August the 25th. The day after Konayuki returned to the Hotogi--
Shirayuki said she needed to go to the Hie shrine in Tamati Hisashi, and she had just left when the doorbell rang immediately.
Originally thinking of looking for a job to get some more credits and switching on my computer, I,
"What is it, Shirayuki? Did you forget something?"
I opened the door casually--and couldn't stop an "Uu" sound from erupting from my throat.
Standing there was...
"--Raging Riko Pose!"
Wearing a frilly, light modified uniform, her hands outstretched like a crane, one of her legs stetched up--
It was Mine Riko Lupin the 4th!
"..."
Right now, she wasn't wearing a heart-shaped eyepatch. It looks like Patra's curse has been released.
But, what kind of reaction should I make? In the face of this "Riko Something Pose"
Seeing me fall silent,
"...I saw it on the noticeboard at Masters! Ki-kun has a big problem! The slacker is in danger of being held back!"
Riko released that Kung Fu pose and, *whoosh*, she flashed by my side, intruding on my apartment.
"O-oi."
Carelessly throwing off her little, red boots at the door with a *Pa Pa*, *Tap Tap Tap*, *Bang!*
Like a jumping box, she jumped over the sofa, sitting on top of it.
"So, Riko has come to send you some missions, which anybody from any division can use to get credits!"
Immediately turning on the TV, she took out a Fan DVD from the red backpack on her back and, *whoosh*, she threw it like a flying saucer.
*Shh* That disc went into the slot of the DVD player perfectly.
She...is pretty adroit.
But, what is that DVD? It couldn't be one of those terrifying things that Muto is hiding, right?
While I was tensed up, alert...the TV broadcast the image of an overseas professional soccer match.
"The mission is...?"
I have a lot of other things that I want to talk to Riko about...but right now, going up a grade is my first priority.
And don't be deceived by Riko's appearance, she is a phantom thief, an expert information gatherer.
It could be that she's found me a really good mission.
Fishing out a box of Pocky from her red backpack, Riko's big eyes, with double-fold eyelids--*shh*, closed nearly completely, laughing.
"Hehe. Watch it, watch it, Ki-kun."
Uu. She's moving to my side?
I sat on the farthest end of the sofa on purpose.
The sweet scent of vanilla wafted off her soft, supple hair. This really is Riko's fragrance. How hateful.
"This is an emergency mission that just appeared on the Butei High Network. This particular commission is for those in Tokyo Butei High. This is what it is about, 'Because the entire soccer squad has been suspended, immediately find 11 substitutes for the National Highschool Soccer Competition, CS, the 2nd qualifying round'!"
I evaded Riko, who was leaning her body this way, and I took out my cellphone...
The site confirmed it.
"The entire soccer team was caught secretly making dum-dum bullets. So, the entire team was suspended for two weeks."
"...That is a horrifying reason that only Butei High could ever have..."
"Look here, if the substitutes win, they get 1.2 credits, and even if they lose, they get 0.6 credits!"
Ooohh...!
I have 0.7 credits left, so as long as I win, I can take care of it.
And this mission is to join a soccer competition. Just like a normal high school student.
For me, who is slowly drifting even further from normal society, this is a pretty good rehabilitation lesson.
"Alright...I'll do it. There's no other fitting missions, anyway."
"Alright!"
Taking a stick of Pocky out of the Pocky box, Riko jumped up, excitedly, *Thud*
She landed back on the couch.
"Then, Ki-kun, as a reward for bringing you this mission, let's play a Pocky game."
"Pocky game...? What's that?"
Hearing my question, Riko held that stick of Pocky between her lips and closed her eyes,
"Mmm"
-reaching this way.
You want me to...eat it too?
And, it's eaten from both sides.
You're an idiot.
I pushed the entire Pocky into Riko's mouth with one hand, watching the DVD.
Ooh...This looks like the highlights from the career of the former French soccer star, Zidane.
It may be a video from very long ago, but those skills really are on the level of geniuses. It looks like he too, is an elite.
"Kuh, Kuh...Ki-kun is way too much! It's DV! It's a date DV!"
Coughing non-stop, lying across my knees, Riko...
"Uu~~"
Pressed her lips together, moaning.
"No!"
"What..."
"No, No! I can't take it if you don't give me a reward! NoNoNoNoNoNo~~~~~~~~~~No~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
Riko, lying face up on my knees, started flailing around.
You...You're exactly like a kid.
"If you aren't going to give me anything, Riko will gather 11 people immediately and steal the mission! Riko will definitely gather enough people first! Riko has a lot, a lot of friends! Ki-kun doesn't have any!"
"Doesn't have any"! Saying it so frankly...
But...the fact that I have less than the class idol, Riko, is true. Making Riko angry now wouldn't be a good idea.
And knowing her personality, she might really be angry enough to take the mission first.
"Alright, I agree. Don't throw a tantrum like a spoiled child. I'll do whatever you want, besides that Pocky game."
I said, helplessly.
"Then, do whatever Ki-kun wants, do something good~~ with Riko, OK?"
Grabbing my clothes, Riko, *Shh*, rubbed her head on my stomach like a spoiled kitten.
...It's happened.
It's happened, it's happened, it's happened. Riko's fondling.
Ever since the Vlad case, Riko's been acting like a normal girl towards me--keeping some sort of distance when she touches me...but, the hearts of women are inexplicable. The feelings of girls will change like the rise and fall of the tide.
However, the fact that she's changing her attitude so much is kind of weird...well, it's Riko, after all. Looking deeper into it is just a waste of time.
I twisted away from Riko, escaping to the other side of the couch.
But, Riko was still grabbing onto my shirt, sticking to me closely. Aahh, this is so troublesome.
"Hey, Ki-kun--are things going well with you and Aria?"
*Thump* Lying down on the sofa face up, Riko suddenly--asked about something else entirely.
"Things aren't going well, right...? Yuki-chan has felt this too. Anyways, that Aria has been leaving Butei High to run around...she hasn't even sent a mail, right?"
"That...has nothing to do with you."
Seeing me answer quite coldly, Riko, *hehe*, laughed, still on my knees..."My tuuuuuuuuurrnnnn," she said some mysterious words to herself.
In truth--ever since I was discharged from the hospital, I haven't seen Aria.
When I was discharged, I sent her a mail, alerting her, but I didn't get a reply.
Well, for her, who doesn't really know how to use mails, this isn't a strange occurrence, but...
I felt that recently, she's been abnormally cold and distant.
It couldn't be that she's shouldering something by herself, not talking to me, could it?
"Hey. Aria and Yuki-chan aren't around right now, so you have to pay attention to Riko, you know. No matter what Ki-kun does, Riko won't make you take responsibility, you know. Just like last night, come at me violently..."
Hah...? What does "last night" mean! Having no memory of anything like that, I turned my head--
But my head, *shh!* was suddenly twisted to the other direction.
Because somebody behind me was grabbing my ear!
Ouch! Wh-who is it!
"He~~? In the short period that I left you alone, you're doing this immediately! You idiot slave!"
*shh!* My ear was yanked viciously, and a scream ringing out in my ear, I couldn't help but look up, seeing--
"A-Aria!?"
-wearing a uniform, Kanzaki H. Aria-sama was standing there.
Her face was very, very, very red, and she was gritting her canines viciously.
"Wh-when did you come back? Ow, ouch, my-my ear! It's going to be ripped off!"
"When Riko was shouting 'NoNoNo'. Fuu~. Last night. I see. When I'm not watching you, this is what you do, Kinji? But, there's no helping it. Riko is cute, isn't she~~"
Aria's camellia eyes were ablaze with fury, and she glared at me, 3 cm from my eyes.
"But, I've said this before, right? 'I'll forgive you once, but you have to cut your relations with Riko, OK?' Didn't you hear me then? That's right. You didn't hear me. Well, since your ears can't hear anything, THEN-YOU-WON'T-NEED-THEM-ANYMORE, WILL-YOU!?"
*Giri Giri Giri*
Pulling at my ear with even more force, Aria forced me to stand up.
"Ear, my ear! It's really going to tear off! Stop it, Aria! You're going to make me go back to the hospital!"
"Ooh, Aria, your possessiveness is really showing! Ahaha!"
*Pa Pa!* Riko clapped her hands together in joy.
Hey, don't just stand there and do catcalls, come and stop this abuse!
You're able to fight with Aria evenly, right!?
"Po-po-po-possessiveness? No way in hell! This is the punishment for my slave's disloyalty!"
Finally releasing her hand, Aria, *Whoosh!*
-drew her guns, pointing them at Riko, who was lying sideways on the couch, princess style.
"Fufu. After all, Aria likes Ki-kun."
"W-why would it become like that?"
"Eehh, it's because she likes you that she bullies you, you know."
Hehe. Being laughed at by Riko, Aria *Fufufufufufufu*
Her bad habit of blushing furiously had, for unknown reasons, become even worse.
S-so that's how it is.
Riko had noticed Aria arriving...so she threw a tantrum like a kid on purpose, hiding it from my senses...And then, she suddenly started to stick to me. Just to make Aria angry.
Hey you guys...you really don't know when to stop, do you?
Well, they are the great-granddaughters of Lupin and Holmes after all, the fact that they're as incompatible as water and fire isn't so hard to understand.
"No way in hell no way I like him ever ever ever absolutely definitely absolutely!" Aria, shouting, approached Riko, who was laughing *Nya Nya*
Hey, your foreheads are about to touch, your noses are about to touch...that kind of thing is fine, huh. Are you doing this as well, Aria?
Riko planted a kiss on Aria's cheek, *Chuu*, stopping her in the midst of her work--
* Holding tightly onto the sleeve of my right arm, which she had grabbed just a moment ago, she made a face at Aria.
"Hey! Get away...!"
Aria seemed to want to push Riko away, but Riko's two long tails started moving, pulling my back, spinning me around.
St-stop it!
In the eyes of that demon Butei, it looks like I'm hugging you of my own will!
Behind my back, starting to move more like a snake, Riko's hair...controlled my right hand, making a V signal at Aria.
Oh my Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.[1]
"You~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~two~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kinji!! Riko!!"
Aria, just like a child whose toy has been stolen, charged over, her face completely red.
And grabbing the arm that was making a V signal like she was about to snap it in half, she yanked on it in fury.
And Riko, going *Hehe* and flashing what could only be described as a Riko smile, pulled me from the other side--the left.
"--It's like this, Aria. In front of you, I'll demonstrate it--becoming more intimate with Kinji. The Aria that I wish to beat is an Aria that can use everything at her disposal. So, you have to become more intimate with Kinji, becoming as close to him as Holmes the First was with Watson. Well, the meaning of 'close to him' would be different, right? Fufu, Kufufufu!"
"Ah, hey! Both of you, stop! I-I'm going to be torn apart...!"
Whatever Riko's expectations are, it's not important right now.
If this goes on, my whole body, let alone my ear is going to be divided into the left section and the right section!
"--Don't say those kinds of things that nobody can understand. Let go!"
*Pa!*
Grabbing hold of my arm, Aria used those legs, clothed with black knee-socks, to perform a low-kick at Riko's shin.
"Uu!' --Actually, Riko likes a bit of pain too, you know."
Her smile becoming something extremely terrifying, Riko, *Pa!*
She used her leg, clothed with a white sock with cherry decorations, to return Aria's kick.
"That hurt! You~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Idiot Riko!"
Aria sent a vicious kick at Riko, and Riko, still wearing a Riko smile, returned a sharp kick.
Seeing those vicious kicks fly by one by one, each one probably able to crack a baseball bat in half--
Th-these two. Their leg strength is amazing.
These leg skills. They can be used in soccer...!
It's sad, but I had already gotten used to these scenes of carnage...so, I was able to ignore them long enough to think about that.
Of course, one cannot play soccer on his own.
If I want to send a mail to Masters, accepting this mission, I have to gather some members.
So, after that, I spent an entire day making phone calls, sending mails, asking face to face, gathering all those people whom I knew were free.
For the 2nd semester, I will take on any mission for free as repayment.
Following the rules set down on the website, if we're missing one person, we can still be recognized as participating. A soccer team is made up of 11 people, so I need at least 10. And in the more detailed rules, one of the components in male-female equality in sports states that girls can participate as well. That really was lucky.
The morning of the following day--
The sound of cicadas echoed through the second field, and the eleven people, filled with passion and spirit, had gathered.
Well no, it was time and not one person had gathered here. This first point had already filled me with unease.
I was the first one. Because I was the most motivated, (To tell the truth, I had no choice,) I was the most forward position, the FW. Which means, I would be the captain for now.
And because Aria, joining for the sake of keeping an eye on Riko, was very aggressive by nature, she was also a FW.
Riko, who had volunteered...seemed to have been influenced by some anime, and wanted to be the GK, so, without caring about whether she was really fitting for the position or not, we let her be the keeper.
After that, was Reki. I had dragged her, who was sitting still on the top of the Snipe building, to the field. When she tried, she was able to juggle indefinitely, and of course, her passing was flawlessly accurate. So, she was the dexterous center player, anMF.
So, with that, I had struck gold...! But, the moment that I had felt that rush of pride, I immediately discovered that Reki had zero proficiency with keeping a ball.
She was naturally disposed to daydreaming, so as long as I use some sort of method, I was immediately able to steal the ball. But, well, I'll turn a blind eye to that particular flaw. At this point, I'm willing to bring furniture into the team to act as players.
And then, came Shirayuki.
One might say that at the beginning, the fact that Shirayuki stared at Aria and Riko as if she wanted to impale them then and there made me feel like we were going to have some team troubles, but the problem...was not there.
"Hey, Shirayuki. Once the ball rolls that way, try kicking it."
After I said that, her answer rang out clearly, "Yes!"...
But when I rolled the ball to her lightly...
"Eh!"
That foot flew straight through the air next to the ball, *Thud!*
"Kyaa!"
Her black hair, tied down by a piece of cloth in a white ribbon, flew around, and she fell down, face up.
As if being pushed by some invisible person by the waist, she fell down on the back of her head.
Really, you're able to kick the air even though the ball was hardly moving, your running is so slow that you're reminiscent of a pigeon, and you're able to fall down over thin air, but despite all this, I'm amazed that you're still able to be the captain of the volleyball team.
...The rest of the hurriedly-formed team...
Two horrible, male friends had come to help as well. Muto, who was tall in stature, was the DF for the sake of boosting our defense, but that guy has no focus at all. All he did was stare at Shirayuki, whose sticker number kept on falling off because her breasts were so large.
And Shiranui, who was smiling for some reason as he watched Aria and I, was unexpectedly, in a soccer team in middle school. Because this was an amazing asset...well, I should say that he's the only one in our team that has the capability of battling, so we chose him as the person who could take care of both offense and defense, an MF.
Well, up til now were all the members that understood common sense.
"I'm sorry for being late. I went to find some books to research what soccer was, but I spent too much time."
Appearing in the wake of that voice, which was such that I felt full of unease, was Informa's Jeanne d'Arc the 30th.
Her long, silver hair was tied up with a red hairpin, *Pa*, and standing there as if holding her ground, Jeanne...
-was wearing something that showcased those long, beautiful, slender legs, bloomers (U-718)...! Why the hell!
"You...What the hell is with that outfit!"
Hearing my words, Jeanne looked at her clothes with a "?" expression.
"Outfit? You really are ignorant, Tohyama. This is Japan's traditional sportswear. Because this was recorded in the books I read, I especially went to borrow it from one of my friends in SSR."
"...Which era were the books you read from...Anyways, before, you said, "unmarried girls shouldn't be openly revealing their legs like this!" right?"
Said I, doing all I could to avert my eyes from Jeanne's appearance in that "Bottom-only Swimsuit".
"Tohyama. I'm not wearing any erotic clothes like that. If you go swimming, you have to wear a swimsuit, if you do ballet, you need to wear a leotard. Regardless of whether it shows skin, I will acknowledge those items of clothing that are meant for specific sports."
Her perception of embarrassment appearing to be radically different from that of normal people, Jeanne refuted my words in a dignified manner...
I had already lost all heart to go on arguing with her.
Having some expectations, because she came from one of the countries where soccer was popular, France, I'm a huge idiot.
Added to this, from her words just now, it appears that she hasn't even seen soccer before.
"It's a good morning!"
Appearing in the wake of that special greeting was--was a tiny girl that immediately made one want to say on sight, "Hey, elementary school students can't just come here,"--Hiraga-san from Amdo.
She says that her motor skills aren't very good, but without enough members, I still called her out...but, I really hope that those training wheels-like objects on the wobbling kid's bicycle, which is slowly approaching, are some sort of special device.
You can't mean that you really need training wheels. Could it be that your motor skills are so horrible that you can't even ride a bicycle?
"Aya-ya! Good morning!"
Calling out what seemed to be Hiraga-san's name-based nickname, Riko stopped her scuffle with Aria to run towards Hiraga-san.
It looks like they know each other, no, they're probably very close.
As expected of Riko, who has a lot of friends.
"Ah! Riko-Chaaan! Thanks for all the business!"
Stopping her bike by Riko, Hiraga-san...ignoring that elementary school student appearance, she's one of the elite of Amdo. She's able to watch anime in her peaceful workshop at home while performing complex modifications that even professional gunsmiths have difficulty doing. So, everybody has a lot of respect for her.
As for her Butei rank, if you just look at her skill alone, it's definitely an S--however, because the price of her modifications is, naively, raised so high, and also because she commonly does illegal modifications, her Butei rank is A.
And that Hiraga-san, "Nngg," got off the bicycle unsteadily...
"Ah! A butterfly!"
Her eyes shining, she suddenly ran off campus, innocently.
"Hi-Hiraga-san. Could you not chase butterflies and instead, chase the ball...!?"
My plea was scattered in the midst of the wind...
Reverting back to her childish behavior, Riko also went "Woah!" and bringing the ball with her, she started chasing Hiraga-san, who had her eyes locked on the butterfly.
Added to this, Aria, from behind, shouted "Riko! Don't think you can get away! I'm definitely better at soccer than you!", and drawing her M1911, she started chasing them.
--*Bang Bang!*
"Do-don't use your guns, Aria! That's a foul in soccer!"
Shouting and watching those 3, chasing each other around like kindergarteners, my consciousness--in a flash, went fuzzy.
Because one has to constantly fight for a ball in the air, the taller one is, the better. But...1.43 meters, 1.47 meters, 1.42 meters...I've never heard of a high school team with those three, whose average height isn't even 1.5 meters.
"You three, please come back on campus...!"
I pointed my hand at empty air, speaking, but those three had started a real game of Hide and Seek, with Aria, who was fuming, as the devil. They completely ignored my directions.
Just as I was about to expose my lack of the charisma needed to be a captain--
--*Shh!*
A gust of wind tore through the field, and from within the dust...another girl appeared.
"...Fuuma...!"
I immediately shouted out that name, and my eyes met with the eyes of the girl who had just appeared.
Lezzad freshman, Fuuma Hina.
Known as the descendant of a famous ninja, she was my female kouhai.
Standing there, Fuuma's hands were forming a seal, and the long crimson cloth, acting as a muffler, fluttered in the wind. She looks like one of those ninjas in manga.
Well, she may also be wearing a t-shirt and short pants.
But, ahh...This is so troublesome, she finally came?
But well, I was the one who called her out.
"--Fuuma Hina reporting for duty!"
...Because that wasn't a joke, my headache got even worse.
I--before, in the sub-section of Butei High, the middle school in Kanagawa prefecture, I had done some battle training with Fuuma.
At that time, I was coincidentally in Hysteria Mode...and I subdued Fuuma, who had made the first move, like a kid.
Ever since then, she's had an abnormal amount of respect for me, and she became a troublesome female kouhai that called me "Master" whenever she could.
"Master! I[2] haven't been able to meet with you for a while because my training was very busy, so I was very lonely! But, the time where I can help Master has finally arrived---with this, I'm very fortunate! I'm really very fortunate!"
I wasn't sure if it was a ponytail or a chonmage, but her hair waving around, Fuuma knelt on the ground, looking at me.
In her eyes, *Crackle Crackle Crackle*, the fires of motivation were burning.
Uuu, she hasn't changed...she's still a hot-blooded person.
So, I didn't want to find her.
"...Since you feel that way, then don't be late. You said that you're reporting for duty, but you're the last one here."
Lectured by me, Fuuma...as if struck by an enormous blow, *Chuu*. She shrank.
"M-my sincere apologies...! Last night, I stayed at the restaurant, practicing really late...this morning, I couldn't get up."
By the way, for everybody's information, the practice that she's talking about is a job.
Fuuma appears to be quite poor...she's so poor that she can't even pay her tuition, and as such, she's in debt.
"Whatever. Then, Fuuma, try shooting it into the goal."
I said, pointing to the ball on the field...
"...Shoot, huh? Ha?"
Fuuma frowned, not understanding.
And glancing at me, she made an expression which conveyed, "like this?"...
...she fished out a 卍-shaped shuriken.
Why is that each of you...has to draw your weapons!
"You can't use weapons! Weapons are forbidden in soccer! Use your feet to kick that!"
I snatched the shuriken from her and pushed her back, pushing her right next to the ball...
Letting her kick from there.
...As expected, she's like Jeanne, she doesn't know what soccer is.
"That way! The inside of the ball! Kick it!"
After I had patiently explained all the steps, Fuuma turned towards the ball, saying "Nin!"...
She raised her leg high, as if ice-skating...
*Rumble*
Hmm...?
Some weird noise appeared.
I just frowned...when I saw Fuuma put down her leg, out of energy...
Her butt raised high, she slumped over the ball.
"Ah, hey."
Seeing her strange appearance and moving forward, I noticed that her eyes were spinning non-stop.
Wh-what is this?
"...Ma-master...be-before we start work, could you share some of your rations with me..."
"Ra...? You mean food?'
"Ac-actually, I haven't eaten anything since two days ago."
*Rumble Rumble*
Once again emitting that strange noise, Fuuma, blushing a little, patted her stomach.
It looks like that's her stomach growling.
"...Fried, br-bread..."
With that last sentence, Fuuma collapsed on the ground, completely out of energy...You didn't even kick the ball.
Seeing this scene, I...had no choice.
Aria, Riko, Reki, Shirayuki, Muto, Shiranui, Jeanne, Hiraga-san, Fuuma, and I.
I may have gathered 10 people, but basically all of us are useless.
Can we really win like this? No, can we really play a game of soccer like this?
The competition is on August the 30th. The penultimate day of the summer holidays.
If we don't win, I can't go up a grade.
This time--have I really reached a dead-end?
In the end, without even doing normal practice, we faced the day of the competition.
Entering the field under the guidance of the graceful cheerleaders was the team of a normal school, Kounan Sports High...
They...they seem really strong.
This was to be expected, after all, Kounan is an amazingly strong team that took first place of the Tokyo competition last year. And, rumor says that they're a rough team that thinks nothing of playing dirty.
I heard that in the first qualification competition, they sent three people on the opposing team to the hospital, gaining an absolute 4-0 victory.
"Hey, hey. What team are they? All of them are cute girls."
"Looks like we come out on top if we bump into them."
"Sim vamos meninas isca. (Aah. I'll treat you very well, cute ojou-chans.)"
The whole team wearing an evil smirk while staring at us, the members of the team from Kounan were all boys...but even if we weren't to take that into account, all of them were very lithe and muscular. Simply put, they are a truly passionate team of 11.
Hey, what's with that obviously Brazilian exchange student. But, even if I feel that they're too cruel, we have, although she's powerless, Jeanne, who's French, so we can't say anything.
Because we had no uniforms, we stuck the numbers onto our shirts...and because the height difference between our team members was so huge, we formed a very bump circle.
"Listen up, we..."
As I, the captain, started to say something to encourage everybody.
"We still aren't finished with Kinji (Our toy)! Let's graduate together with him!"
Muto suddenly cut in, shouting out an insulting order, and everyone followed suit, shouting "Oooh--!"
After the match started--
-having a complete disadvantage in terms of physical characteristics, Hiraga-san and Fuuma had already been charged at by Kounan.
Because the victims were girls, they had aimed for places like the chest or the thighs, smashing into them with their whole body, and even though I wasn't in Hysteria Mode, seeing that really made me angry--but, that isn't against the rules, so I can't complain.
The only one whose physical characteristics could match the enemy, Muto, saw that Shirayuki, who had been hit in the head by the ball, was about to fall down, so he went to go and save her, letting that Brazilian student, called Rodrigo or whatever, charge into him.
The fact that it was 10 against 11 was bad too. Kounan quickly noticed that only Shiranui's movements were excellent, and they constantly kept two people on him, sealing his movements.
Not only that...the opponents even tugged on Shiranui's and my clothes, stopping us from moving. If we managed to steal the ball, they would hook our legs, making us fall down.
But because all that was done out of the sight of the referee, they didn't get a foul.
(...Bastards. It looks like this is how they play all the time...!)
Because of those reasons, they specifically targeted Jeanne, who was flailing about after being slide tackled--and around 20 meters in front of Butei High's goal, they forced her to commit a foul.
In the first 5 minutes of the first half, we've given the enemy the huge opportunity that is a free kick.
A free kick occurs while the game is stopped...and the representative of Kounan will try to score from the place that Jeanne committed a foul.
Of course, Butei High had gotten into a row in front of the goal, forming a human wall to defend...
But Rodrigo's shot went lazily over the short Riko's head--
Jumping up, Riko couldn't grab it, and it shot deep into the top corner of the goal.
With this, it's 0 against 1--Butei High, which had an aggressive team to begin with, had been scored upon in a timeframe where Aria and I, the FWs, could not even touch the ball.
Damn it, the distance in skill is too obvious. This...is obviously a failed plan.
The first half was over...the guys from Kounan were shouting "Today, we will make a record of 10 - 0!", extremely excited, continually saying that to the cheerleaders, who were probably their girlfriends.
At half-time, the score was 0 against 5.
The Butei High team--as Riko might say it, had been completely demolished.[3]
The ball possession was something like 10 against 90. Although Shiranui managed to shake off the enemy's defense and pass to me, my shot, with all the strength I could muster behind it, was blocked by the German goalkeeper, Junkers.
No matter how one says it, that Junkers is massive person, with a height and arm span of two meters. He gives off the feeling of a God of defense. Even though his face looks like a gigantic gorilla.
But--the second half, can we steal back 5 points? No, to win, we need 6.
I left the resting room, which was full of lockers, and in the football club room, with no one to see me, I hung my head in despair. After all, it wouldn't be good if the team members were to see their captain in such a depressed state.
(...6 points, huh?)
It may be bitter to face up to, but it looks like this commission will be unable to help me rise a grade.
No, right now, I'm just bitter about this entire situation.
Are we going to continue like this, not able to get the ball, getting tackled endlessly...into the second half?
--Soccer is more mentally stressful than it seems.
As I sat down on the bench like that, sighing--
"Guess who?"
Somebody, having entered the room at some point in time, covered my eyes with their hands.
This voice.
"Aria..."
Turning my head, as I thought--her bib taken off, was Aria.
Releasing her hands, Aria, sat down on the bench next to me.
"...Don't use the same trick twice. You did this while training to be a cheerleader, right?"
Hearing me say this, Aria...seeming to have forgotten about the "Guess who?" she had done before, widened her eyes.
"Um, ah, un, yeah."
Saying this, she opened her plastic bottle, and taking a drink of the sports drink inside, *Chh, it's a good feeling', she said some mysterious words to herself.
"Here. Have some too, Kinji."
--Seeing Aria smile and hand over the bottle, which she had just drunk from, to me, I froze.
Four months ago, when the coca-cola was mixed up, you beat me up...
What's up with you? Could it be that you forgot about it all?
But...not accepting it doesn't feel right, either.
"..."
Hesitating for a moment, I just took a gulp, passing it back to her.
What Aria's small mouth had touched just now, I too...kuh, ah.
This is bad, Kinji. A weak flow of the blood of Hysteria Mode...had, so quickly, gone up to my face.
My eyes darting to Aria for a moment, I saw that her lips were curved into a slight smile.
Th-this Aria...what's with her. She feels different from normal.
She feels...she feels so relaxed...
"Cheer up, Kinji. Don't make a hopeless expression like that."
"...We've already lost, right?"
"We haven't yet. No matter what competition it is, up till the last moment, there's always a chance to win. We don't know which side will come out on top, so, everybody is trying their best."
For Aria...these words were said very well.
My face showed an expression with a trace of agreement--and Aria, suddenly returning to normal, laughed, a little embarrassed.
"Um, this, what I said seemed to be like what a normal high school student would say."
A normal high school student, huh?
Now that she mentions it, whenever I saw Aria in the midst of the match, she really did feel like a normal girl, playing sports...Well, if I were to say it was a good feeling, I wouldn't be lying.
"If I become normal--How would I be?"
Asking me, who was thinking about something else, directly, Aria made me start.
"Ho-how would you be? I don't get it. Your question is too vague."
"Then, answer vaguely."
"Mm...that. Well...it wouldn't be bad, right...?"
Helplessly, I returned an extremely vague sentence and turned my head away, as if saying, "don't ask me any more questions."
Why...has it become like this. I don't understand anything.
I can't possibly put on my true face, and praise you.
"Mm. 'wouldn't be bad', huh..."
Mmm. Hugging her arms to herself, thinking about something, Aria...
*Tap Tap* She tapped my knee.
"Wh-what is it?"
Being touched, slightly alert, I saw Aria make another thoughtful expression--seeming to be pondering whether she should speak her mind, covering her mouth a little.
"Then...what about Riko? Riko as a normal high school student, how would she be?"
"Why...are you suddenly asking about Riko?"
"Th-that doesn't matter, right! What about her? What do you think about her?"
You, are you still angry about that episode from before?
Well...I don't really get it, but it seems that I have to answer.
"...If I say this, you might get angry...but, although her attitude is really troublesome, I don't think that Riko's character is bad."
Aria looked straight at me, listening to me intently.
What is it?
For you, is how I view Riko that important?
"Riko--may look like that, but in truth, she has a very strong will, right? She may have those kinds of idiotic interests, but I feel that she's more experienced than us. And she isn't like you and I, existences that withdraw from society, she's pretty popular in class. And Jeanne said this before, Riko is the type of person who works very hard from the shadows. So, there are probably a lot of areas where we can learn from her...you too...shouldn't always fight with her."
I--noticed that Aria's eyes had teared up a little with the last sentence, so I stopped short.
Is the fact that I praised a girl of the Lupin family, Holmes' sworn enemy, making her unhappy?
No, for some reason, she seems to be really touched...
"Bu-but. Before, Riko was here to kill Ar...No, to kill us."
"--are you talking about that 'Butei Killer' incident in April? Well...although Riko has been our enemy a number of times, that's a pretty common occurrence within Butei High. And, afterward, Riko helped us--this soccer mission was also brought to my attention by Riko. Later, we may have to fight again, but right now, we have a truce. There's no need to be prejudiced."
"...Kinji, you..."
Aria drooped her head, *Shh*, and she grabbed my clothes.
"...are really compassionate."
Saying this and raising her head, Aria looked at me, who had an "?" expression--
*whoosh* She leaned against me, suddenly.
--*Chuu*--
Kissing me softly.
Almost as if thanking me for something.
The touch of those lips, as soft as cotton candy, that syrup-like, sweet scent--
"...!"
--You, what are you doing!--
But, so shocked was I, that I could not make a sound.
"Alright! With this, let's think of something to win the second half!"
*Shh* Winking at me, her twin-tails dancing around, Aria stood up, and like that...
*Tap Tap Tap Tap* She dashed out of the room.
This extremely sudden development made the blood of Hysteria Mode...
This type of petrification seems to be delayed by one tempo.
After a while, finally returning back to normal from my petrified state, I charged out of the room, almost as if chasing after her--
Suddenly, I met her.
I met Aria, in the corridor.
"A-Aria."
Suddenly a little embarrassed, I couldn't help but reach my hand up to cover my mouth.
"?"
Frowning slightly, Aria, *hss*, drank something from within her Pula bottle.
Hmm..? Just now, wasn't she drinking some sports drink from a plastic bottle?
"...What did you mean just now? I didn't understand it at all."
I blushed, asking, and Aria frowned even more.
"Just now?"
"Ju-just now, in the club room...um, doing weird things. What were you doing? Explain."
"Weird things? What are you talking about? I've been cooling off in front of the fan in the girl's locker room the whole time. If I don't calm down, I'm probably going to draw my guns and take those annoying Kounan bastards out."
...Ah, ahh...
I kind of...understand. I understand.
I understand those inexplicable actions from just now.
Ah, your reactions are too slow, me. You should have noticed this earlier. That, wasn't even the second time, but the third time. I was taken in again.
"..."
But, since that is the case...M-my words...so embarrassing...
While I had realized this, something, which had awakened to a certain degree, happened.
*Thump Thump*...This heartbeat. This feeling.
"Really..."
"?"
"A kitten."
"Hmm, Ah?"
"--like a kitten, a naughty, mischievous girl. And, she tricked me."
Looking at me, who was suddenly speaking in a disgusting manner while staring into space, Aria's face started twitching.
"Aah, Aria, don't worry about anything. The me as of now has already started to relax."
Fu...Hey, don't laugh. Don't laugh like this, the me in Hysteria Mode.
Aria, who's right in front of me, must be terrified right now.
And, I made Aria back up until she was against the wall, and as if nothing had happened, I placed one hand on her shoulder.
"Aria and I are still fine without that. After all, today, we are just 'normal high school students'. So, with that, we should appreciate this time, slowly capturing the taste and meaning of it. Like this, right?"
Ah~Ah...
Aria, going "Eh, what, what?" has started blushing because of you, you know.
And, her hands were clasped in front of her chest, how lovable.
"Wa-wait, Kinji...! Wh-why now, in this sort of place! G-go back to normal! Th-there's only 5 minutes left before we have to rejoin the competition, right!?"
*Pa!* With one hand, she shoved my forehead, forcing me to retreat. Pretending to be reflecting on my actions, I backed off.
But, once I saw Aria relax a little, I immediately launched a surprise attack, drawing close to her again.
*Whoosh!* Aria, as I thought, pressed her body against the wall, frozen. Haha.
"That's right, Aria--the half-time break is about to end. Then, let us go play soccer. Giving them 5 points, it should be enough of a handicap for our opponents, right?"
My face, passing by one of Aria's twin-tails, nearly caressing it, I whispered into her air.
"Ha-handicap..."
"Counterattack. We will take the victory."
This time, it was a deep, clear voice.
For the sake of preventing her retort at my next words.
"Aria--don't say anything, listen to me."
Gathering the whole team in the locker room, I--
-as the captain, only gave two directions to the team.
First, your position and the common rules of soccer? Forget them.
Second, do things your way. But, follow Kounan's example, and don't be caught.
That's it.
Suddenly noticing that my expression had become a lot more sharp, the team members--with the exception of Riko--were shocked at first, but these two orders pumped them up.
Afterward, I gave specific members of the team certain directions...
We returned to the second field, where the wind had become strong.
Us 10 were not in the formation of the match just now, of normal soccer rules. We had spread out, standing the place where we thought we would be best able to use our own abilities.
Seeing us like this, the Kounan team started roaring with laughter...
--But, opposed to this, I felt that everyone had finally become motivated--
*Beep Beep* Right after the whistle blew, the second match commenced, with the ball starting in Kounan's possession.
At the same time, Aria, Shiranui, Hiraga-san, I, and even the DF, Muto immediately rushed towards the enemy.
Added to this, like an embodiment of freedom, GK Riko also left the goal behind, charging forward.
Kounan, seeing our movements, roared in laughter again, charging towards the empty Butei High goal.
"The signal for our counterattack has sounded--follow me, charge!"
First, Jeanne, who had been flailing around the whole of the first half...
From the side of Kounan's Rodrigo, who was being careless--*whoosh*
With a perfect tackle, she stole the ball.
"--Hotogi!"
Showing off those beautiful legs, passing the ball to Shirayuki, Jeanne--followed my instructions, putting on her glasses.
Originally, Jeanne, whose eyes weren't very good, was wearing contact lenses for astigmatism, but from the start of the match, because she had been smashed into by the opponent, they had dropped off.
"My turn!"
Shirayuki raised her legs high, waiting for the ball that Jeanne had passed.
There was no trace of the white ribbon that was normally inside her long, black hair.
Although the fact that it could only be done for a moment was a shame, she released her kidoujutsu, massively boosting her explosive energy.
"--Eh!"
Blasting forth from Shirayuki's foot with a huge noise, the ball flew past the midline--
Turning into something that blew past the Kounan players one by one, the ball of flame, *Thud!*, smashed into Muto, who had been waiting at the sidelines, stopping there, bouncing off his stomach.
His expression was full of agony...but on that twisted face, which for some reason, was filled with a satisfied expression. Behind Muto, who was falling down...
Taking advantage of her small body, Hiraga-san, who had been hiding, appeared.
"Your turn, Shiranui-kun!"
Hiraga used those deer-like legs, finally passing the ball to Shiranui, who was in the middle.
Shiranui, who had been guarded by two people throughout the whole of the first half, was only guarded by one.
Thanks to Riko, who had rushed to the front, the number of people that he could pass to had increased.
Although leaving the goal completely empty, she had created a chance for an earth-shattering assault.
And accepting that pressure, Shiranui--as expected of one with the soul of Assault.
With amazing alacrity, he flashed past the enemy--
"Reki-san!"
-passing the ball to Reki, who was on the right.
Reki is a sniper. She's extremely used to not breathing...No, it would be more accurate to say that she probably hasn't done anything like breathing since she was born.
Evading the sights of the other players, Reki was completely open.
Reki immediately passed--
-accurately sending the ball between Aria and I, who had charged forward.
"--Kinji!"
"Combination attack, Aria!"
Aria and I, passing the ball from the left and right, attacked the goal.
The opponent, GK Junkers, dived to one side--
And Aria and I, using the ball as the intersection of our X--*Byuu!*
Did a crossover, scoring a goal!
Aimed towards the other side of Junkers, the ball smashed into the net viciously.
*Beep Beep!*
In the wake of the blasts of the whistle, all the people in the Butei High team jumped into the air.
--We did it.
We got 1 point!
That shot just now was called "X".
It's something that Aria and I--that only long-time partners could do, a combination attack.
It's an attack that was planned so that even the God of defense, Junkers, could not decide at the last moment who was going to shoot.
"Aria. Beautiful shot."
*Tap* I lightly patted her on the back, and Aria, who had scored a point using "X"--
"Kinji! Let's keep scoring like this! Alright, get back to the midfield!"
Flashing an incomparably brilliant smile, she gave me, the captain, an order.
The powerful Kounan team started to break apart.
They had been practicing against normal soccer teams, playing by normal methods. So, facing us, who didn't give a thought about things like position or tactics, they seemed like they had no idea how to react.
After that, Aria, I, and Aria, in that order, continued to score easily using "X".
40 minutes into the second half, the score was 4 - 5. As long as we can score another point, it will be a tie.
"This sport isn't so bad."
Just completing a hat trick, Aria exposed those cat-like canines, smiling at me.
Although I was happy about catching up in terms of points, the thing I was most happy about--
--was that you, Aria, had smiled.
But...with just about 5 minutes till the end of the game, it was a situation such that I could not bring myself to relax, to appreciate Aria's smile.
Kounan team had changed their formation.
Their DF was made up of 5 people, and even their MF were concentrated upon defense.
Once the ball came over to them, they would pass it around cautiously...not attacking.
(--Are you trying to run?)
There were 3 minutes left.
If we let them delay like this until the match ends, we'll lose due to the lack of time.
It may not be against the rules, but facing those obviously unfair tactics and getting angry--
"You!--You dare call yourself men!? Fight with dignity!"
Like a lone knight, Jeanne charged towards the ball.
Forcing the Kounan players to pass the ball back to the penalty area, she prepared to steal the ball.
"Kufufu!"
And at that moment, Riko came to assist.
That honey-colored, soft, supple hair--Hmm? Why is it going against the wind?--danced up, in the wind...
Because of that hair, obscuring our vision, the referee and I couldn't see Jeanne very well, and during that time--
"Uu--!"
-Brushing past the DF, Jeanne fell heavily.
"...Jeanne!"
The referee and I ran over, only to see Jeanne kneeling down on the ground.
Just now, when we couldn't see her properly, was she hurt?
"...Uu...Kuh...Ah..."
"Jeanne! Uwaahh--Jeanne's leg is broken--!"
As Jeanne moaned in agony, Riko fell to the floor by her side, "Uwaaaahhh!", crying out.
And on the opposing side, the DFs, who had been so desperate a few moments ago, let the ball roll away, standing there, unmoving.
The referee looked at the three of them, and *Beep!*, a shrill whistle blasted forth.
Looking at that hand signal, he's giving Kounan a foul.
"..."
Seeing Jeanne and Riko suddenly fall silent like they had a silent agreement...
As if nothing had happened, they stood up in unison.
And, giving each other a high five, they seemed to be saying "Yuppi!"...Hah?
(Ah...So that's how it is...!)
Jeanne d'Arc--she may seem dignified and upright, but in truth, she is one of a race of tacticians.
And, she has great pride. Her dangerous personality is such that she feels that every slight must be revenged.
She used Kounan's tactic from the first half, "Cause a commotion and get a foul," repaying them in kind while she was sealed by the defenders. And predicting her actions, Riko even controlled her hair to hide the view of the referee.
It looks like their relationship while in I-U was really good, their combination seemed to include some sort of silent understanding.
"Butei High, PK."
Hearing the referee say this, from my side--
Aria appeared.
"Kinji. Let me shoot. The you as of right now...should understand, right?"
Seeing Aria's left leg twist around on the field, I replied with "Alright, I'll leave it to you," and smiled at her.
The match is paused...
The ball was placed on the penalty mark 11 meters in front of the goal.
PKs are normally supposed to be advantageous for the attackers, but the opponent is the two meter tall God of defense, Junkers.
On the other hand, her height not even three quarters of the enemy, Aria--
"Taking out the bomber aircraft is the job of the agile fighters, right?"
Smiling fearlessly, she gave herself some running-up distance.
The whole field, focused upon the one-on-one between Aria and Junkers, fell silent.
And right after the referee blew his whistle--*Tap Tap Tap Tap!*
Charging forward, Aria--
*Byuu!*
Having used her right foot to shoot all this time, unexpectedly, Aria suddenly thundered her left foot into the ball.
Having been concentrating on Aria's right foot, Junkers had been defeated by this completely unexpected attack--
The net shook violently, *Beep Beep!*
Announcing the point, the sound of the whistle sent the Butei High team into cheers.
With this, it is 5 against 5. A draw.
Aria opened her arms wide, and excitedly, she charged towards midfield like a plane, following her in the same pose was Hiraga-san, as well as Riko, imitating her.
As this squadron, none of whom exceeded 1.5 meters, reached the midfield, the time was 45 minutes into the second half--
The match time has expired.
But, the match won't end like this.
From now, it's Additional Time--nicknamed Loss Time.
For the sake of making up for substitutions and treatment of injured players, we had entered into a short, extended battle.
From what I felt, it was probably around 1 minute...that's probably how it is.
We've already struggled so hard to come this far. We must, within this minute--take one more point!
The match started with the ball in Kounan's possession.
"--This way! Defensive pass!"
The Kounan member was tricked by Riko, who had imitated the voice of their team captain, and the ball was stolen from him.
Alright. If they start passing around like last time, it will end as a draw due to the lack of time.
That won't do.
Of course, I'm also thinking about my credits--but today, we've done our best as normal high school students, right?
At least, for the sake of these treasured 90 minutes, we should have a good memory.
Seeming to think the same way, the members of our team gave up on defense and instead committed ourselves to an all-out attack.
"Aria!"
She did an overhead kick, passing the ball above her head towards Aria.
From Aria, the ball flew between me, Muto, Shiranui, Hiraga-san and Jeanne.
We ran in a snake-like pattern, continuing to pass, slowly fighting our way to the other goal.
This ball, cannot, for any reason, miss. And everybody, believing that it will not miss, is helping me.
The referee is starting to look at his watch. We still have 30 seconds--!
As expected of Kounan, the elite team that won last year's Tokyo championship. That defense, even til the last moment, was as rigid.
Doing the opposite of us, all their members were defending. It really was difficult to pierce their defense.
The time ticked downwards. 20 seconds left--
--I have no choice.
Since things had come to this, I steeled my resolve, just like a real captain, and blasted towards the enemies' defense.
In front of me was a Kounan DF--Kounan team's captain.
This is a duel between the generals.
The referee bit down on his whistle. 15 seconds left--
Trying to tackle the ball away from me, the enemy's captain charged.
At that moment, a certain image--appeared in my mind in Hysteria Mode.
That technique. I've only seen it, but I haven't tried it before.
I--as if trying to get the ball away from the charging enemy captain--*Shh*
-used my heel to bring it behind me.
Keeping the ball protected behind me, I span on the spot like a revolving door, fending off the opponent's attack.
And as a result, my back, and the back of the enemy captain, who had just brushed past me, touched together--
And the ball...continued towards the enemy's goal, still under my control.
Marseille Roulette.
It's the special technique on the DVD that Riko brought, the one performed by the former member of the French soccer team, Zidane.
I may have just been doing exactly the same thing as I saw him do, but I really pulled it off.
Anyways, if I had to compare this with Billiard Shot and Edge Catching, this is far easier.
Alright--All that was left in front of me was the goalkeeper.
Only Kounan's God of defense, Junkers.
Those deep set eyes stared directly at me.
"You're mine!"
I raised my leg far back, making it look like I was going to shoot--
*Thud* And I kicked it above Fuuma Hina's head, who had been charging up the right.
The reason I didn't shoot straight, although it was also because I was a little far from the goal--was because I saw that Junkers had shifted far to the left, preparing to defend against me.
In front of Fuuma was an empty goal.
"--Nin!"
The ball that I had chipped up was directed to the goal by Fuuma, who had leaped forward, performing a header--
But the veteran Junkers reacted immediately.
Those big hands, as if swatting a fly, smashed the ball back towards the field.
The ball was deflected towards the center--
"Careless...!"
Snarling with anger at her own mistake, as Fuuma landed--*Bang!*
From under her feet, a furious dust storm erupted.
Although it made the referee frown, he didn't call a foul.
But, not calling a foul was the right thing to do.
After all, that wasn't with explosives or anything, it was just her foot striking the ground.
A normal person may not be able to understand from seeing it, but that's Fuuma's technique "Tremor". She moves all the joints in her body at the same time, creating an extremely fast downward movement. It's able to create a massive point of impact under her feet.
As an aside, my own autotomous attack, "Ouka", was invented in middle school after seeing this attack.
Covered in a cloak of dust, Fuuma disappeared--and as the smoke cleared, she was nowhere to be seen.
Fuuma disappeared?
But, now is not the time to be shocked about it.
The clock is still ticking.
We only have 10 seconds left--!
Chasing the ball, still in the air, Aria was extremely fast.
But in front of her, already in position, Rodrigo opened his arms wide, standing there.
"--!"
Aria, dodging Rodrigo, who was like a wall, her tails dancing--
-she threw her head to one side, passing the ball to the front, which was devoid of people.
Aria, that's a fatal mistake...! As I thought that, I noticed that I was wrong.
Slightly in front of the goal--
Cloaked with the sand, using it as camouflage, Fuuma, creeping on the floor, *Pa!*
Appeared once again.
"The mistakes that one makes has to be corrected by oneself--!"
Because of the sand, the referee must not know who's about to do what.
Junkers, seeming to be protesting, moved to the side, protecting the goal.
Fuuma pretended to shoot--
"Master! Aria!"
and as if trying to get the ball away from Junkers, she raised her leg backwards like she was doing ballet, a backwards pass.
The ball, kicked by that foot, once again returned to the air at the left-side of the goal.
"--!"
I, who as on the left, and Aria, who was in the middle, leaped forward, in an X-shape--
At the intersection, my iron head blasted forth, *Byuu!*
--The net--
It shook.
We did it...!
This is called--"X - Aerial"--it's an aerial maneuver, an "X" with a header.
Although it was done in the heat of the moment, but still, it was done...as I thought this, *Thud!* Aria, who had been doing a header as well smashed violently into the back of my head. That hurt!
I sprawled on the floor and Aria fell on top of my back, Fuuma was dancing around punching up into the air--
The whistle that signaled the end of the match rang pierced through the field.
6 against 5--It looks like, we finally did it.
Thanks to everyone.
After the match, changed back into my bulletproof uniform and checking my gun, I, for some reason...
Returned to the second field, which was empty now.
And in the midst of the sunset, I kicked the ball up, for no particular reason.
(Normal high school students...huh.)
Now, I promised myself that I would become--a normal person.
Taking normal classes, no training or missions after school, and in that time, I would participate in sports or clubs.
Watching TV, reading manga, a youth full of things like books, mails, songs--
Does that really fit me? To tell the truth...I don't know.
But, it's definitely better than my current high school life, where guns replace greetings.
So, in my heart, I've always felt a great jealousy for normal high school students.
And like today, playing soccer normally...doesn't feel bad.
The reason I was like this, staying here, not wanting to leave, juggling the ball, was probably because of that feeling.
But this kind of feeling had been completely smothered by the autumn, the smell of gunpowder, the clashing of swords.
Thinking back to those events, I picked up the ball, listening to the cicadas...and with my free arm, I took some water from the drinking fountain, pouring it over my head.
Like that, I tossed my damp head, letting the rivulets run freely.
After all, it's summer. It'll be fine if I let it dry by itself.
Thinking this, I was about to pick up the jacket that I had stripped off...when from the side, a towel was thrust in front of me.
"--Here, Ki-kun. Use this."
It was Riko, who had already taken a bath, changing back into that frilly uniform.
Ah...my dog-like actions from just now were seen by her.
"If you were here, you should've said so, Riko."
Blushing a little, I accepted that pink towel--
"...Now that I think about it, I haven't thanked you yet."
"...Thanked?"
"About the credits. This match...this commission was only accepted because of you. Thank you, Riko. I was very happy today. Doing these kinds of sports occasionally isn't bad."
I said, looking at the towel, which I had dried my head with, not really sure what to do with it--
and at that moment, Riko snatched it back, stuffing it inside the red backpack on her shoulders.
And, *Tap Tap*, she kicked the ball by my feet...walking onto the field.
Seeing me stand in front of the goal--Riko stood inside the goal box as well.
"--Don't get it wrong. I had no intention of working together with you guys."
Her tone suddenly becoming vicious, she said.
"Sports? Don't make me laugh. That kind of useless thing doesn't matter."
...This feeling.
Is this the inner Riko? If I had to say it, this is closer to Riko's real personality--
A feeling of nervousness appeared in my body.
"This commission was just a method of letting Aria and you become closer to each other. If you were to stay behind a grade, getting far from Aria, it would be tough on me. The Aria I wish to defeat is the one who has you as her partner! The complete Kanzaki H. Aria. So...Aria and you, for eternity...like today, must stay close..."
Saying that, Riko cut off her words.
And, *whoosh*, using a glare so sharp that it was hard to believe that the Idiot Riko of normal days could do such a thing, she stared right at me.
Is she angry about something? Or is she annoyed or puzzling about something? That face was tinged with red.
She still is...a girl that I cannot understand at all.
"Listen well, prepare properly. You two--are my prey."
Silently, I looked back at Riko, who had said those words.
...Ah, I understand. Riko.
Today, for us, was just a day of rest.
The thing that was started ever since you used those automated Uzis in this place, field number two, against Aria and I...our battle--has not ended.
"But...the Ki-kun of today...was really cool."
*Spin* Twisting around so her back was facing me, Riko's voice...made me think that she had returned to normal again.
Just like an ever-spinning coin, flying through the air--
I understood, her heart...was constantly flipping between heads and tails.
As if trying to hide that expression of hers, she picked up the ball with both hands, hiding her face.
"...Also, back in the club room...thank you."
As expected.
Just now, Aria, who was asking me about Riko, was just Riko disguised as Aria.
Not only is she troublesome, but she does those kinds of embarrassing things...
"Ah...Uu...Why do I feel so unsatisfied..."
Heads, tails, heads...Constantly switching, Riko, in the end, as if angry at herself--stomped on the ball lying on the ground.
"This kind of...Somehow, gaoh!"
*Whoosh*
Extending the forefingers of both hands, she formed an angle above her head.
Afterward, that skirt, which had a completely pleated hem, fluttering, she brought the ball to the penalty mark.
"Ki-kun!"
*Whoosh* Riko's childish face, turning to look at me, who was in front of the goal...was as normal.
But for some reason, I felt that she was angry.
"What!"
Far away from each other, we both shouted.
"Take this!"
* Throwing the ball up into the air, Riko--
"Ki-kun, I like you!"
*Pa!*
Suddenly, she kicked the ball at me. She volleyed it, flashing her drawers for a second.
"...!' Yo-you, what are you--!"
The ball tracing an arc, it flew towards the goal, behind me.
As this unexpected thing happened--
I didn't even have a chance to feel the rising blood of Hysteria Mode--
--*Pa*
I reacted reflexively, diving towards the side, catching the ball against my chest.
In the sunset, Riko started jumping around, as if she had scored--
Waving her hands in the air, as she hit the ground, she said "Ahaha! Ki-kun gave his all! But, I was lying!" making a face at me, just like a devil.
Riko. Riko.
My face twitching, I chuckled lightly...turning to the side, my face still twitching, I stood up.
Riko. You really--
-are completely incomprehensible. No matter where. No matter when.
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