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Chapter Text

It was another moving day for Masaki and his parents. They had just moved to a new city, there in Nagano.

He had actually already seen the new house a few times, empty and half-empty, a few weeks ago, but seeing it half-furnished had a completely effect. 
It was a nice house, different from the apartment which was really small and barely had a desk for his room.

From the outside, the house looked just like the others: a small yard at the back, a garage, and a mailbox, positioned just like the others. The outer walls were cream coloured, immaculate without even a smudge, the entrance door was in a brownish colour, completely opened.

He entered in the house after everyone else, his parents continued to carry packages, even though another truck was due to arrive, with other packages.

The entrance was completely empty, a small hallway ended giving rise to an open space on the left was the living room while on its right the kitchen room; they weren’t one hundred percent complete. The walls of the hallway and living room were a very light brown similar to the entrance door, while the kitchen was covered with tiles of a slightly darker brown, in a rustic style.

The hallway the continued, on the left were two bedrooms, the first would be his parent’s room, the second one reserved for guests or would become a sort of study room, he didn’t yet know what his father wanted to do with it.

At the end of the hallway there was the master bathroom, while on the right there was his bedroom, and another small bathroom/laundry room.

His room was larger than the previous one, as he already said, the walls of the room were divided into two colours, two white – where there was his bad and the wardrobe – and two blue where was a window and a desk with an attacked a small library. 
 
«What do you think Maki?» His father asked. «We got a great deal.»

Not exactly. 
There were still four hours away from his home town… but he didn’t want to destroy his father’s dreams.

«Yeah, it’s beautiful.» He answered.

«Hiroto, the other truck has arrived!»
«I’m coming!»

He followed his father.
He helped with unloading the packages and opening them. 
They would spent the whole afternoon tidying up the house.

After unloading all the packages, they started from the rooms. He took his things, and carried them to his room.

He looked out of his bedroom window, observing the panorama that stretched out before him. The sun painted the sky with warm and enveloping hues, and Masaki suddenly felt full of hope.
This would be their home, the place where they would make new memories, and  new experiences. 

It wasn’t the first time he did the move, he had done it three years earlier, after leaving Kyoto, his home town.
His parents had moved to a nearby town for work reasons, where he had attended middle school, then, they had decided to move again to be closer to work. They were in Nagano, in the Nagano prefecture, precisely.

He had been there before because his parents wanted to fit in, and somehow they had to register him in high school, and so they had “kill two birds with one stone” as his other father would have said.

It was a long story, but yep, he has two gay parents.
Luckily, they were young, there was a minimum age of ten or fifteen years between him and them, and they got along very well.

This time, he had promised himself, he would not make any mistakes; he didn’t want to be fooled by people’s total narrow-mindedness.

«Masaki, are you finished?»

He was Masaki Kariya-Kira.
He had a double last name, yes, because “Kariya” was his mother’s last name, if he could call her in that way, while “Kira” was his parents last name.

He had been adopted when he was little, maybe three or four years old, and they hadn’t yet managed to take away his “real” parent’s last name; but it didn’t bother him.

Those who knew him called him “Kira” as is right.

Masaki Kariya-Kira, was fourteen years old and approaching fifteen.
He had torquiest hair, he wore it long, down his shoulder, his eyes were amber, and had a particular cut shaped, like a cat.

«My little kitten.» Said his father, laughing.

He had bangs that feel over his eyes, but didn’t bother him; in fact, he thought they gave him a mysterious look.

He was a little short compared to his peers.

He finished putting the mirror back behind the door, and his father had entered the room.

«Oh, it turned out really nice, you have a lot more space now too.» His father said. «We can also make the bad later, I’ll give you a hand.»
«Thank you Ryuu.»
«Ryuuji! Where are my glasses?»
«Are you sure you don’t have them on your head, Hiro?»

Masaki giggled.

«Ha-ha very funny.» Hiroto said. «I had placed them on the box.»
«I’m coming.»

His father left the room after messing up his bangs.
This was what happened almost very every day in the Kira household.

He finally put away the last thing that was left at the bottom of the box.
A photo. A family photo.

His parents were Midorikawa Ryuuji and Hiroto Kira.

Hiroto had red hair and green eyes, he wore elegantly and proudly pair of glasses that according to Masaki gave him a distinguished and intelligent look, but unfortunately he behaved like a big child. He was a loving and caring man.

He was the one Masaki calls “Dad.”.

He loved both equally, but for him, Hiroto was his dad; he couldn’t explain the concept of fatherhood that was going around his head, but simply, he was the one who had always kept him in mind and had always played with him as soon as he arrived at the “foster home”.

Then, there was Ryuuji, his other father, he had green hair tied in a ponytail, but that day he had it tied back like a spring onion, and he had black eyes.
He had a more relaxed appearance than Hiroto, but with kind heart and a warm smile that put everyone at ease.

At home he was called “Ryuu”, which was the nickname Masaki stole from Hiroto.

He put the photo on the desk, the set up the computer, now he was done. Truly.

He went into the living room where his parents were tidying up the living room. They had set up the TV, and Masaki rushed to fix the new PlayStation they had bought that winter.
It was his but also Hiroto’s; they played with it together when the two adults were home from work, or simply when Hiroto felt like it.

He assembled it as the best he could while his parents continued to rearrange things here and there.
Then they took a lunch break, they were sitting on the floor in a sort of small circle.

«How do you feel about new house, Maki?» Hiroto asked.

Masaki looked around, observing the house still in need of repair. They had just started to unpack their things, and there were still boxes strewn everywhere.
Despite the mess, the boy could see the house’s potential.

«As you said before? It’s a deal.»

He really didn’t want to disappoint him.

«This house will become a special place for us, you’ll see.» Hiroto the said.

Masaki nodded.

«Maybe after we’re done we can go for a walk, okay Masaki?» Ryuuji asked. «You don’t want to spent the rest of the day stuck in the house.»
«I don’t really feel like going out...»
«Why? You don’t want to see the new school?» Hiroto asked.
«You said you would give me a ride for the first few days.»
«Yes that’s true, but sooner or later you’ll have to go alone, don’t you think? We can arrive at the Kira much sooner, and you know that.»
Masaki sighed. «Do I really have to come on this “tour”? We have Saturday on Sunday too...»
«The cherry blossoms here are very beautiful.» Ryuuji said.
«Okay, okay, I’ll come.»

Masaki didn’t give is so easily to pleas, but he had to do this time, he couldn’t stand those two keeping telling him that he had to go out a little more.

«Why do we always assemble the table afterwards?» Hiroto asked maybe a little more to himself.

It wasn’t the first time they ate sitting on the floor because they had forgotten to assemble the table.

«It’s become a tradition now. Although I hope I never have to repeat it again.»
«I agree with Ryuu!»
«Hey! Don’t gang up on me, this was a choice that had to be made.»

this was a choice that had to be made because it made Kira & Company closer.
The Kira & Co., was the family business, where Hiroto was the boss and Ryuuji his assistant, vice boss, that kind of things. That was the reason they moved from Kyoto.

The main headquarters was actually under “Mount Fuji”, but for obvious reasons it was moved away. And Hiroto’s father decided to open it there in Nagano.

As soon as they finished lunch, they went back up to putting away other things and emptying huge boxes.

Hiroto and Ryuuji took care of the kitchen and living area, working as a close-knit team, as they were at work.

(Ryuuji had emptied the set of plates himself this time, since last time, Hiroto had broken almost all of them, forgetting the “FRAGILE” written in red.)

The two adults talked among themselves about how good things were going to be, and how happy they would be to start over from there.

Masaki helped the two by taking care of the bathrooms, he didn’t have the same tasted as Ryuuji, but they were certainly better than Hiroto’s.

And so, with their new home and hearts full of home, the Kira family began their journey to Nagano, ready to face every challenge and enjoy that life had in store for them.

Chapter Text

April 5th.

That's what the calendar marked that morning. But it wasn't just any day, no, school started that day.

It had only been two days since he arrived in Nagano, and after two weeks of doing nothing, starting school was not at all in his thoughts, especially if it was a new one.

He had finished middle school, and was about to start high school in a new city, in a new home, all new.

Although reluctantly, he got up from his warm bed and went to take a quick shower.
Back in the room he took the uniform and wore it. They had withdrawn him in those days, at least he didn't have the embarrassment to go to school without a uniform, at least on that Fortune was on her side.

The uniform was black, complete with a jacket, it had the school coat of arms with the name under it. 'Alien Accademy'.
Yes, it wasn't a real high school, like the classic schools, it was more of an academy, it lasted a year longer than normal high schools, but it was really the only better choice, said by his parents.

The pants had two cobalt blue lines on the sides, horrible.
Under his jacket he wore a white long-sleeved shirt, while in summer he had the court-sleeved one with the coat of arms on it (since the jacket should not be worn.)
The beauty of that outfit? He had sneakers on his feet.

"It's terrible for me." He proclaimed as soon as he arrived in the kitchen.

Ryuuji and Hiroto were already having breakfast.

"Instead, Maki looks great on you."
"That's not true, I look like a penguin."
"You were looking like a penguin in the old uniform, and I've always told you that." Hiroto said.

He wasn't entirely wrong.

"Come on, sit down and have breakfast little penguin." Ryuuji told him. "It really suits you."

Masaki followed the advice.
Even though he didn't really feel like having breakfast, he had read away his anxiety, and wouldn't want to vomit all.

"I also made you lunch, I put it on the table in the living room, don't forget it." Ryuuji told him.'Thank you.'

Starting with seven hours, and then one to choose the club was suicide.
At least the first two or maybe three lost them because of the speech the principal would give.

"Don't even forget to let me know when you get out of school and when you get home, okay?"
"Don't harass him." Hiroto re-dled him. "He just woke up."
"Yes Ryuu, don't worry."

Once breakfast was over, he took lunch from the table, put it in his folder along with a copy of his house keys, then he took his cell phone and put it in his pocket.

He gave one last check-up around before leaving with Hiroto.
He said goodbye to Ryuuji.

The folder they had given him was a white shoulder strap, even that one had the coat of arms, at least behind it.

In the car Hiroto showed him which way he had to go, despite having already shown it to him, but Masaki had the same memory as Dory, Nemo's little fish.

"Can you drop me in before I go?"
"Okay, are you sure you want to get in alone?"
"Yes, I'm pretty old."
"I didn't say you're little but there will definitely be other parents."
"I can do it on my own."
"I don't insist, but I won't leave until you get in ok?"
"Okay, do whatever you want."

The school wasn't far away they had only taken 10 minutes to get there, Hiroto could have put even 5 if only he hadn't shown him the way.
Arriving, Masaki got out of the car almost unwillingly.

"Don't go anxious please." Hiroto told him. "Everything will be fine."
“I won't! And thank you!”
"Good school."

Masaki smiled at him and walked away.
As soon as he walked through the school gate, a bell began to ring.
Punctual as usual.

In the courtyard there were millions if not billions of students, it was almost all full.
There were structures on the sides and he didn't know what was in it, he didn't want to be late to go exploring.

He armed himself with courage and entered the main structure, following other students.
On the pillars there were attached sheets that said: "New students who will have to attend the first year are asked to go to the auditorium."
On another one instead it was written: 'Auditorium.'
And there was an arrow pointing to the left.

At the entrance there were a lot of lockers, and a lot of boys and girls were already taking things from there in there.
Masaki hadn't actually had the keys yet.

He followed the arrow, trying not to get too distracted, and arrived at the auditorium safe and sound.He took the first free seat he saw, he didn't start looking that much.
He felt very disenched and didn't like to feel that way.

In front of him was an empty space with a whiteboard and a black marker.

Probably and from there that the principal would speak.

He looked around and saw students going in and out, some talking, others sitting and staying on their cell phones.

"Is he free here?" A boy asked him.
'Yes.'
'Oh thank you.' And this one sat down. "Are you in your first year?"

What question was not obvious?

"Yes, they are all del-
-Oh, great, I'm freshmore too!"

Masaki was going to tell him that he knew, and that he had just stopped him, but he let it go.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Kageyama Hikaru."
"Kariya Masaki. My pleasure Kageyama."

They shook hands.Hikaru was literally hot.

"I'm a little anxious forgive me, I tend to talk nonsense too."

The boy next to him had violet hair and black eyes.
Black as those of Ryuuji. The same intensity.

"Oh don't worry."
"Are you from around here?"
"I've just arrived."
"Wow. You'll be doubly anxious."

Masaki would have loved to tell him that yes, he was anxious too, but not so exaggeratedly, but he didn't make it in time. The one who was supposed to be the principal arrived, the silence went down.
The woman went through them one by one, and Masaki felt so in awe.

She was a very tall woman, her hair loose falling on her shoulders.
She was lightly made up and wore a skirt that came under her knees and a blouse, in the same colors as the uniform.He was quite young.

"Good morning everyone, and welcome to the Alien Accademy school. We are truly honored to have you as students, and I hoped that this will be the case for you as well. I am the principal, Itou Mei and I will tell you a little about the school.

The Alien Accademy has a 4-year cycle and not 3 like the other schools, but you should already know this, given the enrollment forms.This additional year will allow you to access the most prestigious universities in the country, plus you will have the opportunity to spend that year abroad if you wish.
At the return of the year abroad you can send resumes for universities also abroad, in short, the school gives the possibility to leave Japan.

During these years, the school will spend the money for you on books, clubs and extracurricular activities, in return from you, we want excellent grades.

The school's plans are broken down by years.On the ground floor there will be you of the first year, second floor the boys of the second year and so on. Anyone who is on a plan that does not belong to their school year will be sent to the vice presidency.

Classes will start at 8, but the first bell will ring at 7.50, for that time you will have to go to class. At 12.30 there will be a lunch break, it will last until 13.00. The lunch break can be done both in the classrooms and in the canteen, then the bell will ring and you will go to the classroom. Classes will continue until 4 p.m.
from 4 p.m. onwards you will occupy your time with the clubs you choose this afternoon: Clubs last one or more hours, depending on the club.
They will allow you to have credits, which you will need to also have good grades.
Clubs are mandatory, you cannot refuse entry.
The ones we put at your disposal are: Clubs of calligraphy, photography, cooking, volleyball, athletics, football, basketball, martial arts, occult, science clubs, art and painting, haiku and poetry and finally music.
In all there are 13, after the lessons you can make your choices and tomorrow morning leave the entrance question in the secretariat.
Those who have not decided will have a solicitation, and if he entered the weekend he will not have sent any request for entry yet, then the parents will be called.
The school also offers you a psychologist who will be available from Monday to Friday from 11.00 to 12.00.
The subjects you will study for these two school years will be: Japanese Language and Japanese Literature, Traditional Arts such as Haiku and Shodo, Mathematics, Science, Computer Science, Music, Art, History, Physical Education and Sociology. As you may have heard there will be no Home Economics.
From the third year, however, the subjects that are no longer mandatory are: Traditional arts such as Haiku and Shodo, Art and Music.
The maximum number of hours of absences will be 250 hours, exceeded this threshold there will be rejection.
That said, I can leave you to the vice principal who will call you by your last name and put you in a section.Have a good start to the school year."

They greeted the principal with a bow.

The hunger games had just begun.

No ok, Masaki had prepared himself psychologically for something much worse, like the hunger games for real, but now he found himself there and didn't know at all what to think, he was very much hoping to feel good at that school, in fact, he had to feel good. He had no other chance.

The vice principal started from section 'A', Kageyama Hikaru had ended up there.
Before leaving he had greeted him with his hand, Masaki had returned the greeting.

He hoped he didn't have weird characters in his class.

After the 'A.' section ended, as many as 15 pupils, it was up to the 'B.'
And here after quite a few surnames, Masaki's also stood out there.

He had to get up and go where all the students were, that is, under the stage where there was a teacher who had a small sign that said 'B.'

After him he heard some rather familiar surnames, but he didn't remember where he had already heard them.

They were accompanied to their classroom by the teacher.

The classrooms were not far from the auditorium.The teacher gave the boys a chance to choose the place.

There were only 3 rows of benches of 4.Masaki had happened in the third row at the penultimate bench (yes, always the third).

Obviously before sitting they greeted the teacher and she greeted them.

"I am Professor Shimizu and in your course I will teach computer science and science, for today we will divide the lesson by half since we only have one hour, then the next times I will tell you if you will study computer science or science, at the end of the lesson you can easily talk to each other and get to know each other, until the professor or professor arrives."

That said, Professor Shimizu walked up to the blackboard and started writing something. He then began his lesson.

Masaki wasn't so bad at school, in middle school he got 'B', but he had also had a lot of 'A', he didn't like studying so much, he had to admit it, he did it just to get good grades and because then no one would have to laugh at him.

During the hour Masaki got a lot of distracted, he was too curious to know who all those guys were and if there was someone who maybe he would see where he lived.
To his amazement, the boy next to him knew him, and yes, he was one of the surnames he had heard from the deputy principal.
He didn't find the other one though.
Well, actually the line behind him hadn't seen her at all.

Professor Shimizu looked like a great teacher and hoped to have professors similar to her, but that would be to be seen.

The lesson was not heavy at all and it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and the 10 minutes of fear came.

Fortuna was on his side apparently.

"Masaki!" Exclaimed the boy he had to his right.
"Tenma-kun, how nice to see you again."
"Did you see Kyo? I told you it was our Masaki."

The named 'Kyo' revealed himself.He was sitting right behind Tenma and his arms crossed.

"Kyousuke."
"Masaki."

Tenma and Kyousuke were two 'great friends' of Masaki.Kyousuke and Masaki knew each other from the first grade, they had met in the middle of the train to get to school a couple of times (this was when Masaki spent the weekends away from home because of his parents.) and they also met very often in the corridors.
One day Masaki had gone to the roof to have lunch or, rather, say snack, and there he had met Kyousuke, from there then they had started to get to know each other gradually.

Tenma instead had met him in second, as he had recently arrived at that school, he was very lively and had immediately joined the duo, also because they had common interests.

Unfortunately the three were in different sections so they could only be seen during the lunch break.
Sometimes they had arranged to study together, but it had always failed.

In 3 years, Masaki had realized that both Kyousuke and Tenma lived far from the middle school he attended and so it was a bit difficult to see each other in the afternoon, also because from what he knew, Tenma attended an afternoon football school and Kyousuke had to 'go' to his brother.

Then he found out that in August, in eighth grade, the two had teamed up. At school no one knew, and they had made sure not to let anything leak.Although, it had been difficult for everyone to keep the secret, they were almost getting discovered to defend it.

But it had been good for both of us, Kyousuke was not well seen at school, finding out that he was gay and that he was engaged to Tenma, would have been the plight.And probably for poor Tenma it would have been the end, as it had been for him.

Kyousuke had blue hair, while Tenma had brown hair.The hairstyle of the two was very peculiar.
One wore his hair up with a million jelly to keep it up and almost 'stingy', the other seemed to have donuts on his head.
Or maybe Masaki came up with donuts because he was hungry. (He was always hungry), he had always wondered how they could have all that time available in the morning.

"I thought you were choosing a high school closer to your house." Said Tenma.
"We actually moved... like last Friday."
"Welcome to Nagano then!" Exclaimed Tenma.
"You don't miss anything." Kyousuke said.
'Thank you?'
"Kyo! Let's not scare him. Nagano is not bad at all, trust me, it's much better than the village where we had averages! Here Kyo and I don't have to hide anything, of course it's not all pink and flowers, but at least we're sure we don't have to be shot.
As for the city it depends on the area you live in, you just have to walk a little to get to the 'city' area here. If you live where there are sleepers like me and Kyousuke then yes you have to move, if you live in the city then you are fine, and you enjoy the beauty of Nagano."
"Thank you cicerone, you confused it worse than before." Kyousuke said.
"No no, a little bit I know, my parents and I have already seen it..."

Kyousuke and Tenma, as well as almost everyone (there wasn't a single person who didn't know) in the old middle school, knew that Midorikawa Ryuuji and Kira Hiroto were his parents.

Tenma's face was hilarious when he heard about it. Tenma was a big fan of Inazuma Japan, Japan's national team, about a decade ago, where his parents had also played.

"I thought you were choosing the Raimon, Tenma."
"Yes, I thought so too." Kyousuke said. "But apparently here it is."
"Actually... Raimon Junior High is no longer what it used to be, in these years school has been getting worse, it wasn't for me and my grades... and then it's in Tokyo, too far away."
"Did Raimon really get that much worse?"
"Yes, but still Tenma would only go there for the football club." Kyousuke said.
"Well, yes, but here I found out that Endou-san teaches!"
"Endou... That Endou?" Masaki asked.
"Yes! The goalkeeper of Inazuma Japan! Endou Mamoru. He is a Physical Education teacher in some sections, including ours most likely, and, he trains the school team!"

He was so glad that if he hadn't been sitting, he would be running for school at this hour.

The bad luck was on his side.Masaki would have hoped never to see him again, and instead, he would find him there at that school teaching.

"So you're going to join the football club." He said to Tenma.
"Obviously, I would have done that anyway."
"Me too, what are you doing?" Kyousuke asked.
"Actually I don't know yet... Well today we just have to see them, don't we?"
'Yes.' Kyousuke said.
"I wanted to stop at the football club... I wanted to see the training and the team..."
"You'll do that once you sign up, give time to the time."
"If you already know what to do, will you see the clubs anyway today?" Masaki asked.
'Yes!'

The bell rang, a sign that the 10-minute break was over. The boys met 'after' the lesson.

⋆。゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚。 ⋆。゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚。 ⋆

As the professors who entered the classroom made an appeal, then showed up and attacked with the lesson.

When the last lesson was over, the boys had lunch in the classroom to continue their 'knowledge'.

Kyousuke had taken the chair and put it in front of where Tenma was, so eating on the same bench, Masaki had preferred to stay in his.

"I had never heard of the 'Alien' as a football team, or anything else." Masaki said.
"As far as I know they've never played at national levels, or barely did, I don't even know if they have access to Football Frontier." Kyousuke explained to him.
'Never seen.' Said Tenma.
"Well a bit like Raimon, she's lost her fame by now." Kyousuke said.
"I still haven't figured out what happened? And why does he have such a bad reputation?" He asked.

He actually knew very little about Raimon, or school teams like that.
He knew that it was the school that Endou Mamoru had attended, and some of the old Inazuma Japan, who had won several Football Frontiers over the years, but then he had not heard of it again also because he was from Kyoto and he thought more about his own team in short, even if Masaki didn't even care about those, he thought only and exclusively about the sqadra where Hiroto played, because it was the main topic in the family home, and at home.

"Because of her fame Raimon was always flooded with people, they came from everywhere, and then, some guys who attended the club brought the team to the to the disarray, despite the older guys opposing it." He explained, once again, Kyousuke.
"It's a shame... Especially for the fame he had."
"Unfortunately you can't even try to do anything... I tried to talk to some of them when I went to see the school, but they're really horrible people." Said Tenma.

And if Tenma lost hope, it meant there was very little to do.

He really felt displease, he couldn't imagine how Mrs. Natsumi, Endou's wife, his father there had been the principal; so, it had to be a real blow to the heart... and then Endou was very fond of that school.

(If you're wondering how Masaki and Endou know each other, well just thank to Inazuma Japan, Hiroto and Ryuuji, by now in some conferences and some things there were also, and then, let's go, who doesn't know Endou Mamoru?)

"I really hope this school can really take us into the world of football." Said Tenma.
"What happened to the football school where were you going?"
"It was a soccer school from 7 to 14 years old, so I can't go there anymore, I already have homework 15."
"And that's why you want to attend the football club."
"Well I like football." Tenma said, biting an onigiri. "And then it saved my life."
"What about you Kyousuke?"
"I like football too, I don't understand why you're so indecisive, do you want to do calligraphy by chance?" He laughed at Kyousuke.
"No no, and that... I don't know, I don't feel so natural from being able to play with it every day."
"Don't you want to follow in your parents' footsteps?"

He hadn't thought about it...

The middle school they had attended only had the volleyball and calligraphy club, which is why some decided to attend separate 'schools', such as Tenma.Masaki liked neither volleyball nor calligraphy, but he had to sign up for the volleyball club, to get credits and good grades for high school of course.He had never asked his parents to sign him up for the football club, not least because he almost never played in it, and he wasn't so sure he liked it.

He hadn't touched the ball since they had left Kyoto.There he always played with Hiroto, and with his uncles, he also went to attend Hiroto's training sometimes, but playing football with his parents was not like playing with ten people.If you put Hiroto on goal and Masaki scoring you a goal at 5/6, you know you do it to let him win because he's a kid, or you do it because you're stupid and so Masaki is a natural talent.

In short, he had never thought about being a footballer.Maybe he liked it just because it was Ryuuji and Hiroto who passed it on to him.

Following in the footsteps of Hiroto and Ryuuji was partly, a small portion; both were employed at Kira & Company, and before Grandpa Seijiro was sick, Ryuuji worked at Ohisama En, only Hiroto still had a football career but then he had to give up.

His future was seen in the Kira & Company, if Hiroto wanted to.

"You made him go into a crisis." Kyousuke said.

Masaki aw up from his thoughts all of a sudden. "No no, and that I don't know, that's all."
"Well if you choose the football club it's going to be really nice don't you think?" Tenma asked.
“yeah.'

They still talked a lot to each other, about how things hadn't changed at all and that the whole mess had only been seen ten days before.

Masaki had told them that for the fifteen days of 'holiday' he had spent them making packages and packages.
Tenma had explained something more to him about the city, the same thing Kyousuke and they had told each other that in the afternoon they could meet to study together, this time for real.

Once the lunch break was over, classes resumed.

It was 3 hours quite heavy.Masaki felt like a boulder and that she had yet to get used to that new environment.

The professors who were teaching right away weren't really the best.

⋆。゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚。 ⋆。゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚。 ⋆

When the lessons were over, Masaki felt quite relieved, by that day the lessons were over. He still had to get used to those rhythms, and it would have taken him a lot of time.

The professor of the last hour had distributed the entrance requests for the clubs to them.

"I would say leave the football club last." Kyousuke said.
"But... I wanted to see that first!"
"Go alone then."

Tenma looked at Kyousuke very badly.

"You've already decided." Kyousuke reiterated.
'You too.'

Masaki decided to meddle in that little bickering.
"I've already decided what to discard, so I go straight to the possible options." Masaki said. "If that's okay with you, we can meet at the football club as well, since you've already decided."
"Do you want to go around the school by yourself?" Tenma asked.
"Yes, sooner or later I'll have to settle in."
"Then I'll come with you, we'll go there together to the football club."

Kyousuke sighed, that was what he was trying to make Tenma understand.

"As you wish." Masaki said.

Although Tenma had said he would keep him company, he still wanted to see clubs other than the ones Masaki had in mind, and so they had said to make an appointment 10 or 15 minutes later at the entrance of the school.

Walking around the school alone was not bad at all, so many boys, girls, like him went around the school to see various clubs.

The first club he saw was that of the occult.Not that he liked it, he was just curious.

The president of the occult club left him a sheet after showing him what they were doing.He also had to be much bigger than him.

He then went to see the volleyball, martial arts, music and art club.Martial Arts didn't even know why he had gone to see him, he wasn't able to open a water bottle on his own, let alone smash the wood with a fist.

If he hadn't been so indecisive he would probably have chosen the volleyball club again, or music club, he liked to play the guitar, and there they had it, but the football club was tormenting his thoughts.

And so he got lost.He remembered that he had already passed in front of the photography club.

He walked again, hoping to be on the right track.He ended up clashing with someone who was going really fast, almost like he was late for something, like a bolt of a bolt.

"Hey! Look where you put your feet!" Masaki yelled at him.

In response, he had bumped into it, he had already disappeared.

Masaki thought it wouldn't be hard to find him or find her, whoever he was, he had long, pink hair.

By a divine miracle, or because Fortuna was next to him, he managed to reach Tenma and Kyousuke.

"Let's go to the football club now." Said Tenma.
"What club did you see?" Masaki asked Kyousuke, while Tenma led them to the football club.
"Well, actually if we've only seen one it's too much, athletics seems to me."
"Tenma is really convinced."
"He likes football more than anything else in the world." Kyousuke said shrugging his shoulders.

The structure of the football club was much larger than the other clubs.
Outside the door was a woman, Masaki didn't know who she was or what she was doing there.

"Hello! We're here to see the football club, we're freshmore." Said Tenma.
"Hi guys, please come with me and I'll show you the structure and the various fields. I am Otonashi Haruna and I help run the football club with the managers."
"Various? Is there more than one?" Tenma asked.
"Of course, one outdoors that's right behind here, and one inside."

Mrs. Otonashi had shoulder-length blue hair, and wore a white blouse with a white, but slightly darker jacket on it, and gray pants.
She wore heels and red glasses on her head.

Was she a teacher?

They first saw the field outside, Mrs. Otonashi told them that the second team was training, then they entered from the secondary entrance of the facility.
They entered directly where the indoor football field was.

It was really huge.

Then, the teacher took them to see the locker rooms, and those were huge too.
To get to the locker room they had passed through a common room, where there were pictures hanging and the Alien's coat of arms on the ground.

In the locker room there were millions of lockers, where there were uniforms.
There were also showers. Mrs. Otonashi said she had the keys to the room; therefore, the one who did it first would come by to her to pick them up.

Then, they saw other rooms, Masaki didn't quite understand what all those rooms were for, he just knew that, if he signed up, he would get lost.

"And finally, this is the meeting room, but I can't show you because the first team is busy." Said Mrs. Otonashi.
'Thank you very much.' Said Tenma.
"Oh I forgot to tell you that if you choose the club, and in this case if you choose the football club, you will have to go through a small test to get in, but don't worry, nothing much."
"Thank you for the information."

Mrs. Otonashi accompanied them to the exit and there they saw the coach.
Endou Mamoru.

Endou Mamoru smiled at the three of them.

Tenma almost screamed and made twenty laps around the sofas that were in the common room so much of emotion. Kyousuke dragged him away by force.

"What road do you have to go to get home?" He then asked.

They had now left school and Masaki's sense of direction was a little broken.

"I believe for this." And he pointed to the road to the left.
"Oh, for the side street! Like me and Kyo." Said Tenma.
'The side street?'
"Yes, that's what they're called, I live at the first a little more inward, Kyousuke instead goes somewhere else, more towards the villas. They are called side street because there are alleys that you enter and on the other side there are trees that lead to a road in the center that connects everything to the villas; instead, on the right you go towards the town."
"Oh, I think I got it! Yes right there."
"Then we have to go the same way." Said Tenma.
"How did you figure out what he said?" Kyousuke asked.

Masaki didn't know how to answer him.

On the street, Masaki tried not to be right in the center between the two and only intervened if appointed, he did not want to do the third wheel.
It took them very little to get to these 'crosses', more or less fifteen minutes.

"If you want we can take you home." Said Tenma.
"No no don't worry, I can settle in from here, thank you."
"Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow!"
" See you tomorrow." He greeted Masaki.
"I'm still a little bit more with you." Kyousuke said.

Tenma left, and he and Kyousuke went on.
They didn't talk much, and when Kyousuke arrived they said goodbye.

As soon as he entered he left the folder in his room.She hoped Hiroto and Ryuuji would be back soon.

He took a shower and put on a suit.

He looked at Instagram a little.

He wondered why he had never sent the friend request to Tenma, so he did.
Tenma immediately accepted, and wrote to him immediately.

'Have you arrived then?'
Masaki replied with a 'yes.'

Tenma had 13 posts published, half or, better, say the majority of them were photos where he played football, and of his dog.

He then went on to watch videos on Youtube; then he remembered that Hiroto had left videos on his pc; then, he went to get the pc and saw what videos they were about.

They were videos made with a video camera, by Ryuuji.
The person framed was Hiroto, but he was really tiny.

It was one of the many games that Hiroto had played and that he had gone to see.
His father was wearing the number 18 jersey, and just at that moment, Ryuuji had taken back the goal he had scored with one of his most beautiful hissatsu*.

The camera turned and a little Masaki peeked out, he exulating like never before.

That's why he remembered that game, not that he remembered it so vividly, it had been the first game he had seen live.

That video unfortunately had no audio.

There were other videos, probably other game clips always of Hiroto.

Masaki remembered that, when he played with his parents, he always tried to imitate them, to imitate some of their hissatsu. It was a thing of nothing, it didn't give us any more weight.

He went on Youtube again, he had decided to look for videos about the old Inazuma Japan, there were still some around.
Endou Mamoru was really famous at the time, not that he wasn't now, but there were no more people so attached to their fame, that's what Ryuuji had told him.

He spent his time looking for answers to his questions, as if the internet could give him an answer, he had never made such an important decision before, not that it decreed his future, but he wanted to make a good choice.

As soon as he heard the garage door open, he closed everything, went to put the PC in his room and when he returned to the living room Ryuuji had made his entrance.

"Hi Maki, are you okay?"
'hi, yes yes.'"How was the first day of school?"

Ryuuji messed up his hair and smiled at him.Hiroto was closing the door behind him.

"Hey Maki."
"Hi Dad."
"What is this?" Ryuuji asked him.

He had the admission sheet for the clubs in his hands.

"I have to deliver it tomorrow to the secretariat and for club membership." He said.
"Have you chosen yet?"
'No.'
"Let's talk about it at dinner, do you want?"

Masaki nodded.

As his parents 'established', Masaki wasted more time on the internet looking for answers to all the questions that came to his mind, even stupid questions.

Then he helped Ryuuji with dinner.
He was 'forced' to do it, Ryuuji cared that Masaki grew well and not like a slacker, and then at the 'Ohisama En' he helped Ryuuji very often after school, so he was used to doing it.

When dinner was ready, they had dinner.
Hiroto and Ryuuji talked to him a little about how much easier it was for them to get to Kira, and how many nights alone they would save him.

Masaki had told him about the school and the principal's speech.
And that he had found Tenma and Kyousuke, and they were also in the same section.

"Wow there's an endless list of clubs then, we made a great choice." Hiroto told him.
"So you can't choose from all these clubs?" Ryuuji asked him.

Masaki nodded.
"and that Kyousuke and Tenma sign up for the football club-
-Do you want to be a football club with them?" Hiroto asked.
"I don't know... I don't even know if I like it."
"To you? Don't you like football? Have you already forgotten how you insistently asked to be taken to a football field?" Hiroto asked.
"Or when you were asking Grandpa to show you the games with him?" Ryuuji Asked.
"No, though... I don't think I'm a talent for football here... and it's different from when I used to play with you."
"Maki, even if you don't have a natural talent that doesn't mean you can't play football or that you don't like it." Said Ryuuji. "First of all because it's not true that you don't like football, and you know it, and then there's no need for natural talent, Hiro and I are not natural talents, we've trained so much to get as far as we've come."

Maybe Ryuuji wasn't wrong, at the end of the day, they still had more experience than him.

"Maki know that whichever club you choose doesn't mean you have to make a career out of it, you have to do what you really like, you'll be able to cultivate passions." Hiroto said.
"What if I'm not up to it?"
"Oh Maki, you're up to whatever you want." Said Ryuuji.
“There are things where you excel and where you don't this is obvious, but football is different, training you better from time to time."
"You like football, don't you?" Hiroto asked.
"I like football... but I don't know if it's enough."
"Why shouldn't he? You were too young to have certain memories, but when you scored your first goal you were so happy that you asked Aunt Hitomiko to let you come with me to practice."
"It's not hard to score a goal for you."
"Ah, what about that? I may be a bad goalkeeper but I was a great striker."

Masaki tongued him out and Hiroto reciprocated.

"I don't even know what role to play..."
"You're wrapping your head even before you break it, if you don't try you'll never know." Said Ryuuji.
"Can I think about it a little more?"
"Have the paper sign at least, otherwise we'll forget about it tomorrow." Said Ryuuji.
"Be your best to know that any club you choose for us will be fine." Hiroto said.
"You have to do what you like, okay?"

Masaki nodded.

⋆。゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚。 ⋆。゚ ☁︎。 ⋆。 ゚ ☾ ゚。 ⋆

After dinner, Hiroto helped Ryuuji get rid of the table, while Masaki stood on the couch with his head full of thoughts.

Perhaps he had to give himself a chance, and agree to join the football club.
He had to try and he would try.

What did he have to lose?He didn't have to make a career.
He could very well have become a banker then, it was just for fun, wasn't it?

He didn't have to follow in his parents' footsteps, he had to create his own footprint.
And if the little voice in his head told him to try to play football, he would have done it, not because his parents did too, that was just a coincidence.

Maybe he really liked football as much as Tenma liked it, he just had to bring this 'passion' out into the open. Cultivating had said Hiroto, and training, as Ryuuji had said.

Since he had stopped he had no longer touched the ball (or rather, ball, football); so, who told him that playing he would not have fun like as a child?
Of course, he still didn't know what role to play, but that would come by itself, wouldn't he? As Ryuuji had said, he didn't have to bandage his head.

Talking to his parents had helped him, and it had also served him to stay there for a while to think about what to choose.

He went to get a pen from his desk, took the inscription sheet and bared his choice.

Chapter Text

"Did you choose calligraphy club???"

The scream that Tenma had launched had spread throughout Japan.

"But no, who told you?"
"Kyousuke!"

Kyousuke, had a merciless smile on his face.

"You fooled me!" Yelled Tenma at him.
"You fell for it though."

Tenma then turned to Masaki and said, "You gave me a heart attack! I thought you were out of your mind!"
"Take it easy." Kyousuke said.

Tenma decided to continue ignoring Kyousuke.

"So what did you choose?" She asked him.
"Football club."
"How nice! Then we'll play together!"

That morning they hadn't walked together because he didn't know what time the two were meeting; so, she left exploiting Hiroto, (who hadn't really exploited him, Hiroto had told him that he would accompany him for the first week).

When he had delivered the sheet to the secretariat he had seen Professor Otonashi, and he was a little happy that he had chosen the soccer club.
He had met Kageyama again at the exit of the vice presidency and they had walked through the classrooms together.

"Who knows when we'll start." Tenma said.
"You wish you were there already, tell the truth." He said.
"Oh yes... I'd love to."
"Rather, think about not getting distracted during class." Kyousuke retorted.
"Hey, I'm pretty careful."
"Yeah, for sure."

Masaki understood that those two had no hope of changing, they were always arguing.

Another hour of class began and Masaki was quite careful to follow it.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

The lunch break bell rang, to everyone's delight.

The boys sat down again like the previous day, Kyousuke on Tenma's desk with the chair facing Tenma, and Masaki at his desk all alone.

"Do you already know what role to play?" Tenma asked.
"No... everything is as good as new."
"Damn... you don't even have an idea? Goalkeeper, striker... maybe midfielder like me?"
"I don't know Tenma... I'll decide then and there, or I'll get some advice from Endou."
"Well it could help you yes... but do you have any experience?"
“Tenma, will you stop?” Kyousuke asked.
"Yes yes, I know something. Don't worry Kyousuke, if you think Tenma is bothering me he isn't doing it at all."

Little lie.
But he still enjoyed talking to Tenma.

"What role do you play?" He asked Kyousuke.
"Striker."
"Would you like to be a goalkeeper like Endou?" Tenma asked.
"No I do not think so."
"Well, let's exclude the goalkeeper then. The striker? Scoring goals isn't that bad, you could be like your father!"
"Tenma, could you not yell at everyone who my parents are? Thank you."
"Oh, sorry. So the attacker?"

Masaki sighed.
"Tenma I don't know. I told you I'll see there."
"I just want to give you a hand."
"Thank you all the same."

Suddenly, while they continued talking to each other, the door opened.
Tenma thought that the bell hadn't rung, but that time had passed anyway and the lunch break was over, but that wasn't the case.
Mrs.Otonashi entered.

"Hi guys, sorry if I interrupt your lunch break." She said.

Everyone paid attention to her right away.

"I wanted to inform those who have signed up for the football club. After lessons, you should not head to the football club but to the outdoor pitch, by 4.15pm, be precise."
"Thank you Mrs.Otonashi." The boys said in unison.

When Mrs.Otonashi left the classroom, everything went back to how it was before.

"On the outdoor pitch? Who knows why there."

Kyousuke shrugged, and Masaki did the same.

"Do you think Endou Mamoru will talk to us and it will all be so beautiful, I still can't believe I saw him yesterday!"
“Tenma, how much longer are you going to talk about Endou?” Kyousuke asked.
“But…he smiled at us yesterday, and was so friendly.”
"We haven't spoken to him... how can you say he was friendly? Just because he smiled at you?"
"You can't understand, your parents are internationally famous and so what if you don't have all that desire that I have to meet the old Inazuma Japan because for you they are all the same."

If he continued to talk about his parents as if nothing had happened, Tenma could declare himself dead.

"Unfortunately that's the way it is." Kyousuke told him. "You should know him."

Yes, it should.

"Hey, you're confabulating against me."
"No Tenma, I'm not." Kyousuke told him.

The lunch break was over, for real this time.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

The class hours followed one another.
Fortunately he was used to staying concentrated for longer, so as to follow all the lessons without getting too distracted.

There was still an hour left before class ended, and Masaki wasn't writing down whatever the professor told him.
He allowed himself to be duped by the thought of having to find a role for the football club as soon as possible.
They didn't go based on height like in volleyball... there he had played libero because he was too short.

In football even dwarves could play, (no offense to dwarves), that's why it was really difficult for him to choose.

Yes, he wasn't very good at choices.
He would have gladly made heads or tails, odd or even, but he couldn't, there were 4 roles, excluding the goalkeeper 3. He couldn't let a coin decide.

So in his head, in addition to the thought of wondering if he had done the right thing, he now also had the thought of not knowing what decision to make.
As if it were the most important choice of your life.

He was hoping for a sign from heaven.
Anything.

He regretted not asking Ryuuji or Hiroto for help, maybe the two of them could have helped him, but now it was too late.
He certainly couldn't call them, he would have made both of them suffer.

If he would have seen it alone, maybe seeing others play would have inspired him or something similar.
Yes, he could do it.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

After that last hour of class, Masaki followed Tenma and Kyousuke to the meeting place.
On the outdoor pitch.

It always sounded more hellish in his head.
As if Nemesis, divine justice, was setting a trap for him.

“I'm so excited!” Tenma exclaimed.

But not him, he was dying of anxiety.
Or maybe he was just dying, that she couldn't tell.

It was very easy to understand when he was anxious, he started playing with his fingers.
Specifically, he took the cancel between the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand, in this case the left, and twisted the finger, or pulled the excess skin on the knuckles when the hands were stretched out, then his hands sweated a lot. Yes, he was very sleazy.

“Why do you always have to exaggerate?” Kyousuke asked.

Had he entered his thoughts?

“I'm not exaggerating, and I'm just looking forward to it, let's play serious football here.” Tenma said.

Here's another load of anxiety.
Although Masaki was the son of two footballers, as Tenma had said, he knew little or nothing about the tournament or similar things, but this was because he was never really interested in those things.

"But that's Aoi! Aoi!!!" Then Tenma ran away.

Tenma was so exuberant, always cheerful, and those times he saw him down he tried to cheer himself up by himself, he still didn't understand how Kyousuke managed to be with his opposite.

"Who is Aoi?"
"A friend of his."

Insightful Kyousuke.
He had also understood this on his own.

"They were in the same class in middle school, and he was the manager of that soccer school in Tenma."

Aoi and Tenma had approached them.

“Hey Kyo, guess what Aoi will do!?”
Tenma bounced on the spot.

"Hello, my pleasure Sorano Aoi, Tenma told me a lot about you."

The girl held out her hand to shake it with Kyousuke.
She was about the same height as Tenma, she had blue hair and blue eyes, and she was wearing the female Alien uniform.

"Tsurugi Kyousuke."
"You on the other hand must be-
-Kariya Masaki, a friend of both of us."
"Oh yeah, Tenma told me about you too!"
"Come on Kyo guess what Aoi will do."
"The manager?"
"Exactly! I told her we were headed to the soccer club too."

Aoi smiled. "I expected it, from Tenma."
"Now let's go!" Tenma said.

The four of them arrived at the soccer field together.
There were actually a lot of guys, and some were all scattered around the bench, Endou-san was sitting there.

The Alien uniform was cute.
The shirt was cobalt blue and had black stripes running down the shoulders, the number on the shirt was also black; her pants were the opposite, black with cobalt blue stripes.
The one who was supposed to be the goalkeeper, however, wore a purple shirt, with cobalt blue stripes.

That uniform was an absurd trip, but it was really beautiful.

The kids who were supposed to join the club, however, were there in front of him, not far from the benches.
He saw Kageyama among the boys who were auditioning, and greeted him.

Aoi went to Mrs.Otonashi.

"Well guys, go ahead and occupy half the pitch for training, I'll take care of the new guys." Endou made his way through that mass of kids.

He was very serious and authoritative.
He was wearing an orange shirt and jeans, his usual orange headband was on his forehead.
It was strange to see him so serious and authoritarian, he had always seen him as the clown of the day.

Two of the boys who belonged to the team remained there next to the bench.

Someone was making fun of him, there was no other explanation.

There next to the bench, there were two boys, and one of them had long pink hair.
Had he been the one who came upon him the previous day?
He didn't have many doubts.

Of all the clubs, was he supposed to play football?

Endou, meanwhile, had approached them.

"Good afternoon guys! Thank you for your punctuality and I welcome you to the 'Alien Academy'. Let
me introduce myself if you don't know me, I'm Endou Mamoru and I've been coaching the 'Alien' for a few years. I played as a goalkeeper for Raimon when I was about your age, and I participated in Football Frontier and Football Frontier International.
Introductions made, I tell you that to get into the football club you take a small test to get in. How many of you like the football club?"

Everyone there raised their hands.
Masaki raised it so quickly so as not to seem like the only laughing stock in the middle.

"Good, I'm happy with this answer. Since there are only a few of you, we'll hurry, but before we start, our manager, Midori, will give you some shirts, so wear them over your uniform."

The girl started from the left.
She had very long red hair, and on her head was a green band, she too was wearing the female Alien uniform, with the difference that she had trousers, and not a skirt.
She was tall too, maybe even taller than him.

They put on their jackets and Endou decided they might as well get started.
He wore number eighteen, like the one Hiroto had worn for Inazuma Japan.
It was clearly accidental, the fault of fate.

He started first.
His usual bad luck.

To his amazement, he admitted that it was nothing impossible.
No deadly spins, shots from absurd positions, nothing at all.
Some simple dribbling, a bit of ball possession, in short, nothing out of his reach.

Endou expected them to perform a deadly overhead kick with a kick on goal without taking crossbars and losing the ball during the overhead kick, luckily that wasn't the case.

It was a simple test that anyone could take.

Despite this, Masaki continued to die of anxiety.
What if he hadn't been caught? Would he end up doing calligraphy for the next four years? A nightmare.

Tenma, who was the fifth, stood out from all those who had participated thus far.
He 'he sidestepped' the obstacle with a sort of gust of wind.
It was also beautiful to see.

Kyousuke was also very good.

The last one was Hikaru.
If he did well, for him, it was clear that she had no experience, or at least that's what she had heard from Kyousuke.

Endou-san told them that he would take some time to think.
Too bad it took her so long. She lost at least twenty minutes.

Something had happened with that brown guy over there.

"Here I am back, I will tell you the names of who we have decided." Endou said. She had a paper in her hands. "Nishizono Shinsuke, Kageyama Hikaru, Tsurugi Kyousuke, Matsukaze Tenma and finally..."

Masaki wanted to die.

"Kira Kariya Masaki, then you will tell me what you want to be called. For everyone else who participated, thank you, but unfortunately football is not for you."

Masaki lost his heart.
Endou winked at him, and he didn't like that at all.

The boys who weren't caught left.

Tenma hugged Kyousuke, who dodged him, and then ended up hugging Shinsuke Nishizono, and they even high-fived each other.
Hikaru next to him was shaking worse than him.

"Now that we are left alone, congratulations to everyone, even if some of you have no or minimal experience you have impressed me and I am sure that you can improve a lot. Together with the captain and the vice-captain, we have chosen you. Afterwards I will leave the word to you Shindou. [...]"

Shindou, that surname was not new to him.

"[...] Coming back to us, we have decided to put you in the first team, for the moment. As starters, more or less, but during training you will be together with the second team, this is because you are not yet at the level of the first, and obviously it will take some time, but if you stand up for yourself, I will keep you in mind for some matches. After Shindou talks to you, you will come with me so we can all talk privately. Please Shindou."

The boy, Shindou, took Endou's place.
Behind him was that pink haired boy.

Him again.

Shindou had hair that was... mouse gray?
Brown tending to grey, wavy and almost shoulder-length, brown eyes, very large, and he wore the team uniform like everyone else. The band on his right arm was a purple-like color.

"Know that we put you in the first team but with a lot of effort. If you want to stay there you have to sweat, and I'm not joking. I'm Shindou Takuto, the captain of the Alien [...]"

The boy continued to talk for a really long time.
The other one, the one behind him, kept looking at them poor first years.

The fact is that those two, for being second years, and only sixteen years old, were really tall and muscular.
If one of them had just tried to run after him, they probably would have caught him in a second.
(Yes Masaki was imagining them as rugby players.)

Like a bolt from the blue, Masaki remembered who Shindou was.
He had only seen it once, when Kira & Company celebrated his 'opening'.

Shindou, Shindou Corporation.

He was the son of Kira's arch-enemy.
(Obviously this wasn't exactly the case, Hiroto was in good contact with his father.)

He had seen it with his father when they came to say goodbye to Hiroto at Kira & Co., and he had certainly seen it before.

"Welcome to our team." He said Shindou in conclusion.

He had the gab. And even too much, and above all he thought he was who knows who.
I mean, yes he was still the captain, but he was still nobody.
Masaki hated guys like him, along with daddy's boys. He just couldn't stand them.

The pink haired boy wore the number 3 shirt.
While the captain wore the number 9.

Endou took them off the field, so that Shindou and the other could go back to training with the rest of the team.
Shindou positioned himself in midfield while the pink-haired boy went to defense, exchanging high fives with another. He seemed very cheerful.

"Who among you already has a role, or at least knows where you would like to play?"

Tenma, Kyousuke e Hikaru alzarono la mano.

"Please, go ahead. You start, Kageyama if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes... Kageyama is right... I would like to be a striker coach."
"Have you ever played soccer before?"
"I've been playing for a little over two months."

Oh, he was a newbie.
She quickly retracted the thought, he was too.

“Great, can we work on that, Matsukaze?”
"Midfielder, I have already played, together with the registration form I brought the certificate from the football school I attended."
"Yes, I saw, thanks Matsukaze. Finally, Tsurugi?"
“Forward coach, I played football before.”
"Perfect, we've already got two attackers in one fell swoop."

Endou laughed. Alone. That man was really very restless.

"So that leaves Nishizono and Kira, okay Kira or do you prefer Kariya?"
"Kariya is fine too."
"Well, if you don't mind I'd start with Nishizono. You were a defender right?"
"Yes coach, but I have decided to change, I would like to be a goalkeeper, but I don't know if it's right for me."
"Of course it's fine! We need a goalkeeper, we're really at a loss. I'll have you trained personally by Sangoku who is our current goalkeeper."
"Thank you coach!"

Nishizono was enlightened. Did he also dote on Endou?

"Well guys, if you return to camp, Professor Otonashi will ask you for the sizes for the uniforms, and the numbers you would like, Kira, you stay here too."

Masaki still wanted to die.
He watched his friends leave, and so only him and Endou remained.

Never torture worse than this.

"So Masaki, how is Hiroto? Did I handle the role well?"

Masaki really wanted to bury himself. He was also fine with a den of snakes.
(snake phobia, he could faint just hearing their hiss).

Masaki came out more like a nervous laugh than anything else.
But really, now that's how it was done?

"There... yes, he's fine."
“Oh I'm glad to hear you say that, I know you guys moved here.”
"Yes, a few days ago."
"What sport did you play in middle school? Football?"

he was sorry to disappoint him. "No, volleyball... I don't think I'm very good at soccer to be honest."

"Nonsense, you can improve a lot, and you know what to do from what I've seen."
"Thank you."
"I'm sure Hiroto and Midorikawa will help you out too, you'll see as soon as they know, have you told them?"
"Not yet... Could you not spread the word too much? It didn't go so well the last time someone found out about my parents."
"No problem, but know that the guys in the team are all great guys, you don't have to worry about, but now let's get to the serious stuff, do you have an idea of which role you would like to cover in the team or do you want some kind of advice?"

Masaki didn't know where that idea came from. And he didn't even know why he said that. "Defense. I'd like to be a defender."

Where did the defender come from??
He just had to ask him for advice! Don't give him a real role.

He had probably made the biggest mistake of his life but how could he not think about it??

"Good! We needed another defender, yes, the defender, in my opinion, is more than good for you. You are really very fast and the old sport you played could help you and as I told you before, you will be able to count on your parents. "

Endou brought his hand to the side of his mouth. "And about me too." he winked at him.

Masaki nodded.

"Well, you can go to Mrs.Otonashi."
"Thank you coach."

Masaki finally reached his companions.

Teacher Otonashi was there asking the kids the sizes and the numbers to put on the back of the shirt.

"Well then 18 right?"
"Yes, teacher." Tenma said.
"Perfect, who's still missing?"
"Me. I was with the coach." Masaki said.
“Well, can you tell me your first and last name?”
"Kariya Masaki, Kira on the sign-up sheet."
"Well Masaki, do you have any preferences on the number?"
"Not really."
"Perfect, the uniforms will be ready for tomorrow, as soon as you come to the club we will give them to you so you can go and change together with the others."
"Thanks teacher." The boys said.

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With Endou's help, the boys did quite a bit of training together with the second team.
They had occupied the edges of the pitch, as the pitch was needed by the first team.
Endou hadn't devoted himself so much to them, perhaps because they were already more experienced?

The members of the second team were nice, it wasn't difficult to train with them.
None of them had had the opportunity to stay in contact with those of the first team, they didn't even know who the other members were.

After training, the first team, together with the second, were sent to change.
Instead, they who had just arrived met the other manager, Akane was her name, Aoi was also now part of the manager.

After a bit of varied chatter, the boys said goodbye to the coach and headed towards the school exit.

Professor Otonashi had given them a sheet of paper with all the timetables written on it.

From what Masaki knew, the team didn't participate in any games at the moment, they only practiced them, they didn't go to the stadium, they didn't even participate in the Football Frontier at the moment.
He had heard all these things from Tenma.

He wondered if Endou had done everything possible to 'improve' the team and make it play properly, after all he was Endou Mamoru, goalkeeper of the famous Raimon, and of the Japanese national team at the time of the famous Inazuma Japan.

On the way back he led the way with Tenma and Kyousuke, and they also arranged to meet the next day, they would lead the way together.

"They've already put us in the first team, it's great!" Tenma exclaimed.
“We won't play any games, he will take us into consideration.” Kyousuke said, debunking all of Tenma's dreams.
"I can't wait to meet all the first team, they seem nice."
"But you haven't even seen them." Kyousuke said.

Today Kyousuke set out to destroy all of Tenma's dreams.

"Sorry I got 18, but that's my lucky number."
"Are you apologizing to me because you took a number?" Masaki asked.
“Isn't that the number your father wore?”
"Yes, but regardless I wouldn't have taken his number, so don't worry Tenma."
"Oh...that's fine. So you didn't choose a number because you don't care?"
"Yes. Any number will do really."
"I didn't notice the number 10 shirt in the first team." Tenma said.
"Yes there was, a guy with purple hair was wearing it." Kyousuke said.
"Sin."
"What number did you choose Kyo?" I ask Masaki,
"I didn't choose either."

Tenma was the first to arrive home and like the previous day he and Kyousuke continued on for a while.

He texted Ryuuji and Hiroto as soon as he got home.
He arranged his briefcase and stripped off that annoying uniform, to go take a shower.

He went back to his room, he really wanted to rest a bit, but then he wouldn't sleep, so he immediately gave up.

Now that he would have his uniform, maybe he would also have a duffle bag, he figured.

In his room, behind the door, Hiroto's uniform stood out, they had hung it up after they had finished arranging the clothes in the wardrobe, the uniform had always been his favorite.

The uniform of Inazuma Japan.

Since he had kept the one from Hiroto's old team very well, along with the shorts of the Inazuma uniform, he was very jealous of those shorts.

He wouldn't have removed it from there, because it was his favorite and he would never have hung the 'Alien' t-shirt on that door, no. Maybe keeping it there would have given him something more.

He returned to the living room, scrolled through Instagram a bit, and Shindou Takuto appeared among the suggestions.
He didn't have many posts, they were divided into photos of cats, a piano and football.
In his biography it was clearly written that he was the son of the founder of Shindou Corporation.

He had stories highlighted, and a specific folder is called 'R', as an image there was him and the pink haired boy.

He only did it out of curiosity.

He opened the stories folder and saw at least a couple, most of them were selfies, or sideways photos of this pink-haired boy.
Apparently, they were supposed to be best friends.

Congratulations Masaki, insightful they say.

There was no tag, so he had no way of knowing the boy's name.
She would have loved to tell him that there was no running in the corridors.

He gave up and downloaded one of those time-wasting games.
They made him lose his mind and that's why he never dumped them, but that time he dumped them, he stayed playing with them for hours.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

While fighting yet another boss more powerful than his character, Hiroto and Ryuuji returned home.

"Hi Maki, we're back."

Hiroto entered the living room followed by Ryuuji.
He couldn't look away for too long, or he would lose, and he didn't want to.

"HI."
"Everything okay? How did you go at school?" Ryuuji asked him.
"Good, and good."

Masaki played the boss at least five times before realizing that he had to give up, that he had no hope whatsoever.
Meanwhile, his parents were bustling around the rooms, and he had time to study his opponent better.

"Don't you want to tell us anything at all?" Ryuuji asked as he tied up his hair.
"I thought I'd do it at the table, as always"
"But we want a little spoiler, like what did you choose in the end? You haven't told us anything else." Hiroto said.
"The football club."
"I told you. Good blood doesn't lie." Hiroto said, probably talking to Ryūji.

Masaki would have reiterated that blood had nothing to do with it, because he wasn't their biological son, and because it was impossible, but he was too busy to break his heart like that.
He had almost succeeded in defeating it.

“So you met Endou?”

And here Hiroto started with three hundred questions per second.

"Yes, he is the coach of the team."
"Did he recognize you?"
"Yes."
"And? He got you? Did you join the team?"
"Hiro." Ryuuji called him back.
"I have to understand if the surprise is wasted or not."

The surprise?
It was food he hoped.

He immediately took his eyes off the phone.
Now he had to understand.

"What surprise? Why? What are you plotting behind my back?"

Hiroto ignored all his questions by repeating the same one he had asked him two seconds earlier. “So did he get you or not?”

Ryūji thought about answering it. “Ah – ah, no spoilers for you.”
"This isn't right, I told you which club I chose."
"You'll find out after dinner."
"After dinner?? But that's in an eternity. Can we change? Maybe before dinner, right?"
"No Maki it's not questionable."

Hiroto had placed himself in his ears almost as much as his headphones were placed at high volume when he wanted to turn off his thoughts.

"So were you caught yes or no?"

"Yes dad, yes."
"Oh, I thought you were going to lie to me, I'm surprised."

He was thinking what??
There was no way they knew-
Endou. Never trust a man who wears an orange band on his forehead. Never.

"How- what? Ryuu??"

She could hear Ryuuji chuckling from the kitchen.
"He called Endou, he was very surprised by you."
"Hey, it's not like that! I knew I couldn't trust that big guy. Why did he tell you everything?"

A red alert had gone off in Masaki's brain.

"And what did he tell you? Word for word."
"Maki didn't tell us anything special, just that you showed up at the soccer club with the sign-up sheet and that he was really surprised. That's all." Hiroto said.
"I wanted to say it."
"Come on, don't get angry, Endou did it in good faith, we are happy for you."
"And then, if we hadn't known before, we certainly wouldn't have gotten you a beautiful and inviting strawberry cake." Ryuuji said.

Strawberry cake?
Masaki's stomach had become a pit.

"For me?"
"Yes."
"But... I didn't do anything special, for now I'm on the bench."
"Don't you want it? I can eat it then." Hiroto said.

No. That cake was his.

"I didn't say I didn't want it... Thanks."
"Oh Maki you don't have to thank us."

Ryūji came to hug him.
Hiroto joined the family hug.

"Hey!! I didn't say I wanted a hug."
Masaki complained.

"And yet you deserve it." Hiroto said.
"Before it gets too late, it's time for you to help me with dinner." Ryuuji said.
Hiroto imitated the military salute. "At his command!"

“Can't I have even a little piece?”
"You only have to wait ten minutes, if you help us and after dinner you can eat it." Ryuu said.

Now he allowed himself to compromise?

He went to lend them a hand anyway, he wouldn't let Hiroto eat even a little bit.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

At dinner, they talked quite a bit about their day.
Masaki didn't miss a single detail of the events at the football club, he said that he had been put on defense, and neither of them minded that he took a different role.

"You could help me with the soccer club."
"Do you want a hand? To do what exactly?" Ryuuji asked.
"I don't want to seem incompetent."
"Has anyone told you you're incompetent?" Hiroto said.
"No, no one... Could you teach me... I don't know... hissatsu?"
"A hissatsu Maki? You want to go hard then."
"I already said that because I do it."
"Yes we can help you Maki, but you never see us overdoing the training, okay?" Ryuuji said.
"Clear!"
"After all, the three of us haven't played football for a while." Hiroto said.
"But this time for real. You didn't use force just because I was a child,

Ryuuji didn't hold back his laughter.

"Aged? Then that means I'll have to teach you quite a few things."
"I'm in. But what if I get ahead of you?"
“Then it will mean that you learned really well.”

Chapter Text

“Great dribbling Kira.” Endou said.
“Thank you coach.”

He had only copied what Tenma had done a second ago.

“Now, Kageyama and Tsurugi.”

That morning, Endou had invited them to do a little morning training with him, he was checking the improvements according to him.

Maybe he should have explained himself better, a week had passed since the start of school, and in that week, Masaki together with Tenma, Kyousuke, and the other two first-year-olds (Hikaru and Shinsuke), had personally trained with Endou, in order to give him the opportunity to be almost in step with the first team.

They had already been there for a good half hour, and it was now seven forty-five; therefore, they would most likely have finished after Kageyama and Tsurugi's switch.

According to him, no one was yet at the level of the first team, but he had seen them train a few times to be able to judge.

With his parents however, he had given a good solidification to his foundations, it was still too early for a hissatsu.
In the end, they had received the Alien uniforms and Masaki had the number 15, Kageyama the 16, Shinsuke the 20 while Kyousuke the 13 and Tenma the 8, she didn't know why then he had changed again.

“That's good guys.” Endou said. “So we'll see each other again today, at the football club, in the meeting room, the second team is also invited as I intend to play a mini-match. Please be punctual. Later."
“See you later coach.”

They ran to the changing rooms, before risking being late for class.
The five of them, first years, had formed a good bond. Thanks to the football club.
Even though he had only known them for a week, Masaki could say with certainty that they were good people.

“Do you believe it? We'll play a game!”
“Endou-san didn't say that he will choose you, we will most likely end up on the bench.” Kyousuke said.
“You've demoralized him now.” Shinsuke laughed.
“I'll play, I'm sure of it.” Tenma said.
“It would be beautiful.” Hikaru said.

Masaki changed rather quickly.
He and Kyousuke were the only ones who had already finished.

“Hey, would you like to join the table?” Shinsuke asked.
"It's a great idea." Tenma replied.
“So we meet in the cafeteria after class.” Hikaru said.
"Yes."

They left the locker room to go to the entrance of the institute.

“Endou-san is so kind to train us.” Hikaru said.
"Already. There is no better coach." Tenma said.
“You can't know.” Kyousuke said.

From afar, Tenma saw the captain and wanted to greet him.
“Good morning captain!”

He waved back.
They had seen very little of Shindou that week, however, he seemed like a really good captain, he had seen his hissatsu a couple of times in training, and with the way he behaved in the team, he almost seemed like an orchestra conductor.
Obviously, in addition to him, he had seen his friend with pink pigtails, which for convenience Masaki would have called 'pink pigtails.'.

They had never spoken to each other yet, just as they had never spoken seriously to Shindou or anyone from the first team.
Only Sangoku, who was a third year, but only because he trained with Shinsuke, because he was the team's goalkeeper.

And he said that maybe next year he would give up, since it would be his last, and he wanted to dedicate himself well to his studies to go to a big university in the future.

After saying goodbye to the much-loved captain, Kyousuke dragged Tenma away before he could ask him who knows what.
They entered the classroom and took their seats, waiting for the lessons to begin.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

After the first four hours of lessons, the bell signaling the lunch break rang.
Together with Kyousuke and Tenma, Masaki headed towards the canteen, where they had met with Hikaru and Shinsuke.

“Oh wow the canteen is really huge.” Tenma said.
“I hope lunch is as good, I wouldn't want to experience the thrill of going to the infirmary.” Masaki said.

"Hey guys! We are here!"
Hikaru waved his hand trying to be seen.

The three went to the table.

“You have to get food first.” Shinsuke said. “We got the trays for you.”
"Oh thanks!" Tenma said.

Together they went to the counter to fill the trays with food.
He was sorry not to eat Ryuuji's usual delicacies, but he really wanted to try the canteen, maybe he would regret it.

Once they were done, they returned to the table.
They sat down, Masaki between Hikaru and Shinsuke, Tenma and Kyousuke across from them.

“The guys from the first team sit there.” Shinsuke said pointing to a table behind Tenma. “That's not all of them though.”
“Have you eaten here before?” Tenma asked.
“Yes, from day one, we eat quite well.” Hikaru said.
“Oh, then, my belly, make a hut!”

Tenma took the chopsticks with absurd speed and put the first bite in his mouth.
Judging by the expression he made, he was actually good, so Masaki took out his chopsticks.

They talked about school and exchanged teachers' names to see if they had the same ones, opinions on lessons and things like that.

“We did really well this week of training.” Tenma said.

Who could talk about football if not him?

“Yes, and we were also lucky, the coach gave us a lot of his availability.” Shinsuke said.
“Playing today would be really nice, also because then we can see how much we have improved and how coordinated we are as a team.” Hikaru said.

Playing as a team scared him a little, there were still many people on one side of the pitch...

What if he wasn't coordinated enough with the team?
What if he would go bad and Endou would send him home?
No. It couldn't happen, could it?

“And then, if we play with the first team we would finally have the opportunity to get to know them all!” Tenma said.
“Yes, especially the captain will be able to see how much we have improved.” Hikaru said. “He doesn't seem like a bad person, maybe he's just a little worried because of our arrival.”
“Yes, to me he seems like a really good person and watching him train he's also a good player.” Tenma said.
“Well, if he were a rookie, he wouldn't be in the first team.” Kyousuke said.

Tenma stuck his tongue out at him.

Once the lunch break was over, the boys returned to their classrooms and met outside school to go to the football club together.

Classes started again.
Starting with math wasn't exactly fun, it made me want to go to the bathroom and never come out for the entire end of the lesson.

Masaki didn't hate math, he hated late math where his brain just wanted to relax.
In short, he would have followed little or nothing of that lesson.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

And for that day too, the lessons ended.
Masaki, along with Kyousuke and Tenma, went out of school as scheduled.
By now the three of them were a bit like the Three Musketeers or the Trio of Wonders, or simply three idiots.

Unfortunately, they were the ones who had to wait for Hikaru and Shinsuke.

“I hope they're not too late, the coach told us to be on time.” Tenma said.
“They're coming.” Masaki said.

Luckily, Hikaru and Shinsuke arrived.

"Here we are!" Hikaru said.
"Hello lads!" Tenma said. "Let's go?"
“Yes, let's go before it gets too late.” Shinsuke said.

They all went together to the meeting room in the football club headquarters.
The kids were already there, but they weren't all of them.

Masaki took a seat, wanting to sit next to Kyousuke, but Hikaru sat next to him.
“Do you think the others know?” She asked him.
“I don't know, probably not.”

If Endou told him to go to the meeting room, it's probably because he wanted to tell the team.
They arrived Shindou was flanked by the one Masaki would call pink pigtails.
The two sat down in front of everything.

Were those two always together? Worse than Tenma and Kyousuke.
She understood that they had probably been friends for who knows how long, but also a little less.

Endou arrived, accompanied by Professor Otonashi.
He called the attention of everyone present.

“Guys, today you will play a little game, among yourselves or, better, between the first and second teams. A small game that will serve as training won't hurt either of you, don't worry.
The teams will be mixed, this is my decision, so we can also see how the new guys will go, what do you think? Anything to say about that?”

A few hands went up but it was only to ask why no one had been notified in advance.
Endou probably would have incinerated any other hand.
No question was really of vital importance.

“Well, the captains will be respectively, Shindou for the first team and Nanasuke for the second, don't worry Ranmaru, you will have your captaincy era.
The scheme we will use will be the classic, 3-4-3. The goalkeepers will be Sangoku for the first team and Nishizono for the second.
Now we'll see the teams."

Mrs. Otonashi turned the board over.
She seemed to be the one 'spinning the wheel.'

“We will play on the same team!” Hikaru exclaimed.

He wanted to bury himself.
What did she have to shout about? Half the room had turned towards them.

When Endou said the teams would be mixed, he didn't mean it that way.

“As you have seen, for the first team I added Kariya, I hope you don't mind Ranmaru, but Kariya has improved quite a bit and I want to see how he does with someone in his same role. Amagi will also be on defense with you two."

The person concerned, Kirino, actually had pink pigtails!
This was a curse!

“Yes coach.” Kirino replied.
“Well, in the midfield, I only added Matsukaze Tenma, the rest are Kaiji Hamano, Hayami Tsurumasa and Shindou Takuto.
In attack instead, Kurama Norihito, Minamisawa Atsushi and Kageyama, keep an eye on Kageyama.”
“Yes coach.”
“Let's move on to the second team instead: in defense I have made things easier for you and with Hoshino and Coronado there will be Kurumada. In midfield you have always remained the same."

He assumed they were Shunsuke, Nanasuke who was the captain, Woodchuck, and Mahican.
"[...] While in attack there are: Meister, Nishiki and Tsurugi."

With all those names Endou had done nothing but confuse him.
A little Fortune had assisted him, and he had ended up in the first team, he just hoped it wasn't favoritism on Endou's part.

He looked at pink pigtails some more, now they would have to talk.

“Go put on your uniforms and join me at the pitch, we'll start with a bit of warm-up for everyone.” Endou said.

Everyone got up and went towards the changing rooms.

Of the first team, only that Kurumada was left out, he was sorry for having stolen his place.

“Kyo!! We won't be together!” Tenma said.

He could have sworn he heard Kyousuke say “good thing.”

“Yes, but in the end the coach only did it to see how much we are worth in singles.” Kyousuke said.
"Yes. From now on we will be enemies though...”
“Tenma, it's a game. Do not think about it." Kyousuke said.

Once they got to the locker room, Masaki put on his uniform rather quickly, but waited for everyone else before leaving.

They went to the camp.

Endou had them do basic warm-ups.

Tenma was talking to him about how he couldn't believe it and how he was going to perfect his hissatsu.

He hoped there was at least one like him without hissatsu, he didn't want to make himself look like an idiot.
No, he couldn't.

He listened to Tenma who had become really talkative until the end of the warm-up.

Endou gave Shindou the directions, while he took care of the second team with Nanasuke.

“So guys, it's just a training match, but we'll play it like a real match. I don't want too sudden slips, exposed areas and even less arguments. Understand Minamisawa?” Shindou asked.

The interested party, Minamisawa turned his gaze to Shindou.
Minamisawa was the team's top scorer, the one who wore the number 10 shirt, had hair a color similar to plum (yes, Masaki will always associate something with food), was not very tall, average for his age.
He was in his third year, so he was 17 years old.

There was a rumor around the school that he wanted to change schools, but apparently he was still there.

“Well, with this little parenthesis done, I come to you first-timers. Play as you always have, I want to get an idea of your abilities.”

He could also have kept this premise to himself.

They began to occupy half the pitch.

Kirino, with pink pigtails, was in the center, while Amagi was on the right.

And as if thinking it, 'pink pigtails.' turned to look at him.
he had gotten the message: I'm keeping an eye on you.

Then maybe he had just imagined it and looked at it out of curiosity, to see if he could stand up, in short, those things.

As soon as the second team was ready (the poor things had to endure Endou's sermon), the match began.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

It took him ten minutes to adjust to the team's progress.

The 'match' was going well, they had possession of the ball at the time and from what he had seen, the opposition defense wasn't that solid.
Kurumada was the one who did the most work of all.

Kageyama tried to score the first goal, but it was a shame that he ended up directly with his face in the post.
Masaki held back his laughter.

Shindou had explained to him that he didn't have to look at the ground all the time, and Kageyama seemed to learn very quickly, except that the second time he lost the ball due to the hissatsu of one of the opposing boys.

Kyousuke did pretty well, he managed to overtake Amagi, but then pink pigtails stopped him with a slide.

As for Tenma, he hadn't used his hissatsu yet, but together with Shindou he had executed a series of passes that had put the team on the attack.

From what he understood, Shindou, in addition to being a midfielder, sometimes moved into attack and also had shooting hissatsu.
Seeing him in action he seemed like a completely different person.

At that moment, Minamisawa scored on poor Shinsuke.
The first goal was theirs.

Since it was a practice match Masaki didn't think anyone would comment.

The managers were rooting for both teams, Midori was the first to rejoice as soon as the ball entered the net but immediately afterwards she felt sorry for Shinsuke (she seemed very bipolar saying that).

Akane was the photographer on duty, Masaki had already seen her take a roll of photographs.
Aoi on the other hand was the calmest, she looked like she wasn't even cheering.

The ball did not pass their attack line, with a perfect slide Kurama stole the ball again, sending it back to Tsurumasa as soon as he saw himself surrounded.

A series of steps occurred on their part.

On the pitch the perception of time was different.
And that series of steps seemed truly endless.

Shindou personally advanced and then passed the ball to Kageyama, asking to try again.

Kageyama didn't score this time either, but only for a short time.
He took the crossbar, but Hikaru didn't seem to be discouraged.

When the ball finally reached the defense, Masaki told himself it was time to act. And he really acted.

He blew the ball so fast that he surprised even himself.
He knew he was relatively fast, but he didn't expect to be so fast.
He passed the ball to the first libero he saw, namely Tenma, who was also the one who could get to the shot he made.

Tenma finally used his hissatsu which he had named Easy Breezy*.
He had dribbled past his opponent with a gust of wind, literally.

Now Tenma had passed the ball to Minamisawa but his action was stopped by the whistle.
The first half had come to an end.

They headed to the sideline where they offered him a towel and a drink.
Shindou complimented Tenma and gave some advice to Kageyama.
He seemed like an excellent captain, he cared about the team.

Amagi approached him.
“Congratulations on the rescue.” He said he.
“I only did what I had to do.”

Or at least that's what he thought.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆
The game began again

The ball ended up in the opponents' hands.
Kyousuke looked more determined than ever and with a hissatsu he scored.
He didn't give anyone a chance to stop that hissatsu.

His technique was well developed.

Masaki wondered how long he had been playing to have a hissatsu like that.
They were now tied.

The situation seemed dead.
Sangoku passed the ball to him, he passed it to Hamano and from there another series of passes started.

Then when the ball passed to Shindou, with an excellent hissatsu he went into attack and from there he shot with another hissatsu, it was called 'Fortissimo*' and it was beautiful to see.

Shindou managed to score.
Now that they were more in the team spirit, Hamano high-fived him and Tenma shouted: "Nice job, captain."

On the other side, Shinsuke passed the ball to the captain of his team, there too they tried to copy them and with a series of passes they gradually advanced towards the middle of the field.

Tenma failed to steal the ball, Hamano tried but Nanasuke had passed the ball to Kyousuke.
If they hadn't moved quickly, they would have tied again.

Masaki tried to steal the ball from him with a slide, he failed.
He immediately got back to his feet doing a half vertical, ran again and in the middle of a pass, managed to steal the ball.

She passed it into pink pigtails.
Pink pigtails, who remained like a cod, used her hissatsu (she had to say that she was really ridiculous) and thus managed to advance.

He passed the ball to Shindou who in turn passed it to Kageyama.
This time Hikaru shot towards goal, but Shinsuke stopped the shot.

At least he managed to get a shot on goal.

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Finally the game ended.
It ended in a draw, but at least it was over.

Endou had complimented both teams and especially Shindou for how he had handled everything on his own.

He sent them to change.
Tenma talked most of the time about what a great opponent Kyousuke had been.

Not to hear him say a single word again, Masaki approached Hikaru.
Both complimented each other on their excellent actions.

“Next time I will score and return the favor.”
“You don't owe me any favors, in the end we still drew.”
“Yes, but don't you think we would have lost if I hadn't been so fast? How did you do?"

He didn't even know how he did it.

“Am I just fast? Is that a good answer for you?"

Hikaru smiled at him. “That's enough for me.”
“The captain believes in you.”
“Yes, he was really nice to pass me the ball several times.”

Perhaps he had misjudged Shindou. She had to think again.

As soon as they entered the locker room, Masaki lost sight of Hikaru, Kyousuke returned along with Tenma.

“Congrats on the defense.”
“And you for both shots you hit, you are really strong.”
"Thank you."

After they changed, they returned to Endou.
Their coach said that the next morning he would not hold any type of special training, also because by playing that match they had already done enough, but that, if they wanted, they could still train.

Endou left them free to return home.
Shindou however, was talking to the team and especially to Hikaru.
So the small group of first years approached the captain.
(Masaki had been forced by Tenma, he had forced poor Kyousuke too.)

It was their chance to finally get to know all the guys on the team.
At least this way Tenma would put his soul at peace.

“With a little more training you could get on the field almost every time Tsurugi, we only have two attackers; so, maybe one more would be more than fine.” Shindou said.

Masaki's attention, however, was directed towards Hikaru who spoke with 'pink pigtails.'.
Maybe he paid too much attention.

“Masaki-kun, come here!” Hikaru said, as if they had known each other for who knows how long.

He couldn't refuse, neither Tenma nor Kyousuke were there to save him.

He then reached Hikaru and 'pink pigtails.'.

“Thanks Hikaru.”
“Thank you Kirino-san.” Hikaru said. “Hi Masaki.”

No time to say goodbye before Hikaru had already run away.

Hikaru had chosen death.
And Nemesis had chosen to let him die.

But then what did they thank each other for?
He didn't even have time to think about it before that petulant 'pink pigtails.' finally spoke his first words to him.

Chapter Text

His first words to him were: “You left your area exposed during that risky move.”

Seriously?

Was he scolding him? For saving the door? Seriously?

He could not believe it! He expected everything, but not a reproach like this!

Was that really the only thing He had to say to him?

“But if it weren't for my risky move, as you call it, we would have lost by now.”

As if 'pink pigtails.' If that was not enough, Shindou Takuto, the captain, also arrived.

“I am glad you are talking to each other. Congratulations Kariya, your speed and balance are quite developed, you can become an incredibly good defender. Don't you think Ranmaru?”

He was stunned.
And seeing the face of the boy in front, he too was stunned.

He never imagined receiving a 'compliment' from Shindou, that is, he did not see it and even ‘pink pigtails.’ thought the same.
“Yeah, it could.”
“I'm sure the coach will take this into account, see you tomorrow at training.”
“Thank you, captain, see you tomorrow.”
"I come with you." She told him. ‘Pink pigtails.'. “Don't ever try it again if you want to stay in the first team.”

He told him and left.
What a character.
What he had done had not seemed so evil to him, and if not, even Shindou had taken it into account, why did he have to do it?

He walked back to Kyousuke and Tenma, trying not to think about it anymore.

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After that day, Masaki did not have the chance to exchange any words with 'pink pigtails.', and he was fine with that.
But He knew that He had her eyes on him, because He felt it, his gaze on him.

Did he dislike it?

He was the one who had bumped into him in the corridors, not the other way around, but maybe he did not even know it was Masaki, given how fast he was going.

Well, now, 'pink pigtails.', he did not like it... And he seriously had to stop thinking about it.

There at the football club everything was going swimmingly, by now he had become accustomed to the routine and progress of the team and had now become accustomed to the peace that reigned in Nagano, which reminded him a little of Kyoto.

In this regard, there were less than two weeks left until 'Golden Week', the week of festivals there in Japan, and his birthday, and as per tradition they would return to Kyoto to the rest of his family, to celebrate the birthday together. He could not wait to be honest.

Leading the way with Kyousuke and Tenma had become a habit, and it was nice, after training, to have someone to walk home with, even if he still felt like the third wheel.

The two of them were a couple, and he was always with them.
Luckily or not he lived right next to them, he could not escape it.

He felt good with Hikaru, theirs was a different friendship than the one he had with Tenma or Kyousuke, but being on lunch break with other people, other than Tenma and Kyousuke (even if they were there), was good for him.

He was not inclined to make new friends, just as he was not inclined to trust people, but Hikaru seemed like a good guy to him, and so did Shinsuke, even if he had not really understood him well.

He had not yet made any 'friendships' with the boys from the football club, also because they were second and third years.

At that moment, he found himself having to listen to the art lesson, there were only ten minutes left before the break.

Tenma kept scribbling on a paper and Kyousuke was behind.
Masaki, on the other hand, had just realized that he had messed up all the notes he had taken by drawing on them, and his artistic skills were equal to those of a five-year-old child.

The famous ten-minute break arrived, and after saying goodbye to the professor, everyone did what they wanted most.

Those who got up and walked around the classroom, those who talked to the classmate next to them, or those who, like Tenma, disturbed.
Masaki took advantage of this and tried to recover his notes, while Tenma disturbed poor Kyousuke.

It did not even last five minutes.

"Are you still studying?" Tenma took her beloved spiral notebook from her hands.
“Stop it, it's boring.” She said, then closed the notebook and put it in her folder. “I'll give it back to you at the end of class.”
“But I was just copying.”
“No. I don't care, now make conversation like a normal person.”
"No."
“But yes.”
"Stop." Kyousuke said. “Tenma, if Masaki wants-
- No, you do not have to interfere, Masaki can live for ten minutes doing nothing.”
- Kyo!” Tenma interrupted him again.

Kyousuke gasped.
He did not like being interrupted; this would make him pay.

"Do you like it?" Tenma asked him.
"What?"
“Like what? The defense, Masaki!”
“If you do not-
“Yes, I like it, otherwise why would I have chosen it?”
Lie, he did not even know why he had chosen defense, and the reason was not because he liked it.
“In my opinion you should have been a striker.”
Masaki ran a hand through his hair. “Oh no, still with this story.”
“And you are the doorman, is it okay if we put it on this level?” Kyousuke asked him.
"No. I say this because it is the first time, he has played football."
"It does not make sense." Kyousuke said. “You just said bullshit.”
“Kyo's right.”
“But at least he had company on offense…”
“He has it on defense too.”
“What company would I need? There are eleven of us and on the same field, we are not separated like the north and south poles."

Tenma sat down in his seat, plopping into his chair.

“That's fine, but if you don't like it, change roles.”
“Tenma, don't worry, I'm fine in defense.”
“It's okay, I trust what you say.”

Tenma handed the notebook back to him.
“Oh, thanks Tenma.”

They continued their ten-minute break between chats, while Masaki tried to take notes.

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The lunch break was not long in coming.
They went to the canteen, where it was now customary to go, to have lunch with Hikaru and Shinsuke.

The two were already sitting at the table their class was the one closest to the canteen, because they always went first, it was the only explanation they could give.

“Hey hello!” Tenma said, just sitting down.
"HI." They said goodbye to Shinsuke and Hikaru.

Sitting there at that table, there was always one topic that stood out the most.
The football club, or at least, football.
It was their favorite topic, even if most of the time it was Tenma, Shinsuke and Hikaru who talked about it, sometimes Kyousuke and sometimes him were added, but it was certainly not among his favorite topics, but if it had helped to keep that table animated, then it would have been fine.

“So, you played in a football school??” Hikaru asked for the fourth time in those minutes.
Tenma smiled at him satisfied. “And I also played a lot of matches, it was like a professional.”
“Wow that must have been beautiful!”
Hikaru's eyes never stopped having a strange twinkle.
“Shinsuke played football too, right?” He asked his classmate.
“Yes, that's true, but only for one year, and as a defender among other things, in middle school.”
“Our middle school didn't have clubs.” Tenma said. “In fact, he only had three or four, but not the football club, but you Hikaru?? You said you have only been playing for two months, and you signed up anyway.”
"Yes! Football runs in the family, but only two months ago I had the opportunity to play it seriously.” Hikaru said as he looked at his lunch.

Masaki looked at Kyousuke, who was noisily drinking his orange soda.
He did not seem at all interested in the conversation.
And how could he blame him?

“And you Masaki?” Hikaru asked. “How long have you been playing football?”
“I've actually never played seriously before.”
“Oh, thank goodness! You are like me too." Hikaru said.

Masaki smiled at him.

“And why did you decide to join the soccer club?” Shinsuke asked.
“Why do I like it, what questions.”

Kyousuke kept making noise with that damn orange soda.
Tenma looked at him and burst out laughing.
They talked repeatedly, until the bell rang to end lunch break.
So, the five returned to their classes and arranged to meet at the end of the lessons.
Masaki, Tenma and Kyousuke went to their classroom.

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Classes ended for the day.
The last few lessons were quite 'bearable' for Masaki.

As soon as Tenma finished filling out the folder, they left the classroom and waited for Hikaru and Shinsuke who did not take long to arrive, then together they went to the changing rooms.

There were already some there, changing.
Some including the captain and his friend.

Tenma, who really cared a lot, greeted him, and so the two were forced to greet the rest of those present.

And Masaki necessarily had to return the greeting of 'pink pigtails.', he was not rude.
Once the round of 'hi/hey' was over as soon as someone entered, Tenma began to change along with them.

That boy was impossible.
And he was so hyperactive that he could not stay calm for half a second.
Masaki and Kyousuke waited until Tenma was ready before joining the coach at the outdoor court.

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In training he paired with Hikaru.

It was not really a real training session; they were there on the sidelines dribbling away some cones.
It was not one of his favorite activities to be honest.

The main team, however, was on the field training and Kyousuke was among them.
Tenma and Shinsuke occupied the goal on the other side to practice shooting and blocking.

He had just finished his shift and now he had to check that Hikaru did not take away any cones, which, having said that, seemed like he was working on construction sites, but that was not the case.

He watched the team train, especially the defense.

'Pink pigtails.' it was in the center, and on the sides were Kurumada and Amagi.

At that very moment, 'pink pigtails.' he was running with the ball at his feet, he made a long pass as soon as Shindou was free.

Amagi high-fived him once he was back in position.

He seemed friendly, with people who were not him.
He felt something near his foot, and almost jumped, then realized it was just the ball.

He looked forward and found Hikaru sitting on the ground.

“What are you doing there on the ground?”

Hikaru chuckled sheepishly. “I tripped.”
Masaki held out his hand and lifted him off the ground.

“But I am fine! Now I'll try again." Hikaru told him.
He passed him the ball and Hikaru started again.

Tenma and Shinsuke were not doing too well.

Tenma's shots did not hit the goal, it was the third crossbar he saw him take.
He wondered why Endou chose him and not an attacker to help Shinsuke.
But those two seemed to be having a lot of fun.

He was not enjoying himself at all, not because of Hikaru, but because that training was stupid, and it would not do any good. He could not even refuse.

He would have needed to train with the rest of the team, and not do individual training, how would he have learned to keep up with the team if he never played with it?

“Masaki, it's your turn.”

Hikaru had just rearranged the cones he had moved; he passed the ball to him with a kick.
Masaki took Hikaru's place and began training with the ball at his feet.
He turned for a millisecond, just long enough to see Tenma giving him the victory sign, before finishing.
That distraction cost him, some cones had knocked over.

“The next one will be better.” Hikaru told him.
"Thank you."

He rearranged the cones and tried again. She did better than the previous one, but he tried again.
Hikaru gave him a round of applause as soon as he finished.

"Take." Masaki passed him the ball and Hikaru caught it and kicked it behind him.
The balloon rolled for a while before coming to a complete stop.

“I would also like to shoot on goal like Tenma…” He spoke.
“I would like to stop this training too.”
“I'm going to get the ball.”

Hikaru ran until he reached the ball.
Masaki instead looked at the field, where the first team had stopped training, and coach Endou was talking to Shindou.

Tenma and Shinsuke had also stopped training.
Endou then walked away and approached him and Hikaru.
Hikaru returned to him with the ball in his hands, just in time.

“You guys go to the meeting room with the others.” Endou said.
“Okay coach.” Hikaru said.

He and Hikaru placed the ball in the cart, where the others were that they used during training, and Shinsuke and Tenma and together went to the meeting room.
They found Kyousuke back in the meeting room, leaning against the wall as the rest of the team took their seats.

Tenma and Shinsuke went to sit down, and Hikaru followed them.

“Aren't you going to sit down?”
“It will be nothing, then he will send us to the locker room.”
“Everything ok with the team?”
“Yes, they are nice guys, a little slow. You with Hikaru?”
“It was quite boring, but all ok.”

Endou entered the meeting room and went to sit at the back of everything, where there was a white board, a projector pointed at the wall above.
There was a small step that made it higher than the rest of the room, a kind of small stage, made so that everyone could see and hear it.

Next to the coach there was Professor Otonashi in front of the computer.

"Thank you, guys. We have news regarding the Football Frontier.
We haven't been told when it will start, but we know that the qualifiers will take place on Friday 7 May, and obviously we are there too.
We don't know yet who we will play against, but that doesn't matter, whatever team it is you have to keep in mind that without passing the qualifiers we wouldn't be able to access and play in the tournament.

Hamano, that is what his name seemed to be, raised his hand.

“Say Hamano.”
“How do we train? The game is after Golden Week, many of us will not be here in town and school will be closed.”
“Thank you, Hamano, I have already taken care of this, each of you will be assigned a training card the day before the holidays.” Endou explained. “Coming back to the present, you must already start training, so that you are already prepared, and that is why in two days, the day after tomorrow, you will play a friendly match against Aoba.

Last year they participated in the Football Frontier, coming out in the third round, their coach accepted the invitation, and so we agreed on a friendly match. -Endou turned to Professor Otonashi- Haruna, thanks.”

A short clip of Ultramegaedera appeared on the projector last year at Football Frontier.
From the video they looked like giant beasts, Masaki hoped that in person they were not like that.
Some like Minamisawa and Amagi asked the coach more questions, but Shindou was the one who asked the training.

Endou gave him a toothy smile. Very disturbing.
This time, Endou approached the blackboard and started drawing on it.
Once finished, he stood to the side to let everyone see what was written, not that you could talk much about Endou's handwriting.

“We will use a 3-3-4, this insignificant change is since Kyousuke will play as a striker, but it is better to tell you the total formation.
In defense we have: Amagi Daichi, Kirino Ranmaru and Kurumada Gouichi, my usual ones, please guys.
In midfield: Hamano Kaiji, Shindou Takuto and Matsukaze Tenma, you have trained hard, and I want to give you a chance, you are replacing Hayami, I recommend Tenma.”
“Yes coach! Thank you."
“Continuing the attack: Kurama Norihito, Minamisawa Atsushi, Nishiki Ryoma and Tsurugi Kyousuke, your shots are good, and your speed can be very useful to us.”
“Thank you, coach.” Kyousuke said.

Masaki, who had been holding his breath the whole time, could now feel relieved, he would not be playing that match. And thank goodness.
He did not want to play the first match of the year; he did not feel ready for such a responsibility yet.

“In goal as usual, Sangoku Taichi, but Shinsuke be ready anyway. You can use hissatsu and various things, but please do not push yourself too hard, and do not go beyond your limit.”

Endou then continued to talk and talk some more about the match, to Aoba, but Masaki had stopped listening to him.

Two pairs of blue eyes were on him.
He had not met his gaze yet, and he did not want to, but he really wanted to know why he was looking at him.

He kept his eyes fixed on the blackboard, where Endou was drawing arrows and ways to get to the door, also using the team hissatsu that Shindou had designed especially for the team.
The two blue eyes were now focused on Endou, at least he had left him alone.

“Well guys, you can go and change, I'll see you tomorrow, please bring them in.”

They said goodbye to the coach and went to the locker room.

Masaki could not wait to go home.
Tenma was hugged by Shinsuke and Hikaru, who complimented him on joining the team those two were happy.

They also tried this with Kyousuke only for him to run away towards the showers.
Masaki was shaken by Tenma's hand on his shoulder.

“Hey! You will see that very soon you too will be playing a real game!”
“Thank you, Tenma, but I really didn't want to play against those monsters, I'll leave them to you.”
“They look like wardrobes, it is true, but do not say that! Eventually, you will have to play, for the qualifying match!”
“Let's hope not?”

Tenma punched him on the shoulder.
“You have to play.”
“Yes, yes, don't worry.”

Tenma glared at him before starting to change.

After changing, he waited for his two companions to do the same, then together they returned home.

Chapter Text

There was only one day left until the match against Aoba.
Masaki couldn't wait for that match to end, that's all they talked about.

Endou kept talking about new formations, tactics and hissatsu.

The only thing he wanted to do was leave everything and go home, at least he wouldn't hear about the match anymore.

The match was during the week, and luckily it wasn't accessible to the public, so there were only them, the youth from school, and Aoba.
No parents, no stadium, no nothing.

He just hoped that neither Hiroto nor Ryuuji would corrupt Endou.
Unfortunately for him, they were capable of doing so and then Endou was really easy to corrupt.

They were currently in training, he was training with Hikaru, again, while the team trained using the training Endou had given.

There was bad blood between Minamisawa and Kyousuke, the two often ended up arguing.
Tenma, on the other hand, was really at ease in the team, and always remained the one who bothered Shindou, who poor thing wanted to get him off his back.
He passed balls to Shindou, called him 'captain' in a truly terrible, eardrum-eating way, and most of his passes were unsuccessful. To his credit he could say that every time he tried, he got better.

Shinsuke, trained with Sangoku and Hayami in goal.

This time, he and Hikaru weren't practicing dribbling, thankfully, but making simple passes.

During training, Masaki had managed to understand how hissatsu worked, including Shindou's, which was meant for the team.
He moved just like an orchestra conductor and thus managed to direct all the passes, in order to pass the ball to the closest and most available attacker.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

They ended up watching yet another Aoba video.

It was the first time that Masaki saw a team different from his own (and from Hiroto's, but then it wouldn't be football for high school), so it was probably normal that he was a little scared, and thank goodness he didn't have to play it himself .
He would probably be dead.

In the end, even though it was only a friendly match, Endou seemed to talk as if they had to play the World Cup final.

He let them change and then go home.

He led the way with Tenma and Kyousuke, as usual.
Tenma was continuing to talk about that friendly match.

Masaki couldn't take it anymore, he didn't know how he was keeping himself from killing Tenma.

"Too bad it's closed doors... aunt said she wanted to see me play the first match..." He said.
"We haven't started the tournament." It reminded him of Kyousuke.

Tenma dismissed Kyousuke.
"Hey Masaki, will your parents be attending the Football Frontier games? And the qualification?"

Masaki shrugged.
He hoped not.

“I think they are busy with work to come to the games.”
"It's a shame, I would have loved to say goodbye to them."
"You know you can make them literally every-
-What about your brother Kyo?"

He managed to interrupt him before he created a mess.
All we needed was Tenma to say hello to her parents every day. A nightmare.

"If you don't have college commitments, yes."
"You know his brother studies away from home, so he's almost never here in Nagano."
"It's called off-site Tenma."

Yuuichi was Kyousuke's older brother, and had attended Raimon in his prime years, he was a big fan of Gouichi Shuuya.
He had never met him in person, but Tenma described him as Kyousuke's twin, only more handsome and this made Kyousuke very angry, even if Tenma only said it as a joke.

He didn't know anything else about Kyousuke, he didn't talk about his family very often.

"He said it to me and not to you." Tenma teased.

By now he had lost the thread of the conversation, he was lost in counting the steps he was taking.

It would have been very strange to see Hiroto in the stands and not on the pitch, that is, he was the one who went to watch his father's matches and not the other way around, that's why he thought it was strange, their roles had somehow been reversed.

"Do you like, Masaki?" Tenma asked, stepping in front.
"Excuse?"
"Oh, come on you weren't listening! What were you thinking?"
"Nothing that matters. What were you talking about?"
"After tomorrow's game, maybe you could come to me, to celebrate you know... our first game. Because it's going to be good!" He showed him the victory sign.
"Tenma, is that a-
-Are you coming or not? It's our first game anyway!"
"Okay. Yes."
"Great! Now I can invite Hikaru and Shinsuke, and maybe I can invite Aoi too, after all she's also a first year like us!"

Masaki looked at Kyousuke for help, but he shook his head disapprovingly.

Tenma arrived home, they said goodbye to him and then started walking again.
They didn't say much to each other, they mostly talked about football.

When Kyousuke also left, Masaki put on his beloved headphones that he took wherever he went, not that he was that far away, he had time to listen to at least one three-minute song.

At least he would listen to a song and not nothing, there in 'Nagano' he seemed to be in space, where sound could not propagate.
It was more or less like this.

He arrived home, and there too there was an absurd silence.

In Kyoto it wasn't like that, when he came home from school there were always his uncles, Nagumo and Suzuno making a mess like crazy, and the TV on, Ryuuji helping his aunt Hitomiko, it was a drastic change.
It was on days like those that Masaki would have loved to be in Kyoto.

Some days he felt nostalgic. He was unfair, Hiroto and Ryuuji had moved house to get closer to Kira & Company, to give him a better education than he could have there in Kyoto, a house of their own without uncles who scream like crazy.
Ryuuji who now had a real job, and also Hiroto, who had sacrificed his passion for football to take the reins of the family business.

And they had done so much not to hide what they really were.

He was the very last person who was allowed to complain.

He sighed, and let those thoughts disappear from his head.
He went to change and then sat down on the sofa, using his phone to look for something to distract himself with until his parents returned from work.

Hiroto and Ryuuji were always on time when it came to going to work, in fact, they even arrived early sometimes, but when it came to returning home, they lost at least a good ten minutes.

And it had never bothered Masaki, after all Hiroto was the boss, they had to wait for all the employees to leave anyway, and Kira & Company wasn't a small company, it wasn't small and it was obvious it was getting lost a bit of time.

A few times last year it happened that he only stayed for dinner, due to meetings and various things, and not even that really bothered him.
⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

He had done absolutely nothing.

He was holed up in his room, with the laptop on his lap and music in his headphones.
He didn't have much to do, but he liked copying his notes onto the computer, he enjoyed studying that way, and he liked being tidy.
Although, he and studying were sometimes two parallel lines.

Who liked studying? There were people who found it boring right?
Well, he was in the middle, between those who found it boring and those who instead liked to study to get good grades, to have personal satisfaction.
And perhaps, up until now, it was the only thing he was good at.

But for the moment he was just copying to fight boredom.
More than anything, he found it easy to distract himself with music.

He was frightened when, unaware that his parents had returned, he saw Ryūji stop at his bedroom door, motioning for him to lower his headphones.

"HI." he waved.

Ryuu smiled at him. "Dinner is on the table, we grabbed a little something on the way home from work."
"I'll be right there."
"And turn down the music, you'll find yourself deaf sooner." Ryuu told him as he left.

He wasn't entirely wrong.
He closed the PC and put it back on the desk before running into the kitchen.
⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

He told his parents about the school day as usual, and heard all about Kira & Company.
He was keen to stay updated on what was happening in the company.

"Tomorrow Tenma invited us first years to his house after the match and I told him I would be there, it's no problem right?"
"But no Maki, it's a good thing there are other guys, so you get to know the locals."
"What game?" Ryuuji asked.
"The friendly match against Aoba." He said it with such obviousness. "Endou decided to let us play a friendly match for the Football Frontier qualifiers."

Ryuu frowned. "You didn't tell us anything about the match-
-Because it's a friendly match... at school, there won't be any parents."
"But it's your first game."
"I'm on the bench."
"And that's why you didn't want to tell us? Maki you just joined the team, you have a championship ahead of you." Hiroto told him.
"No... I didn't think it mattered that much."
"Of course it does matter, we said to tell each other everything, good or bad things."
"Yes I know."
"So who did you say will be at Tenma's house tomorrow?" Hiroto asked.

Masaki smiled at him and answered him.

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The next day, the day of the match, it felt strange for Masaki to go to school as if there wasn't a friendly match in the afternoon.
It seemed unrealistic to him.

And after class they couldn't even afford to delay a few seconds, since both Tenma and Kyousuke had to play.

That morning, he had led the way with the two friends, needless to say that Tenma was almost as tense as a violin string, and his anxiety was palpable, it almost seemed as if he was surrounded by an aura.
Kyousuke on the other hand was very calm.

"Look, if you don't want to play, Hayami will be quite happy to come in for you." he had teased him.
"I want to play! I trained hard for this match." Tenma said. "And I'm sorry about Hayami."
"If you mind, give him the place." Kyousuke told him.
“Noo, the coach has faith in me, and I won't let him down!” He had shouted it from the rooftops.
"I'll bet you twenty yen that you'll be out in the next game."
"Come on Kyo!"

While his two friends thought about chasing each other just like two children, Masaki greeted Hikaru and Shinsuke who were talking outside school.

"Tenma and Kyousuke?" Shinsuke asked.

Masaki showed them to him. "They've been teasing each other ever since they came to pick me up."
"Do they always do this?" Hikaru asked.
"Most of the time."
"How lucky they are."
"Yeah... I'd like to play too."

No, Masaki didn't want to play at all that afternoon. He was fine staying on the bench.

Tenma and Kyousuke approached them.

"Hello guys!" He greeted Tenma.

Hikaru and Shinsuke waved back.

They didn't have time to talk for who knows how long, because Tenma ran to greet the captain, and in the meantime the bell had rung, so they had to go into school.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

During lunch break, he, Tenma and Kyousuke went to the cafeteria and took their seats. Hikaru and Shinsuke hadn't arrived yet.

"Kyo, you have to eat light for the match!" Tenma shouted at him.
“Let me decide what to eat and what not.”
"But then you'll feel bad... we need you! Even the coach said so!"
"Oh God Tenma, I'll eat what I want and I'll play the game calmly."
"Masaki, tell him too!"
"I don't interfere."

Tenma started crushing his arm. "Masaki~, I don't want Kyo to feel bad! And you don't either, so tell him!"
“Tenma, stop being such a baby, everyone is looking at you.” Kyousuke retorted.
"The game is played later so he can eat what he wants, and then it doesn't seem to me that he has eaten anything."

Tenma let out a long, anguished moan. “If you feel bad I will tell the coach to kick you off the team.” he released his arm, took the glass and drank.

Meanwhile, both Hikaru and Shinsuke arrived with their trays full of food.

“Hey, thanks for waiting for us!” Shinsuke said.
"No way." Tenma said, making room for Shinsuke so he could sit next to him.

Hikaru sat next Masaki and Kyousuke.

They had lunch and talked some more about the match, even though Tenma and Kyousuke were the only ones who had to play.

"Minamisawa-san is not so happy about you playing." Hikaru said.
Kyousuke shrugged. "He makes more noise than anything else on the pitch."
"It's true, he often argues with Kurama and in the locker room the other day, even with the captain."
"Do you think he's really going away?" Tenma asked.

This rumor was going around at school or, rather, it was all concentrated in Minamisawa's class, that the latter wanted to change school, for him, the Alien Academy didn't give enough credits, and therefore he wanted to change.
Not even Shindou knew how much truth was behind it.

Why not ask the person concerned? Because Minamisawa was that guy who raised his middle finger at everyone.

"I think so, he's not putting in even a bit of effort at the football club, that's what the manager said." Shinsuke replied.
"Who knows who will take his place then."
"Sounds like an important task, hopefully not me at the moment." Hikaru said.
"And if they want to kill you, what do you do? Do you run away?"
"Most likely."

Tenma's shrill voice filled his ears. "Masaki~ would you like to be captain?"
"I would follow Hikaru."

Tenma didn't like that answer, he wrinkled his nose and let out a light snort.
"But Shindou isn't the one leaving." Kyousuke said.
"We're fantasizing Kyo, don't interrupt."
"Would you ever be a captain?" Shinsuke asked.

Tenma seemed to think about it and it seemed as if he really had to choose whether or not to be captain.
“It's a difficult role, but I would accept it.”
"I can see you as captain." Hikaru said.
"Thanks! Well, I have some experience, I was captain for almost two months at the old school."
"Wow! This is great!" Shinsuke said.
"Maybe one day you could be captain of the Alien!" Shinsuke joined.

Tenma shook his head.
"Shindou-san is much better, he's fine."
"Yes but, Shindou-san is a year older, during our fourth year, he will be gone." Hikaru said.
"Then in that case I could take his place."

The lunch break ended, and the five of them said goodbye.
He, Kyousuke and Tenma returned to the classroom for their next lessons.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Once class was over, they immediately ran to the changing rooms, before risking it getting too late.

"I'm shaking?" Tenma said.

His hands were shaking. Literally.

"For nothing." Kyousuke replied.

"Masaki tell me!"
Tenma took his hands, and Masaki felt something like a shock.

"Hey! Calm down."

Tenma released his hands and took his uniform. "I'm trying."
"Do you want some chamomile?"
"No no! I can't drink."
"Never be." Kyousuke said, his voice full of irony.
"Tenma, you have nothing to be nervous about, just pretend we're in training." Masaki told him.
"I'd love." Tenma said. “I feel like throwing up my lunch.”
"No, no no, please."
"Tenma, if you throwing up you won't play." Kyousuke said. "So don't say it out loud."

Tenma whimpered. "All right."

He had never seen Tenma in that state, it was strange, it wasn't his first match in his life.
Why be so nervous?
He didn't say he was exaggerating, but... a little.

Almost all the boys were wearing uniforms.
In fact, Kyousuke was almost ready too.

Tenma on the other hand, with trembling hands, tried to find the right direction of the shirt.
In the end, he no longer had the number 18. His number was 8 now.
And he didn't take it badly, because the 8 reminded him of infinity, or at least that's what he said.

Kyousuke had number 13, Hikaru had number 16 and Shinsuke had number 20.
He, on the other hand, had number 15.

Tenma had kept telling him that he had to take Hiroto's number, but when he put on the uniform in front of his parents, Hiroto himself told him that he had worn the number 15 for quite a while.

It had been quite embarrassing, he didn't want to copy his father in any way, he wanted to be Masaki, and not be remembered for being the son of two important people.

Uniforms put on, everyone reached the camp.

Aoba had already arrived, and was already warming up.
Endou told them to occupy the other half of the field to warm up, and so they did.

After warming up, they all gathered around Endou.

Masaki didn't listen to him at all.
He found motivational speeches useless, then maybe for others, like Tenma, they weren't.
Then Shindou also added to the little speech.

Then, before the boys entered the field, Hikaru called Tenma's attention.

"Good luck Tenma!" Hikaru shouted.
"He plays as usual!" Shinsuke added.
Tenma showed them the victory sign. "Thank you guys."

Tenma entered the field, joining the others with a short jog, and he, together with Hikaru and Shinsuke took their places on the benches, next to the three managers.

The match began with Aoba kicking off.

They had never been so in contact with the managers, despite Aoi being Tenma's best friend.

Midori was the one who gave Tenma the most courage at that moment. And during training she had made herself heard a lot, she bet a lot on Tenma. And truth be told, she had taken Hikaru to her heart too.
She had a strange relationship with Ryoma.

Then there was Akane, who was the one who had an obvious crush on Shindou.
She always wore a camera around her neck, and they were sure that there were many photos of Shindou inside her.

Too bad he didn't even look at her during training.

"Go ahead Tenma!" Shinsuke shouted.

Tenma had just used his hissatsu to discard his opponent, and with a pass guided by Shindou, he passed the ball to Minamisawa.

Minamisawa's action did not go well.
Ultramegaedera's defense had blocked the ball.

The ball was recovered by Ryoma, who passed back, in midfield, to Shindou.
They lost possession of the ball again, and this time one of Ultramegaedera was approaching the defense.

'pink ponytail', who was in the centre, ran until he slipped, stealing the ball, but, he was about to be marked, so to free himself he made a header pass, aiming the ball into midfield.

Hamano took the ball and also used hissatsu to get rid of his opponent.
He ran until he had to pass it, and passed it to Kurama, who scored the first goal of the match.

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The match was going well, they were leading by one goal at the end of the first half.
Aoba had scored two goals, but Alien had recovered them.

There wasn't much left until the end of the match, and at that rate, they would have won for sure.

Then, suddenly, during an opponent's slide, Kurumada fell to the ground.
He had been completely taken in.

Everyone gathered around Kurumada, and Endou entered the field to make sure he was okay.

But, Kurumada wasn't well at all, he couldn't even keep himself standing no matter how much his foot hurt.
They took him off the field and Mrs.Otonashi rushed to get some ice.

"Coach let me play, it's not long until the end of the match." Kurumada said.
"He Don't talk about it, you could get worse."
"Ten of us will play, don't worry Gouichi, he only thinks about getting better." Amagi told him.

Endou turned in his direction.
He, who was standing on the sidelines, next to Hikaru and Shinsuke.

"Kariya, he will replace Kurumada."
"Yes coach."
"Kariya warm up, quick."

And while Hikaru crushed his arm and said: "Come on Masaki!"
He thought of only one thing. How much. Is. Bad lucky.

He wanted to bury himself, disappear from the face of the earth.

He was left speechless.

He murmured a soft, "Yes coach." Hoping that he had heard, and he ran to warm up while Kurumada was escorted by Amagi to the benches, ice still on his foot.
Why hadn't he reduced the defenders to two? Why?

Soon he would have a heart attack, he felt it.
He probably would have died.

Endou spoke to the Aoba's trainer, and then they sent everyone back onto the field.
He certainly didn't imagine his entrance onto the pitch like this, when there were only about twenty minutes left until the end of the second half.

He was literally forced to play.

Now, it was true that he had chosen the football club, but that wasn't the deal.
He had to remain a simple reserve, stay on the bench like Hikaru and Shinsuke, or maybe alone because those two would have entered the field!

"Kariya, focus on the match." It was 'pink ponytails.' to awaken him from the flow of thoughts that were spinning in his head.

Playing with him was like playing in a party with your archenemy, who tries to sabotage you among other things.

He felt quite agitated and disoriented, but, he still didn't feel like Tenma, he probably would never reach his level.

He took Kurumada's place on the left side of the field.
'Pink pigtails.', in the center, while Amagi on the right.

He adapted to the team's progress almost immediately, perhaps because he had gotten used to it when they played together in that sort of friendly match, or because he had seen them so many times on the sidelines that he had learned to copy them.

When the ball came to the defense, he didn't think twice, he ran to stop it before it was too late, but, he didn't forget the first words she said to him 'pink pigtails.', so he still tried to stay in his area.

He actually saved the ball, and passed it to Shindou before it was too late.
His pass was a little longer than he expected, but luckily Shindou caught the ball anyway.

'Pink pigtails.' he looked at him, but he said nothing.
Or, if he said something, Masaki hadn't heard him at all.

The action that was started by him ended successfully with a shot from Kyousuke.

Soon after that shot, they learned that the injury time they had lost when Kurumada fell to the ground had begun.

He had lost count of how many balls he had recovered.
He was enjoying playing more than expected.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

The match ended in their victory.
Shindou thanked the captain of the Aoba, and Endou did the same to the trainer.

Hikaru immediately ran to hug him.
Even though he didn't want to, Masaki had to, because Tenma had surrounded him.

"We won!" Those two shouted in his poor ears.

Kurumada hadn't fully recovered, his foot still hurt, but he was really happy with the victory.

Endou sent to change them, and it was strange to see the boys making a mess in the locker room, when usually, the only mess you could hear was the bickering between Minamisawa and Kurama.

And while he was waiting for Kyousuke to come out of the shower, 'pink pigtails.', who had just been in the shower, said to him: "Kariya! Your speed could be useful to us in defense, maybe the coach will take you into consideration after this match ."

And then he went to the other boys.

Masaki was literally stunned.
Just the thought of having to play again made his stomach twist.

After leaving the locker room they gathered at Endou, who complimented them.
Kurumada had been picked up by his family, and perhaps tomorrow they would have news on how he was doing.

On the way back, then, before Shinsuke and Hikaru left, Tenma stopped them.

"Hey guys, do you want to come over? Let's celebrate the victory." he told him.
"That's a great idea Tenma, I'll let you know mom and let you know." Shinsuke said.
"Okay, Hikaru are you one of our gods?"
"Of course! Thanks so much for the invitation Tenma."

Tenma smiled at him.

Before setting off they waited for Shinsuke's response, which was positive.
All five then headed towards Tenma's house.

Chapter Text

Golden Week had finally arrived, and as he had done for three years now, Masaki was packing a bag to take to Kyoto.

That year, however, was different from the others, they did not leave that Friday, after school.
Masaki was quite stunned, they had always done it this way, but this time, Hiroto told him that he had a meeting that he could not postpone.

He was not angry with them, but it was May 1st, he should not have been working, or at least that's how it should have been.
He spent Saturday following the stupid training schedule that Endou had given them. Alone.
Not that he minded, he liked being alone, training alone did not bother him, however, he could not accept the fact that despite their closeness, Hiroto and Ryuuji were very busy with Kira & Co.

The training sessions that Endou had given him were nothing special, and, he had no desire to follow them, but he had enjoyed playing during the friendly match.

They left on Sunday, at dawn.
Getting from 'Nagano' to 'Kyoto' by car was pure madness, Hiroto liked madness (and then he got scared just by seeing a small insect).

To get to Kyoto it took a good five hours of travel, and Masaki spent three of them sleeping, and the remaining two listening to music or some chatter between Hiroto and Ryuuji.

During the trip he received a notification he never wanted to receive.
He had been added to a group consisting of Kyousuke, Tenma, Shinsuke and Hikaru.
The first message was from Tenma, he said that Shindou would soon add them to the group that had the team.

It was not good news at all.

From there a series of messages started from Hikaru, Shinsuke and Tenma.
The first thing he did was silence both groups. His entire life was in silence, he would not have had mercy even for a small group.

Upon arriving in Kyoto, Masaki was immediately welcomed by his aunt Hitomiko and his uncles, Nagumo and Suzuno.

None of them were related by blood, Hiroto, Ryuuji, Nagumo and Suzuno were in the same orphanage, and his aunt Hitomiko was the daughter of the owner, Kira Seijiro.
However, Seijiro adopted Hiroto, and thus became Hitomiko's adoptive brother.
You could make a film there. He had too complex a family.

Hitomiko had long black hair and blue eyes, she was an incredibly determined person, she could seem severe but, she was not. She really loved children and she loved her job. She had "inherited" the educational community* called 'Ohisama En'.

Seijiro died a couple of years ago.
Masaki did not have many memories of him before he was adopted. Seijiro passed by the community a few times, brought gifts to all the children, but these were not the memories of him.

He remembered being called by Seijiro whenever there was a Hiroto match on TV, and they watched it together.
And once, when adoption procedures were involved, he took him to see the most beautiful cherry blossoms.

Masaki did not remember his real birthday, he did not have the slightest memory of when he was born, he had been abandoned when he was little, and the only things he knew (that his parents had taught him) were his name and his age.

So, Seijiro, decided for him. May 5th.
Masaki liked it, and so every May 5th they celebrated his birthday, and he really liked it as a date, it fell perfectly after the cherry blossoms, when it was still spring.

(He had not gotten over his death yet.)

His uncles, Nagumo and Suzuno were the people closest to Kyousuke and Tenma.
Yes, Masaki saw them just like he saw his two best friends.

Nagumo had red hair, and Suzuno white, but white all his life, not because he was old.
They had both played football when they were around his age, but he did not know why they had not continued.
Now they were both working on a project that was a topic of discussion every year at Christmas or at family gatherings; they had never managed to complete anything.

Besides them was Mr. Quagmire*.
Masaki had never spoken to him.

He took care of the 'Ohisama En' together with his aunt and Hiroto suspected that there was more than just a friendship between the two. He was quite jealous of the people who hung out with his sister.
The classic stereotypical 'older' brother. (Hiroto, however, was not the older of the two, and this was laughable.)

Quagmire had always creeped him out, ever since he was little.
He was very tall, almost two meters (so for Masaki he was as tall as a skyscraper) with black hair that he tied in a ponytail and light eyes.
He had never understood what color they were; they were light.

And every year, Masaki hoped not to talk to us, and to have nothing to do with it.

Hitomiko addressed him with the usual phrase: "How much you've grown!" even though they had seen each other before moving.
Nagumo made fun of him for a fall that he did not remember and every time they saw each other he reminded her of it, while Suzuno was the 'normal' one who greeted him with a simple "hello".

Luckily, they did not go through Ohisama En, but directly to Hitomiko's house, which was right next door.
Masaki always felt bad about barging into his house when it was Golden Week.

Hitomiko's house was her grandfather Seijiro's old house.
It was a classic Japanese house with still sliding wooden doors and no chairs for the dining table, or at least, when they were not there.
That house had so many rooms that another educational community could have been built there.
He had not modernized and had no intention of doing so.

Despite his almost fifteen years of age, when they arrived in Kyoto, Masaki always slept only with Hiroto and Ryuuji, in the futons (Hitomiko's were not so comfortable).
He was too afraid of ghosts and paranormal things, and neither Hiroto nor Ryuuji had ever complained, so he was fine with that.

They had a full five days to spend there in Kyoto, as they would be leaving on a Friday morning, and his birthday fell on a Wednesday that year, his second favorite day of the week. (The first was on Saturday, and it won easily).

They settled in well and spent that evening in central Kyoto.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Monday and Tuesday were spent with Hitomiko.
He loved to help when he could and even though not everyone worked those days, Hitomiko had to, as the educational community had to be managed.
And Masaki loved the determination that Hitomiko put into it, she did not mind working 365 out of 365 in the slightest, he would have loved to be like her.
Hitomiko had asked him about school and her friends, and Masaki had told her everything, not excluding the fact that he had joined the soccer club, and that he had played in her first friendly match.

He had a strange relationship with the Ohisama En.
He hated children, but he himself hated them, especially if they screamed or cried. However, he liked giving Hitomiko a hand.
Not with children, he did something else.

Staying there was a bit of a sentence, and he was happy to see Hiroto again when he returned.

He spent the afternoon accompanying Hiroto on some errands.

Walking around Kyoto was different, compared to Nagano.
Kyoto was not like Tokyo, it was not noisy, but it was certainly louder than Nagano.
And then there were so many things there, the center was close.

The only thing, which he liked a little less, was the influx of tourists, (which was a good thing) made Kyoto a city 'populated' by tourists.

They met some people who were on Hiroto's old team.
Masaki only knew a couple of people.
Nemuro and Reina.
The goalkeeper and the other one was a striker.

Hiroto had remained in good contact with the two of them especially.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

On Wednesday morning, he woke up with a pillow on his face from his uncle Nagumo. Everything was normal, Nagumo could even wake him up with cake on his face, if Ryuuji did not stop him.

This began the day of his fifteenth birthday.

He did not like celebrating his birthday, but he celebrated with a good face just so as not to make anyone sad.

After being captured by Nagumo, because being too a big child he wanted to play tag, it is a shame that Masaki did not move from where he was.
He dragged him into the kitchen, where to his surprise he found the most famous tower in Tokyo. Tokyo Tower

Masaki, despite being Japanese and although Hiroto had played for the country, Masaki had never visited Tokyo.
He had never been there, not even by mistake.
But that was his year, because Football Frontier was held in that city, and he, together with 'Alien', would have participated.

That day turned out to be special.
Only he, Hiroto and Ryuuji left to go to Tokyo. Luckily, that way he would not have Nagumo and Suzuno at his feet.

They left by train; they would never have gotten there by car since Tokyo and Kyoto are 5 hours and 40 minutes apart (yes, he had looked it up on Google Maps).

When they arrived in Tokyo, Masaki felt like he was in America.
In short, Tokyo was his dream since he was little (for so little? No, Masaki liked to visit the world and for him Tokyo was a sign of the beginning.)

Tokyo was beautiful but during Golden Week it was even more so.
They did not visit it completely, also because it was truly madness, but they visited most of the things.

Ueno Park, the Akihabara neighborhood, where he blew out his first candle, Golden Gai, the Harajuku neighborhood, and of course the Tokyo Tower.

They did not go up to the top, because Masaki suffers from vertigo, but they went up to the fourth floor to visit the FootTtown store.

Returning to Kyoto, he blew out his third and final candle for that day.
Hitomiko had bought the strawberry and cream cake.

It was embarrassing, he wanted to blow out the candles only with Hiroto and Ryuuji.
Taking the phone in his hands, he realized he had quite a few messages to read.
Tenma, he had the wrong group, and he had wished him well on the Alien group.
The message read: "Happy birthday Masaki~ happy birthday! Send us some photos." – with a thousand emojis.
Then a second message: "Oops, wrong group, oh well, happy birthday to Masaki!"

And that is where the series of messages from the guys on the team started.
Masaki wanted to die.
He was so embarrassed as he typed a simple "thank you" to his companions.

Why did Tenma have to be such an idiot?
Furthermore, besides Hikaru, another person had also wished him a happy birthday in private.

Luckily, the group was created on Instagram, and no one had his mobile number.
Oh well the person in question was 'pink pigtails.' that she had also sent him a friend request.
Why him?? What had he done wrong to deserve this?

He went to sleep, because despite everything, he fell asleep in an instant.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Thursday was spent following the training schedule, which he had not followed for the rest of the week, with the help of Nagumo and Suzuno.

And for the rest of the day, he did absolutely nothing.

Friday morning, they left after having breakfast.
They said goodbye to Hitomiko, and Nagumo, and Suzuno.

During the trip he did not fall asleep at all, and a bit bored, he updated his Instagram profile.
He had only one folder in evidence, which was dedicated to Kyoto, and some photos that he found particularly beautiful, of the place.
He added another, dedicated to Tokyo, and placed the iconic photo under the Tokyo Tower he had taken.

However, he did not add all the beautiful family photos they had taken.
He was not ready yet.
He was not ready to be teased yet.

Arriving in Nagano, he felt as if some happiness had left him in Kyoto.
However, he was happy to be back home, he had missed sleeping in his own room and without annoying uncles who risked throwing a cake in his face or screaming children. He had missed some of that peace.

Unfortunately for him, he was lovingly forced to go shopping with his parents.
He was happy not to meet anyone he knew.

When he returned home, he sorted out his stuff, and then spent the afternoon lying on the sofa with his cell phone in his hands, while Hiroto and Ryuuji were already talking about work.

As for Saturday and Sunday, he spent them as always, also recovering the training card.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Monday was not long in arriving.
She left the house late, since she had not heard the alarm clock and even forgot breakfast so as not to be late with Tenma and Kyousuke.

They went to school together, and talked about Golden Week, how they had spent it, and whether they had obviously followed the program Endou had made.
Tenma had followed and completed it perfectly, every morning she had even gone out for a run. Crazy.

He apologized for the mistake he had made on his birthday, and Masaki had told him that he had already forgotten it.

They arrived at school just before the bell rang. They greeted Shindou when they saw him, it was a routine now (Tenma's fault), they did the same thing with Hikaru and Shinsuke.

"Eventually Minamisawa left." Shinsuke informed them.
"But how? Has he gone away?"
“Yeah, I heard that from the older kids.”

They were walking towards their classrooms.

"What a shame though."
“Does anyone know what school he chose?” Tenma asked.

Shinsuke shook his head.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

He listened to the lessons and took notes as if he had not had that week's break from studying, in fact, it did not bother him at all.

Lunch break came in an instant for him, while listening to Tenma speak, lessons took an eternity.

"Finally, today we will know something more about the qualifiers!" Tenma said.

Along with them, there were also Hikaru and Shinsuke, as usual.

"How do you know it?" Hikaru asked.
"How? Everyone knows it, Hikaru! It's the most anticipated event ever." Tenma said.
“Oh, wow, and after the qualifiers you get access to the Football Frontier?”
"Yes!"
"Endou said it the other day, you should remember that Hikaru. Even though you played soccer for a short time, now you're in a soccer club, you should have cared more." Kyousuke said.
"Oh, I actually know very little..."

He felt a little sorry for Hikaru.

"Come on Hikaru don't worry! You'll really learn a lot now." Shinsuke said.
"Yes!" Hikaru replied determinedly.

They talked about football again thanks to Tenma.
More than anything, Tenma reiterated how frontier football was the most important thing on the face of the earth and that football would be incredibly happy.

He did not understand the last sentence at all, but Tenma had this habit of saying that football was happy if you did any good deed with football.

He knew that Endou very often mentioned a certain 'football goddess.'; therefore, she simply thought that Tenma was 'inspired' by Endou since he was her idol.

Regardless, inspired or not, Tenma received a perplexed look from him and one like 'if you don't stop, I'll bury you.' from Kyousuke.

As soon as the lunch break was over, they said goodbye to Hikaru and Shinsuke and then returned to their classes.

The last three hours of class were boring to Masaki.
Starting with 'Japanese Literature' he ended up playing the threesome with the music teacher at the last minute.
He hated music, as a subject.
Really, if he had known beforehand that he would play an instrument he would have told Ryūji and Hiroto that he was being treated terribly and that he wanted to change schools. (That's how he thought)

Once the musical torture was over, they were extremely late, they had to rush to the sports headquarters, to the meeting room, since they had an appointment there.

“Coach is going to kill us.” Tenma said while, in an absurd hurry, he placed all the books in the folder.

Kyousuke was the only one of the three who did not care about the delay in the slightest, but at least he was already ready to leave.

"Tenma, rather than wasting time putting your books in order, think about closing that folder and running." Masaki said.
"I can't do it! If I do not put them in in a specific order it won't close!"
Masaki was about to lose what little patience he had left.
"Then at least make it quick! We don't have all the time in the world."

Could Tenma ever follow his advice?
Obviously not.
It took her another five minutes to close that stupid folder, but at least she closed it the way he wanted.

"I hope the coach doesn't kill us...he won’t, right?" Tenma said, he was out of breath.
"He thinks about walking." Kyousuke ordered him. “Then you will think about the coach who will kill you.”

They had left the classroom in a hurry but were still late.
Endou had already started his speech.
They entered in absolute silence, even if the door had awakened the most fearsome infernal spirits, due to the noise it had made as soon as it was opened.

Kyousuke apologized on behalf of all three of them for being late and they stood at the back of the room listening to the speech Endou was giving.

He had announced to everyone, in an official capacity, that Minamisawa had changed schools.

"But you shouldn't be discouraged guys, Minamisawa has chosen to leave, and we must respect his choice. Rather, let us recover quickly because the qualifications for Football Frontier will begin soon. There will be many teams who will want to have the opportunity to access.
Football Frontier, but there are few teams that will be able to enter.
We already know that at the Football Frontier there will be sixteen teams, now fourteen have been chosen.
There will be an opening ceremony, we'll talk about this sooner or later, at the moment you just have to focus on getting your place at Football Frontier."

Endou took a breather. He paced back and forth, hands folded.
He seemed quite calm and determined about making that speech.

Masaki took the time to look around a bit.
Everyone was there, even Kurumada, who had recovered very well, and fortunately. The injury had not been that serious.

"The qualifiers will start next week. I took the trouble to include you, so that we can participate in the championship, since last year our team was not yet as used as it is now. Don't disappoint me guys, I'm giving you a great chance."

Chaos erupted in that room as soon as Endou finished saying those words.
If they had lost Masaki, he would have made fun of everyone present, without any mercy.

"I have not finished yet." Endou said raising his voice. "Shindou and I talked about it for a long time, and it's right that you all know, Minamisawa's place will be taken by Tsurugi Kyousuke. Given his abilities, but that is not all, we decided to mix the cards on the table a bit, so new kids, get ready. Especially you, Matsukaze, your hissatsu can be very useful."

Tenma, next to him, had a smile on his face, profoundly disturbing.

"Now let's move on to the formation we will use during the qualifying match."

The pattern Endou had thought up appeared on the projector.
So, without Minamisawa there were nine of them, but now they had Kyousuke on the first team.

"I would just like to do one thing. Kurumada and Kariya, you two have been my torment in the qualifiers. And that is why I decided to let you play for half time. Kurumada, you will play the first forty-five minutes, Kariya, you will play the second forty-five minutes."

Masaki was stunned. Like a stone.

Why had he decided to do this crazy thing? Alternating them like that did not make sense.
Without thinking she turned to 'pink pigtails.'
She had done it as a natural move.

The other met his gaze for only a few seconds.

No, Masaki did not want to be on the pitch with him.
In fact, he did not want to be on the pitch.

Why had he chosen the football club?
If he asked again.

He could not go back now, he just had to fill his anxiety.

Kurumada turned to him, his gaze not very friendly.
She would have gladly given up her seat to him.

Yes, he had fun playing but nothing special, he thought that Endou's choice was more than good. He did not deserve the starting spot.

"That said, I'll be waiting for you at the soccer field." He then said.

He let them change.

They reached the changing rooms.

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At training everything went as usual.
He remained on the sidelines with Hikaru as usual.

He was worried. A lot, as far as qualifying was concerned.
He was not even giving himself a little peace.
He should have told Ryuuji and Hiroto, unlike the friendlies, the qualifiers were open doors, played in a stadium... he could not help but tell them.

That is why the training did not go entirely well. And it was because it had gotten bad that 'pink pigtails.' he had passed so close to the edge of the pitch, with the excuse of recovering the ball.
He wanted to tell him something, but he hadn't anyway.

Then at the end of training, while he was waiting for Kyousuke and Tenma outside the locker room, Endou approached him.
To make matters worse.

"Masaki, is everything okay then? At home? Training?"

By now, Endou and his father were starting to talk much more often than they did before moving to Nagano, and this was bothering him a lot.

"Everything is fine, coach."
Endou smiled at him. "On this team you are all good guys, you could be a nice group, even outside of sport. You are making friends, right?"
"What is it? Did Hiroto call you because he thinks he has no friends?"
"But no, no, Hiroto just wants to make sure you feel comfortable here, you've changed so many schools it can't be easy."

Masaki rolled his eyes. "Of course, I have friends."
“Do the older kids treat you well?”
“Is this an interrogation?”
"I care about my boys Masaki. And you are the only one in your group of friends who has not quite fitted in.
Hikaru has fitted in well, he has made friends with Amagi and Kirino, Shinsuke even though he's a bit difficult for Since he isn't in the game, he still has friends. Tenma is outgoing and friendly with everyone. I would have bet he would be the first to make friends with the whole team."

Endou leaned back against the railing.
Behind her she could see the outdoor court, before catching sight of the basketball club's boys' gym.
The sun was setting, but it was still quite warm.

“Even if you have a secret, which doesn't mean you can't be friends with others, understand?”
"Yes coach."
"Integrating yourself into the team is part of the job, you're not alone on the pitch."

Luckily for him, Tenma and Kyousuke came out of the locker room and saved him from Endou.

"Coach! Thanks for having me on your team." Tenma said.

Endou smiled at him. "I recommend Tenma, he plays well, Shindou has faith in you."
"Yes!"

They said goodbye to Endou, and then made their way together, and Tenma was so curious to know what Endou had told him, that Masaki had to tell him everything, until they reached the house.

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Chapter Text

Masaki returned home after a long and tiring day of school and training. He couldn't wait to crash into bed and stay asleep until dinner time, even if then he wouldn't sleep otherwise, he would spend a sleepless night.

Home was not how he had imagined finding it.
There were lights on and her parents usually never forgot the lights on.

He took off his headphones and entered the house as if nothing had happened, there were noises coming from the kitchen.

Thieves?

He tried to make as little noise as he walked into the kitchen.

His heart only started beating normally again when he saw Ryuu's green hair.

He was sitting on the floor fixing or taking something out of the oven.

He hadn't noticed her presence yet.

"Ryuu I'm back." He spoke. "Please don't die of fear, I don't know how to call an ambulance."
"Hi Maki, I heard you come in."

Masaki remained speechless.

“Why didn't you tell me you were home?”

Ryuuji got back on his feet, looked first at the jar in his hands and then turned his gaze to Masaki.

"I wrote a message, maybe you didn't receive it?"
Masaki sighed.
He hadn't even warned him that he was about to return home.
"I’m sorry."

Ryuuji ruffled his hair affectionately.
“So why did you come back early?”
"You'll get bored knowing the smallest details. We had a meeting in the afternoon, it ended early, and we went home, that's all."
“We are, so is dad here too?”
"Yes, he's in the garage."
"So that's all it is? Isn’t failing the Kira?"
Ryuuji ji laughed. "No Masaki."
"Ah, better that way."

He went to his room, changed and then returned to the living room. Hiroto was next to Ryūji, he didn't want to know what they were talking about.

He sat on the couch and scrolled through the Instagram homepage a bit. She had yet to find the courage to tell them that she had a match to play in a few days.
At practice that day, they had received the name of the team they were supposed to play against.
The Empress.

Did he know who they were? No. Was he interested? Obviously not. That wasn't entirely true. He had seen, together with the team, the film of the opposing team.

They knew tactics and training even though the footage was from last year's qualifiers, and they didn't have any footage of what they were like today. Except maybe they were closets. He was facing all teams that were twice his size.

He was skinny, his opponents were a closet in comparison, and the "problem" was only him.
The boys of the 'Alien', at least the second- and third-year ones, were very robust.

Even if he shouldn't have worried too much, he would only have played the second half, like during the friendly, and the opponents would certainly have been tired compared to him.

Hiroto returned to the house.

His parents already knew that the qualifiers for the Football Frontier would be played in those days, because Hiroto had always stayed up to date on those things. (Actually, that of adults, but that of schools also began at the same time.)

So, he just had to say that they would participate too. The problem that had arisen was that he was not ready to suffer everything that he had undergone in middle school.

His parents had never had any problems showing themselves as a couple, and he wasn't the least bit ashamed of it, to tell the truth. Why would he?

In the small town where they lived before, where he had attended middle school, everyone knew that Hiroto and Ryuuji were his parents, that wasn't even the problem, and that in middle school he was made fun of.

He was teased because he was said to be gay because his parents were gay. And among other things, in that town, being a small town, homophobia was at a higher level than in other cities.

And this had caused him a lot of trouble, and he had carried it with him until then. Hiroto and Ryuuji were unaware of the fact that he was being "teased" about his sexual orientation.
And now he was just wrapping his head, he knew it, because it wasn't like that here in Nagano, no one would have cared that he had two gay parents, or that he was gay.
He had talked to Endou about it, and he too had told him that the guys on the team were cool guys.

But he couldn't trust, he had this little problem with trust.
And then he didn't want his "friends" to exploit him for autographs or anything like that.
(Luckily, he hadn't had this kind of problem in middle school, as he and his parents hated him.)

The thing he had left, and that he didn't even know his orientation. In middle school he had a girlfriend (two days), but they were really a kid. He still didn't know it now.

And he didn't want his bullies to tell the truth about him.

This was why he didn't want Hiroto and Ryūji to attend his matches.

Hiroto's phone appeared in his view.
A poster of one of the qualifying matches.

"Endou didn't tell you anything? It seems strange that you guys aren't participating."

Masaki shifted his gaze to Hiroto, he had his glasses resting on his red hair, and had just taken away his phone which had a horrible vomit green cover. He had a smile on his face and didn't seem angry at all.

"Actually... he told us about it today. Alien will participate in the qualifiers."
"Oh, but that's good news!" Ryuuji said from the kitchen.
"It wasn't like Endou not to let you participate."
"Yeah..."
"When will you play?" Ryuuji asked again.
"Friday, after class."
“Then we'll buy tickets to come see you.” His gaze, hidden by the glasses he
had put back on, was so proud.
"But I won't play."
"It's your team anyway Maki."
“Um, is that okay?”
"With a little more enthusiasm?"
"I can't do more."

Hiroto ran a hand through his hair. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, everything's fine."
"Are not you happy?"

It was starting to bother him.
He just wanted to not talk about the soccer club for the next few hours, but apparently, that just wasn't possible.

"I'm not playing, you can't come, it's not that important." he got up and went to her room.

He closed the door perhaps much more tightly than he expected and went to lie down on the bed.

Despite the closed door, he could hear his parents talking to each other. She had lied, and she knew it was wrong, but she was stronger than him, it was wrong, she couldn't do anything about it.

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The door to his room opened, and Ryuuji's tall figure peeked out.

He stopped the music.

"Dinner is ready."
"I'll be down soon."

Ryuuji entered the room.

"What is worrying you?" He asked.
"Nothing." "Not lying."
"Sorry..." he started twiddling his finger, as he almost always did.
"We'll tell Hiro this too, okay? You can talk to us Maki, about anything."
"All right."
"Come on, at the table."

Masaki put down his headphones and followed Ryuuji to the table.

He knew he had to apologize to Hiroto, he didn't want to get angry, but it had bothered him a lot, and it probably wasn't even Hiroto's fault, but only his. It was strange to "argue" with Hiroto, it wasn't really like them.

"Excuse me."

He knew he was being listened to.

"Endou decided to test me and let me play during the second half of the match." "Is that what worries you?" Hiroto asked, getting an elbow from Ryuuji.

“What if… someone said bad things about you?”

Ryuuji seemed to relax. "Oh, Maki, you don't have to worry about that, it's different here."

The tone of his voice was soft.

"And then why doesn't anyone know about you in the new school..."
"Do you need time to tell them?" Ryuuji asked.

Masaki nodded.

"Okay, you can have all the time you need then." Hiroto said. "We can handle your game, if tomorrow they see us at the stadium, they will never be able to connect the kinship between us, don't you think? Maybe some might understand it, others not, but you will be the one to tell them the truth. Is that clear?"

Hiroto had talked a lot into him, but at least he'd gotten the idea.

"Yes." "So can we watch tomorrow's match?" Hiroto asked.
"Yes."
"Family hug!"
"No." Masaki complained.

Ryuuji and Hiroto wrapped him in a warm hug.

"Can we eat now?" He asked sandwiched between the two parents. "Sure."

Once the hug was broken, the two adults took their seats at the table.

"It'll be fine you'll see." Ryuuji told him. "Just one thing, say it Masaki, because if he found out second hand or because Endou's mouth can't keep his mouth shut, wouldn't it be bad?"
"Yes, I know..."
"You've always been selective about your friendships, and you haven't changed at all; therefore, you know who to trust and who not to say so."

Masaki nodded.

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After dinner Masaki showed Hiroto how to buy tickets online, since he had selected at least twenty tickets.

He had talked to them about the formation they would use and what Endou had said, until he went to bed.

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With the caravan that the school had made available to them, Alien arrived at the stadium where the match would be held.

It wasn't that far from "Nagano" it took them just under two hours.

Yes, in the caravan, with Tenma next to him who could vomit one second and the next too.

Before the game started, they had time to change, talk about plays and stuff, and warm up.

Masaki had to admit, he was starting to feel the anxiety that Tenma was giving him. It was such a stupid thing, it was just a school tournament, nothing too big.

Once they arrived, Masaki expected to find himself in a cheap stadium, without even the stands. Obviously, he was wrong.

The stadium that the Empress had "rented" was a real stadium, complete with a trolley that passes you by to see drinks and food. He was stunned.

Now we were expecting national TV.
"It's beautiful!"

Tenma next to him couldn't stop repeating it.
He was afraid that at any moment he might faint.

It was a common stadium.

Oval, it also had a covered area for spectators in case of rain and had far too many entrances. The structure was white, simple. (I mean, it looked like an egg if you saw it on a plane.)

"Guys follow me." Endou said. "This way."

He took them to the changing rooms.

"Get changed and then we'll talk about the tactics to use."
"Yes coach."

Endou left them alone.
Masaki would have liked to run after him.
He needed moral support.

Anxiety was the worst beast he could have.
Yet, he was only supposed to play the second half... so why was he so anxious? Could she really convey all this anxiety to him?
He took a deep breath and began putting on his uniform. Probably when he entered the field, he would no longer have noticed his anxiety. This was his mantra.

Shindou, the captain, was keen to point out how important that match was for them.

Once they put on their uniforms, they went to Endou, who was right outside.
"So, guys, we don't have much time, I repeat the fundamental things. Don't use hissatsu that we've never tried before, pay close attention, for the new guys, don't be impressed by the chants or the opposing fans. Now, further on general, try not to make any kind of mistake that could get you a card, they are useless, and we don't want them, ok?
Well, then... ah yes, watch out for their team hissatsu, unfortunately we haven't found a way to overcome it yet."

The hissatsu that Endou spoke of was nothing more than the very precise passes of three players who formed a triangle, passing the ball to each other in a specific order.

"I also remind you not to waste all your strength in the first half."

Endou had already spoken to them before leaving, holding a mini meeting, "officially" assigning the starting eleven and he would remain on the bench.

"[...] We win."
He said finally.

Endou's sermon finished, they headed towards the corridor that would take them to the field.
Walking down that hallway felt like an endless loading, where you walk but never get to the end.

Having the Empress next to me made me even more anxious. Up close they looked truly enormous; very tall and too muscular, and perhaps they were even a few years older. Masaki would pair them with Minamisawa who a third year was and had left.

At least he could see the spotlight, not that it was pleasant, he didn't know what to expect, he had always been the one in the stands as a child, and now he found himself in his father's place.

Having all eyes on him wasn't really for him, he wanted to go back to the first day of school and join the calligraphy club.
As they advanced Masaki felt his legs shaking worse and worse. It was possible? He hadn't felt all this anxiety since the awards ceremony for the eighth-grade exam.
He wanted to run to the bathroom and not come out, call in sick or anything.

He knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way, Tenma couldn't sit still due to anxiety.

Kyousuke gave him calm, the captain seemed a little less agitated, and 'pink pigtails.' he seemed to have no emotions.
It took him a few more seconds to get used to all that light that the spotlight was shining on.
There were lots of people and lots of mess.

This only made Masaki's anxiety worse.

They had thirty minutes to warm up before the game started. From where he was, he couldn't see Hiroto's red head or even Ryuuji, and he felt a little relieved.

Not seeing them made his anxiety lessen, and probably, during the second half, when he entered the field, he would have forgotten about them.

During the warm-up, in which he paired with Hikaru, they didn't talk much. If not to exchange opinions.

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Once the thirty-minute warm-up was over and the official referees had been chosen, the match could begin.

They all left the camp and gathered around Endou.

Shindou gave his usual motivational speech, then Endou joined in.
"Please remember guys, this is a real match, we lose this one and we will lose everything. Do you want to go another year without taking part in the Football Frontier?" "No, coach."
"Good. Then put in the passion and sweat you have for this sport." "Yes!" "Come on, come on, onto the pitch!"

Lui, Hikaru, Ryoma e Shinsuke, insieme a Nanasuke e Shunsuke, si sedettero in panchina.
"Come on Tenma! Give it your all!" Shinsuke shouted.
"Come on guys!" Hikaru shouted instead.

The match began with their kickoff.

Kyousuke and Kurama exchanged the ball as Ryoma began to advance.

From the bench he could see the TV cameras moving quickly, keeping pace with the players.

And he could hear, perhaps a little too loudly, the two commentators commenting on every movement, every pass that was made on the pitch.

Endou was often filmed, especially for the expressions he made, the way he moved, and there was no shortage of comments from commentators. They knew what they were getting into having a coach like him, they couldn't expect indifference.

On the pitch the situation was still tied, but there was no shortage of action. Ryoma had tried to score, but the four defenders wouldn't let him.

The 'Empress' used a very strange formation for him. As well as the scheme, while they were linear, the 'Empress' was not. She had two attackers in front and one always behind. The three midfielders were linear and the four defenders were not. Two were slightly higher than the other two, as if forming a sort of gap, which in any case they couldn't pass through to get to the door.

Then, just like that, the 'Empress' used team hissatsu. They had seen her a couple of times on video, but Masaki had never thought that seeing her there would have a completely different effect.

It was called Tactics Cycle*.

The attacking players formed a perfect triangle and then lined up in single file. There was no room to make a slide without getting a card.

And so, the 'Empress' scored the first goal. He was surprised how not even 'pink pigtails.' he knew what to do. Together with Endou they had talked a lot about that hissatsu, but in training no one was ever able to recreate it perfectly, and that's why they always failed.

Shindou said something to the boys anyway, perhaps so as not to make them depressed and that they still had the whole game ahead of them to score, but if that was really what he said, he didn't believe it either, because on his face there was only anger.

Miss Otonashi would suggest something to Endou from time to time.

On the field, Tenma had used his hissatsu, Easy Breezy, the name Aoi had given him, so he managed to discard his opponent. With the ball at his feet, Tenma advanced until he passed the ball to Kurama, who was closest to the opposing defense.

Kurama took the ball, bypassed the first defender, but was unable to exploit the gap that had opened and thus missed the opportunity to try to score. The ball was stolen from them and with a series of quick passes, the 'Empress' were now in their half of the field.

Shindou slid in, stealing the ball but sending it out of bounds.

Having recovered the ball, Ryoma reached the opponent's goal, but was offside; therefore, his action was completely useless.

The second time, when they came on the offensive, Kyousuke got a save.

Endou shouted at the boys from the sidelines.

For the first time, he saw the hissatsu of 'pink pigtails.' at work. Could you say that she had a ridiculous hissatsu? It was called The Mist*. At least it worked, and he managed to avoid a second goal.

Between Amagi and Kurumada he chose 'pink pigtails.', he seemed the only one of the other two to be more prepared for that match.

With a corner kick, they managed to score. The first goal was Kurama's.

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The first half was now over, and they had seen the Empress' hissatsu for the second time, they failed to score as Sangoku managed to save the shot, but only after Amagi had weakened him.
They all returned to the sidelines.
The managers handed out drinks while the boys approached Endou.

He, Hikaru and Shinsuke reached the small group.
"Congratulations Sangoku and Amagi for stopping that shot, and
congratulations to you too Kurama, maybe with this goal you will be able to break the deadlock." Endou said.
"Thank you, coach."
"We don't have much time; you have to find a way to stop that hissatsu before they score another goal. In the second half, I want Shindou to practice 'Kami no Takuto'*, maybe then you can create an opening to score. Matsukaze, continue like this, but be careful when you use Easy Breezy clear? Kirino excellent defense.
Kurama, Tsurugi and Nishiki, in attack, more alert. Only Kurama's shot was on target, how many did you try Nishiki? 2? 3? It's not Enough, you are on offense for a reason.
Kurumada, you will now return to the field but only because I have to call the substitution, Kariya will warm up in the meantime."

Endou seemed to go on forever.
“I took a photo for all of you!” Akane, one of her managers, said, holding up her pink camera.
"Really?? When can we see them?" Tenma asked.
"Even at the end of the game if you want. Tomorrow, I'll take them to the club printed if I can."
"Of course! Thanks Akane-san!"

Before Tenma convinced Akane to let him see those photos right away, Shindou called attention to himself.

"This second half will be ours. Let's bring the victory home!" "Yes!"

The second half began again.

Masaki had started warming up earlier, and so after Kurumada returned to the field, Endou was able to call for a substitution.

"Good luck Masaki!" Hikaru told him.
His smile was radiant, almost warming him.

On the sidelines, he was starting to feel the anxiety creeping into his bones. Now he understood how Tenma felt.

Sitting on the bench he had managed to calm that initial anxiety, but now that he had to enter the field, almost forced, the anxiety had overwhelmed him.

He felt everyone's eyes on him, he felt the cameras following Kurumada until they caught him too.
It didn't feel good at all, and he hoped he would go away right away.

Kurumada high-fived him.
“Be careful what you do.” She told him. "If we lose, I'll blame you."

And he left Endou.

Now, Kurumada threat was the least of his worries.
When he entered the field, he took Kurumada place, to the left of Kirino which was in the center.
With his eyes he searched for Hiroto and Ryuuji, but fortunately he didn't find them. But the anxiety, however, did not go away, knowing that he could not see them, but they could certainly see him.

The referee blew the kick-off, which was Empress's.

There on the pitch the perception of everything was different. She felt as if she had been thrown into it.

Kirino, he must have sensed his anxiety.
“Focus on the game.”
It was easy to say for someone who had already been playing for forty-five minutes.

“Leave the anxiety behind that line, and play.” He told him again.

Luckily, Tenma managed to catch the ball before Empress came into defense. He passed the ball to Shindou who didn't think twice about using Kami no Takuto.

Thus, they performed a series of passes, until they passed the ball to Kyousuke. Kyousuke found the field free thanks to the hissatsu he had just used, and therefore, shot on goal with his Death Sword*. Thanks to these two hissatsu, they managed to score.

There was no shortage of whistles and applause from the spectators.

But, after that goal, Empress used the Tactics Cycle again. Seeing her there on the pitch was a completely different thing. They couldn't stop her, but Masaki managed to get that close to the ball. All he had to do was stretch out his foot to catch it.

It took them two seconds to recover the goal they conceded, and now they were tied.

Endou, from the sideline, called 'pink pigtails.' No one knew what they said to each other, since when 'pink pigtails.' he returned to the field, Shindou had advanced to the attack.

Ryoma's action was completely useless, he failed to score.

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There was perhaps little left until the end of the second half, and they were still tied.

The Empress had made the facts very clear. She would have won the game.

The stadium was in revolt and the chants of the opponents filled the stadium. They had no chance. That's what they were screaming.

Yet another action by the Empress led them to use their stupid team hissatsu again.

Really, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Kariya listen to me." Kirino, he had run to him. “You are the only one who can stop the Tactics Cycle.”
"What?" "Shut up and listen: You'll sneak in before they line up, it's usually always the one in the middle who has the ball. You'll find yourself face to face with the number 8. Take. That. Ball. Understood?"
“I'm flattered, but what if I don't want to listen to you?” "You will, both the coach and I saw the risky move you were about to make the first time. By doing as I say, you won't risk any cards."

Kirino really liked the words: "risky move." Since it wasn't the first time, he'd told him that.

Now his hands were tied. He should have listened to him.

"Look, I'm not doing this because you told me to, but if it goes wrong, I'll put all the blame on you."

Number 3 next to him looked up and sighed.

"I'll tell you when to go." he said, Kirino.

After Kurama's throw, Shindou passed the ball to Tsurumasa, who didn't have time to catch it.
Empresses #8, #10, and #6 were about to recreate hissatsu.

Masaki waited and waited before Kirino; he would tell him: "Now Kariya!"

And he ran, past number ten, then six, coming face to face with number eight.

He heard the commentator shouting, but he didn't understand what he was saying; he was too focused on catching the ball.

"What do you think you're doing?" He told him that.

The number eight passed the ball to the number eleven, who remained outside the triangle, but next to the three, thus ruining the "wonderful" plan of 'pink pigtails.'
Or at least that's what he thought.
The rosy defender, who had remained not far from him, with a slide stole the ball from the number eleven.

Before the ball rolled off the field, Masaki ran to retrieve it. Just before the white line, he managed to catch the ball and pass it to Tenma.
As she was about to move back into position, Kirino, he was waiting for him with her hand raised.
He wanted to beat him in five.

Was he just doing it for the cameras? He didn't know this.

Masaki didn't want to high five him at all, but he had to. So for the first time since he joined the club, Kirino he smiled at him.
By doing so, they missed the last goal.
Kyousuke passed the ball to Kurama, who passed it back to Kyousuke so he could score.

The referee blew his whistle twice, thus ending the match. 2-3 for them.

They had passed the qualifiers, they had access to the Football Frontier. Masaki couldn't believe it.

"We won!" Tenma shouted.

Tenma ran to hug him and couldn't escape this time either.
“We're going to play Football Frontier.” He heard her say 'pink pigtails.' in Shindou. "Good job captain, I'm proud of you." Sangoku said.
"Thank you Taichi. And thanks to you too Ran, if you hadn't had that stroke of genius who knows where we would be now." Shindou was trying so hard not to burst into tears right there in front of everyone.

Tenma broke away from that absurd hug only to run towards Kyousuke, who however dodged him, causing Tenma to end up on the ground.
"Kyo! We won!"
"Yes, now get up we have to go to the coach." Kyousuke said.

Besides them, the whole stadium was celebrating.

They ran to Endou after thanking everyone in the stadium. The girls, and even Endou himself complimented him.

Hikaru ran to hug him, but this time Masaki followed Kosuke’s lead, letting Hikaru run towards Tenma.

Endou took them to the locker room.

"The hard training paid off and so you achieved the victory. Congratulations guys, you played a great match, but we'll talk about this again on Monday at the club, now change your clothes and go celebrate this victory." "Thank you coach!"

When we entered the locker room there was a different atmosphere. Victory air, but above all team air.

Shindou talked so much to Kyousuke about goals and stuff.

And they made an absurd mess. Hamano especially, threw it on the ground, shouted at the top of his lungs that they were the best, in short, it was really cringe.

As soon as Masaki managed to get his cell phone back, he noticed the messages Hiroto and Midorikawa had left him before the match started.

Once they had changed, Shindou told them that he would treat everyone to something and that they would celebrate before practice.

Before getting on the bus, Akane showed them the photos she had taken during the game, some were nice, some not so much.

Masaki had two. One was from behind.

Akane also managed to snap the one where he and Kirino they high fived each other.

They returned home in a caravan, which left the boys out of school. They said goodbye and each continued on his own path.

Chapter Text

He hate Monday's.

He already hated it, but today, he did not even feel like getting out of bed. Anything he saw that was wrong unnerved him tremendously, and it was rare that he woke up like that.

He could not skip school though, he had a damn test to do, and professionally training, could he ever skip training?

He had breakfast as usual, at the table listening to Ryuuji and Hiroto talking about who knows what, and then joined Tenma and Kyousuke.

Walking to school did not help at all.

Tenma had made him remember something particularly important; that day he had two tests to do. In addition to taking the ' Japanese Literature ' test they had the ' Shodo ' test. He hated Shodo.

In addition to reminding him about the test, Tenma insistently asked him for his notes, because he had not studied either one or the other.

Masaki told him that he would give it to him as soon as they got to school, but Tenma was so insistent that he wanted to cut his own throat; he had to give them to her right there on the street.

Despite the notes given, Tenma continued to talk and talk. He was always the one who did not stop talking for even a second, even if he had only opened his eyes five minutes ago. And then there was him and Kyousuke barely saying goodbye at seven in the morning.

When they arrived at school, Tenma told them that he was going to the sports center to train a bit, to get rid of his anxiety, so he said, while Kyousuke said that he would follow him only because they were in a more secluded place and so he would have reviewed better.

He did not want to go to training, and to revise. So when Tenma asked him, she said, "No." "Come on! Come on!" "No Tenma, I'll take a walk." "Ugh..." Tenma said. "Okay, see you later then."

Kyousuke mimed, "Run."

Tenma had fled like a rocket, not even giving him time to say goodbye.

So, Masaki wandered around school a bit, also because he didn't care about training at all. Finally, the day after the match, Shindou had invited the boys to have something, even something to eat, to "celebrate" their victory. But for one reason or another, nothing more was done, or at least that's what he had read from the group he was in with Kyousuke, Tenma, Shinsuke and Hikaru.

At one moment he found himself in a small square, outdoors, hidden by the leaves of slightly overgrown bushes, and some of them were synthetic, he knew. In this small portion of the school there were vending machines, incredibly old ones, and a couple of benches, also old ones, almost rusty.

Masaki did not know about the existence of that place, and it exuded so much tranquility that Kyousuke would have changed his mind and started studying there, but as he was, he would have kept that exotic place hidden.

That place was not the worst thing, but one person was. He didn't know how, or why, but Kirino. Was there.

Someone at the top had agreed to ruin that wonderful day for him.

"Ah hi Kariya, I didn't see you." He greeted him with Kirino.

Now that he saw better, in his hands there was a glass, like those at Starbucks so to speak, made of paper, straight out of the vending machine.

He was not at all surprised by her presence, as if it were a completely natural thing for him to be there, in that place.

"Hi Kirino." He greeted him.

He gave himself a prize for not calling him ' pink pigtails. ' 'aloud, it would have been quite embarrassing if Kirino had known about his nickname.

It seemed strange to him to say his last name.

"Coffee?" "No thank you."

She had to imagine it, someone as "ordinary" as ' pink pigtails. 'He had to drink that disgusting drink commonly called coffee.

Masaki hated coffee. Americano, flavored, cappuccino, with milk, decaffeinated, espresso, macchiato; he hated it in every way possible.

He could not even stand the smell.

Yet, in his house it was the drink par excellence. Hiroto drank it in almost industrial quantities and of many types, and this is why coffee associated him with the circle of evil, where Kira & Company was also present.

And in fact, unlike Hiroto, he preferred black tea or milk for breakfast. End. (Ryuu had taught him to drink tea, even though he rarely drank coffee.)

In short, Masaki had concluded that it was a magnet for people who drank coffee.

"What are you doing around here?" He asked ' pink pigtails. ' "I could ask you the same question."

This conversation was taking longer than expected and Masaki did not like talking in the early morning at all. He did not like talking in general, to be honest.

"You don't answer a question with another question. Did you happen to get lost?" “And you may not ask questions.”

He had tried hard not to say " you mind your own business " he was surprised at himself. Today his brain really wanted to avoid making a fool of himself.

' Pink pigtails. 'He opened his mouth as if to say something but then quickly closed it again and said, "Are you always this grumpy? Isn't there really anything that calms you down a bit?"

This time it was Masaki who left speechless.

"And anyway, and why almost no one knows that these distributors still work." He said, going to sit on an old bench. "And then it feels good."

The distributors looked old, but it really took a lot of imagination to think that they did not work.

"Not even Shindou-san?" He didn't know why he had asked for the captain, after all he wasn't interested either, it was only because he had never seen him without pink pigtails. ' Next door, they were like one person.

"He was the one who brought me there. Now have you decided to talk to me again?"

It seemed to you. It seemed strange that Shindou did not know anything about that mysterious corner.

And no, ' pink pigtails. 'He could not afford to throw digs at him.

"You said the first word to me just to get me back, when in reality you should have apologized."

No, Masaki did not forget, but deep down he did not even carry all that grudge he said he did.

"Sorry? And why? It was obvious that you had to recover, you had left an area of the pitch uncovered, and as a defender I had to tell you."

Masaki wanted to scream. Did he have the memory of a goldfish by any chance? No, otherwise he would not have remembered when he had reprimanded him for a stupid thing like that.

"On the first day of school, you were running around like crazy- -ah, so it was you."

Masaki wanted to give him a round of applause for his memory, or to make fun of him, but he did not.

"I was late for practice." He said again 'pink pigtails.' while he drank that disgusting drink. "I didn't see you; how did I know it was you?" "Of course you are such an idiot." "I remind you that I am older than you." "We are teammates, there are no differences, Shindou's words."

At least sometimes he said something good.

"Speaking of which, congratulations on the match."

Masaki was convincing himself that she was ‘pink pigtails. 'He did not drink coffee but pure drugs.

“It wasn't all my doing.” "But you were the only one faster between me and Amagi." “And by the way, you already did it, with Shindou, after the coach told the whole team.” "Yes, that's true, but there they were formalities."

He did not even try to understand it anymore.

"Who taught you to play football?" He had only gotten up to go and throw away the now empty paper cup. "Your style of play, I feel like I've seen it before." "Didn't I tell you not to ask questions?" He shrugged and said, "You're hard to read, and it's just curiosity that's all."

Masaki wanted to tear the hair out of his head. Why hadn't he decided to chase Tenma inside the sports center? Why? Training would have been much more enjoyable.

He could not answer, it would make it clear that he has a secret, or that he was keeping secrets from his parents, which was true.

"I don't know what you're referring to regarding style, it's the first time I've played football seriously."

' Pink pigtails.' he did not seem so happy with that answer, but he had a hint of a smile. He hated his smirk. He approached the vending machine again, he hoped not for another coffee.

"Takuto told me that you used to play volleyball, coach's words."

When did Endou keep his mouth shut? When would she learn to do it?

He could not even trust the coach now. Would he keep his mouth shut about Ryuu and Hiroto? He hoped so. He would have poisoned his packed lunch if something like that had happened to him.

The bell rang.

"Well," He swung the bag over his shoulder, "See you at practice, Masaki." She waved to him before leaving.

Had he heard correctly? She had called him by name! Masaki. They had never called each other by name. Never. How long had they been talking to each other? He did not know it, but he had always called her "Kariya" anyway, and now it seemed so strange to be called by his real name by ' pink pigtails. '.

He stood there like a stockfish looking at the now empty bench.

He was not one to get used to changes so easily, especially with people like ' pink pigtails. '.

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"Masaki! Where have you been?" Tenma asked as soon as he saw him. "I... I was here, hanging out." "Aren't you lost?" Kyousuke asked. "What are you talking about Kyo." “At least you're just in time for class!” Tenma said. "Tenma, there are bells in every corner of the school." "Well that doesn't matter, I can't hear them anyway, thank goodness Kyousuke is with me!"

That is better. Why did Kyousuke still have to abandon him? Did he want to exchange it for camels? For what was he waiting?

"Sai Shinsuke managed to create a new blocking technique! Today he will show it to Sangoku-san and we hope he can play..."

Tenma seemed sorry for Shinsuke, after all neither he nor Hikaru had had the chance to play.

Hikaru had seen him briefly, and he seemed rather distressed, a little gloomy. She couldn't reach him to ask him what had happened, she had never seen Hikaru in that state, and she was really sorry.

He tried to concentrate on his lessons, he would ask her at lunch.

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A little later, at the end of lessons, the three went to the canteen.

They took their lunch and went to sit at the table. One strange thing was that only Shinsuke was at the table, no trace of Hikaru.

"Please take me to the seaside." Tenma complained. "Hello to you too Tenma." Shinsuke greeted. "Come on, it's not that hot." "Exactly, it's the end of May." Kyousuke said. "You can't understand." Tenma said. "Tenma, you're just exaggerating, as usual." Kyousuke said again.

Masaki ended up looking around, still no sign of Hikaru. "Where's Hikaru?" He asked. "He said he was going to the bathroom, but he should be here already." "Maybe he doesn't feel well." Tenma said. "What was wrong with him this morning?" He asked again.

Shinsuke shrugged. "I don't know, he didn't want to talk about it, we didn't even have the chance to actually." "Do you know if he has any problems, maybe even within his family?" Kyousuke asked. "He doesn't talk much about his family." Shinsuke replied. "Let's hope you come back..." Tenma said.

Masaki stood up. Since no one was going to go looking for him, he would do it himself. "I'm going to load it." "Masaki!"

Tenma tried to call him, but by then Masaki was already out of the canteen.

He went straight to where he thought he would find him, to the bathrooms. She searched every single bathroom but couldn't find him.

He ran to the infirmary, but there was no trace, so he went up to the second floor, it was forbidden to him, but if Hikaru had not wanted to be found, only there he could have been.

So, he entered the bathroom again, and found it. He was hiding under the suspended sink.

Masaki approached slowly, trying not to scare him. He crouched down. "Hey Hikaru... what, what happened?" "Everything OK." He replied, but his voice was broken from crying.

Masaki armed himself with great courage, and slipped under the sink, next to Hikaru. He would never have dreamed of doing something like that, especially given the enormous number of germs there, but he did it anyway, for Hikaru.

He did not know exactly what to say, he wasn't good at consoling people.

"What happened? Why were you hiding here?" "I am not hidden." "I would say so. Shinsuke said you escaped from the canteen, and Tenma and Kyousuke are worried about you too."

Hikaru finally looked at his face. His face was still wet with tears.

"Have you ever heard of Kageyama Reiji?"

Masaki shook his head. He had no idea who he was. Maybe...he was Hikaru's relative? Why would he know about it?

"You see, he was the manager of the Royal Academy, and of Zeus. He committed enormous crimes in relation to football... he used football to achieve his personal goals and was often wanted by the police, but he always managed to get away with it. He was truly a wicked man..." "But... what does he have to do with you? Was he your father?" Hikaru shook his head. "No... he was my uncle, and today is the anniversary of his death... however, my family, my mother above all, is hated for what he committed." "Oh, Hikaru, I'm so sorry." "I saw Kidou Yuuto talking to the coach... he saw me." "Kidou Yuuto? The Royal Academy coaches?" "Yes. He has... suffered a lot from my uncle... and what if that is why the coach does not let me play?" "Hikaru, do not talk nonsense. Your uncle's crimes have nothing to do with you. Endou knows it."

Hikaru wiped away his tears.

"You have nothing to worry about, no one hates you, not even on the team. They all love you very much." "Thank you Masaki." "And if anyone says something bad about you, he can be sure that he will never see the light of day again."

Hikaru chuckled. "Please don't tell anyone about this conversation..." "Don't worry, I'm sorry."

Something in his head told him that he could trust Hikaru, and that he had to somehow reciprocate that gesture of trust by telling him a secret.

"Actually, look, since you revealed a secret to me, I'll do the same." "You? A secret?" "Well, it's not really a secret, but yes."

Hikaru made himself comfortable. “It's all ears.”

He took a deep breath, he could trust Hikaru, but it was not enough, he played with his fingers to dull his anxiety.

"It's a bit of a complicated story, but I'll be quite brief. You know Inazuma Japan, right? You know Endou and Yuuto, so I don't imagine the others. - - Yes Masaki, I know them." Hikaru laughed. "Well here... my parents actually played in Inazuma Japan, with Endou." "Really?? Does Tenma know? Has he already filled his house with her autographs?"

Masaki laughed. "Yes he knows, but only because we've known each other since middle school, no one else but you, Tenma and Kyousuke knows."

Hikaru nodded. "It's a secret, and you can count on me, as long as you tell me who I am, because I don't remember any of the girls." "No, no, no girl. It's Hiroto and Midorikawa, I don't know if you remember Midorikawa, she hasn't played for long."

He could not decipher Hikaru's expression, but he was certainly very happy.

"Really?? I knew they were married because so much news came out since Hiroto played soccer a couple of years ago, but I did not know that you... I mean-

Masaki laughed. "Yes Hikaru." "He IS surprising! But... why is it a secret? Isn't he handsome?" "Yes, but... it's complicated." "Oh alright." “Don’t worry, Endou won't keep you out for your uncle, you'll see he'll let you play." "Thanks Masaki, I needed that."

Masaki stood up and held out his hand. "Time to go to the cafeteria."

Hikaru took his hand and stood up.

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"Here they are!" Tenma exclaimed.

He waved his hand to make himself noticed. "It took you a while!"

"Excuse me." Hikaru said before sitting down next to Shinsuke. "No problem! At least you were with Masaki, so in a way you were in good hands." Tenma said.

Masaki turned to Tenma. “What does that mean in a way??” "It means what I said. In a way."

Masaki looked at Kyousuke. "And you don't tell him anything?" "I won't interfere." "You won't get in the way even if I drown him?" "Go ahead." "You're dead Tenma." "Hey! I did not do anything wrong!"

Hikaru and Shinsuke burst out laughing when Masaki threw a pen holder at Tenma and the latter yelled at Kyousuke to protect him.

"That's for saying that Hikaru was safe with me in a way. What could I possibly do to him in your opinion? Kill him?" "How are you doing with me now? Yes!"

She threw him a bottle; too bad it was empty. "Spare me!" Tenma shouted.

He would not have done it.

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After the lunch break, afternoon lessons continued until three o'clock.

After that, they went to the changing rooms, obviously they were late as usual, everyone knew them to be the latecomers to the situation.

"Ah, here you are." Shindou said. "I was about to send for you." "Sorry captain!" Tenma said. "It won't happen again." "Certain."

Shindou did not seem so happy, and to be honest he was right. Everyone else had already finished changing while they were just getting started.

"It's always your fault. If you stopped bringing the whole stationery, we wouldn't be late anymore!" "I agree." Kyousuke added. "Don't twist your finger!" Tenma said. "If Endou gives us a punishment you take full responsibility." Kyousuke said.

Tenma stuck his tongue out at him.

They changed quickly and hastily, even if Tenma took his time doing it even later. First he put his shorts on inside out and then he argued with his shoelaces.

They arrived at the pitch where the first team had now started warming up. Endou gave them double warm-ups, then, Tenma and Kyousuke went to train with the first team, while he went to train with Hikaru and Shinsuke with the reserves.

Hikaru, who had improved a lot, already had a hissatsu even though it was yet to be perfected and did not have a name yet.

Training with the reserves was not as fun as training with the starters.

"I'm sure you won't be able to save the next shot!" Hikaru said to the door attendant.

He felt a little useless, he had blocked a couple of actions from Shinsuke, but nothing special, a simple slip was enough. On the other side of the field, Tenma was running towards Shindou to steal the ball while even further behind Kyousuke had just been stopped by the ' pink pigtails ' hissatsu, the one he had used during the match against Empress.

' Pink pigtails. 'He greeted him, raising his hand, then passed the ball.

That boy was strange, and Masaki could not understand why he stopped to look at him.

"Masaki could you pass the ball back to me?" Shunsuke brought him back to reality.

"Ah, sorry. Here." "Let's try again." he told him.

He continued to train with Shunsuke and the rest of the reserves.

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At the end of the training, Endou called them back to him.

They sat in a circle on the floor.

They had the meeting room, why didn't they use it?

"Guys, good news." Endou said. "This morning a friend came to visit me, and together we agreed to play a friendly match. We will play with the Royal Academy, more or less the beginning of June, so you have enough time to give your best in training. This will be the last friendly before the start of the Football Frontier, but we will talk about that later, and we will also talk about the formation and tactics to use during this friendly. That is all, you can go guys." "Thank you coach."

The boys went to change. In the locker room we talked mostly about Royal.

Masaki waited for Tenma and Kyousuke to finish changing before leaving together. They said goodbye to Hikaru and Shinsuke.

On the way back, Tenma tried to get him to tell him everything Hikaru had told him.

"No Tenma, I won't say anything." "But we've been friends forever, you could tell me!" "No." "Kyo please!" "What do I have to do with it? He does not want to tell you, I can't make him." "But you know that Masaki listens to you and not to me." "I won't even tell Kyousuke, there's no point in him asking for help."

Tenma sighed. "It is not fair. We have been your friends longer." "You know that if you don't tell him he will torment you for life, right?" Kyousuke asked. "I'm aware of it, but I still won't say anything." "Your choice, then don't come crying to me." "I told Hikaru about my parents..."

Tenma stopped suddenly. "Truly??" "Already."

"Oh, Masaki! I'm so proud." Tenma ran to hug him. "You're finally opening up to others too." "Tenma, you're exaggerating." Kyousuke told him. "Yes, it's true."

Tenma pulled away. "Kyo you should be happy!" "I am." "Can we stop now? Thanks." "Did you tell him why? What did he tell you?" "No Tenma, don't try." And he ran away.

"Come on Masaki!"

Tenma ran after him.

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Chapter Text

“Frontier football will start on September 11th; it is on a Saturday. As you know, there will be sixteen teams that will have to play each other and there will be eight rounds. We will play the 8.40pm match, we still do not know where and with whom. This is the information that Professor Haruna has collected for you.”

They knew truly little about Football Frontier and that match was only two months away, after months of holidays to boot, because some geniuses had thought of placing football frontier after the summer holidays. In September. Masaki wanted to applaud him right in his face.

They had met with Endou at the football club headquarters, before the start of training, a bit by chance, because Shindou had warned them during the lunch break of that sudden meeting.

The organization of the club was truly pitiful, and thank goodness Endou did not organize the matches, otherwise it would be the end of football.

In Japan it was unbearably hot for only the beginning of June. There was just under a month left before the start of the summer holidays; therefore, he did not understand why Endou was giving out all that information. Was he afraid he would forget to tell the kids?

No, that was Masaki, he needed to get more phosphorus into his diet.

In short, Endou really had a lot of time to talk to him about Football Frontier, saying everything before the summer holidays was not such a great idea.

“I'm preparing some training plans for all of you, so that during the summer break you can train anyway, and woe betide you if you don't, you know I'll notice.”

Endou, a devil disguised as an angel.

“Having said that, let's move on to the information to be given regarding the match with the Royal Academy, which I remind you is coming soon.”

By short Endou meant in two days.

“I intend to use the same strategy as during the qualifying match. The scheme will be a 3-4-3, I'll start by telling you that I intend to alternate 4 of them. 2 is Kariya and Kurumada, in defense, just like in the qualification.”

As Endou turned to look at him and Kurumada, he however, felt the gaze of 'pink pigtails.' on himself. He turned towards the direction of the rosé, and frowned, as if to ask what he wanted. The answer to his question never came.

He still did not understand why Endou was so persistent in wanting to see him play at Football Frontier, or in any case in Kurumada's place. At least he was prepared now and would not risk a heart attack.

“Don't take it as a challenge because I can alternate you during the Football Frontier, it is more of an official thing let us say. Then, the other two are Kageyama and Nishiki. You should know that I would like to move Nishiki to midfield, in attack you are no longer like last year, or am I wrong Ryoma?” “No, coach. He is absolutely right."

Endou smiled at him. “This is your last chance to stay on offense.”

Endou began to write the plan on the board, with the various names of who would play. “This is a training match, right? So, better train. Nishizono Shinsuke, you will play the entire match. Sangoku agrees as does Shindou, in case things get complicated, Sangoku can come in.”

“Thank you, coach!” Shinsuke almost did not cry. Tenma high-fived him.

Endou had caused a massacre he had destroyed half the team. Adding him, Hikaru and Shinsuke... when Tenma and Kyousuke were already there, it was torture for the older kids.

Was Shindou okay with all this? Was he forced? No, he just wanted to win and would have thrown himself into any strategy.

“Let us go on offense: Kurama, Nishiki and Tsurugi. Hamano, Hayami, Matsukaze and Shindou in midfield. Defense: Kirino you will be our pillar, Amagi and Kurumada. Kageyama will be in attack for the first half while Kariya will be in defense for the second half. That's it, to the locker room and then to the field. You are not even half a second late, am I clear?" “Yes coach!”

Once they were released, Masaki reached Kyousuke, who had been leaning against the wall the entire time, while he, Tenma, Hikaru and Shinsuke sat down.

"I cannot believe it!" Hikaru told him. “I'm dying of joy.” He said, rolling his eyes. “Ok Masaki let's do it again, a little more convinced okay?” Tenma stood in front of him and with her hands imitated the clapperboard, the kind of cinematographic one. “And bye we turn!”

Masaki moved his hands away. "No thank you." “Come on, it'll be fun!” Hikaru told him. "Absolutely not." “Sorry, but are you doing here if you don't want to play?”

Masaki snorted. What questions. Since he had played that half-second half, he had started to like football more than when they trained.

“Oh no, Masaki doesn't feel ready.” "It is not true." "So what?" Shinsuke asked. “I don't like the idea of taking Kurumada's place.” “Oh… I understand, I will take Sangoku's place, at least for the match with Royal.” “Look, Endou is the one who decides, you are not stealing anyone's place. Endou will have the motivations of him.” Kyousuke said. “Kyousuke is absolutely right.” Hikaru agreed. “The same goes for me and Nishiki-san.” “What you need right now is a hug.” Tenma said, spreading his arms. "No thank you." Masaki passed him. “Hug, I said.” "No. Tenma.” “Kyo!” “He said no, what can I do?” “Hikaru?” “No, I won't turn Masaki against me.”

Tenma pouted. “Ugh.”

They entered the locker room and began to change along with the rest of the team.

Kurumada wasn't that happy with the trainer's choice, and he could confirm it, both by the way he was looking at him, and by how he talked about it with Sangoku and Ryoma. The two were definitely in favor of Endou's choice, but Kurumada seemed like he wanted to kill him just with his gaze.

Masaki would have liked to give up his seat on the spot because of the way things were going, but there was something inside him that told him to play to the best of his ability.

Since they knew they would play a training match against Royal, Tenma invited him and the other first year boys to train together on an old pitch. And so, as soon as they finished training there at school, they immediately ran off to train again.

Hikaru had almost managed to create a shooting hissatsu. Masaki was still working on it, and with the help that Ryuuji and Hiroto had given him on one of those evenings, he had managed to do something, and with them he had found the name to give to his hissatsu. Once.

So, after all that training, he did, he really wanted to play, even just one or two games, at least to have the satisfaction of not always being there on the bench.

Once they finished changing, they went to the camp. First, as usual, they did a little warming up and then started training.

Since they were in training, and not yet in an official match plan, Endou had him lined up, along with Kurumada, Amagi, and of course, 'pink pigtails.'

Sangoku and Shinsuke were training with Hikaru and Kyousuke, in preparation for the match.

“How long do you think you will play? You will have to have a hissatsu before the Royal match, they are serious.” Kurumada told him. “Well, better not to have it than to have one like yours.”

It came out so naturally, really, he would have preferred to hold his tongue rather than say something like that to Kurumada, who was two years older.

Masaki could finally write his will, not that he had many things to write in it. He would have opted for farewell letters to Ryūji and Hiroto.

“Tch. I remind you that you are just a newbie. Do not get your head, the coach would never have let us play with ten men, and we did not have any other defenders, but after the match against Royal you can say goodbye to your role." "You are scared? I am better than you and I could play for all the Football Frontier games, and no one will miss you here on the pitch.”

Kurumada laughed. "I? Afraid of losing my place to you? But please."

'Pink pigtails.' he approached threateningly. And there he realized he was dead.

It stopped right between him and Kurumada. "What is happening here? I remind you that you are here to train, not to talk." “The newcomer got his head up. I told you that letting the newcomers in would do this.” “I- -Masaki do not complicate things, and you Gouichi should not bother anyone during training. I remind you that I am the vice-captain, you argue again, and I will throw you on the bench." And so, 'pink pigtails.' he left.

Kurumada looked back at him, and Masaki decided to ignore him. The major snorted.

He really did not like that Masaki had replaced him that time he got hurt, and then, for making him only play the first half of the qualifying match. And he did not like that Endou had such a hard time choosing between him and Masaki.

Apparently, not even being threatened by 'pink pigtails.' he was fine with it, and perhaps that was why he didn't speak to him again for the rest of the training sessions. It was difficult to receive the ball from Kurumada, and even have a simple pass, but he didn't raise a fuss, nor even said it to 'pink pigtails.', He let it go, they would have challenged each other on the football field, with their own performances.

Once training was over, he, Tenma, Shinsuke and Kyousuke waited for Hikaru, who had been called by Endou.

“What do you think the coach is telling Hikaru?” Tenma asked. “I don't know, maybe if Ryoma moves to midfield he becomes a striker and starter among other things??” “But this is good news!” “So Tenma, did you hear from Endou today??” “But yes.” “He's not ready yet, he often made mistakes in the game, even though he was improving visibly. He learns very quickly.” Kyousuke said. “I noticed it too when Kirino told him not to just look at the ball, from there Hikaru understood in a nanosecond what to do.” Shinsuke said.

"On purpose!" Tenma turned to Masaki. “You and Hikaru are keeping more and more secrets, aren't you declaring yourselves eternal love??”

His face felt on fire. I mean, who did he take it for? He and Hikaru were good friends, and there would be nothing else, he could swear. “Tenma, what are you saying!?” “You make a beautiful couple.”

Masaki guardò Kyousuke. “Kyousuke! Fermalo.”

Kyousuke sighed. “Tenma, stop bothering Masaki.” "I'm just curious." "We are just friends! And mind your own business!”

As luck would have it, Hikaru was back. “What's going on here?” "Nothing. Now let's go before it gets even later." Kyousuke said.

They took the files and ran away.

On the way they talked quite a bit about what happened in the camp, especially between him and Kurumada.

“Yes, I think he's just afraid that you might steal his place.” Tenma said. "It is frustrating. Seriously." “Yes, I think you think like Minamisawa.” Kyousuke said. “Ryoma and I don't have this kind of problem, luckily.” Hikaru said. “You should just think about playing as best you know how. In any case it will be the coach who decides." Shinsuke said. “Yes, Shin is right, do not think about it Masaki! We will show Kurumada what you are made of!" Tenma shouted, taking his arm.

When they arrived at the pitch, they did not waste even a second and immediately rushed to retrieve a ball.

“I have decided that my technique will be called Extend Zone*[1]” Hikaru said. "Sounds cool! Did you choose it?” Masaki asked. “Yes, at the moment.” “You should try it, Hikaru.” Kyousuke said. “That's what I'll do.” “Then I'll try to stop you!” “And if that's the case, I could save it!” Shinsuke said. "And I…?" Tenma asked. “Come on Tenma pass me that ball.” Kyousuke said.

Tenma missed the pass, or did it on purpose, this was not clear, so Kyousuke went to retrieve it and passed it to Tenma who passed it to Hikaru.

Masaki watched his every move, and when he was close enough, he tried to pass the ball to him, when he succeeded, he passed the ball to Tenma.

Their passing continued for quite a while, and every time Hikaru shot towards goal Masaki found it difficult to stop it. While Hikaru's hissatsu took shape, what Masaki had thought of was just a thought, and every time he tried to create it again, nothing good ever came out of it. His movements were simple movements that he had learned from watching Amagi and 'pink pigtails.'

Tenma was easier to stop.

With a precise slide he managed to take the ball away from Tenma and passed it to Hikaru. It was Hikaru who passed it to Kyousuke.

Masaki did not even have time to get into position but at least he managed to catch Kyousuke by surprise. His speed helped him with this.

"What are you doing now?" Kyousuke told him. “I get the ball.”

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Their training continued for about an hour.

At that moment Shinsuke and Tenma were resting, while Masaki, Hikaru and Kyousuke were continuing to train.

“Masaki pass me the ball!” Hikaru told him.

Too bad that the pass that Masaki made, to avoid Kyousuke, never reached Hikaru.

"Excuse me! I'll go get it." He spoke.

The ball had flown so far that Masaki was amazed at all the strength he had put into it.

Fortunately, the ball stopped rolling before it ended up crushed under the wheels of cars passing through the intersection. Or rather, say, he stopped rolling because pink pigtails stopped him.

Yes, that is him, 'pink pigtails.'

The phrase was currently spinning in his brain: “Let it be a joke.”

'Pink pigtails.' in front of him, he had stopped the ball with her foot, and was smiling. But what did he have to smile about?

“Is this yours, Masaki?” “What if I told you I stole it from a child?”

He should stop giving voice to everything his head told him.

“I may not believe you. I don't make you that bad."

He passed the ball to him like a pass, as if they were in the middle of a game.

“Kurumada exaggerates, don't give weight to what he says.” "Thank you. But it was me too.” “Masaki, shut up. And be careful next time with those steps.”

Masaki was destabilized. How had he known it was he who had shot? Had he been spying on him? Impossible, someone would have noticed eventually.

“See you, Masaki.” he turned and walked away.

He watched her figure move further and further away. Her pigtails swayed from side to side, moved by what little warm wind there was that evening.

He slapped his face. he had to compose herself.

He returned to the pitch where they were waiting for him.

“Hey Masaki, then you got it!” Tenma said. “he had gone a little too far.” “Come on, let's continue.” Kyousuke said.

Masaki passed him the ball, and he ran to the field.

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The Royal Academy school resembled a real fortress, or at least that is what Tenma had heard.

They ran to the Caravan, left their files in the trunk and waited for everyone to arrive. The Royal Academy was located in Inazuma-Cho. It was where Endou had grown up, and attended Raimon; he honestly didn't want to do the sightseeing tour of the village, but he was really sure that they would have done it anyway.

However, he did not know if Endou still lived there. He was near to Nagano, or so Endou had said.

Once everyone had arrived, they took their seats on the bus. Masaki sat next to Kyousuke who was left alone, as Tenma sat next to Shinsuke. (Abandoning her boyfriend, yes, that was just like Tenma.)

Tenma looked much calmer than when they played the qualifier. Yes, he had always eaten little or nothing, but now, he had only run to the bathroom twice before leaving.

On the caravan, Endou reminded them that they could use any hissatsu, even if they had not yet tried it in training, precisely because, this was a training match, a friendly, and they could play as they wanted.

Masaki experienced the 'journey' with a whirlwind of emotions. He wanted to play and give his all to take the starting spot, he had the anxiety of not being able to play well and therefore losing his place, and then, there was that strong feeling of giving up and giving up his place to Kurumada .

The night before he had talked a lot to Ryuuji and Hiroto about that match and about the fact that he wanted so much to play during the Football Frontier, and therefore returning home with a defeat, he would be disappointed.

They finally arrived at the Royal Academy.

As soon as they got off, Masaki was able to confirm that yes, the Royal was a real school/fortress. Much uglier than a boarding school.

At the entrance it was reminiscent of the fortress structure of the school, inside there were immense corridors and the lights were all dark, alternating with red and white lights.

Endou moved as if he were at home.

He took them to a room where there was a terrible burgundy carpet, a round table and a blackboard at the back of the room. Sitting at the table, right in front of the blackboard was Kidou Yuuto and standing next to him was what must have been Sakuma Jiro.

Masaki would never have thought of any better coach for the Royal Academy than Kidou Yuuto.

“Endou, you have finally arrived.” “Hi Endou! It's always nice to see you again." Sakuma said. “Sorry for the wait, finishing touches before this wonderful match.” Endou shook hands with both.

He heard Tenma talk and talk about how smart Kidou Yuuto was and that he had not changed in the slightest since he was a kid. What did he know anyway? He had only seen some old videos.

While the three adults chatted, they were sent to change.

The Royal changing rooms had the same tone as the corridors, sad and gloomy. Now, Masaki might have seemed depressed since he wore black (outside of his uniform), listened to not very happy music and his mood was practically grey, but Royal really told you that you would never come out of there alive again.

“How distressing.” Hikaru said. “You'll play great Hikaru!” Tenma said. “It's your first time, it's normal to feel this way.” “I meant for the Royal Academy, but thanks anyway.” “Yes, it is very dark, you are right. They could modernize.” Shinsuke said. “But that's the beauty of the Royal.” Kyousuke said. “Resemble a juvenile prison?” Hikaru asked. “But like a juvenile prison Hikaru.” Masaki laughed. “Well he looks like us.”

After changing, he left the locker room with the others. The camp was suspended in the air and had two bridges that connected to the entrances. The Royal players were there to hear Sakuma Jiro's orders.

They found Endou talking to Kidou Yuuto, again, it seemed like they had a lot to say to each other. He turned away from Kidou only to tell them: “Warm up, the match will start soon.”

And he went back to talking to Kidou.

As good independent boys, they occupied half the pitch to warm up.

“But did you know that Professor Otonashi and Kidou are brother and sister?” Shinsuke said. "Really??" Tenma yelled in his ear. “But they're nothing alike.” "How do you know it?" Hikaru asked. “I heard it before.”

Amateur, he had known it for at least a couple of years.

“I wonder why he came to Alien then…” Tenma said.

After the usual warm-up, Masaki sat on the bench. It was strange having Sangoku and Ryoma around just because Hikaru and Shinsuke would come in.

“Come on Hikaru!” He said. “Thank you Masaki!”

The match began with the kick-off in favor of Royal. The formation they used was a 5-3-2. With five defenders it seemed difficult to try to score, but this was not Masaki's problem, given that he was neither an attacker nor even on the pitch.

The Royal was much faster than them, and above all they were so compact that the passes seemed difficult to counter. Exactly, they seemed to because fortunately even the Alien wasn't bad in the passages, especially if they were driven by Shindou. In short, they had a small hope of winning.

The ball was in Royal's possession, player fifteen found himself faced with 'pink pigtails', he was unable to pass further as he was stopped. 'Pink pigtails.' he passed the ball to Tsurumasa, who in turn passed it to Shindou.

'Pink pigtails.' he was saying something to Amagi, he really wanted to know what; then he returned to his position. His pigtails seemed to have a life of their own, and looked a little shorter than when he first met him (earlier in the year). He wanted to know the reason for that hairstyle, not that there were any problems, Midorikawa constantly tied his hair up and he himself had hair that touched his shoulders complete with bangs, he was just curious, he even wanted to touch that pink hair.

“We scored!” Ryoma shouted next to him.

He took back all the words he had thought at that moment. No, he did not want to touch that petulant cotton candy's hair.

“That little guy can play well.” Sangoku said. “Yes, Hikaru is good.” Ryoma said. “He made a crazy assist.”

He was sorry he had not seen anything at all because of 'pink pigtails.'

Stupid. He was stupid.

But they did not even have time to celebrate a little more than Royal scored.

“Will they be able to score before the end of the first half?” One of the second team asked. “Even if they score in the second half it will still be fine.” Another answered him.

Masaki did not want to enter the field with the team that was in a bad mood, also because he was not capable of cheering anyone up. (Like what he did with Hikaru… a real fiasco).

Obviously, he could have been okay with that. No. Royal scored another goal.

Masaki did not want to enter the field. He really did not care.

“Damn, what is going on there? Are they that strong??” Ryoma continued to talk to Sangoku.

Shindou moved forward in attack. Hamano passed him the ball and so Shindou used his hissatsu, Fortissimo, but still failed to score.

"Captain! Let us go!" Ryoma shouted.

“Let's try again!” Shindou shouted from the field.

They recovered the ball and Shindou used hissatsu Kami no Takuto and guided the ball to Kurama who shot with Sidewinder* [2] and Kyousuke joined in using his Death Sword, scoring.

“Oh finally!”

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the end of the first half. The teams left the field.

“Masaki, Ryoma, warm up.” “Yes coach.”

While Endou spoke to the team and he warmed up he could not help but think about the fact that he had two eyes on him and they were not from his teammates, but from Kurumada.

Endou could get Amagi out and it would be a real fight between the two, but maybe neither of them would focus on the match and they would just weaken the defense.

So, he deserved to stay out, because now it was his turn, and no one could stop him from entering the pitch. He could not wait to try out his new hissatsu and could not wait to take the starting spot away from Kurumada.

Once the fifteen-minute break was over, Kurumada returned to the field but only to allow Endou to ask for a substitution. Kurumada did not high five Masaki but only wished him good luck which to Masaki's ears sounded more like "I hope you break your leg". Hellish for Kurumada.

The same thing went for Hikaru and Ryoma, who switched as soon as Masaki entered the field.

The game resumed and the ball was in their possession this time. ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Royal had taken the lead again. Amagi had failed to reach the ball in time and the hissatsu of 'pink pigtails.' he had just weakened the shot. Too bad Shinsuke could not see the ball at all.

Royal was trying to score again, and now it was time to use her hissatsu. he did not even wait for number 10 to try to dodge him too, but the moment he tried to shoot he used his Hunter's Net [1] * which stopped the ball. For the first time. And not in training… He was proud of himself. He could be one occasionally eh.

With a well-defined pass he passed the ball to 'pink pigtails.', since he was now surrounded, 'pink pigtails.' he in turn passed it back to Tenma.

“So, you were training for this that day?”

He would have liked to respond in his own way "but what does it matter to you?", instead of nodding and retracing his steps. That day he was calling herself a fool more than usual.

“It's not bad, but it could be even better.”

He never knew if he was complimenting him or if he just wanted to give him a tough time. 'Pink pigtails.' he put him to the test.

"Thank you? he is not yet…perfected.” “Now let's get that goal back!” Shindou shouted from midfield. "Yes!"

There was no time to use Kami No Takuto so Shindou advanced until the attack.

Tenma, who had received the ball, managed to discard his opponent with a perfect dribble and passed the ball to Shindou.

Shindou immediately passed it to Hikaru.

In Masaki's head it was repeated like a mantra "go Hikaru, give it your all."

And Hikaru, he gave it his all. With his brand new hissatsu, inspired by Kurama and Kyousuke's combined shot, he shot at the goal and scored.

But they had no way to take the lead, so the game ended in a draw.

Shindou shook hands with the Royal captain who was number 10, and then they walked off the pitch. Kidou complimented them, he had been wandering around the benches the entire match.

Endou had not said anything yet about who he had chosen between him and Kurumada, but for the moment he was fine with that, in front of the Royal he really did not want to know, even if he did not want to be anxious.

Everyone then went into the room with the initial round table.

“So Royal won't be taking part in the football frontier?”

They had just learned that Kidou Yuuto had just "abdicated" and abandoned his role as Royal's coach.

“He will participate, Sakuma will be their coach.” “So hopefully we'll see each other again.” The captain told them. “Sure, but for real this time.” Shindou said.

Was a deep friendship developing between the two or what?

“And will Raimon participate?” “At the moment nothing is known yet, but probably yes, this will be their year.” Yuuto said. “Yeah, especially since their coach is Kudou.”

Kudou was the former coach of Inazuma Japan. The one who had trained Coach Endou, Kidou and even his parents. Well, even if Ryuuji for a short while.

“So, we have a chance to face Raimon.” Tenma said. "What an emotion."

Tenma would not stop shaking him, and Masaki could vomit at any moment.

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They stood there talking until a certain Endou received a very embarrassing call from his wife.

But, after leaving the Royal, Endou made a point of taking them to a place and said that he always went to train there as a young man with a tire attached to a tree branch. The tire was no longer attached to the branch, but there were a couple of them on the ground.

He was weird to train like that.

“I told the caravan to wait for us outside Raimon, so I can take you to see where I studied, and where I started playing football seriously.” “It's an honor coach!” Tenma said.

Thus, they passed through the Raimon school. Masaki was tired of walking on foot, even though he had not been on the field the whole time.

And now that they were alone, and Endou was taking them on a sightseeing tour of Inazuma-Cho, Masaki wanted to know what would happen to him.

From what Endou had said, it had remained the same, a little improved in colors and other things, and the lightning crest was clearly visible.

Endou stopped right in front of the entrance gate.

“They called us to that very gym for admissions to football frontier international. - he pointed to the gym. - As soon as I arrived, I was so curious to know who my teammates would be. I still remember being surprised by seeing fresh faces, I made friends in a second.” He laughed at that memory. “The hardest blow for me was knowing that we would change coach again. Nobody was able to trust the new coach, but he was the one who led us to victory."

“Are you talking about Kudou?” Tenma asked. he received a shoulder from Kyousuke. “Have respect.”

“Yes, indeed Kudou. He made us do really special workouts, we trained in the mud once, it was fun even though some people had objections. Now you have the privilege of participating in frontier football as a real team, but the most important thing, besides thinking about winning, is that you have to have fun.”

“Coach, why didn't you train Raimon?” Tenma asked again. “Raimon was my beginning, I had to grow, and training Raimon would not have made me grow in any way. That is why I decided to teach and coach at the Alien Academy, it is more of a challenge.” “We should learn from you coach!” “No Tenma, you have to learn from yourselves.”

This was where it all began for Endou. The football club, the football frontier International…

Hiroto persisted in keeping the photo from when they won the Football Frontier International, and it was precisely in that photo where he had seen the coach as a child. Who knows if his character had always remained the same.

Knowing that the coach had graduated there had a certain effect. Especially because Endou knew what Raimon had been through… and he could not do anything about it. Who knows how he felt.

“We really have to go now, before your parents call me for child abduction.” Endou laughed.

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They returned to Nagano. On the Caravan he was almost asleep.

At the end of the game, after that speech from Endou, all that was needed was a good sleep, but he did not do it, his anxiety did not give him the chance to do so.

However, Tenma had fallen asleep and saw Hamano throw some water on his face.

They returned to get the files at the club and as Masaki was about to leave, Endou stopped him.

“Kurumada, come with us for a moment.” Endou said.

Masaki made it clear to Kyousuke that they might as well go home. He and Kurumada followed Endou a little further than the school exit.

His anxiety had increased very quickly, but he finally knew who would be playing during Football Frontier.

“I looked at you carefully, both of you, you could say I saw more of you than the game.” Endou laughed, but he quickly became serious again. “Congratulations to both of you, you played a beautiful match. Kurumada, we have known each other for two years or maybe even more, and I have noticed that in these years you have not changed much since I met you, football-wise. On the other hand, Kariya has the opportunity to grow, to improve, he has more technique, more tenacity even though it is the first time he has played football seriously. You both tried hard, but Kurumada I have to ask you to step back. This doesn't mean that you will never play football again, on the contrary, in these months you have to give your best, you can always return. Kariya joined at the beginning of the school year, but he has really improved a lot, I hope you saw what I saw during the match." “Yes coach.” “Well, don't take it badly Kurumada, you will have the opportunity to participate too. I am sure you will give your best in training and assert yourself. You will change more now than you have in the years we have known each other." “Thank you coach.” Kurumada said.

Endou left him free to go.

Masaki did not know what to say at all. He was stunned.

“Thank you… for giving me this chance.”

He did not know what else to say, and even if he knew what to say, it would not have come out anyway.

“I hope you give your best, like in the last few games.” "Yes." “Well Masaki, see you tomorrow at training.” “See you tomorrow, coach.”

Endou had chosen him. Endou had chosen him. To play at national level.

The more he repeated those words, the more his heart hammered in his chest. He didn't have the slightest idea how to deal with the situation, yet it's what he wanted since that morning. He had purposely "challenged" Kurumada, he couldn't back out now. He couldn't do it.

And then, he had talked so many times about the fact that he was going to be on the reserve and that it didn't suit him at all, that he wanted to play. He had talked about it with his father, with Ryuuji, perhaps to the point of making him tell who had made him close Kira & Co that day.

But then why didn't he jump left and right like Tenma would have done? He was not Tenma, no.

The anxiety, even though Endou had said that he had chosen him, had not gone away. he was afraid of not being up to the role he had entrusted to him? Did he not like football enough?

"I am home." he announced, closing the door behind her.

As he had expected, Hiroto and Ryūji were at home.

“Welcome back Maki.” Hiroto told him.

He was wearing a hideous green kitchen apron.

Ryuuji on the other hand was wearing the red apron. “What's that face Maki?” "You lose?" “Endou chose me to play… frontier football I mean.” “But that's wonderful news Maki.” Hiroto said. “Everything will be fine you'll see Maki.” “Now will you let me buy tickets to the games?” Hiroto asked.

He knew he had only said that to cheer him up.

He went to hug Ryuuji even before taking off his shoes. (It was a crime not to take off your shoes for Ryuu.)

Hiroto also joined in that subspecies of family hug. And he was grateful for it.

"Thank you."

It was the only thing he could say. Again. Then, he ran up to his room.

“Masaki, the shoes!”

He knew that even before that sentence, Hiroto and Ryuu had left each other a questioning look.

He called himself stupid again, but this time it was for a good reason. He had let the anxiety and the thoughts get to him and now, he never had to do that again. He had to play as he knew how, and maintain that role as a defender that he had long awaited.

Now, he could not wait to find out 'pink pigtails'' reaction.

Chapter Text

That morning Tenma had hugged him and hadn't even given him the chance to tell him that he had been taken into the team, Tenma had already understood.
Or maybe Kyousuke had made him understand.
The fact is that they both congratulated him.

Arriving at school, Masaki did what he had never thought of doing, and that was running to the idyllic place, where last time he had met Kirino.

I cannot find it.
But what did he expect?
He wondered, why was she there, why was it so important for him to tell him?
He could easily tell Endou to him, or, he would come in during training in Kurumada's place, and find out on his own.

He didn't know what the real reason was, but his heart was hammering hard in his chest, perhaps, for no apparent reason.
He called himself an idiot when Kirino asked to him. "Masaki, what are you doing here?"

Making him jump, distracting him from his thoughts, in a vortex that had been created.
He hadn't even heard him coming, or seen him.

In his hands he had the energy drink he had just bought, so he showed him the can. "There are distributors, I use them, simple."

Kirino approached the vending machine, probably to get his beloved coffee. "I see." He spoke.

Being there was very strange. He still couldn't understand what he had done.
He could use the other dispensers to get the energy drink that he needed that morning.

"The coach stopped both you and Kurumada, but do you know anything about Ryoma?"

Masaki shook his head, only then realizing Kirino he was so focused on picking up the keys that he could never notice his movement.

"No, maybe she's talking to him now, or maybe she hasn't decided yet, after all it took Kurumada some time with me." He said, but he made the mistake of shrugging, he wasn't noticed this time either.
"Yes, that's true, but he had his reasons. Kurumada hasn't been on his best behavior lately."

Finally, Kirino turned around, with his usual coffee in the hand.
"And then, the rest of us have improved a lot compared to last year, he, who has also been around longer, still seems the same."

Masaki was literally stunned.
"These are the same things the coach said yesterday when he called us."
"Yes I know." He said, turning the cue in the glass. "We talked about it with Shindou before the Royal match, but obviously he was the one who decided."
"So... do you know that... I mean, that he chose me?"

Kirino drank the horrible drink, all in one gulp.
“I wasn't really sure, but yeah.” He then said. "Endou always tries to change, for the better of course, and if he believes you can be useful to Football Frontier, then that's fine. I don't think anyone will object if the captain agrees too."

Ok, he needed that energy drink.
Maybe it was all a dream, and his brain was still sleeping.

"Why do you have all this trust in me? We don't even know each other."

Kirino' he went to throw away the now empty glass.
"Because you're good isn't that enough for you? You have potential, then it's not true that we don't know each other, we're teammates."
"Now."

Kirino cocked her head to the side. "Not before?
It's been three months since school started, and clubs, so I can call you a teammate." He said again. "A little grumpy, yes, you're always on your own, but it can be worked on."
“I'm not grumpy.”

Kirino smiled. "Well, congratulations on the job Masaki, you really deserved it."
"Thank you."
"See you today at training." With that, he left, not even giving him time to return him greeting.

Just the fact that Kirino knowing everything was strange, and that he agreed to "lose" an already trained defender like Kurumada, for a new one, like him.
However, even if he knew it, it didn't change the fact that it was Endou who had chosen anyway, yes maybe he and Shindou had helped out, and that's what was strange. Kurumada really hadn't changed, and they needed him?

They could have taken someone from the second team, who was much better than him.

Maybe he was exaggerating, he had to stop not being up to the role he deserved.

Tenma took care of distracting him, or rather, a message from him.
He asked him and Hikaru to quickly join him where the cooking club.

What message had he gotten himself into now?

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He never wanted to look for Tenma and Shinsuke, followed by Kyousuke and Hikaru.
Never.

The vice principal was furious. But just lot.

"You five! You're in big trouble."

Him, who had absolutely nothing to do with what Tenma and Shinsuke had done.

"You're from the football club, aren't you?"
"Yes professor." Hikaru replied for everyone's sake.
"Oh, Endou won't save you, you'll all go straight to detention, after class ends, under my supervision!"

Tenma dropped the pastry he was holding.
"But professor, we have training we can't-
-Now go to class! And beware if I catch you wandering around the corridors."

They left the cooking club.

"Congratulations, seriously Tenma." Kyousuke said.
"But- but it's not my fault! I wanted to do something useful."
"Sneaking into the cooking club? Great idea."

Perhaps he should have argued.
After the message she had received, Masaki had rushed to Tenma, thinking that he was in serious trouble or felt bad, something like that.
Arriving at their destination, there was Shinsuke and Kyousuke who had recently arrived, as soon as Hikaru also arrived, Tenma threw out two pastries and shouted "Congratulations" for him and Hikaru.

How had the vice principal found out?
He simply had perfect timing.
He had passed at the exact moment Tenma had kicked out the pastries.

And that's how he found himself in a lot of trouble.

"Now we're going to miss practice because of you." Kyousuke said.
"I... I'll talk to the coach... I can take all the blame."
"No Tenma, I helped you too." Shinsuke said.
"I'm going to find the coach."
"Hey I'm coming with you!" Shinsuke said.

Tenma ran away and Shinsuke followed him.

"Tenma! You'll get in trouble!" Masaki shouted.
Kyousuke took his wrist. "Forget him."
"Don't you think you were a little mean? After all he just wanted to congratulate us..." Hikaru said.
"He didn't have to Hikaru."
"You were a little cruel."
“I know him, and he deserves it.”

The bell signaling the start of class rang.

"Better go to class." Kyousuke said.
"Yeah... let's hope those two don't do any more damage." Masaki said.
"See you at the canteen."
"Hi Hikaru."

He and Kyousuke went to class.

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With all that heat it was almost impossible to follow the lessons.

Tenma was standing with his head on the desk and his arms hanging down, Kyousuke behind him had unbuttoned the first and second buttons of his shirt.

"I feel like a snowman in the sun." Tenma said.
"Why do you come with a jacket if it's twenty-seven degrees?" Kyousuke asked.
"Because it was cold this morning."
"You are crazy."
"Even if I take off my jacket, the heat doesn't go away."
"That's obvious. You might as well not complain about the heat though, like you always do."
"I'm not complaining."

Hearing the arguments between Tenma and Kyousuke was even more exhausting than the heat.

"Tenma, why don't we change seats? That way you're closer to the window."
“Would you really do this for me?”

No, but it was just to live in peace.

"So, you won't suffer from the heat anymore."
"You're my angel Masaki!"

He switched places with Tenma, and fortunately the argument between him and Kyousuke ended with the latter telling him: "now don't complain anymore."

Tenma had reciprocated with a stick out tongue.

Luckily, they didn't have much time to argue, as the professor arrived.

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The lunch break wasn't long in arriving.

After filling the tray, he sat down at his usual table.

"So, you found the coach then?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes." Tenma replied.
"He said we were in big trouble... and maybe he can't help us." Shinsuke said.

Masaki rolled his eyes.

"Great, not even the coach can get you out of trouble." Kyousuke said.
"I already apologized Kyo. I just hope the coach can do something..."
"You put Hikaru and Masaki at risk."
“But I didn't want to get them in trouble.”
"Now stop it, both of you." Masaki snapped.
"Arguing is useless, it's done now, we'll take the punishment and if we can finish it first, we'll go to training too." Hikaru said. "And then don't worry Tenma, we really appreciate what you did-
-but try it again and you'll never set foot on a soccer field again."
"Okay..."
"Look, the same goes for you Shinsuke."
"I get the idea."

Masaki didn't mind the punishment at all, it was annoying, yes, because he was supposed to be at the soccer club.
And he wasn't even worried about what Endou would think.
What worried him was what others might think.
As Kyousuke had said, he and Hikaru had just joined the team as starters, and receiving punishment from the vice principal above all wasn't good for their image.

And who knows what his teammates would have thought of him and Hikaru.
Who knows what he would have thought 'pink pigtails.'...
And then he was terribly afraid that Endou would tell her parents, because he himself knew Endou, and he knew that he would not remain silent.
Then maybe he wouldn't have said anything, he sincerely hope so.

"What are you doing for the summer?" Tenma asked.
"I'm going to Nagaoka for the fireworks festival." Shinsuke said.
"It's beautiful there. I was there once when I was little." Hikaru said. "I think I'll go to Osaka, and you Tenma?"
"I'm going back to my parents in Okinawa!"
"But, if your parents are in Okinawa, who do you live with?"
“With my aunt, she owns an apartment building and she gave me a room.”
"But how cool." Shinsuke said. "And do you only see your parents in the summer?"

Tenma nodded. "Sometimes even during Golden Week." Tenma looked back at him. "And what do you do during the summer, Masaki? Are you going back to Kyoto?"

He almost choked on his cola.
"I think I'll stay in Nagano."
"How boring here during the summer." Shinsuke said.
"Yeah, even Kyousuke goes away from his brother."
"Not because it's boring here." Kyousuke said.
"Hey maybe before we leave, we can do the training schedule together." Tenma said.
"Yes, that's a great idea." Hikaru agreed.

The bell rang, a sign that the lunch break was over.

"Well, I'll see you after class for our long-awaited punishment!" Shinsuke said.

Hikaru and Shinsuke left for their class.

Kyousuke kept throwing threatening looks at Tenma, he wasn't really happy with that punishment, and actually he was right...

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Once the afternoon classes were over, he along with Tenma and Kyousuke headed to the vice president where Hikaru and Shinsuke waited.

When the two poor people also arrived, the vice principal took them to a classroom where he confiscated the phones and any other form of entertainment.

He placed five buckets, brooms, sponges and other cleaning objects on the teacher's desk.

"Do you see this classroom? It's filthy. You must clean it, then you'll move on to the next classroom. I'll be right outside. Don't say a word." With that, he left.

Kyousuke mimed to Tenma to shut up as he was already about to open his mouth.

They armed themselves with courage and got to work, taking the bags and sponges.
It wasn't what Masaki had planned, but if they finished early, then they would probably go to the soccer club.

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Half an hour passed, where they had almost finished the first classroom.
It was an advantage to have five, so while two were washing the floor, the other three started the second classroom.
Of course, Tenma and Shinsuke ended up mopping the floor.

Exactly a quarter of an hour passed before Tenma ran to them with an eraser in his hands.

"Kyo take this!" And he threw it at her, right on her shirt.
"Tenma! You'll get us into serious trouble again!"
"Oh no, he's not here." Shinsuke said. "Now we can talk freely."

Tenma ran to get the gate back.

"Tenma, you're going to get everything dirty again, so put that eraser down, immediately."
"Don't worry Kyo, I'll be careful."
"Help us instead." Masaki said.
"Do you want to see how I learned to dribble?"
"No." He and Kyousuke responded in unison.
"How boring, now that he's not here we should have some fun, right? It's boring to clean."
"That's true, but if we finish early, we could train." Hikaru said.
"It's true! Come on Shin let's move." Tenma said, taking Shinsuke's arm.

Tenma took off like a tornado, even ending up hurting himself.
The vice principal returned with Endou, to their surprise.

"You guys are free." The vice-principal announced.
"Go change your clothes at once and run to the camp. Come on."
"Yes coach!"

They left everything as it was and ran straight to the sports center, to the changing rooms.

"Endou has come to save us!" Tenma shouted.
"I told you he would come." Shinsuke said.
"Thank goodness, I couldn't take it anymore." Hikaru said. "I've never done so much cleaning in my life."

They changed in a hurry and ran to the outdoor field, where Mrs. Otonashi and Endou were waiting for them.

“Guys, if anyone asks, you did 15 laps around the field, warmed up and then didn't train, understand?”
"Thank you coach!" Tenma said with tears.
"Thank you coach."
"Come on, warm up and then go train." Endou said.

They ran to warm up, and then entered the field.
Masaki achieved Kirino and Amagi on defense, while Hikaru ran on offense followed by Kyousuke.

Ultimately, Ryoma had been moved to midfield.
And according to Ryoma, it was even better.
Why not do it first? He didn't know it.

Shinsuke, on the other hand, ran to train in parades together with Kurama.

"I'd say you started off in style." Told Kirino at him.
"Please don't get involved too."
"Then try to keep up."

They started training.

Even though he had played two matches for the 'Alien', he couldn't keep up with Amagi in training that day.
Or perhaps, it was the orders of 'pink pigtails.' to make them collide.

"But sorry, you could have understood that you were going in the same direction." He justified herself.
"Ranmaru, we're listening to you because we want to improve, but I don't feel like we're making much progress." Amagi said.
"Let's try again, it'll get better."

Obviously, nothing went better.
At least, between one slip and another they managed to conduct something.

"Now you're the one who can't keep up Kirino." Masaki said.

Kirino gave him a not entirely friendly look. "We'll see Masaki. We'll see."

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At the end of training, before going to change, Endou had them gather there.
He said he had finally obtained the teams in the first round.

"As I told you, there will be sixteen teams, and the first group is eight teams. We, we will be the first, on the first day of the Football Frontier right after the kick-off ceremony."

What a burden.
And how unfortunate.

They were the first... and they would have everyone's eyes on them.

They were the first, the first time they taken part, they couldn't afford mistakes.

"But don't worry guys, it'll be fine. Forget about defeat or victory, which can only be decided on a football pitch.
So, do you want to know the others first?"
"Start with us coach." Shindou said. "So, we know right away who we should play against. Is everyone in agreement?"

Obviously.

"Good, we'll take on the Moon Sea Military Academy."

Which Masaki would have shortened to 'Moon Sea', and he sincerely hoped Endou would too.

"Tomorrow, I will show you the footage we have collected, but for now I need to know that they have a very strong defense, so we should work hard guys."

Everyone had their say about the Moon Sea Military Academy while Masaki thought they were sailors...
He associated them with sailors, which was the only thing he could figure out.

On the subject Football Frontier was still extremely poor.

"I have no intention of changing the formation, we will use a 3-4-3, Ryoma moves to midfield."

Endou talked and talked for at least twenty minutes, before moving on to name the other teams.
Masaki didn't know a more talkative person than Endou, he had beaten Ryuuji and yes, even Tenma.

"So, while we face the Moon Sea Military Academy; the 'Mirage Institute' will face the 'Occult'. 'Big Waves' will face the 'Raimon', 'Kirkwood' will face the 'Lagoon', the 'Storm Wolf' will face the ' Mount Olympus', while the 'Royal Academy' will face 'the galactic institute', then we have 'El Dorado' against the 'Shining Light' and finally 'Alpine' who will face 'Pirates' Bay Academy'."

The Lunar Sea and Pirate Bay fought over pirates and sailors, according to Masaki.
Honestly speaking, Masaki knew about four teams out of all the ones Endou said. Well, that was a good result, wasn't it?

He should have found out more.
Would she have done it? Obviously not. Indeed, he would have done it if one of those teams would have been the opponent, otherwise he would have thrown it into oblivion.

Finally, Endou let them go and change before returning home.
Masaki would have preferred to leave directly, in that heat he had no desire to put on his long uniform.

"Alpine will win with their eyes closed, they had the team that lost in the first-round last year." Hamano said.
"Don't say that, maybe they've improved a lot." Sangoku said.
"And then Hamano, I remind you that everyone will be saying the same thing about us." Shindou said. "So, you shouldn't make certain comments."
"But captain, there are certain favoritisms, come on."
"Hamano, it's random." Shindou said.
"You say?"
"It's like that Hamano, Takuto doesn't say that." He said, 'pink pigtails.' that he had just finished fixing his hair.
"Well, at least we're not facing teams like Raimon, Kirkwood or Royal right away." Amagi said.
"You're right and thank goodness I would say." Hamano said.

They continued talking for quite a while or at least until he, along with Tenma and Kyousuke left.

"I'm so tired." Tenma said.
"I don't think I heard correctly." He said.
"I said I'm tired." Tenma repeated.
"Kyo scores, it's an event that will never happen again."
"I hope so, after everything he made us do."
"Please stop." Tenma said.
"I'll hold it against you until I die."
"On Kyousuke's tombstone it will be written: 'cursed Tenma and that day he stole the pastry from the cooking club'."
"Exactly, so I'll hold it against you even when I'm dead."
“I said sorry, what else do I do?”
"Nothing now."
"I will be able to boast that I have cleaned an entire classroom as punishment in my life." Masaki said.
Tenma laughed. "Yeah, think about telling it tomorrow."
"That's right, you'll laugh at it too Kyousuke."
"Never."
"It will be like this."
"I agree with Masaki."
"You are wrong."

Masaki and Tenma teased Kyousuke for almost the entire journey, then, when the two arrived at Tenma's, Masaki went home, tired but happy.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Just like the previous nights, Masaki was unable to sleep a wink.
Or rather, he woke up in the middle of the night, with an aching head, unable to continue sleepy, and maybe it was because of a bad dream.
By now, he went to sleep with a head full of doubts, without an answer to his questions.
For the entire week he had avoided 'pink pigtails.' As if he had the plague, as if he was the problem.
He had focused more on himself, obviously failing.
The trauma he had left behind was his biggest problem.
He should have talked about it with Hiroto or Ryuuji, but he did not have the courage to do so and, an external person would have been the school psychologist, but he wasn't trusted enough.
He had done some research on the internet, if in some way he could be influenced by what he saw, he was desperate to look for these things but in his deepest self, he knew he was looking for a lot of bullshit.
Knowing that those people could be right made his brain go to mush, and being close to Ranmaru was not good at all.
Obviously, his searches turned up nothing, and he ended up doing something very stupid.
Tests, tests to see if he was gay.
He had not reached any conclusions, even though 80% of the tests told him: 'Congratulations! You're gay, welcome to the rainbow family!'
Worse than when he took the Hogwarts house sorting test, he had been sorted several times into 'Slytherin'.
This had led to several sleepless nights, no answers, and completely messed up workouts and school tests. Luckily, he ended the term with excellent grades.
At seven sharp, the alarm clock rang, scaring him to death.
Not that he had fallen asleep, he had not even realized the time.
He got out of bed with the speed of a sloth and went to grab the bathroom before anyone else.
After the shower and putting on the horrible winter uniform, he went to the kitchen where Ryuuji and Hiroto, like every morning, talked about the enormous number of things they had to do that day.
He had breakfast watching the poor millstones drown in boiling milk.
“Today is the game, right?” Hiroto asked.
“What game?” He asked, not looking up from the cup.
“Shouldn't Endou take you to see the Royal?”
Too focused on looking for what remained of the millstones, he did not understand what Hiroto had said at all.
“Maki, are you okay? You don't look good." Ryuuji told him.
And that was a language unknown to him.
He saw Hiroto shrug his shoulders, a sign that Ryūji had asked him some question that he did not know the answer to.
Ryuuji approached him 'dangerously' and placed his palm on his forehead.
“No, you do not have a fever. Did you sleep, Masaki?”
He nodded, hoping to get her to drink.
It did not work.
“You should stay home today, maybe you're nursing the flu.”
At that precise moment in his head, it sounded: 'Red alert.' in an infinite loop.
“No, I cannot. Today we must see Royal play! I cannot be away.”
“We can call Endou and tell him you're sick.” Hiroto said.
“But I'm not sick.” He looked at Ryūji. “I can go, seriously I'm fine.”
“Maki-
-I'm fine.” He retorted.
Hiroto and Ryuuji exchanged a look.
“If he's okay, let's let him go.” Hiroto said.
"Okay, but cover yourself well Masaki, he will be cold especially in the stands after training."
Masaki nodded. Of course, he would not.
He hated scarves and hats with all his heart, and even though it was ten degrees, he wouldn't have worn anything other than his winter uniform.
And then, for heaven's sake, he wasn't sick at all.
He finished breakfast and ran to put on his shoes before Kyousuke knocked on the doorbell of his house. He showed up directly outside the door.
Together they passed by Tenma, who had just returned from his morning walk with his dog, Sasuke.
He was an old dog, and very lazy.
Tenma had saved him when he was still a cub, in Okinawa, together with his mother.
He was affectionate, and the few times Masaki had seen him he had fallen in love with him even though he was not crazy about dogs. He preferred cats.
He had asked Ryuuji or/and Hiroto so many times to get him a cat, when he was about five years old, but nothing, they had always told him how much of a commitment a pet was, and they were never at home.
But he had had a couple of goldfish, all dead within two days of purchasing them and one forgotten in the sink, but that was another matter.
And a turtle, which was stayed with her aunt Hitomiko in Kyoto.
Tenma left his dog in the hands of his aunt Aki and after taking the schoolbag he ran out of the house.
He greeted Kyousuke with a kiss on the cheek while he reserved a hug for Masaki, even though they had seen each other yesterday.
How disgusting.
“I'm so happy that the coach will take us to the game today.”
And here it began.
“You had the papers signed, right?”
“Yes.” He and Kyousuke responded in unison.
“How nice! We'll sit together then."
Sure, why not. he would have abandoned them to go and sit next to Shinsuke.
Tenma was acting strangely that morning, but he did not really care to investigate too much.
“Are you okay Masaki?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“You don't have a nice face... have you had breakfast?” a> “Well, you must be fine! You must come and watch the Royal match!”
“Yes Tenma, I'm fine.”

Right, he was thinking about the game.
They arrived at school, they greeted both Shinsuke and Hikaru, Hikaru also asked him if he were okay, next time, Masaki would punch him in the face.
(No, he did not know how to punch.)
Hikaru very proudly showed him his signed authorization.
“How nice! Then we will all really go there!” Tenma said.
“Hey guys, Shindou said to meet him outside at the club, and that's where he'll get the permits.” Shinsuke said.
It was true, Shindou had written about the team's group.
"Let's go!" Tenma exclaimed, leading them himself.
Masaki did not have that much desire to reach the sports center, just because he had to give a stupid sheet of paper to the captain, but he knew he couldn't hold back in any way.
How he imagined, in addition to Shindou, his trusted assistant was there to collect the authorizations.
Masaki wanted to disappear.
He wanted the earth to open under his feet, the precise moment Ranmaru looked at him.
Masaki was not good at avoiding people, he just limited himself to talking to them as little as possible, and trying not to go to the same places, like petrol stations, but 'pink pigtails.' He wasn't naive, he probably understood it.
"Captain!! We brought the permits!” Tenma shouted at him, then ran at him.
Every time Tenma shouted 'captain' Shindou died inside.
Besides Shindou and 'pink pigtails.', there was also the rest of the team, who had gathered there.
"Good morning lads! Tenma, you are very cheerful this morning.” he said, 'pink pigtails.'
Tenma smiled at him and nodded.
“We'll go watch the Royal match, it's a good thing, I hope they win, they deserve it.”
Ranmaru laughed, and Masaki couldn't help but watch him laugh there with Tenma.
“Masaki.” Hikaru shook him. “Are you sure you’re, okay?”
Masaki nodded hastily. “What were you saying?”
Hikaru shook his head and said, “Nothing important, just that Tenma is in a really good mood this morning.”
“Never seen so happy, probably only when he plays.”
“Well at least his happiness is contagious.”
“Yes, it's true.”
Tenma now ran from Hamano to Shinsuke and then ran from Sangoku via Amagi.
“A real whirlwind.” Ranmaru said.
Masaki didn't know exactly when Hikaru left him to go and deliver that stupid paper to Shindou.
He and Ranmaru were too close, he could almost touch his arm.
“Yes, he's very cheerful this morning...”
Luckily for him, Tenma came to disturb them, in doing so, Masaki was able to slip away with the excuse that he still had to give his paper.
Of course, Hiroto's signature wasn't very legible, and he thanked him for having shitty handwriting, and for having a different signature for autographs.
He had to solve this other problem, he knew it.
He could trust the boys, Endou had also told him so, so many times that it filled his head.
And he had done it with Hikaru and Shinsuke.
He had told Shinsuke during that week, even if in reality he had found out simply because, during the lunch break, he had forgotten to activate 'full immersion', and therefore to deactivate any type of notification.
He had shown a very embarrassing photo of Tenma, in middle school; it was still on his phone because it was so good to see Tenma that he was still embarrassed.
Obviously then, Ryuuji had perfect timing, and the notification appeared on his screen.
Shinsuke had freaked out as much as when Tenma found out.
For the rest of the team... he still had some small doubts.
He didn't want to make any mega style announcement, like when you have to tell someone you're getting married so to speak, he wanted do it in the most natural way possible, perhaps when his parents would come to see him play in the next match.
Although, the more he thought about it, the more the bad memories came back to the surface.
As if he had opened Pandora's box from which all the evils came out.
“Masaki let's go!” Tenma shouted at him. “We have to go back.”
But could that boy be so embarrassing?
Masaki reached him very quickly; he couldn't wait to get out of there.
Hikaru followed him as they walked down the street to the building.
“Have you seen how many friends we have now? Who would have thought it!”
“Yes, we've come a long way.”
Hikaru smiled at him. “We were rewarded.”
It really put him in a good mood.
But how did he do it?
“See you on lunch break.” Shinsuke said. “Let's go Hikaru!”
“Hi guys.” He greeted Hikaru, before reaching Shinsuke.
Masaki approached Tenma and Kyousuke, and together they went to class.
⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆
Lunch break finally arrived, and he had to admit, the lessons that day seemed designed to destroy him mentally. Although it was sleep that was starting to take its toll on him, as he felt tired.
He would have gladly taken a nap; he would have understood something about the lessons.
They took their lunch and ran to sit at their usual table, neither Hikaru nor Shinsuke were there yet, so they decided to wait for them.
Tenma and Kyousuke were talking to each other, and Masaki honestly had no desire to interfere.
The voices scattered inside the canteen, however, kept him awake without making him fall head over heels in what must have been 'udon in curry broth'.
He didn't have the broth never liked it and his seemed really too soupy.
He could have not taken it, but it was too late to take it back.
That week, in training, Shinsuke was playing in goal under the close supervision of Sangoku.
Endou wanted to keep him well trained for the next match.
Finally, both Hikaru and Shinsuke sat down at the table after standing in the huge queue to fill the trays.
The main topic of that lunch was that afternoon's match.
“And who do you think will win, Masaki?”
He had never seen 'the galactic institute' play, so he didn't think he had to judge, but everyone had.
“The Royal?”
“See? Masaki also says Royal.” Tenma said.
“he will win the galactic institute.” Kyousuke retorted.
He didn't care in the slightest who would win, they had to fight one of the two.
Yes, he was part of a football club, he had to be interested in all those things and blah blah , the point remained that he didn't care who won, his life wouldn't change.
And while his table mates opened a very illegal betting shop, Masaki drowned the poor udon in what remained of the broth.
It was just a reflection of what he wanted to do to his companions.
That morning he should have listened to Ryūji and stayed home.
Why did he never listen to him?
“Masaki~”
It was Tenma. Obnoxious as always.
He stretched those 'iii's terribly.
“Do you think the coach will take us to see the final too?”
“That's a must.” Shinsuke said.
“I think so? Ask Shindou.”
“ he couldn't answer me this morning.” Tenma said.
he didn't want to answer him. That was the point.
“Maybe I'll ask the coach today.”
“But I tell you he'll take us anyway.” Kyousuke repeated.
And while those two seemed ready for one of their umpteenth arguments, Hikaru and Shinsuke tried to change the subject.
Masaki, in the meantime, decided to leave the udon alone and move on to the meat rolls, which were cold by now, but it was just to put something in the stomach.
He didn't want to pick up the phone, but his parents were also on their lunch break and had probably taken the opportunity to ask him how he was feeling.
He texted Ryuu and Hiroto to tell them how disgusting what he was eating was.
Hiroto responded by sending them a photo of the beef flavored Saikebon.
He hated saikebon, even though they were simple noodles to reheat, but he would have gladly eaten them right then.
His parents didn't eat healthy either, especially when they were at work.
At least he ate healthy at school and then ate like crap at home.
The bell rang, ending the lunch break.
“See you at training.” Tenma said to Hikaru and Shinsuke.
“See you later!”
They each went to their own classrooms.
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Once the lessons were over, Masaki thought he could finally relax... it wasn't like that.
He hurriedly ran to the locker rooms, risking being late for training, only to find that everyone was standing in a circle around Endou.
“Come on guys.” Endou called them back.
“What happened?” Tenma asked Shinsuke.
“I don't know, we were all waiting.” Shinsuke whispered.
Masaki looked at Endou, like everyone else.
He was wearing his white tracksuit and headband as usual.
He had a piece of paper in his hands, but Masaki couldn't read what was written.
“As you know, the 'Royal' match against 'The Galactic Institute' will be played soon, some teams, such as the 'bright light' have already received their opponent, which will be the 'Mt. Olympus.', 'Kirkwood' against 'Alpine', which will be played on Saturday.
Ours will be 'Raimon', but we have enough time to train, since it will be between two weeks, since there will be other matches next Sunday, for now we have no information so don't give us too much weight, as soon as Haruna manages to get information, we will move accordingly.
Now think about training well.”
Raimon.
He would never have thought of playing against the team the coach had grown up with.
Who knows what strange effect it had on him, or to Professor Otonashi.
Endou spoke to him about how important it was that they "trained" today to watch that afternoon's match, that they could gain something to their advantage.
He let them train before he it was too late.
They started with the usual warm-up, nothing too complicated for Masaki's sleeping senses.
Even though they were indoors, the cold was felt, he could not imagine those poor things from the Royal warming up for the match…
For the rest of the training, however, he felt lacking in strength and more tired than usual.
'Pink pigtails.' he had called him repeatedly before Shindou did it, he was slowing down the training, he knew it... but he could not abandon the training unexpectedly, and he wouldn't.
His senses asleep, making him forget that he was still ignoring 'pink pigtails.'...he should stop calling him that?
The fact is, he tried to concentrate as best he could, even though he was starting to feel all the sleep he had missed.
He knew that no one would take a good scolding from Endou from him.
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Obviously, Endou had not given him any scolding, but had simply asked him how he was and why he wasn't in great shape that day; and he had told him that some days "no" he could understand everyone in the end.
After training, they returned to the changing rooms, he did not wear the school uniform, rather he remained in the Alien uniform, adding the jacket.
Now, that thing was light, and Masaki would have loved to have something more, but agreeing with Ryuuji? He did not really talk about it.
he kept his football uniform shirt underneath and put his jacket on top.
Meanwhile, he was left alone. Both Tenma and Kyousuke had gone out as Tenma desperately wanted to buy himself something to drink that was not water.
Luckily, however, they were not late, since Shindou was still with Endou, who had called him at the end of training.
He was packing his bag very hastily because he did not want to be late, when he heard a strange noise coming from behind him.
He turned and saw his greatest enemy. Kirino Ranmaru.
What was he still doing there?? Shouldn't he have slipped away to reach the caravan with the others?
“There has to be communication on the Masaki camp, and you're not doing it, even today, but what's the matter with you?”
Masaki sighed. “Sorry about training… I did not sleep much.”
Better to be honest.
“And this morning? I was talking to you.”
“I should have given the paper to Shindou.”
“You could have given it to me.”
“ Well I didn't know that."
His sincerity had gone out the window.
“Did I do something to you? I do not know... Were you offended by the accent thing?"
"What? Hand. No really..."
Shindou entered, to interrupt them, looked at them and then went to get ready.
“I… reach out to others.” He said, taking the bag.
he went away, or rather, he escaped from the suffocating air of the changing rooms.
The Caravan was already there, outside the school, waiting for them.
Endou told them that they could already start sitting down and so they did.
He took a seat next to Hikaru.
Tenma was next to Shinsuke, and Kyousuke was in the back with Kurama, Hamano, and Amagi.
They waited for Shindou, who arrived shortly after with Ranmaru.
During the journey he did not fall asleep even though he was tired.
Hikaru talked to him the whole time and for goodness’s sake, he loved him immensely, but he could only keep quiet for a little while.
He did not even use his phone for long since he had no way to charge it afterwards.
He only notified his parents when they arrived at the stadium.
After the various checks, they followed Endou until they reached the seats.
He sat next to Kyousuke who in turn was next to Tenma (and Shinsuke and Hikaru), and Ranmaru sat next to him instead, a real pain in the ass.
Shindou sat next to Sangoku and the coach.
In short, they sat as they wanted.
They wasted time just settling down.
He saw the Royal boys warming up, while the formation of both teams was projected on the small screen, and on the sides the three referees who were also warming up.
He did not see Kidou, nor Sakuma, but he didn’t know if Kidou was there, since he was no longer the coach.
He wondered why he had left his role... a>
There on the stadium, it was quite cold, he closed the 'Alien' jacket up to his throat. He would have loved to hide inside.
He waited for the game to start while listening to Endou speak.
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Masaki watched the game with interest and every now and then Ranmaru called him asking if he was seeing what the defense was doing, or in any case to comment on their techniques, of both teams obviously.
Ranmaru He didn't seem to be rooting for either team to win, he was pretty neutral, and that made Masaki a little more at ease, seeing as the rest of the team was rooting for one or the other.
Tenma seemed like such an avid Royal fan, as did Shinsuke and Hamano.
Shindou also seemed neutral and seemed to be really into the game.
Every now and then Endou showed up to silence those who made the most noise, and to explain various technical things or even to answer some questions.
Royal were ahead by two goals and looking at them they looked strong,
“Keep an eye on the number five.” Ranmaru told him.
“And why?”
“Look at him.”
He did not understand why Ranmaru cared so much, but Masaki followed the number five of the 'Galactic Institute' with his eyes for quite a while.
He had incredible speed and was able to get to the defense even if he moved far away.
He caught the balls with absurd ease and his hissatsu, seen from there, seemed strong, Masaki didn't he would have liked to find him against him.
Then, suddenly, the number five slipped, nothing major, but it cost him dearly, he lost the ball he had recently recovered, giving Royal an excellent opportunity, which they wasted.
“Apparently they've seen quite a few of our videos or training sessions.” Ranmaru then said.
“You say they were trying to copy us?”
Ranmaru nodded.
It did not seem that way to Masaki, but he recognized certain movements.
“Do you think we would have been able to win against them?”
“Yes, their technique is not as 'clean' as Royal's.”
This was true, the Royal was clearly superior in terms of technique.
“And because of the coach. Kidou cares about technique, I saw it during the friendly match."
" Yes, his way of coaching is different from that of coach Endou..."
Ranmaru nodded. “I don't think anyone trains technique like he trains.”
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The match ended with Royal's victory; it was not unexpected at all.
Ranmaru had told them from the beginning of the second half that they would probably win.
Ranmaru foresaw? He did not know this.
They returned to the caravan, and this time it was 'abandoned' by Hikaru, who went to sit next to Amagi.
It was Ranmaru who sat next to him.
Masaki did not even have the strength to ask him why he didn't sit next to Shindou.
Ranmaru unlike Hikaru did not really talk to him that much.
“How come you didn't sleep?”
Masaki looked at him, but why wasn't he minding his own business?
But he was too good that day to answer him badly.
“Nothing… it's not important, but it won't happen again, I'll train hard.”
“I won't investigate, but you shouldn't have come to school anyway.”
“Why should I? There was the match.”
“The match is just an excuse.”
“It's not true.”
“ I tell you it is.”
“It's not.”
Ranmaru did not argue.
Masaki looked out the window, it was dark outside.
His parents had already left Kira & Company and in fact Hiroto had asked him if he should come outside of school, Masaki had replied no, but could Hiroto ever listen to him?
He would show up outside school in a Ferrari, he knew it.
It seemed like forever to Masaki since they last spoke, even though it had not even been five minutes.
Tiredness was starting to set in, but he could hold on until to what arrived outside Alien.

Slowly his eyes began to feel heavier and heavier.
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He heard himself being called, but the voice calling him seemed so far away.
"But."
His eyes slowly adjusted to the lights of the trailer.
His head was resting on something hard, and the heartbeat he felt was not his own.
“Mas, we're almost there, you should wake up.”
Ranmaru's voice was so calm and low, as if he almost did not want to wake anyone up.
Masaki moved away as if he had received a shock and almost hit his head against the window.
He fell asleep on Ranmaru's shoulder.
On Ranmaru's shoulder.
How could this not be embarrassing?
“Hey, good morning sleepy beauty, did you have a nice nap?” Ranmaru smiled at him.
“Sorry- I, I'm sorry I didn't mean to.” he said it too quickly, he was afraid that Ranmaru would not understand.
“Why are you apologizing to me? You just fell asleep."
"I didn't mean to... sorry-
-Mas but you have nothing to apologize for, really."
He was red in the face.
He felt the heat spreading on his cheeks, he hoped it was a fever.
“Sorry…”
“Don't apologize to me anymore Mas. Are you okay?”
Masaki nodded. "Yes, yes. Everything OK. Thank you… for letting me sleep, and for waking me up.”
Ranmaru smiled at him. “You don't have to thank me, you were tired.”
He was right, they had now arrived outside of school.
They got out of the caravan and Masaki was stopped by Tenma and taken aside.
“Your father is here.” he told him.
“Oh… thanks for telling me.”
They returned as if nothing had happened to the others, thanked Endou for the opportunity and said goodbye to the others.
“See you tomorrow, Mas.” Ranmaru greeted him.
“See you tomorrow.”
Ranmaru got into the Shindou's car.
Whether you wanted to unbelievably, Hiroto had parked his car right behind the Shindou's.
Masaki joined him after saying goodbye to his group of friends.
The only problem was that Hiroto made himself noticed by clearly shouting his name.
But how embarrassing was his father?
“I'm here.” he told him. “You can stop calling me too.”
“Hi Maki. Are you coming up?”
He walked around the car and got in.
“Why did you come anyway?”
“Like because it's quite late, you wanted make it on foot?” Hiroto asked.
“No… Thank you.”
They left only after Hiroto said goodbye to Endou.
Masaki would have liked to sleep more, but they arrived home after less than five minutes.
He said goodbye to Ryuuji and then went to take a shower.
He put on his pajamas and then went to the kitchen.
On the sofa he almost risked falling asleep... but one thing kept him awake more than before.
Mas.
The deafening nickname that petulant pink pigtail had given him.
And Masaki felt his face heat up, and it was so embarrassing...
Why was Ranmaru acting that way? What did he want from him?
he was confusing him so much…
Hiroto and Ryuuji asked him so many things, and while Masaki just wanted to find something to write to Ranmaru, to thank him, he did not do it anyway.
After dinner he went to his room, Masaki eventually just writing a simple thank you to Ranmaru, before falling into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

He wanted to barricade himself in the house.
He would have a fever, or something that wouldn’t make him get out of bed.

Even though days had passed, and Monday had already passed, Masaki had no desire to meet Ranmaru, or even just see him, because, every time he thought about what he had done at the Royal match... he died.

He hadn't forgotten that nickname, and he had to understand it, how could he? But maybe the problem was just the nickname!
He still couldn't believe the fact that he had fallen asleep on Ranmaru's shoulder!
Who knows what Ranmaru had thought at that moment... or worse, the teammates...

But he really couldn't stop thinking about it, he was often lost in thought and while he was having breakfast, his parents had to call him back a couple of times just to tell him that if he didn't hurry he would be late for school.

He hated acting that way, having his thoughts take over everything.
The more he tried not thinking about it, the more exact opposite happened, his troughs returned always on Ranmaru, he truly hated it. He was out of him.

He had made up his mind, and he would no longer think about Ranmaru.
That was the challenge of the day.
And this time he would succeed. Oh, if he could. He could have given up on the world, he wouldn't have thought about that petulant "pink pigtails."

He ran to catch up with Tenma and Kyousuke, before he risked making them late too.

Kyousuke patted him on the shoulder and Masaki almost fell to the ground.

"Why!? What have I done to you?"

Kyousuke shrugged. "Nothing."
"I told him that you are making friends with Kirino-san!" Tenma said.

Had he said what?

"I'm really happy that you're making new friends." he told him.
" Was there any narcotic substance in your water?"
" No. I was just expressing an opinion."
"Um... thanks?"
"Forget it. We have to hurry."

He got another pat on the shoulder, next time he would throw Kyousuke off a cliff.
Not that they were easy to find there in Nagano.

They had already started training in view of the match against Raimon Junior High, they had not yet managed to get information about it, Endou had told them that Raimon had not allowed the dissemination of videos regarding the match played against "Big Waves.".
And this seemed really unfair to him.

In addition they had organized various friendly and training matches. Endou wanted to train them well apparently.

Furthermore, he had forbidden them any kind of extra training.

Tenma was quite disappointed because he continued to train whenever he had some energy. of free time, like in the morning before going to school or on the way back, yes after training.

They arrived at school right on time, just before the first bell rang.
He arrived as if he had run a marathon, but alive and that's because Tenma and Kyousuke had a terribly fast pace.
Especially Kyousuke, with those long legs he found himself with.

He was short... and slow.
But at least, when he was on a football pitch, he became quite fast.
Maybe the his was simple laziness, perhaps, he could even be faster than Kyousuke, if he wanted.

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After class, they ran to the cafeteria, as usual.
Tenma had done the first round with him and Kyousuke, then, when Shinsuke and Hikaru arrived, he went for another.
He really didn't understand how hungry that boy was.

"I was thinking, maybe Yuuichi could go for a tour of his old school, he doesn't have to pick up anything?" He asked, sitting down in her place.
“Tenma, Yuuichi finished school three years ago.” Kyousuke replied, marking three years ago, as if to remind him that he had forgotten an important detail, and indeed it was true.
"So what?" It's still his old school."
"Is Yuuichi your brother?" Hikaru asked him.
" Yes, he attended Raimon a couple of years ago. "
" Oh, I see. So he doesn't know anything about the new Raimon... then he can't infiltrate. "
"Wow I didn't know you had a brother!" Shinsuke exclaimed.

Poor Shinsuke, he was always the last to know things.

"Yes but he is still a former student and can pretend to have forgotten his diploma."
"Tenma, three years have passed, he already collected it on diploma."
"Do you have a uniform?" Shinsuke asked.
"I think so."
"Then one of us can infiltrate."
"Yes that's a great plan!" Tenma agreed.
"I think they know how to recognize their students." Hikaru said.
"I don't think infiltrating a school other than your own is worth it, after what you did at the cooking club." Masaki said.

Tenma and Shinsuke looked at each other.
Those two looked like criminals, he didn't want to relive a similar experience.

"But someone has to get the information about it!"
"I'm sure Endou will find something." Kyousuke said. "So avoid this nonsense."

Tenma snorted. "It's not fair."
"We just wanted to help."
"Well, not like that." Hikaru said. "Let's just train, so we won't even cause problems for the coach."

Even though Shinsuke and Tenma still didn't seem to agree, at least for the moment they abandoned the idea of infiltrating Raimon Junior High.
He didn't even want to imagine the consequences if something similar happened.

After their lunch break, they went to class for their afternoon lessons.

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After the last lessons they went to the sports center, specifically to their meeting room.

Endou wasn't there yet, and in the room there were only: the captain, Ranmaru, Hamano and Hayami, greeted them before taking their seats.

Masaki took his seat and really hoped to relax his brain, at least before starting training.

For now, the mission was working!
But who were you kidding...

They were in the meeting room because that afternoon Endou would show them the scheme to use during the match, and the formation.

From where they sat they could see almost everything.

Hamano and Hayami continued talking as if nothing had happened, Ranmaru was intending to read something, was it actually studying? He didn't care, and Shindou was next to him.

When Kyousuke arrived (he had gone to make a call) Tenma started talking to him.

Then at a certain point, Tenma intervened between Hamano and Hayami who were talking about video games.

Thanks to Tenma's chatter, he had discovered that Shindou played video games.
Someone like him? Video-games? He never would have imagined Masaki.
Indeed, if they had told him, he would never have believed it, but being there, and hearing him speak, he knew how to do it.

While they were talking about video games, there was Ranmaru who continued to be engrossed in reading, and Masaki was dying of curiosity to know what book it was, but he didn't want to go near him and ask him "hey what book laws? I like reading too."
No. He would never have done it. He wasn't so outgoing, he wasn't Tenma. And then he had a mission to complete.
Let's do more of a side quest.

Then, Shindou called Ranmaru's attention, and joined him in the conversation.

Gradually the other members of the team also arrived and then the room began to fill with several different topics.

He had also discovered that Ranmaru wasn't good at video games.
But how could he be so old?
He defended himself by saying that he knew a little something but Shindou had practically laughed in his face, saying that it wasn't really his topic.

Kurama entered through the door with Kurumada and Amagi.
He hoped for Endou's imminent arrival.

"Oh no the meeting has already started, what a shame, I am deeply saddened." Kurama said with a lot of irony.
"Oh no, it hasn't started yet, we're talking about video games!" Tenma said.
"Great, wake me up when the coach arrives."

Kurama went to sit in the last row on the chair that was against the wall.

"Forget it, bad day." Amagi said.

Hamano put his arm around Amagi's neck and said: "Amagi, do you know that our Kyousuke has a beautiful PlayStation 5? We should have that famous game night at Shindou's house I think."
"Game night? I'm in!"
"Have you invited yourself to my house?" Shindou asked.
"Obviously, first boys, you are invited, you have been part of the team for quite a while now." Hamano said.
"Thank you Hamano-san!"
"But what Hamano-san, only Hamano is fine Tenma."
"I haven't said it can be done yet."
"Yes, yes, we leave the bureaucratic things to you Takuto, you just let us know when we have to show up. "

Shindou sighed.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Ranmaru said.
"Don't get involved Ranmaru." even if she looks at him with an expression that says: 'please send them away.'

Poor Shindou, Hamano could be worse than Tenma apparently, and now he found himself having to invite an entire football team to his mega luxurious villa.

The other boys ended up arriving, as well as Hikaru who after greeting everyone sat down next to him and asked him why he wasn't in the middle of all that melee, could he ever? He observed exclusively from afar.

Finally Endou arrived, next to him was Mrs. Otonashi.
He wasted a really long time waiting for everyone to take their seats and in the end they actually woke up Kurama.

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After restoring order, Endou explained everything they had discovered about Raimon and that was not much.

He had told them that he didn't know the new coach at all and that he had asked Kidou, but they had to wait for his answer.

He continued and continued talking about useless things until he got closer to the white board.

"Raimon has a very closed defense and midfield, leaving only two attackers."

He had drawn the Raimon scheme on the blackboard. A 4-4-2.
As they had said, they only had two attackers, while the midfield and defense seemed to be one and the same.

They always had the same pattern, so he had heard, the times they changed it were rare.

"What we will do is the exact opposite. Last time we used a 3-3-4, this time let yourself be amazed."

That let yourselves be amazed seemed truly hellish.

Endou erased the old pattern from the blackboard and drew on it. a new one.

And 2-5-3.

A suicide. That's what was truly hellish.

"Don't make those faces! Nothing to worry about, you will see that with a little of training you will succeed well."

Masaki wondered only one thing.
Why? Why this drastic change? There had always been three of them in defense, and now who were they losing? Ranmaru, Amagi? Or did he leave him out...?
What did Endou have in mind?

"The lineup will be this: Kariya Masaki and Kirino Ranmaru in defense. The training sessions you have done so far with this scheme will give excellent results.
In midfield, my usual ones: Hamano Kaiji, Matsukaze Tenma, Nishiki Ryoma, Shindou Takuto and Tsurumasa Hayami;
While in attack: Kageyama Hikaru, Kurama Norihito and Tsurugi Kyousuke.
The goalkeeper will remain Sangoku Taichi."

He with Ranmaru, alone, on defense.
But why was he doing this to him?

The midfield looked huge like that, and it was the first time Ryoma played in a match as a midfielder.

He didn't doubt Ryoma's abilities on the court, though, up until that point he had been on offense.

Playing like that would only tire them twice as much, he was sure of it.

Why was Endou suicidal that afternoon? What had happened to him? She wanted so much to yell at him to wear a white shirt if he was in grave danger.

"In training, there will always be Nishizono in goal. You will train with him, so as to strengthen yourself. Don't worry guys, play as you always have and you will see that with your style you will be able to win, you will have to be ready for anything, and this-" he slammed his hand violently on the blackboard. "this will take us to the Final."

Thank goodness Shinsuke remained in training, given that the last match he played as goalkeeper was the one against Royal.

But he hadn't yet understood what Endou had in mind, in short, training them with Shinsuke so as not to make Sangoku weigh everything in the match?
Would they have strengthened the defense that way? He didn't understand! And he was really racking his brain, looking for a plausible explanation for all this, but the hamster that was spinning in his brain had just skidded and ended up dead on the ground.

That scheme had demoralized him, his spirits were low.
He was above all scared. He had to train hard, so they wouldn't lose.

"Also, I got permission from the principal, for the weekend, for a retreat here at school. The match will be played on Sunday, so from Friday after lessons to Sunday afternoon, we will stay here at school, training. It'll be fun, you'll see.
Shindou will be collecting signatures from parents these days, and you'll definitely have to be there." Endou said, smiling as always.

A retreat there at school.
Of course Endou said some strange things that day, had he lost his mind by any chance? Because that was the only explanation she could give herself.

"Well guys, I've thought of everything. From training to the winning scheme, however I remind you that in the game you will have to think only and exclusively about playing, having fun, if you start thinking 'we are losing', 'we can never win'; or, if you underestimate Raimon and think you are invincible, well guys, you can't win with this.
Do teamwork, train, but in moderation, and you will see how the Goddess of Football will smile at you. "

At least a little, Endou managed to lift the morale under his feet.
He answered some questions regarding the match and that sort of retreat, before sending them off to change.

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After the usual warm-up, they began training with that new pattern.

It was strange being alone on defense, and he probably wouldn't have gotten used to it so easily, unlike Ranmaru, who was so comfortable.
At least in that scheme he would have avoided always clash with Amagi.

In attack, Kyousuke had thought of a new hissatsu, but had only shown it to the coach, he didn't know why he wanted to keep it secret, but he knew that he had trained, perhaps even worse than Tenma did.

He had a little fear about the retreat.
Endou had said from Friday to Sunday, and it was three days.
He had never been three days away from home, and even if he had no intention of experiencing that "thrill" she couldn't refuse.

I wonder how Ryuuji and Hiroto would have taken it.
Would they have cried? He bet on Hiroto.

Shindou and Ranmaru trained by trying to block each other, between dribbling and hissatsu to block.

Everyone was working to the best of their ability. And seeing them in such a good mood and everyone so calm about the match also reassured him, who perhaps had let himself get a little carried away. too anxious, as he often did...

Who knows what this new Raimon would have been like...

"Hey Masaki! I want you to try to stop my Extended Zone!" Hikaru told him, pointing his finger at him.
"I'm in. Don't hold back!"

Hikaru ran towards him and the first time Masaki even managed to steal the ball.
The more they trained, the more Hikaru tried to improve and complicate things for him.
He also made a couple of shots on goal, so as to involve Shinsuke even more, since he was already busy with Tenma.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

At the end of training Endou reminded them of the retreat, and to have their parents sign a paper, otherwise he would be forced to call them personally one by one.

In the locker room everyone had their say on the scheme, on the retirement, whatever came to mind at that moment.
Until, once again, he found himself alone, or rather, again alone with Kirino Ranmaru.

And it was all going well too.
He was ignoring it as best as he could, succeeding, until Ranmaru decided to ruin everything.

"Do you have much longer?" He asked.

He didn't understand what he was referring to, and Ranmaru must have noticed his puzzled expression, because first he snorted loudly (and this annoyed Masaki so much) and then he said: "I intend to ignore Masaki."
"Did you organize everything so that we could be alone again? What is it, are you obsessed with me?" He asked.

He was the one who had it in his hands.

"No Masaki, I don't have a mind as twisted as yours. And I could say the same about you, but I'm too tired to argue. I just want to know why you're ignoring me."

His plan had failed, and he had even been caught red-handed, but deep down he had to imagine it, because Ranmaru wasn't an idiot. He just looked like an idiot.

His heart automatically panicked.
"What? I'm not ignoring you!"

Ranmaru looked at him as if to say, I know you're lying to me, but instead he said, "You know what, maybe it's for the best."
"No!"; He had acted on impulse.

And now he had to invent something.

"What... I'm an idiot. You're sooooo right... I was ignoring you because-
- You said that I didn't offend you, and that I didn't do anything to you, yet only three days have passed, and you started ignoring me again. "
"I already told you that you are right about this! And that... I felt a little nervous. I'm like a fish out of water these days... I'm trying to work on it."

Well, he wasn't partially lying, right?
But he couldn't understand why the hell he was confiding in Ranmaru like that... well, why? It had become so automatic, and Masaki no longer had control of it.

"That's all?"
But what do you mean: That's all?

He nodded. "Sorry if I disappointed you... "
"You didn't disappoint me... I just stayed there a bit. bad, and that you are difficult to understand, and above all to be friends with, but you didn't disappoint me, why should you?

Masaki shrugged. "I didn't want to. I don't trust people very much, and it's all really difficult, but I'm trying and the coach... helps me a little. in this."

He had many reasons, but he wouldn't be there to list them.

Ranmaru held out his hand. "So friends like before?"
"Friends like before."

Ranmaru smiled at him, and his heart started beating like crazy again, he should have had a chamomile tea after a day like that.

Finally, he managed to get out of the locker room.

He couldn't wait to go home, he was really hungry, even though he had eaten almost the entire tray at lunch.
He also felt drained of strength, that The training had been quite intense, he hoped that Endou would never propose a similar scheme again, or else he would have thrown in the towel.

He made his way back in silence.
Not a single word was said between Tenma and Kyousuke.

Masaki still felt terribly at fault for what had happened between him and Ranmaru...
It was all his fault, like most things in his life in short.
And that, he was really so confused, he was truly a fish out of water. He found his head always full of thoughts, and accepting that maybe he might like boys, well, this sent him completely haywire, and the tests hadn't helped... but how could he understand that he was gay?

I mean, he didn't stare at boys or girls, in any way possible.
But, the feelings he felt when Ranmaru was around him... well, not those had never tried before.
Were they the famous butterflies?
If so, his butterflies had only given him indigestion.

But even if that were the case, the fact still remained that everyone in middle school had seen things through, and that perhaps, growing up in a certain environment, he necessarily had to become like this... in short, he also hung out with Tenma and Kyousuke... he couldn't escape it.
But agreeing with all those people wouldn't have solved anything.

Had he been bullied for a just cause? This was the truth.

The more he thought about it, the more a lump rose in his throat, as if those butterflies wanted to fly away.

"What do you think we should call her, Masaki?" Tenma asked him, probably to add to the conversation.

Kyousuke and Tenma who had previously been in front talking about the new training and other commitments they had, even doing a hissatsu between them, since Tenma was learning some shooting hissatsu, now, they were both standing still looking at him.

"Everything okay Masaki? You have a wax." Kyousuke said.
"Everything is great... can you repeat Tenma, please?"
"Um, yes agreed. Kyousuke and I are thinking about a new hissatsu, you have to decide on the name."
"Why do I have to decide? I'm not good at this stuff!"
"Come on! A name!" Tenma started circling him, and he knew he wouldn't stop until he came up with a name.

Masaki thought about it really hard, as if he were choosing a name for a child. "Let's see... Kyousuke mainly has hissatsu that resemble fire while you have wind, so... fiery spinning top?" Yes, Tenma reminded him of a spinning top, especially on the field.

"Fiery spinning top?" Tenma literally burst out laughing in his face, and Kyousuke was also making a great effort to contain himself.
"Hey! Look, you're the one who asked me for a name!"

But Tenma didn't stop laughing. "It was supposed to be the name for a hissatsu!" she doubled over with laughter.
"Stop it right now!" She didn't stop.

He was happy to have distanced himself from his thoughts, and he would have liked to continue doing so, but when he got home, he realized he was still alone.
He wanted to put an end to that day.
He couldn't stand any more training, coaches doing what he liked best, or drunk teammates like Kyousuke, and above all, nagging thoughts...

He couldn't wait to tell his parents about his bad day over dinner and then go to sleep.

But, that day was still full of surprises, and she really wanted to knock him out.

After taking a shower, he went to get something to eat in the fridge, and only when he closed it did he notice the post-it attack.

There was Ryuuji's handwriting, at least something legible.
The post-it said:

"We'll be back late tonight (unscheduled meeting, thanks Hiroto),
I left your dinner in the fridge, reheat it. And don't try to wait up for us. We love you."

The phrase "don't try to wait up for us" it was written in large letters.

At Kira & Company often happened in the evenings when there were last minute meetings or something like that.
He had stayed home alone several times, at night.
A little he had gotten used to it, but he had hoped until the end that, living nearby, those evenings would never happen again, but he had to change his mind.
He was quite upset about it, but he would have had them anyway wait, he hoped to actually succeed.

After all, given how that day had gone, we might as well end it on a high note.

He chose a random TV channel and reheated dinner, luckily he knew how to do it.

The lump in his throat, which had formed on the way home, had now turned into a couple of stupid tears.

He didn't do anything forbidden by Ryuuji like "eating on the sofa" or in his room, he didn't even use his cell phone at the table, which wasn't like him, to feel a little more relaxed. less alone.

In reality he knew very well that he was not alone, he was alone in his thoughts... but when he said that he seemed like a psychopath, and perhaps deep down he was becoming one.
Maybe in his tree genealogically there was some serial killer or mental patient and he was starting to be part of it.

Even though Ryuuji had written to him not to stay awake waiting for them, Masaki tried anyway.
But he didn't give up, he would wait for them, even if sleep was about to get the better of him...

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Chapter Text

He had never been away from Ryuuji and Hiroto for so long as in those days.
Even though they were only 15 minutes away on foot, Masaki felt as if Ryuuji and Hiroto were in Kyoto while he was there in Nagano doing the sort of retreat that Endou had promised them.

They had gathered their things, including a duffer bag, their uniform, and found themselves having to sleep in a sleeping bag between Hikaru and Shinsuke.
He admitted that he wanted to strangle Tenma over and over again because of how annoying he was, especially the first night, a nightmare.
A completely new experience for their first years; the rest of the team had already experienced the thrill of the retreat, the real one (not the one organized in a school).

They trained really hard, perhaps even more than usual, but fortunately they also had a lot of fun.

In the morning, after waking up, they started with a run around the school (which was truly torture for Masaki's sleeping senses) and then went to breakfast, and, after a minimum hour's break, they did both individual and on hissatsu, while in the afternoon they trained solely on formation.

He had also discovered that Endou was very good at cooking, unlike his wife, Mrs. Natsumi (Masaki strongly discouraged lunch or dinner at Mrs. Natsumi's).
They used the school canteen as a huge kitchen, and everyone had their own task, which ranged from peeling, cutting to washing the dishes, trays, which they had used.
The only "heavy" task they had, was to not set the kitchen on fire in any way.

No one knew, however, how Endou managed to get permission to do that retreat, since the principal didn't seem like a person who allowed those things.
Just as Shindou's parents weren't, and yet, there he was together with them, while that evening he took part in some of Hamano's silly games, skipping his invaluable piano lessons.

He would have really liked to see the face of the principal or the vice-principal, when, on the first day, Hamano had thrown a glass of water in Sangoku's face, thus starting a huge competition to see who was the most soaked, and Endou, rather than putting them in punishment or whatever bad thing he might do, he joined them.

They also had plenty of time to talk to each other or just mind their own business, in the dead hours when they weren't training.

Then, there were those like Hamano, who had brought a real console, a simple Nintendo, and even not having enough controllers for everyone, they managed to use it.

As he said, he had never imagined spending days like those, in fact, he had never imagined being away from Ryuuji and Hiroto for so long.
Maybe a little it was good for him, and for them too.

That last evening, they had decided -Hamano had decided. – that they were going to sleep really late, it was stupid considering that they were supposed to play the match the following day, but Hamano had gotten it into his head that they had to spend an all-nighter at all costs (little spoiler, the first to collapse was himself him).

They satisfied Hamano anyway, taking part in those stupid games that were played at their age.
Like, they were asking each other questions, stuff like that; Masaki, as well as Kurama and Hayami, stayed out of it, simply standing there in the circle to provide moral support.

They asked Hikaru, just for fun, who Kageyama Reiji was, and Hikaru this time, said everything without crying, Masaki felt so proud.

He had discovered that 'pigtails' of Ranmaru, were to protect Shindou from bullies, as he was often called "sissy" being really too emotional.
And from there, Masaki discovered that those two had known each other for a long time before high school, they were like childhood friends or something.

He didn't think that a person like Shindou could be targeted by bullies. In short, looking at him, he seemed like a nice person, on his own terms, and it was normal for him to be too emotional sometimes, it was a common thing for everyone.

Hamano joked by telling them that Shindou and Ranmaru were the two parental figures, the mother towards Kirino and the father towards Shindou, being captain and deputy, that they therefore made a nice couple, ergo not being just best friends, Shindou immediately withdrew, declaring himself straight and in love with one of the managers, who were not there.
It was obvious that he was referring to Akane.

And before Masaki knew it, after Hamano uttered the fateful words: "you are a beautiful couple." his stomach started acting up.
He wasn't jealous. He couldn't be.

Ryoma revealed that he intended to go and play Italian football, while Shinsuke, moved by curiosity, asked Tenma how he and Kyousuke ended up together.

Tenma spoke and spoke for both of them, poor Kyousuke just wanted to go to sleep.

Hamano said that Kurama had a terrible fear of the paranormal, and not participating in the game, Kurama threw a Ranmaru rubber band right at his nose.

To make him feel less alone, Masaki said that he had a terrible fear of snakes and slimy animals.

When Shindou said he was in love with one of the managers, he tapped Ranmaru on the shoulder, as if he wanted to invite him to say something, but he didn't know what, because Ranmaru didn't speak.

Hamano then returned to the topic to make fun of Shindou.
She didn't know exactly what there was to make fun of, even someone like Shindou could fall in love.
The fact is, Hamano fell asleep in a flash.

Masaki waited until everyone was sound asleep before sneaking out.

In reality he wasn't sleepy that evening, and that's why he immediately accepted Hamano's crazy idea.
He couldn't sleep, he found the sleeping bag too uncomfortable that evening.

So I just sneak out and sit on the damp grass around the school.

It had a not beautiful view of the stars.

He liked the night, he preferred it to the day, and the stars, he loved anything to do with stars or planets or astrology.
Hiroto had taught him to see the constellations when they were still at Ohisama En.

They had a super telescope, and Masaki being too small was taken by Hiroto so he could see through it.

He had very confused memories of that period.
And it's not like she remembered much.

His memory seemed to be blurred from his arrival at Ohisama En to when he was in third grade.
From that period of time he had confused and unclear memories, of how she had met Ryuuji and Hiroto, or how he was alone playing football in the courtyard.

However, he perfectly remembered everything that happened afterwards, like when before going to live with Hiroto and Ryuuji, his uncle Nagumo had told him that his parents were aliens, he still remembered the screams of his aunt Hitomiko who ordered him not to say never anything like this again.

Come to think of it, Masaki was really stupid to believe it.
And it was completely a coincidence that his school was called "Alien Academy", even though he had nothing to do with the aliens.

He had so many thoughts in his head that he didn't know how to get rid of them, as was routine in those days.
The night, for him, was made up of thoughts.

He hadn't found the courage to talk about it with his parents and he really felt stupid about it, who could understand him better than them?
But the problem was that she didn't even know what she was supposed to talk about.
He was in a state of confusion, he couldn't understand, recognize himself.

He hated feeling wrong, he had done it for too long.

Everything seemed foreign to him and he really felt very influenced, even if it wasn't, or at least he thought, or maybe that's what everyone would have thought. He didn't know it. None of it made sense.

"Masaki? And what are you doing awake at this hour?"

As soon as he heard his interlocutor speak, he dried his tears with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, since when had he been crying?

The person in question was Endou.

"Coach?"
"What are you still doing awake, young man? Tomorrow we have a game to play."

But what was he was doing awake at that early hour.

"I... well, I couldn't sleep. But what are you doing awake?"
"Why can't you sleep? Didn't you happen to stop talking more than an hour ago?"
"Did you hear us?"
"Yes, I was talking to Natsumi. I haven't told you anything and I won't because you're kids."

Oh.
Then Hamano didn't even notice. What an idiot.

"So why are you out here all alone in the cold? And why can't you sleep?"

Endou sat down next to him, leaving his legs stretched out and looking up at the sky. Now that was really strange.

"Do you miss your parents by any chance?"

Masaki blushed. But who had he taken it for? He wasn't a child at all.
"Not at all."

"Problems with the team? Has anyone done or said something they shouldn't have?"
"No... they're all fantastic."
"So tell me what it is. I'm here to listen to you."

But Masaki had no idea what to say.
He only knew that he couldn't sleep because he had too many thoughts on his mind.

And then, since when did Endou become so... mature?
Since when did he stop acting like one of them?

"Is there something you can't tell me?"
"No... it's not that. And I just don't know either."
"Maybe you're just anxious about the match. You'll see that tomorrow everything will be fine, you trained with the boys, and then there are two of you in defense, you have nothing to worry about."

Typical of Endou. She took back what she had thought two seconds ago, it hadn't changed at all.
She seemed to be cheering Tenma up.

"It's not this coach... in your opinion..." Am I wrong?
The words didn't come out of his mouth.

Just one thought. A single, fixed thought, which unfortunately was no longer Ranmaru.

"Masaki, do you know that you can talk to me as if I were your friend? Let's be more of a distant uncle."

A friend of his parents. Maybe that was the problem.
Endou had known her parents since they were teenagers, they had spent most of their time together, and Masaki had known her long before Alien.
She was really afraid that she might tell everything to her parents if she spoke...

"You won't say anything to my parents, will you?"
"Act as if I don't know them, I'll have my mouth shut."

He didn't know if he could trust him.
He had never found himself having to talk to Endou like that. And then, she never had her mouth shut.
He knew this personally and also because he had heard Hiroto tell him about what Endou was like.

"How did you react when Hiroto and Ryuuji told you they were together?"
"Is that what worries you? There's nothing wrong with it, you more than anyone should know that."

But what exactly was he referring to?
Did you want to change the subject?

"You didn't answer the question."
Endou looked at him. "Hiroto and Midorikawa you said."

Masaki nodded.
The coach went back to staring at the sky.

"As a team, we couldn't wait for those two to get together, especially after Midorikawa's injury." Endou didn't seem happy when he remembered that episode.

Masaki had never known much, he only knew that Ryuuji got injured and had to leave Inazuma Japan, without ever returning.
He had never wanted to investigate because talking about it would only arouse bad memories, and he didn't want to.

Endou continued: "You see, Hiroto always talked about him and he was the one who was particularly close to him both before and after the injury, he sent him letters constantly when we stayed longer in a single place, I don't know if he ever received answers, but after training he locked himself in his room and wrote letters."

Hiroto writing or answering letters could never have been imagined, he would have liked to know more about those letters, but if not even Endou knew the contents, he doubted that Hiroto had told him.
However, he would have asked that.

"They have always had a very special relationship, and this made them quite close, then when we knew that they had finally decided to get together, well it wasn't a surprise, we knew it would happen. You should ask Nagumo and Suzuno how it happened, if you really care."

Endou then turned to look at him.
"So, you don't have to feel embarrassed Masaki, if you like boys or girls, or I don't know, it's normal. You should know that. You have a good example."

Endou… how could they hate such a person?

Was he talking to Endou Mamoru? With his coach?
Since when did he have these bursts of intelligence?

What did they put in his glass of water? Some strange potion for intelligence? He had to give it to Tenma too.

"Do you think I was influenced? Why did I grow up in a certain type of environment?

Endou's eyes widened.
"Influenced you say? No Masaki, if you're referring to your parents, certainly not. You don't copy them.
You shouldn't feel like that and never say things like that again, if your parents heard you what would they say?"

Endou had confused him.

He was truly speechless.

He had never thought about what Ryuuji and Hiroto might think if they found out that their only son was feeling affected, as if he were sick.

He called himself an idiot.
It was. A perfect idiot.

But before he could shed any more tears, Endou asked him, "So who do you like? Now I want to know."

Masaki would have loved to leave.
His emotions changed dramatically, from being sad and being an idiot, to being embarrassed by a question like that.
He swore he had gone redder than Hiroto's hair.

Endou had his wits about him and then went back to being stupid, more stupid than Tenma.

"None. Here...-
-I was joking Masaki. Now to sleep, so you can recharge for tomorrow's game." He stood up and cleaned his pants.

Sleeping wasn't a bad idea.
But he really wanted to stay a little longer. with himself...

"It's also cold tonight and I don't want your parents to scold me because you got sick. Come on, go to sleep." Now he was serious and authoritative.

He had nothing to object to.
"I'll go, thanks again coach."

Endou smiled at him.

He returned to his warm sleeping bag.

He really needed a family hug...

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

The next day he woke up rather early, strange given that he had slept very little.

Ranmaru's horrifying voice woke him up.

"Masaki wake up! The sun is high in the sky. We don't have time to sleep, we have a good dose of morning training!"

He hated it. With all his heart.

"Stop screaming in my poor ears!"

He was tempted to throw something at his face, and since he had nothing heavy other than his cell phone, he threw the first pillow he found at him. Right in his stupid face.

"And this is how you treat the older ones?"
"You deserved it, mommy."

Ranmaru gasped. "Oh?" he threw a pillow right in his face. "Now who's mommy?"

In response, Masaki threw the pillow back in his face.

This was how the battle with the pillow started.
Hamano also joined, and with him half the team.

Too bad they were swamped by feathers.
Luckily no extra wandering around the school.
They simply had to clean up all the mess they had made.

"You still have a few feathers left in your hair." Ranmaru told him. "You look like such a little chick."

It was yet another feather out of his hair, and Ranmaru continued to tease him.

"Stop it or the next feather will hit your eye."
"You're too short to get there, sorry." Ranmaru waved his hand over his head.

he even had the luxury of teasing him like that!

"But at least I have a very precise aim, and not like yours."
"My passes are well-
- Will you stop bickering like an old married couple? Thank you. It's eight in the morning, and what the hell." Kurama blurted out, how he ended up in the pillow fight was still a mystery.

At least he and Ranmaru had agreed on something, they would continue to look at Kurama as if he had just said heresy.

After cleaning up the whole mess, they did morning warm-ups.

Masaki hated doing it. He wanted to stay there and have breakfast and think about the millstones melting in the milk, too bad they didn't have the millstones, and barely any milk.

After warming up they went to the showers and then to breakfast, with a measly glass of milk and one of those croissants they sold in supermarkets. Empty.
Not even the decency to take a while of chocolate or apricot jam.
It might seem like she had vices, but in her defense she could say that that croissant was a real method of killing people. Hamano was even about to suffocate.

After breakfast Tenma forced him to train with him on his new hissatsu.

"This will be called Mach Wind.[14]"
"Tenma, you don't have to find the name, but you have to create them! You can't just find a name and throw them out there."
"Hey! Look, my hissatsu is ready for today's match."
"Will the coach let you use it?"
"Of course."

It didn't seem obvious, given that in previous games they had said no to the use of new hissatsu, but if Tenma had said it, who was he to contradict him?

"Come on, let's see this new Mach Wind."
"I'm coming!"

He let it slip.

Masaki.
Let. It. Slip.

It was a shooting hissatsu, and he understood it because it was the one Tenma had been feeling all his life, but he didn't think it was that fast.
She threw the ball forward and ran straight behind, leaving a gust of wind behind her.

"So? What do you think?"
Tenma told him as he went to retrieve the ball from the goal.

"This time I will be able to stop you, and if I don't, know that I'm willing to try until the game."

Tenma smiled at him.
"It was the coach who recommended such a hissatsu to me. And he did it really well for me.”
"Yeah, congratulations, she's really beautiful."
"Thank you! So shall we try again?"
"Bring it on."

After seeing it two more times, Masaki managed to be fast enough to touch the ball.
After trying again, he managed to slow down the shot with his Hunter's net.

With Endou they then went on to talk about various vicissitudes that still existed using the new formation, luckily it helped them.

They had a little more time for a mini-workout before lunch.

Luckily today during lunch, he had the task of cutting a little of carrots, they would have eaten simple spaghetti with vegetables.
It wasn't the best, he still missed Ryuuji's cooking more than anything else.

Along with him, cutting/shredding, were Kyousuke, Ranmaru, Sangoku and Hayami.
Everyone had a different vegetable. Except Ranmaru, he also had carrots. Unfortunately.

"Look, you could also take another cutting board and not use mine." Masaki said.

Obviously, in addition to sharing the vegetables, they shared the chopping board, because he didn't know it, but it seemed to him that he was back in middle school doing ‘home economics’, a real trauma.

"They're finished."
"You could have chosen something else, like peeling cooked eggs."
"No, it's called shelling."
"This is not important. Do you always have to copy me?"
"Look who's talking, it's you who chose to be the defender."
"Oh, so I would have copied the role from you?"
"More or less."
"Have they ever told you that you are an idiot?"
"Yes, a certain short boy with golden eyes, I don't know if you know him."

Ranmaru looked him up and down.

"I don't think I know him, you should introduce him to me sometime."
"He's very unpleasant, but maybe you'd get along."
"I don't think he's as obnoxious as a certain boy who has pink hair, he looks a lot like you, you know?"
"I might have a twin brother." he smiled at him.

The thought of two Ranmaru could tear his hair out.
One was enough.

"The coach is good at cooking, but I would like to eat something less healthy every now and then." Ranmaru said.
"Whoever you say, I would really like a nice bowl of Tempura."

Masaki adored it.

"Exactly what we need now, it wouldn't take much time to prepare it, but then we wouldn't go to play anymore. Or maybe yes but by pouring our soul into the nearest toilet first."
Masaki laughed. "Hey but do you know how to cook tempura??"
"Yes? Anything really, my mom is almost always away for work, so I'm alone at home."
"Oh, it must be horrible."

Ranmaru shrugged his shoulders and said: "You get used to it, then it's not like she's away all the time, she has shifts that allow her to go home, today for example she comes to watch me play!"

Hearing him talk about his mother, Masaki remembered when one day in elementary school there was a sort of day dedicated to them, (but in reality there was still that day probably, he was the one who didn't know when Mother's Day was celebrated) and he had convinced Hitomiko to leave him at Ohisama en., just for that day, he had succeeded by a miracle.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you in any way."

Ranmaru had returned to focusing on the carrots, stealing one from him.

"Hey, that carrot is mine."
"Too late, I'll cut it now."
"For your information, you didn't make me sad."
"Can I not believe you?"
"No."
"You miss your mother's delicacies so much, is that why you became sad? I didn't make you someone who could miss his mother by only being away for three days."
"What?? But no, I don't even have a mother, how could I miss her? "

Well, he had ruined everything.
He had read it on Ranmaru's embarrassed and shocked expression.

Maybe it had been a while too direct... but at least he had silenced him, he couldn't even cut carrots anymore.

He didn't understand why every time he said it, people became mortified, as if they had killed a kitten. In short, there were those who did not have a father, and those who did not have a mother or those who did not have both, it was a fact, not a state secret.
Everyone knew that Tenma lived alone, with his aunt who managed an entire apartment building, yet no one showed him that crestfallen expression.

"You don't have to say anything. I don't even know her, so you haven't done anything wrong... Don't say anything or even that you're sorry."

He didn't know if it would work, but he at least hoped he would get the message across.

"I didn't know, forgive me."
"Didn't I just tell you not to say anything?"
"Hey! I'm trying to repair the damage I've done."
"You haven't done any damage, you can rest assured." She smiled at him, trying to make him understand that everything was fine, really.

"Okay, okay, but, I'm sorry."
"Ranmaru." He complained.

He didn't even notice the fact that he had just said his name out loud.

"I'm not saying anything."
"Thanks, and this is mine anyway." He took the carrot back.
"Then I'll take another one of yours."

Ranmaru actually took another carrot. And he even stuck his tongue out at him!

"I won't force you... but if you want to talk about it, I'm here." he told.

Masaki felt himself warming up, as if someone had turned on the radiators inside his body. It was a pleasant warmth.

"Thanks... Ranmaru."

After they finished cutting all the carrots, and luckily Ranmaru started talking to him like a normal person again, they all had lunch together in the cafeteria.

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After lunch, each of them began to speculate on Raimon and have their say. Some also wondered which court they would play on, but honestly Masaki didn't worry about such a thing, they could also play on the ice court, he didn't have any problems.

Once it was time, Endou told them that the caravan was waiting for them and so they had to hurry.

From there it wasn't long to the roulette train, but Endou said it was better to be early.

In the caravan Masaki felt all the anxiety he hadn't felt until that morning.
He didn't care what stadium they played in, but he cared how they played, and above all, whether they could win.
He always had the usual fear of not being able to win, every game they played, and this was the second, it seemed to be more and more difficult.

Next to him was Hikaru who was playing with his cell phone.
Masaki had taken the opportunity to learn more about what Hiroto and Ryuu were doing. Those two must have already been at the stadium.

Now that it was cold, Masaki couldn't wait to get on the court and warm up so he could stay warm.

Arriving at the roulette train, they took their seats.

The Raimon players were sitting right in front of them.

The train left as soon as everyone was inside.
It didn't take long to get to the stadium, but like that time they had to walk to reach the stadium.

Masaki continued he still didn't like this idea of catching a train and arriving at strange destinations, he wanted simple things.

When did Endou decide to call Mr. Veteran and have him come there so they could go to the stadium with the caravan?

Once they arrived they understood that the stadium they were about to play in was called Holy Road, what was different from the others? Absolutely nothing.
It was a very normal stadium. It didn't have a turbine in the center of the field, nor an ice floor.

"Welcome to the stadium Holy Road! Today we would have the joy of seeing the old Raimon Junior High play against the brand new Alien Academy, which is also making good progress within the football frontier, but unfortunately there is only one winner. Who will be able to advance in the tournament?"

"Looking at them... they inspire terror." Hayami said.

It was true.
They had a strange aura, Masaki didn't like it at all. And the feeling that this time they wouldn't win was gradually starting to make its way into his thoughts.

"Let's not underestimate them, but we shouldn't overestimate them either. They're guys just like us, maybe they have some tricks up their sleeves, but they're just like us." Shindou said.
"We will play well Hayami! Don't worry!" Tenma told him.

Raimon didn't seem friendly at all, much less their coach.
He was short, round and wore a long red jacket with gold trim, black jeans and black shoes.
He had a downward-pointing black mustache and a small goatee and black hair tied in a ponytail.

"He is Chou Kinun[15], the new coach of Raimon." Endou said. "Come on guys, don't be scared, and let's go change."

They went to change before warming up.
In the locker rooms each of them had their say on Raimon.
However, everyone was clear that they didn't seem very friendly.

"We will win this time too, don't let your anxiety get to you. Raimon may have returned to her golden days, but she hasn't seen us yet. Shindou said.

He wanted so much to trust Shindou's words.

They went out to warm up, and seeing the stadium already full, where on one side there were Raimon fans, didn't reassure him at all.

Ranmaru who was there warming up just like him, called him back. "Masaki, hey."

It was strange, the mare lunare didn't have all those choirs, unlike the Raimon.

"Don't let it scare you." Ranmaru told him. "Just think about the game, and don't let your thoughts influence you."
"Yes... thanks."

He didn't look at all at the absurd shots that the Raimon team were trying on the other side of the pitch, under their fans, no no.

He was really hoping to do something good...

He tried to warm up as usual, and rather than thinking about Raimon, he thought that Ryuuji and Hiroto were also sitting in the stands.
She would have loved to talk to them before the start of the match, up close and not on a call like he had done in those days, with the fear that someone might overhear their conversations.

He wanted to witness Hiroto's millionth loss at chess and see him play it again a hundred times, and he really wanted it to calm his anxiety at that moment.

Luckily they were there, he knew it, and it was the thought he clung to until they returned.

After Endou gave them some pointers, telling them to try their hardest, they walked down the long corridor next to Raimon.
They really seemed so confident and Masaki felt so tiny compared to them.

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The match had started and the kick-off was theirs.

The first few minutes of the match were very slow.

Raimon couldn't overcome their midfield while they couldn't overcome their defense, but everyone knew that in reality that wasn't Raimon's real power, perhaps they were just trying to tire them out to have the second half all to themselves.

When they knew how to get out the real game began.

Their first goal was scored by Tenma with his new hissatsu, boosting the team's morale through the roof.

They had just revealed their secret weapon.

Maybe they had four defenders because their goalkeeper wasn't as good as they thought?

Tenma had really tried hard to make Mach Wind work. Seeing her finally in goal was a spectacle.

The match seemed to be taking an excellent turn and everything was going swimmingly there in defense. He and Ranmaru could handle it, for the time being.

Shunsuke had the ball at his feet and for being the captain of the second team, he did quite well and was up to speed with them, but even during training he was able to adapt immediately.

He passed the ball before losing it, gave it to Kurama who in turn passed it back in midfield to Shindou.

Masaki was keen to see "Kami no Takuto" but instead Shindou simply kept the ball at his foot and dribbled.

The ball passed to Hikaru who was almost in Raimon's defense, he shot from where he was, but still couldn't do anything.

Raimon started the counterattack, and the number 10 arrived in their defense.
He was hoping to get some direction from Ranmaru but he was too busy trying not to pass the ball, so he did the obvious thing. Mark the number 11 that he was waiting for a ride.

Too bad it was a splendid feint, and they completely fell for it.

Raimon took little or nothing to recover the goal they had conceded.
It was truly incredible.
The goal was crazy, almost enough to tear the net apart.

Masaki had never seen something like this, and yes, he never thought he would think such things about Raimon.
He was truly amazed, but he had no intention of losing.

For the rest of the first half they tried to score another goal, but without succeeding, at least Raimon also failed to score.

But the game became really interesting even for those who were there on the pitch.

Things were 'good' between him and Ranmaru, and those days had helped a lot.

"Masaki pass it on."

He enjoyed using Masaki just like a pawn. In reality, she did it because she knew how fast he was and how quickly it took him to get up.
And that was fine with Masaki, he wanted to play to his maximum ability, he was fine with that.

Tenma, who now had possession of the ball, discarded his opponent with his hissatsu.

Tenma's play style almost always surprised him.
Creating hissatsu by exploiting the wind almost as if it were the element that exploited him, it was simply a spectacle that he wished he would never experience first hand.

In attack, Hikaru advanced with the ball at his feet, until one of Raimon slipped, causing him to fall to the ground.

Number 5, who was the one who had knocked Hikaru over, quickly passed the ball to number 11, who was advancing towards them.

"Hikaru! Get up let's go!" Masaki shouted.
he was truly afraid for the boy, who still showed no sign of getting up.

He would have loved to run towards him like Tenma was doing. Asking him if she was okay...
he didn't want Hikaru to stop playing right now... he still had to score.

"Masaki on the 10th mark it! Now!" Ranmaru told him.

Masaki rushed to fulfill his role when Hikaru stood up and gave Shindou the thumbs up.
Luckily he was fine.

"You have no hope." The number 11 said as he shot straight towards goal.
"Sangoku!" Ranmaru shouted.

"I'll take care of it." Sangoku said. "Bring it on."

The number 11, with his absurd hissatsu, almost managed to score except that Masaki rushed to save the goal even if he only managed to graze the ball, but he gave Sangoku time to get up and dive to recover the ball before entered the door.

"Excellent defense Masaki. Thank you." Sangoku told him.
"Of course, thanks for the help."

The referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half. They were stuck on a draw.

They left the camp and went to Endou.
The first thing he did was put ice on Hikaru's ankle.

"You should come out Hikaru." Endou said seriously.
"I can still play, don't worry coach!"
"But Hikaru, you shouldn't joke with these things." Masaki interjected.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, I wasn't hurt."
"We'll do as you want, but at the slightest pain you're out, okay?"
"Yes coach!"

Endou then dealt with them.
In those fifteen minute break she tried to explain as many things as possible to them, encouraged them and motivated them.

Since Hikaru's fall, the strange feeling as if he already knew what they were going to encounter couldn't leave his head.
And he really hated to think of her that way, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

Whether they would win or not would be decided by fate, so for now he really couldn't think about it.
She just had to play as she saw fit, it was the only thing she could do.

Professor Otonashi also joined that motivational speech, she was really nice to them.
Masaki associated her a little with to her aunt Hitomiko, but they were still very different, her aunt would have really taken the reins as a coach, and she wouldn't have been at all kind o cute.

"Make sure Hikaru, get out as soon as you can't." Masaki told him.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, and I'll be able to play for the entire second half!" Hikaru told him, smiling at him. "I'll score a lot of goals!"

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Raimon scored another goal, catching them completely off guard.

Ranmaru hadn't been able to stop the shot, and Sangoku had gone in the opposite direction, but from what he had seen, the shot was really powerful, it could almost take off his arm...

From there, an indeterminable amount of time truly passed.

They didn't know how many minutes remained until the end of the match, but now, Masaki was more and more sure that they wouldn't do anything.

Shindou shouted orders left and right without ever taking a breath.
"We can't lose!" He said. "Not now that we've come this far."

Perhaps it was the first time Masaki had seen him so confident in himself.

The team was really discouraged and no longer felt any positive energy
Hikaru's condition hadn't improved, but he still couldn't rest and as soon as he had the ball at his feet he tried his hissatsu.

It was his anxiety, but he felt that everything wasn't going to go smoothly. And it wasn't simply bringing bad luck.

Those intrusive thoughts wouldn't leave him alone and Masaki couldn't concentrate on the game as best he could.
He was starting to play with his hands, to turn the index finger of his right hand with his left index finger and thumb when he decided to call him.

"Ranmaru."
He didn't even know why she did it, but he just did it, without thinking too much.

Ranmaru was not far from him, his uniform trousers were dirty with the green synthetic that was under their feet and his pink hair was all messed up, some strands falling on his face.

"We can still do it." He told him.
Just as if she had read his mind.

Masaki wasn't so determined, and couldn't understand how Ranmaru was so confident, but he wanted to not look like a fool so he got back into position.

Raimon wouldn't stop trying to get past their midfield now that Shindou looked so 'angry' it has become even more difficult for them.

Shindou used hissatsu that he had never seen before.

Then, right there from midfield, he shot.
Kyousuke's shot was added to his shot, a chain shot.

Kyousuke's new hissatsu was called Death Drop[16], and it was the hissatsu that he had only shown to Endou. She was beautiful, worthy of Kyousuke.

Masaki wondered if those two had agreed to do something like this.

He went towards goal. Now they were tied.

"Takuto must have been really angry to put in all that strength." Sangoku said.

How he knew how strong Shindou's shot was he couldn't know.

Masaki instinctively looked at Ranmaru, he didn't think twice.

"I told you. We won't lose." And he smiled at him.

Masaki strangely felt his face burning, he blamed it on the effort he was having there on the pitch.

Hikaru didn't want to be a substitute anyway, but Endou let him out anyway.
Now there were ten of them on the field, and so Shindou moved into attack.
Masaki considered it pure madness, in the situation they were in, they even had to play with ten of them, but she couldn't blame Hikaru, she would have channeled her anger towards Raimon.

Raimon didn't take long to arrive there in defense.

The number 11 again accompanied by the number 10.
This time they didn't let themselves be fooled by any pretenses.

Masaki took care of number 10, perhaps a little too late, as he tried to steal the ball with a slide, he discarded it.
He got up really too fast for his body, and immediately ran in the direction of the attacker.

The number 10 was about to take his umpteenth shot.

"There is no more room for your shots."
"Masaki, leave it to me." Sangoku told him. "I figured out how to do it."

Even though Sangoku had told him to leave it to him, Masaki took advantage of the number ten's distraction and stole the ball from him.

However, he didn't manage to pass it in time when the number 9 slipped and stole the ball from him.

He looked at him with that defiant look that Masaki hated.
He wouldn't let him win so easily.

All that running back and forth had tired him out a lot so use the 'Hunter's net’; it was out of the question, but he would stop it at all costs. He would have invented something.

The number 10 however shot without even thinking about it or passing it to someone else.

And it was there that Masaki tried to stop the shot with his chest, he still couldn't stop it but only managed to slow down the shot.

Ranmaru took care of stopping him, using The Mist, before passing it to Hayami.

"Thank you Masaki." Sangoku told him. "You could have let her go anyway."
"Sorry, I really wanted to stop him."
"Great job though!" Sangoku smiled at him.

"You are a complete idiot." Ranmaru yelled at him. "What came to mind?"
"Stop him?"
"You're such an idiot, you could have really hurt yourself."
"Mommy, stop worrying, I'm fine."
"You wasted your energy running back and forth for the defense."
"Ranmaru, we're playing, remember? I had to stop him somehow."
"Get back into position, and if you feel any pain I will break all your bones."

Masaki really couldn't understand why he was so upset.
He got back into her position, but not because she told him – that idiot with the pink pigtails said so.
Really, we were a bit upset.
He thought she had done a good thing, I mean, she had managed to slow him down, and then, Masaki felt like she could run and pace up and down the field for at least a little longer...

Shindou, who had the ball again, passed it to Kyousuke.
Kyousuke shot on goal but still failed to score.

The opposing goalkeeper didn't seem to suffer any kind of tiredness, unlike them. He almost didn't seem human.

Tenma received the ball and tried his shot again, it went out of bounds.
Apparently, he too was starting to show signs of tiredness, or the first goal was just a fluke.

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Raimon scored they last goal. And this is all because of his fault.

He hadn't managed to get to the ball in time, he thought he was fast enough but in reality he hadn't made it.

Ranmaru hadn't managed to get to his feet in time, and maybe he'd even hurt himself terribly.

The referee signaled the end of the match with his stupid whistle.

Masaki didn't have the courage to get up, and above all he didn't want to see the faces of his companions, much less that of Ranmaru.
He was so convinced that they would win, and Masaki had just shattered his dream.

He was really trying hard not to burst into tears. He imagined that Tenma had already done it.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, he made the mistake of raising his head.
Ranmaru was there, holding out his hand.

"Come on Masaki, get up."

He didn't say it in an accusatory tone or as if he were trying to lecture him.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? We have to go now."

Masaki took his hand and stood up with his help.

"I'm sorry. If I were-
-No Masaki. Don't blame yourself, it's no one's fault... It's simply the way it had to go, Raimon is really strong, and it was nice to play with them. Of course we wouldn't have the chance to play frontier football anymore, but that doesn't mean it's over here." he told to him.

He had nothing to say.
As soon as his sight fell on their still joined hands, she immediately withdrew hers.

"If you want to cry, go ahead, it's your first year."
"I won't cry like you did mommy."

Ranmaru smiled at him. "I don't believe you, teary eyes."

For the second time Masaki felt completely embarrassed.

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"All in all it was an exceptional match, I felt it was very close. Next year it could go better.
Those long faces won't change the result, you will also have to be good at accepting defeats, you can't always win, and for it being your first time in a national tournament, you did really well. [...]"

Endou was filling them with chatter and the only thing Masaki wanted to do was go home as quickly as possible.

He let them change in peace.
There in the locker room you couldn't breathe the same air as always, the silence weighed almost like a boulder.

And perhaps it was precisely for this reason that Shindou spoke up.

"The coach is right. We arrived well beyond everyone's expectations, they thought we were defeated after not even the first round but here we are, while last year we didn't even manage to qualify. We can still improve and try again next year. I'm sure the coach will reserve excellent training sessions for us. Even though we lost, I'm happy with how we played."
"Yes, it was a really good game, both to watch and to play." Sangoku said and he lightly patted Shindou on the shoulder. "Congratulations captain."

Luckily Shindou's speech opened up that little chatter that wasn't there before.

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Coming home was a real blessing.

They all thanked Endou for those three days of retreat, and they also thanked him for the match.
Endou had told them that he would like to see them again the next day at the camp and that no one could skip training.
As soon as he saw Hiroto and Ryuuji his heart warmed.He was finally home, and she could let herself go as much and as he wanted.
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[14] Mach Wind= The player throws the ball forward and runs like a devastating wind, and hits the ball with the instep of his right foot, throwing it into the goal and enveloping it with a bright wind.[15] Raimon's coach in Ares (little ester egg if we want)[16] Death Drop: The user kicks the ball, which begins to rotate, and throws it into the air with a somersault backwards, causing a red and blue spiral aura to charge it: the user then charges the ball towards the net with an overhead kick, causing the aura to condense around the ball and making it envelop you in blue energy and electricity.
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Chapter Text

Not much time had passed since the match against Raimon Junior High.
But he still hadn’t forgiven himself…

The same evening when he returned home, he had a real crying fit and probably if Ryuuji and Hiroto hadn’t been here, it would have turned into something worse.

He couldn’t forget the exact moment in which the referee blew the whistle three times, marking the end of the match.
He couldn’t forget that feeling of helplessness, of begin unable to do anything else.

The caravan ride was horrible. Nobody said a word, and Masaki didn’t have the courage to look around and see the crying faces of his teammates…

The thought of having let Ranmaru down... That was horrible.
After all, if they hadn't won it was only his fault, because he hadn't managed to get to the ball in time, and maybe if he had noticed earlier that Ranmaru had collapsed to the ground... he could have done something, right?

But after all, he was good at disappointing people, wasn't he?

He had hugged Ryuuji so tightly that evening, that the two adults had tried in every way to cheer him up, thinking that the problem was only because they had lost, but through tears, Masaki had to explain that that wasn't the case.
That he couldn't get that thought out of his head, ever since the referee blew the whistle…

His parents helped him understand that it couldn't be his fault, that maybe even if he had reached the ball in time he wouldn't have been able to do anything, because it was all up to Sangoku. It was fate, they couldn't be invincible. No one was.
And then, it was the first time in a tournament like that, they had arrived far beyond everyone's expectations.

He was in such a confused state that he even thought he had dreamed it all, from the retreat to the match.

He didn't say anything, however, about the discussion he had with Endou, he didn't want to disappoint them because of the thoughts he had had, believing he was being influenced or something similar. He would talk about it when he would have felt more ready.

But, by saying that he had disappointed his companions, without actually specifying who he had disappointed, Ryuuji managed to find comforting words for them.
Then, he let himself be enveloped by that long-awaited family hug , and truly thanked whoever was up there, for having parents like Ryuuji and Hiroto, who kept him company until he fell asleep.

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On Monday, the day after the match, Masaki had skipped classes.
Unfortunately he hadn't skipped training, even though he would have liked to have done so.
He had made a mistake, but he really hadn't been able to get out of bed, and not because he had been late the night before or who knows what. He had preferred to stay at home, he still felt so terribly vulnerable, and he hated it, he wasn't like that, and he still couldn't cry over the game.

He remained in bed without having done absolutely anything except to think about how many things he could have done in the game.

He would never have imagined living a day like that, he, who when he joined the club he knew absolutely nothing about football.

He would have liked to continue pretending nothing had happened, after all it was just a club; and yet, it felt so bad.

He had eaten little and reluctantly, and had had to put up with Ryuuji who had stayed home from work (this was because he knew his son.).

Ryuuji almost always stayed home when Masaki skipped school. Even when like Masaki had the flu, or simply, like that day, he didn't want to. (And he had to thank that Hiroto was the boss.)
Masaki really hated him when he stayed home, he felt more and more guilty.

He had had a really mediocre Monday, doing nothing productive, but after all it was Monday, the worst day of the whole week.
As previously mentioned, he had not missed training. He had accompanied Ryuuji, and he knew that he would have done so even by force if he was needed, and he hadn't skipped them because he cared about it of him; Endou could be very mean if someone missed training.

Arriving at school, luckily, he found Tenma and Kyousuke going to the club, so he led the way with them.

Tenma was in really bad shape, you could see that he hadn't slept and that he had been crying, his eyes still red, as if he had stopped crying soon, while Kyousuke seemed normal, he hadn't cried, but he wasn't happy anyway.

Masaki apologized to them, and once again blamed himself, luckily, both Tenma and Kyousuke called him stupid.

Arriving in the meeting room, Tenma burst into tears as soon as he saw that all the boys were there. Everyone except Hikaru, who had spent the whole morning at the doctor, due to the injury.

The captain, Shindou, also had swollen eyes, and they knew what he looked like, there was no denying that he had been crying, but he cheered up Tenma all the same. This led to a series of strange emotional swings on Tenma's part, from tears to saying that next time they would win.

Hamano didn't make any jokes, Shinsuke was next to Tenma holding back tears too, and the others were all very sad.

In addition to them, Ranmaru was also there.
It was strange to find him there since he had hurt himself the day before, but apparently it wasn't as serious as Hikaru. He would have loved to ask him how he felt, but something stopped him instantly, as if he had been electrocuted. And no, Ranmaru hadn't given him any murderous looks, on the contrary, he had given him a hint of a smile.

They didn't stay there alone for long.

Before Endou arrived, Mrs. Otonashi spoke to them all, as they had during the game, saying that they had been good and that they shouldn't be discouraged, the ‘Goddess of Victory’ would have smiled on them anyway.

Then Endou arrived, he wasn't angry but on the contrary, he seemed to be happy as he was every day. He told them that they had played a splendid match, that it could be a constructive match and that even if they lost, they were not weak.

“[...] Does having lost mean being weak? Losing is an obstacle for everyone, right? Being able to stand up after falling to your knees... But if you stay like that, down in the dumps, that will be proof of your weakness."

"We will return to that field again, we will give our best effort and we will win! All together." Shindou told them.
Endou smiled. "That's right guys. And now go get changed, you'll have to train anyway."
"Yes coach!"

Where you go. He had to.
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Day after day, if not weeks, passed.
There was less and less left until the start of checks and tests that preceded the winter.

Hikaru hadn't returned to school yet, no one knew when he would.

Ranmaru, on the other hand, had recovered completely, and now he no longer had any kind of trouble with the foot.

At the football club they were going all out with training, and no one was going to sit there feeling sorry for themselves. Not even Shindou.
Although, in the last few days he remained in the meeting room or on the bench, writing in a notebook.
Hamano had made fun of him telling him that it was too early to bequeath the role of captain, however, Shindou didn't even spare him a glance.

In those school days, Masaki had visited the school nurse more and more times than any other teacher, this was because of that testing period, and because he could no longer have control over his anxiety.
But, that time he wasn't there out of anxiety; during physical education class he took a ball in the face and had a nosebleed, the problem wasn't the nosebleed at all, but it was the sight of the blood that had made him blanch worse than a white sheet.

So, Kyousuke had accompanied him to the infirmary and returned to the gym since he couldn't stay there with him (the principal made the rules, all of which needed to be reviewed).

The nurse was very nice and in that week Masaki had really made friends with her, she was around fifty years old, and she was a really good woman. In addition to being nice she was a bit against the rules; in fact, she let you take aspirin without asking for permission after permission, if you real need it.

The infirmary wasn't that big. It was a square room, and at the end of the wall there was the cot which was separated from the rest of the room with a water green curtain, which was opened or closed according to needs, where there was a desk and a small cabinet where all the medicines, ice and things like that were stored. From the infirmary there was access to the "study" reserved for the psychologist, and it was there that he saw Kirino Ranmaru.

Ranmaru greeted the nurse with his usual smile on his face. He spoke to her much more freely than he did, though, never disrespecting her. So that time she saw him, was she leaving the psychologist?

"What are you doing here?" Ranmaru asked him when the woman had walked away.
"I'm having a chat with that nice lady while I drink some sugar water, do you want to join us?"

Ranmaru glared at him. He didn't like it when he looked at him that way, but evidently he hadn't been very nice to tease him, even if he hadn't done it in bad faith.

"Now can you tell me the truth? Did you faint?" He asked him again.
Masaki shook his head. "No, someone from another class who shared the gym with us thought about kicking the ball and I totally caught it."
He saw that smile grow on his face, but how dare he laugh at his misfortunes?

"Look, I really hurt myself!"
"But how did you manage to take it in full?" Asked him, laughing.
"I hadn't seen him and Tenma called me at the worst moment and so here I am... Are you... okay?" He asked, but regretted it a second later, when Ranmaru's expression changed, he became very serious. "I'm not the one in the infirmary."
"You should know what I'm referring to." The psychologist's door was like the others, and had the kanji clearly visible, written in a light grey. She had suddenly become interesting.
"Are you worried about me now? It's nothing, I just had to clarify my ideas."

Silence fell between them.
The nurse returned to him, and took the ice she had given him to stop the nosebleed.
Luckily it wasn't swollen, it looked fine.

"I think you should go now..."
"I can wait for you, I'm not in a hurry to get back to class.”

He was really surprised by his gesture, after all why would he have waited for him?

The nurse let him go only after making sure he was really well.
Obviously she gave him a piece of paper to give to the professor, like the other times. It was a kind of medical certificate, although he didn't know if he could really call it that.

They left the infirmary and headed towards the gym.

For a while neither of them said a word.
They hadn't talked much lately, and they had probably only seen each other at the soccer club, which was really strange.
Masaki continued to believe that she had disappointed him so much so much so that Ranmaru no longer wanted to see him... and yet, here he was, keeping him company as he returned to the gym.

He wanted to know the real reason why Ranmaru had left the psychologist, but asking him seemed disrespectful to him, if the exact opposite had happened he probably wouldn't have said the reason either.
And then, he was terribly afraid of exaggerating, and that this would lead to the boy next to him distancing himself.

Suddenly, Ranmaru blocked his wrist.

"What? -
-Your thoughts are too loud." Ranmaru told him, then, let go of his wrist.
He didn't even realize he was turning his index finger over as usual.

"It often happens, even during the match, when you think or are anxious, I think, I don't know."
"Yes, sorry…"
"I guess this is the right time? You will have a lot to study."
"Also..."
"It's not worth the rejection though."
"I know this, but I want to get excellent grades."
"I didn't think you were the studious type at all."
"Hey! Look, you can't judge a book by its cover!"

Ranmaru chuckled, and Masaki put on a very fake pout.

"This time you are right, I apologize." he told. "Can I make it up to you by offering something?" he showed a coin. "Or are you too busy studying physical education too?"

The first question that came to mind was: 'Why?' and then: 'what if they find out?' He certainly couldn't risk another punishment.

However, his brain was unable to process those two sentences and, in order not to risk putting them into one, he said: "It's not a bad idea."

He followed Ranmaru the whole time, they went towards the old gas stations.

Masaki felt like he was going to rob a bank, but was really happy to spend some more time with Ranmaru.

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When they arrived, Ranmaru gave him the luxury of choosing whatever he wanted.

Obviously Masaki took his beloved tea, he had abused it in those days and would continue to do so.
Ranmaru took the coffee, he hadn't had any doubts.

"Did you check yourself or did you insist on training with a broken foot?"
"Everything is fine."
"You're not saying that because we're on the same team and I could tell the coach the truth, right?
Ranmaru laughed: "No Masaki, it's really all right, in fact, as if it were new."

He was happy to hear it from him.

"You're still thinking about the match, aren't you?"
Masaki shook his head. "Not that much... I could have done more."

"We all played well, even if we lost, we still gave our all."
"Raimon is really so strong... well, until a few months ago everyone said that the Raimon football club had failed, but instead... they won."

Ranmaru walked slowly, going back and forth, then suddenly he stopped and looked at him, then said: "You know what? In my opinion they trained really hard and we couldn't do more than that, we weren't ready enough. Even if we had made it, would we have reached the final? I understand your disappointment, I felt it too, and that's why I told you that at least you, along with Tenma-kun and the others, have come further than I and the others have. We didn't qualify, we didn't even get to the qualifying finals.
It was horrible, the seniors left the team, and Takuto became captain, but that loss helped us grow. We trained, we created new hissatsu, even if it wasn't enough, we managed to play at Football Frontier, to no longer see the ceremony from behind a screen. And then, we still have a long way to go, maybe next year we will reach the final, who knows, maybe we will have our revenge against Raimon."

Hearing him talk about his experience, how the 'Alien' she hadn't qualified last year, of those in the last year who had dropped out... a little it made him feel relieved. Feeling a little more understood than he thought.

He had remained in the dark until then about the "Alien" as a team.
Nobody remembered them before... but now, well, yes.

"Maybe this will help us grow. We gave our all, and no one could do more."
"Yes... you're right."

Ranmaru smiled at him. "Now, since you told me that I judge a book by its cover, what else don't I know?" He asked.
"Do you think I come from space?"
"Excellent question, but from today you have removed all my doubts about whether you can be an extraterrestrial."
Masaki laughed. "And why?" he asked.
"Because you have red blood, aliens don't have red blood."
"And how do you know? Have you ever seen one?"
"No, have you seen them?"
"No, no, but if I see them I will ask them aside Yours what color their blood is."

Masaki really couldn't help but laugh, it was such a stupid conversation.

Ranmaru smiled at him. "Thank you but you haven't told me yet what else I don't know."
"Look, I told you the only thing you probably judged, I'm good at studying."
"So, you have to satisfy my curiosity."
"And why should I?"
"Well, because I bought you tea, and kept you company in the infirmary, and saved you from stray balls in the gym." He started listing all those things on his fingers.

Masaki laughed. "Okay, I understand the concept."

"Okay, I'll start by apologizing if I bring up the topic again, but last time, when we were peeling the carrots.. you said you don't know your mother, so whose other surname is it? You bear two surnames-"

Masaki couldn't believe his ears.
Maybe he really underestimated Ranmaru's brains.

"And that I really stayed when you told me, and I'm sorry to ask you again but I don't want to seem like a stalker to you, and I don't want to get myself killed for being curious, you know at the beginning I thought one was from your mother and one of your father, but if you have not met your mother..."

If he hadn't finished his tea in a long time, he probably would have choked.
Ranmaru was so smart.

"They adopted me... that's why I have two surnames, but it's too long a story as to why I still have it... actually you're also the first to get there, it's a question that no one has ever asked me place."

If he hadn't stopped him again, Masaki probably would have broken his finger.

"Sorry for the question, and thanks for answering me, you could just as well not have done so."

Masaki shrugged. "I have nothing to hide."

Ranmaru let go of his hand, again.

"You're not the only one hiding something."

And here, Masaki's brain left the base.

"Did you kill a man?" He asked.
"What- no." Ranmaru laughed. "It's not that serious!"
"Then you have no secret."
"Did you kill a man?"
"No no, I faint just by seeing blood, how could I ever kill a man?" He said laughing.
Ranmaru became serious again. "Do you faint at the sight of blood?"
"What do you think it was water and sugar for?"
"But you said that you weren't passed out."

Masaki sighed. "I'm afraid of blood, water and sugar and because I saw a micro-droplet of blood, I didn't faint, I swear."

Only after throwing away the empty coffee glass in his hands did Ranmaru smile and say: "Then you're right, you could never kill a man." Then, he looked at the time on his cell phone, and Masaki remembered leaving his phone in Kyousuke's hands.

He sincerely hoped that no one had notified his parents.
"I think it's time to go." Ranmaru said.

No, Masaki didn't want to go back to class already, but he nodded anyway.

"I'll accompany you, right? That is, we have to take the same route in both cases."
"Yes, that's fine."

It was really nice to keep him company again.

He could also have entered via the fire escape, but instead he kept him company all the way to the gym.

They talked as if they had been best friends for a long time, and it was so easy for Masaki to confide in him, if he wasn't so tight on the topic, he could have even told him about Ryuuji and Hiroto.
Except that... he was still afraid to trust so much.

He preferred to talk about people he had never met, rather than Ryuuji and Hiroto.

"So how did you spend Mother's Day?" Ranmaru asked.
"Oh you really don't want to know."
"But you do. I mean, you didn't do any of those little jobs or poems and things like that I guess."

Ranmaru, although it didn't seem like it, walked with lead feet, he was calm and never reckless. He didn't want to hurt him.

"I usually stayed at home... however, knowing my situation... I did those little jobs for those I loved."
"It's a nice thing, not all teachers are inclusive people."
"Yeah..."
"If I hadn't seen the color of your blood, I would have could say that you are an alien, and that you came to Alien because... well, because 'Alien' means 'alien' and so you thought you would find your peers. Instead you only found poor students who study all day, and kids obsessed with a spherical object that resembles the earth."
Masaki laughed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Ranmaru looked at him, as if it was important to him that he could get a laugh out of him.

They talked a little more, about small talk. useless really, but Masaki really liked it that way, he really appreciated Ranmaru's company.

Ranmaru stopped just before the corridor that led to the gym.
"So... I'll go back to class."

"Thank you for the tea... and for keeping me company in the infirmary."
"You don't have to thank me, I really wanted to- and then I had to skip Japanese, I hate the Japanese one."

Masaki smiled at him. "Whoever you say, we are an old hag."

Ranmaru seemed intent on digging up his inner vocabulary.
"See you, at practice, I mean, okay? I mean, I'll see you at training."

It was strange to see him so confused. And he was a bit nervous, funny.
A strange feeling enveloped Masaki, like all the times they had laughed together in those moments. He wanted more.

"Yes, see you at training."

Masaki was actually about to leave when Ranmaru stopped him.

They stared at each other, and Ranmaru's blue eyes had never seemed so close to him as they did then. They were like a summer sky, cloudless, intensely blue.

And he could feel his breathing very close, the smell of coffee intoxicating his nostrils was disgusting, but, he could make a little effort, putting up with that smell and making it almost... pleasant?

They had never been so close before, not even in those moments when they exchanged high fives on the pitch.

It was really strange, seeing it from so close; calm and confident expression on his face, even if a second ago he was awkward and awkward.

Then, perhaps, realizing that they were too close, Ranmaru released his grip on his wrist and said: "I... I wanted to thank you for asking me about the psychologist, I mean- I really appreciated it, thank you. So I'll see you today... I meant at training."

Masaki was doing his best to keep from laughing.
"Yes, to training…"
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As soon as class ended, they rushed to the cafeteria.

There was only Shinsuke at the table.
Masaki made a mental note to text Hikaru to ask how he was doing.

After getting his lunch, he sat next to Kyousuke, while Tenma sat next to Shinsuke.

"How do you feel Masaki? Tenma told me about the ball."

Tenma, when did he ever keep his mouth shut? From there shortly she would know the whole team or, better said, the whole school.

"Everything is fine Shinsuke, thanks. It was no big deal."
"A ball to the face is nothing." Tenma said. "I'm really sorry Masaki..."
"But it wasn't your fault Tenma, we already talked about it."
"Not did they call your parents?" Shinsuke asked.
"No, they don't know anything yet."

Luckily, also because Ryuuji absolutely didn't have to know.

"Haven't they called you yet from the principal?"
"Why should they do it?"
"Because who gave you a ball to the face will probably get him sent off?"
"I don't think they'll call Masaki too." Kyousuke said.
"Can we change the subject now? I'm fine, end of story."
"But Masaki! Look, talking about it is good for you!"
"Rather, when will Hikaru go back to school?" He asked Shinsuke.
"I don't know, maybe next week, or the next, I think the one who knows best is Amagi, he was thinking of going to see him, or at least that's what I heard him say." He answered.
"And he didn't ask anyone to go with him?"
"No, as far as I know."
"Hey, just as Amagi is Hikaru's friend, we are too." Tenma said. "We should go too."
"Yes, maybe it will be good for Hikaru."

Kyousuke didn't object, maybe he cared about Hikaru too.

"Then it's decided, we'll go and see Hikaru, maybe tomorrow!"
"I'll ask if we can go, so I can also bring him the lessons he missed." Shinsuke said.

They changed the subject, and Masaki didn't usually look around, but today he was purposely looking for a person.
He was looking for Ranmaru, without making fun of us.

But he didn't find him at the table where Shindou and some of the team members usually sat. Who knows where he ended up, he would have asked him during training. Although perhaps he had already finished lunch and left, after all not even Shindou was at the table, or perhaps they had eaten in the classroom...

The fact is that as soon as the lunch break ended, they returned to class to continue the boring lessons.
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He didn't really want to train, his head hurt, but due to greater forces, he couldn't give up training, Endou wouldn't have forgiven him. And not even Ranmaru.

Maybe if he had told him about what happened he wouldn't have let him train anyway, but he didn't want to be in the spotlight like he did with Shinsuke.
Ranmaru had arrived late, accompanied by Shindou, the two were talking as if nothing had happened.

They arrived at the pitch, and before starting with the usual warm-up, Endou told them that 'El dorado.', one of the teams that had lost at Football Frontier, had asked them to play a friendly, and not she had been the only one, but she hadn't accepted yet.

He then let them train like in those days.

"You weren't here today." Masaki said.
Ranmaru frowned. "Where?"
"At the canteen."
"How?"
"You're deaf? You weren't at the canteen today, did you eat? And where?"
Ranmaru laughed. "I was in class with Takuto, we had some things to study. Are you going to control me now?" He winked.
"What? No! I- - he snorted - I didn't see you and I thought you were an idiot who only drinks coffee."
"Thanks for your concern but I don't live on coffee." He laughed again.

Masaki blushed. "One worries and is also made fun of."
"Come on, I thanked you." He laughed again. "And that you seemed about to kill me."
"I would have done it!"
"With the fear of blood you find yourself? I don't think so."
"Well, that's another matter!"

"Hey you two, what are you waiting for to pass me that ball??" Amagi asked.

"Now let's train." Ranmaru told.
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At the end of training, Masaki went home with Tenma and Kyousuke.

They didn't talk much, but Tenma was really excited about the friendlies; therefore, he did all the talking.

Once he got home, he ran to take some aspirin and then take a shower.

He waited for his parents to arrive while he studied 'traditional Japanese arts: Shodo and Haiku', he didn't like Shodo or haiku, he hated poetry.

He wasted enough time on it, precisely because it didn't stand out in the material.

As soon as Hiroto and Ryuuji returned home, Masaki gave up studying.

He told in detail what had happened at school, unfortunately he hadn't omitted the ball, also because, if he hadn't said it, Endou or someone else had certainly told him.

Every now and then he and Ranmaru talked on 'Instagram', he asked him how his nose felt and Masaki asked him how he was.

At the table he talked to them about school and tests and such.
He also said they were going to visit Hikaru; him, Kyousuke, Tenma and Shinsuke.

"And who and what are you talking to now?" Hiroto asked.
"No one."
"No one bothers you while you eat now?"
"Hiroto."
"Come on Ryuu. -He never did.-" he whispered to Ryuuji, as if he couldn't hear him.

And while those two continued to whisper to each other about how to parent each other, Masaki put the phone away, realizing that the thing with Ranmaru was really getting out of hand, and that he could do without it.

He coughed, drawing the attention of the two adults. "Sorry." He said.
"Doesn't anyone have a name? Who is he?"
"Ryuu help me."
"Hiroto." Ryuuji teased him again. "It's just curious Maki, there's no denying you always have your head in the clouds lately."
"I don't have my head in the clouds. And it's Kyousuke anyway."
"Oh sure, Kyousuke."

As he could have predicted, Hiroto didn't fall for it, and most likely neither did Ryuuji.
But neither of them asked anything more, even if they didn't buy it.

After having dinner, Masaki left them to their horror movie night. She would have participated, but she was truly dying of sleep.

Chapter Text

There in Nagano, it hadn't snowed, not yet.
According to Hiroto it would snow soon.

It was almost time for the Christmas holidays, and Masaki could return to Kyoto to the rest of his family, like every holiday.

A part of him couldn't wait to unplug from Nagano, to unplug from that whirlwind of emotions, good and bad
It was truly a difficult period, first of all the match against Raimon, up until those days, where there was less and less left until the end of the quarter.

It would have imploded, sooner or later.

Despite that small outburst he had after the match, he still felt full of emotions, which didn't even seem to belong to him, and although that week seemed like it wanted to kill him, Masaki had gotten a passing grade in almost all the subjects, so he could declare himself the winner and had the right to pass holidays in peace.

And then, he found a little relief with Ranmaru, who was also his damnation... that week they really talked a lot, as well as on 'Instagram', at school they bumped into each other in the corridors, they greeted each other before entering school, at the entrance.

And it was really strange.

He had no longer touched on the topic of 'psychologist'. with Ranmaru, but it was Ranmaru himself who told him that he was doing really well and that he was helping him a lot.

He still hadn't allowed himself to ask him why he was going there. He probably never would have done it.

Once, during a lunch break, Tenma invited Shindou to sit with them at the table and it was Ranmaru who forced him to stay, saying that they had to get closer to their first children, apparently that answer was enough for Shindou, or he would do anything to him Ranmaru said... he couldn't know that.

Tenma let it slip that day that they were going to visit Hikaru, who was still at home, and Shindou told them that the rest of the team was going to visit him together.
(Amagi was supposed to go alone, but apparently, they were all going to Hikaru together.)

Sometimes, he and Ranmaru simply passed each other in the corridors on their way to their classes.
In short, he couldn't really explain the strange turn the situation took.

At home, in fact, he would finish eating in a hurry and then go to his room, and he had never done this before.

His parents were probably right to tell him that he was distracted lately, but it wasn't his fault, he enjoyed talking to Ranmaru, he had made a good friend.

One day, they went to visit Hikaru after training, they had asked Endou to finish them first and strangely he had accepted. Masaki had crossed the entire Nagano to get to Hikaru, together with her teammates; he would never have imagined such a thing.

Hikaru really lived on the other side, after school; while Masaki with Tenma and Kyousuke continued towards the right, Hikaru and Shinsuke went towards the left.
And come to think of it, it was the first time he had gone so far from home.

Hikaru's house, it was a very normal house, small and modest; and Mrs. Kageyama was really nice from what little she had seen of her.

Hikaru had recovered very well and had thanked everyone for coming to visit him, he would return to school after the Christmas holidays, this was because he still had a little of difficulty when he put his foot on the ground, but he was really fine.

Masaki joked that it was difficult to tolerate Tenma and Shinsuke in his absence.

They stayed a while from Hikaru, also because the whole team was present; but they weren't really late, also because Masaki didn't want to go back in the middle of the night.

So, once they left Hikaru's house, they said goodbye.

Ranmaru, perhaps moved by curiosity, asked him where he lived, and Masaki to do a little the vague one said that he lived next door to Tenma and Kyousuke, but he didn't say exactly where.
Her house was Kira's house, he would have discovered in a millisecond that her parents were Hiroto and Ryuuji, intelligent com & # 39; era.

On the other hand, Ranmaru pointed out his house and Shindou's house, a huge white villa.
What could he possibly expect from someone like Shindou? He wasn't being modest at all.

At that precise moment, he led the way with Kyousuke, Tenma and Shinsuke.
Shinsuke had joined because Tenma had invited him to his house, it would have been better; reverse, but Tenma wanted him to meet Sasuke.

Now those two were walking in front, while he and Kyousuke were a little behind. further away.
They listened in silence to the strange conversations between Tenma and Shinsuke.

"Kirino doesn't look too good on you?" Kyousuke asked.
"What? Why do you say this Kyo?"

Kyousuke shrugged. " You've been spending time together lately, and earlier he even showed you his house."
Masaki chuckled. "We're just friends, don't worry, no one will take your place.

Kyousuke didn't laugh, he didn't seem at all happy with his new friendship with Kirino Ranmaru.

"I don't trust, Kirino I mean." Kyousuke had his hands in his pockets, protecting them from the cold, he was wearing the 'Alien' school uniform, only that unlike the others, he raised the collar of his jacket. His gaze was sharp, as if he wanted to peer into your soul.
"And why not? He's a nice guy. Don't tell me he did something to you. "
"No. It's a feeling."
"You're jealous."

Kyousuke shoved him. "But don't make me laugh."
"Then why?" Masaki tried to stay balanced.
"I told you, it's a feeling." He repeated. "I'm glad you're making new friends, but be careful."

He didn't want to give much weight to Kyousuke's words, but he had placed 'trust' in Ranmaru, he seemed like a really cool guy. Why would he have been careful?

"I know what I'm doing Kyo, don't worry."

Apparently, that answer was enough to clear up any doubts Kyousuke had.

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Masaki woke up that morning in a good mood, and nothing and no one could ruin it for him.

Maybe it was because the holidays were approaching, although he was sorry, now that he had a more solid bond, to leave his companions... and not see Ranmaru for two whole weeks.
Would he have missed it? And Ranmaru would miss him?
he couldn't give himself an answer.

He arrived at school right on time and waited, together with Tenma and Kyousuke, for Shinsuke to arrive.
Being without Hikaru was tiring for Masaki, he was the first person he had met, and they had become really good friends.
Going to visit him was the best choice.

Outside school, as usual, they greeted Ranmaru and Shindou, who had just arrived.
Ranmaru greeted them with a bright smile.

Seeing them go away made Masaki think how lucky Shindou was to have Ranmaru by his side, and vice versa.
Yes, he disliked some things about Shindou, but he thought he was a good friend for Ranmaru and it was obvious otherwise.

Ranmaru's long pigtails moved with the freezing winter wind. She wondered if he had ever untied them.
She had never once seen him redo one of his two pigtails, not even after training and Ranmaru was the one who showered after training; therefore, he had expected him to untie them, but that wasn't really the case. How much jelly did it take so that he didn't have to redo it every time?
When Ryuuji put his hair in a bun, he always had to redo it shortly after.

It still made him strange to see Shindou being dropped off by his trusted taxi driver left and right.
Masaki wasn't that bold, and he would never slap his parents' money and if if he just tried to tell Ryuuji and Hiroto that he wanted a private driver, well, he was more sure that he would go straight back to his aunt Hitomiko, on foot.

But, on the other hand, he thought that perhaps Shindou was forced by his parents, because they were important people, and they cared about their son's life.

"Shinsuke sent me a message." Tenma announced. " He said that he will come in later and that we don't have to wait for him. "
" You made us freeze for nothing. " Kyousuke muttered.
"Hey, it's not my fault."
"Next time let's not wait for anyone, or if we have to, inside." Masaki said.
"Unlikable." Tenma said.

Tenma stood in front of Masaki and Kyousuke and said: "Oh no what if Shinsuke doesn't come? What will we do in the canteen?"
"We will eat together like in the old days."
"Yeah." Kyousuke said. "No one will die."
"It's not fair." Tenma continued to walk dejectedly.

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Between one time change and another, Masaki stood on the edge of the door staring at all the students walking around the corridors.

It wasn't something he did often, but he really had to stretch his legs.
Staying still and sitting all that time wasn't really like him.

He had seen Midori, the second-year soccer club manager, running after Ryoma; he had no idea why they were running like that but Midori seemed very furious.
And he had known, thanks to Tenma and his gossip (done with Aoi), who seemed to have something similar to a relationship with Ryoma Nishiki.

Was he interested? No.
But Tenma thought he liked Midori, so he told her so to make him lose any hope he had.

No, he could never be with someone like Midori. She just wasn't her type.

He returned to his seat shortly before the start of lessons.
Kyousuke wasn't there, he had gone out to go to the bathroom during the change, Tenma instead he was sitting at his desk sleeping.
Yes, he was sleeping.

He was so tired because he studied even at night to achieve a passing grade, so Kyousuke had said.

Masaki woke him up before the professor entered the classroom.

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Shinsuke, to Tenma's delight, was present, sitting at their cafeteria table.

"Shinsuke!!" Tenma immediately sat down next to him. "I thought you hadn't come!"
"Truly sorry! This morning I was late and went into second period."
"Oh I understand... at least you're here!"

He didn't want to listen to the usual conversations between Shinsuke and Tenma, so he concentrated on the food, which really sucked.

In the canteen there was that typical chatter of people talking to each other.
Most ate in company.

At the team table they were talking animatedly about something, but their tone was still low compared to the rest of the canteen.
It seemed like a 'private' conversation.

Ranmaru, who was the only one not speaking, calmly ate the stone that was there instead of the slice of meat.
He cut it with absurd ease, yet it wasn't that soft!
Shindou who was next to him, urged him to speak, nudging him.

Masaki really wanted to know what they were talking about, it sounded interesting.
His eyes jumped to every member at that table.

Hamano seemed really taken by the speech, his voice was slightly higher than the others, he could almost hear it, and he seemed so surprised.
He wasn't the only one, Amagi also had the exact same surprised expression.

After being urged by Shindou, Ranmaru also joined the conversation, the two seemed to be the only ones at that table who were not surprised, together with Sangoku.

"Masaki." Tenma called out to him.

Masaki turned towards his interlocutor. "What?"
"Shinsuke and I are going for another ride, do you happen to want something?"
"No, thanks. "

Tenma got up and went near the large counter followed by Shinsuke.
But how could he still eat?

Kyousuke pinched him.
"Hey! You hurt me."
"What are you thinking?"
"How can Tenma still eat."

Kyousuke smiled. " Tenma has a tapeworm, and I think his tapeworm has found a friend."

Tenma always tried to join Shinsuke in their trio, and neither he nor Kyousuke actually bothered him.
He was happy for him, it was easier for Tenma to make friends, a difference between him and Kyousuke.

He still didn't know how Hikaru had managed to become friends, but he really loved him, just as he loved Kyousuke and Tenma.
Maybe a little less to Shinsuke and unlike Ranmaru...

"Tenma's tapeworm doesn't have good taste. This flesh is stone."
"You're right, it all sucks, and you weren't really thinking about Tenma."
"But yes. And I just wish I didn't have the last few hours of class."
"Ah, who are you saying, I would like to go straight to the club."
"ah...me too."

Tenma and Shinsuke returned with both trays full.
Full to the brim.

"My belly, make a hut!" Tenma said, before putting a spoonful of the puree into his mouth. Shinsuke followed close behind.

"Masaki wanted to know how you still eat since everything sucks." Kyousuke said.

Tenma took a sip of water before answering. "I'm so hungry, I could eat anything. And then I like it, the meat is really good! You should eat plenty of them Masaki, it's good for the football club."
"Tenma... remind me to invite you to eat something healthy at my house." Masaki said.
"Maybe!"
"At least you'll eat something edible..."

And while Tenma started talking into the machine, Masaki returned to rest his gaze on Ranmaru's table, now they seemed to be talking normally and Hamano seemed to be writing something on his arm.

Masaki then looked at his tray.
He hadn't eaten the rice at all and the meat... had now lost all traces of softness, but he ate the rice anyway puree-like mush.

Tenma had told him to eat more meat, but what he had on his plate wasn't meat. He really wanted to eat something of Ryuuji...

Once lunch was over, he waited for Tenma and Shinsuke to finish so they could all go back to class together.

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

After class was over, he led the way with Tenma and Kyousuke towards the soccer club.
They had picked up Shinsuke first, because Tenma now included him everywhere.

Arriving at the changing rooms, they were informed that Endou had told them that they would play a small match with the second team, no big deal.

"Ranmaru you're making a senseless problem for yourself, you're not the only one, my friend." She had said Hamano shortly before they entered the locker room. "Oh, hi guys!" Hamano then greeted them.

They said goodbye and the conversation never started again.

What was Ranmaru's problem?
If Hamano said it was senseless, perhaps he was right, it was still Hamano.

"Move." Shindou said.
He was the only one who was already in uniform and the only thing he was missing was the captain's armband he was wearing.

Hamano still had all his clothes on as did the others and Ranmaru was wearing shorts at the time.
They were all out at sea.

Ranmaru had given him a look, and waved as soon as he entered.
Not even this time could he read what Hamano had written on his arm.

He didn't waste any more time and started to change too, he didn't want to make Shindou angry.

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

After the usual warm-up they began to train.
That sort of 'game' it turned out to be a simple training session with the boys from the second team, a bit mixed.

Masaki was lucky enough to be paired with Ranmaru on the first team, while Tenma ended up on the second with Hamano and the others.

"What do you have on your arms?" Masaki asked.
Now you could ask him.

Ranmaru checked his arm, but he didn't even remember what he was doing?
"Nothing, it's Hamano's stupidity."
"Didn't you have any paper at the time?"

Ranmaru shrugged, "He's having fun like that."

He had a strange way of having fun, Hamano.

"It says: 'Ranmaru you are an idiot.'" Ranmaru read, with a little of difficulty, perhaps he had gone by heart more, Hamano's kanji were not very legible.

"And did he write it on your arm?"
"Yes, to remind me."
"Remember you that you're an idiot?" Masaki laughed.
"Exactly."
"And is he right?"
"I don't think so."
"But a little you are."
"Hey, don't get involved too. They've been calling me an idiot since this morning." He sighed.

Masaki laughed. "Okay, okay, but can I write to you on the other arm that I agree with Hamano?"
"There is no space, here are the answers to Shodo test."
"Did you write the answers to a test on your arm?"
"Yes? What's bad? I'm not very good at 'traditional arts.'"
"Me too, but I don't write the answers on my arm."
"I usually study."

They had something in common back then, both were rubbish at 'traditional arts: shodo and haiku'. A little he was surprised.
Ranmaru really seemed like the studious type, and he wasn't judging him.

"So I can't ask you for a hand?"
"Weren't you the studious type?" Ranmaru asked.
"But yes! Look I've come to get 'B' me."
"Then I should ask for a hand, I have 'C', and for sure that old woman will confirm it shortly."
"The football club doesn't help you with your grades?"
"It doesn't work miracles though."

He was right. She couldn't switch to an 'A'.

"I was joking anyway, you don't owe me a hand."

Masaki frowned. "I don't see how I could, I have a whole year behind me."
"Actually, but if you need help-
-Thanks, but I can still getting by on my own!"

They were interrupted.

Shindou approached them only to say that we should stop talking to each other and focus on training.
Unsympathetic.

Who was he to interrupt them like that?

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

At the end of training they returned to the locker room.

The training had not been very tiring, he didn't feel at all destroyed as he usually did.

"Tomorrow he will come to see us Gouenji Shuuya!" He remembered Hamano all excited. "But do you believe it?" She didn't stop going back and forth to the changing rooms.

Endou had invited Gouenji Shuuya, former Raimon striker in his best days, and former Kirkwood coach. He had invited there to watch the training, or perhaps because they had something to talk about.

"I once saw Fubuki Shirou, he is said to be the coach of Alpine." Amagi said.
"Maybe we could have met him..." Tenma said.
"Well, they haven't played yet, maybe one day we could train with them." Sangoku said.
"But did they all choose to be coaches?"
"Indeed.... It seems to me that they all continued with their football careers." Kurama said.
"Think big, we could have a big outing with all the members of Inazuma Japan!" Hamano said. "Can we ask the coach? Please Shindou."
"Come on." Sangoku nudged the captain. "Look how happy Hamano is."

Shindou sighed, he didn't seem too happy with that request. "I will propose it to him, but I don't promise you anything."
"Shindou, I elect you captain for the next ten years." Hamano said, taking his hands.
"Oh God no." Shindou laughed.

"Maybe Masaki can ask his parents to join too!" Shinsuke said.

A red alarm blared in Masaki's head at full blast.
Was Shinsuke not warned? Had he forgotten?

"But what do Masaki's parents have to do with it?" Tenma asked laughing, probably trying to divert the conversation. "They don't-
- But Tenma, do you think Hiroto won't attend a reunion with Inazuma Japan?"

Tenma clenched his jaw.

"Do you mean Hiroto Kira? That Hiroto??" someone asked.

His brain had stopped working, he was slowly losing control of everything. "Enough Shinsuke!" He wasn't so sure he heard it.

He found himself with eyes on him. Those eyes.
he could hear everyone's thoughts.

Shinsuke turned to look at Kyousuke and Tenma. "Did I do something I shouldn't have done...? I thought the team knew-"

"Hey Kariya but why didn't you ever tell us?" Hamano laughed.

He had to leave, and in a hurry.
Before it would have been too late, before he would have exploded right there in front of everyone.

Why hadn't anyone reminded Shinsuke that it was still a sensitive topic?
It was all his fault. It's his fault alone.
How could he have forgotten something so important??

'You can do it Masaki', he said to himself.
But no, no he couldn't do it.

And Ryuuji, Ryuuji told him! But why did he never listen to anyone?
He had messed up, and it was his fault alone.

He couldn't blame Shinsuke, he had nothing to do with it.

"Masaki, sorry... I-" By now she wasn't even listening to him anymore.

Shinsuke wasn't to blame, he wanted to tell him, but if he had opened his mouth only a sob would have come out.
It was all his fault.
Shinsuke had simply assumed that the team knew about it. He was innocent.

He swallowed a bitter pill.
"See you tomorrow." It was the only thing he managed to say before leaving.

He turned around without even waiting for Tenma or Kyousuke.

He had to get out of there.

"Masaki wait!" Tenma shouted at him.

Why was he panicking? She didn't make any sense.
He wasn't a child anymore, what did she have to fear? And the kids in the club weren't like the kids in middle school.

He did the only sane thing he could think of, he ran as far away from everyone as possible.

***

In reality the only thing he wanted to do was run away from his thoughts, but that wasn't possible...

He felt like he couldn't go far, he started to feel really hot and the more he held his breath the more he felt his head would explode.
The more he held his breath, the more his heart accelerated, and his lungs gasped for air.

He hated panicking, because he knew he was losing control over his brain, over his thoughts.
He was not lucid.

After all, nothing had happened, right? It wasn't a big secret, he wasn't hiding the president of America, and he wasn't a wanted man.

He holds his breath and every single tear.
He shouldn't have cried. Exploding would have been a serious mistake.

Would Tenma and Kyousuke explain everything to the rest of the team? Would they come looking for him? What would they have done?

He stopped a little further on, just before the road he took to get to Tenma's house began, behind a '7 Eleven'. He couldn't go home in those conditions.
He hid behind the crates that were placed on the floor, even though in reality he didn't even want to sit down, because of the germs and the things that there could have been, however, he didn't think about it.

The nausea was taking over.
she wanted to cry, cry and vomit, lock herself in the house and probably never come out again, but the damage was already done.

Would everything have started like in middle school now?
Would they have used it since everyone knew about Inazuma Japan? Or, would they have made homophobic comments?
No, didn't Endou say something about it?
she couldn't remember it anymore...

By doing so he was only making his situation worse.

His only job at the moment was to breathe, could he at least succeed in that? She had to try.

Inhale 2,3,4
Hold 2,3-

He felt he had no control over his breathing, his lungs were gasping, from running, from panic. She felt like she was dying.

It was all his fault. If she had listened to Ryuuji, if she had already told someone else, none of this would have happened.

He tried to hold back, not to cry, but he had failed.

He was usually very good at calming his attacks, and yet, at that moment it seemed so difficult...

He must have felt his lungs expand... just breathing.

He tried again.

Again, inspire, 2,3,4.
Hold 2,3,4.
Exhale 2,3-

"Masaki! I found you!" Ranmaru had run towards him.

Kirino Ranmaru, had she followed him?
She had found him, in the worst of his states.

Ranmaru had dropped his satchel to the floor, and crouched there in front of him.

"Please leave me alone, please." He said, hoping that Ranmaru had understood.
"Hey, no no, you need to calm down, we won't talk until you calm down... I know how to help you if you want help, understand?"

He nodded.
It wasn't the first time he let himself be helped, even though he had become very good at managing himself during middle school.

He tried to synchronize his breathing with Ranmaru's, even though he had been running like crazy, he kept a calm and frequent pace.

What was Ranmaru thinking at that moment? Had he disappointed him again?
He had lied to him all this time... and he felt tears prickling his eyes, again a>.

"Masaki, stop thinking." The boy in front of him called him back.
"I can't do it... I-
-It's okay, let's play a game, shall we?" "

A game?
Did it seem like the right time? Had the race made him smoke the last neurons he had left?

"I don't think I want to."
"Trust me."

It was easier said...

"Name five things you can see right now."

Oh... that.

He exhaled so deeply that he was afraid he had used up all the air in his lungs.

Concentrate Masaki.

"The files... a lady who has just turned the corner, the cases – he looked around. – 7 eleven and... you?"

Ranmaru smiled at him. "You're doing great."

Did you expect something in return? Why was she helping him?

Ranmaru stopped his wrist, but didn't scold him.
He was there.
Still crouched, probably putting a lot of effort into his legs and with an outfit that wasn't the best.

He was wearing the shorts of his uniform and the jacket of his school uniform, his hair was unkempt, almost making him want to run his hands through it... however the pigtails were always there.

But what was he saying?
Ranmaru now knew everything... and he had felt it in his look when Shinsuke had said everything.

"You have to concentrate on what I'm telling you Masaki. Leave your thoughts away."
"I'm trying." It was difficult to hold back the tears.
"And you're succeeding, trust me, now tell me four things you can touch and feel with touch, this one's easy, right?"

It gave him an absurd calm. Why?
It was like the summer sun.

Was its purpose to remove him from his thoughts?

"The material of the school bag, the shorts of the uniform, my hair... and your hands." Which were really hot, but how did he do it? Masaki always had cold hands in the winter.

"But do you know that you have become better than me at this game?" Ranmaru smiled at him.

A little she was succeeding... but as soon as she remembered, he couldn't stop thinking about Shinsuke...
His heart was pounding... he could feel it.

Ranmaru held his hands.
"Masaki, it's okay, it's just us, do you want to continue with three things you can listen to?"

Masaki nodded.
"The automatic doors and then..." everyone's voice- no, he had to stay focused. "The murmur of people and your voice."

Ranmaru's smile was still there.
"Yes, you're doing well."

Their hands were still clasped, and Masaki felt so hot, almost as hot as Ranmaru's hands. What were all these sensations?

"Two smells, right?"
"Yes, do you want to continue?"
"Yes... - he tried to focus on his sense of smell. – the smell of rotten fish and... the per-cooked ramen they sell here."
"Perfect Masaki, I said you've become really good. How about we get up from here and walk a little? I wouldn't want to be intrusive and above all I wouldn't want you to think badly, I just want to make sure you get home safe."

Did you want to accompany him home?

***

"Masaki, listen, we won't talk about it if you don't want to, I promise. Just let me make sure you get home in one piece. And above all because you will start thinking about it again as soon as you are alone. I can call Tenma if you want, you can lead the way-
- No... that's fine."
"Then let me accompany you please."

Could he be trusted? Wouldn't Hiroto and Ryuu have found a herd of kids and journalists at their house?
He held his breath. she had to stop.

"Masaki." Ranmaru's grip tightened.
"Okay..."

Ranmaru smiled at him. "Thank you."
He gave him a hand to get up and also retrieved the briefcase he had thrown on the floor as soon as he arrived.
He was really hard of understanding, and she hadn't even let him bring his stupid briefcase.

"I'm sorry I scared you." Masaki said, breaking the silence.
"You didn't. I couldn't find you, and with the face you came out with... I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Thank you..."
"Know that no one is mad at you at the club. I just wanted to let you know."

He seriously wanted to tell him that he didn't care, but that clearly wasn't true.

"Tenma and Kyousuke?" Why didn't they come looking for me?
"Kyousuke and Tenma... they're really protective of you, I've never seen them so serious, I mean Tenma, Kyousuke... well he's always serious. I told him I would look for you."
"Why?"
"I told you. Your face... you were on the verge of despair. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive."
"Melodramatic."
"You know that with an attack of could you panic anyway? What if I hadn't seen the cars? God Masaki, I don't even want to think about it."
"Why... do you worry so much?"

Ranmaru didn't say a word, or maybe he was looking for something to say to him, because it took so long. "Because I care... that is... I care about the people I love, that's all. And I would have reacted the same way, don't worry." He said again. "Everyone has secrets, and if you didn't want to tell, you certainly had your reasons."
"Aren't you angry? In short, aren't you angry that I didn't tell you?"
"No, not at all, should I?"
"Not I know..."
"I told you, no one at the club is mad at you, and I don't think they ever will be, don't worry."
"I'll try."

They were almost close to home now, and Masaki didn't have that much desire to go back now, because he probably wouldn't stop thinking about it.

"Do you know why Hamano wrote to me that I'm an idiot? Because I lack courage."
"What should you be courageous about?"
"It's hard to explain... But the reason why I lack the courage and so I went to the school psychologist and it's the same. I, well I...I have a couple of doubts-
- We don't have to talk about it. If you want, when you are more sure we could talk about it so I could reciprocate what you did."

Ranmaru shook his head, but smiled nonetheless. "You don't need to return the favor, I already told you why I did it. And you better never cry again, because your eyes are beautiful... when they aren't red from crying."

Masaki hid his face in his shirt, no one had ever said something like that to him before... "Thank you." He muttered.

When they were close enough to his house, Masaki pointed it out to him. "That's my house."
"Oh God don't you live in a super mega villa like Shindou?"; Ranmaru asked, acting shocked.

Masaki laughed. "No, it's a humble abode."

The lights in his house were already on, a sign that his parents had already returned home.

"Well, I take it you have to go in, or your parents will think Endou kidnapped you."
"Yeah... Thanks Ranmaru..."
"And what about?"
"Some company, and for calming me down... thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
"Keep the thank you and shut up."
"Okay, okay. I'll see you tomorrow at school, right?"
"Yes-
-But you have to come, you can't be absent, otherwise I'll come and get you, eh." He laughed.
"I won't do it... see you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow Mas, and don't worry!"

Ranmaru waited for her to enter the house before leaving.

Her heart was beating so wildly... She waved goodbye to him before closing the door.
He felt her heart racing again.

As he had predicted, yes, his parents had returned home. he wouldn't say anything.

"Hey Maki, welcome back!" Ryuuji said. "It took you a while."
"Hi. We were late with training."

And so he immediately justified his delay.

"Oh really? Endou is keen to train you well." Hiroto said.
Masaki chuckled. "Yeah..."

He then ran to his room.
He threw the folder as far away as possible and took out his cell phone.
He made a point of writing a message to Shinsuke, to tell him that he wasn't angry with him, and that he didn't have to worry about what he had done. He notified Kyousuke and Tenma, and then sent a message to Ranmaru.
Like this, because he wanted to.

He went to take a shower and then went to have dinner.

He thought about it for a bit, about what had happened... until Ranmaru responded to the message he had sent him earlier.

He didn't know he could calm a panic attack, but he had done it, and he was truly grateful, because he hadn't the faintest idea how he would have done it on his own...

He had been lucky... Again.

Chapter Text

Despite having promised Ranmaru to go to school that morning, Masaki had lied to Ryuuji and Hiroto.
He said he would go into second period if his fake headache ever went away. In reality his plan was to stay home, of course.

He didn’t want to be the laughing stock of the day.
To be teased for running away like that, or worse, to answer questions about his parents.

Luckily his plan worked, also because his parents left a little early that morning due to the work they had to do at Kira & Company, before the winter holidays.

Ranmaru also sent him a message, saying that he was waiting for him at school and that he had nothing to worry about, that no one would do anything.
He didn't want to disbelieve it, but it seemed impossible not to.

His plan was “going” well, he was nice and warm in his bed, and he had no intention of getting up, or at least he didn't until someone knocked on the door.

He had gone to open the door with the belief that they were his parents, but instead he found Tenma's big face before his eyes.

Kyousuke had threatened him.
And he had to surrender to the threats of the blue-haired boy, in order not to die; he was very scary when he wanted to.

While Tenma told him: “Gouenji is waiting for us!”

In reality he had forgotten about Gouenji, and would have preferred not to remember him.
He didn't want to go to school, let alone train with Gouenji Shuuya.

But, Kyousuke reminded him of the threats and so he went to change into his school uniform in a hurry anyway.

He left the house followed by his two companions.

Kyousuke gave him a real interrogation, and wanted to know in detail what Ranmaru had said, and if it had bothered him in any way.

Kyousuke, however, had just perfect timing. Was it all about him testing Ranmaru?
No, Kyousuke would never do such a thing.
He wasn't evil, and even if in an alternate universe he was, he would change and become good, or he would just pretend to be evil, or maybe it was because someone had brainwashed him.

For that day Masaki had intended to stay as far away as possible from Shinsuke, and from the football club in general, perhaps he would skip training directly.
However, that too failed.

Shinsuke was waiting for them with open arms outside the school. (Masaki thought it was all a trap.)

Shinsuke asked him "sorry" countless times, he wasn't exaggerating, and Masaki had told him that it wasn't his fault at all, then Tenma joked about it by saying that if Shinsuke hadn't done it, Masaki wouldn't have done it. 'he would never have said.
It wasn't true! But no one listened to him.

He didn't meet any of the team, as if they had all disappeared.
He didn't even meet Ranmaru that morning, which was really strange, maybe he had arrived too early, or too late?

He had thought that, at least the whole school already knew, that he would find a herd of kids outside his house, that he would be made fun of by everyone, but instead, nothing.
None of this happened.
Fortunately.

The school day was the same and boring as always.
At the canteen he found himself listening to the usual speeches of Shinsuke and Tenma, that today Gouenji Shuuya was there, and only because Endou had said that he would come to watch the training, but who had made him do it?

He had seen Ranmaru, he was now sitting at his usual table with his second year friends and Sangoku.
She smiled at him as they filled the trays.
They hadn't spoken to each other. This had bothered Masaki a lot, because the day before he had even accompanied him home, and that day didn't he have some time to speak to him?

After afternoon lessons Masaki wanted to slip away, but that too failed.
Tenma dragged him to the club saying, "Gouenji Shuuya is here, you can't miss it."

He didn't give a damn about Gouenji, wasn't it clear?
He wanted to stay at home, in his bed, pretending to have a terrible headache so that Ryuuji and Hiroto would leave him alone too.
He was selfish, but really that day he didn't even have the will to live.

They entered the meeting room, and a couple of eyes fell on him, but no one said anything. Once again, fortunately.

Endou was at the back of the classroom who had already started talking, not even a shadow of Gouenji.

"Now that you are all here, the managers will distribute the training sheets that you will do during the winter holidays, they are not all the same and it is based on your needs."

Akane handed him her stupid training card.
On the paper, in addition to the many exercises that he had to do, and in addition to Endou's name, there was another one written. Kogure Yuuya. He had no idea who he was though.

"Kazemaru Ichirouta?!" Tenma shouted next to him. "B-but coach, maybe there's a mistake."

Endou shook his head. "No Tenma, each of you has a card prepared by me, and another person, based on your needs. Shindou, for example, your card was made by Kidou Yuuto."

Everyone was now looking at their paper, wanting to know who had written that paper with Endou.

"When we return we will organize a training match with an external team. Enough time has passed since the match against Raimon, and I want to see if you have improved at least a little."

As a trainer, Endou didn't treat them very well, however, he was really good at his job.

"Now that we have a guest, it will take you less than five minutes to change, and woe betide you if you're late." She then said.
And it had been too good too.

They all ran to the changing rooms.
Staying locked up with the kids who had seen him having a panic attack the afternoon before wasn't the best, he would have preferred to change in the bathroom, but it wasn't possible.

Everyone exchanged the names of the players who had helped Endou make the training sheet, especially Tenma, who never stopped peeking at everyone's sheet.

His father, Hiroto, had written the training card for Hayami, why Hayami?

He didn't have the faintest idea how those training sheets were written. Perhaps it was Endou who had assigned the cards to them, and not that those players had written it for them.

And that day was just perfect for Hamano.
He could easily talk about his father, as if he were his own, and it bothered him a little.

Hamano was talking to Kurumada, and actually to everyone, about his father.
"I always thought that Hiroto was straight, that is, in the interviews he gave during the football frontier he often talked about Reina."

He obviously knew who he was talking about. Reina Yagami.
They had grown up together in the same orphanage, and he played on Hiroto's team before the Football Frontier selections.

Masaki had only seen her through photos.
Let's say that he could have been a distant aunt of hers, but he had never had any type of interaction with her.

"Masaki." Hamano called his attention. And that bothered him so much. "Were you adopted legally, that is, before a judge? Before the law?" He asked.
“What other adoption methods do you know Hamano?” Kurumada laughed.

He saw Ranmaru, who was trying to silence Hamano with his typical ' shut up or I'll rip your throat out ' look, or, he was simply telling him to stop because he couldn't take it anymore either.

“It's more complicated than you think, but more or less, yes.” He replied, he only did it because he was polite.
“It must be amazing to live with them.” Kurumada said.
Hamano agreed, as if he knew something about it. "Mythical."

"Guys, less talking." Shindou said before walking out with Sangoku.

Most of them were almost ready, even Masaki himself, if he didn't have any problems with his shoes.

"Don't you miss your real parents? I mean, it's mythical, but also strange." Kurumada said, she knew she was provoking him.

His real parents were Hiroto and Ryuuji.

Of course, he was well aware that he couldn't have been brought into the world by the two of them, he wasn't stupid, but if those people who had abandoned him hadn't been present in his life, why would he call them parents?

And before Ranmaru could even say a word, Kyousuke interjected.
"Hey, you should stop." He said it in such a serious and authoritative tone that it almost made Masaki want to run away.

"But we're just curious, I mean, it's not an everyday thing." Hamano said with a shrug.
"Will you and Tenma have children too one day?" Someone else asked.
"Hey! I'm only fifteen!" Tenma complained.

"Could your real parents ever show up again Masaki?"
Kurumada had his gaze fixed on him. He was really hateful. But what harm had he done to him?
Was he still angry about the match against Raimon?

And yet... Masaki knew he wasn't capable of holding that conversation; but he didn't want to let her win.

"They won't come back, and I'm sure of it. Now what other questions do you have Kurumada?"

Facing him face-to-face was the worst idea he could have ever had, but before Kurumada could counter, Ranmaru intervened. "Now stop it, you're asking inappropriate questions that Masaki doesn't have to answer."

Once again Kurumada was interrupted, this time by someone knocking on the door.

"Guys, five minutes have passed, if you don't get out of here now I swear I'll tell the coach to leave you on the bench and let the second team play. Gouenji will leave if you don't hurry." Midori said, out the door, she had never heard her so serious before. "And look, I don't care if you're naked, I'll open the door in three seconds."

And he really started counting.
Ranmaru was faster than those three seconds, and opened the door. "Here we are!"

Midori looked at them one by one. "Move along. I'm not babysitting any of you." She said, very annoyed.

Not because Midori said so, but they went out one by one.
Ryoma even tried to smile at him, but this infuriated poor Midori more.

They arrived at Endou, and Gouenji Shuuya apparently wasn't there yet.

"Thank you Midori." Endou said, once they arrived. "I said five minutes. Two laps of strength camp, and I mean more."

Two laps of the pitch... more?
But why did he always get into trouble??

Reluctantly, because it was absolutely not his fault, he began his slow penance together with the others.

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Gouenji Shuuya made it to their penultimate round of penance, before they then headed off to warm up.
He seemed really happy to be there, he had greeted Endou and Professor Otonashi with a warm hug.

He was wearing a red jacket and trousers of the same color.
The jacket that was open revealed a white shirt and a black scarf.

A little light, for a winter outfit.

His hair was very long and light blonde, almost like that of Aphrodì, a friend of his father and his uncles, but unlike Aphrodì, he had two blue locks.

He was monstrously tall, and it wasn't because of the leather boots; he was almost taller than Endou.

Masaki, getting too distracted, crashed into Tenma, who for some absurd reason was running towards him. They both found themselves on the ground.

"Oh God I'm sorry Masaki! Did I kill you by any chance?? Answer me!"
"But how could you kill me Tenma?"
" Oh, you're alive, thank goodness!" And she said it so fast that Masaki barely understood.
"But can we know why you were running the wrong way??"
"On the wrong side did you say...?" Tenma looked around. He put a hand behind his head in embarrassment. "Maybe I got too distracted," he chuckled.

Amagi approached. "You look fine?"
"Yes, thanks Amagi." He replied Tenma, stood up and helped Masaki up.
"Pay attention to what's happening on the pitch." Shindou said. "Don't get distracted."
"Yes! Sorry captain." They both said, then went back to warming up.

Once the crazy laps were over, the real warm-up began.

Besides having the coach's eyes on him, there were also two pairs of blue eyes staring at him, and he knew they wanted to talk to him badly.

"What?" She asked him.

Ranmaru perked up, and after getting a little closer said to him: "Why did you push him? Hamano is an idiot, and Kurumada humors him because for some strange reason he's still mad at you, but you certainly don't have to do that too. you."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not a child, I can talk about these things civilly."
"At the risk of panicking again, but of course."
"It is not true."
"Why do you lie?"
"I'm not lying, it's the truth!"

Ranmaru snorted. "Look, you can make whoever you want believe what you want, but I don't think Kyousuke bought the fact that you're fine, and I didn't either, so at least you might not lie to me. Look, it's perfectly normal that questions like that might bother you, but I don't see why you should panic by answering questions like that."
“But I didn't panic!”
"Was that happening Masaki! Or do you think I didn't notice how you were fumbling with your shoes? And how you were touching your hands?"

He hated that everyone analyzed and studied him like that!
But anyway, why was she worrying so much? After all, the problem wasn't his. He could meddle in his affairs.

"He should have kept quiet but because of the training sheets he opened up the conversation."

Should Hamano have kept quiet? They all knew him well by now, and Hamano wasn't the type to keep quiet, and that morning he had been really surprised that he hadn't attacked him outside of school, unless... "Did you tell him?"
"Said what?"
"Not to say anything..." he didn't want to accuse him, but that morning he had sent him that message, saying that no one would say anything... he had planned everything? "You told Hamano and the others not to comment on anything, why? Even Shindou kept quiet, when he was probably the only one here who knew about it in the first place! Why did you interfere?"

Ranmaru looked at him, he wasn't angry but rather calm or worried.
"Because I didn't want it to happen again like yesterday, I preferred to prevent it, but Hamano apparently is unpredictable" "You
shouldn't have interfered! You shouldn't have done that!"

He had never felt so angry towards Ranmaru.
He thought she wasn't even capable of feeling that way towards that boy... And now, now she was trying to repress that anger too.

"I did it for you Mas."
"Well, I didn't ask you to do anything for me!"
"No you're right, maybe having a panic attack yesterday, today, if no one had stopped it, it would have happened worse."

They probably called attention to them, as Shindou shouted at them. "Hey you two, stop it! Before the coach kicks you out."

Masaki probably looked at him like he wanted to kill him, Endou called him back, to be honest he called them both back.
Just Shindou wasn't enough.

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Before they began training, Endou called them back to him.
He introduced them to Gouenji Shuuya.

Tenma didn't stop glowing. Literally. He doted on Gouenji.
The reason wasn't clear to him, it probably had to do with something from when Tenma still lived in Okinawa with her parents.

"It's an honor to meet the team that stood up to Raimon." Gouenji said. "I thank Endou for giving me the chance to stay here and watch your training, so maybe I can give you some tips, so that you continue to improve."
"Thank you so much on behalf of the team!" Shindou said.
Endou clapped his hands. "Alright guys, after practice you can all talk to Gouenji, now get on the strength field."
"Yes coach!"
"Everyone except Kariya and Kirino, please, I need to talk to you."

Here you are. Masaki could say goodbye to his life.
About his life and his miserable "career" as a footballer. Why all this? Because a certain ' pink pigtails. 'had meddled in his life!
But how could she even think that she had feelings for him?

Even if he hadn't done it with bad intentions, he couldn't stay calm, not feel angry.

They followed Endou, who had wandered away from the bench.

"What happen?" He asked. "Do you think it's appropriate to argue in the middle of the field?"

Neither of them said a word.

Endou had crossed his arms. "If you don't get along, how do you think you'll be able to play as a team? Arguments don't happen on the field, or even off it, you're teammates, and you had chemistry, what made you lose it?"
"Excuse us coach." Ranmaru said.

Endou sighed. "Whatever happened between you, you need to resolve."
“It's my fault coach.” Masaki said.
"It's not true Masaki, it's not your fault."
"Instead it's my fault-
-Guys, nothing will happen to you, I won't leave you off the field, so there's no point in blaming yourselves. I just want to know what led you to fight during the warm-up."
"Communication error." Ranmaru replied quickly. But what was he doing?
"We didn't say things to each other, and so... we argued, that's all."

Endou looked them both up and down.
"Okay, after training you will kindly put some things for me in the equipment closet back here. You can go."

He was fed up with getting into trouble.
She would be even later in returning home. He couldn't take it anymore.

He stopped Ranmaru before he followed Endou.

"What did you do?"
“I told him the truth, and I know I was wrong, but I fucking did it for you.” Ranmaru said, softly, as if he didn't want to be heard.
"I didn't ask you-
- I know you didn't ask me to do it. It's just that it seemed necessary to me after what happened, in short, it was hard to keep Hamano quiet. He never stays quiet, he always speaks out of turn, then yes Kurumada is also added because for some stupid reason he's still mad at you, even though we haven't played a game in ages." His look was serious, perhaps, she had never seen him like this…

"Did it seem right to you? Why didn't you tell me? I would have told you that you shouldn't have interfered anyway! But if I had said it before, probably now we wouldn't be here."
"You're the one who sulked! I'm not mad at you Masaki. What part of 'I did it for you.' Do you not understand?"
"But I didn't need it!" He almost screamed.

Now he really had to stop, before the inevitable happened.
He had to leave.
Run away, like He always had.

"Masaki wait!"
"We need to train before Endou benches us." He said before running off.

He reached the camp holding back all the tears he could, he didn't want to cry anymore, he didn't even have the strength anymore.

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Training was the most difficult task, and he admitted that he hadn't had a great workout.
Having Ranmaru next to you and pretending nothing happened, that was difficult too.

He had tried to channel all the emotions into football, but it just wasn't working that way... or at least for him. The anger didn't let up much.

Once training was over, everyone gathered in a circle, so they could talk to Gouenji.
Everyone said a word, everyone except him.

He was only thinking about how to get home as quickly as possible.
But… he still had to deal with Endou's matter; usually the managers took care of it.

And he still had to resolve this with Ranmaru...

So, after filling Gouenji's head with chatter, Endou sent everyone to change, while he and Ranmaru had the task of carrying the equipment to the storage room. Handsome.

And for him they could very well walk to the closet in complete silence, but for Ranmaru it wasn't the same. When did they ever have a common thought??

"I'm sorry Mas, I just wanted to make you feel comfortable, but apparently, I've done worse. Sorry. Can we put down our weapons and go back to the way we were before?"

As before, he looked terribly serious and terribly sorry. But as before... it meant that the anger had to pass, that he should let it go.

Sigh.

He had never liked arguing, and especially arguing with Ranmaru... And he wasn't one to say "sorry" ready, he usually had to think about it, he made days pass between one argument and another... but with Ranmaru it wasn't like that. And he never would be.

“Sorry, for yelling at you, that wasn't my intention.” He muttered.
"You do not have to apologize." Ranmaru said quickly.
"Then don't do it either."

They said nothing more to each other.
They put the stupid cart of balls in the closet, locked it and brought the key to Endou in absolute silence, as if neither of them had anything to say.
As before, she had said. But were they really back to the way they were before?

They were walking back to the locker room when Ranmaru then spoke up.

"Before you get angry, Shindou kept quiet, not because I told him. When you showed up at the club he told me he'd seen you before, but he never told me anything about you." He said.
“I thought he didn't remember me, but… should I thank him?”
"Well not now, as angry as he is with both of us." Ranmaru laughed.
Masaki sighed. "Man... I hope he gets over it soon."
"He'll get over it, after all, we also helped Endou and if the coach isn't angry, he won't stay angry for long."

They were still quite far from the locker room, and from the looks of it, Ranmaru wanted to keep talking over and over again.

“What do you do for the holidays?” He asked.
"I'm going back to Kyoto and you?"
"Mom doesn't have a job, so I think we'll do a little something here, my parents are very traditional, especially my dad."
"Oh no, don't tell me you'll be ordering from KFC for Christmas."
Ranmaru laughed. "Yes, that much. Yours instead?"
Masaki shook his head. "They're not like that, they follow their own tradition and that's why we go to Kyoto every year, because the rest of the family is there... and probably like every year I'll be bored."
"What's wrong with Kyoto?"
"Oh it's not Kyoto that's the problem. Kyoto is beautiful. The problem is that the youngest among them is thirty."

Ranmaru laughed. "But how about thirty years?"
"Well, no one has kids besides… well besides mine. My uncles are barely married."
"There's no one your age."
"Exact."
"It's very possible that you might be bored. So why did you move here if you return to Kyoto often?"
"Because the company where my parents work is right here... In reality, when Mr. Kira ran it, it was like at the foot of Mount Fuji, they had to move and they decided 'Nagano', because Mount Fuji is... well, Mount Fuji."
“Mount Fuji is Mount Fuji yes.” Ranmaru had teased. "I could keep you company, so you won't be bored." He said before entering the locker room.

He almost liked her strange way of doing things. And she almost made him forget what had happened before.

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Finally, the winter holidays arrived, and Masaki went to Kyoto to visit her aunt Hitomiko.

For most of the journey, Ranmaru kept him company.

In front of him, Hiroto and Ryuuji were arguing about the fact that they had yet to find a perfect Christmas present to give to Hitomiko, while two seconds earlier, Hiroto was singing at the top of his lungs: ' All I Want For Christmas is you. '.
It was truly horrible to witness such a scene.
He strongly advised her against it.

"Maki, maybe you could ask Kyousuke what to get your aunt so he can help us out."
"It's not Kyousuke."

Ryuu nearly pulled his head away from his neck to turn to look at him. "How is it not Kyousuke?"
"Isn't that Kyousuke? I mean, I'm not talking to Kyousuke. Look, I have other friends at Alien."
"So 'no one' has a name now?" Hiroto was there giving him glances from the rear view mirror.

Masaki sighed. "Kirino. His name is Kirino Ranmaru."
"Does he play at the football club?" Ryuuji asked.
"There's no way you've never seen him, he literally has pink hair; he's a defender like me."

Hiroto was struck by some intelligence.
And this or that he was strange. "I figured out who he is! Shirt number 3."
"Yes, it's him."
"But you've never told us about it before." Ryuuji said.
"We are just friends."
"Yes, friends, but Kyousuke and Tenma are often mentioned, you also go to school together."
"I've talked about it a few times."
"Come on, Ryuu, I don't think it's worth questioning him." Hiroto said. "Rather, can this Kirino give you advice on what to give your aunt?"
"I don't think so, but I can ask him."
" Perfect, we are on the high seas, and without any help."
"Is he a friend like Kyousuke?" Ryuuji asked again.
" Yes? How many types of friends are there?"
"Ryuu, Maki knows what kind of friends to have around."

And while Ryuuji and Hiroto continued talking Masaki turned on the music on his headphones and wrote to Ranmaru: "My father asks if you know what to give to an aunt."
And Ranmaru answered him: "An aunt? What is it? Can you eat it?"

Masaki couldn't help but smile at that nonsense.

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They arrived in Kyoto and were welcomed by his aunt Hitomiko.

His aunt ran to hug him and hold him as if they hadn't seen each other in a lifetime, in reality it wasn't true at all, and she kept telling him how much he had grown, even if that wasn't true either, they had only seen each other a few months before (In May.) and doubted that in seven months he had grown, maybe his hair had grown?

“We didn't miss a single game.” She said happily.
"Thank you?"
"Where are Nagumo and Suzuno?" Hiroto asked as he unloaded the car.
"They will arrive in the evening."

At least for a while he would be at peace. "Dave will be there for Christmas too, I hope you don't mind." He informed Hitomiko as she led them into the house.

Hiroto didn't seem too happy, yet he replied, "No problem."

That Quagmire did nothing but appear every time they were there in Kyoto, and Hiroto's suspicions were perhaps well-founded (the ones where his aunt Hitomiko and Quagmire were hiding something, like a relationship).

But anyway, the first day went by smoothly.
After unpacking, Masaki sent Ranmaru a photo of a cute snowman made outside the house, he didn't know by whom, but he wanted to photograph it.
Ranmaru had responded with, "I'm going to make a snow angel."

It was snowing in 'Nagano', he had his confirmation.

His aunt Hitomiko had been busy at 'Ohisama En' that afternoon, and Masaki offered to help her but she had said that he needed to rest due to the long journey he had made, and he had countered by saying that he wasn't tired at all.
How did it end? He had fallen asleep.

And when he woke up, his uncles Nagumo and Suzuno had arrived, which meant he had wasted his 'peace' by sleeping; which wasn't bad at all, she loved sleeping.

He went to say goodbye to his uncles.
He would have liked to stay there and write to Ranmaru who in the meantime had written him many things and had sent him a photo of the gray and stormy sky of Nagano.

Even his uncles had not changed since the last time they had seen them, and they too said that they had followed the 'Alien' games, and also complimented them on the play.

In short, he had quite a bit to chat with his uncles.

Hitomiko did not return late that evening, partly because Hiroto was with her.
Masaki swore she was there with him and Ryuu before he fell asleep.

Ranmaru had really been by his side that day, and in his heart he really hoped that on other days they would keep each other company like that, as 'promised'.

Neither Hiroto nor Ryuuji asked anything more about Ranmaru, and he was truly grateful for that.

Like every time Masaki was in Kyoto, he continued to sleep between his parents. He would never have experienced the thrill of sleeping in his own room, there in that house; he was too afraid that he might wake up with a ghost in his face, and maybe his grandfather's spirit jokingly scolding him for not eating all of his favorite cookies. He missed it a little, to admit it.

It would still creep him out, the less he thought about it, the less those spiritual things would happen.

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The next day, Masaki woke up in a good mood.
It was the twenty-third of December, which meant that Christmas was two days away.

He wrote to Ranmaru immediately, even though Ranmaru had woken up long before him and had written to him.

Even if it was a little late, he really wanted to run to his aunt Hitomiko, he would help her until the afternoon, Hiroto and Ryuuji instead would go to finish their beloved gift list, and then they would go to their grandfather's old house together with Nagumo and Suzuno (not the one where Hitomiko now lived, but another, where her parents had grown up).

The first thing Hitomiko asked him was, "Why didn't you go with Hiroto and Ryuuji? Wouldn't you have had more fun?"

Now, Masaki didn't think Hitomiko knew where her brother was going, but she still didn't want to tell her.
And no, he wouldn't have enjoyed giving gifts.

"I promised to help you! And today I'm here as your assistant." He saluted, making his aunt Hitomiko laugh.
"Okay, off to work then."

Masaki nodded.

What effect did being there at 'Ohisama En' have on him? He didn't know exactly, it was the only place that could make him feel a strange lump in his throat.
After all, Masaki had confusing memories, and so he didn't know how he ended up there; the only thing he remembered was that in the room where he had slept, before going to live with his parents and Hitomiko, there was a white wall painted with children's hands.
He had asked over and over again if there was such a room, but his parents, and Hitomiko, had always avoided giving him an answer.

At 'Ohisama En' they put up the tree every Christmas, and the children wrote little letters addressed to 'Santa Claus'; it was also there that year, and Masaki made a point of photographing it and sending it to Ranmaru, he wrote to us: "I have never believed in Santa Claus."
"But why not Masaki?? Santa Claus is the best thing about Christmas!!!"
"My parents can't lie."

Ranmaru sent him a sad emoji, and wrote: "I can understand you on this, even my parents don't know how to do it, I found out when I was eight... I literally saw my dad dress up as Santa Claus."
"Traumatic."
"I cried all day."

He almost didn't burst out laughing.

That too was something he didn't remember.
Maybe because not even her parents were crazy about 'Santa Claus'. But... she would have loved to see Hiroto dress up as Santa Claus, oh, he would have made fun of her for the rest of his life. She laughed at the mere thought.

Helping out at 'Ohisama En', he liked it, perhaps a little more than working at Kira & Company, which he found rather boring, even the way his parents talked about it.

But they were both tiring according to Masaki. At 'Ohisama En 'it meant managing many children, but he was pleasant, but he hated children with all his being.
They would cry and scream for everything, and wouldn't stay still even if you begged them. He would always hate those little monsters.

Hitomiko didn't follow him that much, she really had a lot to do, while he occasionally clashed with Dave Quagmire, and had actually caught him talking to Hitomiko many times.
But no words passed between the two of them, perhaps just 'hello'.

Dave scared him, he always wore a black scarf around his neck, and sometimes Masaki thought it was his own hair and wore a red jacket, a blue shirt and white pants. Did he take the first things out of the closet?

Maybe as a child he had woken up and found it on his face and from there he had been traumatized by it otherwise he couldn't explain it.

He didn't hear from Ranmaru for a while but after all he had things to do too didn't he?
She let it go and continued helping Hitomiko until lunch time.

Hiroto and Ryuuji picked him up after their shopping spree.
He went home with his parents and uncles, who were peppering him with questions about the football club, a continuation of last evening's chat. But Masaki couldn't take it anymore.

While waiting for lunch, he was curious and opened 'Instagram' and the first image he saw was a re-post from Shindou.
He and Ranmaru were together, he wasn't surprised, after all Ranmaru was in 'Nagano', he could have been seeing anyone. And then he wasn't jealous.

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On Christmas Day, precisely in the afternoon, Ranmaru sent him a photo of a PC, his Christmas present from his parents.
His old man had caught fire, in the true sense of the word.

Masaki had done the same, sending him a photo of his gift.
Hiroto and Ryuuji had bought him a pair of headphones, not very indifferent.

Masaki was stunned, he hadn't asked for them, and he didn't really remember having talked about them.

He had given his parents, with Hitomiko's help, a simple and useless digital frame.
But anyway, what should he have given to two old men?

He wasn't satisfied but his parents liked it, and had already set up a photo of the three of them together.

Then, they spent the rest of the day playing a couple of board games and karaoke, where a drunk Hiroto sang ' All I Want For Christmas is Ryuu. ' ', that was really embarrassing too.

However, he saved a little piece with a video, so as to make fun of him.

He found by chance, on social media, a photo of Ranmaru and his mother, and they were just two drops of water! She was just the shameless copy of her mother.
"By chance", he had actually been checking 'Instagram' the whole time so as not to check on the drunk Hiroto.

Even though she had attended a match, Masaki had never seen her, yet it wasn't that difficult to find another person like Ranmaru.

He had also heard from Tenma and Kyousuke, who had spent Christmas at Tenma's aunt's house, along with Yuuichi who had returned from university.
Tenma sent him a selfie of him with Yuuichi.
And yes, Yuuichi was really handsome, but it would be like hooking up with Kyousuke, and that wasn't good at all. His stomach turned at the mere thought.

As for the next few days, Masaki did a little 'Ohisama En' and a little home.
Ranmaru had told him that for New Year's Day he would send him a surprise, if only he would send him the address.
Masaki had had serious doubts about what the older boy wanted to do, but he sent him the address anyway.

Then, on December thirty-first, shortly after dinner, Dave Quagmire had finally confessed to Hiroto that he was with Hitomiko, and that they would get married very soon.

What was Hiroto's face? As if he had been struck by lightning, but like the good brother he was, he repressed his jealousy and wished them both much happiness.
Masaki, with Nagumo's help, teased him.

They were all surprised, however, at how those two had managed to keep the relationship a secret all that time. Masaki wasn't surprised, he had learned from the best one could say.

Before going to the temple, they ate a fortune cookie, which Hitomiko had insisted on buying.

The phrase that came out of him was: " We were not born only for ourselves."

He didn't believe in these things, but something told him that not everything happened by chance.
They then all went to the temple, for the first time that year.

Masaki did not consider himself as religious as his parents, but that first time of that new year, he prayed really hard, perhaps, as he had never done before.

The next day, New Year's Day, Masaki received the long-awaited surprise from Ranmaru.
A ' nengajo ' or greeting cards for the new year was a good omen.
Masaki had to laugh terribly, since he had done the same thing to Ranmaru. He had sent him a ' nengajo ' asking Shindou for the address so as not to arouse the suspicion of the person concerned.

He didn't expect to receive one from Ranmaru, but as soon as it arrived, Masaki took a photo of himself with the card in his hands and sent it to him.

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After that day of celebration, January 2nd, only Masaki, Ryuuji and Hiroto remained in the house.
Hitomiko and Dave were at 'Ohisama En' while Nagumo and Suzuno were gone, they had work to do.
What work did they do? Not even Masaki knew.

Instead they would leave the next day.

Unfortunately that day it was rainy, so he had nothing to do, he just sat on the sofa waiting for lunch. And no, he wasn't going to lose his peace of mind by doing that stupid training schedule.

Throughout the holidays, Masaki had wondered if Ranmaru also felt a certain sense of 'missing' towards him.
Yes, it's true, they talked to each other very often via chat, but it was still different than when he saw him around school. He had asked himself that question almost every holiday.

That day at lunch, the main topic was Dave Quagmire, and why Hitomiko had kept that phantom relationship hidden from him for so long.

"Maybe because she didn't feel ready to tell you, right? I mean, you don't make a nice face when you see Dave. Do you think I should call him Uncle Dave now?" He interjected.

Both his parents turned to look at him as if he had nothing to do with the topic, as if it were a conversation "between grown-ups".

"What?" He asked now embarrassed.

"What did you say Maki?" Ryuuji asked.
"Should I call Dave, Uncle Dave? I mean, I do this with Hitomiko and it seems to-
- No, first."
"What don't you put on a nice face when you see Dave?"
Hiroto grew impatient. "Masaki."
"That aunt wasn't ready to tell you."
"You are right!" Ryuuji said. "Wait a moment." Ryuuji turned to look at him, like that time in the car, his gaze with his pitch black eyes seemed to dig into his soul. "Do you have anything to tell us Maki?"
" What not!"
"I don't think you sent Kyousuke a postcard either." Hiroto winked.

Why didn't he learn to mind his own business?
In short, they were matters between adults! He was only fifteen, why did he have to interfere?

"This has nothing to do with Aunt Hitomiko." He muttered.

Hiroto cracked his knuckles, it felt like one of those bad scenes from the movies. "You like Ranmaru." He then said.
"What? No- that's not true!"
"Hiroto." Ryuuji took it back. "No hasty conclusions."
"We are just friends."

He became smaller and smaller, sitting on that light green sofa that Hitomiko had bought a couple of years earlier. "And then I don't know... me either." He muttered, hoping neither of them had heard him.

“Oh, Masaki." Ryuuji approached him. “You're just getting bigger.”
"I still made you small for these things, and yet here we are." Hiroto said.

There was a lump in his throat, but he wouldn't cry.

“I… feel so…” Wrong.

He could never say it and maybe that was a good thing; because saying so would have become reality.

"And I try not to think about it, I pretend this feeling doesn't exist... I'm just confused maybe."

Ryuuji sat down at the foot of the sofa, holding his hands on his knees. "Maki, it's hard, but we are, by your side."

Hiroto nodded approvingly. "You are different from us, or from Nagumo and Suzuno or even from your two friends, even if we are a family, it doesn't mean that you have to follow in our footsteps, or that you have to feel at fault just because you feel confused about who you are really.
Everyone answers for themselves in short. You are you, and no one can choose for you, not even us, or worse. "

Masaki didn't really understand where Hiroto was going with it, it was really difficult to keep up with him sometimes.

Hiroto dropped onto the sofa, he brought one leg to his chest which he held with his hands on his knees, while the other was bent and went outside the sofa.
His green eyes were hidden behind his glasses, he looked wiser.
"Let's make it simple, if you liked boys, and why you like them. They're your feelings, and no one can control them in a way, understand?"

He nodded not very convinced. "I do not know yet."
"It's okay to have a few doubts Masaki. We all have them."
"Ryuu can tell you very well about all the sleepless nights we spent, not knowing if it was the right choice, if maybe in the future our lives would take a different turn, but here we are. Nobody told us that we would get to this point, no one gave us the certainty of what would happen, and you don't necessarily have to spend your life together with this person, but, you can't stay here and suppress everything you feel, whatever it is."

Hiroto was so … damn prepared for that speech; Was this how he got through all those boring meetings at Kira? Grandpa Seijiro had seen things through.

But he didn't imagine that both of them had had all those fears when they were young... had they felt just like him too?
Endou had been right, who could understand it better than them?

“You feel something right? Something you can't explain.” Ryuu said calmly, as if he was afraid of making a mistake. Ryuuji, who wasn't afraid of anything.
“Not in the same way as Kyousuke and Tenma... and I don't even know if... what if I’m wrong?”
“You can't know until you try it, don't you think? Whether you feel something or not, you'll only understand by going through with it, by giving up now, you'll always be left with the doubt or maybe the remorse of not having tried hard enough.”
“Well, you're talking about it anyway, so maybe you'll try a little something, don't you think?” Hiroto winked.

It was really stupid.

Masaki suddenly felt hot.
"Shut up." He adjusted his long bangs that fell over his eyes, as if to cover them, as if to cover himself from embarrassment.

"Ah-ah, if that number 3 even tries to think that, to make you suffer, I swear on my role as head of Kira & Company; that he will never play football again."
"Hiroto, he's a kid." Ryuuji laughed.
"Kid or not, he won't even come close with binoculars to the Alien."

He could hear poor Ranmaru sneezing like a madman.

"I'm still me... still the same... right? Nothing will change."
“Of course honey, you can be yourself more than you have been right now.”

Hiroto approved. "And now super mega family hug!" she dived at him.
Ryuuji then also joined the family embrace.

He let himself be pampered by that family embrace, perhaps for the second time.

The smell of rain invaded Masaki's roots, and the noise coming from outside managed to give him a strange feeling of calm.

Now, he could finally have a say in his feelings.

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Chapter Text

He had kissed Ranmaru.

He felt his lips, soft, they tasted like strawberries, or rather, they tasted like his favorite cake, Shortcake.

Precisely, he didn't even know how they got to that point.

The fact is that it was Ranmaru who took the first step. Completely unexpected; but at least it was clear enough, right?

It was strange, because Ranmaru hadn't said a word before, and yet, after the kiss; after opening those blue irises and moving away from her, he didn't stop calling him.

"Masaki. " His name sounded so strange, like it was his own. Besides, since when did she call him by his full name, and not ' Mas '?

"Masaki."

Masaki no longer began to see him clearly... And his voice had also changed, as if he had grown.

"Maki you'll be late. "

He opened his eyes suddenly, almost flinching.
And in front of her if she didn't find blue eyes and pink hair.

"Ryuu?" he rubbed his eyes, still sleepy.

Ryuuji had let some light into his room, and it was probably because the weather sucked.

"Good morning Maki, come on get up or you'll be late."

His voice still thick with sleep he said, "I'm coming."

Ryuuji I leave him alone in the room, but not before telling him: "and don't go back to sleep, you have to go back to school and you can't go into second period."

He lay back with his head on the pillow.
It had been a dream...

A strange dream he had had in that strange week he spent at home after getting sick.

He had started school together with the others when they returned from holidays, and he was really happy to see Hikaru back there at school.

Going back to the usual routine after fifteen days of doing nothing was always strange. But, it was also strange to see Ranmaru again after those fifteen days.

A fire spread inside him, causing a strange sensation.
It was what he felt every time he saw him.
And then, he had found out that Ranmaru had a birthday on the fourth of January, and that idiot hadn't told him.

And it was also the Monday when school started.

As usual, he was always in the dark about everything, but luckily he managed to fix it before training!
And of course he kept calling him "old man." throughout the training sessions. In short, he was seventeen now, while Masaki was only fifteen.

The training had gone well, even if it was quite tiring.
And from that Monday he left for a whole week of school in which Masaki had to get back into rhythm, only to break it again due to having caught a very stupid flu.

Who could something happen to if not him?

And the dream he had had was precisely due to the fact that that first week of school they were very close, they had become like best friends.

The recurring dreams were probably sending him some strange psychic signal.

Not that he had had many dreams.
That was the first one starring Ranmaru. And it was strange, really strange, to dream of kissing Ranmaru.
Not because he was kissing someone of his own gender, but because it was so new to him, he didn't know how to approach it, and telling someone about it would be even more embarrassing than it already was.

He had felt a mixture of emotions within himself, even very conflicting ones.

Contrasting because, he and Ranmaru were friends, true friends.

Ranmaru wasn't part of the first-time circle, he wasn't as "in close contact" as Kyousuke or Tenma were, and it would have been really strange for him to kiss Tenma or Kyousuke, but with Ranmaru it hadn't been like that.
Then whatever, it was a dream, he couldn't really know how he would feel.

And he had never actually kissed a person.

Dreaming of a boy didn't automatically mean you were gay, he had read it on the internet, after realizing he had a celebrity crush on Andrew Garfield.
She loved Spiderman, she couldn't help it. Especially the second spider-man.
(Tom Holland left it to the girls.)

But, he could say he never dreamed of kissing Andrew Garfield! Would that have been weird?

And then, after talking to Endou, to his parents, and having made it very clear that there was a possibility that Ranmaru might like him, he understood that maybe there was nothing wrong.

Obviously he didn't tell anyone about the dream, especially his parents.
How embarrassing would it have been to tell him? She didn't even want to think about it.

In that week, Kyousuke had brought him the topics covered with homework, along with Tenma who had had an excuse to sneak into his house.
(maybe he had hoped to find Hiroto and Ryuuji there, too bad they weren't at home.)

Hikaru had also stopped by to visit him, not even if he had operated on any part of his body, but whatever. That attention particularly bothered him.

While Ranmaru had been texting him a lot and teasing him about how Endou would make up for all the training he missed.

After that week at home he was free to return to school, when he was completely healed. Never let Ryuuji send him to school with a bit of a cough.

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So, he returned to school.

And that morning he didn't even disturb Tenma and Kyousuke and went to school all alone.
He hadn't even bothered Hiroto, he had been really good.

He arrived at school, and the first person who met him was Hikaru.
"Masaki!" He literally ran towards him, almost looking like he was about to jump on him. "How are you? Are you healed?"
"Hi Hikaru. I'm fine thanks, where are the others?"
"How nice that you came back today! Shinsuke is at the soccer club, Tenma and Kyousuke... I don't know."

Masaki looked at him questioningly. "What's up today?"
"Training match!" Hikaru exclaimed, he was very elated and you could tell by the fact that he almost jumped into his arms. "he's not really sure, but at 88% we should play they."
“It's a very precise number.”
"The coach said it on Friday, his words."
"Oh but really? And against who-
-Alpine."

Before Masaki could say anything else, he was hit by Tenma. "Masaki!! You're back!" He yelled at him.
"Yes Tenma, I was just sick."
"We missed you so much." Tenma tried to hug him, but ended up hugging Hikaru.
"Tenma, stop." Kyousuke told him giving him a slap.
"Did you hear about the game against Alpine?"
"Hikaru just told me."
"I can't wait to play! I'm so excited!" Tenma said, he took a huge leap.

Hikaru agreed. “It will be nice to play again.”
"But you... well, do you feel up to it?" Masaki asked.
"Of course yes! I'm fine." Hikaru replied.

Masaki smiled at him. "How nice to hear you say that."

Tenma put his arm around Hikaru's neck and the other around Masaki's, and brought them both closer. "We're going to play great today."
"Yes!" Hikaru said.
"Let's go to class, come on." Kyousuke said seriously. "Then think about the club."
"But Kyo, don't you want to win??"
"Of course yes but I also care about good grades."
"Hm... I see." Tenma said thoughtfully. "Well then I'll wait until class is over so I can play!"

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Masaki didn't miss a single word the professors said before lunch break.
He had followed the lessons in total silence without ever getting distracted, not even for a single second. He didn't have much to catch up on, luckily.

After talking to almost all the teachers at the end of class, he could finally go to the canteen.
He had asked Kyousuke and Tenma not to wait for him, and in the end they had done so. (and thank goodness.)

The distance from the classroom to the canteen wasn't abysmal, it was quite short for them on the ground floor.
Luckily she hadn't wasted much time, she still had quite a bit of time to choose what to get at the canteen counter.

He passed Ranmaru in the corridors, he didn't expect to catch him, but apparently he had recently left the school psychologist.

"Hey Mas. I see you're back at school."
"Hi Ranmaru."

He wanted to avoid it as much as possible, especially for the dream, but the more he wanted to avoid it the more it seemed that fate was doing everything to bring them closer.

"Are you going to the cafeteria?" Ranmaru asked.
"Yes and you?" What a stupid question.
"We take the same route."

Ranmaru was one step ahead of him.
His shoulders were really broad and big, he looked so 'strong'. The jacket fit perfectly, without even a single crease, as if it had been sewn on him, he didn't walk fast, and he greeted everyone who knew him with a big smile on his face.

He spoke to him and his tone was calm, gentle, and Masaki stood there next to him listening to him and felt a strange feeling growing in his stomach.

He wanted to know if the emotions he felt at that moment, Ranmaru was also feeling, or if it was all a figment of his imagination.

"Is it true that today we are playing against Alpine?"
"It's nothing for sure, but yes."
"I understand."
"Did Tenma tell you?"
Masaki shook his head. "Hikaru did."
“Everyone is very excited for this match.”
"Yes I noticed... I didn't know Alpine lost."
"Against Kirkwood in the second round... just like us, but Endou-san knows the coach and asked him to play a friendly."
"Shirou Fubuki?"
Ranmaru shrugged. "I don't think so, he wasn't on the bench during the games."

They had arrived at the cafeteria, and Ranmaru had convinced him to have lunch together.

Even there, Ranmaru was kind to the cook, he calmly and carefully chose what he wanted to eat, but without wasting time, he held the tray lightly, as if the food on it wasn't heavy at all.

"See you at the soccer club." Masaki said.
"Hey wait." Ranmaru called back.

Masaki looked at him, anxiously awaiting what he had to say.
"What?" He asked, after getting no comment from the rosé.
"You dropped this." He threw him a bottle of fruit juice.
"Thanks but I don't think it's..." mine.

But he didn't even finish saying it because Ranmaru had already joined his companions at his table.

Had he gotten him a bottle of juice... or had he imagined it? Why had he done it?

"Hey, it took you a while!" Tenma said.
"Did something happen?"
Masaki shook his head. "No no, I'm just catching up on what I missed."
"Annoying every single teacher at the end of class." Kyousuke concluded.
"Oh I hear you, I did the same too." Hikaru smiled at him.
"You are just alike." Tenma said.

Masaki gave him her worst look.

Tenma changed the subject. "You made your way with Kirino-san though."
"Yes? We passed each other in the corridors."
"And?"

Masaki raised an eyebrow. Where did he want to go with this? "And what, Tenma?"

Tenma snorted, as if he wanted to be understood immediately.
"The match. He's the vice-captain, isn't he? He'll know if we play it or not."

Ah, of course, he was talking to Tenma.

"He doesn't know either."
Tenma snorted. "Ugh."
"Come on Tenma, maybe the coach wants to surprise us!" Shinsuke said.
"You are right!"

Today the menu looked appetizing.
He had: Rice with tuna, corn and peas (which he discarded like the plague, he hated peas) and chicken meatballs with tofu, accompanied by a salad of tomatoes with onion and ginger.

Good? On sight yes.
The taste was a little less, but after all it was in a school canteen.

Instead of meatballs, Ranmaru had taken sauteed tuna with sauce, keeping it 'light', in fact.

He went back to listening to the conversation there at the table, not that it was the best, but it was the only thing he could do at that moment.

"And my Match Wind can have justice!" Tenma exclaimed.
"Yes!" Shinsuke gave him some rope.
"Hey everyone, stop! But Masaki doesn't know the most important scoop!"

Everyone at that table turned to stare at him.
"What?" He asked.

"A few days after your absence, they published a photo in the school newspaper." Tenma said.
"Okay? You know how much stuff gets posted there."
"The captain and Akane, you know Akane right?"
"Tenma! I'm also on the soccer team, of course I know her."

Kyousuke sighed. "Stop being an idiot."

"Good good, the captain and Akane kissed!"

Wow. Masaki was biting with happiness.

"Akane finally did it." He said she.
“Yes, and they haven't denied it, they are really together.” Tenma said.
"But how did they discover them?"
"They were kissing at the school exit, Shindou is said to have waited for her." Shinsuke said.

Interesting. Really, he really cared about Shindou and Akane.
This meant that Shindou and Ranmaru were not together, that what they had told Hamano during the retreat was true.

"Okay? I don't know what to say really."
“Aren't you happy for them?” Tenma asked.
"Obviously." No.

He didn't really care. Did it make the concept clear?

"In my opinion they were together for a while and Kirino-san knew everything, after all he and the captain are always together." Tenma said.
"What does it matter if they were together before? Does that make any difference to you?" Kyousuke asked.
"No...but, the captain is so secretive, he never talks to us about these things."
"Look, it's good, you should be reserved too, especially towards Kyousuke." Hikaru said.
"He will never understand." Masaki said.
"Hey! I'm reserved."
Hikaru laughed. "Not really Tenma."
"For nothing." Tenma said.
"Stop!"

Tenma pouted, and kept it until the lunch break was over, he only spoke to Shinsuke who was the only one who didn't say anything.

He still wondered why Ranmaru had taken the juice from him... but, he jealously guarded him, he didn't even throw the bottle away, or at least he wouldn't throw it until he got home after taking a photo.
He was stupid, he knew it.

But... he really appreciated that gesture, and he was probably just getting carried away...

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Once the afternoon lessons were over, Masaki also disturbed the last professor before running to the locker rooms.

The message had reached their group that the match would be played and that Endou was waiting for them in the meeting room.

He had told Tenma and Kyousuke not to wait for him, so they wouldn't be late either.

He imagined being completely alone in the locker room, but that wasn't entirely the case. Before entering she heard voices talking to each other.

After getting a little closer he realized that the voices were Ranmaru and Shindou.

The thread of the discussion, however, did not seem to make logical sense to him.

He wondered what they were still doing there, in short Shindou was the captain, he was never late for training, he was always the first to leave the locker room, and then, without him Endou certainly couldn't communicate the plan.

"I really don't understand you RanRan, what does it cost you to just say it?"

'RanRan', what kind of nickname did Shindou give him?

"You can not understand." Ranmaru said, but his voice was much further away.
"Hey, you can't say that. I've helped you with the others and I always will, but with this one, I can't. I'm amazed how you haven't figured it out yet, he doesn't seem stupid at all, he seems pretty smart."

He heard Ranmaru's laughter, but not what he said shortly after.

Something told him he was witnessing a private conversation, a very private one, and he wasn't being a spy.

Ranmaru's voice was closer now and he continued talking to Shindou.

"I'd rather write it on my forehead than tell Hamano."

Shindou laughed.

But then he laughed too! He was a human like everyone else!
And it was also the first time he didn't see Shindou's big serious face.

"Next time I won't volunteer for the cleaning shift to save Hamano's ass, look how late we were. We have to go."
"I'll be there in a bit."
"I'm going to apologize to Endou before she seriously kills us."
"Maybe Alpine hasn't arrived yet"
"I hope so. I'll run to save your role in the game then."
"Thank you, I love you Taku."

Shindou laughed. "Oh, I don't think so."

Masaki ran to hide before Shindou saw him, he didn't want to listen to that conversation at all, he had ended up there by mistake and he didn't care at all to explain to the captain why he was there at that moment.

But why did he always get into trouble?

He waited a few minutes before entering, since Ranmaru hadn't left yet.
She found him from behind, closing the locker with all his strength, letting out a loud sigh.

Ranmaru was surprised to see him there once he turned around.

"Oh, hello Masaki, I didn't hear you coming."
"If you close that locker with all that anger I believe it, what did he do to you?"

Ranmaru looked at the locker and then looked back at it.
He didn't seem angry, and he didn't seem in any way shaken by the conversation he had with Shindou.

"I couldn't close it, that's all. You're late, we have a game to play."
"Look, you're late too."
"I'm more than ready." He was right, he was wearing his full uniform, he just had to go out. "And then my reason is more than justified."
"I had some stuff to catch up on, so I'm more than justified too."
"You had a good run too, you're such a tomato."

If it were possible, it would light up just like a Christmas tree.
But why did she point this out to him? Couldn't she just leave?

“Why am I late, I had a long run here.”
"Oh don't worry, Endou won't make you do twenty-seven laps of the field." Ranmaru laughed.

Being alone with him now made him feel strangely uneasy, perhaps due to everything he had heard and the questions that were buzzing in his head due to curiosity, but he would not let curiosity kill him.

"I can keep you company if-
-No! Thanks... you can go, I won't be long."
"Okay, if I hope you arrive before Endou deploys the formation."

Ranmaru walked out of the locker room, closing the door behind him.

Masaki took a deep breath before starting to put on his club uniform.
But who had made him stay late that day? Couldn't he make do with what Kyousuke and Tenma had brought him?

He hadn't even managed to thank him for the juice...

He tried to forget all the conversation he had heard before entering, even though it seemed impossible.
He would train and then go home without even thinking about a single word of that speech. He would mind his business as it should be.

He put on his uniform as quickly as he could, left the bag as it was and without even tidying up. He put everything in the only free locker and then made yet another run to the meeting room.

He entered inconspicuously, and leaned against the wall while Endou was talking about the Alpine, but still noticed him.

With all the running he had done, he could avoid extra laps during the warm-up, or at least he hoped so.

"We're going to use a 3-4-3 formation, I'm going to play it this way: in defense there will be Amagi Daichi, Kariya Masaki and Kirino Ranmaru.
Midfield: Hamano Kaiji, Matsukaze Tenma, Nishiki Ryoma and Shindou Takuto;
In attack the usual: Kageyama Hikaru, Kurama Norihito and Tsurugi Kyousuke.
As for the goalkeeper, Nishizono Shinsuke."

It was a training match... fortunately.

"Play it like you played against Raimon guys, you will have to put that same passion into it, as if it were your last match. I want you excited."
"Yes coach!"

They reached the camp and warmed up before the Alpine arrived.

Masaki had imagined them as snowmen type since Alpine's original headquarters was in Hokkaido, but only their coach resembled 'Big Foot', the boys seemed normal.

He knew that they were used to extreme fields, since they trained on ice, so he didn't take the victory for granted, like Tenma, and he knew this because their former coach was Shirou Fubuki, also a former Inazuma Japan player, and Hiroto's best friend, he didn't know why he left the coaching job.

Alpine also warmed up and before starting the game the captains shook hands.
Their captain was the goalkeeper.

Kurumada gave him one of his usual "I'll keep an eye on you Kariya." looks, but couldn't he just stay calm?
He looked at Ranmaru, who was there in the center, but said nothing.

The kick-off was Alpine's.
Their speed on terrain like this was astonishing, as he had thought, in addition to being agile on ice, they were also agile on terrain.

Hamano stopped them in midfield with his hissatsu.
He then passed the ball to Tenma, used his hissatsu to discard Alpine's number five and then passed the ball to Hikaru, before being marked.

Hikaru together with Kyousuke, tried to make a combination shot, but they literally missed the goal.

Ranmaru in one way or another, gave moral support from his position.
He had his hands cupped in front of his mouth, probably to be heard until the attack.

Masaki smiled at him as soon as Ranmaru looked at him.

Shindou with excellent timing managed to make a perfect slide and steal the ball from Alpine's number six, he sent the ball behind him, to Ryoma, as he ran towards the other half of the pitch, he together with Hamano, made a series of passes between them and then pass it to Tenma.

' Match Wind ' was stopped by the opposing defense without the slightest effort.
The ball was thrown back to midfield, where number ten caught the ball and ran quickly, discarding both Ryoma and Hamano as if they weren't even there.

Ranmaru ran to stop him with his hissatsu, but number ten was faster, and if they wanted to play fast, Masaki could very well outrun him.
He reached him and with his ' Hunter's Net. ' stopped him and passed the ball to Ranmaru who used ' The Mist.' before the ball was stolen from him.

Shindou received the ball and continued to hold it.

Before returning to his position, Ranmaru was there waiting for him with his hand raised, ready to give him a high five.

It had probably been a lifetime since they high-fives each other, but they'd had other ways to touch hands.

Masaki high-fives him with a strength that was never innate. He was beautiful.

At the exact moment he turned around, Kurama scored a goal.

"Go ahead Nori!" Ranmaru yelled at him.

Kurama dodged all the hugs from Tenma, Hamano and Ryoma.

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The first half ended in a draw, one by one.

He had missed playing a match, feeling the good mood of the team, that crazy desire to run and watch out for the goal, it was an inexplicable feeling. He would never forget her, just like the warmth he felt giving Ranmaru a high five, he still felt that sensation on his palms.

They returned to the field after the fifteen minute break where Endou encouraged them, saying that they were playing well, and that they could have fun anyway.

The kick-off was theirs, but they accomplished nothing.

Amagi was recovering the ball at the time, and Ranmaru left his position exposed momentarily.
Amagi couldn't keep possession of the ball, and Masaki didn't even think for two seconds before covering the central part, he had left his area exposed, but if they had shot from that side, he would have certainly blocked the shot.

As luck would have it, number ten failed to shoot as Ranmaru managed to steal the ball from him with a slide. " Mas, yours!" He passed the ball to him.

"Tenma take!" He passed to Tenma.

Ranmaru was abusing that sort of nickname she had given him.
He thought he would only use it when they were alone, but apparently that wasn't the case.
He had shouted it in front of the whole team, and he hoped no one had noticed.

Hikaru and Kyousuke scored goals with a combined hissatsu.
Kyousuke also avoided hugs just like Kurama, those two seemed to have some sort of hug allergy.

Hikaru, however, was overwhelmed.

They started playing again immediately.

Alpine didn't take long before recovering the goal they conceded.

Masaki ran left and right like a madman, and he was fine with that; he liked to play, after all they hadn't done it for a long time.

Hikaru and Kyousuke tried the combo shot again, but failed.
Maybe it was just luck at first?

"Your Ranmaru!" He passed the ball to him just after the ' Hunter's net. ' which seemed stronger than the previous ones.

Ranmaru caught the ball and passed it to Shindou as soon as he had the chance.
Shindou used ' Kami no Takuto.', he hadn't seen her in action in forever, and she was still a beautiful hissatsu.

Thus, by leading him, Kyousuke managed to score.

"Go ahead Kyousuke!" Masaki shouted at him.
"Come on, let's show them who the Alien is!" Ranmaru shouted.

A real fan base had opened up there in defense, all he was missing was a decent choir, but maybe he and Ranmaru could do it.

Ryoma stopped Alpine before they could enter the defense, with a hissatsu he managed to maintain possession of the ball before trying to shoot on goal.
His action was stopped, and the shot never landed.

Alpine's number ten, tired of standing there and seeing all those Alien actions, got to the defense, and Masaki, as fast as he was, hadn't really seen him coming.
The number ten scored, thus making it a draw again.

“We can catch up!” Shindou shouted.
"Yes!"

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The match ended in a draw, but the two captains had asked to also play extra time at least until one of the two teams scored a goal.

Endou immediately agreed to play extra time and thus convinced 'Big Foot' too.

"Thank you coach!" Shindou said.
"But before we start, I want to have Hamano and Kariya come out, Hayami and Kurumada will come in their place."

He had seen Hayami and Kurumada warming up for quite a while, so Endou had probably been meaning to let them out a long time ago.

After all, going out had been a blessing.

Masaki was tired, but not so tired that he was dying, not as tired as after the match against Raimon... He knew that playing the way he did was a great effort and a great waste of energy.

Hamano had made a bad tackle with another Alpine player, but luckily nothing was broken, he was fine, but he too was tired.

He hadn't sat on the bench in a while and he certainly didn't envy Kurumada for the seat.

He was really sorry to go out, he would have liked to stay there on defense with Ranmaru a little longer.
From the bench he had a good view of all the team's movements and it could also serve as training, it didn't hurt him.

The first overtime began with Alpine kicking.

Hikaru made a splendid move, but still failed to score.

Luckily the extra time didn't last too long, also because they had said to play until one of the two scored, but the actions really seemed interminable and Ranmaru, there on defense, didn't give up.
But how much strength did he still have?

Just like Shindou and Tenma, they still had a lot of that strength in their bodies.

Even if the two teams didn't give up, they made some mistakes, perhaps due to tiredness.

Until Shindou scored in the second overtime.
Everyone was breathless and tired, but they seemed to really enjoy themselves.

They thanked Endou, and Alpine, for having played that splendid match, then immediately ran to change.

In the locker room there was the usual post-match confusion, and above all, there was the usual discussion over who should get the shower first.
He couldn't wait to get home, sweaty as he was, he didn't want to get sick again.

While waiting for Tenma, he arranged the bag as best he could and didn't pay the slightest attention to the speech that was being held at that moment.
From the rush Kyousuke was giving Tenma, she could tell he couldn't wait to go home too.

Tenma was ready to go, and so were Shinsuke and Hikaru, so together they made their way to the school exit.
And while Tenma had kidnapped both Shinsuke and Hikaru, Masaki stood on the sidelines talking to Kyousuke.

He had decided that at least he could confide in him about everything that was happening to him, he didn't tell him about the dream.
She would never have done that.

"It's serious." Kyousuke said, after hearing all of his deepest thoughts.
"I'm dying?"
"No, you're healthier than a goldfish."
"So what?"
"Are you infatuated, infatuated, in love, do I make the point clear?"

Masaki nodded.
"How did you understand that? I mean being in love with Tenma, he's practically your opposite!"
"How exaggerated."
"Answer the question Kyo!"
"What did you say you feel when you're around Kirino?"
"Anxiety?"
"Masaki."

Masaki sighed. He hated repeating himself.
"The stomach that twists? The heart that beats at three thousand, which of the many?"
"All Masaki. Tenma seems stupid, sometimes he is, but I can tell you that when I first met him, something in me absolutely panicked. I've never been afraid of my feelings, and I always have. I actually talked to Yuuichi.
When I realized I had a crush on myself, I thought it was stupid, so do I look like someone who gives flowers or holds hands on the street?"

He thought about it, and could he say that just imagining Kyousuke giving a bouquet of flowers to Tenma made him laugh? "Absolutely not." He replied.
"But that didn't stop me, I liked him, he liked me and we tried. And here we are. I assure you that the homicidal instinct hasn't passed me yet, I would like to strangle him, but Tenma... I think I fell in love in the precise moment in which he smiled at me."
" Oh Kyousuke, I didn't do that to you at all."
"What would you say?" Kyousuke glared at him.

Masaki walked away, almost afraid that Kyousuke would catch him and slam him to the ground with a wrestling move. "Nothing nothing!"

Kyousuke... she had never found him so sincere.
But were they really talking about the same thing?

Even though Tenma and Kyousuke seemed so different, they were made for each other, and it showed.
Kyousuke came out of his shell with Tenma, while Tenma... well, he was simply himself, and his cheerfulness infected even that grumpy Kyousuke.
Together they made a beautiful couple, and even when they seemed on the verge of breaking out, they still found each other.

There couldn't be Kyousuke without Tenma, and there couldn't be Tenma without Kyousuke.

A bit like his parents. They were made for each other.

But him? Him and Ranmaru?
Masaki didn't feel the slightest bit like Hiroto and Ryuuji, much less like Kyousuke and Tenma...

"I mean... he really confuses me with his attitudes. And then he gave me that stupid nickname..." Masaki sighed. “What if I'm just impressing myself?”
Kyousuke shook his head. "You said you felt strong emotions when he found you at the '7-eleven' and when he walked you home, I don't think you're impressed, I think you really like him, and you shouldn't be afraid of what you feel."
"hey you two!" Tenma ran towards him. "I waited for you outside the gate completely alone! What are you talking about anyway??"

He didn't even realize he had stopped.

"Sorry Tenma!"
"Masaki likes Kirino." Kyousuke said, then walked further and further towards the exit.

Masaki turned purple, he felt it. Redder than Hiroto's hair. "Kyousuke!"
"Are you in love with Kirino-san??" Tenma screamed.
Masaki ran to cover his mouth. "Shut up!"

Needless to say, Tenma broke free and walked around him chanting, "You like Kirino-san."

Masaki would have loved to kill him.
He tried to trip him a few times, but it didn't work.

Luckily Kyousuke ran to help him, and gave Tenma a good hit on the head. "Stop it now." She told him.
"You hurt me!"
"It is not true."
"But yes!"
"I told you no."

Tenma stepped in front of him, walking backwards.
"You have nice taste too you know? It's really nice." She told him.
"Hey!" Kyousuke complained.
"What? Are you jealous? I'll tell you to your face that your brother is beautiful!"
"One thing is my brother, another is that one."
"Stop it. And it's not true anyway, Kyousuke lied to you, I don't like Kirino."
"We've known each other for more than three years Masa, you can't hide these things from us!" Tenma told him. "You're in love with Kirino-san and it shows! But why didn't you tell me before? I thought you liked Midori the manager! So if you like her, why don't you try?"
"I won't answer any of your questions."
"Because he's afraid. He thinks Ranmaru is straight, and so he represses what he feels rather than telling him."
"I- I don't repress anything. Even if I liked it-
-You like it!" Tenma said.
"Even so, Ranmaru and I are friends. Just friends."
"Masaki, life is one, try it if it goes wrong you will make up for it for sure."

Tenma nodded. "And then, you don't necessarily have to ruin a friendship, if Ranmaru really loves you, as a friend, he won't walk away from you."

Tenma looked stupid or, rather, he was acting stupid on purpose, as Kyousuke had said before.
Kyousuke recounted their entire conversation.

"Masaki fell in love! This is so cute." Tenma said. "You have butterflies in your stomach just like me!"

Kyousuke placed a hand on Tenma's forehead, and pushed him backwards, almost causing him to fall. "And anyway, I don't think Kirino is straight, but have you seen him anyway?"
"Kyo developed the gay radar."

Masaki laughed at the stupidest thing Tenma had said. "Well, then this gay radar works fine."
"Let's just say, I know who to make friends with." Kyousuke replied.
"Did you always know...? I mean about me."
"No, of course not, but I'm not surprised that you like someone like Kirino."
"It doesn't matter if we knew it or not, it doesn't change anything! We're gay too! I'm bisexual to be exact." Tenma was keen to point out.
"I... I don't think I want to define my... orientation. But I never thought that you would no longer be my friends! It would be pure madness." Masaki said.
"Well, it would have been stupid to think about it Masaki; and anyway returning to the topic Kirino, maybe he has ham in his eyes and doesn't understand it." Kyousuke said.
"Maybe he's just confused too." Tenma said. "Look, it can't be easy for him."
"What's special about it?"
"Nothing... but anyway... he's bigger than Masaki."
"Tenma, only one year, think about it anyway Masaki."
"Thanks but stop now, you're getting on my nerves."

Tenma stuck his tongue out at him.

Maybe Kyousuke had been right most of the time, and was mostly afraid... but, well, what if he was wrong about his feelings?
He had liked playing that way during the game, he liked that Ranmaru had accompanied him to the canteen, he liked the bottle of juice he jealously guarded, or when they found themselves at the vending machines... or how they had fun during the battle with the pillows, at the retreat.
All those sensations... they sent him a sort of warmth, and perhaps even what Tenma had called butterflies.

Since Kyousuke had to stay at Tenma's that evening, they accompanied him home.

When he returned home, all that talking had made him enormously hungry and unfortunately for him, neither Ryuuji nor Hiroto had returned home.

So, he had plenty of time to think about the whole situation that had arisen with Ranmaru, about what Kyousuke had said.
He was afraid, it was true, he didn't want to lose a friendship like that because he wasn't good at all at creating new ones; and he didn't want to destroy her like that.
And he wouldn't have declared himself also because he didn't want to be made fun of by receiving a: ' no, Mas you misunderstood, I'm sorry. '

No.
But she couldn't stay in a similar situation for her whole life.... sooner or later she would lose Ranmaru, right? And he didn't want to lose it...

All this was frustrating... maybe he would wait, hoping for some divine sign, and sooner or later he would react.

First he would understand how to do it, then he would act.

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Chapter Text

A question had been buzzing in Masaki's head for quite a few days: 'what should I do?' and he had no idea about his future once he finished school, also because he hadn't even finished his first year; but, his question was directed towards Ranmaru. And he didn't say it because he had him in front of him, with one arm stretched out on the locker, and his blue eyes fixed on something Masaki couldn't understand.

His innermost self told him to run away.

They were so close, so close that Masaki could mistake his heartbeat for Ranmaru's.

Ranmaru had wet hair because he had recently gotten out of the post-workout shower.
He was wearing pants and a white t-shirt, and nothing else.

His hair wet the tips of his shoes because they were so close.

He couldn't see anything but Ranmaru, he would have to stand on tiptoe to be able to see behind him.
He almost felt like he was being crushed under her weight.

But how did they get to that point? Masaki was simply closing the broken locker, as he had been the last to arrive, and Ranmaru had given him a hand, only Masaki hadn't been able to move in time, and so he had been stuck.
There was no one but them; Tenma and Kyousuke had gone out to get something to drink, while Shindou stayed behind to talk to Endou about some captain business.

In his head he could hear Sebastian starting to sing “kiss it,” like in The Little Mermaid; How could it be so embarrassing?
He wouldn't listen to his buggy head, which was only trying to sabotage him.

And that's how they found themselves at that point… which seemed like it took an eternity, but in reality it wasn't.

“Thank you…now-
” He flicked his eyes from her arm to her face.

"Oh sorry." Ranmaru perhaps sensed his discomfort, as he quickly walked away.

“Thanks for the locker.”
“You're welcome, these things – referring to the locker. - they suck.”

He grabbed her bag in a hurry and tried in every way to avoid his gaze.
“See you tomorrow Ranmaru.”
“See you tomorrow Mas.” he smiled.

He ran out of the locker room.

He took deep breaths before joining Kyousuke and Tenma at the entrance, he quickly got rid of the embarrassment.

“Hey, it took you a while 'Mas'.” Kyousuke said.
“Sorry… locker problems. And don't call me Mas!”

By now, the nickname that Ranmaru had given him had become public knowledge, anyone knew that Ranmaru called him that; all we were missing was Ryuuji and Hiroto, and then everyone would really know.

And honestly it bothered him when others used it, well, it was just Ranmaru's thing!

"Why? Can only Ranmaru do it?”
"What? No! But still, don't call me Mas."
“Come on Kyo don't be mean, and coming from you it doesn't sound so good.” Tenma said, passing him the Gatorade.

"Thank you."

They headed home, and while Masaki drank his blood orange-flavored drink, Kyousuke and Tenma talked and talked.

She still couldn't forget the feeling of being in Ranmaru's arms, it was really strange, and it was definitely something she had never felt before.
They were so close that Masaki could have- no. He shouldn't even think such a thing.

“Hey but did you know that 'Mount Olympus' won against 'Raimon'??” Tenma asked.
"Really?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes! They won 2-1, it seems they are really strong.”
“Well, at least Raimon reached the semi-final...”
“Yes, but they could still do it, they were one by one until the eighty-sixth minute then 'Mount Olympus' scored the decisive goal. The Raimon goalkeeper didn't really see the ball coming.”
“'Monte Olympus' is a strong team, it's almost said that the whole team changed during the second half.” Kyousuke said.
"What?? And is it true?” Tenma asked.
"Obviously not."

Days had passed since the match against Alpine, and therefore since the end of the third round, or the semi-final. Now all that was missing was the final which would have been played between 'Kirkwood' and 'Monte Olympus'.

Since the day of the injury, the friendship between him and Ranmaru had solidified in some way, since the speech he had held with Kyousuke and Tenma, some things had changed, such as the fact that giving high fives had now become something theirs.
It was a trivial thing, it's true, like being locked in the junk closet (of sports equipment), where they waited for someone to come and open them, passing the time by talking to each other, as if they were two old friends.

“Earth calls Masaki.” Tenma waved his hand in front of her face. “Your mind is really elsewhere today.”
“Hey, that's not true, what is it?”
“Like what is there? I arrived."

Masaki looked around, and it was actually true, he could glimpse the apartment where Tenma and his aunt lived. “Oh… sorry, see you tomorrow then?”
"Yes, see you tomorrow!" Tenma greeted him.

He left space for Kyousuke, so that… they could say goodbye.
Then, he walked the rest of the way with Kyousuke who hadn't stayed at Tenma's, as he often did, because Yuuichi was home from university.

“So, you talked to him so it took you a long time?”
"What? No. We didn't talk about anything.”
“So why did it take you so long?”
“I told you, I had trouble with the locker… and Ranmaru helped me.”
"The details." Kyousuke slammed the back of his right hand onto the palm of his left hand, causing a loud crack.

Masaki rolled his eyes. “Oh God, do you know that not even my parents would do that?”
“So what? I know people like him.”
“That makes him a criminal.”
“It could be.”
He hit Kyousuke in the arm. "Stop it."
“So are you going to tell me what happened or not?”

Masaki sighed, and told him everything, even about the mental movies he had made in that moment, about that sensation similar to 'butterflies in the stomach.', which he had felt.
Of the fact that he had often found himself receiving a bottle of water, on a break, at the hands of Ranmaru, and not at the hands of a manager, of the messages that were sent to each other, in short, a situation a little more complex than that that he imagined.

“You have to throw yourself Masaki. You can't stay here and feel sorry for yourself." Kyousuke said.
“I can't Kyo. He is my friend how could I do something like that to him?”
“Again with this bullshit? You are blind, this is my conclusion, or rather, the truth and that you are not afraid that he will say to you: 'No Mas, you misunderstood.', but rather of something serious, you are afraid that he will say yes and that then it's not up to all the mental films you're making for yourself."
"It is not true."
“Yes it is Masaki, and you know it better than me.”

Masaki rolled his eyes and snorted.
He really hated the situation he was in, he would have preferred to stay the way he was for the rest of his life and not have to have any 'romantic' approach with anyone. He wasn't meant to share his life with another person, but what he felt was the exact opposite.

“What should I do then?” He asked frustrated.
“Tell him the truth. About how you feel about being with him, shit like that.”
“What if it goes bad?”
“You find another one. And-
-I don't want to find another one!” He interrupted him, and Kyousuke rolled his eyes because he hated being interrupted.
“And anyway, it won't be bad for him, just as you had the urge to kiss him, he will have had it too, but he's too stupid to do such a thing.” He told him.

Masaki sighed for perhaps the three hundredth time in those minutes. Why did it have to be so difficult?

“You can't wait for a signal; you've already had too many."
“I didn't have the most important one.”
“I don't understand how you think Ranmaru is straight.”
“Because he is!”
“But don't make me laugh, and besides, he could be bi, pan, or whatever, so stop making excuses.”
“I'm not making excuses.”

Kyousuke stopped in front of him. “Make sure you get this straight in your head, assume that he's gay/bi, or whatever, someone else will take it for you. And he's grateful that his best friend is straight, otherwise you would have already lost him."

He hated when Kyousuke was right. He hated a few too many things actually, including the truth, but not the truth like that of a secret, but the raw, blunt truth, like the one Kyousuke had just told him.
He hated bluntness.

He wasn't a straightforward person, in most cases, he thought about it twenty-seven times before speaking, and that's why he could never do something similar to what Ranmaru did with him.

“Whoever is alike is liked, after all.”
“Oh I wouldn't say so, you and Tenma are literally the sun and the moon.”
“Even the sun and the moon have some things in common, they have the same solid and rocky surface, or in any case, they are created.”

It was such a stupid thing, and if Tenma could do it, he had a good chance of doing it.

Maybe Kyousuke was right, that maybe he was wasting too much time, that he was bandaging his head even before breaking it, as Ryuuji would surely have told him too.

“Think about it, even if I think it will end up that you two will get together, I bet on a date with Tenma, and if I lose I will have to spend a whole evening of training, so don't joke, I will kill Ranmaru, even if his answer was positive.
Now let me go home before Yuuichi calls the police to report me missing.”

Masaki laughed. “I'll think about it, I promise. Until tomorrow."
"Until tomorrow."

Finally he was able to return home.

The lights were already on, so Hiroto and Ryuuji had already returned home.

He took off his shoes at the entrance and dropped the bag behind him, then went into the living room.

"Hi." He greeted Ryuuji who was sitting on the couch.
“Welcome back Maki, everything okay?”
"I'm just tired. Endou had the unhealthy idea of letting us play a little game with the second team after training.”
Ryuuji shook his head: “It's okay, you could have let me come get you.”

And see his face red after what happened with Ranmaru?
Not even.

“No no, I made the way with Kyousuke and Tenma, I'm going to change.” He then said.
She waved goodbye to Hiroto, he was in the kitchen talking animatedly on the phone and ran to his room.

After taking an ice-cold shower, hoping to catch the second flu within that year, he went to dinner.

At the table he listened to his parents' usual talk about Kira & Company, and then he talked about his school day.
Every now and then they asked how things were going between him and Ranmaru, and Masaki always answered vaguely; he didn't want them to get too involved.

After dinner he then went to his room, waiting for divine enlightenment on what to do with Ranmaru... should he declare himself, or should he still wait?

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

He had decided what to do. He would have declared himself, without too many turns of phrase.
At least this way he would have removed any doubts and put his soul at peace.

The truth? He was terribly afraid.
He didn't even want to go to school. He wanted to avoid Ranmaru; but what use would he have been to him?

He didn't eat breakfast, he didn't want to vomit whatever was in his body.

“What's wrong Masaki?” Ryuuji asked him. “You seem particularly agitated this morning.”
"Nothing. I have a very important test.” He answered hastily as he put on his shoes.
"Do you want a lift?" Hiroto asked. “So maybe we can talk about it.”
“No, Tenma and Kyousuke are here waiting for me, see you later.” He left the house quickly, letting the door slam behind him, and leaving his parents in a sea of doubt.

Kyousuke was on the edge of the sidewalk, while Tenma was hopping on the spot.

“Hey good morning Masaki!” Tenma shouted at him.
"Good morning." He immediately ran to the two. "I need a favor."
“Do you have to hide a body?” Kyousuke asked.
"What not!"
“Then I can't help you.”
Tenma punched Kyousuke in the arm and shouted, “Kyo!” terribly offended, then turned his gaze to Masaki. “Say, it's all ears.”
“Don't wait for me after training.”
"And why?" Tenma asked.
“Because… because you don't have to.”

Kyousuke raised his eyebrows. “What intentions-” then, he was struck by enlightenment. “Okay, but anything don't hesitate to call me. I wouldn't want to hide bodies tonight.”
“Don't worry Kyo, and thanks.”

Tenma looked at them questioningly. “What are you hiding from me?”
“Nothing that matters to you.” Kyousuke said. “Now to school.”
“Ugh.” Tenma snorted. “But I want to know what Masaki has to do that's so important that I don't wait for him.”
“It's none of our business, so stay out of it.”
“But it's not right.” Tenma continued to moan.
“You just say good luck.”
“Okay… good luck Masaki, even if I don't know why I'm telling you good luck…”

Masaki laughed. “Thank you Tenma. I promise I'll tell you everything later."

Tenma then looked at him. “You're not planning a game with your parents, are you?”
"No."
“I hoped so…”
⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

The rest of the day went as usual.
He listened to the lessons, went to the canteen, and listened to the afternoon lessons before going to the soccer club.

He felt the anxiety under his fingernails, and it wasn't a good feeling, he almost shouted "retreat", but... he couldn't let himself panic.

So, he went to the football club with his friends, like every day.
And like every day he participated in the football club like every afternoon. It shouldn't have been strange.

“[…] And so Takuto invited Akane to listen to him while he is giving a real piano concert. Akane then asked me if I could keep her company while her boyfriend is on stage... I don't even know what situation I've gotten myself into."
Ranmaru continued to talk, as they warmed up, about things that didn't even interest him given the situation.

“I had to study for the 'sociology' test but I think I have to make an exception.” Then he realized that no one was actually listening to him. “But, are you listening to me Mas?”
“Yes, I'm listening to you.”
"Safe? It didn't even feel like I was breathing half a second ago.”
“And that… I didn't mean to interrupt you.”

Ranmaru looked at him with his usual questioning look, with his eyebrows furrowed, and his blue eyes contrasting with his uniform shirt.

“And anyway, you're doing a good deed, Akane will probably feel uncomfortable alone, and you've been to one of these concerts before, and you're Shindou's best friend, so… you haven't gotten yourself into any weird situations. You help a friend.”

Now that Ranmaru kept looking at him he felt terribly embarrassed.
"Did I say something wrong?"

Ranmaru shook his head.
“No no, it's just that… maybe you're right.”
"I'm always right."
Ranmaru shoved him. "please." he laughed.

Her laughter calmed him a little.
Even though the question kept wandering around in his head: 'why am I doing this?' He was afraid that in some way he might hurt him, and lose all that relationship that they had slowly built, becoming good friends...

They started with the day's training, before anyone called them back.
Although only Endou could do it, as Shindou had skipped training to be ready for the big night.

“I was thinking, maybe we could do a combined hissatsu.” He said.
“Sounds like a great idea.” Ranmaru said, smiled at him.
“Could we talk about it… later?”
“Absolutely, I don't want any callbacks today.” Ranmaru laughed. “Especially as my first day as captain.”
“First and last, captain.”

Ranmaru's eyes shone.

“I don't think I heard correctly?”
"Captain." He repeated. “You're replacing Shindou today, right?”
"Yes, it's true." Ranmaru said. “You know… I think I didn't understand well.”
“Ah-ah, I won't repeat it, otherwise it will go to your head.”

The day's workout wasn't challenging at all actually.
They were training on schemes, also in view of the upcoming friendlies.

Endou, before training, had said that he had to give them the tickets to the Football Frontier final. Between 'Kirkwood' and 'Mount Olympus'.

Masaki had completely removed it, with everything he had thought about, the final was the least of his problems.

Ranmaru turned to look at the team.
“You know, I hope to replace Shindou very often, since my ears have heard something worth it.”
“See how you're getting in your head?”
"Hey! That's not true, I'll just never have an opportunity like that again."
“If you can fill the role of captain well, maybe I could call you that when Shindou returns too.”

Ranmaru smiled at him. “Then I will give it my all.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

At the end of training, Endou called them back to him.

He gave each of them a ticket for the final, and simply said that they couldn't not be there, as it would also serve as training.

He had said that they would skip training the next day because the match was going to be early; the reason was that that evening there was a very important match for professional football, which would be broadcast on TV, and therefore the final was brought forward.
Then, he complimented Ranmaru on fulfilling the role of captain well, and continued to talk and talk.

He then let them go and change.
He changed hastily and didn't even put her bag away; he put the uniform in place and closed everything, then waiting for Ranmaru outside the sports center.

He didn't have a good speech already prepared, and this was the only negative, at least this way he didn't have to remember an entire speech and could very well go from a point 'a' to a point 'b.'

It was a blessing that Ranmaru went out alone, also because who was he supposed to go out with? Shindou wasn't there.

"Captain." He called him back.
“Then you were telling the truth.” Ranmaru told him as he approached.

Masaki shrugged. "Maybe."

Ranmaru was there, in front of him.
He was wearing his winter school uniform, and his 'pink pigtails.' they were well made and were slightly moved by the wind.

Apparently he hadn't chosen a nice day.
There was some wind, and the sky was dotted with clouds.

“Earth calls Mas, then this hissatsu?” Ranmaru asked.

He wasn't impatient, or at least he didn't give the impression of being.

Everything he had to say died in his throat.
He didn't have to say anything, it wasn't anything complex, just three words, just: 'I like you.', Yet, he couldn't; as if he had forgotten, as if he had forgotten everything, even his own name.

“No- nothing, Sorry.”
“I still have time Masaki, come on tell me what's wrong.”
“It was a trifle, nothing important, really.”

Ranmaru looked at him and Masaki made the mistake of looking back.

The curved eyebrows, the slightly tilted head and his eyes that seemed dark blue, like a sky full of rain, triggered something in Masaki. Something he hadn't been able to control.

He had come closer and kissed him.

It all happened automatically, as if he had only imagined moving, but it wasn't just a silly fantasy. He felt Ranmaru's lips on hims.

He didn't know why he did it. He didn't know where she had found the courage to do it.

And Ranmaru… Ranmaru hadn't held back.
Her cold hand rested on Masaki's hot cheek, then moved it behind his ear.

It didn't last that long, but to Masaki it seemed as if everything had stopped, as if nothing else existed.

But then, as if he had received a shock, he separated.

He had screwed up. As usual.

“I-” The words died in his mouth. "-Sorry."
“Mas. Wait-

He had tried to stop him, but Masaki had yanked him, as if to take his arm back, and he had run away, in tears, he added.

He ran so quickly home that he truly feared he would use up all the air in his lungs.

But why had he done it? Why had she kissed him? Why had he run away?
He had made a mess... as usual.

He had moved automatically, as if his brain was programmed for that option, but… he hadn't even remotely imagined it.
That wasn't the plan. She just had to talk to him, just tell him that she actually liked Ranmaru, and really liked her… she shouldn't have kissed him.

Why had he done it?

He felt terribly stupid, and terribly confused.
He never expected it would all happen so suddenly, he wished there was a manual: something to help him understand.

The truth is that he had joked about it too much with Kyousuke, that the thing with Ranmaru could go wrong, and his brain had started to pass it off as something true. But it wasn't his fault or Kyousuke's fault, it was his lack of trust in others, in his brain sabotaging him, making him believe that he couldn't deserve such things.

He had already been through this, in a very different context, with Hiroto and Ryuuji. It had taken him time to gain trust in Kyousuke and Tenma; it seemed impossible to do it even with Ranmaru.

He needed to metabolize everything that had happened in that period of time.

The awareness that everything could go wrong, his traumas not treated in the right way, everything negative, did not allow him to see what was positive in all of it.

He had made a fool of himself by running away, he had realized it too late.
How would she explain everything to Ranmaru? What should she have explained?
Was he a coward? That she actually liked him too but He never had the courage to tell him because he didn't want to ruin their friendship?

He trusted Ranmaru, he had told him about his family... but maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe, it wasn't enough to fill all that fear he had.

He had always wondered, could his trauma lead to this?
Was it time to talk to a specialist about it?

He had avoided it, put it aside, for too long, even when it had seemed impossible, like with his parents, and yet… now he was in a completely new and different context; because this wasn't about family but it was about trust in a relationship, and his was poor even in friendship.

With all that thinking he wanted to tear the hair out of his head.

He didn't want to think about Ranmaru, but she wondered what he was thinking right now. Would she talk to Shindou about it?

He arrived home, closed the door behind him a little too violently.
He was alone, fortunately.

He dropped against the door trying to get as much air as possible into his lungs; while his ears were ringing and his eyes were stinging from the cold wind that he had caught in his face while running. And he felt terribly warm.
He put his hands to his face, he didn't want to cry.

He really wished he hadn't gotten himself into that situation, and worse, he never wanted to have moved to Nagano.

He made one last trip to his room, not paying attention to the briefcase dropped at the entrance, or the shoes that hadn't been put in the appropriate compartment.

He thanked everyone that Ranmaru hadn't followed him.
He took out his cell phone and found no messages or calls from him.

But… maybe it disgusted him?
Maybe he didn't want to be friends with him anymore?

What had he done?

He threw himself on the bed.

He had no desire to have dinner, no desire to go out and talk to his parents, and he had no intention of showing up at school… how could he?

He threw the phone as far away as He could while he leaned back in the bed and buried his face in his knees.

His mind tried in every way to find a solution, yet he saw no hope.

And yet… he had reciprocated. Did it mean anything?
No- maybe He didn't even realize what had happened? Maybe he was driven by the moment?

He didn't hear the front door open, and he didn't even hear his bedroom door open. Until that moment he had been in the dark, now, a little light entered from the corridor.

Ryuuji, tall as he was, didn't allow all the light to enter; he didn't seem very happy, in fact, he seemed a little displeased.

“Hi Ryuu.”

He didn't always succeed in acting indifferent.

“What were you doing that was so important that you couldn't tell us?”

A hundred alarm bells rang in his head.
He was the reason he was so upset.
Because caught up in the moment, he had completely forgotten to send that stupid message to his parents. It was obvious that Ryuuji was angry, he was probably even worried, because he hadn't seen any message coming, and because it was a winter evening and the city was completely empty… he couldn't blame him.

The last thing he needed was to argue with his parents.

"Excuse me. He slipped my mind… it was kind of a day like that.”
“One second Masaki, that was how long it took you to warn us.”
“Yes I know, and I apologized to you.”
“Next time-
-It will never happen again. Truly."

Ryuuji left him in the room alone.
Alone again.

He let out a loud snort.

He stood there looking at the ceiling, while a flood of thoughts ran wild in his head.

He grabbed a pillow just to bury his head in, but then, his phone vibrated, and curiosity killed the cat, as Ryuuji would have said.

He didn't have time to read the entire contents of the notification; but he had read the name of the person who had sent a message.
Kirino Ranmaru. Yes, that's him.

The message began with: 'We need to talk [...].'

Then the notification disappeared.

His stomach began to turn as if using centrifugal force.
He felt like throwing up and his head was spinning so much. He was in a panic.

Lo and behold, he was dead.
Gone, buried.

What did he want to talk about?
Did he want to tell him that she had screwed up, and that she would never want to see him again?
That he had made a big mistake in kissing him? That he was straight? What disgusted him?
Or that he already had a boyfriend who would come to blame Masaki for what he had done? Did he never want to be friends with him again?

No… probably none of his questions were true.

Maybe he listed the reasons why he wanted to talk to him? Wrong.

So he decided to read it, and the message said: 'We need to talk. -
-Wait for me outside your classroom, before training.'

Nothing else.

Ranmaru loved putting smileys in every message, but this time there wasn't even one.
Not even 'Mas.'
Nothing at all. Terribly serious.

And why after class? Couldn't you have done it earlier, during your lunch break?
She couldn't hold out that long. And she knew he had no right to complain, but really, he couldn't wait. Why did he have to remain anxious all that time?

What if… he wanted to beat him up?
Ranmaru wasn't that type, was he?

He shook his head, but what was he thinking? That wasn't Ranmaru.

Ranmaru was good and kind… and would never hurt him.
Maybe he just wanted to tell him to pretend nothing happened...?

“I hate you Ranmaru.” He said it more to himself.

What trouble had he gotten himself into?

He opened the chat with Ranmaru and wrote: 'See you tomorrow.'
She then threw the phone away from him again.

Brave of you, Masaki. he said to himself.

Now he couldn't back out anymore.

His room was illuminated again.
He turned towards the door and found Hiroto again, standing there under the door, with the knuckle of his index finger that he was about to hit on the door jamb.

“Hey Maki, can I come in?”

He nodded, unconvinced.
He wondered how long he had been there, because he seemed to be completely out of touch by now.

Hiroto sat on the edge of the bed.
He was still wearing his work clothes, and the glasses that covered his green eyes.
He didn't seem angry, on the contrary, he seemed rather calm, but he wanted to prevent it and apologize to him too.

“Sorry… if I forgot to warn you.”
“Ryuu told me you had a bit of a rough day, do you want to talk about it?”
“It's just for school… that's all.”
“You never really worried about it.”
“Well now yes.”
“Maki why do you have secrets from us now?”
“I don't have any secrets.”

Hiroto looked at him, as if to say 'Stop saying this bullshit, the first prize is already yours.', even if if you think about it it wasn't very Hiroto like, more Nagumo like.

“Tell your old man what's wrong.”

Masaki smiled at him. “Do you call yourself old now?”
“Don't get used to it.” He said messing up his hair. “Just because I see you as a little down, and no parent likes to see their kids like that.”
“What did you have for lunch dad?”
“Don't cheat about it like you usually do, you little pest.”

Masaki sighed. “I told you, and for the study.”
“If it were for studying, as you say, wouldn't you be studying?”

Masaki rested his forehead on his father's shoulder.
“Have they ever told you that you are so pushy?”
Hiroto stroked his hair. "A couple of times."

There was no anger in his voice, he could almost tell he was smiling.

Everyone would have said that Ryuuji was the calmest one, but in reality that wasn't the case.
(Well, he wasn't even cruel and wild, Ryuuji was the perfect union between yin and yang) Hiroto was, or at least he was with him, at work however... he couldn't guarantee anything.

“How can you trust Ryuu?”
Hiroto looked at him as if he was hiding the Holy Grail from him.

“Have you never been afraid? I don't know, was he cheating on you or something?”
“I have always had full faith in Ryuu, Maki, why are you asking me these questions? Has something happened?”

Masaki shook his head. “I wish I had full confidence just like you.”
“The only way to know if we can trust a person is to trust.”

Masaki straightened his head. "In what sense?"
“I know it may seem strange to you, but trust comes naturally, even if it seems impossible. Just like you did with Hitomiko, me and Ryuuji, and even those two friends of yours.” Hiroto adjusted his glasses on his face. “It's about that boy right?”

Masaki nodded.
How had Hiroto figured this out?
Was he a superpower as an adult?

“I'm afraid I messed up.” He then said.
Hiroto ruffled his hair. “If he makes you feel loved, then that's what he wants; in his gestures, in his behavior, perhaps he doesn't have the courage to admit it and he needs a push."
“Do you think it's worth it…? I mean… would it be worth it?”
“Does he make you feel good?”

He nodded for the second time.

“Then it will always be worth it Maki.”

He had just failed in his 'don't tell your parents' plan, but he had to admit that perhaps he had been right to tell Hiroto everything, also because Ryuuji had already noticed his strange behavior... Yes, talking about it had been a good idea.

"Thanks Dad…"

Hiroto pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, “You can always count on us Maki.”

Masaki abandoned the hug, and then let Hiroto go and shake off some work, as he said, he took the opportunity to run into the kitchen and apologize to Ryuuji for the umpteenth time, so finding himself there in the kitchen he also gave a hand with dinner.

For now, there was nothing left to do but wait, and try not to think about it anymore.

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡⋆

It was raining.
He had chosen a really nice day to talk to Ranmaru.
He loved the rain, but she would have preferred it not to be there on a day like this.

He took it as a divine sign.

He gave himself plenty of time to eat breakfast, then maybe if he felt like everything was going to go badly he would bail on Ranmaru and the game, and whatever he had to do that day.
It was right? No. Especially towards Ranmaru; so he sincerely hoped not to get caught up in anxiety.

It was difficult as his mind was trying to sabotage him 24/7; and he was terribly afraid of what Ranmaru had to say to him.

Trusting wasn't something he could decide on his own. He felt like he didn't trust anyone after his real parents abandoned him, and even what he had gone through in middle school didn't allow him to trust others... but having talked about him with his father had helped him a little.

The day before he had kissed the person he liked after teasing her all day, and in the end he had also run away like a coward, if today had gone badly, he would have forced Hiroto to directly change planet.

Yes, that was the right thing to do.
Maybe he would fall in love with an alien, who knew.

He could stop making fun of his life, but at the moment it was the only thing he could do to keep his feet on the ground.

Since it was raining he made an agreement with Tenma and Kyousuke, and gave the two a lift to school.

Tenma remained like a codfish for the entire time of the 'journey'.
He still couldn't believe he was probably in the car with Hiroto.
And it was stupid, every time Tenma saw his parents he remained there, even though he had known them for four years now.

They arrived at school right on time, and it hadn't stopped raining for even half a second. While Tenma ran to catch up with Shinsuke and Hikaru, Masaki recounted what he had done with Ranmaru yesterday.

“What do you think he wants to tell me?” He asked.
“I can't know, but maybe you moved that one little neuron she has.”
“So you say he won't kill me?”

Kyousuke pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb, and then looked back at him with a very serious and annoyed look. “Listen Masaki, you have every good reason to believe that she wants to talk to you to say that she feels the same way as you, but that she didn't have the courage. Her attitude towards her is one of those reasons, so stop beating your brains out. Just wait for him and talk like civilized people, and if she behaves like she shouldn't, I'll take two seconds to come and beat the shit out of him, okay?”
“No to violence.”
“I really hope it's a no, but you never know with people like him.”
“You are very encouraging Kyo.” He snorted.
“But if I told you that we want to declare. You really remind me of Tenma.”
“I take this as an insult.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Throughout the lessons Masaki had done nothing but distract himself and think about how to behave with Ranmaru. Based on what he would tell him, Masaki was thinking of multiple answers.

However, none of these seemed right to him, perhaps he should have seen it then and there and not prepared for it; but he... he really couldn't think of anything else.

The lessons seemed so boring to him, the time changes worse.
He wanted to go straight to that afternoon, even skipping the lunch break. He wanted to talk to Ranmaru, he felt the need.

It seemed to him that he was reliving, like déjà-vu, the previous day.

Unfortunately he had to go to the canteen anyway, because he couldn't stop Tenma's hunger.

He really wanted a time machine...

Hikaru and Shinsuke had arrived before them, and Hikaru seemed particularly busy writing something down on a piece of paper.

"Stop studying!" Tenma told him, sitting down between Hikaru and Shinsuke. “Now we are at the canteen and all we have to think about is eating.”
“I was just copying things down.”

He envied Hikaru's notes, and his handwriting.
They were written so neatly, and so perfectly. She used highlighters, not randomly like he did, but she chose the color and if he had to use another one, she first saw if they were complementary. Written in pen, without any smudging or even a single wrong kanji. There were no mistakes on his papers, no erasing caused by the eraser and not even the shadow of a pencil.
Instead, Masaki wrote all of his notes in pencil and if he ever had to write with a pen, he was sure that he would still make something wrong (and in that case he would have torn up the entire sheet).

“It was still studying.” Tenma took the pen from his hand, and placed it in his pen holder. “Now think about eating, otherwise you won't have the strength to go and watch the final.”

Hikaru laughed. “I would have eaten anyway, we were just waiting for you.”

He hadn't really thought about the final, also because he wasn't that interested at the moment.
He looked around, while Tenma as usual was being an idiot by stealing his place next to Hikaru.

Ranmaru was sitting at his table with Shindou and they were talking calmly.
The other boys on the team were also with them, except Kurumada, Kurama and Amagi.

He seemed quite calm, he didn't seem anxious, almost as if he had forgotten that he had to talk to him afterwards... He was wearing his incomplete uniform; he didn't have a jacket, and his shoes looked like sneakers, as if he'd forgotten to get dressed for school that morning.

Ranmaru didn't look in his direction for even a second.

That negative feeling grew in Masaki, that perhaps... he had made a big mistake.
His stomach immediately twisted on itself and the lunch he had before his eyes made the situation worse; he wanted to go back to class, stay with his head on the desk until lessons started, and maybe then, he would go home, or run to Kira & Company, in tears.

It was stupid.
Really stupid.

Kyousuke woke him from his thoughts, gave him a light tap on the arm.
"What's up?" He asked softly. “Did he do something?”
“No, how could he? I don't have much of an appetite." He replied back.
"Eats. And don't be an idiot."

But he really didn't feel like having lunch.

“I can't wait for school to end…” Tenma muttered.
“Think about studying instead.” Kyousuke said.

Hikaru gave him strange looks, and honestly didn't want to be the center of attention, so even if reluctantly, with his stomach closed, he made an effort and ate a little of everything he had taken (which wasn't much to be honest).

Tenma and Shinsuke were already thinking about the start of the Football Frontier, when the final would be held that afternoon, and the football frontier wouldn't start until September; he too couldn't wait to play again and maybe have a rematch against Raimon, but now all that wasn't really on his mind.

He glanced back towards Ranmaru's table, talking and laughing animatedly with his table-mates.
She envied him so much… he wanted to be worry-free too, but the closer the time got, the more anxiety rose.

On the way back to class, Kyousuke comforted him a little, saying that he didn't have to worry and that everything would be fine, and that if not, he would break Ranmaru's legs and do the same to his pigtails. This didn't lift his spirits in the slightest, but he had made him understand that he would be close to him, no matter what.

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

There was less than a few minutes left before class.

His anxiety had distracted him for most of that last hour.
She had taken maybe half a page of notes, and she already knew that they wouldn't be enough for the next test.

He wondered if Ranmaru felt the same way at that moment; however, at the canteen he had seen him calm and calm as usual... he probably would have been even if America had confirmed that aliens existed.

“I'll schedule a test for tomorrow guys, make sure you're there, the first one who misses will make up for it differently from their classmates.” Said the sociology teacher.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

He would definitely have stayed there in class or run home as fast as he could, however, it was still pouring outside, and the fact remained that standing Ranmaru up didn't seem like a good move. He still let Kyousuke drag him out of the classroom.

“Remember that-
- Yes, I remember that, thanks.”
“Hi Masaki! Good luck!" Tenma yelled at him before Kyousuke dragged him away.

He would have loved to kill him... At least he had a reason to run away then.

Now alone, he began to play with his hands while waiting.
Seeing everyone running and going to the clubs was really strange. He didn't really care about being late for the football club, honestly, but… he didn't care about a scolding from Endou, he had had too many.

Ranmaru didn't take long to arrive, also because he only had to go down one floor (and take a different corridor from the exit one, but that wasn't the point).

He noticed it immediately, he now had a jacket on, compared to a few hours ago, perhaps he had left it in class during lunch?
Her gaze was serious, but not sharp, in fact, she smiled at him too.

But how did he do it? Masaki was dying of anxiety and he arrived calmly with a smile on his face.

"Let's go?" He asked him.
“Where we going?”
“Away from prying eyes.”

Prying eyes? But what if the lessons were over? He could have come up with some better lie.
He didn't approve of the idea of leaving the classroom in the slightest, he considered it a "safe" place; However, he still followed Ranmaru, who had started walking.

Or rather, he had walked half a meter and then started running.

Maybe he wasn't exactly calm and calm and without anxiety.
He only hoped that he wasn't the reason for his strangeness.

He didn't know what the goal was, and he didn't care to ask, he didn't want to receive any grumpy answers. Although Ranmaru probably wasn't one for grumpy answers.

Masaki was good at keeping up, also because he was quite fast, but, apparently, that day, Ranmaru was even faster than him, which is why at a certain point he grabbed his wrist.

His wrist clutched in Ranmaru's hand agitated him even more than it was. Did a person who was about to say they were straight behave like this?

His heart was in his mouth.

“Can you at least tell me why we're running?” He asked.

He wasn't sure if he heard him because at the exact moment he asked them, they passed a bunch of professors, where one of them yelled at him not to run down the halls.

But then, after a seemingly endless run, Masaki understood where they were going.
He saw the emergency exit that led to the back of the school, signaled that they were going to the old vending machines; it was the only way to get there without leaving the school.

He almost ended up becoming one with the door. Door that closed behind them, and which could only be opened from the inside.
Luckily he had also taken the folder, so they wouldn't have to come back anymore.

Now, in addition to being out of breath, they were also soaked.

When they got to the old gas stations, Ranmaru let go of his wrist, now looking a little agitated. His hands were shaking and his blue eyes were shining.

Masaki was trying to catch his breath, staying behind Ranmaru was like doing a hundred laps of the field, and he wasn't joking.

He could hear the patter of rain above their heads. It was annoying, but it was the only sound that could distract him from his heart that seemed to want to escape from his chest.

“Now… may I know why we came all this way to talk? In case you hadn't noticed, it's been raining like this since this morning... it doesn't seem like such a brilliant idea to me-

Unexpectedly Ranmaru took his face in his hands, his blue irises were slightly darker, perhaps due to the bad weather, but he had no time to digest everything that happened.

Ranmaru leaned in, and kissed him.
And this time it wasn't a dream, or at least an initiative of his.

His desire to run away had reached the stars... but why?

He lost his breath; but perhaps it was also due to the race they had done.

His lips were really soft, and he was really so sweet.

Compared to when he had kissed him, now, a strange sensation expanded down in his stomach, what they had called butterflies he assumed.

It was as if nothing around existed anymore, as if it was no longer raining on them, he had forgotten all those thoughts that had crossed his brain before this happened.
He had never felt so much dismay, happiness, fear in his life, he wasn't even clear which of the many emotions he was feeling in that moment.

His pulse wouldn't stop pounding, and his legs had turned to pure jelly, was this what it felt like? Was this the awareness of having made it?

He had let himself be carried away, by what he felt, from that moment, by Ranmaru.

What seemed to have lasted an eternity, in reality perhaps hadn't even been a couple of seconds.

Ranmaru had composed himself, and his gaze was fixed on him, he tried to hide his insecurity and anxiety, but he hadn't run away. He wasn't a coward, like him.

But he wanted to make up for it, to catch the ball, he had to apologize to him.

“I-
- No, wait, let me do the talking.” Ranmaru said, cutting him off before he could even finish his sentence. “You were the reason you saw me walking out to the school counselor, you were the reason Hamano wrote 'idiot' on his arm. I never had the courage to tell you, he inspired heavily. -I felt so stupid not telling you things like they were, seeing you run away yesterday. I really wanted to stop you and tell you it was OK but I was scared.”

He had spoken so quickly that Masaki wondered if he had heard everything.

“I- I shouldn't have run away, I know. I thought I let you down, and I'm scared.” he was trying not to cry with all his heart. “I don't have much confidence, I'm working on it I swear but my mind tries to sabotage me every time I have enough... It's not because of you and because of my things-
Ranmaru shook his head. “You don't have to justify yourself. I understand. I knew it when Shinsuke said about your parents, and I know it's different as you probably know it too, but I can show you that you can trust me, any time you want."
“…I was afraid of ruining our friendship and… that… I don't know, maybe you didn't feel the same way about me…?”
Ranmaru looked at him strangely. “Did you think that I- that is, that I didn't like you?”

Now he felt embarrassed.
He couldn't keep his gaze on him, look him straight in the eye and tell him that yes, He had meant it.

As usual, he started playing with his fingers, torturing them, because that's what he wanted to do with himself. “Yeah… And I never understood what you meant with your gestures… it's stupid, I know, but…”

Ranmaru laughed, and her laughter made him feel a little better, it could take the edge off the embarrassment. “I admit it wasn't a good way to try.”
“I'm the one who doesn't pick up on the signs... maybe someone else would have realized it much, much earlier, that is, maybe I could have understood it much earlier and all this wouldn't have happened.

He kissed him again.
And it was the second time she silenced him.

What did we like?

“I like you Mas. Really much." He then said. “And you really talk so much when you step out of your comfort zone.”

He felt his cheeks getting hot. Maybe he was getting a fever because of the rain he had caught? Or maybe it was because Ranmaru wouldn't stop teasing him?

“You-
- I'm joking Mas.” He laughed.
“About you liking me or my talking nonsense?”
Ranmaru raised an eyebrow. "In your opinion?"

He didn't need to look in the mirror to understand how embarrassed he was. Fiery red, that's how it was.

“I really like you too, and I would have told you if you hadn't shut me up!”
“You don't seem to mind that much.”

Was it possible to blush even more?

“Stop being so embarrassing.” She muttered.

And now? What happened now? She had never thought about the aftermath.
Would it have been stupid to ask?

“So… what do we do now?”

Ranmaru looked at his face before bursting out laughing.
He even doubled over laughing! In short, but when would he stop?

"Hey! Stop that!"
“Sorry, sorry.” Ranmaru regained his composure and wiped away those fake tears that had come out of him from laughter. “Well I guess we can try, right?”
"The two of us?"

He cocked his head to the side. “Do you not like me?”
“Yes… I mean, that's what I said before.”
“Then yes, the two of us.” But she didn't hold back this time either, maybe it was her way of letting off all the stress? He became serious again, the change in his expression surprising him. “You are not alone Mas, I want to be close to you, you just have to promise me that you will let me help you.”

Masaki nodded.

A notification arrived for both of them.
It was Kyousuke telling him to move.

“I think it's time to go.” Ranmaru said looking up from his phone.

He nodded and they started walking towards the sports center.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked.
“As many as you want.”
"Why here?"
Ranmaru shrugged. “This is where I started to understand something, and then why we would be alone here.”

A bit of embarrassment lingered in the air, but he had to admit that he felt truly relaxed now; maybe luck had turned a little on his side.
There were a lot of emotions that he felt, and he called himself stupid because he had had all those thoughts, the uncertainties that had worn him down.
He was lucky that Ranmaru had understood, and accepted, his issues with trust, and he was grateful that Ranmaru would be there for him.

He didn't know many things, but he had learned most of them thanks to all those thoughts.

Ranmaru gave him his usual warm and kind smiles.

Spending time together like that was strange.
He had never been ready for changes, he had always hated them. He wasn't ready when they moved to Nagano, he wasn't even ready at that moment with Ranmaru, but he was happy. They would all be changes that he would appreciate over time.

He wanted to create new habits with Ranmaru, who would never object.
Because she had waited a long time, and he might deserve it.

“Should we tell the others?”
This time it was Masaki who shrugged. “It doesn't bother me that they find out, also because I bet Shindou knows, doesn't he?”
“I might have asked him for some advice. And Tsurugi and Tenma?”
“I might have done the same.”
Ranmaru smiled at him. "I had no doubt."

The sports center seemed to be getting closer and closer.
He didn't want to get there yet.

“We leave everything to chance. If they find out, good for them."

He nodded. He had nothing to hide, that's why he was fine with it, as long as he remained among them.
He liked Ranmaru, why would he keep it a secret? He didn't want the whole school or Endou, or Professor Otonashi to know, but only because he would feel very uncomfortable; with the guys on the team it was different, they knew everything by now, so they might as well not hide anything.
Shindou and Akane became known about him in a flash, so no matter how well they hid it, he would find out.

They released each other's hands, even though he didn't remember when they started holding them, just before entering the meeting room, where everyone had gathered, still with a slight embarrassment in their eyes.

He wasn't used to having eyes on him, they noticed them immediately, because Hamano shouted: "Here are the stragglers."

Ranmaru also got a pat on the back.

But before anyone could say anything, Endou who had entered from another room revealed himself.
“Mr Veteran is out here, let's hurry guys.”
“Yes coach!”

After checking that everyone was there, they went out the back door, and as a school group they reached Mr. Veteran's Caravan, where Professor Otonashi checked that everyone was there again.

Before Ranmaru could sit next to him, Kyousuke stole his idea.
"After." He said he.

Tenma had sat on the front seats, and was left alone, so he turned to Masaki and Kyousuke.
“I would really like to hug you but I can't do it.” He said dejectedly.
Masaki rolled his eyes. "That's better."
“Hey! I'm happy for you!"
“Tenma, we said no.” Kyousuke interjected.
“Come on Kyo! Can't you see that it went well?"
“Hey! Stop it now! Before we even start.”
“Now tell us everything instead.” Kyousuke said.
"I do not have anything to say."
"Lie!" Tenma exclaimed.
"Speak up."
“Noo. Stop it, we're putting on a show."

Kyousuke pointed a pen at him. “Speak or I'll stab you.”
"I said no."
“Then we'll ask Ranmaru.” Tenma said.
"What? No!"
“Confess.” Kyousuke said, bringing that pen closer and closer.
“Okay, okay, but avoid it!”

Kyousuke regained his composure and Tenma stopped clapping to the 'lie' rhythm.
It was truly hell being there with the two of them.

"We are waiting." Kyousuke said, he now had consort arms.
"Yes or no?" Tenma asked.
"Yes."
“Yes I knew it!” Tenma exclaimed, clapping his hands again.
“What did he tell you?”

Masaki snorted.
“No, you already had your answer, let it be enough.”

Kyousuke didn't give him a friendly look.

“So it's done. Are you together?” Tenma asked.

Masaki nodded.
“The thing remains in the team. Understand Tenma?”
“Yes sir!” Tenma said, saluting.

The journey with his two friends was truly torture, and he knew it wouldn't end there.

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Arriving at the stadium, the Zenit stadium to be exact, where there was the opening ceremony, they took their seats and this time like last time, he and Ranmaru sat together; even if he had said last time that it was a thorn in his side; he was angry, he couldn't do anything about it.

Shindou sat next to Endou, who, as before leaving, checked if everyone was there. Tenma had also sat next to Endou, leaving poor Kyousuke alone with Hikaru and Shinsuke.

There was still a little bit to go until the start of the match, and for it being the final, you could feel that something was different in the air.

Ranmaru whispered to him, “Are you busy on Saturday?”

Fast.

“Not really, why?”
“At my place it's the evening What did you already want to go on a date with? Film with the guys from the team, so maybe… you could come, obviously with your friends.”

Okay, Ranmaru wasn't the one who wanted to skip ahead, but him.
He felt so embarrassed for even thinking of such a thing.

“Why didn't I know anything about this evening?”
“We never talked about it.”
"Why now?"

Ranmaru wasn't getting impatient with all those questions, it was to be admired.
"Why not?" He asked. “Hamano had already proposed inviting you once too.”
“So it's Hamano's idea?”
Ranmaru shook his head. "No."

“I thought you weren't nerdy enough to suggest a movie night.”

Ranmaru shrugged. “Just because I don't know how to play video games?”
“I thought you were more of a bookworm.”
“Yes, too.”
"Also? Are you Batman by any chance?” Masaki laughed.
Ranmaru smiled at him. “Have you ever seen Batman?”
"No."
“Well you caught me, wandering around 'Nagano' at night.”

Imagining Ranmaru in the role of Bruce Wayne was too out of the ordinary.
He was actually holding himself back so as not to burst out laughing.

“First I was in Gotham City, then things went well, and so here I am.”
"I beg you." He wiped away the tears that had been brought on by all the laughter he was holding back.

Ranmaru was smiling at him.

“So if you were to be in danger you would run to me immediately.”
“I will be there, only if you accept my invitation, and if perhaps you could get ahead of yourself.”

Before Masaki could give him an actual answer, Endou said that the match was about to start and that no one could be distracted. They were here for all this to serve as training, he had remembered.

Like last time, Ranmaru explained his theories on the match, told him to keep an eye on the various patterns, in short, as if nothing had changed between them.
The match between 'Kirkwood' and 'Mount Olympus' wasn't really on his mind, but he tried to be careful.

Every now and then it happened that they touched hands, perhaps even by mistake, and every time Masaki felt a tingling in his stomach, a strange sensation that he had to get used to as soon as possible.

When the match ended, with Kirkwood's (deserved) victory; they stayed to watch the awards ceremony, perhaps with a little jealousy on the part of Hamano and Tenma who couldn't stop saying that they really wanted a medal and the cup just like the one Kirkwood was receiving.
Masaki also felt a bit of jealousy, because he would have really wanted to get there, to be on the pitch, under the gaze of all those who were there in the stadium... but he still remained with his feet on the ground, because they would probably never have managed to have a strategy against one of the two teams that were on the field at the time.
They could have tried again, at least.

They went away, retracing the road back in the Caravan, this time with Ranmaru next to him, who never stopped repeating how much it had actually been a good final, also worth seeing, and he hoped to play against it, to get involved and improve.

"Yes." She then told him, replying to the invitation for Saturday.
Ranmaru looked at him with a questioning look. “Yes in the sense that Kirkwood had to lose?”
“No, I meant yes to Saturday. She sounds good.”

Ranmaru smiled at him, and throughout the trip they talked a lot, about the final and otherwise.

And then when they arrived outside of school, Ranmaru actually asked Tenma and Kyousuke to attend the movie night he hosted at his house, and of course he invited Hikaru and Shinsuke too.

Before they arrived, Hiroto had told him he would pick him up, so now he had to wait for him.

Ranmaru was leaving with Shindou, so they went to the back of the caravan while Endou was too busy making sure everyone left.

“Hey Batman.”
“Oh no please, change your nickname.” Ranmaru laughed.
“I'll think about it.”

Ranmaru kissed him.

Now, it was strange to say, see you tomorrow.
It would have been strange to go home and act the same as always, but knowing there was something more.
Yes, he would probably text him more than he usually texted him, but he was still weird.

And then, the next day they would see each other again, and they would continue to behave like this, until it became a real habit.

“I'd like to take you home-
Masaki shook his head. “-You literally live on the other side. It's a bit useless, my father is here.”
“Know that I would really like to accompany you.”
“I appreciate the thought.”

Murmurs began to become more vivid, a sign that Tenma and Kyousuke were looking for him.

“See you tomorrow, right?”
"Yes, see you tomorrow. Write to me when you get home.” Ranmaru told him.

Tenma and Kyousuke appeared in his vision.

“Hey Kirino-san!! Thank you for inviting us!” Tenma said.
"Do not mention it? It's an evening with friends."
"How beautiful! I can't wait!"

Before Tenma started to freak out, Kyousuke stopped him and cleared his throat.
“Your father is here, I don't think he wants to wait.”
“We, let's go, thanks again Kirino-san!” Tenma said.
"Hello lads."
"See you tomorrow." Masaki repeated.
“Hi Mas.”

Masaki waved at him.
And he was strange. Really strange.
Because it seemed like that day had flown by, as if the hourglass had been turned before the end, as if everything was reset.
He really wanted to spend more time with Ranmaru.

“You and Kirino-san are so cute! You look like me and Kyousuke our first days!”

And he started talking in bursts about those days a year ago, even though they had almost gotten close to the car.

“So all of a sudden it's movie night?”
"Apparently."
“It stinks to me. I'll keep an eye on him.”
“Kyo! Look, not even my father would say something like that." Masaki laughed.
“And then I remind you that you pushed him into his arms.” Tenma said.

Kyousuke looked them over carefully. “Don't even try.”

Tenma and Masaki exchanged a look.

“You're jealous because Masaki-kun got engaged! So cute." Tenma said.
"I'm not jealous!"

Masaki laughed. “You will intervene in Hiroto's place in case anything happens.”

Kyousuke snorted. “I told you to stop.”

And luckily for him they actually stopped, but only because they got to the car.
That day, was also Tenma's lucky day, because she had seen Hiroto more than she should.

During the journey Tenma talked all the time about the final with Hiroto, he would have also told about life and miracles if the road ahead had been slightly longer.

After accompanying Tenma, and saying goodbye to his aunt Aki, who thanked Hiroto, they also gave Kyousuke a ride, until only he and Hiroto remained.

There wasn't really much to talk about he guessed, he just wanted to go home and rest.

“It was an exciting final from what you were talking about.”
“Just the way Tenma talks about it. He's jealous because we didn't get there."
"Understandable. You are not?"
"Not so much."

It wasn't long before we got home, and Masaki had stopped paying attention to the landscape outside the window.

“It was worth it, I guess.” Hiroto said suddenly.

He immediately understood what he was referring to, Masaki smiled slightly, and yes, it had been worth it.

⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

The End.