ā !*offsides āæ __ Ā»ć@haruna
Breakfast came and went almost as fast as the rising sun did. Fudou didnāt really need more than two helpings; he was still too used to conserving food and fasting from his days living in debt. Just having the choice of how much he wanted to eat made him feel strangely guilty and nauseous ā so he abstained from indulging like the others did. It was peculiar, but despite his obvious drawbacks, Fudou didnāt hold it against others to do so ā unless, of course, it was a blatant misuse of food. That was a different story completely.
The morning warm-up was led by Endou, as per always. The stretches were the usual arms, legs, back, and ankles, and the three-lap jog around the field was a breeze for everyone. This is it, he thought, this was the day heād succeed. As everyone split up to undertake individual training, some continuing the jog around the field while others took up shooting practice, Fudou decided to help out the defense players and brush up on his own defense skills. As a midfielder, he had to be prepared to both defend and attack at any given moment; after all, the purpose of a midfielder was to act as the bridge between the defenders and the strikers. If he lacked skill on one side, heād be an inefficient player, and may even lose his spot on the team.
He couldnāt let that happen, not if he wanted to get rid of his motherās debt.
The soccer balls flew at him and the others with tremendous speed, but none got past. Fudou could hear Endou behind him, praising him for his work. He smirked, āOf course. Whatād you expect?ā But thatās not what he was really feeling; he felt incompetent. He felt inadequate. He felt powerless, and he hated every minute of it. As soon as he turned away from the captain, he frowned. This wasnāt good enough. He needed more power. Waiting for the strikers to kick, Fudou prepared himself, attempting to anticipate their movements and calculate the trajectory. He felt the dirt under his cleats crumble as his foot shifted and his body relaxed. This was it; this was what he needed: focus.
āFudou-kun!ā He stopped, turning his attention to the manager named Kino Aki. She motioned for him to come over, which took him by surprise. He was never called out like this. Did something happen? His teammates stared at him as he made his way over to the managerās bench, whispering between themselves as to whatās going on and why Fudou, of all people, was being called out of practice. Endou particularly looked the most curious of them all. He didnāt mind them, though ā he was more concerned over the why. Was he going to be kicked off the team? Did something happen to his mother?
Was it about Otonashi?
From what Kino explained, it seemed the coach had a few questions for him. She wasnāt sure of the details, but she told Fudou to immediately go to his office, after reassuring him everything was alright, and that he wasnāt in trouble. Slightly irritated, but understanding of the situation, he left the field and headed towards the main building. He could hear someone (was it Kidou?) telling the others to get back to practice just as he opened the door and went inside.
It turns out, they were both right; he just had a few questions for him, concerning Otonashi. Heād seen the two of them talking last night on the field, but wasnāt able to draw conclusions from it until after Haruna confessed. Fudou more-or-less knew only as much as Coach Kudou did, however, so he wasnāt of much help. The midfielder explained how he guessed at her condition when she first arrived, and (reluctantly) admitted to comforting her when she broke down crying. Fudou also revealed how he advised her to see the coach about what happened, but he didnāt have any more information than that. Still expressionless, the coach thanked him for his time, and dismissed him, leaving him to return to practice when he was ready to.
Memories of last night flooded his mind as he vacated the office, leaving him with a bad taste in his mouth. What happened to her was unjust. He didnāt know Otonashi very well, but from what he did know, she always tried to help others. She was a genuinely good person, which was more than what he could say about himself. Ugh, which reminds him, that kiss. .. It still bothered him. What about it made him so uncomfortable, though? Was it because he was inexperienced? Was it because the last and only person to kiss him was his mother? He was only a middle schooler ā it was expected of him to be lacking in the romance department. So why did he feel so .. hmm. Heād have to mull it over later. He had more important matters to attend to, like seeing how his new āfriendā was doing today. He figured he might as well get over their awkwardness sooner than later ā better to do it while they were alone then with the others hanging around and questioning everything.
There she was, standing by the back windows of the cafeteria. Had she been watching them practice? What a stupid girl. She should be resting in her room, not doing her manager duty. Oh, whatever. It was her decision in the end, he supposed. Fudou leaned against the doorway, (cool kids have to be cools kids, after all) making sure to call out loud enough to grab her attention. With his arms crossed over his chest, he spoke:
āLooks like you took my advice.ā
Haruna was startled out of her thoughts by Fudou's voice. She peeked over, swallowing down the last mouthfuls of her food. "..Yea." Walking over to a nearby table, she grabbed a spare napkin and wiped her hands clean, the young girl not having the courage to look him in the eye just yet.
"Coach Kudou agreed to not say anything about this to the rest of the team. Especially my brother. All that I really have to do is go to his office when he needs more questions answered. He said he will take care of everything." As a manager, Haruna knew that keeping this information from them would be crucial. It would be wrong, but it needed to be done. What kind of sibling would she be if she distracted them from a match with news of her violent attack?
That wasn't going to happen. She would make sure of it. She knew that most of the players in the team were suspicious already and it was frustrating. Haruna could see the wheels in Endou's brain churning (albeit slowly), and Kidou's face more blanker than usual, but she wouldn't budge. Not until after their match, would she explain everything in detail.
Drinking the last bit of her milk, she crushed the small box in her hands and threw it towards the garbage can near her - Watching as it sailed and landed inside perfectly with a loud thunk. "I was a little afraid to tell him, actually but.." Trailing off, she shrugged her shoulders, her eyes now trailing towards Fudou's direction. "It was more easier than I though it would be." Fingers brushed away some messy bangs from her face, lips pursed in thought. "I really had no idea what coach Kudou was thinking about. His face was pretty blank." Had he been angry? In Disbelief? Shocked that someone in his care had attacked and mugged like this?
Haruna could of sworn she saw his eyes darken, in what she assumed had been anger, but she really wasn't sure. She was certain that she would never know. "When isn't he ever, huh?" The manager tried to throw in a small joke, lips twitching into a soft smile. "The limp in my leg is gone now, sorta. It still hurts, but not as much as before!" Here she did a little leg wiggle for example, the tension in her relaxing away. "My body is sore as well, but I can deal with that." The bruises on her skin were becoming more darker each day and it was terrifying to think if someone caught glimpses of them. She didn't want questions to arise. That's why she made sure to wear long sleeved shirts and pants, along with wearing a collar like decoration around her neck, to keep them out of sight, just until they faded away.
"Did coach call you away from practice? If he did I'm sorry!" She took a few hesitant steps closer to the other male, as she sent the other a small apologetic grin. "I know how serious you are about soccer." What else was she supposed to talk about?
Maybe about that kiss you gave him last night..? A teasing voice whispered in her mind.
It was unavoidable that her cheeks turned a dark red and she fidgeted with her glasses, that were now clutched in her hands. "Uhm..about what happened the other night. You know, that kiss..?" She cleared her throat, sending the male a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure..what came over me. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."














