Hello~~

Surprised to see me again? I'm a bit like a cockroach that way, every time someone thinks I've been exterminated, I end up proving them wrong :D

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

~'0'~

The day of Raimon's first match dawns grey and wet, the skies pouring out their sorrows for the entire city to see. The weather forecast for that afternoon, thankfully, seems more optimistic.

Tenma wakes early, as usual - even the sudden change in lifestyle after the accident didn't change the fact that he's an early bird by nature - and spends most of the morning in a nervous daze, much to the bemusement of his father.

When the man comes downstairs, it's to the sight of the teenager busying himself with making breakfast. Kichirou joins him at the counter, wordlessly offering his help, and father and son prepare their food in comfortable silence. It's a familiar routine to them both, especially during weekends when neither has to leave for work or school.

And yet today, it feels off.

Tenma is constantly drumming his fingers in an unusual show of impatience, or glancing at the clock, or tapping his knife against the cutting board. His fidgeting is both a familiar sight and odd to see - the teen has always been a physically active person, but he's calmed down in the last few years. Kichirou can't help but smile fondly at the sight. It reminds him of when Tenma was young, always running around or bouncing in his chair, and the man hides a chuckle.

"Are you alright?" he asks eventually when they finish the food and begin to set the table, keeping his tone gentle.

"Huh?" Tenma pauses, looking confused for a few seconds. Then he seems to understand, and he smiles sheepishly. "Oh. Oh, um, just a bit nervous, I guess." He shrugs.

Kichirou makes a sympathetic noise, opening one of the cupboards above the counter to grab two plates. "Are you usually nervous before a match?"

"Sometimes," the brunet hums, plating their food and moving over to the table. "If it's a big one. It's just... been a while."

"I see." They both take a seat and say their prayers, and Kichirou smiles at the teen. "I'm sure you'll do great. 'Everything will work out somehow', right?"

That startles a laugh out of the younger brunet. "Right. Thanks, tou-san." Tenma means it. This'll be the first time his father is present at one of his matches - living so far away from one another meant it didn't happen before, something Kichirou apologized for multiple times despite watching them on TV. Tenma hadn't been angry about it, but now knowing his father will come and watch him... it's a good feeling. ''You're still coming?''

There's something sad in Kichirou's eyes. ''I wouldn't miss this for the world, buddy,'' he promises him softly, but no less heartfelt.

Tenma swallows, and tries to smile, but it comes out a little wobbly. It's genuine either way.

''Oh,'' his father says, straightening up in his seat. To Tenma's confusion, he starts grinning brightly, looking startingly similar to his son in that moment. Tenma takes after his mother in appearance, but he's always had his father's smile. ''Finish your food, kid. I've got something for you.''

That, of course, sends the brunet's curiosity skyrocketing, and he devours his breakfast quickly. Kichirou chuckles at his enthusiasm and deliberately eats slowly, taking the time to chew each mouthful thoroughly and pretending he doesn't see Tenma's dry look. The teen knows exactly what he's doing.

Finally, though, they both finish eating and clear the table, and Kichirou directs Tenma to their comfy couch while he disappears up the stairs. When he returns, he's holding a small box wrapped in yellow wrapping paper, with a royal blue bow. Raimon's colors.

''Here,'' Kichirou says, dropping it on Tenma's lap as he takes a seat on the coffee table in front of him. ''It's a little something, from me. To remind you I'm rooting for you.''

When he unwraps it, Tenma is left with a white box with the logo of a successful sports brand printed on it. Then he pauses.

He grins mischievously.

Very, very slowly, he starts clearing away all of the wrapping paper, and then begins to peel away the tape keeping the box shut with his nail. Then the other side.

Kichirou groans. ''Oh come on, this is revenge for the food, isn't it?''

Tenma holds back laughter. ''Of course not, tou-san. I would never.''

His father rolls his eyes and grumbles, and the teen takes mercy on him. He quickly lifts the lid of the box, and then stops.

''Oh,'' he says softly.

Inside the box is a pair of sweatbands. They're white on one side and sky blue on the other, with a gradient of lighter blue between them.

Tenma reaches out, picking one up out of the box. There's no logo or anything on it, just the colors, and a smile curls the corner of his lips. ''I love them,'' he blurts out, looking up at his father. ''Thank you.''

The man's grin has shrunk to something softer. ''Glad to hear it, kid,'' he mumbles, reaching out to ruffle Tenma's hair. ''I was hoping they'd remind you of how proud I am of you. Because I am, Tenma. I'm so proud of who you've become.''

The brunet's breath catches in his throat, and he blinks rapidly.

''Thanks, tou-san,'' he mumbles softly, and Kichirou leans forward to pull him into a hug. Tenma goes willingly, burying his head in his father's shoulder.

He huffs a soft, shuddering breath, and smiles.

~'0'~

The gift doesn't completely settle Tenma's nerves, but it does help. There's still some time to kill before Tenma has to get to Raimon, where the team has agreed to meet so he grabs an umbrella and takes Sasuke for a long walk. It's something he always used to do before a match back in junior high, a ritual of sorts. It helps, a little.

He returns home with time to spare, like planned, and hides out in his room for a bit as he goes through physiotherapy exercises for his leg, stretching it carefully before the inevitable strain of a match. He runs through them several times more than he usually does, just to be safe, and then packs his bag. He spends a few moments picking out his contact lenses for today, settling on a simple sapphire blue.

Then he waves goodbye to his father and sets off in the direction of Raimon High.

Tenma's not surprised to find he's early. He doesn't mind - he always used to come early before a game, unwilling to risk being late for whatever reason.

He's brought a book for this exact reason.

Slowly but surely the second team starts gathering. There's an obvious sense of excitement permeating the air, and Tenma lets himself get swept away by it, although he keeps to himself until Shinji and Maeyama arrive together.

The brunet smiles cheerfully when they join him on the bench he's claimed for himself in their clubroom, folding the corner of his page and closing the book. "Good morning!"

They return his greeting with varying levels of energy. Shinji, in an ironic turn of events, is the most calm out of all of them - but, Tenma supposes, he's the one most used to this, having been on the starting lineup of his previous team last year.

Maeyama, on the other hand, is nearly vibrating out of his skin. Neither Tenma nor Shinji is surprised when the defender starts to ramble - they've become pretty used to him doing that at this point. "I can't believe we're going to play our first match," Maeyama says, bouncing in place. "So soon! I still can't believe I made the team, actually. I know I'm on the bench, but do you think I'll get a chance to play? Do you think we'll win? I bet the senpai are going to be really amazing. I watched some of their matches from last year, they were so awesome! I can't wait to see their hissatsu in a real match!"

Shinji and Tenma share a look, before simultaneously bursting into laughter. It has Maeyama stopping mid-sentence, and he ducks his head in embarrassment. "I did it again, didn't I?"

"It's alright," Shinji offers, and Maeyama smiles sheepishly.

"I think we're all excited," Tenma adds, nudging his friend with his shoulder. "I'm pretty nervous, to be honest."

"Really?" the blond boy asks. "But you played on a team before, right?"

The midfielder nods, a bit surprised that Maeyama remembered. They weren't friends yet when he'd mentioned that. "I did, but that was years ago," he answers with a shrug. "I'm not used to it anymore."

His friends seem understanding, and Shinji hesitantly tells them about some of his tricks to stay calm before a match. When both Tenma and Maeyama respond encouragingly, he grows more confident, and soon enough he's regaling them with tales of matches he's played in. It's actually quite fascinating to hear - Tenma's seen him play, of course, but there's a big difference between training and an actual match. He finds himself curious as to how Shinji will perform during the match.

Genei Academy always had countless tricks up their sleeve. Shinji might prove to be surprising yet.

By the time the team is complete, there's about an hour left until the match starts - right on schedule. Yuuichi calls for them all to get on the bus and Maeyama, Tenma and Shinji claim the seats in the back so that they can continue their conversation. The inside of the bus is alight with loud chatter. It's not only the first-years that are excited.

Just like that, time flies by and before they know it, Raimon's second team is arriving at Aoba High School.

The school itself is not much different from Raimon, with blue roofs and dark brown walls, their logo proudly displayed at the front gates. Tenma has some vague memories of this place from when he played against Aoba's junior high team once, though now they drive past that part of the terrain to get to the high school stadium. As they file out of the bus and gather in a messy group, they're welcomed by Aoba's assistant coach and shown to their changing room.

The air in the changing room is tense with excitement, but altogether light. There's no pressure on this match, just a friendly game between schools, and Tenma has to fight to not laugh at Maeyama nearly jumping out of his skin from nerves.

Pulling on the blue shirt is no longer odd, after a week of wearing it. It's nice to wear a uniform again.

Tenma finishes by slipping on his new sweatbands, not bothering to contain his smile as he adjusts them to his liking. The material is soft against his skin.

"Alright, guys!" Yuuichi calls for them all after they've all finished changing, and the team gathers around. "It's almost time for our first official match. Aoba is a strong opponent, but as long as you work together and do your best, I know we can win this. Keep the Raimon spirit alive and make me proud."

"Hai, coach!" the teens echo, fired up by his speech.

Yuuichi grins proudly, looking remarkably like Endou for a moment. He talks them through their strategy one last time before sending them off with the reminder to, "just have fun!"

And with that, the team files out into the hallway under Teruya's guidance, heading towards the corridor leading to the field.

Tenma, Shinji and Maeyama stick to the side a little, their chatter having died down now that the tension is beginning to run high. It's all oddly familiar to the brunet, like once again playing a long forgotten part in a musical he's slowly remembering the steps to.

This, with literal minutes until the start of the match, was always the moment he fell silent, previous nerves fading. The moment he tries to simply breathe, and focus, to center himself before all the chaos.

Shinji seems to be of the same mindset, carefully cleaning his glasses with his shirt, taking steady, deep breaths. When he puts them on again, he notices Tenma looking, and shoots him a quick smile that the brunet returns easily.

Aoba's team arrives only a few moments later. Their uniform is a deep blue, much darker than Raimon's, with one broad, vertical stripe in the middle that's colored a bright teal. Their shorts are blue as well, with matching socks a few shades lighter.

A girl with short, messy purple hair steps up to them when they approach. "Teruya-san," she greets, giving the teen in question a nod. Tenma spots a yellow captain band around her arm. "So we meet again."

"Hoshimi-san," Teruya returns the greeting. "Let's have a good match."

"Let's."

That's all they can say before the teams are urged to get ready, forming two lines behind their captains as they wait to be welcomed onto the field.

They are called a short minute later, and applause from the audience greets them as the two teams step outside.

The rain, thankfully, has cleared up, although the skies stay overcast. Tenma finds himself hoping it'll stay dry as the two lines march towards the center of the field.

He glances around as they line up. Aoba's stadium has dark wooden walls that match the rest of their school, and most of the tribune is filled with Aoba students, to no surprise. There's a smaller group clustered together, wearing familiar blue - Raimon supporters - that brings a smile to his lips. He wonders if his father is sitting there as well.

Tenma is pulled from his observations as the teams go through the standard procedures - the welcoming by the referee and officials, shaking hands, the coin toss to decide which team will start with the ball, which turns out to be Aoba.

Teruya signals to Raimon's second team to gather for a moment. "Alright, everyone," he says when they're all in earshot. "We've trained for this, and I know you'll all do your best. Let's give it our best shot and play a good match!"

"Hai!"

They disperse, most of them moving to their position while the rest join Yuuichi on the sidelines. Maeyama gives Shinji and Tenma a thumbs-up before jogging off to the bench, while the two midfielders wish each other good luck and separate to take their positions on either side of the field.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to one of the first games of the season! I'm your commentator for this match, Takamitsu Takuma!" the commentator's voice echoes around the field as both teams get into position. It's not someone Tenma is familiar with, but he has the infectious excitement that commentators seem to universally share. Literally. Tenma would know, he's been to space. "Aoba High versus Raimon High! Last year was Raimon's win, will they manage to defend their title this time?"

Then there's the sound of the whistle signaling the start of the match.

Aoba kicks off - their captain is one of their forwards, Tenma notes - and just like that, the game begins.

For the first few minutes, both teams are only testing the waters, passing the ball between themselves until at some point it's intercepted by the opponent again.

Tenma finds himself a bit out of his comfort zone, if he's honest. He's far too used to the fast-paced games that go all or nothing from the very first second, but apparently that's not the case when... well, when not having to save the earth from aliens or whatever.

You know what, on second thought, it makes sense.

"Kaze-kun!"

Tenma reacts automatically, plucking the ball out of the air with practiced ease and beginning a sprint towards Aoba's half. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see one of his teammates keeping pace with him, but he's distracted by one of Aoba's midfielders coming to intercept him.

He slows his run, letting the other player come to him and waiting until the very last moment. Then he sharply twists out of the way, to him a maneuver as easy as breathing, and in the same move passes the ball to his closest teammate, Iwasaki. "Senpai!"

"Nice one!"

And so the match continues. The ball gets passed to Tenma a few more times, but it's not until almost fifteen minutes into the game before the first real attempt at scoring is made.

Raimon breaks through their opponent's defense with some beautiful teamplay from Yamaki and Fukui. "Iwasaki!" Yamaki shouts, passing the ball to the other Raimon forward.

Iwasaki barely pauses in his stride as he plucks the ball out of the air, heading straight for the goal. "Canine Crusher!" a gaping maw of fangs snaps open behind the ball when Iwasaki shoots it.

"Dreamsand!" Aoba's keeper tries to use his own hissatsu to stop it, but the fangs suddenly bite down around it, and it shatters into dozens of tiny shards.

"Goal! Raimon's Iwasaki defends his title as ace and takes the first point!"

Raimon's second team gathers around their forward to congratulate him. Tenma stays a bit on the edge of the group, almost automatically joining Shinji there, both of them not quite familiar enough yet with the older players on the team to push to the middle of their short celebration.

"Well done, Iwasaki!" Teruya tells the forward, nodding approvingly. "Everyone, keep it up! Shinji-kun, Kaze-kun, are you two holding up alright?"

Tenma's not surprised at the question - he and Shinji are the only first-years playing right now, so it's to be expected that their captain will check up on them a bit more, especially in their first official game. Yuuichi said he'd switch in some of the others later too, if he saw an opportunity, but for now he wants a steady start to the match.

"Hai!" they respond in sync, although Shinji adds a captain.

Tenma doubts that he can ever call anyone captain again. Not after being in charge of so many teams himself.

"Great," Teruya smiles warmly at them, and then tells the team in general, "alright everyone, back in position. Let's make the most of this point!"

~'0'~

"You guys were so awesome!"

Shinji and Tenma are almost instantly bombarded by their ashen blond teammate, Maeyama nearly vibrating out of his skin as he impatiently waits for them to reach the bench.

Shinji laughs softly. "Thank you, Maeyama-san. But we really didn't do much."

It's true, but Maeyama doesn't seem to care. "You were still awesome! You kept up with the senpai so easily, I- oh! You must be thirsty! Here." He offers each of them bottles of water that he's clearly held onto.

"Sankyuu," Tenma says, taking it gratefully and chugging about a quarter of it. This is not the most intense match he's been in, far from it, but it's still a workout. He's out of shape, it seems, and once more resolves to brush up on his stamina and basic skills.

The three of them chat for a while, with not much else to do during the break unless Yuuichi or Teruya call for them. Maeyama is as easily excitable as always while Shinji is really starting to come out of his shell, and it makes Tenma smile. He's missed being part of a team.

Speaking of, it seems their conversation is about to come to an end because Yamaki is skipping over to them. "Hello kids!" she says cheerfully, leaning over them where they're seated on the grass. "How are you enjoying yourself so far?''

Tenma grins back at her, twisting one of his sweatbands around his wrist as he answers her. "We're having fun, right, Shinji?"

"Ah, hai!"

Yamaki settles down cross-legged next to them. "Good to hear! You're not so bad, for a bunch of newbies."

Tenma's not sure what possesses him, but he snarks back immediately. "And you're not too bad for an old grandma."

As Shinji and Maeyama gape at him, Yamaki throws her head back and laughs. "Oi! Don't be rude, brat!"

"Just following your example, senpai," the brunet smiles innocently. There's a few chuckles from nearby teammates, and Tenma's grin grows too.

Yamaki shakes her head, still chuckling. "Hai, hai, I deserved that one," she allows, and settles more comfortably. She draws the three first-years into a conversation easily enough after the teasing, even Shinji, and Tenma finds himself leaning back on his hands as he glances at the scoreboard.

The score is 1-1 now, Aoba having managed to score just before the end of the first half. So far the two teams have been evenly matched, but Tenma has a feeling it won't stay that way.

It's a few minutes before the second half will begin, when Yuuichi predictably asks for the team's attention.

"Good job so far, guys," he begins. "We'll be switching up the formation a bit, I want to see how that goes. Fukui-kun," the girl straightens when she's addressed, "you'll be playing as forward, alright?"

"Hai, coach!"

Yuuichi casts a considering glance at the bench, and specifically the extra players. They've got five substitutes in total, including one keeper and three first-years.

There's an undercurrent of curiosity as the team waits for their coach to come to a decision. Tenma, noticing Maeyama fidgeting with the grass a bit, places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. When the ashen blond looks at him in surprise, he shoots him an encouraging smile.

"Alright," Yuuichi says after a moment of thought. "Anami-kun, you'll be replacing Senda-kun," the two girls nod, Senda shooting the younger girl a thumbs-up, "and Maeyama-kun, you'll be replacing Hatsuharu. That's it for now!"

"Hai, coach!"

Yuuichi dismisses them then, with a reminder to make the most of the little time left in the break. Immediately, Tenma raises a hand for Maeyama to high-five. "You're in!" he cheers.

Maeyama seems a little stunned, but it's not long before a wide smile breaks out on his face. He's clearly nervous, but it's mostly drowned out by his excitement.

"You'll do great, Maeyama-san," Shinji tells him warmly, and the ashen blond relaxes visibly, ducking his head.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely," Tenma agrees, and means it. Maeyama is a good player, fast, with razor sharp reflexes. He could name several people the ashen blond reminds him of, but firmly decides to stay away from that train of thought.

Not long after, the two teams head back towards the field. "Raimon has switched in two new players! First-years Anami and Maeyama will be making their debut!" the commentator announces as the players take their positions. "Aoba has switched in Watanabe as their forward! How will this change their momentum?"

Tenma looks over his shoulder at Maeyama a little ways away, grinning at the blond and shooting him a thumbs-up. Then he glances to the side, catching sight of Shinji's bright hair on the other side of the field.

They'll be fine, he has no doubt about that.

A whistle rings out and Yamaki kicks off, Iwasaki taking the ball and immediately heading onto the enemy half. Aoba is ready for them, but Iwasaki twists out of the way and passes the ball back.

Tenma is closest, easily accepting the pass and continuing in a sprint. One of Aoba's midfielders tries to meet him halfway but the brunet twists around him easily, clamping down on the instinctive urge to use Soyokaze Step. He doesn't need it to get around his opponent.

The brunet sprints, but the Aoba midfielder is catching up with him. Tenma isn't worried, though. He might not be fast enough to outrun him, but there's one teammate who has proven herself infinitely faster.

"Fukui-senpai!"

The blue-haired girl flies as she takes the ball, weaving a path through Aoba's defense.

''Wave Wall!'' Fukui reels back as water rises in front of her, blocking her path, and she falls back. One of Aoba's defenders - the one who used the hissatsu - grins as he sprints towards the ball, but someone else gets there first.

Yamaki has kept pace with Fukui and intercepts the ball before Aoba can get it, winking at the defender as she slips around him. ''I'll be taking that!'' the Raimon forward says cheerfully, getting real close to the goal now.

She passes to Iwasaki, dodges around another defender, and steals the ball out of the air as Iwasaki passes it back. The blonde kicks the ball up behind her with the back of her heel, twisting around with a leg swept out. Deep brown energy follows the movement, and Tenma could swear he smells... coffee?

''Espresso Shot!'' Yamaki finishes her twist and kicks the ball with the back of her heel again, the dark liquid - it is coffee - trailing in the wake of the ball as it flies towards the goal.

''Dreamsand!''

Golden sand swirls around the goal and for several tense moments, the ball spins harshly against it. Then, inevitably, it slows down, the sand disappearing as quickly as it came, and the keeper is left holding the ball to his chest.

''Raimon's second attempt to score is blocked by Kanzaki!''

The girl pouts. ''Aw, dangit!''

Fukui pauses next to her to squeeze her shoulder, giving her a supportive smile. ''You'll get it next time, Yamaki-san,'' she promises her and the blonde nods surly, holding the expression for a second before it cracks and shows her amused grin underneath. The two forwards return to their positions.

The game settles into a steady rhythm like that, neither team gaining the upper hand or any real opportunities to score. Aoba's defense is surprisingly tough, whereas Raimon's forwards are like a well-oiled machine backed up by their midfielders whenever necessary. Tenma doesn't touch the ball much, sticking to his side of the field and only passing to the players closest to him - Iwasaki and Anami - once or twice.

The time for the first-years to shine does, eventually, arrive. It's nearing the end of the second half that Aoba gains control of the ball long enough to get through Raimon's first defense, making for the goal. Anami shows off her dribbling during her daring attempt at stopping the Aoba forward, but ultimately he manages to break past her by passing to his captain.

''Defense!'' Teruya calls immediately, quickly picking up on the risky situation that's forming as Hoshimi, Aoba's captain, sprints over the field.

It's unclear who's the most surprised when, out of all of Raimon's defenders, Maeyama is the one to confront her. He arrives out of nowhere, coming in from the side and slipping the ball away from Hoshimi when the captain startles at the sudden appearance of the defender, evidently not having spotted him either. The boy is quick on his feet, with the agility to match, and with a perfectly executed twist he's broken past Aoba's forward and sprinting back towards the other side of the field.

''Captain!'' the ball gets passed to Teruya, then to Ninomiya, who is forced to a halt when Hoshimi catches up with her and slides in front of her. The Raimon midfielder barely breaks a sweat as she's suddenly intercepted, instead twisting sharply and passing the ball to the right. ''Sawaki!''

Shinji, with an ease that stems from experience, plucks the ball out of the air and is instantly faced with two of Aoba's midfielders, cut off from the nearest Raimon players. The redhead doesn't move even as they near him, and despite the odds against him, doesn't seem particularly worried.

It starts to make sense when he calmly steps back, the world around him - and the two Aoba players - darkening rapidly until the shadows seem to swallow him up. ''What the hell?'' one of the midfielders exclaims, as they both look around wildly. ''Where'd he go?''

''There!'' the other one shouts, seeing a flash of blue to the side, but just as he's approaching there's another silhouette right in front of him. ''Whoa!'' he startles so badly he trips, landing on his knees and whipping his head around wildly.

Multiple shadowy figures are popping up and fading just as quickly around them, never quite taking shape and confusing both midfielders until the other one ends up losing her balance as well. Now with both of them on the ground, the darkness that surrounded them lets up as quickly as it came and Shinji calmly steps past the two downed midfielders, a tiny smirk playing at his lips. ''Hall of Mirrors.''

Once he's left his two opponents in the dust, Shinji begins sprinting again, soon after passing the ball to Yamaki. There's not much time left now and the blonde forward doesn't waste any moment, narrowing in on the goal.

Fukui catches up with her, the two girls keeping pace as they break through Aoba's defense together. As they near the goal, Yamaki kicks the ball in between them and they both head for it, crossing each other, blue trailing each of them. ''Crossline!'' they twist and kick the ball simultaneously, and it goes flying towards the goal.

Golden sand swirls around the goal and for several tense moments, blue shines brightly through it. The light seems to die down after another second, before suddenly flaring up and-

''GOAL! Raimon pulls ahead!''

~'0'~

In the end, the match is Raimon's victory with the final score staying at 2-1. Aoba gave it their best shot to try and even the score again, but didn't manage to get another goal in the handful of minutes that were left.

When the three whistles ring out, Tenma exhales deeply, and just takes a moment to breathe.

It's always so sudden, the switch between the heat of the match and the end signal. Just three little whistles and it's all over, all done, and Tenma is left with the sting of adrenaline beneath his skin, his chest heaving as he tries to quell the burn in his lungs, the slow acknowledgement of the sweat - uncomfortably - covering him.

''Kaze-san!''

The call takes a second to register, to recognize the name and realize it's meant for him, and when Tenma glances up Maeyama is already bouncing to his side. The brunet offers him a happy grin, one that the ashen blond returns tenfold. ''We won!''

''We won,'' Tenma laughs in agreement, glancing at the scoreboard and feeling himself brightening even more at the 2-1 proudly displayed on the screen.

Before they can say anything else, they're joined by Shinji, who must've jogged over to them from the other side of the field. The redhead beams at them with the same delight they feel as he offers both of them high fives. ''Good match!'' he tells them.

''You too!'' Tenma returns, unable and unwilling to fight off his smile. And why should he, anyway? They just won their first match! Nearby their teammates are gathering into small groups to congratulate each other and celebrate, the thrill of winning their first match as a team rubbing off on all of them. It's a good feeling.

By now, Maeyama has flittered to Shinji's side as he rambles about the redhead's performance. ''What was that hissatsu? It was so awesome! How does it work? I didn't even really see what was happening!''

Tenma hadn't, either, but he expects that that was the point. Shinji played for Genei Academy, after all, and that team always has an extra trick up their sleeve, whether it's impossibly disappearing shots or a confusing strategy. He's proven right when the redhead flushes and ducks his head in the face of their teammate's puppy-like excitement, but still manages a teasing, ''Now that would be telling.''

Seeing the ashen blond pout at that answer, Tenma decides to save Shinji - who seems to be getting redder by the minute - and distract their teammate. ''You did really well too!'' he tells Maeyama honestly. The teen hadn't really had a lot of chances during this match, but the way he'd cut off Aoba's captain had been pretty impressive, and he tells him as much.

Now it's Maeyama's turn to duck his head. ''You... you think so? I didn't do much. Maybe if I manage to create a hissatsu technique of my own, I could've done more...''

''Cheer up, kid, you did great for our first match.''

The three first-years are startled by the sudden interruption of Yamaki, the blonde girl grinning at them with her arm slung over Teruya's shoulder. The captain seems resigned to his fate as her unwilling arm support and merely nods along, smiling at them. ''All four of you did well,'' he tells them, glancing at where Anami, the other first-year in the match, is standing with Fukui, Senda and Ninomiya. ''You should be proud of yourselves.''

Agreements come from the rest of the team, now all gathered nearby one another. Teruya visibly straightens as he addresses all of them, and Tenma is oddly reminded of himself.

He shakes his head to get rid of the thought, tuning in again in time to hear their captain congratulate their efforts and their victory, and then announce, ''And now it's time for a team photo!''

To be continued...

~'0'~

~'0'~

First of all, I'd like to give a A HUGE thank you to @smallish-stuff on tumblr (go check it out!) for the art, it's absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for drawing this!

A bit of a lighter chapter, also to show that Tenma is figuring out his life at Raimon despite all the heavy stuff that also surround it. In a way it could be a bit of a slice of life story so far, I think? This chapter also gave me the opportunity to introduce some members of Tenma's new team a bit more!

Anyway, next chapter we'll get back to the angst, promise. No idea when it will be out though!

Thank you for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed it!

- Yara