AN: I'm alive!

So just to clarify: currently in El Dorado are Kirino, Ichino, Aoyama, Akane, Hamano, Minamisawa, and Midori. The adults involved (currently) are Otonashi, Fudou, and Megane. More to be added in later chapters!

-

11. together (towards the same dream)

Tsurugi's one of them now, and everything differs from how Kirino remembers it to be. There's something great about the way they assimilate now, much better than they did before.

And it's fine like that.

Fifth Sector retaliates, but it's no big deal.

-

-

-

"You see, Kyousuke, my legs may be stuck right now, but I'll have you know I still have my hands. You know what I can do with just my hands? Tenma-kun, can I borrow that soccer ball?"

"Meep! I mean," Tenma swallows nervously, "uhm." An abrupt bow. "I'm sorry! We shouldn't play soccer in the hospital room, so no!"

For some reason, when Tsurugi finally had to confront his brother and inevitably get scolded, Tsurugi picked Tenma to be the buffer between the anger.

(Maybe he hoped that the sheer precious energy from Tenma might be able to quell the demon's anger, but it has failed.)

Tenma was completely stiff, and Tsurugi was the most terrified Kirino had ever seen him. He was actually attached to Tenma's back, gripping the sides and trying to hide behind the smaller figure to no avail.

"It's fine, I just want to launch it like a baseball at my brother's head. I used to play handball, so don't worry. I'll aim well so if it ricochets, it won't hit the vase or window."

"Yuuichi-san, you're terrifying! Please!"

Kirino watched them from the doorway as Tsurugi Yuuichi gave them the scariest smile the world had to offer, which didn't reach his eyes at all, and casually swung out innocent-sounding threats at his younger brother.

Now that he thought about it... wasn't Yuuichi's Keshin the Demon Warrior Pendragon? How did no one question that until now? That name comes from Arthur Pendragon, so he's basically a mega Tenma, isn't he?

"Now I see where Tsurugi got that brutal language from..." Kirino mutters.

"Huh? Kirino, ah, I knew it was you!"

Kirino turns around to see Amemiya Taiyou, the beaming, actual sunshine that blooms right into joy as they catch sight of him from the other end of the hallway.

"Amemiya!" Kirino finds himself naturally smiling back, "it's been a while!" Not since before the Eito match, really. "You look well."

Taiyou giggles at that, "and you look great, too! I saw your match! You're not in your wheelchair anymore!"

"Not always, unfortunately," Kirino reports mirthfully. They had a whole day of practice yesterday and his legs went out again. "But for now, yep. I see you're just as cheerful as always."

"Not always, unfortunately," Taiyou returns with a snarky tone. Then, "good timing! Wanna play soccer outside?"

"You're going to get the nurses mad at you again," Kirino sighs.

Taiyou grins. "Is that a no?"

This adventurous little rebel, really. Kirino gives Yuuichi's room one last glance, sees Tsurugi just on the verge of almost dying maybe-- and he decides, well, that's fine.

"Of course not," he says, "lead the way!"

Tenma catches them leaving, but Kirino pretends not to hear that. Right now, all Kirino wants to do is enjoy some laid-back time with a fellow menace and pretend he didn't cause a whole heap of problems in his wake.

-

Unsurprisingly, Taiyou is great at soccer, even budding and weakened as he currently is. Kirino doesn't stand much chance in a one-on-one.

"You're doing pretty great, at least to me!" Taiyou tells him, though the praise sounds backhanded while he's perfectly popping the ball out of range when Kirino comes close. "Don't look so unmotivated just cause you're losing!"

Kirino thinks he's got all the right to, actually. "Okay, mister prodigy," he says, sighing. Seriously, how is Taiyou better than him at this? He's literally cooped up in a hospital room all year! "I was pretty sure ball holding was my specialty, too..."

"Oh, are you not as good at stealing?"

"Well, maybe if I Mixi... I mean," Kirino clears his throat, "nothing. I'm better at pressuring. Because well, I'm not quick or strong like the others."

"Ah, I can relate."

"No you can't."

"Rude."

"Sorry, it must be my inner Kari--" he stops himself, cursing as a reminder to not invoke that name again goddammit, "--you need snark to survive in Raimon, you see. Either that or you lose yourself to the unfortunately infectious insanity disease."

"The what disease?" Taiyou asks, bumping the ball into his hands to gape, "does this, you know, have to do with the uh--" he obviously takes a deliberate moment, "--rumours?"

Kirino knows that Taiyou, despite being smart and gutsy enough to earn the acknowledgement of Shokatsu Koumei, is a terrible actor. Every time he lies or says something while evidently holding real information back-- he always pauses unnaturally.

So when Kirino noticed him doing it-- he immediately fixed his guards up.

(That's right-- Taiyou is still working for Ishido Shuuji now, isn't he?)

(He's trying to scour for something to use against Kirino, to report back to Fifth Sector about. That's cute.)

(And sad.)

"No, no," Kirino chuckles, "just, recently, you know," Kirino pauses before anything, realizing everything he says now can be used against him as evidence of rebellion. Better not link specific names, then, "we found old tapes and papers and stuff in the old soccer clubroom. So we learned all about the Legendary Raimon Eleven!"

Taiyou blinks for a moment, seemingly taking himself out of his attempt to curry information from the senior. "The legendary Raimon Eleven? You mean the one that Gouenji Shuuya-san was in?"

Oho, found something to catch him with.

"Yeah!" Kirino says, sitting down by a bench and guiding Taiyou to sit beside him, "did you know they went on a road trip across Japan to fight aliens?"

Taiyou shakes his head, cradling the soccer ball with all the excitement of a child on fairy tale day. "No?? Isn't that the legendary Aliea scandal? That's kinda lost history, isn't it? Tell me tell me."

-

Later, they are found by Tsurugi in his attempts to escape his brother.

The striker very disgracefully scrambles over, hiding behind the bench and peeking over the back to listen to Kirino as he spoke of alien battles and Gouenji's dramatic comeback in-- Okinawa? Yeah.

Tenma then races down the hallways yelling for the younger Tsurugi, pushing older Tsurugi's wheelchair as they both hunt with all the vigor of students racing to get limited edition bread from the cafeteria.

"Oh! Kirino-senpai!" Tenma dashes over, pushing the wheelchair as the older Tsurugi gives a greeting. "Have you seen Tsurugi around?"

"No, we haven't," Kirino says, casually, slinging an arm over Taiyou's shoulder, sitting side by side to perfectly mask Tsurugi's very frozen form behind the bench. "Maybe check the fountain? He might have gone home already."

"Oh! He might be trying to escape, I didn't think of that!" Tenma says.

Yuuichi stares straight at Kirino and Taiyou. More specifically, toward their legs, and the extra pair behind them, purple cape and all. But he doesn't say anything-- just smiles, and waves when Tenma carts him off to the next checkpoint.

"Okay, he definitely knows," Taiyou grimly notes, "your days are numbered, younger Tsurugi. Run."

"I know."

"Uhm. When did your brother manage to convert Tenma to his side?" Kirino asks, upon spotting them. When did the meat shield become the enemy?

And Tsurugi Kyousuke just freaks, hiding behind the bench, "I don't know!" he hisses, all composure lost, "Tenma was on my side a while ago! Then they talked and then suddenly Tenma promised to capture me for my brother and here we are!"

Taiyou whistles, "yeah, that's Yuuichi-san's magic power," he says. When given confused looks, "hey, he's the big boss of the North wing, y'know."

"He's the fucking what."

"Us hospital kids are bored being stuck in here all the time, don't blame us."

Hospital underworld hierarchy aside, Kirino might have just found himself a reliable link to a new ally. But then again, if Tsurugi ever found out Kirino involved his brother in this nonsense, Kirino would be dead next.

(Oh well! You only live twice!)

"Anyways, wanna play soccer until your brother comes back to kill you for real?" Kirino suggests, "you against us two."

"What the-- why should I?!" Tsurugi balks. "Plus it's two on one?"

Kirino sighs with a very overplayed shrug. "What, you're not confident you can win?"

Tsurugi sneers, "I didn't say that."

Kirino shares a mischievous grin with Taiyou.

-

-

-

"We're getting a lot of people calling us fakes on our site," Aoyama reports, and Kirino has no idea why he's in his house and getting coffee like he lives here, but he just hums in acknowledgement as Aoyama continues talking.

Ichino cringes at that. Kirino also has no idea why he's sleeping on his couch. Did none of them go home? "If we ever get to court with this, we'll probably get sued for slander. Do you know a lawyer?"

"It's fine, Kirino's got a sugar daddy."

"Don't call Shindou that!"

"...and yet you immediately knew I was talking about Shindou."

Kirino balks, caught right in his trap. "Ugh, who cares," he mutters, finally kicking off his shoes, taking off his blazer, and trudging into the house tiredly. Aoyama and Ichino high-five in a small victory.

"What took you so long, anyway?" Ichino asks.

Kirino drops his bag off in his room, staring blankly at Akane sitting at his desk, typing away at the laptop. There's a rice cracker in her mouth as she hums a greeting of some sort.

Kirino closes the door.

"Did none of you get hounded by all the paparazzi outside the school gate?" he asks, exasperated. "How?? I literally dodged them like a cat and mouse chase across town!"

"They were only looking for soccer club members," Aoyama says.

"I blended in with my girl friends and chatted about the most stereotypical feminine things in the world," Akane says, opening the door, "no one would ever come up to us to ask about football."

"I'm envious," Ichino says. "I just pretended to take a call at the gate and made myself look like I was in a rush. They're too polite to interrupt me if I look busy. I do it all the time to avoid salesmen."

"Smart!" Kirino gapes.

"Couldn't you just The Mist away?" Aoyama suggests.

"I was going to, but then Kurama used Sidewinder," Kirino sighs. "If I used my mist there after that, we'd all die from indiscriminate snake attack. We ended up being held back anyway because the adults were chewing us out for using dangerous hissatsu out of the field."

Ichino has to stare incredulously at them. "Do you guys even understand the meaning of restraint?"

-

"We need to stay under watch until the match?"

The match was in two days, and apparently, Fifth Sector was not looking forward to having another broadcast during it.

It was right after practice when everyone was doing their cooldowns, when Coach Endou came by with the news.

There was just too much reason to suspect Raimon Junior High now, so it made sense they were being targeted. But it also wasn't too ethical to keep pressuring students, so this would be their essential ultimatum.

"It's not just us. All the teams will be placed under surveillance for the days leading up to the match, and one more after," Endou says with a sigh. "It's just to prove that we've got nothing to do with it."

"What is this, Death Note?" Hayami despairs. "We're being treated like suspects?"

"So basically, if the broadcast happens either way, then we're officially off the suspect list?" Minamisawa says, turning it to an optimistic outlook, "that seems fair to me."

"To begin with, the broadcast happened during our match. We should already be off the suspect list," Kurama grumbles, smushing his face into a palm in annoyance.

Hamano chuckles, "it's not like they're dealing with a mass murderer or something, do they really have to go this far?"

"Nah, going too far would be cancelling Holy Road entirely," Sangoku assures, "which is something they definitely might do. Too many scandals and problematic backlash and all, might as well cancel the whole event and let the adults deal with the problem."

Kirino grimaced at the thought.

If this entire issue got into legal territory, they'd be at a disadvantage.There's no way they can arm themselves with enough evidence if this was brought to court– and even if it didn't, if the Fifth made a proper point, then El Dorado would be reduced to just a group of online slanderers.

"So from tomorrow onward?" Shindou asks.

"Yes," Coach Endou affirms. "Sorry it's such a short notice, but Fifth Sector is releasing an official statement about the watch, so if your parents have any issue with it, they'd have to take it up directly with them."

"Don't they... you know, legally not have the right to do that?"

It was a real annoyance. Everyone, including the coach, teacher advisor, and the three managers had to stay. There would even be Fifth Agents sent to supervise, apparently.

"Yeah, but do you kids want a two-day training camp or do you want more of those annoying people hounding you on the streets trying to interview us?" Coach Endou asks.

"No, I don't wanna go home!" half of them immediately yelled. "Let us stay here!"

"The training camp please!"

"The school gates have never felt so scary in my life!"

"I can already hear them demanding interviews from here," Hamano sighs. There was a whole ruckus going on at the school gates and, bless the school workers, they're being stopped from entering. They were able to have a peaceful practice on the outside field.

"I feel so bad for our security guards..."

"How are we going to go home today? Should we arrange for the caravan to drop us off?" Ms Otonashi suggests. "I mean, I can call the driver..."

"No no, I don't want the paparazzi to follow us and find out where we live!"

"Can we just call the police to clear them away?" Aoi suggests.

"I can summon–"

"No, Kurama! NO."

"Tch."

"Well, as long as it's not a dangerous animal..." Endou hums, crossing his arms in thought.

The entire team immediately turns to look at him. Tsurugi is already changed and on his way out, typing something away on his phone, completely undeterred.

"I'm clearing the road with Death Sword if anyone wants to follow."

Everyone scrambles to their feet and Endou is left in complete shambles as he yells, "hey! No Death Sword-ing the public! Please don't– kids, listen to me!"

-

-

-

With all the disaster going on, Kirino genuinely didn't see the retaliation coming.

They're in the club room, setting up the soccer building's common hall with military beds and sleeping bags, when an additional statement from Fifth Sector comes.

"Due to a suspected information leak, the brackets of Holy Road will be rearranged," Shindou reads out the notice with dread. "The updated matchups will be officially released two days before."

"...what?" Sangoku had to say.

"Does that mean they're changing the– but the preliminary matchups were decided by lottery, right? Why would changing it be important?"

"I guess if the information leaks early, they could suspect an insider?"

"That's the thing, it's not important," Kurama groans. "They're trying to make it look like they're doing something."

"No, there is something different," Tsurugi says.

All eyes turn to him. He sighs, a little disappointed that no one else is actually realizing the same thing.

"They can't give score orders anymore, at least not to us. And they can't just send a Seed in to take over the school, because I'm here." he says. "We're the biggest threat now. That means all they need to do now is make sure Raimon is legally kicked out of the winnings."

(That's right– if they can't tell us to lose– they just have to crush us the right way.)

"Oh, right! Tsurugi, is your brother fine with you not being able to visit him for the next three days?"

"Mind your own business– why are you moving your stuff next to mine? Go somewhere else!"

"But we're friends, right?"

"No??"

"So uh," Kirino recalls something like this happening last time around, but he knows it's not supposed to happen so soon, oh butterfly effect, why are you so cruel, why, "who are the strongest teams in our prefecture again?"

A horrific silence crashed over the entire room like the heaviest blanket in the world.

"...you're kidding, right?" Shinsuke says, "we're not going to–"

"Huh? Wait, I'm not following–"

"They're going to pit us against– Isn't that really bad news??" Hayami whines, "I thought we were lucky this year for being in different blocks, too! Agh!"

"Surely, they won't... oh, crap. That's why they're making something up to change the brackets! They're moving Teikoku– or even worse, Kaiou– over!"

Kirino couldn't help but be worried, too. The bracket change was happening faster this time– last time, they only did it once, but this time, they're changing the whole thing over. They're probably going to end up completely skipping over Mannouzaka.

And even if they manage to defeat Teikoku, they'd just stack Seed-filled powerhouses after them, one by one, even after they're done with the preliminaries.

Even so, Teikoku is an optimistic suggestion. They only have one fully capable Keshin in Lancelot, with Shindou half-capable... oh, this wasn't looking good for Raimon either way.

It was lucky that the nationals still seemed a little far away. Imagine facing Kidokawa Seishuu, Arakumo, or worse, Seidouzan right now... they'd be massacred.

"I'm dreading the future..." Kirino groans.

Hayami wails, "thank you for empathizing!"

"Hey c'mon now, Kirino," Kurumada steps up to them, "what was that saying? You made this can of worms, now lie in it."

"It's a bed," Kirino deadpans.

"You made this bed, Kirino," Hayami dryly says, grabbing Kirino by the shoulders. "You caused this. Take responsibility. Lie in it."

Kirino covers his face in dread. "Is this hell?"

-

-

-

They moved the both worst possible teams into their next matches.

Kanto District Preliminaries Block A currently consists of Raimon, Teikoku, and Kaiou. All three powerhouses, stuffed into one block like a bad joke.

Kirino stares at the newly-announced bracket and just dies inside.

Everyone was already doubling up their practice, but with a unified sense of unease. The Fifth Sector agents were stationed at the entrance of their indoor field, and they were taking notes.

"They're absolutely sending our data to our opponent's team," Minamisawa says, rehydrating at the bench. "They're not even hiding it. Are you kidding me? Akane, take a picture of them. We're retaliating."

"I can't," she says. "I didn't bring my camera with me. Even if I did, they'd immediately know I'm the one that took the picture."

They did have a hidden camera, but that would also be too obvious. But between curious, non-soccer club students and the CCTVs, there were plenty of other ways to get photographic evidence of Fifth Sector agents to make commentary on.

"So who's doing it anyways?" Minamisawa asks.

"Whoever's fine," Kirino says, stretching out his limbs and sighing. "We don't even need to talk about any real scandal this time. We just need to address how unethical this team lockdown is."

"It'd be nice if we could actually go around and interview other people, but I guess no one really wants to be associated with El Dorado," Akane says, taking Minamisawa's bottle to put away.

"Speaking of our data being leaked to the other teams," Minamisawa brushes aside his hair. "Does anyone know what Matsukaze and Nishizono have been doing all day?"

All eyes turned to the other side of the huge indoor field, where Shinsuke was practicing his jumps with Tenma, trying to reach a dangling soccer ball that Aoi had tied to a fishing rod and hung over the gallery.

Sangoku, Kurumada, and Amagi were also watching, but apparently, only Shinsuke has managed to bicycle kick that thing so far. Tenma was still trying.

"Trying to make a hissatsu technique, maybe?" Kirino says, because it's about that time, right? Tenma already mastered Soyokaze Step yesterday while trying to dodge reporters, apparently.

Minamisawa's face scrunches up, displeased. "But we're being spied on right now. We can't go showing off our moves."

Which is why none of the others are practicing their hissatsus either, but hey, the first-years needed all the practice they could get when it came to developing new techniques to get them up to the level of the rest of the team.

"It's fine, no point in hiding our moves if we don't know how to use it during the match," Kirino chuckles.

MInamisawa still seemed miffed, but he let it be. Teikoku wasn't going to be an easy opponent by any means, so they really needed to be in top condition for it. They can't be worried about spies right now.

"Rather than our hissatsus, I'm more concerned about our general team structure."

They turned to see Shindou come by with a little board of team positions. He's followed by Coach Endou and Ms Otonashi, as well as Ichino.

"Tsurugi's taking number 13, but if we want to win, we've got to start the game with him," Shindou says.

"You are not taking me or Kurama out of the starting lineup," Minamisawa immediately threatens, and there's a very serious bite in his words.

Shindou holds up his hands in surrender, "I know, I know. I was thinking of putting all three of you up top to give us a strong offensive line, but this leaves our defenses weak."

"Teikoku's strong point is their defense, so it should work well, right?" Minamisawa takes the board, frowning at the lineup when he notices Ichino's off the starting lineup in favour of Tenma.

"Yes... but that's the thing. You three may be strong, but that's individually," Coach Endou says, "Teikoku is strong collectively."

The group looks at him, not quite sure what the point was.

Coach Endou steps in to explain. 

"Basically, we need a bigger boom! Teikoku's a big, big wall, you know! One of you's not enough to crack that down, we need all three of you in synch to make the biggest BAM! or it won't work!" he says, punching the air to punctuate every sound effect.

Minamisawa squints.

Then he turns to Ms Otonashi, "and in a language we can all understand?"

"Uh, basically," Ms Otonashi says, "Teikoku's defensive formation can't be taken down alone. If we want to use you, Kurama, and Tsurugi as the core of our attack– you need to have a similar amount of synergy as Teikoku or we'll never break through."

They'll have to work together, in other words.

"Wow," Ms Otonashi deadpans, as soon as her explanation is over, "you hate the idea that much?"

Minamisawa is grimacing in the ugliest, most out-of-character way possible.

He actually retches in disgust.

"You want me. Me? Me, Minamisawa Atsushi, Atsushi Minamisawa, to get along and work together with," he said it so many times Kirino wondered if he's been in theatre club before. And then he directs his horror to Tsurugi, who's standing a ways away minding his own business. "That vile creature?"

"Minamisawa-san, Tsurugi is still a human being," Ichino reminds dryly. "I totally get you though."

"You guys are terrible," Shindou groans. "I knew this would happen. I haven't even talked to Kurama yet, this is going to be a disaster."

Kurama would probably stare Shindou in the face and then crack out in insane laughter. No one wants to deal with that, not even Minamisawa.

"Well, Minamisawa and Kurama hate him, but I think Tsurugi's fine with quite a few of the rest of us," Kirino says. The others at least tolerate him enough– even Hamano's over there now, competing with Tsurugi over who can keep the ball on constant juggle for the longest. "So like, how about we work on a clear Offense with Tsurugi and the rest of us, and Minamisawa and Kurama work on a finishing Shoot?"

There's a stunned silence when all eyes turned on him.

That was a completely out of left field suggestion.

Shindou decides that's better than trying to maneuver across their strikers' awful relationship with each other. "So, what do you suggest?"

Kirino hums, "so like, it's a little late to start, but first, we dust off Ultimate Thunder," he says, "and then, I don't know, Minamisawa and Kurama, ain't it about time you two got yourselves a combination hissatsu?"

Immediately, everyone talked over each other in surprise.

"RIGHT! Ultimate Thunder!" Shindou yelps. "We had it, didn't we?"

"Ulti–" Ichino yelps. "That thing?!"

"What thing?" Endou asks. "What thing, hey??"

Ms Otonashi's a little taken aback. "But starting right now? We're not going to make it in time, the match is in a little less than two days..."

"Nothing's impossible," Kirino shrugs. He hollers, "hey, everyone! Gather around for a bit, we don't have much time left so hurry a little!"

Minamisawa sputters, "you're gonna give it to Tsurugi?! I do not approve! HEY."

"Can't you at least tell me what's going on before you guys move on??" Endou flusters, "I'm the coach, even though I look like this, okay? Let me in on things!"

-

Surprising even to Kirino, Tsurugi mastered Ultimate Thunder pretty damn easily.

"Is that it? That was easier than I thought," Tsurugi said, leaving everyone with their jaws utterly dropped. "Are you sure that's enough to deal with Teikoku?" 

"What the– but the– fucking h– you cannot be–" Kurama's at a complete loss for words, but after struggling for a long time he ends up with, "Monster!"

"You're a cheat!" Minamisawa declared, "what is your leg made of, you atrocious being?!"

Tsurugi just scoffs, unfazed by the rather crude name-calling, "You're comparing me to your standards? I'm a Seed." 

"Former Seed," someone corrects. 

Tsurugi ignores them. "I'm built different."

Hamano jumps right up. "Did you just say 'I'm built different' unironically?"

"Seeds are scary, Seeds are scary, Seeds are scary," Hayami whines. 

"...what have we struggled all of last year for again?" Sangoku says, completely blank in incredulity. 

"We rebelled against Fifth Sector, El Dorado appeared, and now we complete Ultimate Thunder within three tries," Shindou mutters, sounding completely dead. "I give up. My musical theory textbooks make more sense than the current state of the world."

"You're amazing, Tsurugi!" Tenma beams, running right up to him, "dude that was so cool! That looked so damn strong! I'm sure if we used it in the match it'd blow all of Teikoku away in a heartbeat!"

"Do not touch me," Tsurugi says, but Tenma actually grabs his hands tighter, and Shinsuke has his leg. "Shinsuke I swear if you stay on my foot I will punt you across the field–"

"You're so cool, Tsurugi! Give me some of your leg strength, you cheater!"

Kirino has no idea what's going on. It took Tsurugi so long to get it down last time– the only difference he could think of was how he had settled his gripes with his brother this time around, so there was no hesitation in his fight anymore.

(Is that really all it took?)

Kirino watched them as they gathered around, laughing it up and teasing Tsurugi for one thing or another– Kurama and Minamisawa seem to be dragging the others into trying Ultimate Thunder with them again, because they sure as hell weren't going to admit that Tsurugi could do something they couldn't.

"One more! Just one more!" Kurama yells.

"Please, I can't do it anymore," Hayami cries. "Someone take my place!"

"Ooh, ooh, can I try?" Tenma jumps right in.

"Stop trying, a mere student can never get up to my level," Tsurugi mutters, "I've got special training, so I can do it. You're ten years too early."

"Shut up, you brat! You're younger than me!" Minamisawa jumps onto him, grabbing his hair and messing it up– "screw this! Kurama, let's see if we can do a combination shoot with Ultimate Thunder and turn it into a shoot!"

"Oh, that's a great idea!"

"Stop it, you guys!" came Sangoku's very frantic yell, "Ultimate Thunder is a wide area attack for a reason! You're going to kill the goalkeeper!"

Kirino watches them from his spot on the bench– and he can't help but chuckle heartily.

This was good.

This was great.

(It's different. And somehow– he knew now that he may not ever be able to go home to where he came from.)

(If Fei could find him, he would have done so already, especially after he used the El Dorado name so liberally. The only reason nothing was happening was because nothing was allowed to happen.)

(It wasn't that Fei wouldn't come yet, but that he couldn't make it here, for some reason.)

(Kirino couldn't even begin to imagine the state of the universal timeline right now. They must have their hands full. So full, Kirino was as good as stuck here forever.)

(And that hurt.)

But seeing all of them like this, having fun despite their struggles– Kirino knew that he might be content staying here forever too.

This was his home now, and he was going to defend it.

-

"What are you doing, Kirino-senpai?"

It was after dinner now, most of the club resting in the common hall of the soccer building, where they'd be spending the night.

Kirino's seated quietly in a corner, his legs crossed and his arms folded before him.

He doesn't open his eyes before answering Tenma. "Just meditating. Wanna join me?"

"...I guess?"

He feels someone shuffle closer, so he cracks an eye open to see Tenma trying to imitate him, but he didn't quite know what to do with his hands.

"It's like you're praying," Tenma says, reviewing how Kirino had his own hands set out.

"Maybe," Kirino chuckles.

It made him feel closer to Jeanne, sometimes. It was just a habit by now, an escape from his troubles, a bubble of solace.

And the closer Kirino got to Jeanne, the closer he got to their Mixi Max, and the closer he got to the strength of Brynhildr. It seemed necessary.

"Keshin are a manifestation of your will," Kirino says.

Tenma straightens to attention, very interested now. Shindou had gotten his Keshin down, but Tenma was still far from it.

"That's why," Kirino points to his heart, "the first step to bringing it to life is to understand yourself. Your will, your goals, and what your Keshin means to you."

"...what it means to me?" Tenma repeats. "Aren't they just super powerful astrals?"

"That's why," Kirino says. "They're your strength. But for Shindou, it's also his will to fight back, the first step in the fight, the ability to direct the team forward as one."

The Instrumentalist Maestro, the conductor of the field, the baton of god.

"What does your Keshin mean to you, Tenma?" Kirino asks, "try to figure that out, and maybe you'll be able to bring out your Keshin, too. I'm sure it's already there, just waiting for its moment to shine."

Tenma's eyes light up with the true meaning of that question.

Summoning your Keshin, getting stronger, and bringing it to life– it wasn't about the Keshin– it was about him, as a player.

"I'll try my best to think as hard as I can!" he says, a fist pumped up.

"Thinking calmly is fine," Kirino immediately says, but on second thought, maybe thinking very hard is better for Tenma? Who knew, really..."

He chuckles.

They settle down, side by side– and do nothing but think for a bit.

It was another ten minutes before someone else came over, fresh from a bath, saw them, and quietly decided to join the chain. At some point, Hamano walked over and imitated a sitting buddha, and Kurumada spat his milk out his nose when he saw them.

Tsurugi passes by on his way out of the baths, but he stares very quietly at them for five exasperated seconds before walking right by.

-

-

-

"Hold on. Wasn't Kidou supposed to be playing in Italy's National League?" Coach Endou says, his voice low as Ms Otonashi hands him the board of Teikoku's data.

"He came back a while ago," Ms Otonashi says. "He's not telling me why, but I've seen him at home a few times. Safe to say I completely caught him off guard and he didn't actually want me to know he was back."

"This will be complicated," he sighs. "Sakuma's there too, I'm guessing?"

This was a matchup that had some history to it. It was Endou versus Kidou again, right back to that day so long ago.

"I can't believe he's coaching Teikoku, though..." Otonashi says, "they're one of the strictest Fifth Sector affiliated schools."

"But Sakuma was doing it before him, right? How was it like?"

"Can't say for sure, but they've been a Fifth Sector school even before Sakuma came in. It's only been consistent until now."

So it was hard to say if Kidou was going into Teikoku with the same motives as Endou joining Raimon. Maybe he was– Endou trusted him enough to know he understood the importance of fighting against them.

But not even a word of it to Otonashi? It was like he was deliberately trying to distance himself from people affiliated with the problematic Raimon.

Damn it, Kidou was always the underhanded man of a few words. No one really knew what he was thinking until he was there with it on the table, he was annoying like that.

"Just saying, Otonashi," Endou groans. "If this is his idea of a joke, steal his credit card."

"Oh, of course! Leave that to me," she smiles, without even missing a beat.

-

-

-

Seto Midori had signed on to Raimon's Soccer Club as 'Tenma's personal cheerleader' after seeing his energy on the soccer field in practice one day, or something.

Kirino wasn't too sure why the world flipped around and made her still join the club this time around. Last time around it was because Tenma was great in the battle against the Black Knights, but this time he didn't play then so–

–agh, whatever the point was: Seto Midori was not officially a manager.

She was sort of a part-time manager. A girl that came around, did as she liked, and ran off when she wasn't free. She didn't even change into her jersey most of the time.

She was probably supposed to do the proper paperwork sometime to actually name her a manager, but Midori was so insistent that she was a cheer squad that Ms Otonashi had pushed it off until now.

Which meant that during the Fifth Sector-relegated team lockdown and inspections, Midori was free to go.

On her first mission as a member of El Dorado.

"Hey, losers!" she skulks right into the nearest delinquent hideouts, because she's the queen and she has already beaten all of them up at some point, "doing great while the soccer chaos is going on?"

All of them jumped.

"What the– Midori! Thought you were hung up with your soccer club bozos?"

"Did you finally ditch them?"

"Course not," Midori grins, "going back tomorrow, they've just been quarantined under suspicion, but I'm better than that so here I am."

"That made no sense."

Among the group was Kusaka Ryuuji, a notorious delinquent of the area. He'd fought over territory with Midori before, delinquent brats they both were, but well– things happened, and now they were pretty good friends.

"Leave it to Midori to do risky stuff when things are already hot iron," he chuckles. "So are the rumours true? Is El Dorado actually Raimon?"

Midori scoffs, "course not, who even would be the mastermind in our team of idiots?" she dismisses the claims. 

El Dorado was not, in fact, the whole team. It was just about five or six of them. But no one needed to know that.

They stare at her skeptically, but decide not to question her obvious lie.

Whatever it was that Midori's got herself caught up in, they knew better than to get involved if they wanted to save their own hides.

"You kids, if you're going to crowd suspiciously at night, do it somewhere out of sight so the police don't gather."

And there it was, the person Midori was waiting for. She spins right around.

"Tobitaka-san!" she calls, in unison with the rest of the squad. "It's been a while! Why don't you ever hang out with us anymore?"

Tobitaka Seiya scowls at that. He's still in his Rairaiken apron, because the shop is just a short walk down and he'd come here to stop the unruly delinquents before they made a ruckus and disturbed the neighbours.

"I do not hang out with you guys," he insists, arms crossed, "I'm an adult. I'm supervising."

When they were kids, Tobitaka was the cool delinquent big brother down the street. He gathered in this very same place with his old gang, and the kids were always right around the corner. He did nothing about it back then, so now that they were all punks too it was completely his fault.

Like, Seto Midori went to fucking juvie for a year and thank god, she looks like a decent human being now. She's gone above and beyond horrendous expectations. Let's hope Raimon is not crumbling with her there.

"I'm not hiding you for another night, Midori, go back to your dorm before your parents get called," Tobitaka says, stern. "And the rest of you are still suspended from school, aren't you? Get back before you get arrested again."

"Don't wanna," came the collective response.

"Tell us about your time in Inazuma Japan!" another says.

"And after that, would you like to hear about our lord and saviour Sakka-sama?" Midori pipes up.

"Don't 'don't wanna' me, you little shits, I'm not your guardian!" he snaps, "and who even told you I was in Inazuma Jap– wait, what did you just say, Midori?"

Midori beams.