! That's pretty bad!" Ichihoshi's tone feels like it's scratching Hiroto's skin.

Oh god, "I never thought Kidou-san would be the type of person to do something underhanded like that! What a letdown!" someone please strike this backhanded scum of a polluted star into the trash beneath this very earth. "You piece of shit!" Judgement comes in the form of Haizaki grabbing Ichihoshi's front collar and slamming him to the door.

Crossing his arms, Tatsuya narrows his eyes at Ichihoshi in disdain. Tatsuya has the complete image of what Hiroto's intuition had told him. So this is what his true colors are, Tatsuya thought as Ichihoshi called out, "Asuto-kun." after he stood up after Endou had successfully stopped Haizaki by pulling the 'Kidou wouldn't like him being disqualified from the team' card, "Thank you." and bows to Inamori. Inamori's pupils were visibly shaken as Ichihoshi straightened up. "Because you helped me back there," Ichihoshi's eyes twinkle with darkness, "I was able to dispose of a nuisance." and lowers his voice just slightly, showing a very thankful yet cruel smile at the wide-eyed Inamori.

Ichihoshi turns away and opens the door. As soon as Ichihoshi leaves the locker room, the Devil explodes. "Asuto!" Haizaki said with slightly gritted teeth. Inamori turns to Haizaki pointing a finger at him, "Because of you, Kidou was..." Kidou was, "Kidou was...!" taken away, but that wasn't the truth and Haizaki knows it. Not to mention, Tatsuya had already hammered down Haizaki back there on the field. "Damn it!" Haizaki yells, starting to kick benches in the locker room. However, knowing didn't make it any less frustrating.

In the chaos Ichihoshi has left, something deep inside Hiroto tells him that he should follow after Ichihoshi. "I'm going to get some fresh air." Hiroto lowers his voice so that only Tatsuya can hear. Just in case. Body on autopilot, Hiroto slips away through the door of the locker room. While the others are too busy trying to stop Haizaki from doing further property damage to notice.

Outside the hallways, Hiroto is very careful to keep a certain distance while also not letting Ichihoshi notice his presence. Hiroto turns a few corners and sees Ichihoshi very far away, heading towards the stadium seats. Hiroto peaks around the very corner of the stadium's exit to the seats and sees Ichihoshi walking towards an adult man in a suit who is sitting on a seat.

One of the most obvious human thoughts is, that the person who had exited from this exit will return to it. So Hiroto decides to quickly sneak out and hide behind a shadowed corner.

"Kidou has been kicked off the team, as planned." Ichihoshi said. "Do you feel regret?" The adult man in suit asked. "No." Ichihoshi answers. The adult man in suit continues to speak. "These are Chairman Girikanan's orders." Girikanan? That name sounded somewhat normal than Garshield, "Our objective is the actualization of Perfect World. A world that is governed by complete control." what a cliche suspicious plan. "To achieve it, we must use any means necessary." Ichihoshi answers. "That's right." the adult man in suit answers.

The sky is blue, the clouds are white. Yet the adult man in suit doesn't move from his seat even after Ichihoshi finished reporting. Ichihoshi looks out into the far stadium, then to his apparent superior. "Excuse me for asking, but didn't you say you were going to be busy today?" Ichihoshi asks carefully, tone steady.

The adult man in suit doesn't physically react in any way. "You should head back to your team." the adult man in suit instructs. Ichihoshi doesn't question, he doesn't talk back, he merely nods before he turns around and heads toward the exit of the soccer stadium.

After Ichihoshi leaves through the exit, Hiroto waits a good five minutes before concluding it's safe to follow behind Ichihoshi. Hiroto takes one step, and his heart nearly freezes. The adult man in suit, still sitting in his seat, is staring directly in his direction.

Other people would've frozen on the spot, ran away, or asked how the other knew of their presence. But Hiroto doesn't do either of those. Instead, he walks out from his hiding spot and heads towards the adult man in suit with inexplicable resolve while his facial expression remains neutral.

Hiroto stops just a few feet before the unknown brown-haired adult man. "Hello, Kira-kun, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Shinjou Takuma from the Orion Foundation." Shinjou Takuma introduces himself, as a stern professional businessman would. Hiroto feels unsettling calm even after the mention of Orion, and Shinjou, one of the Orion workers in front, gazing at him with unreadable eyes. Hiroto's intuition can usually tell what other people want from their eyes.

However it's not only Hiroto who's feeling that way. In Shinjou's perspective, Hiroto is just as unreadable to him. The two stare at each other for a few more seconds, choosing to ignore the underlying tension in the air.

"You must be wondering as to who I am, and why I talked to your teammate a few minutes ago." Shinjou continues smoothly. Teammate? Hiroto thinks Ichihoshi can be barely called a player, let alone a teammate. Other than that, Hiroto wanted to know more about what Shinjou said. But it's not like Shinjou, the all serious-like adult businessman from a very suspicious-sounding organization in front will tell anything-

"If you wish to know," Shinjou speaks, holding out his business card between his right index and thumb, "or have any questions about our organization, I will respond in the line of our public information line." and a metaphorical blunt object hits the image of what Hiroto had for the adult businessman in front. Hiroto looks at the business card, at Shinjou, whose grey-pink eyes aren't sharp nor soft. Simply patient, waiting for the other in front to take action.

This current situation is actually insane. Hiroto doesn't know what the hell this mysterious person wants from him. Sure, he has a few ideas, those few are too absurd. And from a rational standpoint, receiving an invitation from the unknown would probably lead to a disastrous path.

But despite the risks, Hiroto is not one to throw away a perfectly good opportunity to know the enemy better.

Shinjou watches as Hiroto reaches out his left middle and index finger and takes the business card from Shinjou's right index and thumb. Hiroto flips over the business card in his left hand, and there, it has all the information one can expect from it. Name, phone number, business phone number, the business name, it has it all. Hiroto internally frowns. What was one supposed to do with this information? Well, Hiroto would have to find out later. So for now, Hiroto will put the business card between his phone and his phone case and puts it back into his left pants pocket.

Hiroto looks up to see Shinjou had already left.

Later, Hiroto returns to the locker rooms to see Tatsuya waiting for him. "The others left for the bus after Haizaki calmed down." Tatsuya answers when Hiroto asked where everyone else went. "No, nobody has seen Ichihoshi since he left the locker rooms." Tatsuya answers after Hiroto asks of Ichihoshis whereabouts. Is that idiot not going to take the bus? Hiroto wonders as he follows behind Tatsuya. Hiroto would've liked to know where Ichihoshi went after leaving everyone behind.

That night, after daily night training, Hiroto puts down all the business card information on his phone memo, saves the contact, rips the business card with his hands and throws it in the lake near Kawaguchiko Sports Center before returning to his room.

Next morning. Hiroto will have to think about what to do now that Gouenji and even Kidou were taken away from the team.

"Satans of the sun? How ridiculous! We only made a fool of ourselves!" Satan's voice is the only sound in the room. Far away from the stadium they have played today, Shining Satans is staying at a hotel. "I can't believe we lost to some immature self-proclaimed god who just happened to break through our illusions!" Satan yells louder, swinging his right leg. Satan kicks a chair next to him, and it slams against the wall near the window. The glass window shows his reflection. Satan's neck is angled straight, his hair is red, and mania is swirling in his round eyes.

Outside the window, the sky is dark. The stars are twinkling above the sky, as if mocking Satan for his failure. Satan swears that he will climb up to the sky and crush those stars if he has too. "Satan-sama, that's," Sar is stopped by Satan's sudden sharp head turn. Satan almost forgot Sar and As were sitting near with their newly acquired leg injures while Luci was laying down on Satans bed, high on painkillers.

Satan steps over the broken wood pieces of the chair, and stomps toward As. "Did you all come here to make fun of me!? You did, didn't you?" Satan's voice scratches uncomfortably against his throat. "We didn't. Please calm down," "Then what the hell are you here for!?" Satan raises his right foot slightly before stomping hard onto the floor, cutting off As's words. The vibration spreads throughout the room. "Luci doesn't feel good." Luci mutters to himself in his drowsiness. The vibration created by Satan traveled to the bed, reminding Luci of his blunt trauma.

Satan takes a few back steps away from the bed. Satan's neck angles to the right, his hair shifts to yellow-orange. "Why are you all here?" Satan's tone takes a less maniac one as he narrows his eyes to the supposed intruders. "Satan-sama, you told us to come here." Sar replies just as calmly as Satan has become. After today's match ended, Satan told off all the medics on field. Refusing even the Assistant Coaches orders and insisted that As, Sar and Luci should return to the hotel with the rest of the team. The Assistant Coach gave up convincing Satan after he tried to physically assault the medics from even going near the three. Satan even somehow stole painkillers from the medics without them noticing.

Once Shining Satans arrived at the hotel, Satan shoved the three of them into his room. "Right, I did." Satan said, frowning to himself as he begins pacing around the room. Satan refused the medics on impulse. A few days before today's match, Satan heard rumors that the hot tempered Seal from Red Bison had been taken away from his hotel room after he failed to complete his mission. And today, the Disciples of Orion of Shining Satans failed theirs. Which means they would get punished. And if they were going to be punished, Satan wanted them all in one place.

After all, they were devils who couldn't conquer the sun and let a higher being take over. They were all nothing now. And those who are empty don't deserve treatment. Even though Luci isn't a Disciple of Orion, Satan had decided to deny his treatment as he was a teammate with the most important task aside from the three. That is Satan will accept any punishment from the Orion Foundation. Sar opens his mouth before Satan could continue his line of thoughts. "Satan-sama, have you heard what happened a few days ago?" Sar asks carefully. "Hear what?" Satan raises a brow. Nothing special happened a few days ago. Satan has no clue what Sar is talking about. "About what happened to Red Bison's Seal." Sar said.

That sounds irrelevant to their current situation. "What about him? Didn't he get taken away by Orion for punishment?" Satan said. Punishment that every Disciple of Orion must accept for being unable to bring results in the name of the Orion Foundation. "No, he didn't." As intercepts the conversation. "Are you saying he didn't receive punishment?" Satan says, unbelieving. As shakes his head side to side once. Then what? Satan thinks, frowning at his teammate. "Apparently, he ran away." As explains.

Hell rumbles beneath the surface of this earth. "WHAT!?" Satan reacts, his neck angled to the left, hair changing from yellow-orange to orange-fluo. Luci groans from the bed. Satans sudden increase in volume hurts Luci's ears. Satan's left eye twitches as he lowers his voice back to his usual volume. "What do you mean he ran away!?" Satan hisses. If it's exactly as he understood, then that means the Seal from Red Bison willingly escaped from punishment. Why? Wasn't he ashamed of himself?

The door, which Satan let it unlocked before entering, opens before anyone of them could speak. Two men in suits enter through the doorway, and scans the room quickly. As and Sar whip their heads towards the door in surprise. Luci's eyelids twitch. And Satan stares at the two men in suits, his heartbeat increasing in speed. A man with a beard brings a walkie talkie close to his mouth. "This is #6. All Seals are gathered in the same room. Over." The man with a beard says lowly. A signal returns. "Understood. Standby til arrival." The man with a beard lowers the walkie talkie back in his side pocket.

As and Sar are unable to move from seats. Too shocked from the doom that will soon befall them. Cold sweat forms on Satan's forehead. Satan became nothing the moment he had lost to Inazuma Japan. Satan had already accepted this a long time ago. So what is this? Satan takes a step back. Why is he feeling nervous?

"Hey, you there. Don't move." The man with a straight hair said, noticing Satan's strange behavior. "Satan-sama?" Sar whispers underneath his breath, surprised from seeing a new expression from Satan. "Ke... Keke..." Small irregular laughs come out of Satan. Suddenly, Satan pushes the window open with his elbow, and jumps backwards on top of the windowsill. To hell with it. Shame doesn't effect Satan, as he's already a terrible person. Whether he gets taken away by Orion, or die from this fall, it doesn't matter. Both were equally disturbing outcomes, and Satan was already nothing.

The man with a beard narrows his eyes as he walks forward, "Step away from the windowsill, #666." speaking sternly. At the mention of his code name, Satan grins manically. "I'll jump from here if you come any closer!" Satan laughs hysterically, and the two men in suits stop advancing. Satan's neck is straight, and his hair is red. Sar and As stands up from his chair, the painkillers making them able to ignore the pain that spikesthroughout his leg. "Stay down!" The man with straight hair orders Sar and As. "Satan-sama! Don't!" Sar exclaims, ignoring the orders of the agent from the Orion Foundation. "Don't what? Aren't you disappointed in me?! I completely failed our mission and we're going to be taken away by Orion for confinement!" Satan's eyes are round and wide. Wind blows past Satan's hair as his body tilts dangerously close to the windowsill.

Every Disciple of Orion has heard of the Orion Foundation's confinement room. Satan has only received bits and pieces of information here and there while in training, but the conclusion is all the same. Harsh punishment. Ranging from the Orion Foundation's abandonment to torture. There's something Satan suddenly remembers. If a Disciple of Orion was injured during their failed mission, they would receive treatment before going to the confinement room. And wasn't that amazing? Sar and As would get the ironic privilege of treatment while Satan would be dragged away first. Satan would be alone, in that unknown room for devil knows how long.

If Satan doesn't die from this fall, injury would be the second best outcome. "Actually, no, only I would get confinement." Satan has a wide smile on his face as he says this. Sar and As's eyes widen. Outside the hallways, footsteps are getting closer. Four more men arrive behind the two men that are already in the room. And Satan takes one more step backward, and the wind changes its directory.

What a terrible life Satan lived. During his training days in the Orion Foundation's training grounds, Satan flaunted his power to Sar and As to gain respect, and slowly manipulated the two to become loyal to him. On the first day of being implemented in Shining Satans with Sar and As, Satan went out his way to convince Luci that nothing mattered aside from the identity that Orion needed to drill him in to make him Shining Satans perfect hidden card. And Satan had denied proper treatment of all his injured teammates because he wanted to drag them down with him.

The stars are much more clearer than ever this evening.

Ichihoshi is struggling to go to sleep. There were several reasons for this. One of them is his leg injury. The other was thinking of what step he should take from here on after his 'traitor' image has been revealed. And last but not least, Kira Hiroto.

During the Shining Satans match, Ichihoshi was most pissed at Kidou for very obvious reasons. Kidou, the intelligent person he is, figured out Ichihoshi's suspicious intentions first- if Hiroto could read Ichihoshi's thoughts, he might've found this funny, but of course, neither Ichihoshi and Hiroto knew of the others thoughts -and got Haizaki along with Hiroto to get him out of the game.

Kidou and Haizaki were obvious in their intentions. Aiming for Ichihoshi's upper body parts, since, it was the most easiest place to kick, and the most effective way to throw him off. And that would've been it.

However, after looking through the match in his head again, Ichihoshi realized that he didn't remember Hiroto actively joining Kidou and Haizaki. Which was strange since Ichihoshi clearly remembers seeing Kidou talking to Haizaki and Hiroto before he got brutally beaten down during the entire second half. Then, it just suddenly clicked in his head. And that was, subtlety. Hiroto's actions were subtle enough that Ichihoshi didn't notice until now, right in his bed, in the middle of the night.

There was a dangerous feeling Ichihoshi felt from Hiroto during the early days of Inazuma Japan but didn't indulge in it for long. Because for one, there were more important orders from the Orion Foundation so while Hiroto was at the back of his mind, Ichihoshi was more focused on Gouenji, Endou and Kidou. The other was, Hiroto just seemed like your average intimidating delinquent like character whose brash individual plays leading to others injury wouldn't be a surprise. And lastly, Ichihoshi didn't think hard enough.

Those were the mistakes Ichihoshi made. Ichihoshi was so caught up in the moment, his emotions, that his vision completely disregarded the suspiciously high skills Hiroto apparently had. If only Ichihoshi could've thought more rationally, he should've eliminated Hiroto along with Kidou right then and there in the locker rooms. 

Ichihoshi glares up at the ceiling like it had just smacked him on the head.

But there was no point in dwelling in past mistakes. What happened, had happened. Ichihoshi needs to put Hiroto in the 'potential threat' category in his head along with his other main targets like Endou.

Next morning. Ichihoshi would make a plan then.

The very next morning, Hiroto gets up from the floor, checks messages on his phone, reads the reply he had received before going to the cafeteria for breakfast.

There's nothing of Kidou on the news. Nor did anyone succeed in contacting Kidou yet. Hiroto doesn't have Kidous contact, but if even Endou couldn't reach Kidou, he doubts he would've succeeded as well. 

The team is very wary of Ichihoshi since the Shining Satans match. Hiura and Mansaku seem hellbent on making sure Inamori stays at far away from Ichihoshi as possible with the help of Iwato and Goujin. After what Ichihoshi said to Inamori in the locker rooms yesterday, Hiroto could see why. Tatsuya is acting a bit differently as well. Hiroto always naturally stuck close to Tatsuya the most before and after the FFI. But now, it's Tatsuya who seems to be sticking close to Hiroto. Hiroto couldn't see why.

There was another person whose actions internally kind of caught Hiroto off guard.

Haizaki had just asked- demanded -Hiroto to go and beat up Ichihoshi with him after morning group training ended. Which was unexpected after what happened yesterday. But Hiroto knows that if he didn't follow, Haizaki would go alone to beat up Ichihoshi. And Hiroto wouldn't dare leave Ichihoshi alone with anyone. "It's time someone taught him a lesson anyway." Hiroto responds with a smile, easily agreeing with Haizaki, and because he's still keeping track of where Ichihoshi and Endou are ever since that incident, he leads the way while Haizaki follows.

Ichihoshi is sitting on a wooden bench near the lake. "Do you expect us to keep quiet with our tails between our legs?" Haizaki said, with no particular expression on his face. "Oh, so you're going to do something to me?" Ichihoshi asked, smiling. Haizaki clicks his tongue in clear annoyance at Ichihoshis laid-back aura. Hiroto briefly looks down to Ichihoshis injured left leg, bandages hidden his long pants. "Well, there's always the chance that you'll trip by the side of this lake and hurt your leg again." Hiroto said with a small smirk, though there's no malice or taunt behind it. The leg injury would last a few days. And if Ichihoshi took it easy, he would be the able to join in the next match. Or at the very least, the next match after that when they win.

Ichihoshis eyes twitch before quickly covering it up with a short laugh. "You guys are so easy to figure out." Ichihoshi said, smiling wider. "I'll make it so you can never talk back like that again!" Haizaki declared with vengeance, and begins to swing at Ichihoshi with his fists. Which Ichihoshi dodges easily. You're really bad at this, Hiroto thinks as he watches Ichihoshi taunt Haizaki's worthless punches. Just then, Hiroto notices movement in the bushes from a couple of meters away.

Hiroto frowns, and decides to step in by grabbing Ichihoshi from behind beneath his shoulder. "Your back is wide open, stupid." Hiroto lowers his voice as Ichihoshi grits his teeth in alarm. From this position, Hiroto sees Haizaki ready to punch in glee, other players running out from behind a signboard, more movement in the bushes, and Ichihoshi smiling in glee. On time, Hiroto pulls Ichihoshi just ever so slightly backwards just as Inamori and Goujin step in to stop Haizakis punch. "Haizaki, I don't agree with this kind of approach!" Inamori said. "Asuto!" Haizaki grits his teeth. "He's right, y'know! That punch you gave me yesterday still hurts!" Goujin said, the bandage on his left cheek proof of his statement.

Both of them only serve to fuel Haizaki's anger. "You stay the hell out of this!" Haizaki yells as he takes back his fist. "That guy's doing things even worse than violence!" Haizaki and Ichihoshi glare at each other. "Guys! What are you doing?!" Endou, the most welcome voice in this world, yells from afar as he runs over to them with Ootani right behind. "Are you okay, Ichihoshi?" Endou asks, and Hiroto can't help but frown. Ichihoshi has no right to receive genuine concern from Endou of all people.

(But didn't he also receive it?)

"Hey c'mon you two! Please don't do anything stupid!" Ootani said. Hiroto lets go of Ichihoshi and places his hands behind his head. Ichihoshi narrows his eyes at Hiroto as he rubs his right shoulder with his left hand while Hiroto simply stares back blankly before walking and standing next to Haizaki in front of Endou. Hiroto feels someone from above, and he briefly sees Fudou high up on the tree getting comfortable. Hiroto decides that he won't question anything as he pays attention to Endou.

"Without Gouenji and Kidou here, now is the time for all of us to unite together, isn't it?" Endou said, crossing his arms. Endou, Hiroto understands his intentions, but everyone really needs to stop talking about Gouenji. And Kidou before he's brought up constantly like Gouenji. "The one responsible for those two not being here is this guy!" Haizaki points to Ichihoshi who's still rubbing his shoulders. Hiroto swears he didn't grab Ichihoshi that hard, what's wrong with him? "He used dirty tricks to-" "I haven't done anything." Ichihoshi cuts off Haizaki. "Don't take your anger out on me just because Kidou-san was a cheating scumbag who used doping!" Ichihoshi complains.

Seriously Ichihoshi, stop embarrassing yourself, nobody on this team except you believes that crap. Hiroto notices a shine coming from the bushes as Haizaki tries to lunge for Ichihoshi, only to be stopped by Goujin. So without a second thought, Hiroto simply turns his head, and stares straight at the cameraman who almost drops the camera in surprise. The light from the camera lens deflects from the sudden change in angle, and everyone notices. The cameraman immediately runs away. Coward. Didn't even manage to take illegal pictures of teenagers who just want to play soccer.

Coach Zhao comes at the perfect time to announce that dinner is ready. And Haizaki, just like Kidou did in the locker rooms yesterday, goes straight up to Coach Zhao and demand to get Ichihoshi off the team. Hiroto decides to go near Haizaki just in case someone other than Goujin needs to hold him back. "Listen closely, Haizaki-kyun~" Coach Zhao said. Hiroto internally cringes inside after hearing Coach Zhaos tone of voice. "Japan has a saying that goes like this: 'Innocent until proven guilty.'" Coach Zhao said, holding up his index finger. Hiroto really wants to throw back a middle finger in response.

"What?" Haizaki looks dumbfounded. "It's not conclusive yet that Ichihoshi-kun is a bad person," Coach Zhao starts, and the only thing that Hiroto can think is- that's utterly ridiculous, "so you are all forbidden to lay a finger on him." an index finger is pointed to both Haizaki and Hiroto. "Are you stupid?! He's totally the traitor, no matter how you look at it!" Haizaki said, both bewildered and at this point genuinely wondering whether his coach has an ounce of reason and sanity.

Ichihoshi decides to prove right then and there that he's worse than Coach Zhao in terms of making other people receive several headaches. "Were you even listening to Coach?" Ichihoshi said. Haizaki and Hiroto turn their heads. "'Innocent until proven guilty' Haizaki-kun." Ichihoshi said, with that irritating smile. However, Hirotos mind is already stirring. Forbidden to lay a finger on him, huh? Hiroto thinks, eyeing the bushes where the cameramen had disappeared from a few minutes ago. Haizaki and everyone else is still wary and cautious about being secretly recorded, and Ichihoshi was using this fact to protect himself.

But Hiroto doesn't feel the presence of anyone anymore except for Fudou still spying above the trees. So Hiroto leaves Haizakis side and stands infront of Ichihoshi. "Hm? Hiroto-san, didn't you also hear?" Ichihoshi asked, smiling. Hiroto is thinking as Ichihoshi blabbers on. Last night, Ichihoshi never returned to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center even after dinner so Hiroto didn't get the chance to examine Ichihoshis cleats. But Hiroto has a theory. And even if it's wrong, that's alright. There's another way to make Ichihoshi show if the theory is incorrect.

If Ichihoshi was so stubborn about proof, Hiroto would give it.

"There's also 'presumption of guilt', Ichihoshi." Hiroto responds, staring directly at Ichihoshi's confused eyes. "Wha-" Hiroto cuts off Ichihoshi by covering Ichihoshi's mouth with his right backhand. And just like Ichihoshi hit the back of the soccer ball to let the spike out in front of the soccer, Hiroto hits the back of Ichihoshi's right heel. It must've been exactly where the 'button' of the mechanism is, because from the bottom of his cleats, a mirror pops out.

Hiroto looks directly into Ichihoshi's eyes and retracts his hand. Unable to make a coherent sound from the physlogical shock, Ichihoshi adorns the expression of someone whose siblings life was taken before them from their very eyes. This description was ironic, not that Hiroto would know, considering Ichihoshi's past experiences, but nevertheless, the sudden spike of panic Ichihoshi felt was very, very real.

Silence. For only a few seconds. "W-What?" Inamori mutters, staring at the mirror. Hiroto turns to the others with an unreadable expression. "There's your proof." Hiroto said. And even though he's looking at Coach Zhao, his gaze looks like they would pierce through Inamori's heart. Endou quickly scans the expressions of everyone and tries damage control in the midst of the others tense emotions. "Wait, Hiroto, that doesn't mean Ichihoshi was the one who tried to blind us." Endou counters, because even with all the clear evidence in front of him, he still had the duty as this teams captain to bring everyone together. And he had already experienced bad people later turning into undeniable allies in the past. Surely, Ichihoshi couldn't be that far gone, right? Endou truly believes there's a spark of chance for Ichihoshi to join the team.

What Endou feels, Hiroto could see it in Endou's eyes. Hiroto understands what Endou might be thinking, but he doesn't want Ichihoshi to have any speck of chance to come near his teammates any longer. "Endou." Hiroto said, taking one step closer to his captain.

Suddenly, Hiroto feels movement from behind. Hiroto turns his head just in time to see Ichihoshi chucking his cleats into the lake with a huge swing. "What the hell! Why'd you that for?" Haizaki shouts, frustrated that the evidence was gone so easily. Ichihoshi breathes in and out once, trying to steady himself despite the sudden sharp strike of pain in his left leg from the straining movement before turning to Hiroto with the most venomous expression Hiroto has ever seen. "You." Ichihoshi grits out, unable to control the tone of his voice.

Ichihoshi could've easily agreed with Endou. But Hiroto, or anyone else would've taken his cleats, present them as evidence to the soccer committee and even get him on the news. Now, Ichihoshi wasn't afraid of the soccer committee nor reports. But if Orion found out Ichihoshi straining their reputation... Ichihoshi doesn't even want to think it. He had once saw a fraction of what would happen to Seals that have failed their mission too such a large extension. The rumors of what happened to Red Bison and Shining Satans Seals was enough to keep Ichihoshi on his toes.

Kira Hiroto, Ichihoshi glares at Hiroto, whose unreadable eyes piss Ichihoshi off. You're next, Ichihoshi swears to the cosmos above.

Chapter Text

"Guys, stop!" Endou stands between Ichihoshi and Hiroto with his arms outstretched before things escalate further.

A few minutes ago, the scene fell into chaos after concrete proof of Ichihoshi's traitor status was revealed. Haizaki, in particular, was beyond pissed- which was an understatement -at the response he had received from Inazuma Japan's coach after saying that this was a clear sign to get Ichihoshi off the team. "What do you mean you can't eliminate Ichihoshi since the evidence is gone!? We all just saw that!" Haizaki grits his teeth, pointing to the direction where Ichihoshi had thrown away his cleats. Ichihoshi glares back at Haizaki. The rough road beneath Ichihoshi's socks was uncomfortable enough, and now he had to deal with the personal annoyance in the form of Haizaki.

Coach Zhao continues to explain. "Well, Haizaki-kun, unfortunately, that's not in my power to do so." Coach Zhao said with a disappointed smile. Haizaki looks absolutely livid. Everyone else is stumped on what to do. Not even Inamori, as stubborn and sunny as he is, could step into this.

Well, there was one person who could step up. "You're the coach. I'm sure you have the authority to choose whether or not to take players off the team." Hiroto said, pink eyes glinting with an underlying meaning.

Before Hiroto could say more, "I'm sure as Inazuma Japan's most respected coach, he made the right decision." Ichihoshi cuts through with a ticked smile. Hiroto turns his gaze to Ichihoshi.

This morning, yesterday's events came crashing down all at once. Receiving a business card from an Orion Foundation worker meant that it was definite Hiroto had caught one of the many eyes of the enemy. Furthermore, after deciding to do what he did to expose Ichihoshi, Hiroto is sure there's a high probability of becoming one of Ichihoshi's targets.

It was game over the moment Hiroto stepped into this FFI and decided to involve himself. The only thing that's left is to face it head-on.

Hiroto steps closer to Ichihoshi. Not missing the way Ichihoshi tenses up ever so slightly. "Are your eyes just there for decoration?" Hiroto said, lowering his tone, eyes never leaving Ichihoshi's own. "What are you talking about?" Ichihoshi reacts, his face twitching defensively for a brief second. Ichihoshi is unable to see just how utterly pathetic he's acting. "If the coach can't get you off the team, it can only mean one thing." Hiroto gives an empty smirk.

"Huh?" Ichihoshi's tone drops lower into annoyance once again, face hardening. "Something has handicapped coach, yet he's refusing to tell us." Hiroto continues, as everyone else listens on the sidelines, unable to move. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to confidently say something that nobody else knew. "So, Ichihoshi, I wonder if you could tell us instead." Hiroto's eyes sharpen as he observes the traitor. There's annoyance, uneasiness, and all sorts of emotions behind Ichihoshi's eyes.

And that was, back to the present, the exact moment Endou had yelled at them to stop.

Ichihoshi, on Endou's right side, grits his teeth, face turning ever so slightly red. "Stop!?" Ichihoshi's voice cracks ever so slightly. "He's the one that needs to stop!" Ichihoshi continues without a break, pointing his index finger to a silent observing Hiroto. "I don't know how that mirror got attached to my soccer cleats! And yet he-" Hiroto, "- is so insistent with making me the traitor? Maybe someone framed me like-" Ichihoshi stops, and from Endou's left, Hiroto sees Ichihoshi's widening eyes.

"Like?" Goujin mutters to himself in confusion from the sudden cut-off from Ichihoshi. Of all the things you could've said, Hiroto thinks, feeling a twisted sort of pity forming in his mind. To see Ichihoshi losing this much composure over a mirror, Hiroto felt an unpleasant thought growing in the deepest depths of his mind.

Coach Zhao clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention to him once again before Hiroto could continue to scar Ichihoshi's head with grating words. "Alright, everyone. It seems you're all in high spirits, but dinner will get cold soon if we don't return." Coach Zhao said, smiling. "Shut up! You didn't do anything!" Haizaki shouts. It's amazing how Haizaki's voice didn't go out even once during this FFI. "Coach is right." Endou's firm and resolute voice drowns out Haizaki's words.

Endou exhales, before turning to Ichihoshi. "Ichihoshi, you're our teammate. I want you to get along with everyone." Ichihoshi raises a brow as Endou speaks. Then, Endou turns to Hiroto. "And Hiroto, I don't want you and Haizaki to pick a fight with Ichihoshi ever again." Hiroto, despite the surging emotions swirling in his mind, met Endou's firm eyes head-on as he spoke those words. Endou seems to have deemed Ichihoshi and Hiroto's silence acceptable enough for now. But still puts himself in between the two as everyone heads back to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center for dinner.

With Coach Zhao in front, Endou, Ichihoshi, and Hiroto in second with Haizaki just behind Hiroto's left, and the rest quietly followed behind.

As soon as everyone stepped inside the main room of the Kawaguchiko Sports Center, they were bombarded by everyone else who was left behind after Ootani came running in and left.

"You're all back." Mikado exclaims, and Ootani blinks. "Why aren't you all in the cafeteria?" Ootani asks. "After you came and left with Captain, everyone was worried-gosu." Iwato, who was beside Mikado, explains. "Some of us were close to running out but," Mansaku trails his eyes to Assistant Coach Kudou who was standing beside a couch, "Assistant Coach Kudou told us to stay put." and watches as Coach Zhao approaches Assistant Coach Kudou.

"Asuto, you look a bit down." Hiura observes, approaching Inamori. "Uh, huh?" Inamori reacts slowly and blinks in surprise. Beside Hiura, Sakanoue frowns at Ichihoshi's direction, noticing something out of place. "Endou-san, why is he only wearing socks?" Sakanoue points out. Ichihoshi, who was timing his escape, seems to twitch in annoyance as Endou takes over the conversation. Kazemaru and Natsumi come to listen to Endou's short explanation.

Hiroto and Haizaki slip away from the crowd before anyone can bombard them with questions. Only to be stopped by Tatsuya, who silently gestures to the two of them with his strong gaze to follow. Hiroto and Haizaki side-eye each other and let Tatsuya drag them away from the crowding to Osamu and Fubuki who are standing in a corner talking among themselves.

Tatsuya stops and takes a pause before facing Hiroto and Haizaki. "What happened?" Tatsuya asks, nothing more, nothing less. Just as Hiroto wonders how he should explain, Haizaki does it for him. "You want to know what happened? That blue traitor got rid of all the evidence." Haizaki spits, his voice loud enough that it reaches the others' ears. "Evidence?" Kazemaru asks, just as Ichihoshi glares at Haizaki's direction.

That evening, the walk to dinner, and dinner itself was accompanied by Endou trying to insist Ichihoshi to sit with them to no avail. Haizaki, Inamori, Goujin, and Ootani are retelling the story of what happened to their respective groups. Nishikage and Fudou arrived late to the cafeteria(one said he arrived late because he was focused on training, and the other claimed to be late because he was jogging around the Sports Center). Hiroto poked Li Kobun's mask for no apparent reason in others' eyes(which was a regular occurrence since a few days ago in Inazuma Japan) before grabbing a food tray.

Much later after dinner, brushing his teeth, Tatsuya is heading towards his dorm room. Depending on his condition after Coach Zhao's unorthodox yet strangely grueling training every day, Tatsuya would either join Hiroto on his daily night training or talk with others about strategies, today's training, or anything else. Tonight was the latter.

That is why, in room 209, Tatsuya, Osamu, and Fubuki, Kazemaru have gathered to talk. Usually, it would only be Tatsuya, Osamu, and Fubuki, while Kazemaru, Tatsuya's assigned roommate, would go hang out with either Endou, Gouenji, or Kidou. But tonight, Kazemaru had come to his dorm room because Endou apparently needed some time to think alone, which was unusual in itself. But considering the Ichihoshi situation, nothing seemed so unusual anymore. And so, Kazemaru had naturally joined the trios' conversation.

Osamu and Kazemaru were conversing about what had happened today. Fubuki noticed Tatsuya, sitting on a chair beside his bed, with his right hand underneath his chin, adorning a very clear thinking expression. Fubuki, sitting on a chair beside Kazemaru's bed, leans a bit forward. "Something on your mind?" Fubuki asks, making sure to keep his tone calm, light with genuine curiosity. Turning to Fubuki's direction, Tatsuya blinks, a bit surprised he was asked such a question. "Was I that obvious?" Tatsuya asked.

Tatsuya was sure if it were any other person or any other topic, he wouldn't think about it this much. After all, Inazuma Japan was in the FFI, so as a player, the best thing for Tatsuya to do was to simply train to win the next match. Because that's what every player should be doing. However, it was already told and shown by people like Kidou, Hiroto, and Ichihoshi that this was no ordinary FFI. And the person Tatsuya was concerned about was no ordinary individual either.

Kazemaru adjusts his sitting position on his bed. Osamu, with crossed arms, sitting on Tatsuya's bed, waiting for Tatsuya to speak up. Fubuki waits patiently as Tatsuya continues to think.

The person Tatsuya is thinking of is yes, Hiroto. Hiroto had become more calmer lately. That isn't unusual per se, since despite all the explosive energy Hiroto shows on the field, he wasn't a very outgoing individual outside of it. But Tatsuya just has this strange feeling that maybe, something is wrong on a fundamental level.

There was another issue. Not the most important one, but it tugged on Tatsuya's mind nevertheless. There were so many things Tatsuya didn't know about Hiroto. A person can never know what the other is thinking, but, How did he know? Tatsuya thinks.

At the beginning of the FFI. The secluded soccer field during night time, while visiting Gouenji with Kidou. The lake where he and many others couldn't go because Assistant Coach Kudou told everyone else to stay put while Endou and Ootani left with Coach Zhao trailing behind. So many tidbits of information came from Hiroto, yet, there was no explanation on how it was obtained.

Worse yet, there wasn't a way to find them out either. Asking Hiroto of things that he didn't want to tell, brought destructive consequences. Tatsuya had unfortunately learned that during his time in Eisei. It was pointless to dwell on that topic, so Tatsuya really should move on and focus on more important stuff like Ichihoshi being revealed as traitor of Inazuma Japan.

"Is this about Hiroto?" Fubuki asks, cool and calm as always. Tatsuya snaps out of his musings. It must've taken Tatsuya longer to think that he thought, because Fubuki asks before Tatsuya could open his mouth.

"Hiroto? Not Ichihoshi?" Kazemaru wonders, a bit confused as to why Tatsuya wouldn't be thinking of Inazuma Japan's biggest threat right now.

"I agree with Kazemaru. Ichihoshi is who we should be most worried about." Osamu said, still crossing his arms.

How does one just go on to explain everything Tatsuya had seen from Hiroto thus far, in the most simplest way possible? But still, Tatsuya decided to give it a try. "Well, you see, I just found it unusual that Hiroto knew where exactly to press to get the mirror pop out." Tatsuya said, deciding to start from there.

Tatsuya's teammates, Osamu (who Tatsuya grew up with) Fubuki (who had became Tatsuya's closest friend right after Hiroto early on in the FFI) and Kazemaru (though closer to Fubuki) quickly became one of Tatsuya's closest friends due to team practices in the morning and evening. If Tatsuya can't get an answer from Hiroto, then at the very least, he can try and get some opinions from his other teammates.

The other three go silent for a moment. "Hm, I've never thought about it that way." Fubuki said, organizing the information he had received from today's dinner. "And I want to ask about it, along with other many things I've heard, but I couldn't really find the right timing." Tatsuya further explains. Kazemaru frowns. Tatsuya's last words sounded like an excuse. Unless there was another reason, "But aren't you with Hiroto most of the time?" Kazemaru points out.

Osamu, who had been through the Eisei days with Tatsuya, uncrosses his arms. "I'm not sure if Tatsuya is able to just ask Hiroto like that." Osamu said, giving Tatsuya a knowing look. Ever since Osamu had heard about the hallway argument with Hiroto from Tatsuya himself, and seeing the group of people that came to fight Hiroto near the entrance of Eisei Academy, Osamu had noticed the significant change in Tatsuya's actions towards Hiroto's.

Hearing Tatsuya's explanation, Kazemaru's cutting words, and the side comment from Osamu, a snowflake drops and tingles Fubuki's mind. From Fubuki's perspective, Tatsuya seemed to trust Hiroto more than he realized. Even with the many other things he wanted to know, Tatsuya never asked about what Hiroto was doing so far. "I think I get it." Fubuki said.

"Get what?" Tatsuya asks carefully.

It seems this evening had affected everyone in some way. Because what Fubuki said next, baffled Tatsuya.

"If you're so concerned. Maybe we should all follow him." Fubuki suggests, lightly nodding to himself. As if it's the most sensible solution to Tatsuya's problems. Which definitely wasn't. Kazemaru stares in disbelief. To hear a well mannered, chill person like Fubuki bringing out an underlying meaning of doing what would be considered indiscretion to the table was unexpected. Beside Tatsuya, Osamu looks like he's kind of considering it. "Hm. While I wouldn't usually agree with that..." Osamu trails off.

Tatsuya snaps his head to Osamu in alarm. "No, we're not even considering," stalking a friend, "that." Tatsuya cuts off the option before it has any chance of getting out of hand. There was no need to discuss such things. Fubuki stares at Tatsuya coldly. Not with the intent to make the atmosphere drop in temperature, but to keep attention to himself. "If you can't do that, then you can go talk to him." Fubuki said pointedly.

Internally avoiding Fubuki's unusual strong gaze, Tatsuya slowly responds, "I can't do that." with a tone that suggests he thinks this is the only option he knew. Which it technically is, but nobody else would understand even if they knew.

Fubuki wasn't the type to meddle in other peoples problems. But after what was revealed to everyone today, it would be difficult for anyone to not care. Besides, what would happen if your teammate you were supposed to work with to win the FFI, loses focus because of this? Well, whatever that outcome would've been, Fubuki can't let that happen.

"I won't ask why you're hesitating." Fubuki said. "But as your teammate, I can't let your mind wander away from something that can be resolved." and as a friend, Fubuki refuses to let Tatsuya continue running in circles. Tatsuya doesn't understand the conclusion Fubuki is trying to get him to. But instead of further elaboration, Fubuki smiles his usual gentle, firm smile, and speaks,

"I'm saying that, if you can't tell Hiroto, you can at least tell us." with sincerity. Something that Tatsuya had decided on doing in the first place.

Somewhere, at the same time. Much later after dinner, brushing his teeth, and a shower, Hiroto is walking around to the front of the building holding a medium sized tackle box that is not his own in his left hand. Beside Hiroto is Li Kobun, or rather, Mutekigahara Fujimaru with a fishing pole swung over his right shoulder. "When you said you needed my fishing skills at the cafeteria, I didn't think you meant this." Mutekigahara said, adjusting his hat. "Says the one who agreed without a second thought." Hiroto said without a single beat. Mutekigahara has nothing to say to that.

"So, you're going to report this to the coach as well?" Hiroto asks nonchalantly, like what the weather was today.  "Eh? I don't report every single insignificant thing to-" Wait a second, Mutekigahara pauses. Hiroto gives Mutekigahara a small unnoticeable smirk.

Hiroto knew Coach Zhao was somehow knowledgeable on almost every single thing the moment he came talking to Hiroto. After being approached by Coach Zhao in the hallways on the day Hiroto had seen Endou injured, and hearing from Kidou on how his conversation went with Coach Zhao, Hiroto concluded that trying to hide things from Coach Zhao would be futile. That is one of the reasons Hiroto didn't bother to gain more information from Mutekigahara when he revealed himself to be Li Kobun, the assistant of Coach Zhao.

However, that didn't mean Hiroto didn't want to know. In a way, Mutekigahara was like Ichihoshi. Hiroto had groundless certainty on what their positions in the team were, but with no substantial evidence to confirm it. Until Hiroto made Ichihoshi throw away his cleats in panic, a substantial evidence of Ichihoshi's traitor status. Until Hiroto led Mutekigahara to basically confirming that he was coach's plant from his own mouth, his important role in the team.

"Heh." Mutekigahara smiles back without any of his underlying joy. "You think you're smart, huh?" Mutekigahara asks, eyes glinting. "Nah, you're just dumb. Can't believe you fell for that." Hiroto replies without a beat. Okay, Mutekigahara didn't need to hear that.

Mutekigahara internally sighs, knowing that he shouldn't have reacted so strongly. When Hiroto has shown unpredictable results time and time again thus far. Mutekigahara wisely decided not to respond to Hiroto's quips any further, falling into silent thinking. I don't get it boss. You've got quite an interesting player. Why you are wasting so much of his potential? Mutekigahara thought as the two stray away from the main road as soon as they see Endou resting on the stairs, looking uncharacteristically thoughtful, and takes a shortcut through the forest. Unless you're not even telling me, Mutekigahara added as an afterthought.

After exiting the forest, Hiroto and Mutekigahara reach their destination. "So this is where the fight happened?" Mutekigahara said with a neutral smile, thoughtlessly tapping the fishing pole on his right shoulder several times. Hiroto doesn't answer, and instead meets Mutekigahara's eyes, while pointing to the lake with his thumb. "Less talking, start fishing." Is what Hiroto said, but it sounds more like a half-threat that he will make Mutekigahara do his bidding no matter what.

"How bossy." Mutekigahara mocks, as the two find a good spot to throw the fishing pole. What Mutekigahara doesn't say is that, over the course of hanging out with Hiroto, Mutekigahara had moments where he had, just briefly forgot he wasn't an informant for his boss to fight the darkness of the Orion Foundation. And felt more like a teen play bickering with a new friend.

Mutekigahara internally throws away the unimportant small thought as he takes back his medium sized tackle box from Hiroto's hands, and grabs a split shot sinker and a pair of pliers. Hiroto watches as Mutegkigahara brings the split shot sinker to his fishing line, and cinches down with the pliers, making the fishing line heavier.

Tonight was another mistake Mutekigahara had made, and he will not repeat it next time. But before that, since he had already agreed to Hiroto's favor, Mutekigahara begins mission impossible.

The scene leaves the two fishing to Endou, who is now accompanied by Natsumi. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, Endou-kun." Natsumi said, smiling. Endou turns his head to, "Hey, Natsumi!" and greet her with his own. Natsumi is holding the handle of her suitcase from a couple of stairs up with a small smile. It was obvious who Endou was thinking about. Endou was very vocal about his determination to get Ichihoshi accepted into the team by everyone. Even having an entire debate about Ichihoshi's status with Kazemaru after dinner.

"The next time we meet will be at the world tournament." Natsumi said. Endou recognizes it as a sign that Natsumi will be leaving soon after. Natsumi turns her wrist, and drags her suitcase to the main road. "See you there!" Endou said, a promise to win the FFI with everyone, together with everyone, even Ichihoshi, as a team.

Because a spy that was supposed to sabotage Raimon confessed before the act, an unmovable commander of the field turned out to be manipulated by an adult with unspeakable darkness and just wanted to be a good older brother, a fallen god who relied on illegal power was also manipulated by the same adult with unspeakable darkness and lost its wings, but found their true strength and remade each feather to return back to a god.

Natsumi has seen Endou's influence time and and again. That is why, I'm sure that Endou-kun will be able to save Ichihoshi-kun, Natsumi thinks, as he looks up at the night sky shimmering above as she drags her suitcase along the main road.

Natsumi is walking along the main road when she hears voices a couple of meters away.

"More to... left..."

"I can... by myself..."

Natsumi continues on her path, and the voices become clearer. That's Kira Hiroto-kun, Natsumi thinks, observing Hiroto who was standing as still as the trees in the forest. And I've never seen that person before, who is he? Natsumi's thoughts continue, observing the short green haired boy with a cap who was holding a fishing pole.

"Heh? If you're so good at giving out directions, why don't you do it yourself?"

"If I knew you were this bad, I would've-"

Hiroto stops, feeling another's presence nearby. Mutekigahara, also noticing, turns his head to the right. And there, standing a couple of meters away in slight surprise was Natsumi.

Natsumi, who has a lot going through her head. Natsumi briefly takes all the information of the area surrounding the two. A medium sized tackle box was next to Hiroto, but there was nothing that seemed to look like bait, nor was there any type of container to keep the fish in. Natsumi's assumption, this fisher wasn't here to catch fish. Now that seemed suspicious. "Hiroto-kun? What are you doing this late?" Natsumi asks steadily, with a hint of curiosity.

What was the correct response to such a question? Quickly thinking, "Stumbled upon a local around these parts having trouble with their gear." Hiroto responds. Despite the fact that nothing particularity stood out in Hiroto's mannerisms or speech, Natsumi's intuition was telling her that Hiroto wasn't telling the truth. "Are you leaving right now, Natsumi?" Hiroto asks naturally.

Natsumi takes a mental pause at that. Natsumi doesn't mind people using her first name. Natsumi even insists on everyone to call her that. However, Hiroto's tone of voice was unexpected. Like Hiroto was greeting her like an old friend. "Yes, I am." Natsumi answers smoothly, walking closer to the two until she's just about five steps away. Her booked flight is several hours from now on, at 23:30, so Natsumi is currently walking to the main road and towards the town to catch a taxi. "Have safe travels, then." Hiroto said, his left hand placed on his side. The confused-looking local lifts his left hand and gives a small wave to Natsumi as well, seemingly trying to be polite.

"Thank you for your blessing, Hiroto-kun." Natsumi shows her appreciation. "Though you should probably get back to the center soon. The air gets chilly near lake sides at this late." Natsumi said, tone indicating that she really does worry about the other. "Sure, will do that." Hiroto answers.

Hiroto doesn't look like he'd say more, and the local next to him seems keen on staying silent. Natsumi wonders what kind of secret there was that the two in front of her. But despite the fairly suspicious situation in front of her, there wasn't much as could do as she couldn't stay here any longer.

Natsumi's had taken the role of finding out the hidden darkness of the FFI. So she will leave the rest of what is happening to Inazuma Japan. Despite the hardships, Natsumi wholeheartedly believes that Endou and the entirety of Inazuma Japan will be able to save Ichihoshi.

With that, still thinking about what she had just seen, Natsumi takes her leave.

( ...probably thinking about his new target.)

It's almost midnight. While Iwato, his dorm roommate, was sleeping sound asleep, Ichihoshi is wide awake. Laying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Ichihoshi is currently rethinking his plan. Before dinner, Ichihoshi was so set on eliminating Hiroto. But after he his head somewhat cooled down, Ichihoshi realized that setting Hiroto as his current target wouldn't be as easy as he had declared.

For one, Hiroto was unpredictable. Ichihoshi had no idea where Hiroto's danger came from. Take Kidou for example, he was already registered as one of the Orion Foundation's targets for being a well known intelligent midfielder in Japan. And luckily for Ichihoshi, Kidou, as intellgient as he is, was surprisingly predictable in his actions. Hurting Kidou's friends were enough for him to lose his composure, making it easier to time the chance of Kidou's elimination.

But Hiroto. Ichihoshi frowns. Ichihoshi had no idea where Hiroto's subtle skills came from. Not only that, looking back, Hiroto had shown his unpredictability through his subtle actions and unreadable expressions. Ichihoshi was no master of reading other people, but comparing Kidou and Hiroto, it was obvious who was more harder to read.

Another problem with going for Hiroto's elimination was, by the order the Orion Foundation set for him, inefficient. Taking Gouenji off the team made the team lose their most best offensive. Taking Kidou off the team made the team lose their best brains. And taking Endou off the team would make the team lose their mental core, their inner strength. However, taking Hiroto off the team would result in Inazuma Japan in simply having another forward off their team.

Having individual play as his speciality, high speed accurate passes, Hiroto was definitely skilled, that was for certain in Ichihoshi's mind. But Hiroto also wasn't at the level of Gouenji, that was also for certain in Ichihoshi's mind.

The Orion Foundation wanted Ichihoshi to destroy the team inside out, make them lose their spirit and physical power, and stop them from advancing. Not take a random forward off the team because Ichihoshi was angered by them for directly exposing his already suspicious behavior that Kidou and himself had already told and shown to the team.

It's been a long time since Ichihoshi had thought things through. Using one's brain, that was more of Hikaru's thing, not his. Hikaru, Ichihoshi thinks, hands gripping the pillow behind his head. What would he do in this situation? As soon as the thought enters his head, Ichihoshi shuts it away just as quickly. Ichihoshi Mitsuru is doing everything for his brother, Ichihoshi Hikaru, nothing will change his mission. And Hikaru doesn't have know what Mitsuru is doing for him.

Ichihoshi glares up at the ceiling once more like it'd give him the answers that he needed. If only there were some easy way to eliminate Endou and Hiroto at the same time.

It was almost laughable that Ichihoshi Mitsuru was thinking of eliminating Kira Hiroto. Since Orion's current chairman, Gustav Nikolsky, wanted it as soon as possible.

However, Shinjou Takuma, the chairman's assistant, who's currently resting in a chair with a cup of tea in his private work room, had other ideas.

The idea started when Shinjou saw the Red Bison match and observed how Inazuma Japan won the match. Furthermore, after seeing the Shining Satans match, Shinjou knew his intuition was correct.

That being, Zhao Jinyun wasn't utilizing Kira Hiroto as much as Shinjou initially thought. Shinjou could see it in the way Kira Hiroto was playing without restrictions while the rest of the Inazuma Japan players felt like their formations and movements were from a set frame. Even in the Shining Satans match where Kidou Yuuto, Haizaki Ryouhei, and Kira Hiroto were trying to fight the Orion Foundations Seals. Kira Hiroto felt too... free. Like he was allowed to do whatever he wanted because it would still bring results.

Other than soccer skills, Kira Hiroto seemed to have a keen talent for spying. The daring move to trail behind his target, Ichihoshi Mitsuru, while keeping out of sight. The sharp decision to stay hidden out of the route Ichihoshi Mitsuru would leave and return to. And had successfully gained information, which was quite notably impressive. Even Shinjou himself wouldn't have known this if he hadn't for a split second, saw unusual movement from the path Ichihoshi came from.

Chairman Gustav only saw the threat, not the possibility. And after seeing all this potential, Shinjou thought it would be such a waste of talent to not coax Kira Hiroto into their organization as its disciple.

If Shinjou succeeds, Orion will have another promising individual instead of a threat in their way. In more simpler terms, a win-win for everyone. Which is why Shinjou made that decision in the soccer stadium two days ago.

Ever since that day, Kira Hiroto has chosen to boldly ask questions about the Orion Foundation, without stepping in line. Shinjou has a few hypothesis that the reason Kira Hiroto went for this direct approach was because, one, Kira Hiroto probably saw no point in keeping his questions subtle after an Orion Foundation approached him. Second, Kira Hiroto's lack of knowledge of Shinjou's true intentions leaves him to forcibly choose that route. And lastly, if Hiroto somehow figured out, or at the very least had a feeling about Shinjou's intentions, was going for this approach, like an intern at a new job.

But those were just a couple of hypothesis Shinjou had thought of. In the end, whatever the case, the reason didn't matter. What mattered was that Shinjou had managed to catch the interest of the individual with potential in the Orion Foundation itself.

Of all things Hiroto expected to happen next morning, it certainly wasn't a message notification sent from another person popping on top of his phone screen. Taking the phone from the bedside table, Hiroto checks what was sent, and his eyes widen.

Unknown : It's Kidou. Meet me behind the right corner outside the Sports Center from the position of the main entrance at evening after today's group training ends. I estimate 4-5 PM before dinner. I'll be waiting near the trees.

Hiroto stares at the phone longer than he would've liked.

This wasn't a prank, was it?

Hiroto's fingers type faster than he ever had.

God Striker : How did you get my number?

A reply arrives immediately. It seems the other was also very skilled in the art of reading messages as soon as they were sent. Along with fast typing.

Unknown : I got it from Endou last night.

As captain of the Inazuma Japan team, Endou was obligated to have every single players contact info on his phone from the beginning of the FFI, as same as the coaches. That fact was pushed to the back of Hiroto's back. Hiroto will have to ask Endou about this later just in case.

God Striker : Okay, see you then.

Hiroto changes the 'Unknown' contact name to 'Kidou', then he checks the other message and turns off his phone after reading it. Hiroto goes to the closet, rearranges his sports duffle bag once more, before placing it then looks around the empty dorm room before heading for breakfast.

A few minutes later, when Hiroto finally reaches the cafeteria, he sees a lot of his teammates have already began eating, or has finished getting their portion. "Look who's finally up." Haizaki said, noticing Hiroto entering the cafeteria, before taking a bite of his food from his spoon. Haizaki has always woken up to an empty dorm room. Which is why Haizaki was quite surprised when he saw Hiroto on his bed after he had stepped off from the bed.

Osamu, at another table with Tatsuya and Fubuki, waves for Hiroto to come to their table. Hiroto grabs a food tray, greets the managers, Yone-san, and Li Kobun as usual. Then, Hiroto gets his food portion and heads to the table he was called to.

As soon as Hiroto sits down, Fubuki turns his eyes to him. "Hiroto, what were you doing last evening?" Fubuki asks nonchalantly, sounding curious. Hiroto's intuition suddenly pokes his skin. "Me?" Hiroto said, taking his chopsticks to put spinach on top of his rice, bringing it to his mouth to chew. Fubuki nods. "Haizaki said you didn't return to your dorm room til almost midnight yesterday." Fubuki continues, lowering the volume of his voice ever so slightly. As if to not let anyone else hear.

Last night?

Hiroto tucks his wrapped up jacket underneath his right arm while Mutekigahara is putting away everything. Mutekigahara stares at Hiroto. "So that's what you're keeping that for, huh?" Mutekigahara seems to have gone over his surprise pretty quickly. It's not that Hiroto told everything, but what he said was enough for Mutekigahara to back down from trying to steal it away from him. "Gotta say, didn't expect that coming." Mutekigahara said with his usual small grin. Hiroto doesn't physically react much at Mutekigahara's remark. "Come on, let's get going, 'local resident of the area'. It's getting late." Hiroto said.

Once Hiroto and Mutekigahara part ways, Hiroto silently walks through the hallways of the first floor, taking the stairs instead of the elevator for tonight to minimize noise, walks through the hallways and reaches the dorm room, 210, shared with his roommate, Haizaki. Hiroto slides open the door, closes it, and opens his closet. The shuffling sound must've been loud enough, or maybe the other was having trouble sleeping because of what was happening in the team these days. Whatever the case, Hiroto hears Haizaki groan and stir awake from his bed. "What the hell are you doing this late?" Haizaki's voice is slurred from drowsiness. Hiroto doesn't answer, instead, he pushes his wrapped up jacket in his sports duffle bag.

Ending the events of last night in his head, "I was taking a stroll." Hiroto answers after swallowing down his food. "Hm, I see." Fubuki answers, looking a bit thoughtful. Perhaps it's only Hiroto, but Fubuki felt a little bit unusual. Hiroto turns to Tatsuya for another opinion. "What's with Fubuki today?" Hiroto asks. Fubuki momentarily freezes without anybody noticing, while Osamu blinks, tilting his head a little to side. "Fubuki?" Tatsuya repeats, confused. After seeing Tatsuya's genuine confusion, Hiroto thinks that it's probably nothing. Everyone has an off day, after all. And Fubuki was the last person Hiroto would feel off about. "It's nothing." Hiroto answers honestly, before returning to his food. Tatsuya doesn't think it's nothing, but unfortunately, he isn't given much time to think it through.

Because soon after breakfast, fourteen Inazuma Japan players are lined up four rows with colored headbands. First row is the green headband team with Inamori, Kazemaru, Fudou and Fubuki. Second row is the blue headband team with Goujin, Sakanoue, Iwato and Nishikage. Third row is the red headband team with Endou, Mansaku, Hiura and Osamu. The fourth row is the yellow headband team with only Haizaki and Tatsuya.

"What, is this?" Tatsuya asks, wondering what sort of unorthodox method of training Coach Zhao had planned for today. In front of the players, Coach Zhao begins to explain. "You've been divided into teams, and will now be holding a relay race." Coach Zhao said, with his hands behind his back. Assistant Coach Kudou was right beside, while Mikado and Ootani glance at the confused players. "Relay?" Inamori said. "We're not training to raise stamina?" Hiura asks.

"You don't necessarily need to use stamina to conquer an opponent with stamina." Coach Zhao answers. "A relay means we'll be working on our high power output, correct?" Hiura said, with his thinking gesture. Coach Zhao's smile widens as he continues to explain. Basically, each of them will be running a distance of fifteen meters. Creating a square with each of their team distributed by the headbands, and keep handing the baton to each other.

There are, obviously complaints, and slight skepticism, but Coach Zhao ignores those as he had always did. "I'll leave a box of tissues at the starting point for each team. Whoever is the last runner must take on tissues from the box after handing over the baton." Coach Zhao said, holding up the pink tissue box. "Keep repeating that until you've run out of tissues." Coach Zhao said.

What?, is the collective thought of every player on the field. Until we've run out-gosu?" Iwato reacts, already internally sweating from the thought of it. "That's going to be quite a number of rounds, isn't it?" Mansaku comments from beside. The average amount of tissues in the tissue box placed in Inazuma Japan ranged from at least 100 to 200 amounts of tissues inside. "Do we have the option to not do it?" Fudou deadpans. "Well, it won't hurt to try." Hiura said, having already experienced Coach Zhao's training during Inakuni Raimon.

"Hey, wait. What about those two?" Haizaki asks, narrowing his eyes at the pair in front of Assistant Coach Kudou. More specifically, one of them more than the other.

Hiroto and Ichihoshi are side-eyeing each other, while Assistant Coach Kudou was holding each shoulder to ensure the two couldn't run away, not that the two would. Ichihoshi turns his head to the right. "I'm sorry, Coach. But my leg hasn't completely healed yet." Ichihoshi said, wondering why he was even brought here in the first place. Coach Zhao lets out a boisterous laugh. "There's no need to worry about that, Ichihoshi-kun." Coach Zhao reassures.

Ichihoshi and Hiroto's intuition is telling them they there's a bomb ready to the dropped, especially considering the unique methods Coach Zhao uses. "Because I have a more special training prepared for you two." The bomb drops, in the form of a smiling Coach Zhao.

What?, is the collective thought of every player on the field for the second time of today. "What special training?" Fubuki carefully asks. "A very super secret training that needs to be done away from here." Coach Zhao answers, waving his index finger as if to make a hushing gesture. That's what Coach Zhao said, but most of the players heard it as, I picked out a random player to have isolated training with a traitor who has caused us nothing but trouble so far, and because of this, Tatsuya can't help but frown at the coach.

"I don't understand. Why are you trying to separate them from us?" Tatsuya asks. The thought of Hiroto training with an already confirmed traitor within the team wasn't good for anyone's mentality. "It's important for our future matches." Coach Zhao said, with no further elaboration. Haizaki clicks his tongue in distaste. "Figures." Haizaki scoffs.

Haizaki turns his head to Hiroto. "Hey!" Hiroto snaps out of his blank state and turns his eyes to Haizaki calling out to him, "Ditch that traitor and get over here." with an annoyed tone that was directed at Ichihoshi.

A chance of escape. Even though Haizaki probably hadn't meant it that way, it was the most generous offer Hiroto had ever gotten from Haizaki. Even Ichihoshi looked expectant of Hiroto's refusal. This is why everyone- except for Coach Zhao who looks satisfied with the outcome -is confused when Hiroto doesn't give any verbal answer.

Coach Zhao waits for a few seconds. "Well, if there are no complaints," Coach Zhao claps, "everyone start training." signaling for the players to get into position. "Wait, huh?" Ichihoshi blinks, whipping his head towards Coach Zhao in disbelief. 

That's how Hiroto and Ichihoshi are taken to one of the many spare rooms inside the Kawaguchiko Sports Center by Assistant Coach Kudou. In the middle of the room, there's a table, two chairs, and some particular items one would not expect to see in this environment.

It turns out that Hiroto and Ichihoshi's so-called special training are playing random board games until lunch.

Ichihoshi thinks he really should've said he didn't want to train with anyone, instead of running around in circles with his injury that's healing pretty quickly. "Can this really help with soccer?" Ichihoshi asks, genuinely dumbfounded by the spectacle in front of him. "These are Coach's direct orders, Ichihoshi." Assistant Coach Kudou said sternly, leaving no room for argument.

Begrudgingly, Ichihoshi sits still while Hiroto grabs a random board game and sets it on the table. Assistant Coach Kudou tells them he will leave them alone in the room for a while. Hiroto and Ichihoshi watch as Assistant Coach Kudou exits and closes the door, leaving the two alone. How strange. Assistant Coach Kudou wasn't even going to monitor them? Hiroto's eyes trail down to Ichihoshi's new soccer cleats as he stretches his arms. "Cool shoes you've got there, where'd you get them?" Hiroto asks. Coach Zhao did it just before dinner ended yesterday. That boisterous adult didn't bother to keep quiet while handing it over. Everyone saw it.

Ichihoshi stares at Hiroto like he had asked if the sun rises at night. "Are you stupid?" Ichihoshi asks. "Huh, I thought whatever secret organization" the words Kidou had yelled at Coach Zhao in the locker rooms, "you're working for would send you another special pair of cleats-" Hiroto gives an empty smirk, "-tailored just, for, you." and Ichihoshi's entire face twitches in response.

"You, what's the deal with-" Ichihoshi stops as Hiroto drops his empty smirk, lowering his voice, "What? Didn't you tell them?" gazing into Ichihoshi's eyes. Something indescribable passes by in Ichihoshi's eyes. Similiar akin to fear. Hiroto notices, just as Ichihoshi answers, "That's none of your business." narrowing his eyes. Ichihoshi wasn't really subtle in avoiding his answer.

At this point in time, Kidou lit the starting fire, and Hiroto had successfully shown everyone that Ichihoshi was a threat. However, after hearing just a little more about the Orion Foundation, Hiroto had thought of a possibility. Not a very favorable one, but a possibility nonetheless. If Hiroto could continue to gain reactions from Ichihoshi after asking certain questions, then Hiroto could finally complete the entire picture of the secret darkness of the FFI that Coach Zhao was refusing to tell his team.

Then, Hiroto will be able to finally tell everyone without setbacks.

("Looks like they're enjoying themselves.")

Meanwhile, somewhere, in a faraway distance. A conversation between two players comes and goes in a hospital room.

"So that's what happened to you." Gouenji answers, sitting on the ledge of his bed. After Gouenji finished his leg rehab in the morning, Kidou had came to visit to ask Gouenji's condition. After hearing Gouenji has been getting better, Kidou had explained what has been going on in the team. Which, in short, was worse than whatever scenario Gouenji could have expected.

Kidou crosses his arms. "I should've been more cautious." Kidou said, frowning. Despite knowing there was no way he could've ever predicted that he would be eliminated like that, Kidou still feels guilt for not being able to fight for the team anymore. But it was too late to dwell on that now. "The only thing I can do right now go out is investigate the secret behind this FFI." Kidou promises. "I hope the team will be alright without me." Kidou adds as an afterthought.

Gouenji gives Kidou a small smile. "I'm sure they will. Endou is there. And Hiroto will be moving our team forward." Gouenji said. Kidou takes in Gouenji's words. "I know you trust Endou, but your faith in Hiroto is quite peculiar." Kidou said. Though Kidou would never admit, he finds slight amusement in this unexpected side of Gouenji.

Silence. For just a moment. "Is that so?" Gouenji slowly said. Kidou immediately raises a brow. That was quite an unnatural reaction. Gouenji seemed confused at Kidou's comment. It was almost as if, "Gouenji." Kidou begins, voice stern and serious, "If you know something, I would appreciate it if you told me." crossing his arms.

Kidou expected many reactions. Agreement, disagreement, another new opinion to add. What Kidou hadn't expected was for Gouenji to silently stare back, and answer, "I thought you'd already figured it out by now." like that would explain anything. Typical of the Gouenji gene's communication skills. "What?" Kidou reacts, uncrossing his arms, slightly caught off guard.

What did Gouenji mean by that?

The sky was dyed in a yellow orange when all the Inazuma Japan players finished their training. Tatsuya and Haizaki were laying on the field, heavily breathing in and out, their energy having much more drained than everyone else. For they were the only group who weren't made up by four people.

"That'll be all for today! Get plenty of rest tonight!" Coach Zhao instructs, before leaving the field. "Let's head back to the dorms and take a bath or something." Mansaku said in between breaths, in sitting position. "Wait, everyone." Kazemaru holds everyone back, standing up. Goujin, in his laying position, slightly turns his head to his right in confusion. "What's the matter, Kazemaru-san?" Mansaku asks.

Kazemaru spreads his arms, a gesture to gain all attention to him. "Sorry about this, but I want us all to start a different training now." Kazemaru announces to the team.

Multiple reactions such as such follows, "What!?" from everyone, "What now?" a shocked Sakanoue, "There's more?" a struggling Inamori, and "I'm all worn out..." an exhausted Hiura.

Fubuki, who's next to Kazemaru, briefly glances to Tatsuya and Haizaki still laying a few steps next to him. Training seems to have taken Tatsuya's concerns about Hiroto and Ichihoshi off of his mind as of now. "I'm not sure if those two will be able to follow you." Fubuki comments. Haizaki hears it. "What-" Haizaki manifests the strength to get into a ring sitting position, "-are you trying to get us to do?" his mouth downward. Tatsuya follows shortly after Haizaki, sitting up crossed-legged, staring at Kazemaru with a weary glance.

The sky was dyed in a yellow orange when Hiroto stepped out of the Kawaguchiko Sports Center.

After playing board games with Ichihoshi in the morning, Coach Zhao came by and tasked Hiroto and Ichihoshi with simple exercises that didn't much toll on Ichihoshi's legs. Ichihoshi seemed exhausted at the end and went to his dorm rooms immediately after, but that was none of Hiroto's concern. It was good that Ichihoshi had less energy to do whatever he wanted.

What was of Hiroto's concern however, was why Coach Zhao had given him and Ichihoshi this type of training. And why Ichihoshi hadn't just ran away as soon as he was forced to train with Hiroto. Hiroto's intuition suggests some likely reasons, but he decides he would have to find the actual reason later. 

Before leaving the stadium, Hiroto had stumbled into Endou on his way and had asked the question he wanted answers to since this morning. Endou had confirmed that, he had indeed gave Hiroto's phone number to Kidou yesterday evening.

Hiroto felt a spark of restlessness after receiving Endou's answer.

And now, Hiroto is taking a side route to the spot Kidou had told he would to be at. Hiroto turns a corner, and there was Kidou, standing there wearing casual clothing. Hiroto's restlessness somehow increases as he sees the person he had expected the most. This felt surreal. Kidou was actually here, in front of Hiroto. Hiroto can finally tell everything that he found out so far to one of the most dependable and intelligent person he knew. With Kidou, maybe Hiroto could finally figure out if Ichihoshi had a possibility.

"Hiroto, good to see you again." Kidou greets easily. Hiroto needed to calm down. "Same here." Hiroto answers. Kidou will never know, nor does Hiroto know how much he was internally shaking before seeing Kidou. But Kidou definitely didn't call Hiroto for a casual chat, nor did Hiroto intend to leave Kidou in the dark of what has so far. And so Hiroto begins to explain what has happened so far with Ichihoshi and information regarding to him.

Ichihoshi Mitsuru's traitor position was exposed to Inazuma Japan. Ichihoshi Mitsuru was affiliated with an organization called the Orion Foundation. A peaceful organization whose goal was to make a 'Perfect World'. Ichihoshi Mitsuru was a Seal, one of the Disciples of Orion. Ichihoshi Mitsuru sometimes leave the training ground and disappear off to somewhere. Ichihoshi Mitsuru's superior seemed to be a business man named Shinjou Takuma who worked for the Orion Foundation. Ichihoshi Mitsuru...

As Hiroto continues to report his findings, Kidou stares, taken aback with the amount of information he was currently receiving. Not only the quantity, but the quality of it was astounding. It went outside the realm of being just simply observant.

Hiroto waits as Kidou finishes arranging the information in his head. "This is, quite a lot." Kidou honestly admitted. Hiroto, as always, doesn't elaborate further on how he knows these very questionable yet vital things. "How did you get all this?" Kidou asks. Not because Kidou doubts Hiroto. No, Hiroto had already proven to Kidou with his actions. And personally, Kidou had less reasons to doubt Hiroto after visiting Gouenji. Kidou just seriously wanted to know what type of methods Hiroto had used to gain such information.

Hiroto had already kind of expected Kidou might ask a similiar question before coming. And after some thought, Hiroto decided that Kidou shouldn't know that Shinjou had been personally telling him what Hiroto had asked(and never ever tell anyone about his past life and Kiyama Hiroto's memories). Not because Hiroto doesn't trust Kidou, but because Hiroto didn't have it in him to tell Kidou that he had fallen into the eyes of the enemy and is probably exposed to a lot of danger as a result.

Hiroto didn't need that concern. Nor needed Kidou's attention to turn to that. Not yet, anyway. You're a hypocrite, Hiroto's subconscious whispers. "Ichihoshi's a real emotional guy for someone who's supposed to our teams spy." Hiroto said, placing his left hand on his side. "So I riled him up for info." Hiroto said. That easily? Kidou doubts it. The more Kidou gets to know about Hiroto, the less he understands. Gouenji had made a really strange friend.

Kidou truly wants the know the main source of Hiroto's information. "I see." Kidou said instead. But if Hiroto was willing to tell everything except for that, there must be an important reason. Kidou will put this information for later use and will bring it up again when it becomes relevant again for there are more pressing matters at hand. Hiroto said that Ichihoshi sometimes leaves the training grounds and disappear off to somewhere. So Kidou will start there "Okay. I'll shadow Ichihoshi tomorrow." Kidou said, tapping his left fist onto his right palm.

Late evening, someone is scurrying around dorm room 201. One of the residents in this room is in different room with his friends, and the captain had went to talk with the other. On the bed, nothing of note. The drawer is empty save for a pen and a small tearable notebook that had almost half its pages teared off. The closet has everything a player needs. Nothing special in the bathroom as well.

This was quite disappointing. One had thought there would be more than this.

Next morning, Ichihoshi is going back to his dorm room.

Playing along with Coach Zhao's so-called training two days ago was all so that he could get a hold of Kira Hiroto's weakness. Which had brought no results other than Ichihoshi losing Shogi(Ichihoshi didn't see Hiroto's attack coming), Blue Marble game(Hiroto hit the jackpot), World in Flames(Ichihoshi learned he kind of sucked at resource management, Hikaru would've been better), and Backgammon(Hiroto and Ichihoshi tied, but Ichihoshi considered that as a loss).

Hearing Endou constantly come and encourage Ichihoshi, pretending to be this pure kind-hearted savior. Ichihoshi wondered right then and there if Endou Mamoru, the literal captain of a national team was just that stupid. Sakanoue would choose violence if he knew Ichihoshi's thoughts. If having Endou was bad enough, Ichihoshi had to also refuse Inamori's gesture of trying to talk to him, as if he could understand anything. Hiura and Mansaku's weary glances and Iwato and Goujin's worried ones were getting on ichihoshi's nerves.

Ichihoshi wanted nothing more than to eliminate Endou and Hiroto simultaneously. But Endou always had someone next to, or in a position where anyone could walk on them ever since Ichihoshi's first attempt at Endou's elimination. Furthermore, Ichihoshi always felt chills down his spine whenever he got the slim chance to alone with Endou despite being no one near. Ichihoshi is positive Kidou must've done something. (It wasn't Kidou, but it's not as if Ichihoshi had seen another person witnessing that moment.)

And on the other side of the spectrum, Hiroto was always disappearing off to somewhere after group training. Two days ago, Ichihoshi had tried to look everywhere for him. Ichihoshi searched the soccer fields inside and outside the Kawaguchiko Sports center. Even going as far as searching the other sports fields, dorm rooms, the hallways, and so on. Ichihoshi couldn't walk for very long, so he had to take short breaks there and then because of his injury. But still, it was strange that Ichihoshi couldn't find Hiroto at all.

These were the reasons why Ichihoshi concluded that an active plan against those two was not going to work. Instead, Ichihoshi would patiently bide his time until there was a perfect chance to carry out a plan.

And it seems today was just Ichihoshi's lucky day. Because before morning group training that Ichihoshi would never join, Ichihoshi just happened to overhear Mikado and Endou's conversation in the hallways just outside the cafeteria. Apparently, Mikado was tasked with shopping errands by Coach Zhao.

Ichihoshi watched as Endou and Mikado left the building to the main town where the closest shopping mall was. But just as Ichihoshi was about to follow, he suddenly realized that his pockets felt lighter today. Ichihoshi quickly put his hands in his pockets, and sure enough, there was no phone. Ichihoshi blinks, confused, and racks his brain. Ichihoshi sometimes forgot where he put which items in place, but he made sure to keep his phone on him at all costs.

Ichihoshi's thoughts suddenly come to halt. When was the last time he held his phone? Was it last week? At the hospital Hikaru is admitted at? As soon as these thoughts enters Ichihoshi's mind, a deep and unsettling emotion rises near his lungs. Ichihoshi swallows down the strange feeling and mentally shakes his head. Ichihoshi must've placed it somewhere in his dorm room and somehow forgot. That was the explanation. Ichihoshi just had some misfortune.

Ichihoshi will soon follow Endou and Mikado, right after he grabs his phone.

This morning, before morning group training, Hiroto heads out to go around for a short walk after seeing Ichihoshi head to the direction of the dorm rooms. Hiroto wonders if Coach Zhao will give another one of his so-called special training like yesterday.

Right, yesterday. Yesterday was quite interesting. After Hiroto finished talking with Kidou, Kidou left with a promise to come back again tomorrow afternoon and give Hiroto something. After that, Hiroto bumped into Osamu, who was looking for him along with few others. Wanting to ask what had happened with Ichihoshi. Hiroto expected Tatsuya and Fubuki, but apparently, Kazemaru, Haizaki and Inamori, and many others were vocal about their curiosity as well.

Hiroto explained what had happened to Osamu. Direct and concise. Hiroto will never forget the expression Osamu made while trying to wrap around his head how playing board games and simple training exercises could be considered soccer training. Hiroto also heard about how everyone's training went. For some reason, Hiroto's attention went to the fact Tatsuya and Haizaki were the only ones who trained in two pairs instead of four, despite the fact that nothing seemed wrong with it.

As the events of yesterday clear away from Hiroto's head, he sees two familiar people going down the stairs. "Where are you two heading?" Hiroto asks. Endou and Mikado turn behind simultaneously. "Hiroto!" Endou greets. "Hiroto-san?" Mikado said, surprised by Hiroto's sudden appearance.

Mikado explains that she was tasked with shopping errands by Coach Zhao. And Endou, the generous captain he is, volunteered to help. Hiroto decides to join the two in their shopping. Endou beams in delight at Hiroto's response. "The more the merrier!" Endou agreed. Mikado, who had no reason to refuse extra help, agreed easily.

Mikado shows the shopping list on her notepad before they leave for the shopping mall. About 30 to 40 minutes of walking, Hiroto sees an elderly lady, children playing on the streets, and a group of rowdy teenagers with a delinquent getup on the other side of the road.

After another 10 to 20 minutes of searching for the correct groceries, the shopping trio leave the market with Hiroto and Mikado each holding a white plastic bag containing cleaning supplies, and Endou carrying four rolls of kitchen paper towels. "I'm sorry that you both are helping me like this when it's my job..." Mikado apologizes with an awkward smile. "Don't worry about it. Walking makes for good exercise." Endou said, smiling. Mikado lightly chuckles at Endou's positivity.

(They'll be stopped...)

Suddenly, Hiroto halts.

"Guys, stop." Hiroto warns, noticing a group of three delinquents coming their way. "Hey there, onee-chan, wanna go to karaoke with us?" a delinquent with long hair said with a pressuring tone. It was clear that the group in front had no good intentions. "Let's sing a duet together." another delinquent with short hair said. Hiroto took one step forward, but was stopped by Endou raising his right hand to block Mikado, and, for some reason, even Hiroto from the group of delinquents. "Endou, what-"

"Why are you looking at me at me like that?" the delinquent with short hair cuts off Hiroto's words. "Is this guy ridiculing us?" the delinquent with a large frame crossed his arms, his eyes on Endou. "Hey. What's your problem?" Endou's frown deepens. "Endou-san, Hiroto-san, let's just go." Mikado said, not wanting to be here for any longer. At Mikado's words, Hiroto gestures Endou and Mikado to try and go around them.

Unsurprisingly, the three get blocked by the delinquent group. "You're all blocking our way, move." Hiroto said, trying to get in front of Mikado and Endou once more. Endou lightly pushes Hiroto's abdomen, stopping Hiroto from advancing, again. Hiroto stares at Endou's actions. It was as if Endou was so sure Hiroto would pick a fight in broad daylight. Oh. Hiroto realizes that's probably it. Hiroto never uses violence as method unless absolutely necessary. And after hearing what came next, Hiroto was seriously considering it.

"Hey, hey, you might wanna Cozy up to us a bit, or someone's gonna get hurt." The delinquent with long hair said, reaching to Mikado's right wrists. That was enough. Hiroto holds Mikado's right shoulder sleeves and slightly pulls her back to create distance between her and the delinquent before contact. "Let her go!" Endou said, grabbing the delinquents left wrist to defend first before Hiroto could grab to attack.

The delinquent with long hair suddenly widens his eyes and backs up, grabbing his left wrist with his right hand, "Ow oww!" while loudly expressing his pain. "What happened? What did he do to you?" The delinquent with short hair exclaims even louder. Mikado stares in disbelief. "I think his arm is broken!" The delinquent with a large frame exclaims even louder. "Huh?" Endou lets out. What's happening? Hiroto asks himself, as an kid in a purple hoodie show up, bringing a policeman.

Wait, a policeman? What? "What are you kids doing?" The policeman arrives and accesses the situation. Everything was going too fast for Hiroto comprehend. "Officer! This guy used violence!" The delinquent with short hair said, raising a brow in disbelief as if they were the victims. "Now that I take a closer look, isn't this guy on Japan's youth soccer team?" The delinquent with a large frame said.

It's a universal rule that Endou Mamoru would never use physical strength or any kind of authority he has to harm another person.

Hiroto quickly snaps out his stupefied state. "These guys attacked us first." Even without exaggerating the amount of pain, or exclaiming loudly, Hiroto's steady voice takes over the delinquents shouts.

The expected reaction comes. "What!?" The delinquent with a large frame turns his head in shock. As if they were ones who the ones being accused of something they didn't do. Hiroto looks dead straight into the policeman's eyes, "They-" points to the group of delinquents with his right index finger, "-tried to harm her." and the policeman turns his head to Mikado in surprise. Assaulting an individual who was clearly physically weaker than yourself? A one way trip to the police station.

"No! We didn't!", "Stop making stuff up!", "That orange bandana guy hurt our friends arm!" The delinquent trio yell, losing their composure. "Officer! They're lying! I saw it with my very eyes!" The person in a purple hoodie who has brought the policeman crosses his arms.

The policeman glances at the two opposite groups and makes his decision. "You four, come with me to the station." The policeman sternly orders, gesturing to the group of delinquents and Endou.

On Hiroto's side, "Huh? But I didn't..." Endou trails off, looking rightfully bewildered from the unexpected situation. "This a mistake! Endou-san and hasn't done anything!" Mikado defends, the white plastic bag lighty swinging in the air as she raises her right hand in front of her chest. A gesture she subconsciously does in tense situations.

On the delinquents side, "We haven't done a thing! And look!" the delinquent with short hair points to his friends arm, "His arm is broken!" yelling his heart out.

The world feels quiet, Hiroto's heart is thumping near his ears, and his mind is disturbingly calm. There were security cameras on street lamps. The policeman will find out the truth one way or another. But there was a completely different issue. That being, Endou is important to the team. If Endou were to be taken to the police station now, Inazuma Japan would suffer both mental and defense power in their next match, and maybe the one after that.

"I'll hear what you four have to say at the station. Come along." The policeman said. And Hiroto takes a step forward. If Hiroto does this, it'll be the second time he's seen the inside of a police station. Better someone experienced than someone anyone else. Hiroto's head felt like it was going a million miles per second as multiple options show in his mind. Hiroto could say something like, Wait, officer, I'm the one who told my friend to fight back, and try to get Endou of the picture, or maybe Hiroto should knock out the police officer to cover up what had just had happened, or perhaps breaking- but before Hiroto could do any of those, Endou places his right hand on top of Hiroto's left shoulder.

Endou's intuition had told him that Hiroto was going to try something reckless. And Endou can't let that happen. As captain, Endou has the responsibility to keep his teammates safe.

Eyes widening, Hiroto turns to his left. Endou is staring right back. "Hiroto, it's okay." Endou reassures with a steady tone.

No, it wasn't okay. Hiroto doesn't feel okay.

First Gouenji, then Kidou, and now, even Endou?

Just yesterday, after meeting and talking to Kidou made Hiroto feel a little better despite the topic they were discussing. Hiroto really thought that, just for a moment, things would start to become a little better.

However, no pleas could bring Endou back to Mikado and Hiroto and the two people left behind watches helplessly as the police takes Endou and the three delinquents away. "Endou-san..." Mikado lets out, voice small and strained. Hiroto is standing still, holding the four rolls of kitchen paper towels that Endou had handed to him before he left, and the white plastic bag he was carrying before.

Many blocks away, in an alleyway, Ichihoshi had already left the scene, frustrated. Almost an hour ago, Ichihoshi headed to his dorm rooms and thankfully managed to quickly find his phone. After grabbing his phone, Ichihoshi had ran to catch up to Endou and Mikado. Ichihoshi somehow caught up and saw the exact moment Endou had entered the store.

Ichihoshi's plan was originally luring Endou into using violence on him, but after seeing a group of delinquents on the streets, Ichihoshi had decided to go about it in a more efficient matter. And it went well. Endou was framed and sent to the police station.

Except it wasn't. For some reason, when Mikado and Endou exited the store, Hiroto was with them. And Hiroto almost succeeded in clearing Endou's name by triggering the responsibility onto the delinquents. Ichihoshi lets out a mental sigh of relief. At the very least, Endou was gone, albeit temporarily.

Now, Ichihoshi can finally focus on one task.

Somewhere, in the Kawaguchiko Sports Center, Fubuki is thinking as he looks around the room.

Since the day Tatsuya had explained what Hiroto had been telling him, Fubuki found it difficult to not find Hiroto suspicious. It only took a moment to think about it. Sure, let's say Hiroto just so happened to have enough strong intuition to feel something was off about Ichihoshi.

But what about the other things? Telling Tatsuya, Gouenji and Kidou about information no one else has seen. Training every night, with only Tatsuya knowing. What's more, Tatsuya only joins Hiroto few times in a week. And the cherry on top, Hiroto exposing Ichihoshi so directly with information that was pretty difficult to get unless one had stolen Ichihoshi's cleats and put it back without him noticing or something. In conclusion, almost impossible.

Ichihoshi was suspicious because he had been exposed, Hiroto was suspicious because he was the one to expose such an individual like Ichihoshi.

The day after Tatsuya told everything that had happened so far, Fubuki had shared his thoughts with Kazemaru. And Kazemaru listened, understanding Fubuki's concerns. So what are you going to do? Kazemaru had asked. A sharp question. Fubuki will never know, but from Kazemaru's perspective, he had, for a split second, felt something from Fubuki that was similar to Kidou before he went out his way to eliminate Ichihoshi.

Fubuki said, with a small determined smile, that he will bring it up to Hiroto when it's just right. Kazemaru showed slight relief in hearing that. Fubuki didn't tell Kazemaru that if Hiroto could, he would've already told everyone from the beginning. Fubuki didn't tell Kazemaru that, perhaps there was an actual reason for Tatsuya not wanting to go up to Hiroto and ask him. And Fubuki doubted going straight to Hiroto and bring up everything Tatsuya had said would bring desired results. (Fubuki doesn't want Hiroto to lose whatever semblance of trust he had in Tatsuya just in case Hiroto's suspicion was confirmed. Tatsuya seemed to be the only person Hiroto told anything after all. And Fubuki needed that connection just in case.)

That was what happened yesterday, and Fubuki had found no additional information about Ichihoshi in his room.

Today, Fubuki had went to group morning training excluding those like Nishikage and Fudou, and noticed the captain and Hiroto were gone. Fubuki brought this up Kazemaru mid-training, to which Kazemaru replied that he had seen Endou and Mikado go out to the direction of the store about almost an hour ago and that he heard from Coach Zhao that he had given Hiroto and Ichihoshi another special training today. A certain amount of minutes after hearing that, Fubuki excused himself from group morning training. Fubuki's made up excuse was that his legs were a bit sore from yesterday's training and would go get some rest in his dorm room and join evening group training.

There was nothing that happened in Fubuki's life so far that would turn him into a morally challenging person. Nor let him become someone who would enter another's dorm room without permission.

But something was happening in the FFI, and Fubuki felt like if he didn't do anything right now, he and rest of the Inazuma Japan would be left in the dark forever.

Fubuki slides open the door of room 210, closes it behind, and scans the room. Left is Haizaki's side, and right is Hiroto's side. Both sides were equally just slightly messy. Fubuki heads to Hiroto's side, and decides to start with the bed as he did with Ichihoshi.

There's nothing note worthy on top or underneath the bed nor the mattress. Next, Fubuki checks the drawers. There are many expensive looking chain bracelets, necklaces lined up by an unorganized order and bubblegum packs. Other than that, the drawer is spotless. Next, Fubuki checks the desk. There's a sports water bottle, a pencil case, and an empty notebook. Next, Fubuki checks the closet. There are some extra pair of uniforms, casual clothing, cleats, and everything else. Next, Fubuki checks the bathroom. Hiroto and Haizaki were obvious on just how much they didn't want the other to touch their stuff. But nothing of worth either.

Fubuki closes the bathroom door behind him. To think he wouldn't gain anything from this room as well after spending this much time in here. Fubuki was about to turn to the left and take his way out to the door when he noticed something on Haizaki's side. More specifically, the top of Haizaki's closet. There's a sports duffle bag on top of it.

That's when Fubuki realizes he hasn't seen Hiroto's sports duffle bag on his side. Fubuki decides to search the closet again. Fubuki rummages around the closet a bit more until he finds Hiroto's duffle bag. Fubuki zips it open, shuffles through some stuff, and finds a tightened uniform jacket seemingly wrapped around something.

Fubuki instinctively knows there must be something hidden beneath it. So his hands reach to untie the bundle of clothing. And Fubuki's eyes widen as he examines the object now held in his hand.

It's a normal object. An everyday object you can see in a sports center holding soccer players. But, if it so, why did Hiroto place it like this? A snowflake tingles Fubuki's head. A conversation two days ago, from Endou, Inamori, Goujin, Ootani, Haizaki and Hiroto. Fubuki tries something that was mentioned by Haizaki, and his eyes widen in surprise.

That's when,

from behind,

the door gently slides open.

Fubuki freezes, his hands instantly dropping the object back into the sports duffle bag, his breath briefly hitching through his neck.

Slowly, but surely, Fubuki turns his head to his right, careful to keep a neutral expression. And there, standing still in the doorway, is a surprised Tatsuya.

Tatsuya, who was looking for Hiroto because Mikado interfered mid-group training and told everyone to gather in the cafeteria minutes ago. Tatsuya, who never expected Fubuki to be in this room, crouched in front of Hiroto's closet. Tatsuya's eyes turn, very, slowly, to the sports duffle bag in front of Fubuki. "What are you doing in this room?" Tatsuya asks, looking lost.

Fubuki tilts his head slightly to the left. "Ah, Tatsuya." Fubuki greets. "I bumped into Hiroto along the way, and he asked me a small favor to go get something from his dorms since he was still busy with the training coach gave." Fubuki explains with his usual easy-going smile. If it were anyone else, it might've worked. Fubuki was very natural in his speech and mannerisms, as if that was what actually happened. Which is why it's unfortunate that it just so happened to be Tatsuya who entered this room.

Tatsuya, who knew Hiroto better, not because he knew everything, but because he spent with Hiroto the most than anyone else in Inazuma Japan. Fubuki blinks as Tatsuya steps into the room. Without giving a glance back to the door, Tatsuya's right hand slides it shut. "Hiroto isn't the type of person to ask for something." Tatsuya said, voice unsettling calm. Fubuki briefly thinks Tatsuya felt awfully similar to Hiroto when he speaks to Coach Zhao. "But Hiroto did?" Fubuki repeats, showing his confusion.

Tatsuya sees Hiroto turning to him. "What's with Fubuki today?" Hiroto asks. Fubuki looked normal to Tatsuya. Osamu blinks, tilting his head a little to side. "Fubuki?" Tatsuya repeats. Hiroto seems to think for a moment. "It's nothing." Hiroto answers, before returning to his food. Tatsuya doesn't think it's nothing, but unfortunately, he isn't given much time to think it through.

It seems Hiroto's intuition was never wrong. Letting out a quiet shuddering breath, Tatsuya finds his words. "Fubuki. I want you to be honest with me." Tatsuya begins, leaning against the door to ensure Fubuki had no way of backing out. Fubuki slightly frowns. "What were you doing?" Tatsuya asks, steadying his voice. Tatsuya expected an excuse, retaliation, giving up, but Fubuki does none of these. Instead, Fubuki slowly stands up, gaze seeming to pierce through Tatsuya's. "Tatsuya, have you ever tried exposing someone before?" Fubuki suddenly asks a question that seems out of place.

Tatsuya blinks. "Huh, no?" Tatsuya answers, wondering where this is going. Fubuki continues to speak. "If you want to expose someone, you need to know exactly what they're doing," when Fubuki was younger, he remembers Atsuya once tried to hide something from him, "or know better than them," Fubuki went to many lengths to know where Atsuya was headed, what he was going to do, think what he was thinking, "don't you think so?" and he had coaxed Atsuya into telling his secret.

Atsuya's secret was that he stole a bear cub from a woods because he thought it would be awesome to raise it. Hiroto's secret was that he knew information that could expose a foreign soccer player and show their true colors as a traitor aiming to harm everyone in the team with underlying implications of a more bigger secret.

Tatsuya's eyes widen. Not in shock, but in slight irritation. "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to say that Hiroto's a traitor?" Tatsuya asks, his hands subconsciously pressing onto the door harder. "Now now, I didn't say that." Fubuki said, crouching down and picking up the object he had dropped into the sports duffle bag a few minutes ago. Tatsuya blinks, staring at the object in Fubuki's right hand. It's a single soccer cleat. "But what you said might be correct. Either way," Fubuki's right hand hits the back of the cleat with similar power to hitting the ground with your back heel.

"Hiroto needs to explain this." Tatsuya stares at the mirror popped out from the bottom of the cleat. "That is..." Tatsuya trails off, the shock slowly creeping up his expression. Fubuki observes Tatsuya falling into disarray. This was not Fubuki's initial plan. The plan was if he had found anything in Ichihoshi's stuff that would led to more information, Fubuki would've told his friends and everyone else. But if Fubuki found something in Hiroto's stuff, he would go and interrogate Hiroto, his friends and Tatsuya last. Fubuki feels bad for Tatsuya, but if he didn't show this right now, Tatsuya wouldn't have let him go.

Unfortunately, neither Tatsuya and Fubuki have time to make their next decision. Because suddenly, the two hears voices down the hallways. Tatsuya's eyes widen. Fubuki is more frozen still than the hissatsu techniques he uses when he recognizes the two very familiar voices. It's Haizaki and Inamori. Tatsuya instinctively leans back against the door, holding the handle tightly.

From outside, a conversation that doesn't reach inside the dorm rooms is going back and forth. "...I want to find evidence that Ichihoshi isn't a bad person." Inamori continues, following behind Haizaki. "Not this crap again." Haizaki clicks his tongue, annoyed. Inamori, however, keeps his chin up. "There must be a reason for Ichihoshi's actions." Inamori fights back seriously. Because the devil turned out to be a person fighting for his hospitalized friend, and the most intimidating king in a dark organization turned out to be a person who was most hardworking for a peaceful world.

Not that Haizaki would know what Inamori is thinking. Haizaki just wanted to get an extra shoelace from his sports duffle bag. Haizaki's current one snapped during practice for some reason. Then, Haizaki would head downstairs to hear what Mikado had to say since she was still going around gathering everyone. Reaching dorm room 210, Haizaki puts his right hand on the sliding door handle and slightly pulls. Only for it to not budge. Haizaki tries again, a little bit harder, but to no avail. "I thought these types of doors didn't have locks." Hazaki clicks his tongue. "Maybe it's stuck? We can get Golem to open to the door for us." Inamori suggests helpfully from beside.

Haizaki furrows his brows. "There's no need for that. I'll just-" Haizaki holds the handle with both hands and starts pulling as hard as he can.

From inside, Fubuki places the cleat back in place, and takes a few pictures with his phone while Tatsuya is struggling to keep the door shut. After the picture goes to his gallery, Fubuki spotlessly places everything back in place where they were before and stands up.

In the hallways, Sakanoue steps out of the elevator. "Inamori-san, Haizaki-san! There you are. The coach asked me and Kazemaru-san to go and gather the res-" Sakanoue stops as he witnesses the unnatural sight in front of him. "What are you guys doing?" Kazemaru asks. "The door is stuck." Inamori explains as Haizaki stops trying to pull the door. "Damn it! I can't get it open." Haizaki said, glaring at the door. "Locked? What do you mean?" Kazemaru asks. "Exactly what I said." Haizaki said, pointing to the sliding door.

Wanting to try it out for himself, Sakanoue comes up, puts his hand on the handle, and the door slides open as easily, revealing an empty dorm room.

Sakanoue turns to Haizaki and Inamori. "The door opens just fine." Sakanoue said, raising a brow in confusion. "Are you guys sure that it was closed?" Kazemaru asked. "Yes, it was!" Inamori responds seriously. "I swear I couldn't open it just a moment ago." Haizaki said, stepping into the room. Kazemaru observes the two shocked people in front. Inamori wasn't the type, and Haizaki had no reason to lie. But there was no other evidence to back up their claims.

Inamori steps into the dorm room while Kazemaru is thinking. "I've never been here before. So this is Haizaki and Hiroto-san's dorm room." Inamori exclaims at the new sight. Momentarily putting aside his earlier argument with Haizaki, Inamori takes this moment to explore the room to fuel his curiosity as Haizaki walks past Inamori and goes straight to his closet for an extra shoelace.

Sakanoue turns to Kazemaru while Inamori comments on the state of the bathroom in the dorm room. "Kazemaru-san. We should get Fubuki-san now." Sakanoue said. Right, that was the original reason for Kazemaru coming up to the dorms. With help from others, everyone have gathered the scattered individuals to the cafeteria. After that, Kazemaru called Fubuki with his phone in the locker rooms, only to hear ringing from Fubuki's locker. Which is why he decided to go up to the dorms with Sakanoue. If Kazemaru remembers correctly, Fubuki shares dorm room 213 with Hiura. "Inamori, Haizaki, come downstairs to the cafeteria after you're done." Kazemaru states, turning to leave the room with Sakanoue. "Yeah, I know." Haizaki said from his crouched position. "We'll head down right away after-" Inamori stops himself and turns his head to the right.

The three near turn to Inamori's cutoff immediately. "Inamori, what's wrong?" Kazemaru asks, stopping in his tracks. "Did you guys hear that?" Inamori answers Kazemaru's question with another one. "I didn't hear anything." Sakanoue said, observing the room. "Hear what?" Haizaki asks, standing up with a shoelace in his right hand. "It was like a small thud." Inamori explains. A small breeze tickles Kazemaru's skin, and his gaze flickers to a small but noticeable gap on the very right side of the window.

Haizaki notices what Kazemaru is looking at. "Why's the window open?" Haizaki says, frowning. The other three stare at him. "You didn't open it?" Kazemaru asks. "No, I didn't." Haizaki answers. It was closed when Haizaki left this morning. "Maybe Hiroto-san did?" Sakanoue suggests. "That guy? No way he did. He's always gone by the time I wake up." except for that one time, Haizaki adds in his thoughts.

Dorm room 210 quickly turned into a trial where a brief debate went back and forth between Inamori, "Maybe Hiroto-san came back and opened the window?" and Sakanoue, "That sounds even more unlikely." saying it with a very serious expression while Haizaki stares at the two.

A slowly rising headache is forming in Kazemaru's head. It was already bad enough that this FFI and their coaches were definitely hiding something as Kidou had said, Inazuma Japan had a confirmed traitor named Ichihoshi Mitsuru causing mayhem in the team. On top of that, there were less lethal but lingering mysteries such as who that Mutekigahara Fujimaru guy is, and Fubuki's concerns about what Tatsuya had said about Hiroto.

And another thing, Kazemaru still needed to retrieve Fubuki from his dorm room and gather at the cafeteria.

In dorm room 209, Tatsuya quietly jumps off the window ledge and into the room. It was quite an inconvenient way to keep out of sight. Especially since the closet and bathroom were right there. However, as if Tatsuya hadn't had enough surprises for today, Fubuki ditched all the options Tatsuya thought up and went straight for the window instead. Not wanting to lose sight of Fubuki, Tatsuya followed behind the moment Haizaki stopped trying to force the door open and began initiating a conversation with two other people whose voices sounded like Kazemaru and Sakanoue.

Fubuki had stepped aside on the windowsill so that Tatsuya could go in first. After Tatsuya had walked away from the window, Fubuki swiftly and silently closed it shut. Tatsuya's back is facing Fubuki. And even though Fubuki can't see Tatsuya's expression in this position, he's fairly certain that Tatsuya is still trying to process what had just happened.

There is silence and thinking from both sides. Tatsuya's head has never gone so fast in his life. Never in his life did he expect to prioritize soccer over his duty to repay his father, think about anyone aside from his family, play in a suspicious international soccer tournament, or catch a friend snooping around his other friend's dorm room.

Fubuki had just given Tatsuya doubt, discomfort, and have shown a twisted sense of light about his friend all at once. Deep down in his head, Tatsuya didn't really believe Hiroto was some secret super bad guy hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect chance to strike down lightning. But what Tatsuya just saw couldn't be simply ignored like Hiroto's other strange behavior.

Maybe Fubuki was right that day. Even though it wouldn't be irrational to do so, Tatsuya shouldn't have moved on from attempting the option of communication with Hiroto so quickly even after what had happened.

Tatsuya straightens up before turning to Fubuki. "What are you going to do now?" Tatsuya asks. There wasn't a point in asking Fubuki how and why he had chosen to go through with this since the situation had already happened.

Fubuki stands still as metaphorical snowflakes fall from the ceiling above. And like a wolf in a snowy mountain forest that had lifted its head up to catch sight of an ionization trail, Fubuki watches Tatsuya carefully. Fubuki honestly thought Tatsuya would feel a little bit more lost and betrayed. Whether at Fubuki, or even Hiroto. At the very least, asking why Fubuki had rummaged through others' belongings without permission. Fubuki would've if he were in Tatsuya's position. But then again, Tatsuya seemed like the straightforward type that does what is possible instead of searching for the possibility.

Tatsuya was still waiting. "I'm still thinking about it." Fubuki gives a vague answer. Now that Tatsuya had caught him, Fubuki had to change from his initial plans. Actually, about that, Fubuki wondered what had even caused Tatsuya to come up to the dorm rooms in the first place. Overhearing the conversation from Kazemaru over the room, it sounded like something had happened downstairs and everyone was made to be gathered in the cafeteria. Fubuki couldn't have predicted this, but he'll make a better secondary plan next time something similar happens.

As Fubuki's thoughts come and go in his mind, "You're thinking about it." Tatsuya repeats, tone stolid. The metaphorical snow slows down its fall and Fubuki has to briefly stop his thoughts to observe Tatsuya's stiff expression.

A meteor from outer space changes its directory to a snowy forest on earth. "I can conclude at least three possible ways to use what you've found." Tatsuya begins. The atmosphere seems to dust from the steady yet slightly strong tone Tatsuya had chosen to use. "First, directly asking Hiroto," an option that wasn't open because Tatsuya deemed it impossible, though why Fubuki didn't do this first was still unknown, "second, pressure him," similar to how Kidou kept attacking Ichihoshi on the field, "third, expose him," similar to how Hiroto forced evidence from Ichihoshi, "Which option were you going for?" Tatsuya asks, slightly demanding.

Tatsuya has never actively decided on what he should do. Tatsuya wanted to show gratitude to Father, so he focused on studying. His family and friends wanted him to continue their dream of soccer with him, so he did. Tatsuya needed and wanted Hiroto to work with the team to win the Football Frontier, but since he couldn't get a grasp on Hiroto, he had to move on and continue forward regardless of Hiroto's absence.

At least, that was what would've been the end of Tatsuya's story. If only the enigma that was Hiroto didn't exist.

Tatsuya wanted to show gratitude to his Father, but after hearing Hiroto's words in Eisei's soccer stadium, mixed feelings for the one he wanted to repay the most stirred up in Tatsuya's heart. Tatsuya's family wanted to continue their dream of soccer with him, and Hiroto's unorthodox behavior made the team train harder to keep up with his antics. Tatsuya needed and wanted Hiroto to work with the team to win the Football Frontier, and despite their differences and arguments, Hiroto arrived when the team needed him the most.

And now, "I don't know what you're planning. But don't do anything yet." Tatsuya decides to prioritize Hiroto's status as his friend.

The metaphorical snow stops. Yet? Fubuki catches on to that particular word. The stars are twinkling above the sky hidden by the sun, and Tatsuya decides to speak his thoughts. "Tomorrow is our next match. And I don't want Hiroto or anyone else to lose focus because of this right now." Tatsuya firmly said.

Fubuki supposes Tatsuya's words were understandably fair enough. Or maybe that was an excuse to buy more time. Either way, "Do you have any plans after tomorrow, then?" Fubuki asks. Through the window, sunlight shines into the room. It hits Tatsuya's face, who is facing the window. "After tomorrow, I'll go talk to Hiroto," It would be difficult, "and ask him about what I've seen." but Tatsuya needed to make a decision. Fubuki, whose back is facing the window, is blocking the sunlight from falling onto his face. The metaphorical snow is still.

Fubuki returns Tatsuya's conclusion with a slight frown. Fubuki didn't intend to jump to hasty conclusions. But even so, Fubuki has to ask, "And what if you just make him more alert?" just in case they were in a worst-case scenario where Hiroto turned out to be an even worse threat than Ichihoshi. Even if it's Tatsuya, Fubuki doesn't think such an approach would be the best.

Tatsuya, however, doesn't agree with Fubuki's fairly realistic yet negative perspective. "Is that why you chose to rummage through Hiroto's belongings?" Tatsuya sharply points out, crossing his arms. Was that it? The atmosphere seems to scream. Fubuki hadn't done anything genuinely bad in his life. To be more accurate, Fubuki had never been in the open position of a guilty person before. Unlike Atsuya, who seems used to the reputation of a troublemaker. It wasn't such a horrible feeling that it would make Fubuki flinch and hide away, but it wasn't the most comfortable one either.

Though it doesn't mean that Fubuki will step back down. "Wouldn't you do so as well?" Fubuki asks. Fubuki doesn't understand why Tatsuya isn't more cautious. Before the FFI, there were many forums of the 'Kira cooperate's delinquent son' and 'Eisei's Young Nobleman' having bad relationships with each other on a popular sports site. And there was that one trending clip of Hiroto saying something eligible to Tatsuya- many people on the forum speculated Hiroto had insulted Tatsuya based on the shocked expression Tatsuya had shown -before leaving the field in the second half of Eisei VS Raimon. Fubuki didn't spend a lot of time on social media, but the amount of forums he saw made it difficult not to assume that all of it was true.

This was why Fubuki honestly found it a little surprising when he met Tatsuya, Hiroto, and Osamu during the first day of the FFI, and saw Hiroto sticking close to Tatsuya most of the time. "Perhaps if I were you, I would've." Tatsuya said, interrupting Fubuki's brief flashback. Fubuki narrows his eyes ever so slightly that it was unnoticeable to even Tatsuya. "But I trust Hiroto." Tatsuya says this with no hesitation, such a resolution that Fubuki can't help but think it's a bit ridiculous. "Trust? Have you known him for that long?" Fubuki lets out a little bit of his thoughts.

The correct answer was, "No, not really." which Tatsuya says with no hesitation. That makes even less sense, Fubuki thinks, caught off guard by Tatsuya's honest answer. To Tatsuya, it doesn't matter that his relationship  with Hiroto was a fairly recent development, "But I'll choose to trust Hiroto either way." Tatsuya will respond with this. Because for Tatsuya, his trust doesn't mean blindness, but taking the first step to get closer.

Of course, to Fubuki, Tatsuya's words were unconventional. As if everything in this world could be solved with trust. Whether or not Tatsuya truly means it, Fubuki doesn't understand how one can say that with such confidence despite the situation laid out to them.

(In the far future, Fubuki will look back to this moment and suffer in silence at the sheer irony.)

Tatsuya speaks again. "Don't do anything until after tomorrow." Tatsuya wasn't asking. Fubuki doesn't even have to think through his options before choosing an answer. "Okay, I won't." Fubuki answers the only three words he has to say if he wants Tatsuya to stop pestering him.

Relieved that the initial threat towards Hiroto is temporarily gone, Tatsuya uncrosses his, "You better keep your word." and said with an uncharacteristic strong tone. The next thing Fubuki hears from Tatsuya is, "Thank you, Fubuki." the most ambiguous-sounding gratitude Fubuki had ever heard. "Anyways, we should head down-" Tatsuya still hears unintelligible voices outside the dorm room, "-after they're gone." frowning as he finishes his words. "Sure." Fubuki answers, easily agreeing.

Satisfied with the uneasy conclusion made in this room, the meteor narrowly avoids the earth and snowflakes slowly resume their fall. From the door, the right side of this room is Tatsuya's. Not wanting to stand awkwardly while they wait, Tatsuya goes to sit on the edge of his bed while Fubuki takes Tatsuya's chair beside the bottom edge of the bed.

Another beat of silence. Fubuki decides to return to the question that had been on his mind since Tatsuya had entered dorm room 210. "By the way, why have you come up to the dorms?" Fubuki asks, wanting to know.

The past few minutes have thrown Tatsuya away from the original reason he was up here. "Mikado wanted everyone to gather up in the cafeteria. So I went to get Hiroto." Tatsuya explains. Many minutes ago, Mikado rushed into the training field and called for everyone. Seeing Mikado's discomposure, everyone on the field dropped what they were doing and most asked if Mikado was okay. Coach Zhao then instructed them to retrieve those who weren't on the field. "Have you tried calling him?" Fubuki asks.

Tatsuya gives Fubuki a look that indicates he has obviously done that. "Yes, I did." Tatsuya answers. Heading to the locker rooms to get his phone was the first thing Tatsuya did. Sending messages and calling Hiroto hadn't worked. So after telling Kazemaru in the cafeteria who had taken the main role of gathering everyone in the cafeteria, Tatsuya headed to the dorms first to see if Hiroto was there.

The room is plunged into awkward silence once more after Tatsuya's answer. The two bide their time in the cold snowy forest that is this room. Waiting under the shadowed forest trees that is the ceiling, until Fubuki hears the sound of footsteps heading to the elevator. "I think we should go now." Fubuki said, standing up from the chair. Tatsuya pushes himself away from his bed, and stands up along with Fubuki. After waiting a few more minutes for safety, the two take their steps to the door. Tatsuya slides the door open and checks right to left. The hallways are empty. Haizaki, Inamori, Sakanoue, and Kazemaru had already left ahead.

Tatsuya and Fubuki walk side by side, with Tatsuya on the right, and Fubuki on the left. Silence occupies the elevator. It's with Tatsuya and Fubuki after the elevator stops on the first floor. It follows Tatsuya and Fubuki through the hallways, and into the cafeteria. "You two arrived pretty early." Fudou's obvious sarcastic voice reaches Tatsuya and Fubuki's ears. Beside Fudou's right, Kazemaru looks surprised to see the person he couldn't find in his dorm room. "Fubuki? Where were you?" Kazemaru asks. "What do you mean?" Fubuki answers, unblinking, seemingly genuinely confused. "I went to the dorms with Sakanoue and you weren't in your room." Kazemaru explains.

"Ah, I went outside to get some water when I bumped into Tatsuya along the way." Fubuki says this as smoothly as snowflakes flowing in the air. Tatsuya makes a face. There's no sign of hesitation, nor any awkwardness. If they were in any other scenario, Tatsuya might've found it impressive. But as of now, complex feelings stir in Tatsuya's mind. After receiving Fubuki's answer, Kazemaru addresses Tatsuya next to him. "So, he's not in his room either?" Kazemaru asks, and Tatsuya shakes his head.

A few steps away from Kazemaru, Tatsuya, and Fubuki, Mikado checks the people around her. Behind the counter, all the managers, and Yone-san are here. A few meters away, Coach Zhao, Li Kobun, and Assistant Coach Kudou are standing there. Surrounding Mikado, all players except for Hiroto and Ichihoshi were there. "Looks like everyone except for those two are here." Fudou comments. "Hiroto-san said he'll return here. Though I'm not sure for how long." Mikado answers half of Fudou's questions. "He did? Did you see him?" Tatsuya asks, a little too earnestly. It doesn't go unnoticed by everyone. Mikado gives a small nod at Tatsuya's question.

Fudou gives Tatsuya a knowing look. “Looks like someone's happy to hear that. It’s really funny how much you don’t know about that guy.” A small smirk appears on Fudou's facial expression as he said that. “What do you mean?” Tatsuya said. Of course Tatsuya is glad to hear two people have seen Hiroto, but the tone Fudou used made it sound like he knew something Tatsuya didn't. Fudou shrugs once, showing Tatsuya that it wasn't his problem.

Seeing that Fudou won’t elaborate further, Tatsuya turns to Mikado next. “When was the last time you saw Hiroto?” Tatsuya asks. "It was after Endou-san was taken away by the police, and," Mikado quickly realizes her mistake of accidentally dropping the most crucial information first. That wasn't the order she wanted to share the news.

Inamori's eyes widened. "What!? Captain's been arrested?!" Inamori exclaims in disbelief. "No! Endou-san did nothing wrong!" Mikado quickly defends, her voice raising ever so slightly. "Why was Hiroto there with you? Wasn't he supposed to be doing morning training with Ichihoshi?" Kazemaru interferes, glancing at the coach who had told him that this morning. Coach Zhao simply smiles back. Kazemaru slightly frowns as he turns his glance away. "Endou-san and I bumped into Hiroto-san this morning. And Hiroto-san followed along to help me with my errands along with Endou-san." Mikado begins to properly explain the events one by one. "On the way back, some aggressive looking people tried to approach me." Mikado externally expresses her discomfort as she recalls the memory.

"Endou-san and Hiroto-san were protecting me, but then those people faked getting attacked by Endou-san!" Mikado recounts more of the events, spreading her arms to express just how ridiculous the situation was back then. "That sounds terrible. Are you okay?" Ootani asks, concern clear on her face. "I'm alright, but Endou-san and Hiroto-san..." Mikado trails off, placing her right hand on her hair, lost in thought. "You sure it wasn't someone's bright idea?" Haizaki said before Mikado could continue. Everyone glances at each other. The implications of Haizaki's words are clear enough. There's only one person in their team who would want the downfall of Endou. And that one person wasn't currently here right now.

Kazemaru brings his right hand underneath his chin in thought. "No, it might be an organizational tactic." Kazemaru brings a new hypothesis out to the table. Kazemaru continues this line of thought as everyone's heads turn to him. First Gouenji, who was their team's power, then Kidou, who was the team's main brain. "This must be a plot to make Japan lose by taking out Endou, who is the cornerstone of our morale." Kazemaru comes to a conclusion. Everyone falls into a deep thought. "Actually, Kazemaru-san," Mikado finally finds the right timing to intervene. "Haizaki-san is right." Mikado said. Kazemaru slowly lowers his hand from his chin as everyone's head turns to Mikado. "You don't mean?" Hiura's eyes widened. "Yes,"

Mikado stands still from the pure shock as the police are taking Endou and the delinquents away. Just as Mikado was starting to get her bearings, a sound of something falling came from her right. Startled, Mikado whips her head as four rolls of kitchen paper towels and a white plastic bag falls onto the sidewalk.

Mikado watches as Hiroto rushes after the police with speed that she hasn't even witnessed during matches before. "Wait!" Hiroto doesn't exactly shout, yet his voice is loud enough that a few passers-by turn and stare . Mikado watches from afar, but close enough to hear what comes next. "I need to hear it." Hiroto states, blocking the path of the police.

"Please move aside, I have to take these four to the police station." The police said. Hiroto seems to ignore the police behind Endou and the delinquents. "I need to hear the reason why you tried to pick a fight with us." Hiroto goes straight to the point, blunt. Mikado can't see much from her position, but it seems the delinquents have changed their stance. Seemingly annoyed by Hiroto's question.

At the delinquents' reaction, Hiroto switches his stance, and begins to say something in a much more quiet tone. Mikado couldn't hear what was said, but she sees the way the delinquents freeze before one of them opens their mouth to speak. Endou seems to say something to Hiroto after the delinquents make their confession. The police once again ask Hiroto to move out of the way. This time, Hiroto complies, and leaves the police to walk along the path with Endou and the delinquents. Hiroto then makes his way beside Mikado. And before Mikado can ask what had happened, Hiroto said,

"It was Ichihoshi."

As Mikado repeats what Hiroto has said to her on the streets, everyone in the cafeteria hears something. Outside the hallways, what sounds like rushed footsteps can be heard. "What's going on-gosu?!" Iwato exclaims, as everyone is on high alert.

That's when Ichihoshi ran into the cafeteria, faster than anyone had ever seen him on the field. Everyone stares as Ichihoshi nearly bumps into a chair. Before he could stumble and trip over, Ichihoshi catches himself by holding onto the table right beside him. "What the hell." Haizaki let out, facial expression wrinkling in disbelief.

Hiroto enters through the door right after, and this time it's Tatsuya's turn to react. "Hiroto?" Tatsuya's surprise is ignored alongside Haizaki's as Ichihoshi turns his head to the source of his flight. "Stop. Chasing. Me!" Ichihoshi spits, voice shaking, trying to catch his breath. Nobody, not even those who were there when Ichihoshi was exposed as the traitor, has seen him look this discomposed. Hiroto stops a few feet before him and gives Ichihoshi a small smirk. "Hah... Funny to hear that from you." Hiroto said, voice carrying no sense of humor.

Coach Zhao's voice reaches the two before any of them can continue. "Ichihoshi-kun. Hiroto-kun. It's quite dangerous to run indoors." Coach Zhao says, approaching the group with Li Kobun. Ichihoshi shifts his gaze from Hiroto to Coach Zhao and the rest of Inazuma Japan grouped together. Realizing where he is, Ichihoshi lightly pushes himself away from the table he had used to steady himself. "In any case, you two are just in time to hear our lineup tomorrow." Coach Zhao said, gesturing his right hand for Ichihoshi and Hiroto to come over to where everyone else is.

Begrudgingly, Ichihoshi shakily walks to the group but keeps his distance. While Hiroto follows just behind. "As you see, Endou-kun won't be able to play in our next match tomorrow." Coach Zhao begins to explain. "Yeah, because of that guy." Haizaki shoots his gaze at Ichihoshi, who seems to be deliberately avoiding looking at anyone as he listens to the coach. "But we still have an excellent goalkeeper on our team." Coach Zhao ignores Haizaki's comment and continues. "Nishikage-kun, I'm counting on you." Coach Zhao smiles a little wider as he looks at Nishikage. "Huh? Me?" Nishikage shifts his feet the left to see Coach Zhao standing a few feet away. "Yes, you." Coach Zhao confirms Nishikage's surprise.

Uncertainty leaves Nishikage immediately, and his expression changes into a more serious one. "Very well." Nishikage accepts, "I will make every effort, to the best of my ability." and promises everyone to be the shield of Inazuma Japan. As Endou did from the beginning. Osamu points to himself with his left index finger. "Huh? What about...?" a left hand placed on Osamu's right shoulder stops him from speaking. Osamu turns his head to the right. "W-What?" Osamu stutters, not knowing how to respond to Tatsuya's unreadable neutral expression.

Inazuma Japan's most dependable captain has been arrested. There's a dangerous traitor who not even the coach can get off the team. Kidou and Gouenji are off the team. And everyone is trying their best to hang on in their absence. If it were any other day, Tatsuya might've chuckled at Osamu's energy. But right now, Tatsuya really needs Osamu to read the room.

Unbeknownst to Tatsuya, there seemed to be another person who couldn't read the room. Or rather, wasn't focused on it. "You'd be better as a forward anyway." Hiroto comments absentmindedly. Beside him, Ichihoshi gives Hiroto an incredulous look. Expression practically screaming, Him? A forward? which Hiroto blatantly ignores. "Have you finally gone insane?" Haizaki asks, adorning a similar expression to Ichihoshi. Hiroto slowly turns his head to his right, where Haizaki is a few feet away and actually scoffs. "And you'd make a perfect goalkeeper." Hiroto mocks, eyes on Haizaki's strands of hair. A certain memory from Seishou's match against Kidokawa Seishuu resurfaces in Haizaki's mind.

Fudou quickly notices the underlying change in Hiroto's behavior. "What's the matter with you?" Fudou asks. Not in disbelief like Haizaki, but because of curiosity. "You should ask yourself." Hiroto says. All previous passiveness forfeited, not a single hint of his usual neutral tone to be found, Hiroto doesn't even bother to cushion his sentence. Fudou raises a brow at Hiroto's response. "Okay everyone," Coach Zhao claps twice to bring everyone's attention towards himself, "that's all for now. Every player excluding Ichihoshi-kun and Hiroto-kun, please get back to practice." and instructs everyone to stop talking and prepare for tomorrow's match.

Haizaki deliberately ignores Coach Zhao's words and turns his gaze to Ichihoshi. Then to Hiroto, whose slight change in demeanor was even noticeable to Haizaki of all people. "What did you do." Haizaki isn't asking, it's a demand. Ichihoshi's eyes twitch. "Me?" Ichihoshi points his right index finger to himself. "He's the one that tried to fight me." Ichihoshi's eyes are bulging wide and resentful as he says this. Head slightly tilting at this left, to Hiroto's direction. Unfortunately for Ichihoshi, nobody in this space believes he wasn't the one to initiate something first. On Ichihoshi's right, Hiroto closes his eyes. "I didn't lay a hand on you. I just wanted to talk." Hiroto said seriously, opening his eyes again.

Everyone else watches the scene unfold before them, unsure whether or not to act. Assistant Coach Kudou decides to intervene before anything could happen. "Don't make the coach say it twice. Everyone excluding Ichihoshi-kun and Hiroto-kun, get back to practice, now." Assistant Coach Kudou instructs. "But-", "Haizaki, whatever your concerns are, tomorrow's match should be your top priority." Assistant Coach Kudou doesn't even give Haizaki a single chance to refute.

Haizaki clicks his tongue, muttering something along the lines that a traitor whose aim is to hurt their teammates should also be a top priority as he takes his steps outside the cafeteria. Everyone else follows in small murmurs or silence as Assistant Coach Kudou escorts the players out to the field. In a corner of the group of players, Fubuki silently nudges a stupefied Tatsuya in the back with his right hand. At a gentle hand on his back, Tatsuya gives one more look between Hiroto and Ichihoshi before letting Fubuki take him away and follow Assistant Coach Kudou. Yone-san beckons the managers and Li Kobun to her. And Coach Zhao smiles as he leads Hiroto and Ichihoshi away in the opposite direction of the outside.

Coach Zhao walks behind his two players, with Hiroto on the left and Ichihoshi on the right. "It's good to see you two energized." Coach Zhao said from behind. Ichihoshi tenses up at his coach's overly positive tone. There's no telling what Inazuma Japan's coach's intentions were. "As you two are the key players for our next match. I want you to improve your teamwork more." Hiroto hears Zhao's grating voice above his ears. Ichihoshi grits his teeth. As if Ichihoshi would work with Hiroto of all people.

On Assistant Coach Kudou’s side, Tatsuya has decided to bother Fudou who’s at the far back of the group. Fubuki is keeping company on Tatsuya’s right as Tatsuya turns to Fudou on his left. “What do you know?” Tatsuya lowers his voice, going straight to the point. “Even if I did, why should I tell you?” Fudou smirks back, finding hilarity in the situation. Tatsuya doesn’t find any humor in Fudou’s amusement. “You’re really clueless.” Fudou said. “Clueless about what?” Tatsuya said, a bit demanding.

Ever since Inazuma Japan's first match, Fudou, who took daily jogs around the Kawaguichiko Sports Center in the morning, was always approached by Hiroto. Hiroto would ask Fudou if he had seen Ichihoshi every day without fail. Fudou sometimes did, and sometimes didn’t. But Fudou always answered Hiroto’s question. Because why not? Hiroto was entertaining, and Fudou wanted to see Ichihoshi lose. Ichihoshi was entertaining and irritating. Mostly irritating, but Fudou has decided to perceive Ichihoshis actions as entertaining for the sake of his own convenience since the coach couldn’t do anything to get rid of Ichihoshi.

Fudou was planning on keeping this fun to himself. But after seeing Tatsuya’s expression sparking with resolve to get anything, Fudou changed his mind. It would be more entertaining to slip a little, and watch as how the other uses what he has been given. Perhaps Tatsuya would  be able to do something about Ichihoshi too. “Well, Mr Good Guy, the self-proclaimed God Striker has been monitoring our traitors’s every move.” After Fudou reveals this, Tatsuya’s stern expression loosen. Beside Tatsuya, Fubuki stares between Tatsuya and Fudou. Then, before Tatsuya could ask for elaboration, Fudou walks on ahead with a small self-satisfied smirk on his face.

After Fudou goes on ahead with others Tatsuya stops in place and turns to Fubuki. “Fubuki.” Tatsuya said, eyes wide and focused. Fudou’s words was the final piece to Tatsuya’s struggles. “Yes?” Fubuki answers, a bit cautious. Wondering what Tatsuya was going to say. “Hiroto has been watching over Ichihoshi.” Tatsuya says after changes Fudou’s weird praising into a sentence that could be universally understood. “Yeah, that’s how I understood it too” Fubuki said. Tatsuya’s eyes directly meets Fubuki’s own. “I want you to help me find Ichihoshi, and steer him to Hiroto.” Tatsuya said. That’s too vague. “You did what you did because you were suspicious of Hiroto’s actions.” Tatsuya explains. Ichihoshi’s position in this team was clear, but Hiroto’s was unclear from anothers perspective. I didn't lay a hand on you. I just wanted to talk, Hiroto had said.

What was Hiroto doing? Following and monitoring Ichihoshi’s actions? “If we bring Ichihoshi and Hiroto, or follow behind them, we can see what they’re doing.” Tatsuya explains seriously. Not that Fubuki was the one to talk, but he stares at Tatsuya in disbelief. To think this was the same person who was opposed to these sort of actions just days ago.

Time passes by. Today is another day of unorthodox and downright strange methods of practice ordered by Coach Zhao supervised by Assistant Coach Kudou. Somewhere at the beginning of practice, Tatsuya and Fudou of people somehow got into an argument. Fubuki unfortunately got caught up in it, and got his right leg slightly strained. Kazemaru watched as Tatsuya hurried over to Fubuki, looking apologetic. “Your moves were so great considering the match is tomorrow.” Fudou comments sarcastically. Tatsuya helps Fubuki stand up. “I’m sorry coach, I don’t think I’m at my best today. I’ll help Fubuki ice up and cool myself down before returning to practice.” Tatsuya hurriedly explains, looking lost. Assistant Coach Kudou’s facial expression doesn’t change. “You're out of focus because of Hiroto, aren’t you?” Tatsuya stays silent at Assistant Coach Kudou’s words. “Being concerned for your friend is understandable considering the situation we’re in. But I expect you focus better on training next time.” Assistant Coach Kudou advises. With that, Assistant Coach Kudou gives permission for the two to leave the field.

A couple hours later, Kazemaru was approached by Coach Zhao. Kazemaru was asked to get the water bottles from the locker rooms instead of the managers. Kazemaru didn’t question his coach why they needed water bottles when practice hasn’t even ended yet, and headed to the locker rooms immediately. In the locker rooms, Kazemaru was searching the fridge for the water bottles when he was interrupted by his phone's loud ringing coming from his lockers. Kazemaru lowers the water bottles on the floor, speeds to his locker, pulls his phone out of the dufflebag, and taps the ‘accept call’ button on his screen. “What are you going to ask now?” Kazemaru asks the other person on the line. The other person seems to shuffle through something based on the noise, and instructs something to Kazemaru.  

Pushing the locker room door open, Kazemaru steps into the hallways and begins walking to the shower room. There are no further instructions from the other person, so Kazemaru must be going the right way. A few corner turns later, from the opposite side of the hallways, Kazemaru sees Hiroto walking towards the direction of the shower rooms. Hiroto? Kazemaru thinks. This was who Kazemaru had to stop? "Kazemaru, you too? Is everyone taking a small break or something?" Hiroto asks. Kazemaru raises a brow. “Me too?” Kazemaru asks, confused. Kazemaru carefully thinks. There was only two other people Hiroto could’ve seen. “Did you see Fubuki and Tatsuya?” Kazemaru asks. “Yeah, I did.” Hiroto answers.

“You should head back to practice now.” Hiroto suggests. Kazemaru's head follows Hiroto's footsteps. “Where are you going?” Kazemaru asks, just as Hiroto was about to walk past. “I'm heading to the shower locker rooms.” Hiroto states shortly. Kazemaru still has practice, so he'll leave soon. Or at least, that was what Hiroto had thought. But instead, Kazemaru disregards all expectations and logic with a small nod. “Same here.” Kazemaru agrees. “Don't you have practice to get to?” Hiroto asks, genuinely confused. “Not right now, no.” Kazemaru answers vaguely. “That's pretty early.” Hiroto comments in amusement before taking a step around Kazemaru's right.

Kazemaru doesn't let Hiroto take a single step around him. Blinking, Hiroto meets eyes to eye with Kazemaru. Hiroto tries stepping around Kazemaru's left, but Kazemaru blocks the way once more with a single step. “Kazemaru, what's the big deal?” Hiroto bites. Kazemaru simply lets out a silent sigh. “Hiroto, be honest with me. What are you doing?” Kazemaru asks. Kazemaru wonders what warranted a person like him  to ask Kazemaru to stop Hiroto from whatever he was doing.

Before Hiroto could respond in any way, the two of them heard footsteps from behind Hiroto. Kazemaru’s single visible eye widened in surprise, loosening his defensive stance. Hiroto turns around and sees Tatsuya turning around a corner. “There you are.” Tatsuya said, eyes trailing to Kazemaru. Tatsuya? Kazemaru blinks. Fubuki reveals himself right after. Fubuki? Did his leg heal already? Kazemaru thinks. “Tatsuya, don't just go off anywhere you please.” Fubuki said, smiling.

Hiroto looks back and forth between Kazemaru and Fubuki in confusion. “We need to get back to practice. The coach called us.” Tatsuya tells Kazemaru. "Coach did?” Kazemaru reacts, just as confused as Hiroto, but for different reasons. Tatsuya nods, and places his right hand on Kazemaru's left shoulder.

Tatsuya's gesture is met with resistance. “You guys can go ahead, I'll follow right after.” Kazemaru explains, feet rooted to the ground. The wind refuses to move to the current of the meteor falling from outer space. Fubuki walks past Hiroto and places his left hand on Kazemaru's right shoulder. “Kazemaru, the coach said to come immediately.” Like a snow angel, Fubuki’s voice and expression is beautifully innocent. The coach? Coach Zhao? Assistant Coach Kudou? But they’ve just told me to get water bottles, Kazemaru wonders.

Suddenly, the four teens in the hallways are interrupted by the shower locker rooms door opening. Ichihoshi stares at all four of them before taking a step back and closing the door.

The silence was loud. Tatsuya breaks it first by patting Kazemaru’s shoulder. “Let’s go.” Tatsuya said. Kazemaru finished as he was instructed, so he let himself be steered away from Tatsuya and Fubuki.

Thoughts come and go naturally in Kazemaru's head. One of the thoughts was a scene he had seen in the morning. A sliding door that became stuck and got unstuck after Haizaki stopped trying to get it open for a minute. A window that was previously closed. Kazemaru doesn't need the observation skills nor Kidou's intelligence to deduce that those could be signs of a break in.

Perhaps Kazemaru was overthinking. Maybe the sliding door just caught up in something, Haizaki had forgotten he had opened the window, or Hiroto came back to his dorm and wanted some fresh air. But after the ridiculous events Kazemaru had experienced in this FFI, it wouldn't hurt to be skeptical. It wouldn't hurt to find out if an outsider, or someone in the team- including Ichihoshi -had tried to break in dorm room 210.

Many minutes later, during dinner. In the cafeteria, Kazemaru suddenly stands up from his seat before a single person could leave. Clearing his throat, "Everyone, I have something to say." Kazemaru announces, placing his hands just beside each sides of his tray. All heads turn to Kazemaru. Fudou huffs from a table behind him. "What? You're going to make us do more extra training after dinner?" Fudou said, sarcasm laced in his tone. Kazemaru's special training has drained everyone, excluding Hiroto and Ichihoshi who weren't there, of all their energy.

Kazemaru doesn't lose his stance. "It's not that." Kazemaru said, looking at each and every person in the cafeteria before before choosing his next words. "I'm sorry everyone, I know you're all exhausted." Kazemaru is too, "But I need everyone to go back your dorm rooms and search through your belongings." and everyone reacts accordingly to Kazemaru's speech.

Mainly, confusion. "Huh? Why?" Inamori exclaims. "Did something happen?" Hiura asks. Kazemaru nods. "I've been hearing that items went missing for the past few days, including mine." Kazemaru says, his words flowing as naturally as the wind. As Kazemaru's half-truth leaves his mouth, everyone shows a variety of reactions. "What!?" Goujin exclaims, turning his head to Inamori in disbelief. Next to Kazemaru's left, where he's not focused, Tatsuya gives a side-eye to his left. To which Fubuki answers with a glance of his own. "Is it because of what we saw in the morning?" Haizaki asks Kazemaru.

Assistant Coach Kudou, who was listening to everything from one of the furthest tables, slowly stands up from his seat. “Kazemaru, is that true?” Assistant Coach Kudou asks. Kazemaru nods. To the dorms everybody goes. Assistant Coach Kudou said that if it was confirmed that someone stole something, they would get grueling training. Not the kind that was helpful, but for punishment.

At very back of the crowd, Tatsuya slows down with Fubuki. "Did you steal from the other rooms?" Tatsuya whispers under his breath. "No, I didn't." Fubuki answers truthfully.

In dorm room 202, shared between Inamori and Goujin is currently occupied by Inamori, Goujin, Hiura, Iwato, and Mansaku. On the left side off the room, Hiura and Inamori are sitting on the edge of Inamori's bed while Iwato is sitting on Inamori's chair. On the right side of the room, Mansaku is sitting on the edge of Goujin's bed, while Goujin is sitting on his chair.

The former members of the Inakuni Raimon team have quickly searched through their belongings. And after confirming that none of their items were missing, they decided to gather and talk about the unfortunate circumstances that had happened so far in this FFI. "What if another accident happens-gosu?" Iwato nervously said, fidling with his hands. "I don't want that to happen, but based on what we've experienced so far we have no choice to be careful." Hiura said, resigned. Hiura has long since accepted the reality that if even their mysteriously powerful and competent coach couldn't do anything about Ichihoshi, then it was impossible for anyone else.

Mansaku slightly shifts to a more comfortable position. "I still don't get how Ichihoshi is getting away with all of this. What's happening in this FFI?" Mansaku's expression turns sour as he says this. Ichihoshi clearly framed Kidou, got his traitor status outed by Hiroto, and Anna told everyone Ichihoshi was the reason Endou was arrested. "Dunno, but a lot of weird things are happening since we've left the island." Goujin said. "Oh!" Inamori lets out, eyes suddenly lit up, as if remembering something. "Something weird happened this morning too." Inamori said.

Hiura gives his attention to Inamori. "Weird?" Hiura said, wanting more context. "Yeah! Maybe it's nothing, but it was bugging me for some reason." Inamori admits. "Really?" Hiura reacts, already intrigued.

Outside the hallways, Kazemaru stands before dorm room 213. Kazemaru lets out a short breath before lifting his right hand above his shoulders. The sound of knocking twice with Kazemaru's backhand reaches inside the dorm room. From the other side of the door, "Hm? Who is it?" Kazemaru hears Fubuki's voice. And unlike a certain individual saying 'Pardon my intrusion' while simultaneously opening a sliding door to their captain's dorm room, "It's Kazemaru. Can I come in?" Kazemaru asks for proper permission and waits patiently for an answer.

Rewarding Kazemaru's patience, "You can come in." Fubuki answers. Outside the room, Kazemaru reaches for the sliding door, opens it, and steps inside. On the right side of the room just beside Fubuki's bed, Fubuki is sitting on his chair. On the left side of the room just beside Hiura's bed, Tatsuya who is sitting on Hiura's chair. Kazemaru closes the sliding door behind with his right hand. "Kazemaru? What brought you here?" Tatsuya asks, his head turned to the right. "I've came here find Hiura." Kazemaru reveals his reason, taking a few steps forward. "I saw Hiura heading to dorm room 202 a while ago." Tatsuya said. Kazemaru gives Tatsuya a small thankful nod.

Now that Kazemaru has got the answer he wanted, he should leave the room. At the very least, that was along the lines of Fubuki's thoughts. "I also wanted to talk you, Fubuki." Kazemaru addresses Fubuki out of the blue. "Me?" Fubuki said, wondering what Kazemaru could possibly be here for that he'd come all the way here to find Hiura and himself instead of resting for tomorrow's match.

Kazemaru nods. Kazemaru had come to this room, to find Fubuki, because the scene he had seen in the morning was nagging him. "Something strange happened today." Kazemaru begins. Tatsuya glances at Fubuki. There was only one strange thing that had to do with Fubuki. "Well then, why don't you tell us?" Fubuki said smiling, gesturing to the extra chair next to Hiura's closet that Goujin brought from the storage room a few days ago.

Kazemaru walks, grabs the chair with his arm and sets it down in the middle of the room. The three players face each other in a triangular seating arrangement.

Kazemaru thinks as he sits down. A sliding door that became stuck and got unstuck after Haizaki stopped trying to get it open for a minute. A window that was previously closed. Kazemaru doesn't need the observation skills nor Kidou's intelligence to deduce that those could be clear signs of a break in.

Perhaps Kazemaru was overthinking. Maybe the sliding door just caught up in something, Haizaki had forgotten he had opened the window, or Hiroto came back to his dorms and wanted some fresh air. But after the ridiculous events Kazemaru had experienced in this FFI, it wouldn't hurt to be skeptical. It wouldn't hurt to find out if someone in the team, including Ichihoshi, had tried to break in dorm room 210. That was the reason why Kazemaru wanted to go find Hiura.

Hiura, who despite dramatically declaring that he solves mysterious in the name of his equally mysterious grandma to the point it could be considered comedic, had very recognizable evidence collecting and critical thinking skills befitting of his self-proclaimed detective role. Something that Kazemaru admits is not his strong point. 

Meanwhile, in dorm room 202, Inamori had finished retelling the scene he had experienced before gathering in the cafeteria in the morning. "Huh!? Seriously?" Goujin exclaims, surprised. Inamori nods. Hiura puts his hands underneath his chin, thinking. Inamori has given Hiura another mystery to solve among the other many mysteries he had gathered in his FFI.

Hiura is arranging the sequence of events in his head. Inamori and Haizaki were at the dorms first, and couldn't open the door. Kazemaru and Sakanoue went second, and after a few seconds of talking, Haizaki was able to open the door just fine. And a window that Haizaki said he hadn't opened, was open.

This facility was expensive, but it doesn't mean it was immune to breakdowns. The sliding door may have been jammed. And the window- No, that's not it, Hiura rearranges his thoughts again. Rationality was crucial, but intuition is an important key to solving mysteries. Hiura had grown up with his friends on the island, and he has long since deduced everyone's traits, both positive and negative. Inamori wasn't the type to dwell on things for too long. However, Inamori also had remarkable intuition. This means that Hiura will have to consider that factor into this mystery.

Question. What does it mean when you notice something out of place in your room, or a shared dorm room, that you clearly don't remember doing or moving? Usually, a break-in. Hiura will use a hypothesis-driven investigation method for this mystery.

Let's begin. A sliding door with no lock that was stuck. If Hiura excluded jamming, an object would've been used to keep the door still. "Was there anything lying on the floor after Haizaki opened the door?" Hiura asks. "No, there wasn't." Inamori answers lightly shaking his head from side to side.

So there wasn't. Perhaps a person was keeping it closed? Maybe. "He went back to his detective state again." Goujin said with an amused smile on his face. "Leave him to it, he might come to another unthinkable conclusion." Mansaku said. Hiura is so focused on his deductions that he doesn't hear the side comments made from beside. Since the personNext, Hiura needs to think about how the person has escaped. Since Inamori explored every part of the dorm room, the only escape route was through the window that wasn't supposed to be open.

Question. If someone broke into the dorm room, who would it be? An outsider, or someone in their team like Ichihoshi? Probably someone like Ichihoshi.

Hiura can exclude everyone who was in the cafeteria at that time before Kazemaru and Sakanoue returned. Hiura can also exclude Kazemaru, Sakanoue, Haizaki and Inamori since they were there. That shortened the people down to Fudou Akio who arrived at the cafeteria just before Kazemaru and Sakanoue's return. Kiyama Tatsuya and Fubuki Shirou who returned after Fudou's arrival. And last but not least, Kira Hiroto and Ichihoshi Mitsuru who were the last ones to return.

The suspects were down to five people. If Hiura were honest, he would've liked to put Ichihoshi as a top suspect. But unfortunately, Ichihoshi had an alibi named Hiroto. Fudou was next on his suspect list as he was alone, but that was debatable. Last were the least suspicious individuals. Kiyama and Fubuki. They also had an alibi.

Hiura and his friends heard yelling outside the hallways before he could think more.

All the occupants who have quickly finished looking through their stuff, and those who were still searching, all rush to see the commotion outside the hallways. “Did you sneak into my room!?” Ichihoshi accuses. “Back off, I need to see Tatsuya.” Hiroto said, avoiding Ichihoshi’s hands trying to grab the hem of his shirt. “Answer the question!” Ichihoshi hisses in desperation. Embarrassment came second when faced with information from the Orion Foundation being stolen right under Ichihoshi’s nose. Not that Hiroto or anybody would know.

"Did someone steal from that guy?" Haizaki says with a tone implying Ichihoshi deserved it. A couple of steps from Haizaki's right, Sakanoue agrees with Haizaki. Not because Sakanoue had a positive opinion on stealing from others dorms, but because if someone did steal from Ichihoshi as Haizaki has said, then, "If anybody did, it would be nice to share what they found." Sakanoue said. Ichihoshi glares at Sakanoue, but Sakanoue stands his ground. What happened to Endou was still in Sakanoue’s mind, so Sakanoue sends a nasty glare back.

Hiroto ignores Ichihoshi and goes straight to Tatsuya. “Come with me for a second.” Hiroto said seriously, grabbing Tatsuya’s right wrist with his left and dragging him to the elevator.

In dorm room 201, during late evening, Ichihoshi is sitting in his chair. Ichihoshi's laptop and USBs had been stolen. On the desk Ichihoshi's phone is placed so he can easily use it when needed. Ichihoshi taps his phone, and the most recent app he has used pops up. Ichihoshi narrows his eyes in frustration. Ichihoshi wanted nothing more than for Kira Hiroto to disappear off the face of this earth. Ever since Ichihoshi paid more attention to Kira Hiroto, his life has been dragged into a black hole. Ichihoshi taps the start button on his latest audio recording. 

"I'm not even surprised."

Today was another example. After Endou's elimination, Ichihoshi was heading back to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center when he saw Kira Hiroto appear out of nowhere from his peripheral vision. Startled, Ichihoshi quickly tapped the recording button on his phone behind his back. Ichihoshi slips his phone into his jacket pockets just as Kira Hiroto stands before him in complete view.

"...You just made the biggest mistake in the world."

It was out of instinct, but it provided Ichihoshi a chance. If Ichihoshi could provoke Kira Hiroto to attack him or say vicious words to him, Ichihoshi could use the audio-recorded evidence and get Hiroto eliminated for assaulting a teammate unprovoked. What's more, Ichihoshi could cut out all the sentences he used to provoke Kira Hiroto. A perfect impromptu plan was created to reach and destroy the luminous spheroid of plasma.

"...because he made you have doubts?"

Except Kira Hiroto went beyond the celestial body. The universe expanded past the expanse existing beyond Earth's atmosphere, and it all took effect on the polluted star. Every particle in Ichihoshi's body told him to get away. That there was no reason to stand there and listen to the radiation that was Kira Hiroto's words. So Ichihoshi, with a leg that he wasn't sure was completely healed yet(after running, Ichihoshi had confirmed it had healed fine) fled the scene.

"Tell me if you have..."

Mentally pulling away from the scene, Ichihoshi realizes he has been blankly staring at the desk while the audio was playing. The report on the current state of Inazuma Japan, the process of Endou's elimination, and for how long, along with other information he has gathered in detail was finished minutes ago. Now, all that's left is writing a section of Kira Hiroto. The audio recording is playing from his phone, and Ichihoshi, not wanting to hear any longer, taps the pause button to stop.

Ichihoshi couldn't write what had actually happened. Ichihoshi can never let the Orion Foundation know that an unknown individual such as Kira Hiroto inflicted so much damage on his duty as Seal. Ichihoshi wishes Hikaru were here to help him. Hikaru is smart, and would know how to write someone's danger without explaining the direct scenes leading to that conclusion. That was a dangerous thought. Everything Ichihoshi does is to earn money for that surgery and ensure Hikaru doesn't get wrapped up in these situations. Ichihoshi will do this without anyone's help.

Somewhere, far from the Kawaguchiko Sports Center, a person walking through the crowd taps their phone. That was certainly interesting, the person thinks to themselves as they adjust their wired earphones.

Today is the match. FFI Asia preliminaries, third match, Japan VS Uzbekistan. The atmosphere surrounding Inazuma Japan is denser than ever. "It's the Asia preliminaries, and the third match for Japan!" Hiroto can hear the commentator's voice above his head. "Japan has won two victories so far in their group stage, and if they win this match, they'll become a major contender to enter the main tournament!" Inazuma Japan has to win today's match without Gouenji, Kidou, or Endou on the team. The break trio, as Hiroto personally called them.

"Their opponent, Uzbekistan, possesses considerably high stamina, and they are nicknamed "Eternal Dancers"!" the commentator continues. "For how long will Japan be able to keep up with their stamina? And for today, Japan has placed Nishikage in Endou's place as their goalkeeper." An Inazuma Japan without Endou sounds very wrong, "Keep your head in the game, and make decisions as you please everyone." yet Coach Zhao sends his players off to the field after this one order. "Could this be Coach Zhao Jinyun's plan to keep their main goalkeeper rested amidst these furious matches?" the commentator says very plausible words.

If only the commentator was correct, then maybe Inazuma Japan wouldn't feel so bare in their defense. Not that Nishikage was an incompetent goalkeeper, it was just that Endou gave the team so much strength that his absence depleted it away.

The players of Inazuma Japan step onto the field. "I can't believe Endou-san isn't playing..." Inamori trails off as he walks to his position. Beside him, Kazemaru turns his head, "Yeah." and agrees. "But Nishikage is comparable to his powers as a keeper." Kazemaru assures Inamori, turning his head to his left where Nishikage is heading to the goalpost. "I'm so nervous-gosu..." Iwato said, his index fingers touching each other. "Oh right, this is your debut match." Mansaku said, smiling. "What if I end up dragging everyone down-gosu?" Iwato said, already worrying before the beginning. "Take it easy." Mansaku said, placing his right hand on Iwato's left shoulder. "Besides," Mansaku's smile is wiped off his face as his gaze turns to Ichihoshi standing in the midfield section, "we already have someone who's really here to drag us down." warning Iwato to keep his guard. Iwato nods, understanding.

At the forward position Haizaki looks behind him and clicks his tongue in distaste. “We should get him out of the game.” Haizaki said, looking at Ichihoshi. “I agree, but not right now.” Hiroto answers. “Why not?” Haizaki asks. Less annoyed, more curious. “Trust me. I want him gone from the field as much as you.” Hiroto said, eyes glinting with unnoticeable complex emotions. “We'll target Ichihoshi after our team stabilizes.” Since Kidou isn't here, and the coach is silent, the team may become a mess, “Until then, let's focus on scoring goals.” Hiroto explains.

“You're not Kidou, don't order me around.” Haizaki turns his head away, annoyed. A sly smirk creeps on Hiroto's expression. “So Kidou can order you around?” Hiroto asks, unserious. “Shut up.” Haizaki immediately shuts down that remark. Hiroto doesn’t stop. “Kidou does act like your legal guardian. No wonder why you listen to him.” Hiroto said. Haizaki turns his head towards him in disbelief. Hiroto was acting strangely in a different way compared to yesterday. “I liked it when you were less lively.” Haizaki snaps.

In the goalkeeper section, Nishikage scans the goalpost, taking it all, "I'm in charge of protecting Japan's goal..." as he turns his head to the left. "If it were possible, Nosaka-san, I would have preferred to stand on this field with you." Nishikage said to himself, completely turning around to see the defenders, midfielders, forwards, and the opponents. If Nosaka were here, he would've been able to control the situation and deal with Ichihoshi. Nosaka would've been able to change the world.

On the Inazuma Japan's bench. “Coach, who will be wearing the captain armband?” Ootani asks, holding her digital pad. “Don’t the rules say that a starter needs to be wearing it?” Mikado asks, her hands folded together on her lap. “I plan to give it to the appropriate person.” Coach Zhao answers, smiling. 

On the Eternal Dancer's bench. "Japan will crumble away, powerless before our might!" Eternal Dancers coach opens his arms, confident. "No, that won't happen." Eternal Dancer's assistant coach has her arms crossed as she says this. "Are you finding fault in my opinion?" Eternal Dancers coach looks to his right, angrily making a fist. "No, I'm refuting it completely." Eternal Dancers assistant coach answers sternly, turning her head to stare directly at the coach. Eternal Dancers Coach makes a defensive position with his arms, stupefied at the stern tone of the assistant coach.

Eternal Dancers assistant coach gazes towards Inazuma Japan's side of the field. "Japan gains its victories by digging into their opponent's weak points." Eternal Dancers assistant coach said. Ignoring the shocked Eternal Dancers coach. Inazuma Japan's abilities have been recognized by the enemy. "Our team's identity is pretty straightforward. They most certainly have a counter-plan ready. We mustn't underestimate them." Eternal Dancers assistant coach explains rationally. Finally, an opponent with an authority figure that has cognitive thinking. Eternal Dancers coach coughs awkwardly. "That's exactly what I was going to say." Eternal Dancers coach said in a half-confident voice.

“Another thing I should mention.” Eternal Dancers assistant coach looks at Inazuma Japan's 9. “Yesterday night, we received information on their captains elimination and that player.” Eternal Dancers assistant coach said. “The report on the current state of Inazuma Japan, players growth, and their captain was splendid. It was short, concise, and had essential information. However,” Eternal Dancers assistant coach remembers that jumbled report, “on the section for that particular player, it was too simple.” Eternal Dancers assistant coach remembers reading how that section was filled with simple words. 

No pictures, no videos, or audio recordings unlike the sections. Just words saying that the player must be eliminated no matter what. “What does that mean?!” Eternal Dancers asks, confused. It means that a Disciple struggled. “That player may be unpredictable.” Eternal Dancers assistant coach said. That is why the Eternal Dancers assistant coach ordered something for the team. “By the way, based on your reaction. You haven’t read that report, have you?” Eternal Dancers assistant coach said. Not many coaches do, as reports weren’t required. Usually media files or simple warnings would do.

The whistle blows, the sound carrying across the field. Inazuma Japan starts their kickoff with Haizaki's pass to Hiroto just behind. "And the match begins!" the commentator said as Hiroto takes the ball and passes the half line. "Keep calm, guys!" Kazemaru yells out from the defense line, already spotting some of his teammates disorganized. Almost everyone answers Kazemaru as they position themselves.

At the attacker line, Hiroto feels something amiss. On Hiroto's left is Haizaki, and Tatsuya is behind on Hiroto's right just about three meters away. Behind Hiroto, Inamori is only about six meters away. The rest of the defensive line is also disorganized. The distance between Hiroto and the attacking players was too short to cover larger ground, or give and receive passes when necessary.

Inazuma Japan had played a match against The Empire without a captain, a game strategist, and even their coach. Hiroto knows, and understands how detrimental it is to play without their key members. Coach Zhao said to make decisions as they pleased, and Hiroto knows an individual like Coach Zhao would rather take their hands off and let the players handle it themselves. It was no use expecting strategies or asking Coach Zhao for advice.

"Hey! Spread out!" Hiroto orders without thinking. It's the first time Hiroto has taken vocal initiative in a match. "Ah?" Haizaki lets out, raising a brow, surprised to hear an order he would usually hear from Kidou. Tatsuya is also surprised but quicker to realize his position and accommodates Hiroto's words. But the most surprised one, is Hiroto himself. However, there's no time to dwell on why he did that.

The ball is in Hiroto’s possession, and he’s going up the field when he stops. “What’s happening?” Hiroto hears Inamori from a few meters away. Hiroto was surrounded by Eternal Dancer’s 7, 8, and 9 in a triangle with Onaxon just behind. “Oh! The Rampaging Triple Stars and their captain Onaxon surround Hiroto!” The commentator says in surprise. That’s way too many people to mark one person. What are they thinking? Tatsuya’s thoughts are the collective thoughts of Inazuma Japan and the crowd. “Hiroto!” Tatsuya calls out. Hiroto narrowly dribbles the ball away from reaching feet. Another foot purposely aims for Hiroto's ankles from the opposite side. Hiroto jumps to avoid both attacks and quickly prepares a shoot-pass to Tatsuya.

Only, something happens. Just before the timing of Hiroto releasing the soccer ball, Eternal Dancer 9’s right foot makes contact with the left side of Hiroto’s leg near his ankles. Hiroto quickly and forcefully changes the direction of his shot only for the ball to be pushed aside and meet with Eternal Dancers left foot.

Hiroto’s eyes widen as the ball goes off trajectory, and they both tumble onto the surface of the field. The referee’s whistle blows, and signals, “A foul?!” shocking the Inazuma Japan team. “Free kick for the opposite side!” The commentator exclaims. Hiroto quickly gets up as does Eternal Dancer’s 9 who has a self-satisfied expression and goes back to his teammates. The referee walks over to Hiroto with a yellow card held up in his hand.

“Are you blind!?” Haizaki walks up to the referee. “That guy clearly distracted his shot!” Haizaki points to Eternal Dancer’s 9. But the referee simply answers that Hiroto forced a shot and hit the other player's foot in that position. Even without VAR, it was clear that was unreasonable and unfair judgement. “Are you okay?” Tatsuya comes up to Hiroto's side. “Yeah, I'm okay.” Hiroto said, rolling his ankles to check if anything was amiss. The atmosphere is tense on Inazuma Japan's side. At the defense line, Kazemaru’s hands hover awkwardly around the air in disbelief as he quickly thinks. “The opposite team is targeting Hiroto.” Kazemaru concludes. “It seems like it, but why this early in the match?” Hiura questions, walking to Kazemaru with Inamori in front.

Ichihoshi, who’s far away from everyone, narrows his eyes in surprise and irritation. What were Eternal Dancers doing? Ichihoshi needed Kira Hiroto eliminated permanently. Not chipping away his composure that Ichihoshi has never seen him lose. And if Eternal Dancers was truly aiming for Kira Hiroto's elimination with that move, they failed miserably. Ichihoshi needs to think of a quicker way, immediately.

At the middle line, Tatsuya narrows his eyebrows towards the referee. “It’s because of Ichihoshi, isn’t it?” Tatsuya comes to a conclusion after thinking for a short while. “Looks like even the referee’s corrupt.” Fudou comments, observing the referee whose expression is uncaring. “I can’t believe we have to play the entire FFI with these kinds of guys as our opponents.” Haizaki said.

Hiroto smirks, placing his right hand on his side. “They’re stupid if they think that can shake me.” Hiroto assures, turning away to return to his position. Receiving caution for something he didn’t do was a first. But since he knows, and has the skills to avoid it, Hiroto won’t fall for the same trick twice.

The whistle blows, signaling an indirect free kick. Eternal Dancer’s 9 kicks the ball towards the goalpost upper frame instead of the goal. The ball rebounds and Dost, who was preparing his hissatsu technique, receives the ball, and Requiem Dust heads to the opposite end of the goal. In a shorter distance than Dost’s usual shooting point, “Japan's conceded the goal almost immediately!” the commentator said. A yellow card to one of their forwards and losing a goal in a span of few minutes. “What’s wrong with Inazuma Japan today? They look as if they’re going around in circles!” the commentator said.

Dost walks until he’s only a few steps in front of Nishikage. “Hey, you.” Dost calls out. Nihiksage wipes the frustration showing on his face and turns his head to Dost who has a small smirk. “You couldn’t catch it because it was on the opposite end of the goal. Is that what you thought?” Dost deduces, his right hand placed on his side. “But you’ve got the wrong idea. You’ll never be able to block my shoot, even if it came from the front.” Dost declares with confidence. Nishikage’s expression darkens ever so slightly, unbelieving. Dost slightly tilts his head downwards, his smirk stretching. “Want to test it and see whether I’m lying or not?” Dost challenges. Then, turning away, Dost walks back to Eternal Dancers teams side of the field.

Nishikage slightly frowns as he observes the field from his position. Without a game maker like Kidou-san or Nosaka-san around, the team isn’t able to sufficiently cover for one another- “Hey!” Hiroto’s voice interrupts Nishikage’s thoughts. Dost, who was just about to pass the middle line, stops and turns to Hiroto. “I don’t care who you are, but we’re going to win this match.” Hiroto points his left index right in front of Dost’s face. Everybody on the field turns their attention to this interaction. Dost grins in amusement. “Positioning that’s been decided by the individual has zero effect on our team of world-level players with overpowering energy.” Dost said.

“Especially you.” Dost emphasizes. “When I see your team, I see them trying to do something together. But you’re completely excluded from that.” Dost said, his smirk stretching once more. “We were told you might be unpredictable. But personally, you're just a troublemaker who can’t get along with everyone else.” Dost finishes. Inazuma Japan, who was watching that entire interaction, falls silent. Nobody has ever thought that way. But now that Dost mentioned it, most realize that wasn't entirely wrong either.

A grin crawls up on Hiroto’s expression. For some reason, Dosts words ticked off Hiroto more than he would like to admit. “Pfft, haha!” Hiroto let out. “What's so funny?" Dost questions, frowning. Hiroto's grin shifts to a small smirk. "You call that a threat? Me and our team have much bigger targets on our backs than whatever child's play you’ve just spouted." Hiroto said. To Inazuma Japan, all of them think of Ichihoshi and the unrevealed hidden secret of this FFI. To Hiroto, he means it in a more direct way. “The match just started.” Hiroto said, and left Dost to his position.

Tatsuya stares at Hiroto as if seeing a completely different person. “Hiroto.” Tatsuya said, amazed. “Hiroto-san is right. The match just started!” Inamori pumps up, quickly spreading this energy to the players on-field. “Everyone, don’t feel daunted! Just focus and keep your head in the game!” Kazemaru said. “Yes!” Most Inazuma Japan players on-field answer Kazemaru as the whistle blows.

The kick-off restarts with Haizaki, who passes it to Tatsuya behind him and runs forward. Tatsuya passes to Inamori a couple of meters on his left. Inamori, who’s standing too close from a positioning standpoint, gets his ball intercepted by Onaxon. “What are you doing, Inamori?!” Fudou yells in incredulity. Hiroto, who has seen that blindspot, steals the ball back to himself. “Inamori, to the sides! Make sure you can see your opponents!” Hiroto quickly said as he took the lead. “Yes!” Inamori replies, reminding himself that he should be doing one of the most basic things in positions. Knowing where your opponents might come from.

It’s not only Inamori that realizes this. Everybody else quickly follows Inamori’s example and positions themselves. Inazuma Japan's positioning is still very bad compared to what a game maker could do, but at least everybody's position has somewhat stabilized. Dost blocks Hiroto’s path. Three other Eternal Dancers players are running to surround the two. “You’re not as bad as the rest of your teammates.” Dost gives a backhanded compliment, and Hiroto is blinded. The other Eternal Dancers players go in for their dirty attack. “They’re already doing their blinding shit show!” Hiroto hears Haizaki yell from afar.

Not that it matters, because Hiroto is already used to this repertoire. ZigZag Strike! Hiroto lets the power surge through his body, and lets it carry him through a path. Even with closed eyes, Hiroto escapes the Eternal Dancers trap and moves up front. Opponents try to steal back the soccer ball, but Hiroto makes a shoot-pass to his far right, where Tatsuya is. Tatsuya receives the ball, and quickly passes to Inamori who is in one of the best positions.

In the middle line of the field, Ichihoshi glowered towards the Eternal Dancers side of the field. Do they really think that can stop him? Ichihoshi’s eyes twitch. It wasn't Ichihoshi's fault that he got a file error on his laptop for a few days and placed his files in his USBs. It wasn't Ichihoshi's fault that he couldn't move the collected videos of Kira Hiroto's matches during his previous team. It wasn't Ichihoshi's fault that Kira Hiroto was an entity he couldn't dissect.

At the Eternal Dancers side of the field, Hiroto receives the ball and finds the perfect place to kick the ball straight up. Pink and yellow swirl and Hiroto follows right after. In the air, accumulated energy is returned many times, and The Explosion heads towards Eternal Dancers goalpost.

Eternal Dancers goalkeeper surrounds himself with purple pink piano keys and musical notes. As long as the goalkeeper could find the correct sound, he would be able to stop. However, unlike most hissatsus, The Explosion had a very loud and sudden sound that was deep and hollow, covering the hum of gravitational waves inside.

Eternal Dancers goalkeepers hissatsu technique, Boukyaku no Sonata collides with The Explosion. “It's an octave higher!” Eternal Dancers goalkeeper said, realizing the hidden sound he heard wasn't a fluke. The Explosion pushes past, sending him backwards as, “Goal!” the commentator yells. “Hiroto returns from his earlier trip to bring Inazuma Japan's first goal! The score is now a tie!” Hiroto hears the commentator's voice and the crowd cheering for Inazuma Japan.

“How's that?” Hiroto smirks at Dost. “Don't tell me.” Dost doesn’t get the chance to reply as Hiroto talks over him. “You should be honored you lost a point to the one and only God Stri-” “Hiroto-san!” Inamori rushes with his hands up, cutting off Hiroto's last line. Hiroto raises his right hand and returns Inamori's high five.

At the middle line of the field, Ichihoshi watches as Hiroto walks back to his side of the field. Hiroto and Ichihoshi meet eye to eye for a split second before Hiroto gives his attention back to Haizaki who’s saying something about stealing all the spotlight. This is even worse than what Ichihoshi expected. Eternal Dancers had high stamina and physical capacities above the usual. So they could take advantage by playing rough if the opponent team is not well-organised tactically. But that advantage fell short when Hiroto forced the opponents attention to him with his play.

“Something’s a little different about him.” Ichihoshi hears Onaxon’s voice beside him. “You should’ve given us more info.” Onaxon said. Ichihoshi did, that information was just lost in those missing USBs. Ichihoshi stays silent.

In the Eternal Dancers bench, their assistant coach crosses her arms in thought. “Kira Hiroto. The team’s still a mess, yet he has managed to avoid our targeting.” Eternal Dancers assistant coach said, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “What now?” Eternal Dancers coach turns to her without a hint of embarrassment. “Naturally, we will eliminate obstacles. But perhaps we should temporarily put our main target on hold.” Eternal Dancers assistant coach replies. Then, with the tablet next to her right, she sends an order.

A notification sound comes from Onaxon’s eleven band. “Number 9 is your responsibility now.” Onaxon said, turning away. Ichihoshi takes a step. “What are you talking about? He should be eliminated-” “Our coach deems it inefficient to go for him first.” Onaxon explains, and leaves a flabbergasted Ichihoshi alone with his thoughts.

Ichihoshi hears the whistle blowing in the background. 

Inefficient? Does that mean they wouldn’t focus on Kira Hiroto first and foremost? Are they dumb? Inazuma Japan is a mess but that bastard coach is still smiling. He might have a plan. And Kira Hiroto was doing this much even after being pressured by three to four opponents and nearly getting injured. If Kira Hiroto was granted more freedom then this, forget about Eternal Dancers stopping Inazuma Japan, he will score more goals and take  the lead before anyone could stop him. Ichihoshi is convinced. Damn it! Ichihoshi grits his teeth. Ichihoshi racks his brain for any other ideas. Was there any way to make Hiroto lose his composure?

That's when Ichihoshi sees the group of people Hiroto's passing around with. Ichihoshi blinks. Hiroto never faltered when it was about him. But, other people? Ichihoshi is hit with a sudden inspiration, eureka. Eternal Dancers might’ve been correct about inefficiency in aiming for a person who would keep avoiding their tactics. Ichihoshi looks down at his foot. He doesn’t have mirror-infused cleats anymore. So he’ll have to get a little physical.

Ichihoshi moves up the field and reaches Dost just a few steps behind. “Hey, I've got an idea.” Ichihoshi said. From Eternal Dancers side of the field, the rest of Inazuma Japan are trying their best not to get caught up in the attacks. Haizaki is dribbling the ball and avoiding rough tackles from his opponents. While Hiroto follows side by side, saying something to Haizaki. “Just one more goal, we’ll go for Ichihoshi.” Hiroto tells Haizaki. “About damn time.” Haizaki said as they're near their shooting point

At the middle line of the field, Tatsuya narrows his eyes as Eternal Dancers 7, 8, and 9 crowd him. Tatsuya quickly tries to fall back. But the Eternal Dancers are faster than Tatsuya expected. And he struggles to dodge their so-called marking disguised as a hidden attack. In the back of his mind, Tatsuya wonders how Hiroto made dodging three people so easily.

Hiroto and Haizaki notice the lack of opponents trying to stop them. “Tatsuya-san!” Hiroto and Haizaki also hears Inamori's shout. Hiroto twists his entire body to see Tatsuya being marked by the same three people that have tried to injure him. “The Rampaging Triple Stars are heavily marking Tatsuya!” The commentator said. Haizaki doesn't hesitate to kick the ball straight towards their direction. The ball hits the back of Eternal Dancers 7. “Grk!” Eternal Dancers 7 let out from the contact.

The rebounded hall is received by Ichihoshi, who has a mean smile on his face. Something bad was about to happen. But even if Hiroto could feel that, he was too far away to stop the ball kicked by Ichihoshi. The ball's trajectory is aimed directly towards Tatsuya's eyes. Tatsuya's focus shifts from his opponents to the short distance ball flying his way. Tatsuya manages to narrowly dodge the ball by tilting his neck to the right, but in doing so, Eternal Dancers 9 makes direct contact with Tatsuya's left ankle.

An old forgotten injury that had healed completely flares up, and Tatsuya falls forward onto the field. The image of a red-haired child falling onto the ground flashes in his head. And Hiroto stops dead still in place. That is Tatsuya, not Hiroto's last breath in his past life. This is a soccer match, not a life or death situation. Tatsuya is lying on the field, not in some dark alleyway. Tatsuya struggles to get up- someone please help me, it feels so cold -some others have gathered around Tatsuya as the whistle blows.

“Are you okay?” Kazemaru asks, helping Tatsuya on his feet. Hiroto rushes to Tatsuya's side after snapping out of memories that didn't correlate to the current situation. “Tatsuya.” Hiroto let out, tone much more calm and collected than he expected. “I’m okay.” Tatsuya hisses slightly in pain after reassuring Hiroto.

A few meters away, Ichihoshi walks towards the group with a spiteful smirk on his face. "Are you okay, Tatsuya-san?" Ichihoshi asked with a slight upbeat tone. Ichihoshi's gaze landed directly on Hiroto's facial expression. Finally, Ichihoshi thinks as he sees Hiroto's clearly distraught eyes. Ichihoshi had finally managed to throw off Hiroto's composure. 

Hiroto should feel anger. And he does. But more than that, a terrifying thought rises up in his subconscious. Did Ichihoshi choose to target Tatsuya because he had failed to target him? Several unrelated memories flash in Hiroto's head in response. Hiroto needs to remind himself that Tatsuya wasn't hurt because of him. But Hiroto promised himself that he will protect his teammates from so, what should, what would, what does he, where is he?

Haizaki grabs the hem of Ichihoshi's shirt. “So even without that annoying stupid mirror, you're still a nuisance.” Haizaki grits his teeth. Inamori and a few others try to stop Haizaki from starting an actual fight on the field.

The universe is distorting.Hiroto can't see the field.   Its expansion reverses to the single point of the beginning.Stress has hit its peak. His head hurts so much it's unbearable.   A robotic humming inaudible to the human ear takes over Hiroto's head.The sound is ringing, ringing, and ringing. Reverberating repeatedly inside.

Player switch. Soon, everyone is back on the field. There's a kickoff. Players are running. A timing should arrive, a chance. Positions are important. Positions. Ichihoshi, Inazuma Japan uniform number 13, soccer position is midfielder. Inamori, Inazuma Japan uniform number 8, current soccer position is midfielder, and former position is forward. Inamori is still trying to work with Ichihoshi. How naive. But it's a good thing too. It'll be easier to lure Ichihoshi to the front. A pass to Inamori, dodge a player. A pass to Ichihoshi, he'll still pretend to be a good teammate in the eyes of the crowd. A pass to Inamori, blocked by a player, and pass back to the first passer. Ichihoshi is in the direct path of the goalpost, marking one of the defense players.

Into the air. Colors. Red, teal, grey, pink, all mix into a void. Stars. Shooting stars that have no person to make a wish for, planets without oxygen, the universe without twinkling, sparkling, hope.

The host's body heat is taken away, his blood flow is reversing, and it all transitions into a pure ball of energy.

And it,

it,

It collides with a polluted star. And instead of fusing from the collision, it raises the energy within the polluted star and explodes. Sparks bounce off after contact, and the cosmic power's trajectory aims for the goalpost.

Goal.

That was the goal.

But instead of the cheers, "Ichihoshi Mitsuru took a heavy hit from standing in the path of the shot!" a loud voice, high above the stadium, commentating behind a glass window inside a room with a mic exclaims with concern for the polluted star.

The universe seems to stop itself. Ichihoshi has fallen, lying motionless on his stomach. Oh, the God Striker kicked the ball with near full power. No, that was not the God Striker's intention at all. The crowd murmurs with worry, off-field and on-field players stare at Ichihoshi in shock, and Hiroto, ignoring the electric pulse he feels spiking up throughout his body, takes his steps to Ichihoshi's side.

Hiroto's joints feel excruciatingly cold as he crouches down, and places his left hand near Ichihoshi's neck. Breathing is normal. Hiroto retracts his left hand from Ichihoshi's neck to tap his shoulders. No response. A few other Inazuma Japan players come up to him. "Is Ichihoshi okay?" Inamori asks, worried. Ichihoshi seems unconscious. He's fine, Hiroto's subconscious tries to reassure with words he needed to hear the most. Ichihoshi isn't dead, just out of commission.

Momentarily after, Ichihoshi is taken away from the field by a stretcher held by medics, and the on-field players all head to their bench. Hiroto doesn't feel guilt. Hiroto knows exactly what Ichihoshi had done to his teammates.

"Hiroto-kun!"

Someone calls out to him. It sounds like Coach Zhao. "That was quite reckless of you to shoot from a distance further from your usual shoot point." Coach Zhao stated. No, that was not recklessness. Hiroto knows exactly how far his shoot point can be. Pain from his right lungs pulses through, his heartbeat was getting quicker.

"It's not your fault, Hiroto-kun," was it now? "your new hissatsu technique has brought us a goal." What was Coach Zhao talking about? Hiroto doesn't remember making a new hissatsu technique. Hiroto feels tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath. "But we can't have another reckless shot bringing another accident, can we?" Coach Zhao said. The sun is shining bright above the field.

"So I will be switching you out with Goujin-kun." as soon the words leave Coach Zhao's mouth, several reactions of surprise varying from a silent gasp to very loud exclaims of, "What?" is heard. For the first time since this FFI, Goujin doesn't seem overjoyed at the prospect of being able to stand on the field.

Hiroto should've complained. That this wasn't fair at all in the slightest. Ichihoshi should've been taken off the field much earlier than him. No, Ichihoshi shouldn't have been accepted into his team from the very beginning. 

But in the starry haze, all Hiroto does is move to take one step forward,

and gravity sinks him down.

Far away, in the hospital Gouenji's admitted at. About 10 minutes ago, he had just finished his morning physical rehabilitation and was returning to his assigned hospital room to get some rest before lunch. However, "Woah woah what?! Kira Hiroto is down! Did he exhaust himself by pushing too much during Gouenji's absence?" hearing the commentator's surprised voice from the big television screen in the hospital's waiting room made Gouenji stop in his tracks.

On the screen, Kazemaru quickly catches Hiroto, looking alarmed. Tatsuya nearly trips from standing too fast in his injured state, but he is caught by Fubuki. And the rest of Inazuma Japan fall into disorder at another player on the team falling unconscious. Especially since that player was one of the forwards they were relying on the most after Gouenji. The assistant coach, the managers, and some of the less panicked Inazuma Japan members are trying to calm everyone down.

This wasn't what Gouenji had expected to hear and watch after another day of working hard to return to the team.

Back on the field, Inazuma Japan was falling apart. If only Endou were here. The light would've shone down on the gloomy darkness. 'Everybody, it's okay! Hiroto will be fine!' Endou would've spoken loudly, eyes flickering between his teammates. Every Inazuma Japan member would turn to their captain. 'I understand how worried you guys are. I am too. But we need to keep it together! ' Endou would state. 'The situation is bleak, but Endou is right.' Kazemaru would support Endou's claims.

But there was no Endou to protect the team's morale. There was no Kidou to rationally explain the situation and prepare for their next plan. There was no Gouenji who would quickly act to make sure Inazuma Japan went straight to victory.

Tatsuya knocks on Father's office two times. There is no response, so Tatsuya opens the door, "Pardon my intrusion..." and closes it behind. Tatsuya scans the empty room from left to right. Then, breaking through the silence, a loud grunt and a person falling to the floor came from the right side of this room. Tatsuya immediately rushes to the open door leading to the back room of this office. And there was Kira Seijirou, the Sun Garden's father, on the floor, slumped over a chair, while trying to lift himself back up with his hands. Rushing to his father, Tatsuya exclaimed, "Father!? What's wrong?!" alarmed to his father in such a state.

"My medicine... In the desk in the other room..." Father weakly let out. "Okay!" Tatsuya answers. Not a moment to spare, Tatsuya runs out to bring back the medicine Father had asked of him.

Not even a minute later, Tatsuya had brought medicine and a glass of water. Tatsuya helped Father to sit on the chair, and Father swallowed the medicine. "Sorry about that." Father apologized. "Not at all." Tatsuya replied with a relieved smile. "I'm glad you were here." Father said, genuinely thankful. Tatsuya catches Father in his arms when he forces himself up to his feet. "Are you okay?" Tatsuya asks, steadying his arms so that Father won't lose balance again.

"Yes, I'm fine." Father replies, as if it truly doesn't concern him. On the wall, there's a broken photo frame without a picture. "Tatsuya, in the future, you must become someone who supports the Kira business." Father suddenly said. "I want you to support Kira in the same way that you're supporting me right now." Father said, clearly referring to his son.

Father is trying not to stumble that he misses the complicated expression on Tatsuya. Realistically, Tatsuya thinks it'd be difficult to support a troublesome individual like Hiroto, but since it's Father's request, "Yes." Tatsuya answers without a second thought. Promising to at least try his best to fulfill Father's request.

That was what Tatsuya had thought back then. But after spending time with Hiroto, and seeing Hiroto unconscious at this moment, Tatsuya finally understands. Tatsuya never needed to try his best to fulfill Father's request. Because no matter what happened, they would've still met, fought each other, became the best partners in their team, and head towards the world stage together.

But now this has happened. Hiroto had fallen unconscious for unknown reasons- in the back of Tatsuya's subsconscious, he hoped Father's sickness wasn't genetic -and now the team is losing it.

Suddenly, and very unexpectedly, Haizaki yells out, "You all shut up! He'll be fine!" and everyone stares at Haizaki's outburst. "No offense, but he looks anything but fine." Hiura points out, glancing at Kazemaru and Fubuki carefully placing the unconscious Hiroto onto the stretcher beside Ichihoshi's. "This is turning for the worst. Our best game maker got framed by that traitor, our captain is gone, and we've lost one of our most reliable forward." Mansaku commented from beside Hiura, pulling his hat down in despondency.

Haizaki narrows his eyes. "You're all stupid. This team doesn't revolve around Hiroto." Haizaki said. From his crouched position, Tatsuya lifts his head to Haizaki's direction. "This team doesn't revolve around Gouenji, Kidou or Endou either, but we've been struggling without them." Tatsuya spits back uncharacteristically as he stands up to lock his gaze on Haizaki. This match has taken a toll on everyone. And Tatsuya, who was injured and in pain, had his emotions going haywire. Tatsuya quickly realizes this, and takes a short breath to calm himself.

From afar, footsteps steadily approach Inazuma Japan's bench. "Looks like a lot happened." Inamori raises his head to see who this person was. The sun brightens up when he sees the return of the emperor, Nosaka Yuma. "Nosaka!" Inamori greets, happy to see his friend on this stage well and alive. "It's nice to see you again as well." Nosaka smiles.

Nosaka's gaze fixed on Ichihoshi and Hiroto laying side by side in the stretcher. "Looks like the star and the god overdid their boardgames." Nosaka comments. The comment was so natural, yet a sudden chill went down Fubuki's spine. Tatsuya felt it as well. Nosaka notices Tatsuya's wary stare, but he doesn't mention it and goes straight to Ichihoshi and Hiroto on the stretchers. Fubuki and Kazemaru stand up and move out of the way as Nosaka crouches down. Nosaka's back turned to the rest of the Inazuma Japan players as he inspects Hiroto's left wrist. Then, Nosaka stands up and looks at the medics from a few steps away who were preparing to take the patients away.

“Take them to the hospital immediately. Ichihoshi-kun's body is heating up. Hiroto-san's body is cold, and not enough blood is getting provided to his lungs.” Nosaka orders. “What!?” All the players of Inazuma Japan collectively reacted.

Fubuki internally frowns. That was too quick. Nosaka didn't even check Hiroto properly, and he didn't even bother with Ichihoshi. There was something else Fubuki was bothered about. The medics are checking over, preparing to take Ichihoshi and Hiroto away.

Near the bench, everybody is either welcoming Nosaka's return or introducing themselves to him. Even with his stern expression, Nishikage seems to be the happiest among all them. Kazemaru is also chatting with Nishikage. Coach Zhao walks to Nosaka and gives him his captain armband.

While nobody was looking, Fubuki quickly and quietly takes the eleven band off of Hiroto's wrists and slips them in his pockets just as the medics take him and Ichihoshi away.

......Hiroto stops himself. No, he doesn't want to say it. There's no point in acknowledging it. Because it's a very stupid thought, and it contradicts everything he had done and felt so far, but if he does, if he does,

was he any better than Ichihoshi?

Father made an offer to Prime Minister Zaizen Sousuke. An offer to use the power of the Aliea Meteorite for military purposes all for the sake of avenging his son, Hiroto. No, not Hiroto himself, but for the small child with red hair and sparkling eyes. The Prime Minister had declined the offer, as any other rational person would've done so. But what the Prime Minister hadn't expected was for father to gather his loyal children and use them to threaten the country.

Everyone in Sun Garden followed their father's orders and carried out their duties as members of the Aliea Academy. The most devoted one of all was Kiyama Hiroto, or Gran, who took his role very seriously. Father was the one who called the shots.

Destroying schools all around the country straight out of some students' fantasy. Yet Aliea Academy turned that into reality, and the results it brought were irreversible. At first, most people thought it was a joke. Then the kidnapping of the Prime Minister, more destruction of a school building, rumors of a soccer players' younger sister being threatened and many more things happened. Resulting in schools with popular soccer clubs stopping students from going to school for their own safety.

Father knew what he was doing when he asked- used -the children to join him. Father was capable of building a successful business, had intelligence to conduct chaos of the country, self-aware of his abilities, yet blind to revenge. What father didn't know was just how devoted, how prepared the children were. The children were blind to their devotion just as their father was blind to revenge. But as father did, they knew what they were doing.

The children knew where destruction of property would land them in. But the children never aimed to directly harm anyone. That's why none of them felt guilt when students screamed and scrambled away from the collapsing schools. Why should they when nobody was hurt? The children were aware that being involved with kidnapping a person afflicted with the government could entrail. That's why the children weren't afraid when the Kira agents brought the prime minister to them. The children understood that no matter what they did, in the end, it was all for their father.

There were a lot of terrible things that the Sun Garden children did under their love for their father. And after Aliea Academy, Kiyama Hiroto saw and heard many more who had gone through similar experiences as him. Hiroto saw it too. That's why Ichihoshi might be someone going through those similar experiences. It was a possibility, but years of memories from Kiyama Hiroto taught him that it was more likely than one would think.

Somewhere in the depths of Hiroto's heart. Once the realization had sunk, all spite towards Ichihoshi, to the Seals, to his coach, to everyone all dissipated like dust in space. He doesn't know what to do anymore.

("This is getting intense.")

......Both of them only serve to fuel Haizaki's anger. "You stay the hell out of this!" Haizaki yells as he takes back his fist. "That guy's doing things even worse than violence!" Haizaki and Ichihoshi glare at each other. "Guys! What are you doing?!" Endou, the most welcome voice in this world, yells from afar as he runs over to them with Ootani right behind. "Are you okay, Ichihoshi?" Endou asks, and Hiroto can't help but frown. Ichihoshi has no right to receive genuine concern from Endou of all people.

But didn't he also receive it?

Kiyama Hiroto received it. As did all his friends and family.

Kiyama Hiroto became interested in the spark within Endou and his team, Raimon. For the first time in his life, Kiyama Hiroto saw a match that wasn't from video tapes of past matches. Though he didn't truly understand, Kiyama Hiroto could feel the teamwork, friendship, the light within Raimon and became so enthralled that he was briefly distracted by his duty. Making time so he could follow Raimon around. And Endou saved Kiyama Hiroto, giving him the strength to listen to his true feelings.

The building of the Aliea Academy home grounds is collapsing. Hitomiko is running to father who's kneeling in the middle of the field. "I will stay here and see through the last moments of the Aliea meteorite. It will be the least I can do to atone for what I've done to you." Father said, and Hitomiko halts as Kiyama Hiroto's heart sinks. "Don't be stupid! There's no point of you dying here!" Endou's takes one step past from Kiyama Hiroto's right. "That won't make Hiroto and the others happy! Don't you get it yet?!" Kiyama Hiroto stares down at father as Endou continues yelling with his hands in fists.

The situation made it impossible for Kiyama Hiroto to fully register the experience. But Hiroto was able to see that Endou's eyes were fierce, genuinely upset for people who have hurted him and his friends. This was one of the reasons why Hiroto admired Endou so much.

"All of them need you!" And Kiyama Hiroto finds the strength to take another step towards his father. Endou steps back as Kiyama Hiroto lowers to one knee down on the field. "Let's go, father." Kiyama Hiroto said. The ceiling is rumbling above. Father tilts his head up, and looks down on the field again. "After all of the horrible things I've done... Hiroto... You're still willing to forgive me?" Father's voice is slightly shaky as he gently places his right hand on Kiyama Hiroto's left shoulder. Tears gather around Kiyama Hiroto as he nods slightly. 

If Kiyama Hiroto hadn't met Endou. If Raimon hadn't shown up and proved that true strength came from trust and belief in each other, then maybe, perhaps, Kiyama Hiroto could've become an even worse Ichihoshi. And Hiroto could never blame him. Father really was a twisted individual no matter which universe he resided in.

("So this is what happened.")

.......Hiroto is standing still, holding the four rolls of kitchen paper towels that Endou had handed to him before he left, and the white plastic bag he was carrying before.

In the middle of the universe, Hiroto is lost. Was it arrogant of Hiroto to think that everyone on the team would be safe as long as he himself was there with them? Hiroto is an individual with high adaptability. Gouenji was injured in Inazuma Japan's first match, so everybody became careful, and Hiroto paid attention to everyone and everything in their next matches. Endou was almost injured during training, so Hiroto never left anyone with Ichihoshi alone. Kidou was framed, so everyone checked their belongings occasionally, as did Hiroto.

Hiroto can understand that those above were the workings of this mysterious organization named Orion, and Ichihoshi. But what just happened doesn't make sense. Why did a random group of delinquents come up to them anyway? It looked like they were aiming to harass Mikado. But then Endou was the one who ended up with the consequences. The timing was too perfect. Years of memories from Kiyama Hiroto told Hiroto that this couldn't be a mere coincidence.

("What's he planning on doing?")

Without thinking, Hiroto loosens his grip on the groceries, and he runs towards the group led by the police. "Wait!" Hiroto doesn't exactly shout, yet his voice is loud enough that a few passer-by turn and stare. "Hiroto?" Endou said, surprised. Hiroto blocks the path of the police, the delinquents, and Endou. "I need to hear it." Hiroto's voice is loud and clear, as his eyes lock onto the group of delinquents. "Please move aside, I have to take these four to the police station." The police sternly speak.

Hiroto doesn't care if the police are a civil force of their local government. They have no business interfering with what Hiroto has to do. "I need to hear the reason why you tried to pick a fight with us." Hiroto goes straight to the point, eyes locking onto the sour expressions from the group of delinquents. "What's it to you?" The delinquent with short hair furrows his eyebrows as he speaks. "It's your fault we're being dragged away." The delinquent with long hair said. Hiroto has no idea why the group of delinquents are annoyed by the repercussions that their actions instigated. No matter what reason they had, they had no business to come up and harass other people. Especially his teammates.

Either way, this wasn't working. A different approach might work. "The police here will know what happened after checking the surveillance cameras on these streets." Hiroto tries again, much more calmer than his last sentence. Hiroto briefly glances at the police who was listening closely to what this conversation might bring. "If it was all you guys, then fine. But if there was anyone else in this, I want to bring them here." Hiroto said. Letting the group of delinquents to fully take in his sentence.

The group of delinquents glances at each other. "You want to know that badly?" The delinquent with long hair said, narrowing his eyes. "Some nasty-looking guy from the same team as you guys approached us and took us to the alleyways." The delinquent with a large frame begins, realizing that there is a chance to share the blame with the main commander of this so-called brilliant plan. "Said he would reward us if we went through with his plan." The delinquent with a large frame said.

Even if that statement turned out to be true, the actual punishment would only go to the person or people who initiated the assault. Furthermore, the security cameras would catch this third party leading the group to the alleyways, but won't catch actual evidence of the third party ordering the group. Regardless, the police notes this down in their head.

While the police is thinking, Hiroto's eyes reflect the sunlight above. "Did he have dark-blue hair?" Hiroto asks, already knowing the answer. "Yeah, he did." The delinquent with short hair answered. Endou is quick to catch on to the identity of his supposed arrest, as anybody in Inazuma Japan would've been able to. Having gotten everything he needed, Hiroto moves out the way. But it seems Endou hasn't. "Hiroto, are you going to find Ichihoshi?" Endou asks, placing his right hand to Hiroto's right shoulder.  "Are you worried about him?" Hiroto asks. Endou shakes his head once. "No." Endou's immediate answer manifests confusion in Hiroto's mind. "I'm worried for you." Endou says seriously, and Hiroto feels his wrist tighten. "Alright, that's enough. We need to head to the police station." The police said, ending any further conversation there.

The warm, strong hand on Hiroto's right shoulder slowly slips away. The warmth is gone, and cold returns to Hiroto's body. Hiroto ignores the twisted feeling in his gut as he returns where he left. Stopping just in front of Mikado, "It's Ichihoshi." Hiroto says, and Mikado's eyes widens at the mention of their teams traitor. "Ichihoshi was the one who framed Endou." Hiroto said. Mikado's expression quickly changes from shock to concern. Everyone in the team must know this. "We need to hurry and get back." Mikado said. The white plastic bag hanging on Mikado's elbow swings as she moves abruptly. Hiroto is already picking up the groceries he had accidentally dropped onto the sidewalk and starts running. Mikado follows right after.

Hiroto and Mikado run side by side, with Hiroto matching Mikado's speed. "I need to find Ichihoshi." Hiroto says, a sense of urgency in his voice. Mikado understands what she thinks is Hiroto's concern. Who knows what else Ichihoshi might do if left attended? Seeing what happened to the others under Ichihoshi's work stirred dread in Mikado's heart. Telling everyone what happened was important. To warn and prevent another similar situation happening. But stopping Ichihoshi before he can do more damage should also be taken higher priority. That's what Mikado thinks. "I'll carry the groceries." Mikado offers. Ichihoshi couldn't have gone that far. If Mikado carried all the groceries, then Hiroto would be able to run ahead without a handicap.

Hiroto's reply to Mikado's offer is an immediate, "No." and Mikado becomes confused. "The groceries aren't heavy," The four rolls of kitchen paper towels are light, and the white plastic bag only has simple cleaning items such as water tissues, "so I can hold them while Hiroto-san can go ahead and find Ichihoshi." Mikado explains. Yeah, Mikado's words make sense. But that's not the problem. Hiroto doesn't want to let her fall apart from him after going through one of the most discomforting experiences of today. Besides, Hiroto doesn't want to be alone right now. Ichihoshi isn't going anywhere after all.

On the main road, Hiroto and Mikado are running back to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. The two past a tunnel, wooden benches, until they can barely see the main parking lot just outside the entrance of Kawaguchiko Sports Center. A couple of meters away, Hiroto sees Fudou jogging on the main road just outside the entrance of Kawaguchiko Sports Center's parking lot. "Fudou!" Hiroto calls out. Fudou stops, raising a brow at the unusual sight.

Unfortunately for Fudou, he isn't given any chance to register what's happening as Hiroto pushes four rolls of kitchen paper towels and a white plastic bag into his impending arms. "What the-", "Carry these." Hiroto cuts off Fudou's shock. "I'll be back soon." Hiroto quickly tells Mikado, who is also surprised by Hiroto's unanticipated behavior. "Hey!" Fudou exclaims, as Hiroto turns tail and runs off from the main road. Dumbfounded, Fudou watches Hiroto disappear from his line of sight and into the forest. "At least explain what's happening before you run off, dumbass." Fudou complains, adjusting the groceries in his arms so he can hold them more comfortably.

Mikado, at the very least, looks a bit apologetic. "We're sorry, Fudou-san." Mikado said. Mikado's apology is lost on Fudou as he doesn't care why Mikado is saying what Hiroto should've. "Did something happen to you guys or what?" Fudou asks. The four rolls of kitchen paper towels are held in Fudou's left arm while the white plastic bag is held with his right hand. Mikado nods, upset at the memory from many minutes ago. "Something terrible happened. We need to gather everyone and tell them." Mikado said seriously.

If it weren't for Mikado's expression, Fudou might've thrown the groceries aside and follow after Hiroto to ask what exactly his deal was. Fudou lets out an internal sigh. Looks like Fudou's morning jog will have to end here. "What are you waiting for? Let's go." Fudou said, head turning towards the direction of the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. Mikado nods, taking the lead.

(Sending signal location.)

Meanwhile, in the forest, Hiroto is making his way through. There was no particular reason why he has chosen to run towards the forest beside the main road. Perhaps it was simply intuition. Hiroto lets it carry him, extrapolating this cosmic expansion backwards in time to find the starting point. The moment where an explosion happened, creating the universe. Every sense in Hiroto tingling, blood rushing from his head, to his arms and legs. Hiroto's wrists are pulsing, bushes and trees brush Hiroto's ankles.

Seconds become minutes. Subconscious thoughts rush like meteor showers in Hiroto's mind. And finally, Hiroto spots a glimpse of dark-blue hair between some trees.

This is it. The turning point of the flow of this universe. The grass beneath Hiroto's feet bow to make way for him, the God born from the beginning, as he slowly approaches the polluted star residing in the Orion constellation. "I'm not even surprised." Ichihoshi said, as if he were some cryptic entity looming over the sky. Hiroto's not impressed. "You bribed some group of delinquents, and got Endou arrested." Hiroto says. "Endou-san got arrested? The Endou-san that was kind and caring to everyone? How did that happen?" Ichihoshi's tone shows surprise, yet he adorns a self-satisfied smile.

"What are you so relaxed for?" Hiroto's voice is flat as he takes a couple more steps towards Ichihoshi. "You just made the biggest mistake in the world." The biggest mistake was thinking he would be able to leave unscathed after going for Endou of all people. Ichihoshi raises a brow at Hiroto's words. "I didn't do anything." Ichihoshi said, a small smirk growing on his facial expression.

The lack of conscience shown in Ichihoshi's behavior was irritating. Hiroto wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off Ichihoshi's disgustingly cruel face. And Hiroto could if he wanted. At this distance, Hiroto can take a couple more steps, swing his arms, and knock Ichihoshi unconscious onto the grass beneath their feet. But that wasn't Hiroto's goal. Not today at least.

Hiroto takes another step. Ichihoshi is smiling. Waiting for Hiroto's anger, spite, any type of negative reaction to take in a physical or verbal form. Hiroto doesn't know what Ichihoshi's plan is. But Hiroto isn't here to be led on by Ichihoshi's tactics. The distance between them was only about three steps away. Ichihoshi is standing still, waiting for the inevitable. And Hiroto, eyes as vast as outer space, gives Ichihoshi the inevitable that will never happen.

"Were you angry at Endou because he made you have doubts?" Hiroto steadies his voice.

"Just for your convenience..." Endou points his index finger towards father, disbelief and anger in his tone. Father looks down at them all with a small smile. As if amused. It angers Endou even more. "Don't use the soccer we all love for evil things!" Endou yells even louder, hands clenched in fists. The pretend alien who calls himself Gran, and the lost child named Kiyama Hiroto is a few feet away from Endou's right as he places his right foot onto the soccer ball. "You would never be able to understand the sublimity of father's idea!" Gran spits back, turning his head to his left with narrowed eyes. "Hiroto!" Endou yells out his name, begging. Kiyama Hiroto doesn't listen while Gran takes the lead, pushing forward with the soccer ball beneath his feet.

The self-satisfied smile on Ichihoshi's facial expression drops. What does that mean? Ichihoshi racks his brain. This wasn't any type of response he had expected. Hiroto ignores Ichihoshi's clear confusion and continues. "Endou definitely tried his teamwork and friendship talk with you." Hiroto said. On the night after Ichihoshi's traitor status was revealed, Hiroto had followed Endou and saw him walking to Ichihoshi sitting on an outdoor seat beside the lake. Ichihoshi's confusion shifts to a frown. "It made you reconsider what you've been doing, and became angry, right?" Hiroto said, confident in his reasoning.

For Kiyama Hiroto, Endou was supposed to be someone amusing to observe as he struggled with the reality of his situation. Endou was supposed to be a secret person that Kiyama Hiroto could talk with from time to time in between his duties. But then Endou and his team became an actual threat, and had the nerve to question father's methods. Methods that were indictable. But back then, Kiyama Hiroto had no place to question.

Ichihoshi, who has once thought what Hiroto had said, "What?" reacts as his head slowly begins to spin. Paralleling a rotating stellar disc of dense gas and dust.

Through the trees above, small sunlight passes between the spaces between the tree branches and leaves. Hiroto's pink eyes are glinting from the reflected sunlight, while Ichihoshi stands still. The shadows covers Ichihoshi's head, and his dumbstruck expression darkens. Seeing Ichihoshi's expression, "Hey, I want to know why you're doing this." Hiroto moves onto the next thing he wants to say. Hiroto's words doesn't sound like a question, nor a demand. Ichihoshi's uncertain of what exactly it is.

Hiroto's sentences become more steadier. "Did someone you respect ordered you to do this?" How Kidou Yuuto followed Kageyama Reiji because he was his teacher since a child, "Was your life saved by someone and now you feel indebted to them?" How Kira Seijirou brought and raised orphans who had no home or hope, " Are you doing this to earn money for someone?" Like how Fifth Sector promised Tsurugi Kyosuke to heal his brother's injury if he completed his mission as a SEED. And Hiroto continues the list of what the possibility of Ichihoshi's reasoning could be.

Color drains from Ichihoshi's face, his eyes wide and unblinking. Ichihoshi doesn't know what Hiroto knows, which is why he doesn't understand how Hiroto was dangerously close to the real reason, his primary motive for his duties as a Disciple of Orion. "Who are you trying to be? Endou-san?" Ichihoshi manages to spit back. Something in Hiroto's sentences makes Ichihoshi feel uncomfortable to the core. As if a God were piercing through the very culmination of his being. So much that Ichihoshi wishes Hiroto would stop talking altogether.

But Hiroto doesn't stop. Not evening flinching at the mention of Endou. Me? Trying to be Endou? Hiroto smiles dryly. Finding Ichihoshi's comment utterly ridiculous. Hiroto can never become someone as cool as Endou. Couldn’t in his previous life, never in his current, nor in his next. "If you need mental guidance, Endou will be there." Hiroto said, taking another step. Ichihoshi subconsciously takes a step back. Scolding himself for showing weakness right after. "Inamori also wants to be friends with you, so if Endou's difficult, you can go to him." Hiroto said, raising his left hand. An index finger is pointed towards Ichihoshi's head. Ichihoshi's eyes are darting between the spaces of the bushes.

"Tell me if you have any financial problems." Ichihoshi's eyes lock back onto Hiroto, bringing his left hand away from Ichihoshi. A thumb points to Hiroto himself. "If you researched everyone in our team, you know what kind of family I come from." Hiroto said. And Hiroto continues. Saying every single thing Ichihoshi might need.

Ichihoshi can't help but think, Why is he talking as if he knows everything? While staying still like a fixed star in the night sky. Ichihoshi's inner space is crowded with unwanted voices fighting, screeching amongst themselves. Just how arrogant is he!? Where is this coming from?! Ichihoshi slams down the space. It's been days, and the only thing Ichihoshi managed to achieve was conjure up a few theories without basis. As Disciple of Orion whose main task was to collect information and eliminate problematic players, Ichihoshi hasn't been doing a good job.

Figure it out yourself, Ichihoshi throws a burning star at Ichihoshi. Ichihoshi has been trying, yet the only theories he could conjure up was that Hiroto might've come from an unknown organization sent to stop Ichihoshi. Theories aside, Hiroto had come dangerously close to succeeding in stopping Ichihoshi. But if that's the case, why is Hiroto in front of him, spouting similar nonsense as Endou? There must be a hidden motive behind this! Ichihoshi knocks down Ichihoshi. Perhaps Hiroto's trying to let Ichihoshi's guard down.

No, it's contradictory. Ichihoshi realizes. If Hiroto wanted to let Ichihoshi's guard down, he would've done so from the start. Damn it! What should I do? Ichihoshi yells, shaking the constellations. There has to be a way, a reason that Ichihoshi just hasn't found yet.

Outside of Ichihoshi's inner struggle, Hiroto observes Ichihoshi's scrutinizing expressions switching between multitude of emotions. "What's your game?" Ichihoshi settles on saying, gritting his teeth. Ichihoshi he wants to hear what Hiroto will say. "There's none. I'm serious." Hiroto said. From the beginning, Hiroto had known that Ichihoshi would have a very difficult time believing him. Which is why Hiroto's intentions were different from what most would do.

Hiroto just wanted to shake Ichihoshi. Just a little. As long as one of Hiroto's words hit the mark, that would be enough. Enough for Ichihoshi to rethink his actions once more. Call it arrogance, but Hiroto knows better than anyone that continuous outside influence was the first step in turning the enemy over. Especially if that enemy was still a child, working for a very sketchy organization that Hiroto wouldn't be surprised if it manipulated children to do their own bidding.

In the headspace of Ichihoshi, Ichihoshi is orbiting an astronomical object composed of solid material. Ichihoshi doesn't understand. Perhaps Hiroto did want to let Ichihoshi's guard down. Maybe Hiroto wanted to coax Ichihoshi with fake declarations of teamwork and friendship, so he could crush Ichihoshi harder than what he did to others. Ichihoshi doesn't understand how that would work. But Ichihoshi has never met a more unpredictable person as Kira Hiroto. So Ichihoshi has no doubt that it could somehow be done.

But brother, he seems genuine.

Ichihoshi's space shifts, and all the Ichihoshi's disappear until it's only him, Ichihoshi. The main planet. Hikaru? Ichihoshi mutters out. Wondering why he was hearing Hikaru's voice. Hikaru isn't supposed to be here. Hikaru should be in the hospital as he's injured from the car crash. Mitsuru is in Inazuma Japan, with the duty of a Seal. Hikaru is in a hospital, and Mitsuru is in the forest, listening to Kira Hiroto, Mitsuru's next target. Ichihoshi harshly pushes Hikaru away into the reality that needs to be true.

Hikaru isn't here. "You're lying." Ichihoshi replies to Hiroto's answer. Not out of anger, but out of pure deeply rooted incredulity. Someone tries to crawl out from the reality Ichihoshi had created. Ichihoshi shakes his head from side to side once. A small voice continues to call out a brother that isn't there. "No, even if that's true, I can't." Ichihoshi mutters, taking another step back. Somewhere, under the depths of his head space, Ichihoshi truly wishes he didn't have to do the horrible things he had to do.

"Ichihoshi?" A voice from an arrogant God calls out to him with...

concern?

But the Orion Foundation had saved Ichihoshi, giving Ichihoshi and his brother a chance. The Orion Foundation provided Ichihoshi a place to stay, and live normally. Ichihoshi was indebted to the Orion Foundation. Brother, a small hand belonging to a faceless silhouette clings onto the mainframe of Ichihoshi's headspace. Ichihoshi doesn't want to be a horrible person. The space begins to rumble, tearing itself apart.

Listen to me!

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" A vocal outburst comes out from Ichihoshi's throat. Ichihoshi's heartbeat is pounding near his head. Hiroto startles, ears feeling as if they've been electrified, eyes widening as he watches Ichihoshi grip the sides of his hair with both hands.

Hikaru, Shut up! SHUT UP! Ichihoshi grips the small hand tightly. Ichihoshi can't go back. Does Ichihoshi understand? Ichihoshi has already gone this far. Ichihoshi can never become a brighter star. Ichihoshi has already physically injured, tried to harm, and framed others twice. Even before Inazuma Japan, Ichihoshi had made other stars go dark. Really, Ichihoshi, what did you think was supposed to happen? Ichihoshi didn't, that's what. If there was a different path, Ichihoshi couldn't follow. Because Ichihoshi wouldn't be able to repent for actions that wouldn't be forgiven.

Someone whimpers in pain. And Ichihoshi realizes he's been holding onto the small hand in a death grip. Ichihoshi tilts his head downwards. The small hand sports no bruises, but Ichihoshi's hand is covered in blood. As if nuclear fusion had released energy, Ichihoshi quickly takes back his hand. It wasn't Ichihoshi's intention to harm Hikaru, even if this Hikaru was just in his head. Ichihoshi wants to apologize. No, this wasn't Ichihoshi's fault. Because Ichihoshi would never hurt Hikaru, not even accidentally. Ichihoshi's always protecting Hikaru.

Then, this must be someone else's fault. Ichihoshi's space brings his attention to the self-proclaimed God Striker in front of him. That makes sense. This was all Kira Hiroto's doing. That stupid unimportant person who had no influence on Ichihoshi had the audacity to block Ichihoshi's path, say unintelligible words, and make Ichihoshi fight the person he cared most.

Ignoring his discomfort, Ichihoshi grabs the fingers of the small hand and lifts each finger from the mainframe of his space. The silhouette drops back into the depths of the void. And Ichihoshi Mitsuru returns to reality, heavily breathing in and out. "This is... all your fault..." Ichihoshi's voice is shaking. The grip on his hair loosens, and Ichihoshi grits his teeth. Before shifting his feet and taking off.

Hiroto stares at the empty space previously occupied by Ichihoshi, and slowly lets out a breath he didn't know was holding. What was that? Hiroto thinks to himself, eyes flickering towards the direction Ichihoshi had just ran. Hiroto has seen people lose it, and he knows what type of action to take in those moments. But the atmosphere was intense. Seeing something similar happening was one thing, but standing in front of a person screaming directly at Hiroto as if he were the bane of their existence was an entirely different story.

Despite this, Hiroto turns on his feet and chases after without a second thought. A fair distance away, Ichihoshi is running. Wanting to get away from Hiroto as far away as possible. Unfortunately, Ichihoshi had heavily underestimated Hiroto's speed. In seconds, Hiroto cuts Ichihoshi's path. "Urk!" Ichihoshi nearly slams into a tree trying to avoid Hiroto. Hiroto, who can't leave Ichihoshi be. Not in this state. You're making it worse, Hiroto's subconscious tells him. Even so, I can't, Hiroto replies.

For a long time, as long as Hiroto could play soccer, he didn't consider anything else necessary. These thoughts began to crack when Hiroto joined Inazuma Japan. All these horrible things happening around Hiroto made him realize that he didn't want to stay in Kiyama Hiroto's memories forever. Hiroto has already experienced it during his time in Eisei Academy. Where he was so detached from the reality he was living in. Back then, Hiroto saw nothing wrong with it.

But that was wrong. As much as Kiyama Hiroto's memories created the foundation of Hitoto's current life, and despite knowing that Hiroto could never completely escape those memories, there was always something stirring underneath the vast universe. The core desire he always has is that, Hiroto wants his life. Hiroto wants his own memories, his own experiences. Hiroto wants to be here, in this universe.

So even though it might seem foolish, and very uncharacteristic of him, Hiroto wants to at least try and reach out to Ichihoshi, as someone could've for Kiyama Hiroto. Hiroto will do it while this feeling is still here.

Ichihoshi is subtly shaking like the leaves above him. "Why do you keep ruining everything?!" Ichihoshi's voice cracks, frustration hitting his limit. And Ichihoshi rushes past the tree he had almost bumped into. "I'm not trying to ruin anything." Hiroto said to himself before shifting his feet once more to catch up to Ichhoshi. "Leave me alone!" Ichihoshi doesn't want to run away, yelling like this.

Neither does Hiroto. "I can't leave you alone!" Hiroto said, skidding to a halt just in front of his target. Ichihoshi looks downright unstable, a second away from exploding. And Hiroto needed answers, not panic. Ichihoshi's psychological affliction disagrees with Hiroto's wishes as his breathing becomes uneven. "What is wrong with you!?" Ichihoshi's eyes dart around, trying to find another escape route. "Nothing. But there's something obviously wrong with you." Ichihoshi freezes as Hiroto's words leave his mouth.

That was the wrong thing to say. Hiroto quickly realizes this, and he bites his tongue to stop himself from making any further comments. Hiroto's not here to fight, he's here to learn. There's nothing wrong with me, Ichihoshi whispers to his brain. The trees are slowly enclosing towards Ichihoshi. No, that's incorrect. Something is wrong, Ichihoshi thinks, blinking once. The forest is still. Peaceful as the clouds hidden above the tree branches and leaves.

Ichihoshi's heartbeat near his head was getting louder and louder. The outside world was turning silent. Why do these experiences almost always happen to Ichihoshi when Kira Hiroto enters the picture? Kira Hiroto was the bane of Ichihoshi's existence. A nuisance, a curse. An existence only living to serve the suffering of Ichihoshi. Kira Hiroto, you, "You shouldn't have been born." Ichihoshi said, his eyes blank. An electric pulse starts from Hiroto's ears and travels throughout his entire being.

That wasn't what Ichihoshi wanted to say- "If it weren't for you everything would've gone smoothly." Yes, that may be true, but, "But then you just had to screw it up. Really, who do you think you are?" as Ichihoshi said in this last sentence, the sound of a gentle swishing sound from the bushes near him tingles near his ears. Ichihoshi's breath hitches against his throat as his ears register the sound of the outside world, the heartbeat near his head mellows slightly, and the realization of what he had just said. Slowly, Ichihoshi's eyes zone in on Hiroto, whose eyes are glinting, the beginning of the universe staring back at the very fiber of Ichihoshi's being with an indescribable expression.

Whether it was because of the wash of guilt, the change in atmosphere, or rising apprehension. Every atom in Ichihoshi's body screams at him to get away.

("How interesting.")

The moment Hiroto heard Ichihoshi's words, his body became rigid. Hiroto didn't want Ichihoshi to give him more reasons to smack his entire being upside down, but it seems reality was harsher than presumed. How disappointing. But the coldness that has spread throughout could be ignored. What's important is that, Hiroto needs to know where that came from, and he will chase Ichihoshi down until he passes out if he has to.

Unfortunately, Hiroto's chase is stopped by Ichihoshi trying to run through the cafeteria. Which turns out to be a bad idea because their teammates, managers, Yone-san, and even their coaches were there. "Hiroto?" Hiroto hears Tatsuya's confused voice as he steps into the cafeteria. Before Hiroto could turn his head to Tatsuya, Ichihoshi turned his head to Hiroto. "Stop. Chasing. Me!" Ichihoshi spits, voice shaking, trying to catch his breath.

Hiroto stops a few feet before him and gives Ichihoshi a small smirk. "Hah... Funny to hear that from you." Hiroto said, voice carrying no sense of humor. Coach Zhao's voice reaches the two before any of them can continue. "Ichihoshi-kun. Hiroto-kun. It's quite dangerous to run indoors." Coach Zhao says, approaching the group with Li Kobun. Ichihoshi shifts his gaze from Hiroto to Coach Zhao and the rest of Inazuma Japan grouped together. Realizing where he is, Ichihoshi lightly pushed himself away from the table he had used to steady himself. "In any case, you two are just in time to hear our lineup tomorrow." Coach Zhao said, gesturing his right hand for Ichihoshi and Hiroto to come over to where everyone else is.

Begrudgingly, Ichihoshi shakily walks to the group but keeps his distance. While Hiroto follows just behind. "As you see, Endou-kun won't be able to play in our next match tomorrow." Coach Zhao begins to explain. "Yeah, because of that guy." Haizaki shoots his gaze at Ichihoshi, who seems to be deliberately avoiding looking at anyone as he listens to the coach. "But we still have an excellent goalkeeper on our team." Coach Zhao ignores Haizaki's comment and continues. "Nishikage-kun, I'm counting on you." Coach Zhao smiles a little wider as he looks at Nishikage. "Huh? Me?" Nishikage shifts his feet to the left to see Coach Zhao standing a few feet away. "Yes, you." Coach Zhao confirms Nishikage's surprise.

Uncertainty leaves Nishikage immediately, and his expression changes into a more serious one. "Very well." Nishikage accepts, "I will make every effort, to the best of my ability." and promises everyone to be the shield of Inazuma Japan. As Endou did from the beginning. Osamu points to himself with his left index finger. "Huh? What about...?" a left hand placed on Osamu's right shoulder stops him from speaking. Osamu turns his head to the right. "W-What?" Osamu stutters, not knowing how to respond to Tatsuya's unreadable neutral expression.

The Osamu in Kiyama Hiroto's memories was a better forward than goalkeeper. And Hiroto wonders for a moment whether or not Osamu can become a forward. "You'd be better as a forward anyway." Hiroto's absentminded thoughts manifest into words, frowning. Seriously considering the option. Beside him, Ichihoshi gives Hiroto an incredulous look. Expression practically screaming, Him? A forward? which Hiroto blatantly ignores. Hiroto doesn't want to deal with Ichihoshi any longer for today. Not after the last thing he had said. "Have you finally gone insane?" Haizaki asks, adorning a similar expression to Ichihoshi. Hiroto will change his words. He doesn't want to deal with anyone today. 

A certain memory from Seishou's match against Kidokawa Seishuu resurfaces in Hiroto's mind. Hiroto slowly turns his head to his right, where Haizaki is a few feet away and actually scoffs. "And you'd make a perfect goalkeeper." Hiroto mocks, eyes on Haizaki's strands of hair. What's wrong with you? Hiroto's subconscious asks. Hiroto doesn't answer, and instead briefly glances towards Tatsuya's direction to an expression Hiroto doesn't want to see on Tatsuya's face. Hiroto turns his head away. Perhaps it wasn't good to stay near Tatsuya for today. Every sentence that Hiroto had said to Ichihoshi was brought up by Kiyama Hiroto's memories. And it's been so long since Hiroto delved so deep in Kiyama Hiroto's memories. Seeing Tatsuya might drain Hiroto's energy further.

"What's the matter with you?" Fudou asks. There's nothing wrong with Hiroto, why is everybody saying similar things as if Hiroto's done something wrong? The only thing Hiroto did wrong for these past few days was nearly exhausting himself trying to keep track of Ichihoshi and everyone else. "You should ask yourself." Hiroto says. All previous passiveness forfeited, not a single hint of his usual neutral tone to be found, Hiroto doesn't even bother to cushion his sentence. Fudou raises a brow at Hiroto's response. "Okay everyone," Coach Zhao claps twice to bring everyone's attention towards himself, "that's all for now. Every player excluding Ichihoshi-kun and Hiroto-kun, please get back to practice." and instructs everyone to stop talking and prepare for tomorrow's match.

Haizaki deliberately ignores Coach Zhao's words and turns his gaze to Ichihoshi. Then to Hiroto, whose slight change in demeanor was even noticeable to Haizaki of all people. "What did you do." Haizaki isn't asking, it's a demand. For a moment, Hiroto thinks Haizaki's talking to him, and he almost spits back in retaliation. "Me?" Ichihoshi points his right index finger to himself. "He's the one that tried to fight me." Ichihoshi's eyes are bulging wide and resentful as he says this. Head slightly tilting at this left, to Hiroto's direction. Unfortunately for Ichihoshi, nobody in this space believes he wasn't the one to initiate something first. On Ichihoshi's right, Hiroto closes his eyes. "I didn't lay a hand on you. I just wanted to talk." Hiroto says what had happened, opening his eyes again.

Everyone else watches the scene unfold before them, unsure whether or not to act. Assistant Coach Kudou decides to intervene before anything could happen. "Don't make the coach say it twice. Everyone excluding Ichihoshi-kun and Hiroto-kun, get back to practice, now." Assistant Coach Kudou instructs. Excluding Ichihoshi and Hiroto? Does that mean Hiroto has to spend time with Ichihoshi for longer? Hiroto stares at Assistant Coach Kudou, then to Ichihoshi in distaste. "But-", "Haizaki, whatever your concerns are, tomorrow's match should be your top priority." Assistant Coach Kudou doesn't even give Haizaki a single chance to refute.

Haizaki clicks his tongue, muttering something along the lines that a traitor whose aim is to hurt their teammates should also be a top priority as he takes his steps outside the cafeteria. Hiroto silently agrees with Haizaki while everyone else follows in small murmurs or silence as Assistant Coach Kudou escorts the players out to the field. In a corner of the group of players, Yone-san beckons the managers and Li Kobun to her. And Coach Zhao smiles as he leads Hiroto and Ichihoshi away in the opposite direction of the outside.

Coach Zhao walks behind his two players, with Hiroto on the left and Ichihoshi on the right. "It's good to see you two energized." Coach Zhao said from behind. Ichihoshi visibly tenses up at his coach's overly positive tone. Hiroto accepts his fate with hidden spite. There's no telling what Inazuma Japan's coach's intentions were. "As you two are the key players for our next match. I want you to improve your teamwork more." Hiroto hears Zhao's grating voice above his ears. Ichihoshi grits his teeth. As if Ichihoshi would work with Hiroto of all people.

Ichihoshi's healed leg was sore from running right after. "Coach, I don't feel well today." Ichihoshi makes an attempt to excuse himself. Hiroto doesn't feel well today either, but for different reasons. As you two are the key players for our next match, Coach Zhao said something similar to Hiroto on the day Ichihoshi attempted to injure Endou. "Why do you keep saying that?" Hiroto asks, knowing very well Coach Zhao won't give a straight answer. And sure enough, "Because I observed that both your talents compliment each other very well." Coach Zhao replies vaguely. Ichihoshi seems more disturbed by Coach Zhao's answer than Hiroto. Ichihoshi turns his head slightly to the left to glare up towards Coach Zhao. "I don't understand. You know very well what my position in this team is now." Ichihoshi says with underlying bitterness and disgust towards his coach.

("You'll understand soon.")

Ichihoshi’s face scrunches when he realizes where the path was leading to. Could I help? I know the perfect place for that sort of training, Ichihoshi remembers saying to Inamori, Iwato, Hiura, Mansaku and Goujin when he showed them the fake info on Australia. Coach Zhao was leading Ichihoshi and Hiroto to that strange training room with inconvenient training materials. Though, unlike the last time Ichihoshi was here, the room was arranged into some strange obstacle course. Before the obstacle course was a table, two chairs, and a small couch. What is this crazy coach planning now? Ichihoshi’s face twitches in distaste.

It’s Hiroto’s first time being here. Coach Zhao explains what they’ll be doing. Today's practice was one of the most classic teamwork games. Puzzles. More specifically, an obstacle course that two or more players have to combine their strengths to solve. In Coach Zhao’s words, “To improve your teamwork.” and, “Can’t leave until they both finish it.” and a lot of other things. Before leaving the room, and locking the door without letting the two know, Coach Zhao told Hiroto and Ichihoshi to rest a bit before beginning their training and sat the two on each chair.

Hiroto and Ichihoshi are sitting across from each other. Hiroto is leaning against the back of his chair, arms crossed just above his stomach. Ichihoshi is slightly hunched over, hands folded on top of his lap. "Coach Zhao ignored your sorry excuse, but you could've just left." Hiroto said, voice flat. Coach, I don't feel well today, really? Hiroto thinks. Everybody in the cafeteria had seen Ichihoshi run properly. Ichihoshi's leg must've healed nicely. Ichihoshi flickers his eyes away from Hirotos unnerving stare. What Hiroto said was true. Ichihoshi could've just left, and he was about to. But something in his head space stopped him moving and let Coach Zhao drag him and Hiroto away. "I don't know. Shut up." Ichihoshi said, his words cut short.

Hiroto does shut up. For about nine seconds. "I've said everything I wanted to say to you." Hiroto opens his mouth. Nine seconds were enough to rethink about what he wanted to say. Ichihoshi still doesn't meet his eyes. "And you just screamed at me with no further explanation." Hiroto said. Ichihoshi raises a brow. "I never screamed at you." What is he talking about? Ichihoshi thinks after saying his confusion. The only thing Ichihoshi can of are the several variants of telling Hiroto to get away from him.

On top of the table, Hiroto places his left hand. "Shut up, shut up?" Hiroto said, repeating what he heard. The gradual change in Ichihoshi's expression was terrifying. I said that out loud? Ichihoshi thinks, clenching his hands. Then, did he hear? Ichihoshi's stomach drops. Hiroto hasn't mentioned that name, so maybe he didn't? Or maybe he's purposely not mentioning it for reasons unknown, Ichihoshi's paranoia supplies. Ichihoshi slowly raises his eyes towards the table. "You must've heard it wrong." Ichihoshi answers firmly.

So Ichihoshi is deciding to pretend something that clearly happened, never did. That's what Hiroto gets from Ichihoshi's response. "Stop talking." Ichihoshi says before Hiroto could speak. Internally sighing in exasperation, Hiroto looks towards his left. The door is only about thirteen steps away. "Nobody's stopping you from leaving, you know." Hiroto said, slightly tilting his head towards the direction of the door. That's the thing, Ichihoshi wants to move, but he can't. Ichihoshi shifts to move, but no matter what he tries, his body refuses to cooperate.

It's as if something is trying to prevent Ichihoshi Mitsuru from straying far away from Kira Hiroto. Ichihoshi blinks. Realization falls in Ichihoshi's head space like a meteor colliding with the surface of a planet. Where did that thought come from? Ichihoshi's cognitive thinking helpfully supplies. Suddenly, the room fades away and into black. And Ichihoshi is once again in his head space. Floating around in specs of dust and broken planets.

Here, again. Why is this happening to me?! Ichihoshi yells out in his space. Ichihoshi has embarrassed himself enough. No need to stick close to the very person who's ruining his duty. Unfortunately for him, the only answer Ichihoshi receives is silence. Outside the space, Hiroto has been waiting for Ichihoshi's answer for an entire minute. Receiving no answer, Hiroto observes the obstacle course the two were supposed to play together. In the far corner of the room’s ceiling, Hiroto sees a security camera.

If Ichihoshi could think straight, he would've asked why Hiroto wasn't leaving this room. Especially after what happened a few minutes ago. But as things are, Ichihoshi is in no condition to question such small things. And even if Ichihoshi asked, Hiroto wouldn't have been able to answer anyway.

In the end, having no other available choice, Ichihoshi begrudgingly plays the obstacle course with Hiroto.

About 2 to 3 hours later, Ichihoshi lies down on the couch in the far corner of the room in exhaustion. Ichihoshi hasn’t sweat this much since he had trained in the Orion Foundation. Hiroto stands up from his chair, leaves the room, and locks it behind him with a small click. Inside the room, Ichihoshi is too tired to check what that small strange sound is. But in the near future, Ichihoshi will be pounding on the door after about 13 minutes, resting for a few minutes before slumping onto the floor. Not that Hiroto has the time and energy to predict the path of the universe. There's a promise to be fulfilled after all. Hiroto walks through the hallways where nobody else comes through, turns a few corners, and steps outside the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. The sun is still shining above, indicating that it’s still early in the afternoon. Hiroto heads to the place where he and Kidou first met up.

And sure enough, Kidou is standing there with crossed arms. As Hiroto approaches, Kidou slightly lifts his head towards Hiroto's direction. Behind his goggles, Kidou's eyes flicker to Hiroto's disorganized state. Hiroto's hair was always wild, stretching out in unusual angles like seaweed. But today, Kidou notices that it was even messier. Aside from that, Hiroto looks a bit restless. Gone was his confident grin or neutral facial expression, now replaced with relaxation. Not as in the state of being free. But as in the loss of tension in a part of the body. As if he had just regained his bearings.

Kidou noted this down in his head the moment he saw it. "What happened to you?" Kidou couldn’t help but ask. Hiroto stares back. "Not me. Something happened to Endou." Hiroto replies. At the mention of Endou's name, Kidou's stance changes immediately. "Explain." Kidou wants to know. Responding to Kidou's desire, Hiroto tells him what had happened in the morning. All the way up to the point where Hiroto and Mikado ran back to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center. And as always, Kidou quickly takes in, sorts out the information, and arrives at a conclusion. That conclusion being, "As I had thought. Ichihoshi is becoming more of a threat day by day." which is correct. "After I gather more information on the Orion Foundation, we need to eliminate him as soon as possible." Kidou said.

That is where Hiroto has to disagree. "No, we can't." Hiroto denies Kidou's judgement. Above them, the sky's still blue. Birds are chirping, and rustling of bushes tingles through the air. And Kidou uncrosses his arms. In these types of situations, Kidou shouldn't be confused nor question Hiroto in an antagonistic way. Kidou had once let his emotions cloud his logical thinking, and he won't make the same mistake twice.

No matter how angry Kidou is with Ichihoshi, he shouldn't let that break his relationship with Hiroto. "Could you elaborate?" Kidou asks. "We shouldn't eliminate Ichihoshi." Hiroto said. Can't to shouldn't, Kidou's cognitive thinking catches on. Is this personal?, and from there it supplies to a conclusion. "Ichihoshi might have been threatened by the Orion Foundation." Hiroto said.

The Orion Foundation. Kidou has researched it ever since Hiroto brought up the name. But the only thing that came up was how the Orion Foundation was an organization aiming for world peace. And about Ichihoshi, Kidou has been wondering why an organization would send a teenager to destroy a soccer team. To be frank, it was inefficient. It takes too much time. Conclusion, the Orion Foundation is hiding their true nature. Also, Kidou doubts that such an organization would use ethical ways to make a teenager cooperate with their dark intentions. In conclusion, Ichihoshi might've been manipulated. Perhaps similar to how Kidou had been by, no. Kidou's former commander isn't even worth mentioning.

But regardless of whether that's true or what, Ichihoshi is a threat and has far surpassed the realm of excusing his actions. That is the final conclusion Kidou had made before coming here. And he had planned a to ask a favor that only Hiroto could do. Kidou was still going to ask Hiroto, but he wonders on the reason why Hiroto is being insistent on keeping Ichihoshi in Inazuma Japan. Since the beginning, Hiroto was one of the few people aside from Haizaki actively fighting for Ichihoshi's elimination. Where was the underlying basis of Hiroto changing his stance? "How do you think Ichihoshi's being threatened?" Kidou asks. 

Excluding minor unimportant scenes like forcing Fudou to carry his groceries, Hiroto tells everything. The reason why he sought after Ichihoshi to talk to him- a reason that was similar to Kidou's conclusion on the Orion Foundation and Ichihoshi, -how he found Ichihoshi, the things he told Ichihoshi, and how Ichihoshi reacted. "Ichihoshi responded negatively to some of my accusations." Hiroto says. Those are some pretty specific accusations, Kidou thinks. A certain memory plays in Kidou's head.

"I thought you'd already figured it out by now." Gouenji said. "What?" Kidou reacts, uncrossing his arms, slightly caught off guard. "That Hiroto is the best player on the team." And the reason Gouenji has faith in Hiroto's skills. Kidou's lips quirked up in surprise and amusement at what Gouenji had said. "Better than you?" Kidou asks. Gouenji nods once with no hesitation. "Better than Clario." Gouenji said. Amusement falls from Kidou's face. The sudden mention of Clario confuses Kidou.

A memory resurfaces in Kidou's head.'But that's not all. After that, I met another player who challenged me to a one-on-one match.' Concerns were thrown around, 'And I completely lost.' shock was spread throughout the field. 'Hah! So what?! That level is n-' a seemingly overfident person is cut off by by another.

"So that wasn't all talk, huh?" Kidou says to himself. A small smile creeps up on Kidou's expression. No wonder why Gouenji and Hiroto quickly got along at the beginning. They were the only two to meet Clario and bond through their skills. Kidou's confusion is cleared.  "I understand now. But Gouenji, you also seem to have faith in Hiroto himself." Kidou questions. Gouenji wasn't a person who spoke about others to other people. But at this point, Gouenji might as well answer Kidou's question. "He said he admires Endou and our Raimon." Gouenji explains, showing a small smile. So Gouenji judged Hiroto's character by that. "We know that feeling more than anyone else." Kidou smiles back.

"I trust your judgement." Kidou replies. "Hah? Just like that?" Hiroto responds, bewildered. Kidou gives a mysterious smile at Hiroto in return. "Are you going to explain how you know every single thing?" Kidou asks. "Every single thing?" Hiroto repeats, frowning to himself. Kidou lightly shakes his head side to side once. "Nevermind that, thank you for telling me." Kidou said, moving on to the main reason Kidou personally came here.

Like Hiroto gave Kidou information, Kidou returns them with his investigations. The Orion Foundation, and what happened when he followed Ichihoshi yesterday. Ichihoshi kept walking and stopping, then he started to shake his arms as if a bug bit him. Ichihoshi returned to the Kawaguchiko Sports Center after that. "That's why I've concluded that simply shadowing him won't work." Kidou says as he places his right hand in his pants pocket. "The favor I wanted to ask is this." Kidou says, taking out an item from his right pants pocket. Hiroto looks at the item held out in Kidou's right hand.

It's an eleven band. "It's a tracker." Kidou reveals. It's a tracker that looks exactly like an eleven band. Hiroto listens to Kidou's brief explanation on the tracker with a lot of functions. A camera, signal sender, and more. "You want me to put this on Ichihoshi." Hiroto concludes. There was no one else Kidou would want to put this on. Hiroto takes the eleven band from Kidou’s palm with his left. "And if you were wondering how I got this,” Hiroto wasn’t, but now that Kidou mentions it, Hiroto wants to know. “It was from Kageyama." And Hiroto does a double take at Kidou’s words. "You know Kageyama, right?" Kidou asks, and Hiroto nods. The question Kidou should've asked was, was there anyone in this country that didn't know Kageyama Reiji? "After I was kicked out of the team, Kageyama approached me and handed me a parcel." Kidou begins to explain. Hiroto's blinks, once.

In the most difficult time, Kageyama appeared in front of Kidou as if he were darkness itself. Kidou was very wary of pitch black darkness, as most would be. Kageyama must have had hidden intentions, Kidou knew better than anyone. At the park bench he was sitting on, Kidou had glared behind his goggles with such intensity that as his former commander might've exploded if stares were lethal. Instead, Kageyama placed the parcel right next to Kidou's right and left without a word, unharmed. Kidou watched Kageyama leave with an unnoticeable smirk and disappear from his sight.

Kidou knew that every gift from Kageyama was potentially dangerous, but he also knew Kageyama didn't give him anything without reason. There was also a very small chance that the parcel might be the key to solving Kidou's problems. Hiroto places the eleven band in his left pants pocket as Kidou finishes his brief explanation of how he decided to choose this route. “About the timing of when to swap Ichihoshi’s eleven band.” Kidou said.

Kidou has been thinking for a while. Every player wears the eleven band the moment they wake up, and take it off before going to bed. Some even go to sleep with the eleven band on their wrists. Which is why the option of sneaking into Ichihoshi and Iwato’s dorm room in the middle of the night was out of question. The risk was too high. The only other time someone takes off their eleven band was, “When Ichihoshi goes to shower, he’ll leave his eleven band in his dufflebag.” Kidou explains. Whether Ichihoshi chooses to shower in the dorm rooms, or the locker rooms, it’s the least riskiest way.

("This is quite troublesome.")

After sharing a few more information with Kidou, Kidou hands over a manual. And after Hiroto gives Kidou permission to retrieve something from his duffle bag, Hiroto goes straight to the room where he had locked Ichihoshi. Hiroto reaches the room, and opens the door, only to find a room devoid of life. Ichihoshi was gone. Somehow, Ichihoshi had escaped his room. Hiroto stands still for only a split second before turning his back to the room. There's no time to waste. If Ichihoshi wasn't here, then he better start looking.

Hiroto walks through the hallways. A few corner turns later, Hiroto sees Fubuki turning around a corner. "Hiroto?" Fubuki said, surprised to see Hiroto. "Didn't expect to see you here. Did practice end early?" Hiroto asks. “No, I was taking a small-” “Fubuki!” A very familiar voice calls out. Fubuki and Hiroto’s head turn to the direction where the sound came from. Tatsuya reveals himself from the near corner. “And, Hiroto?” Tatsuya slowly mutters out. For a split second, Hiroto swears he saw something alien in Tatsuya’s eyes.

Tatsuya lets out a short sigh and walks right past Hiroto. “Don’t just go off anywhere you please.” Tatsuya firmly warns, stopping in front of Fubuki. “But I did what you asked?” Fubuki questions, smiling back gently. Tatsuya gives one more look at Fubuki, before turning around and walking away. “We need to go back to practice soon.” Fubuki says, giving Hiroto a small apologetic smile. Fubuki lowers his voice, “By the way, I saw Ichihoshi head in that direction a couple of minutes ago.” and Hiroto blinks as Fubuki leaves Hiroto’s side to catch up to Tatsuya.

Was it just Hiroto or was something slightly different about Tatsuya and Fubuki today? No, even more than that. Hiroto realizes that Tatsuya hasn’t met his eyes once during their short interaction. Tatsuya’s face fell as soon as he saw Hiroto. Which was the most abnormal phenomenon Hiroto had ever witnessed. Deciphering others' intentions or emotions wasn’t a skill that Hiroto was born with. But Hiroto was unfortunately gifted with intuition. From the dephest of Hiroto’s subconscious, he swears he saw what resembled guilt in Tatsuya’s eyes.

How ridiculous. Tatsuya hadn’t done anything to warrant that type of emotion. Not in Hiroto’s eyes.

(“Ah, I get it.”)

Hearing Ichihoshi’s whereabouts from Fubuki, Hiroto heads to the direction. Hiroto had just turned a familiar corner when someone calls out his name. Hiroto stops, meeting Kazemaru's eyes from a few steps away. You've got to be kidding me, Hiroto thinks. This way was to the shower rooms, why is Kazemaru here? "Kazemaru, you too? Is everyone taking a small break or something?" Hiroto asks. Kazemaru raises a brow. “Me too?” Kazemaru pauses after saying this, seemingly in thought. “Did you see Fubuki and Tatsuya?” Kazemaru asks. “Yeah, I did.” Hiroto answers.

Even as Hiroto answers, the favor Kidou has given him stirs restlessly. The shower locker room is right there a couple steps ahead. Either Hiroto finds Ichihoshi, or doesn't find and move on. “You should head back to practice now.” Hiroto suggests. Kazemaru's head follows Hiroto's footsteps. “Where are you going?” Kazemaru asks, just as Hiroto was about to walk past.

“I'm heading to the shower locker rooms.” Hiroto states shortly. Kazemaru still has practice, so he'll leave soon. Or at least, that was what Hiroto had thought. But instead, Kazemaru disregards all expectations and logic with a small nod. “Same here.” Kazemaru agrees. “Don't you have practice to get to?” Hiroto asks, genuinely confused. “Not right now, no.” Kazemaru answers vaguely.

Something was very wrong today. Hiroto can feel it in the air. “That's pretty early.” Hiroto comments in amusement before taking a step around Kazemaru's right. There's no time to idle around. If Kazemaru follows behind, then fine. Hiroto will just check, leave and find another timing to complete Kidou's favor. However, Kazemaru doesn't let Hiroto take a single step around him. Blinking, Hiroto meets eyes to eye with Kazemaru. Hiroto tries stepping around Kazemaru's left, but Kazemaru blocks the way once more with a single step. This was getting a bit unnerving. “Kazemaru, what's the big deal?” Hiroto bites. Kazemaru simply lets out a silent sigh. “Hiroto, be honest with me. What are you doing?” Kazemaru asks.

It's as if a sharp breeze blew past Hiroto's ears. Indignation crawls through Hiroto’s skin and flesh. What was Hiroto doing? No, what was Kazemaru doing?

Before Hiroto could respond in any way, the two of them heard footsteps from behind Hiroto. Kazemaru’s single visible eye widened in surprise, loosening his defensive stance. Hiroto turns around and sees Tatsuya turning around a corner. “There you are.” Tatsuya said, eyes trailing to Kazemaru. Once again, Hiroto was ignored as Tatsuya headed straight to Kazemaru. Fubuki reveals himself right after. “Tatsuya, don't just go off anywhere you please.” Fubuki calmly repeats what Tatsuya had said earlier.

If Hiroto could observe from a third persons perspective, he would've wondered, has Fubuki always been this bold? But in the current situation, Hiroto can only look back and forth between Kazemaru and Fubuki in confusion. “We need to get back to practice. The coach called us.” Tatsuya tells Kazemaru. "Coach did?” Kazemaru reacts, just as confused as Hiroto, but for different reasons. Tatsuya nods, and places his right hand on Kazemaru's left shoulder.

Tatsuya's gesture is met with resistance. "You guys can go ahead, I'll follow right after.” Kazemaru explains, feet rooted to the ground. The wind refuses to move to the current of the meteor falling from outer space. Fubuki walks past Hiroto and places his left hand on Kazemaru's right shoulder. “The coach said to come immediately, Kazemaru.” Like a snow angel, Fubuki’s voice and expression is beautifully innocent. And Hiroto would've perceived it that way if he hadn't noticed Fubuki's grip on Kazemaru was ever so slightly tighter than Tatsuya's.

Suddenly, the four teens in the hallways are interrupted by the shower locker rooms door opening. Right hand still hovering just above the doorknob, Ichihoshi takes in the abnormal situation. On his left is Kira Hiroto, who looks a bit lost. On his right is Kazemaru Ichirouta, Kiyama Tatsuya and Fubuki Shirou. Seeing this, Ichihoshi’s fingers enclose the doorknob, takes a step back and closes the door.

The silence was loud. Tatsuya breaks it first by patting Kazemaru’s shoulder. “Let’s go.” Tatsuya said. And this time, Kazemaru let himself be steered away from Tatsuya and Fubuki. Hiroto takes his eyes off of the three and to the door Ichihoshi disappeared behind. Lifting his right hand, Hiroto pushes, and quickly realizes that the door is locked. Hiroto knocks hard several times. “I’m not going to open it.” Hiroto hears Ichihoshi’s voice from the other side. Hiroto internally rolls his eyes.

As if Hiroto didn’t know that. “Who unlocked your door?” Hiroto asks. “Huh?” Ichihoshi lets out a confused noise. “Don’t play dumb.” Hiroto said. “So it was you who locked that door!” Ichihoshi realizes the underlying implications behind Hiroto’s words. “Answer the question.” Hiroto said. “It was Tatsuya-san, you happy?!” Ichihoshi complaints. Hiroto’s hand pauses in the air. Hiroto isn’t sure what was more surprising. The fact that Ichihoshi answered Hiroto's question immediately, or that Tatsuya was the one that opened the door to that obstacle course training room.

(“They're all working hard.”)

Hiroto checks his duffle bag, then his phone, and decides to rest for a bit. “Aren't you going to check your belongings?” Haizaki asks. “No need. I've got nothing anyone could steal.” Hiroto said. There's silence as Haizaki shuffles through his belongings. “You know, something strange happened today.” Haizaki begins. “Huh?” Hiroto reacts.

After Haizaki finishes explaining, Hiroto exits the room to go to Tatsuya, only to be stopped by Ichihoshi. Hiroto ignores Ichihoshi and goes straight to Tatsuya. “Come with me for a second.” Hiroto said seriously, grabbing Tatsuya’s right wrist with his left and dragging him to the elevator.

Once the floor reaches the bottom, Hiroto drags Tatsuya to a random room, and locks the door behind them. “Tatsuya, you've been avoiding me this whole afternoon. What's up with that?” Hiroto doesn't mince his words. Tatsuya stares back, managing to hide his tension. How do I even respond to that? Tatsuya's thoughts were interrupted by Hiroto. “Did you do something?” Hiroto asks. Tatsuya's heartbeat spikes.

Seeing Tatsuya standing still, Hiroto leans against the door, and places both his hands in his pocket. “I have something I haven't told anyone.” Hiroto suddenly admits. Tatsuya's eyes widened in surprise. “What?” Tatsuya said. Hiroto nods. “Kidou already knows, but I should definitely tell everyone after tomorrow's match.” Hiroto said.

Hiroto has never been this talkative. Nor admits things this boldly. Tatsuya doesn't know what changed, but one thing is for sure. “I'll tell you everything after tomorrow's match as well.” Tatsuya finally speaks out. “I'll admit, I've doubted your actions because of some accusations and may have done something bad.” Tatsuya admits.

Tatsuya's honesty lifted a weight in the back of Hiroto's subconscious. “Look, I don't care if you turned out to be a double spy for an alien trying to destroy this country under the order of an alien commander. I just wanted to know if you have something you need to tell me, but didn't.” Hiroto said seriously. Tatsuya blinks. That example was oddly specific. “So stop feeling guilty and let's win tomorrow's match together.” Hiroto said. Guilt? Was that the emotion Tatsuya had been feeling all this time? Tatsuya smiles back. “I'm sorry for avoiding you, Hiroto.” Tatsuya apologizes.

Ichihoshi and Hiroto got injured just a couple of minutes before half-time. Inazuma Japan flocked around Nosaka, asking him questions. Fubuki slightly turns his head to Tatsuya. "I just remembered I have a better cooling pack back at the lockers. Want to use it?" Fubuki asks Tatsuya, giving him a small gentle smile. To others(who are too busy with conversing with Nosaka), Fubuki is being his usual nice self. However, Tatsuya notices that something is a little different. "That would be great, thank you." Tatsuya answers.

Fubuki politely asks permission from the coach before helping Tatsuya up and heading to the locker rooms. Once the two at the entrance to the soccer stadiums hallways, Fubuki drops the gentle facade and gives Tatsuya a sharp look. "Did you notice Nosaka's behavior?" Fubuki said. Tatsuya nods. "He glossed over the procedure and told the results as if he knew everything." Tatsuya said. Fubuki nods. "Not only that, but there's also another strange thing I noticed." Fubuki said.

"Mind telling me as well?" Tatsuya and Fubuki turns behind them. "Aren't you supposed to prepare for the second half?" Fubuki asks. "I'll get back as soon as I can. Nevermind that, you guys were acting pretty suspicious yesterday." Kazemaru said. Yesterday, Tatsuya asked for Fudou's cooperation and Fubuki faked being injured to excuse himself and Tatsuya from practice. Not that anybody needed to know that. "That's what I want to say. Why were you standing in front of the shower lower rooms and blocking Hiroto's path?" Tatsuya asks, crossing his arms.

Kazemaru stays silent, choosing his options before deciding on one. "Nosaka asked me." Kazemaru admits. "Nosaka? Did you guys know each other before this?" Fubuki asks, a bit surprised and genuinely curious.

At Inazuma Japan's bench, Kazemaru still hasn't returned. Beside Haizaki, Goujin looks nervous. "Relax already." Haizaki narrows his eyes. "I can't help it, it's my first debut." Goujin said. "Sakanoue, you're up." Nosaka said. "But what about Kazemaru-san?" Sakanoue asks. A few minutes ago, Nosaka had seen Fubuki and Tatsuya leave the benches. Kazemaru followed right after. Nosaka expected that Kazemaru was bound to follow his curiosity after Nosaka asked coach to send Kazemaru to him yesterday. I'll leave those three to themselves, Nosaka thinks. "Don't worry about, I'm sure Kazemaru-san will be back soon." Nosaka said. They won't find anything anyway.

Tatsuya, Fubuki and Kazemaru returns during the timing around the referee switch, and the beginning of Grid Omega ver2.0 destroying Eternal Dancers. It's a quick victory. Nothing to celebrate about. Nosaka vowed to change the world, and this will be just a small stepping stone for his goals.

In the locker rooms, Tatsuya slowly walks in front of Nosaka, mindful of his injury. Nosaka gives a small smile to Tatsuya. "Ah, Tatsuya-san. Is there something you want to say to me?" Nosaka asks, a bit curious. Tatsuya doesn't smile back. "What are you so relaxed for? You just made the biggest mistake in the world." Tatsuya states.

The neurons in Nosaka's brain fire up and create electrical impulses as he thinks where this type of reaction derived from. Nosaka's eyes travel to a certain manual a few inches away from Kazemaru. Ah, Nosaka forgot to take in Hiroto's locker as a factor. The after effects of brain tumor were more provident than he had calculated.

Nosaka really should've gotten rid of everything before stepping onto the field.

Hiroto remembers his past life and Kiyama Hiroto's memories the most. They're the memories that affected Hiroto the most. Furthermore, Hiroto's memories stop at the Fifth Sector fisco, and the time travel shenanigans he heard from Endou over lunch, and Kariya over dinner, and the aliens with Gouenji.

Not only that, but for some reason, Hiroto had multiple sets of memories of the same timeline. In one, Kiyama Hiroto was in Raimon, and fought a team that came from the future called The Orge. In another, Kira Hiroto was in Inazuma Legend Japan fighting against Shinsei Inazuma Japan where some weird people came in mid-match. In another, Gran was in a team named Inazuma Battle Eleven consisting of random people from different timelines.

Hiroto doesn't know how these memories can coexist, but he never thought too much about it since at this point, he had accepted anything could happen. Point is, everything after his death, Aliea Academy and Inazuma Japan were all a blur.

Darkness. Then, images of several players from Kiyama Hiroto's memories pop up and begin to show like a badly made powerful slide show presentation. Hiroto stands in the middle, rooted in the spot as he's forced to watch players yelp in pain, pass out from injury or exhaustion, and much worse. Kiyama Hiroto appears beside him, hair straightened and wearing an orange jacket. An outfit he wore in what he proclaimed as his 'human form' when meeting Endou.

Hurts to watch, doesn't it? The voice of Kiyama Hiroto echoes throughout the void. Hiroto looks at Kiyama Hiroto from his body and a third person's perspective simultaneously. The answer to this fabricated Kiyama Hiroto is, no, it doesn't hurt. At least, not as much as it did when Hiroto first saw it. Kiyama Hiroto gives him an unreadable stare. Darkness shifts into a soccer field. And soccer ball lands on top of Kiyama Hiroto's right foot.

Hiroto watches as Kiyama Hiroto juggles the ball with his right foot. How about a one on one? Kiyama Hiroto asks, smiling. If it were any other day, Hiroto would've agreed without hesitation. But as of right, he feels a little sick just even thinking about soccer. Hm, Kiyama Hiroto said, noticing how unwell Hiroto looked. Kiyama Hiroto stops, letting the ball fall off from his foot. And the moment the soccer ball makes contact with the field, the ground crumbles from the inside out, and a small red haired child,

falls onto the floor with a thump.

If Hiroto were coherent, he would've wondered why he and the floor were destined to meet a lot these past few days. He lifts himself up from the floor by using his arms, and the first thing he notices is, his sleeves are long and white. The next thing he notices is that he had fallen from the left side of the bed. And the last thing he notices is this room's decor is the exact same as Gouenji's hospital room.

What a sight to behold. Hiroto's seen other people sent to hospitals before, but never have he thought that he would be a patient. Hiroto's throat is dry from lack of hydration, making him craving for water. Hiroto looks around this room. There's a bathroom, a couple of steps away. Tap water sounds good. There's also a small refrigerator a few steps away from the bed, near the bathroom. Pushing himself up from the floor, Hiroto stands up.

And the world spins in his head. Hiroto stands still, letting the effects wear off. In the corner, the calender tells Hiroto that it has been 3 three days since he fell unconscious. Then, Hiroto heads to the small refrigerator, and opens it to find a few 1L plastic water bottles arranged nicely.

After drinking from the water bottle, going to the bathroom to wash his face, Hiroto carefully walks out of the room, and into the hallways. There are a few nurses moving busily, some patients taking a small walk near their assigned rooms, and a few people who looked like they were visiting someone in this hospital. Hiroto stops outside a room, and on the wall, it reads, 'Room 013, Name : Ichihoshi Mitsuru' on the panel.

Hiroto should've hesitated once he saw who the room belonged to. But strangely, as if dragged by an unknown force, Hiroto lets his feet quietly enter Ichihoshi's assigned room. Sitting on the hospital bed was Ichihoshi, awake and looking out the window. Hiroto slowly approaches. Ichihoshi turns his head as he notices a new guest, and Hiroto instinctively notices something is off. Ichihoshi looks too innocent, warm, "Hm? Hello, I didn't notice you." and sounds friendly with no ulterior motive.

"I'm Ichihoshi Hikaru. Nice to meet you." Ichihoshi Hikaru introduces himself.

Sunlight shines into the room. "Aren't you Ichihoshi Mitsuru?" Hiroto asks, a certain memory sparking in his mind. Ichihoshi Hikaru's eyes flicker with understanding, but not recognition. Ichihoshi smiles as he answers, "Ah, you must've confused me with my brother." and years of Kiyama Hiroto's memories remind Hiroto of different kinds of siblings. Most of them are tied with injury and, or death.

"Are you my brother's friend?" Ichihoshi Hikaru asks, eyes sparkling expectantly. Well, Ichihoshi Mitsuru is far from someone you could call a friend. Despite this, Hiroto nods once, compelled to play along. Ichihoshi Hikaru brightens up, in what he thinks is Hiroto's confirmation. "Really? This is great news! You see, my brother has been more uptight than usual these days so I'm happy he managed to make a friend outside of me. And-" Ichihoshi Hikaru quickly turns into a chatterbox. And Hiroto sits on the edge of bed to listen to Ichihoshi Hikaru's ramblings.

And Hiroto listens to Ichihoshi Hikaru talk about his brother for a few minutes before he stops himself. "Oh, wait, how rude of me. I haven't even asked your name yet." Ichihoshi Hikaru said, genuinely apologetic. This is truly a different kind of disturbing. "It's Hiroto." Hiroto answers. "Hiroto." Ichihoshi Hikaru repeats, trying the name on his tongue. "Strange. I can pronounce it almost perfectly for some reason." Ichihoshi Hikaru mutters to himself. Hiroto stares. Ichihoshi Hikaru looks back at Hiroto's slightly noticeable confusion. "Oh, right, you see," And Ichihoshi Hikaru begins to explain.

It hasn't been that long since Ichihoshi Hikaru was moved from Russia to a hospital considerably close to where his brother was mostly spending his time at. His brother, who was training at an organization called Orion, learned a lot from high level physical training to several subjects such as different countries' languages. And then the conversation went to how Ichihoshi Hikaru got hospitalized, about his brother, a pen pal he recently came to know(Hiroto felt deja vu listening to how Hikaru described this pen pal), and much more information on his personal life.

Ichihoshi Hikaru was very talkative. Must be because he's been in a hospital for so long, Hiroto's subconscious supplies, listening to it all in silence. "...and that's how my brother got selected for nationals. I'm so proud to have a soccer player as my brother. He's my hero." Just as Ichihoshi Hikaru finishes another story, the two hear several voices from the hallways. "Where did patient from room 009 go?" Patient from room 009 had gone missing since they were awake. Ichihoshi turns his head to the doorways. "Are the nurses looking for a missing patient? I hope they find them soon." Ichihoshi said. Hiroto steps away from the bed.

Ichihoshi blinks. "Wait, where are you going?" Ichihoshi asks. His question is answered in the form a nurse passing by Ichihoshi's room, and noticing another person beside. "There you are." The nurse looks tired and relieved. "Patient Kira Hiroto. Please come back to your room immediately." The nurse gestures for Hiroto to follow. "It was you?!" Ichihoshi said, eyes wide. Looks like it's time to say goodbye for now. "Yeah. We'll talk soon." Hiroto held his right hand up as a sign of farewell for now, following the nurse who firmly explains what he can and cannot do until he gets a checkup.

Several minutes and a thorough checkup later, the nurse concludes that his vitals are stable enough, and physical condition is returning to normal. "But that doesn't mean you should move around too much. Take it easy for now." The nurse explains, and Hiroto nods. Promising the nurse that Hiroto will follow their words as a patient. The nurse further explains what and what not to do, and suggests a shower. A good shower has marvelous effects on a human's physiological state. Which in turn gives positive effects on your physical condition.

Hiroto takes a shower. 

Ichihoshi Mitsuru and Ichihoshi Hikaru. Ichihoshi Mitsuru who made everyone his enemy, got injured, was admitted to the same hospital as Hiroto, a room with his name nameplate outside, and an older sibling to a younger one. Ichihoshi Hikaru who injured his leg in an unknown accident that he couldn't remember, a younger sibling to an older one.

So the possibility that Ichihoshi Mitsuru was doing his duty for his younger sibling was almost correct.

Then, who is Ichihoshi? Was it Mitsuru? Hikaru? Hiroto never sought out to study symptoms like these. Nor did Kiyama Hiroto.

After a shower, lunch, brushing teeth, and another checkup, Hiroto is given permission to freely move around as long as he's in the hospital. Of course, Hiroto does the most obvious thing- visiting Ichihoshi's room again.

Ichihoshi Hikaru was chewing on the last bits of his food when he noticed Hiroto entering the doorway. "That was fast." Ichihoshi mumbles to himself. Hiroto makes his way to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm just that speedy. Besides, I wanted to talk with you more." Hiroto said, a small grin on his face. "Me?" Ichihoshi Hikaru reacts, surprise evident on his face. "Yeah, you're quite interesting." Hiroto hits Ichihoshi with one of Kiyama Hiroto's lines. Ichihoshi Hikaru blinks before letting a out a small chuckle. "I'm sure there are more 'interesting' people in this hospital." Ichihoshi Hikaru said with an amused smile.

Hiroto shifts his legs into a figure four lock sitting position. "Not as interesting as the guy who talks about his 'superhero big brother' 24/7." Hiroto's gives Ichihoshi Hikaru a sly grin. Ichihoshi Hikaru's ears turn a bit red in embarassment. "Relax, it's all good." Hiroto said. Really, it's admirable just how much love Ichihoshi Hikaru has for his brother. Ichihoshi Mitsuru must really love his brother just as much to be perceived that way. "By the way, do you seriously don't remember how you got here?" Hiroto asks. Earlier in the morning, amongst the many things Hiroto had heard from Ichihoshi Hikaru, there was a talk about Ichihoshi Hikaru noticing that this room wasn't the hospital room he was in yesterday.

Ichihoshi Hikaru shakes his head side to side in a disappointed gesture. "No... for some reason, no matter how hard I try I can't seem to remember." Ichihoshi Hikaru says, a little distraught. "But the doctor said this was normal." Ichihoshi Hikaru tries to rationalize an underlying terror once more. "Apparently my brain occasionally blacks out due to the aftereffects of my accident." Ichihoshi Hikaru nods to himself as he explains. Word by word, Ichihoshi Hikaru's explanation sounds reasonable. It's just that, Hiroto has seen evidence that it might be something else.

"Are you Ichihoshi Hikaru, or Ichihoshi Mitsuru?" Hiroto asks. Ichihoshi Hikaru stares, placing his left hand on top of his right. "I've, told you before?" Ichihoshi Hikaru smiles awkwardly as he says this. "I'm Ichihoshi Hikaru." Ichihoshi Hikaru repeats once again. Ichihoshi Hikaru doesn't understand why his brothers friend asked that question again. Hiroto gets off Ichihoshi Hikaru's bed. "Come here, I want to show you something." Hiroto said, stepping a few feet away.

Ichihoshi Hikaru furrows his brows slightly in confusion. "But my leg is damaged. I couldn't move even if you wanted me too." Ichihoshi Hikaru explains, looking up at Hiroto. And Hiroto, tilts his head slightly to the right, looking around the room once more. "Did you know your wheelchair isn't here?" Hiroto said. Ichihoshi Hikaru scans the room. "Huh? Wait, where's my wheelchair?" Ichihoshi HIkaru said, confused. Hiroto grins in response. "Your new nurse said that reason you switched hospitals was because your leg healed." Hiroto really lied. Ichihoshi Hikaru's eyes widened.

Ichihoshi Hikaru slowly drops his spoon. "The nurse said that?" Ichihoshi Hikaru said, bewildered. Hiroto rolls his eyes. "Yeah, obviously." Hiroto said. Ichihoshi Hikaru moves his tray and blanket aside. Then, Ichihoshi Hikaru carefully touches the floor with his bare feet. It's cold. The moment Ichihoshi Hikaru gets up from the bed, his legs give out, and Hiroto catches him before he could injure himself. "Forgot the nurse said you were slowly recovering." Hiroto quickly saves himself from second hand embarrassment.

However, Ichihoshi Hikaru is silent as he's still supported by Hiroto's arms. "Ichihoshi?" Hiroto asks. "I could... I felt it..." Ichihoshi Hikaru mutters. "Hiroto-san! I felt my legs." Ichihoshi Hikaru looks up, looking a bit overjoyed. "Then, this means it's true. A slow recovery is better than nothing. I have to tell my brother! Ah, no, but he's probably busy, and I don't know where my phone is, I lost it again..." Ichihoshi Hikaru mutters get longer and longer.

An idea clicks in Hiroto's head. "I know, how about a letter?" Hiroto suggests. Ichihoshi Hikaru stops his mutter spree and looks up at Hiroto. "A letter?" Ichihoshi Hikaru repeats. "We can even put pictures in them." Hiroto grins. "That's a great idea, Hiroto-san." Ichihoshi Hikaru replied. Ichihoshi Hikaru looks like Hiroto had just given him the stars.