[ notes/ i've been busy with school and TOTALLY FORGOT to update this aaah, thank you everyone for being so patient! im noticing that chapters take time from two days to finish, since they're all like,, over 2500 words each. good grief, we've come far haven't we, haha. please enjoy this chapter! ]

"Good morning everyone."

"Good morning, [L/n]." The rest of team Raimon chorused. You smiled to yourself and happily joined the group. It was early morning and you were excited to catch up with everyone walking to school together. Despite not being apart of the Inakuni team, they treated you as if you were, as if you were family.

"Ne, [L/n]-san was amazing in the game against Eisei, wasn't she?" Hanta's eyes glittered. Everyone else was eager to agree.

"She was. She slipped past Hiroto's rough play in seconds!" Norika chirped.

"Guys, this is so embarrassing." You laughed, lifting a hand to your burning cheeks. They were definitely one for compliments, and you were never used to being given affection. Despite your constant modesty, they all continued to shower you in more compliments.

Upon arrival, you were all greeted by the student council, which consisted of mostly tsundere girls that thought they were better than anyone. You'd include Anna, but, she was one of the team's managers and you didn't wish to be rude. The boys were all sure these girls were here to scold them, tell them off for some reason, but they were pleasantly surprised with the complete opposite. They claimed to be a fan of all the male players, leaving out you and Norika. You shifted aside with the female keeper.

"Please take this!" One of the girls handed a love note to Hiura, who awkwardly took it in his fingers. He barely muttered a small thanks. Another girl handed Goujin a present, then Hanta got one, even Golem. You were just about to make a joke that you and Norika hadn't gotten a gift, but the girls started squealing for some unknown reason. You furrowed your brows and exchanged a glance with Norika who just shrugged.

"Nosaka Yuuma!"

There's no way. . .

"Girls, get to class. . ." Anna stepped up to the front.

"They switched sides so easily." Hiura let out a humorless laugh.

"Are they our fans or his?" Goujin scoffed under his breath, but you heard it.

Anna coaxed all the girls away, and confronted Nosaka herself - but no one on the team was going to stand for that. Given the fall out that happened when you had first stepped foot on Raimon's grounds, they all knew Nosaka couldn't be trusted. Nosaka was dressed in his Outei Tsukinomiya uniform, which lead you to think he'd literally left school just for this, whatever this was.

"You're on Raimon's grounds right before classes start, what are you doing here?" Hiura was the first to step up. Nosaka stared him in the eye, his dreary grey hues had never showed a single emotion, at least not for anyone but you. At least that's what you thought. You lowered your eyes down to your shoes. Anna knew he was here for you, but she didn't want him to say it, she didn't want to hear it from him.

"Yeah, you should leave. Are you here to spy on us again?" Goujin cracked his knuckles, supposedly trying to intimidate the red haired male. Nosaka just chucked, nestling his eyes shut.

"No, not at all. I'm here to see [Y/n], that is if you'll let me." Nosaka looked over at you for a moment. You locked eyes for a split second before sighing. Just hearing your name in his voice alone, was enough to make Anna feel heartbroken.

"Guys, it's okay. It'll only be for a short while, don't worry." You gently placed a hand on Hiura's shoulder and flashed him a reassuring smile. The blue haired prince clenched his teeth.

"But he's the enemy, [L/n]. I don't trust him near you." His eyes narrowed. You'd never seen him that serious before, it was a little frightening.

"I'll be okay Hiura, see you in class." As an attempt to calm him down, you rubbed at his upper arm a little. He watched your hand until he had settled down, then nodded.

"Okay." With that, Hiura left along with the rest of the team. This left you, Anna and Nosaka - a very awkward group indeed.

"Is it. . . Just [L/n]-san you came for?" Anna muttered softly, you felt bad for her, really. Nosaka was a charmer, you'd admit it. Maybe he didn't get you helpless, but he sure got her head over heels. This felt like a love triangle you didn't want to be signed up for. After all, you still had a lot more of the truth to get out of Nosaka.

"Yes. If you'll leave us." Nosaka pressed his lips together in a tight smile. You immediately lifted your head to the blonde girl beside you. She froze in her place, then lowered her head.

"I see. Very well." With a short nod, Anna glanced at you, then was off. She took quick strides. Both you and Nosaka had watched her off until she was out of sight, only then did you feel slightly less uncomfortable.

"What a scene you made. . . You could have let her off a little easier, you know?" You jested with a little laugh, furrowing your brows. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble." Nosaka looked you right in the eyes with a charming smile. "Also I don't see what she has to do with me." He took it so easy. Of course it was easy for him to brush such a thing off his shoulders like cheap dust. How many million girls had confessed to him? Then were heart broken when he rejected them without a second thought.

"Are you sure she has nothing to do with you?" You gripped the strap of your bag. "Last time I'd spoken to her properly, was when she told me you'd spilled your life story to her." While you were scolding him, your soft voice didn't make it seem so.

"Of course, that." Nosaka rubbed at the back of his neck. "I was just proving a point to her."

"What could you possibly have to prove to anyone? Nosaka?" Your brows furrowed. "You're fighting cancer. . ."

"Listen, [Y/n]. Let's not talk about that." Suddenly, he grabbed onto both of your hands, you stared up at him as if he'd gone crazy.

"How can I just pretend like it's okay? Nosaka, I'm worried because I care about you." He had you in shambles here. "I've always cared about you, Nosaka you saved my life! I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be happy if it weren't for you. I just- I just want you to be honest with-"

Before you could finish your sentence, he shut you up completely. In less than a second, Nosaka closed the gap between the both of you, pressing his lips against your own. One of his hands lifted to hold onto your face, to keep you there. Your eyes widened, it felt as if your heart was going to explode. You'd never had expected him to do that, not in a million years would you have expected your most beloved friend would end up kissing you. He realized you were too shocked, too shocked to even kiss back, so he pulled away.

His grey eyes had softened, for the first time.

"I love you." The words slipped past his lips. Nosaka couldn't even understand the emotions himself, he'd never exactly experienced love before. He was so close, so close. You could feel his warm breath, his sweet cologne hitting your nose. You blinked your eyes a few times, while he just rubbed at your cheek with a thumb.

"Everything about you makes me feel whole. You've always been what I was missing." He whispered, just loud enough for you to hear, you and only you.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong about this.

"Then tell me. . ." You managed to choke out, eyes welling with tears. "Tell me who Miyano Akane is."

He paused, and retracted both himself and his hand, finally giving you breathing room.

"I can't do that, it's confidential information, [Y/n]. You understand, don't you?" The look in his eyes, you knew he was being genuine. That's what was wrong, though. Bottom line, he refused to tell you, so there. . .

"Then get away from me." With the last of your energy, you pushed him away and scampered down the path. A hand lifted to cover your mouth, you didn't want to end up crying, you really didn't. Nosaka Yuuma was too much, he was just too much. You weren't looking where you were going, and accidentally bumped into someone. Just as you were going to attempt running off again, they grabbed your shoulders and pulled your against their chest.

"It's okay, you don't need to cry, [L/n]." It was Hiura, who was hugging you. He was a friend, you were safe with him, you knew this. So you started to try calming down, and taking deep breaths. He held you the entire time, and hadn't asked a single thing. Once you were feeling okay, you pulled back and wiped your tear stained cheeks.

"Better?" He smiled down at you.

"Better. Thank you." You smiled sweetly, nodding. He made you forget about all your worries in seconds, and escorted you to class. He looked after you, and you'd never be able to thank him enough. For most of your classes, you tried to block out earlier events and focus on working. You managed quite well and when classes were over, you were more than happy to stand up and get out of there. Unfortunately you had soccer practice afterwards, but maybe seeing everyone would cheer you up.

"[L/n]-san! What did Nosaka-san ask you about?" Asuto scampered over to you, worry written all over his face. You let out a small nervous laugh and casually sat down beside Norika.

"It was nothing. I left almost right after you all had." You responded, it was the truth though.

"Just what we would expect from our playmaker! [L/n]-san is trustworthy." Ootani chirped with a bright smile.

"Settle down everyone, we need to speak about our next powerful opponent." Zhao Jinyun clapped his hands. Everyone quickly took a seat and listened carefully, as ridiculous as your coach was, he often knew what he was talking about. He turned to Ootani and gave her a brief nod.

"Yes! Our next opponent, Tonegawa Tousen!"

"That's right. Our next fight is against the Legendary Goal Keeper. Endou Mamoru is their captain!" Zhao grinned.

"Endou?" You furrowed your brows. The name was just barely familiar, but you had no idea who he was. After all, you were just thrown into the soccer world without a second thought and just ended up being good at it.

"Endou Mamoru was the captain of the original Raimon!" Ootani lifted a finger, you nodded twice, cuing her to continue on. "He beat Zeus and Teikoku at the last Footbal Frontier!"

"I see, so he really must be special. . ." You trailed off, crossing a leg over the other.

"Hey! Tell us ten of Endou's weaknesses!" Goujin piped up, earning a confused look from almost everyone in the room.

"Well. . . He's not good at studying." Ootani muttered.

"That has nothing to do with soccer!"

"He's really loud and annoying. . . ?"

You stifled a giggle. While Anna played a few highlight clips on the screen of his matches, you tried to rack your brain of where you'd heard that name before. Endou Mamoru. . . It wasn't ringing any bells. Maybe you'd just heard about him from the soccer world and nowhere else.

"Weaknesses huh." You mumbled under your breath.

"What are you thinking of?" Asuto asked, both him and Norika smiled at you.

"He's legendary for a reason, but. There's no such thing as perfection, we'll find a way past him." A simper marred your features. Your two friends brightened up.

"Tonegawa Tousen didn't have a soccer club until recently." Anna said, catching everyone's attention again.

"Endou-kun was the one who started it!" Ootani tightly hugged onto her clipboard. Maybe she had a crush on him, you wouldn't put it past her.

"He started it all by himself?" Michinari frowned to himself.

"Of course, it's Endou-kun after all!" The light brown haired girl giggled. "He probably went around asking everybody. He probably asked a track star, 'hey! do you wanna play soccer?', a manga club artist, 'hey! do you wanna play soccer?' and some random person in town, 'hey! do you wanna play soccer?'"

"Simply put, Tonegawa Tousen is a medly." Okuiri pushed up his glasses. "I'm sure luck was a huge part of their victories."

"I don't think so." You interjected. "Endou-kun is their captain after all. I'm guessing he formed the original Raimon the exact same way, is that right, Ootani?" With a small smile, you looked over to the manager. She grinned.

"Exactly!"

"Ehhh!?" The rest of the team was completely taken aback.

"Some Tonegawa Tousen trivia! They have a pet raccon dog as their mascot."

After the discussion, you all grouped outside on the pitch for actual practice. Although, it seems even that was going to be cut short due to some, apparently terribly sad news from Coach Zhao.

"I have some sad news for everyone." Zhao Jinyun linked his hands behind his back. "I am actually returning home."

"What? Now?"

"Yes. I won't be able to train you this time. I'm leaving for a family emergency." He continued.

"Is someone in you family ill?" You fret with the hem of your uniform.

"I truly am sorry. . ." Coach sighed. "So I wrote my feelings for the team in this letter. Please listen." Just as he was about to start, his assistant with the mask - who you later learned was called Li Kobun - started strumming a ukulele.

"Dear Raimon Eleven. It has been three months since I have met you. This short yet fulfilling time was special for me as well. But during this crucial time, I must leave. What I am certain about is that everybody overcame every obstacle to this point, and made it to the semi-finals. Everyone is capable. I believe in you. Everyone is capable of reaching a higher level. Zhao Jinyun." And that was his heartfelt speech.

". . . Who's that person over there?" Your other coach has pointed behind all of you. Everyone turned around to catch sight of a woman frantically waving. She was dressed in a rather skimpy pink dress for summer, tan skin, long black hair and. . . A suit case?

"Hurry Zhao! Natasha can't wait!" She sang, jumping in her place.

"Yes! I'm coming! Michinari-kun, you are in charge." Zhao handed a small envelope to Michinari before scampering over to the mystery woman. "Aloha!"

Even Li Kobun was going.

"Looks like a lovely family emergency." Anna crossed her arms.

"If that's his family emergency, then I'm impressed." Kouzoumaru pitched in.

"U-uhm, maybe it's a stress relief vacation?" You smiled nervously, lifting your hands and shrugging. Everyone stared at you. ". . . I'll take that as a no?"

"You're too kind. . . [L/n]-san." Hiura sweat dropped.