Archive of Our Own

Falling. I fall until my knees hit the ground, but I can't feel them. I can barely even sense the grass of the pitch stabbing my legs like small spikes. The scoreboard my eyes won't stop staring at makes sure its image stays engrained in my mind: three to two for Raimon. It won't let me forget today's defeat. I... what? I lost? Me, bested by that traitor?

Again?

"Who is that guy?" 

A heavy hand falls onto my shoulder as Shinoyama's raspy laugh echoes in the practice hall. One of many in God Eden. 

"Keen-eyed Isozaki didn't catch his name? Aren't you smarter than that?"

My glare suffices to shut him up, and I turn to Mitsuyoshi. I can trust pink buns to give me an actual answer. That is, if he payed attention to the question in the first place.

"That's a new guy," he says with his slow and monotone voice, apparently testing my patience because why would I ask if he wasn't new. "His name is Tsurugi."

Tsurugi huh? I peek at his training for a second. Strong and precise shoots, has already destroyed a target mannequin and caught the eye of the higher-ups. Even white dragon boy – who thinks of himself so highly he systematically refuses to talk to anybody he deems unworthy of his attention – seems curious about him. I don't get it. How can that spiky head – is that makeup? gay – newbie receive so much positive attention?

I gesture at my subordinates – I mean friends – to come with me as I approach the new guy.

"That's all you've got? What a sad shoot." 

"Not at sad as your whole being," he takes his amber eyes off the target and looks straight at me. "Trying to impress me with your two domesticated dogs? Pathetic."

"Heh." Obviously I don't back down. "You're too scared to shoot when stronger people are watching? Talk about pathetic."

"You sure do bark a lot for someone who has nothing to show."

He focuses on the mannequin again. Really? He says that and won't even pick a fight? Hmph. Afraid of getting his ass handed to him, I see.

I glance back at Mitsuyoshi and we exchange a knowing smile. He knows exactly what I'm asking of him. Sure, he has peculiar mannerisms and not much of a personality, but he understands me well. And most of all, he's good at carrying out my orders without question. He places his ball on the floor, and with a chuckle... his expression goes from amused to concerned as he looks at his target behind me. Can't he just shoot the guy already?

"Get the fuck back!" 

What the hell, Shinoyama? I turn to look at cabbage head and the new guy. But instead of them is a blue light spiraling up toward the ceiling, pushing me away like a tornado.

And then, the dark.

Next thing I know, my face is on the floor, my heart beats like crazy against the cold pavement, and my brain seems like it's going to drill itself out of my skull. How the fuck did I end up like this? 

Voices echo around me. Voices I can barely hear through the ruckus in my head.

"... Keshin... Tsurugi..."

What? Who? That new emo guy? They're joking right. He can't already have summoned a keshin. That's impossible. I've been here for a year and the others for even longer and only one of us has a keshin. And it's not me. I'm not even close. So for him – a newcomer – to produce one on his first day? What the fuck. He can't be better than us! Than me... Goddammit!

A hand touches my shoulder. 

"What are you, dead?"

"Leave me the fuck alone!" 

My knees leave the ground as I get up in a flash and one of them finds its way into a navy blue t-shirt. A scream. Whose? Doesn't matter. My right foot hits the floor almost at the same time as Mitsuyoshi's body. Mitsuyoshi? What's he doing on the... Ah, shit. 

"Well," I say as he clutches his stomach in pain. "You did deserve it."

"I... I just..."

"You should know not to talk to me when I'm pissed."

"Yeah... I guess..."

The rest of the team gathers all around him. From above he really just looks like a sad little bug that could easily get squashed by the weakest human being. Which already happened, when that boy from the other team rammed into him like a train. Pathetic. Oh, did I maybe hit the same spot?

Our coach isn't saying a word, so I guess he won't be calling the hospital just because one guy can't get his legs to stand the fuck up. Well, I suppose we can't leave him there. So I extend my hand.

"Can you get up by yourself or are you really that useless?" 

"Ha ha." He doesn't take my hand – good choice – and slowly stands up as he rubs his teary eyes. "See? I'm... I..." 

"Mitsuyoshi, go home."

He looks up at the trainer with a relieved but also concerned look. Mostly concerned. For good reason. Our coach never instructs people to go home directly after a match. Either you stay for the debriefing or you leave forever because you fucked up during the game and no one wants you here. If you have the gall to stay despite your mistakes, you'll get bullied until you leave by your own volition or jump off a bridge. In any case, you're not on the team anymore.

And Mitsuyoshi fucked up big time today, when he let himself get stopped twice by different defenders. Seriously, that's our ace striker? I expected better from him. We all did. 

He eventually leaves the pitch without saying a word, slowly walking toward the stadium exit like an old lady who would need a cane but insists on wearing impractical high heels instead. Well I guess it's not voluntary on his part.

Shit, I hope he can continue playing with us. I don't know what I'd become if a SEED who doesn't respect me replaces him.

"Isozaki, I'll need you to stay after the recap."

"So captain, what did Coach tell you yesterday?" Shinoyama stabs the lemon slice in his drink with a straw. What the hell man, that's not how you drink a soda.

"I'll tell you when Mitsuyoshi's here. Don't want to repeat myself." 

I should've gotten something to munch on too, or at least I should've taken my soccer ball. This garden lacks pigeons to kick and I'm bored. Sure I'm used to that other idiot being late, but I've always had something to play with while I waited. Like, a ball or a bottle to flip. There are some kids running around but you'd find me dead in a ditch before you see me playing with little shits like those. Instead I have to resort to plucking random leaves from some flower bush and reducing them to powder. What if I did the same with Shinoyama's leafy green hair? Would it disintegrate too? Yeah I can't do that.

Mitsuyoshi finally arrives, wearing a black cardigan and a long skirt. He has his hair down for once. And no reason to be this late.

"Hey Mitsuyoshi, cool new dress." Shinoyama goes ahead to greet him and offer him his drink – offer that gets rejected by a swift slap on the arm. He doesn't back down. "First time I see you without your buns by the way."

"Yeah my body still hurts like hell so..." Mitsuyoshi sighs as he plucks a pink flower from an arrangement next to him, and his gaze meets mine. "But anyway, you wanted to see me?"

"Just to transfer a message from our coach. Basically if you want to go to the hospital, you're on your own to pay the fees."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Fine by me."

"Your mum wouldn't say the same."

Short silence only interrupted by the kids shouting around us. I would've made them shut up by now had I taken my ball. I can't read Mitsuyoshi's reaction – if he even reacted at all. His facial expression is as neutral as can be. Not even a hint of pain, as if all of yesterday's injuries didn't affect him. Only his slightly hunched posture and the way he holds his right arm remind us that he's not alright.

"I don't plan on going to the hospital anyway."

Shinoyama opens his mouth but I interrupt him before he can even say a word.

"You'd better. We can't have you playing on our team if you can't even stand straight. Coach said that he wouldn't allow any more mistakes on your part."

"Lucky you," Shinoyama comments. "First time he gives a second chance to someone."

"You too, Shinoyama." I pause to let my three words sit for a bit. "And you fucked up even worse than Mitsuyoshi if I'm being honest. So, you two, if you don't want to get kicked out, don't slack off and play like your life depends on it. Oh wait, it's already the case."

Both their expressions turn gloomy. Shinoyama stops sipping on his straw and looks at his green drink as if it was a ball that he'd failed to catch; Mitsuyoshi's grip on the flower tightens. I mean, if my family's only source of income depended on me and whether I play soccer properly, I probably wouldn't be happy to hear this either. Well, my parents aren't stupid enough to go broke anytime soon so it's not like the statement applies to me too. But if these two get the sack, it would suck for me because no other SEEDs are that loyal to me. And I need these guys so my team stays convinced that I'm the leader they need. Because if they learn from another that I don't have a keshin... Man I gotta stop these stupid thoughts from getting to me.

"Anyway yeah, get well soon."

Mitsuyoshi's face lights up as I say that.

"Aw, so you do care about me. Thanks!"

Yeah yeah, no need to jump up and down like a kid at Christmas just because I was nice to you. Pfft. I wouldn't give a flying fuck about him if he wasn't that good a striker. Seriously, why are all keshin users...

"So Isozaki-kun..." Mitsuyoshi's calm voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "You said that we'd go to the movies after the match, remember?"

"Only if we won."

"You didn't say that."

"Because I didn't expect you two to fuck up this bad. What, you really want to go? Beg."

"Hahaha." He rips the flower to shreds and turns to pick another. "Fuck you."

I poke him in the ribs. Gently of course; he was being sarcastic and I know that well. We're just messing with eachother, as always. Still, he recoils, his smile gone from his face. Weak.

And what's this annoying noise of somebody sipping on his straw, trying to get the last drops of his drink? Fucking Shinoyama.

"That was a dick move if you want him to heal," he says without a care in the world. "But you do you, I can't stop assholes."

"You can't even stop Raimon's shoots so of course you won't stop me."

He rolls his visible eye and goes to throw his now empty plastic glass in the bin, while the other is busy undoing his old cardigan to check the bandages on his shoulder. These two guys' fashion sense really leaves a lot to be desired; one dresses like a girl and the other's cabbage hair doesn't need an explanation as to why it looks stupid. What the fuck did I do to be surrounded by weirdos. Well at least they're almost as good as me at beating up losers.

"Yo Mitsuyoshi." Shinoyama walks back towards us. "Still want to go see a movie? I can bring you."

"No way. I'd rather rob a bank and go alone."

"Good luck then," I say before turning my back to them. 

Because I won't spend any more time with these two today. And I sure won't answer their pleas for me to stay. Mitsuyoshi should just go with Shinoyama for fuck's sake, instead of messing up my training plans. Seriously, who's the genius who came up with the idea? Going to the movies, pfft. Stupid. Anyway, I need to find a way to get a keshin too.

"Isozaki." 

Coach waits for the rest of the team to leave the pitch; only I and him and the ball remain. So, what does he want to tell me? Maybe he wants to know my opinion about whether we should kick out Mitsuyoshi and Shinoyama for their poor performance in today's match. In which case I will obviously tell him that we need to give them a second chance, that they deserve it etc. etc. Anything to please Fifth Sector if that means I can keep my trusted teammates.

"Today, Isozaki, you failed at your role as Mannouzaka's captain."

Ugh. My head. These memories from a week ago. Let them burn in hell. I stand up again. The dark fog comes back before my eyes; it only left me enough time to read the hour on the stadium's clock. 10 pm. Did I just keep falling and falling and failing since I started training this morning? I've been trying non stop for a week now. And failing. Every single time. Why? How is it that much harder for me to get a keshin than it was for the two others? How am I supposed to prove my worth if I can't achieve that? How am I supposed to convince Fifth Sector to keep me as the leader of my team?

"I may have to demote you from your position."

"What?" My glare meets Coach's cold look. "My team needs me."

"It needs somebody like you," he says with an emphasis on 'like'. "Do you know why you were appointed as captain?"

I didn't want to look back at those days in God Eden, but it might just be the only way I can figure this out. How they all managed to summon a keshin.

I've known Mitsuyoshi and Shinoyama since the beginning. I don't know how the two of them met – they arrived way before I did – but I quickly became the leader of the trio. Even so, I've always been the one behind as per Fifth Sector's standards.

Mitsuyoshi somehow already had a semblance of a keshin so it wasn't that hard to summon. I mean, I saw him struggle, but he already had talent and probably also a shit ton of luck. I don't have any of that. 

Shinoyama's keshin took some time to appear though. He fainted and puked a lot; it wasn't pretty. Even now it physically disgusts me to see him all sweaty and panting when he overuses his keshin like the other day. I refuse to humiliate myself in front of others like that.

Tsurugi is the only other SEED with a keshin whom I spent more than two minutes with. After that one time his proto-avatar – which hadn't formed into a concrete keshin yet – pushed me onto the ground like a loser, I payed more attention to him as well. I even went as far as to apologise for the intimidation attempt. Anything to get closer to a keshin user. And even though being nice to him might have helped me in getting noticed by Fifth Sector, it didn't do shit for my soccer skills. Like Mitsuyoshi, that guy already had "potential" when he arrived at the training facility.

I wasn't weak – I know it, my shoots were and still are almost as strong as those of spiky head – yet I lacked that same "potential", whatever that is. And I still lack it to this day. How can I be considered strong according to these stupid standards?

"Well, I'm Mannouzaka's captain because I have talent."

"Wrong. Because you can follow orders, and you do that well."

Ex-fucking-scuse me? What about my strength, my speed, my strategising skills? My first impulse would have been to shout at this pathetic excuse of a coach, but something stops me from doing just that. Goddammit. Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm just a submissive loser whose only purpose is to show the others how to obey the higher-ups. A replaceable loser. 

Taste of iron in my mouth. Grass digging into my arms and legs. It stings. Everything fucking stings. Why am I even trying to prove myself to these people? These people who just treat me like a dog. Now a dysfunctional dog to whom they're reluctant to give a second chance. 

All the street lamps that surround the pitch seem to look at me with the same judgemental stare. "You useless thing," they say to me, repeating what Coach's eyes clearly wanted to communicate. "You're not better than any other SEED who could replace you."

The ball crashes into a dark post; the bright light above it starts to flicker before dying out. I don't feel any better. Like the time I kicked Mitsuyoshi in the gut, I haven't gained any satisfaction nor relief.

With a sigh, I look up at the night sky. From down here, on Mannouzaka's soccer pitch, the dark blue rectangle formed by the four walls that surround me seems so small. There aren't any stars. And if there are, so many more lampposts still stand around me, obstructing the view with their blinding light. I feel trapped. Trapped by my weaknesses, by my ambitions, by Fifth Sector. 

I want to destroy them all. 

I want to finally be free.

"Hey. Isozaki calling." I speed through the street toward the school grounds. Finally the call went through to Shinoyama. "Is Mitsuyoshi with you?"

"Uh, no? Why?"

"Need to talk, what the hell do you mean he's not training with you?"

"That's not gonna be possible." He lets out a long and annoying yawn I can't fucking do anything about. Couldn't he keep it in until after the explanation? "I heard Mitsuyoshi's gone home. He fucked up his shoulder real bad yesterday and apparently today he fainted in math, so yeah."

"Shit."

Now what am I going to do, only tell Shinoyama? Or should I just stop at the crossroad and head back home? No use taking a decision without our three SEEDs, especially if one of us doesn't want to go against Fifth Sector. The one who's most likely to reject the idea would be Mitsuyoshi – for money reasons – and he's out of fucking commission right now.

"So what did you want to tell us?"

"Can't say it over the ph— Jesus fucking Christ watch your step!"

At least I managed to catch my phone before it fell on the concrete – I've always been the one with the better reflexes on my team – but I did click on a button that ended our call with Shinoyama. Fuck. Oh well I couldn't really say much more anyway. 

"Oh I'm sorry, I hope it wasn't too important."

I turn my phone off – no need to stay on the screen that screams "call ended" –, and I look toward the fucker that crashed into me. That redhead who wears a white headband and a calm expression 24/7. The captain of Tengawara. He should be glad our conversation wasn't important.

"Why are you here?" I ask without answering his question. It didn't need an answer in the first place. "Isn't it training time for you?"

"Well, what about you? I heard Mannouzaka practices every day."

I stop for a second. I'm pretty good at playing pretend, but lying on the spot always has been Mitsuyoshi's forte, not mine. Still, I have to come up with something. Not that this Kita can denounce me to Fifth Sector – he's not even a SEED – but I'd prefer if he doesn't suspect anything.

"I forgot something at home. I was just going back to school. Until you got in my way."

"Sorry but what did you forget? You're not carrying anything, except your phone."

What? Man, what a bother.

"Sorry but you're being intrusive as fuck," I reply, resisting the urge to shove him aside and continue walking.

He doesn't react. Instead, he keeps looking at me so intensly I suspect he might not have heard my answer. What the fuck is he looking at? I would know if I had an insect on my face. 

"Isozaki Kenma. You're a SEED, right?" he finally asks.

What a stupid question. Of course I am. I didn't go through all that stupid training for nothing. But... Am I still a SEED if I go against Fifth Sector? In any case it's none of his business.

"Yeah, I am. Obviously."

"If it's that obvious, why did you hesitate? Are you maybe having second thoughts about obeying Fifth Sector?"

Are you fucking kidding me? How can this guy I've talked to for less than five minutes in my whole life read my thoughts so well? No, he didn't read my thoughts, duh. He just asked the right question and got the answer that allowed him to guess correctly. But why would he even want to know what I think of Fifth Sector? Now it's my turn to stare into his emotionless green eyes. He doesn't really seem malicious. Again, he's not a SEED, so there's no need to feel threatened by him. Still I try to answer carefully.

"Maybe."

"Me too. Actually, my team is on board as well. We'll be following Raimon in the rebellion to win back real soccer."

Yeah, no, what I'm trying to achieve isn't that ambitious. I just want to be free of these stupid rules that dictate who's the strongest. To be free of orders. Wait. Is that what this "real soccer" thing is about? So that's how Raimon plays huh.

"... Same," I end up saying. "But I have to talk to my team about it."

"Do your SEEDs know yet?"

"No. They don't. I'm waiting for Mitsuyoshi to come back to life."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I hope he gets better soon. And I hope you can convince your friends that what you're doing is right. Good to know you're on our side too though." He pulls out a slip of paper and a pen. "Here's my phone number. So you can tell me how it went."

Yeah yeah. I eventually take his small note and say goodbye. Maybe we'll bump into eachother again, maybe not. I don't really care, as long as we don't end up in some kind of rehab facility for angsty teens if this rebellion thing fails.

A red dot lights up on my phone: new message from Shinoyama. Today's training has ended and he's now heading to the garden Mitsuyoshi likes to spend his time in because of the pretty flowers. Well, I guess I should just go tell him there, and pink buns will learn about it another time.

When I finally arrive at the park, I directly cross the lawn toward our usual meeting spot. Being closer to here than Shinoyama, I expected our secret place behind the flower bushes to be empty when I arrived. I didn't think there would already be somebody there, laying in the grass with a soccer ball next to him. A bunch of fallen leaves stuck in his long dark pink hair – or whatever that colour is. As he hears my footsteps approaching, Mitsuyoshi opens his eyes and looks at me, his startled expression rapidly fading as he recognises me.

"You were looking for me?" he asks with the voice of someone who's just woken up.

"No, I was planning on meeting Shinoyama. But if you're here, it's even better."

"Oh..." He yawns and sits up. "You do like my presence huh?"

"Nuh-uh, it just saves me the trouble of repeating myself twice. Also you're annoying as fuck."

"Thanks, what a compliment." He reaches for his soccer ball. "So, we wait?"

Yeah duh. Anyway, I guess I'll just sit down as well and wait for cabbage head to arrive. Mitsuyoshi sends the ball my way and I catch it easily. What the fuck. We're not kids learning how to throw balls. That's not even how you use a soccer ball. I'm about to send it back spinning right into his head, but Shinoyama arrives just at the right time.

"Yo guys. Wait, Mitsuyoshi?"

"Yeah, I'm here too."

"Why? I thought you were at home."

Shinoyama approaches with a concerned look and sits right next to pink no-buns-today-either.

"Yeah, well, I..." Mitsuyoshi starts speaking but I interrupt him by throwing the ball, which he catches with ease as well, although he pulls a weird face afterwards and drops the ball before holding his shoulder. The one he messed up yesterday I'm guessing.

"You can explain later, I have to tell you two something."

"I'd rather listen to him, I'm kinda sick of your voice man."

What. Shinoyama's dumbass comment is met with a semblance of a smile on Mitsuyoshi's face. At least he's too busy being in pain because of his arm to actually sneer at me. Still I glare at the both of them but of course they don't give a damn.

"Seriously guys, I don't think we can continue blindly following Fifth Sector's orders."

Their amused smiles turn upside down at once. The air seems to have gotten colder all of a sudden. A leaf falls from Mitsuyoshi's hair down onto the ground.

"You can say that because your parents have good jobs," Shinoyama says. First time I hear him speaking with a serious tone. "Me and him, we gotta continue even if you don't want to. And anyways, is your brain damaged or what? You're the one who's constantly telling everyone to follow the rules and shit."

"Maybe, but look where it got us: we're all about to get sacked."

"We?" Mitsuyoshi asks. "You too?"

Shit, I didn't mean to reveal this detail to them. And I can't pretend that they didn't hear me now can I. Fuck it, I'll tell them.

"Yeah, me too. I've been training alone to get better and eventually prove that I can still be your captain but... then I realised that maybe we could just live in a world where we don't need to prove anything to anyone, and just play soccer without people ordering us around and testing us like Guinea pigs."

Silence. The two look at me with frowns on their faces. Did I sound like a loser? Huh. Awkward. 

"Also I'm sure there are other soccer associations that would be happy to pay you and who would treat you better than Fifth Sector. These fuckers don't give a shit about us."

Shinoyama looks away. I hope he's thinking about the pros and cons, and realising that the pros outweigh the cons. Mitsuyoshi sighs. 

"That's what my mum told me. She hates that I keep going back to soccer instead of taking a break to heal or whatever, even though it's literally what allows us to eat every day. Pissed me off so bad today I had to come here to avoid being sent to the hospital."

"I swear it's gonna kill you some day," I say. "Do you really want to die?"

He clenches his fists. He probably didn't plan on me taking his mum's side, but it's a good opportunity to convince him to defect too.

"I don't."

"Yeah, Mitsuyoshi, maybe you should stop overdoing it..." Shinoyama adds. Oh now he's on my side? Nice. "Look, you couldn't even make it to school this afternoon."

"I know..."

"Listen," I say as I grab Mitsuyoshi by the wrists, where I know he probably hasn't been injured. "You're not the only one who's broke. Once Fifth Sector gets torn down, plenty of other guys will lose their source of income. So I'm sure the guys who'll replace Fifth Sector will have a plan to compensate everyone here." Despite my insistence, Mitsuyoshi still won't look me in the eyes. I don't get why he's being so pessimistic. My reasoning made plenty of fucking sense. "OK, can I convince you by saying that if you don't end up getting any compensation, then I could personally help you?"

He smiles.

"Maybe... Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks!" 

Fuck. I'm sure he was waiting for me to say something like that, just look at that grin. What did I get myself into. Well at least, I guess Mitsuyoshi's on my side now. Thanks mum and dad for having some spare cash, I guess.

"OK, then I'll have to stop following Fifth Sector too, if that's what you two are doing." Shinoyama shrugs. "It's fine, I can get a part-time job or something."

Great idea. Now I'll only have to potentially help one spoiled brat. The worst of the two. I don't even think I could afford to help both anyway.

"Awesome," I say. "Thanks guys."

They both smile back.

"I kinda want to play real soccer too anyways." Shinoyama punches his fists. "It's so fucking boring being a goalkeeper when the score's already decided."

"I'm bored too you know," Mitsuyoshi adds while making his ball spin on one finger. "If I could play however I wanted I'd score ten times every match and gift our opposing goalkeepers a two-month stay at the hospital."

"Yeah, just don't get hit by a train or anything stupid."

"Ha ha ha. Funny." He looks at me with the face of someone who definitely didn't think my comment was funny. 

"I'm not wrong," I say. "Speaking of hospitals, you should still go by the way."

"You're all so annoying about it... Fine. I will."

Well that was easy. I was expecting a more dramatic pushback, maybe a soccer ball thrown in my face if he was in the mood for a fight, which he clearly isn't. Anyway, I pull out my phone and text Kita. 

Done. They're on my side 

Isozaki

He replies almost instantly, as if he was waiting for my message. Or maybe he just has no life. That would be unsurprising from a guy who roams the streets with seemingly no goal. 

Good. Calling Raimon's captain to tell him.

K. Wish him luck too

Sure.

Well then, now that we're all set, we just have to hope that Raimon wins this stupid tournament. And then, we'll be free.

"Thanks for coming to my meeting, Isozaki-kun!"

Pink buns sits down on the grass, carefully so as not to disturb the circle of flowers he made before I arrived. There is no wind and the sun hits us from above; Mitsuyoshi really chose the right day to invite us. He just got released from the hospital, so I guess he has fully recovered from getting smashed to pieces a few weeks ago. And I suppose that's why he invited us today: to celebrate.

"You forgot to thank me too." Shinoyama sits next to him without paying attention to the circle. Some pink flowers already get ejected. "For coming and helping you with your art piece thing."

"You just ruined it, you puke head."

Shinoyama rolls his eye and pretends to be sorry. Maybe he really is, but his ironic tone doesn't really convey it. Meanwhile, I intentionally sit on the flowers that make up a part of the rim. Watching my girly teammate get angry and start swearing is a funny sight I won't ever get tired of. When he's done arguing with cabbage head, he just looks at me and sighs. No fighting me apparently; he probably knows he'd lose.

"Wow, Isozaki's being patient today," Shinoyama remarks. "No screaming about us wasting your precious time or anything."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still bored and hoping you have something interesting to tell me. Which I doubt, frankly."

"So... why are you here?" Mitsuyoshi asks with a little smirk. "Because you wanted to see your friends?"

"Stop bullshitting and get to the point."

He doesn't respond right away and just nods to Shinoyama. What the fuck is he scheming. I push some flowers out of the circle like they're dust on a desk. Waiting. Pink buns doesn't react. Instead he stands up while the other pulls a huge stack of rainbow flowers from behind him and puts it in the middle of what used to be a perfect circle. Maybe. I don't think you can make a perfect circle with flowers, but I'll pretend that he was able to, just to be nice.

"Alright..." Mitsuyoshi crosses his arms above his head. "Do you want to see a magic trick?" 

"I guess."

He giggles and summons his keshin in a blink of an eye, while doing his annoying laugh obviously. Master Magician Trickster huh. I wonder what came first: it or Mitsuyoshi's tricks? 

"Surprise..." 

I look up at the keshin. No movement. Its creepy clown face stares right ahead into the void; its four arms stay put. Is it bugging or something? 

"Look down, idiot."

I follow what Shinoyama's stupid voice just said and sure enough, Mitsuyoshi's keshin wasn't stuck: the surprise just didn't come from it. It came from Mitsuyoshi himself, in the form of colourful sticks he extends to us. My cheeks heat up as the two laugh at me and pink buns pokes my arm with one of the stick thingies. What the fuck.

"Candy," he says, trying to get it into my hand. "This one's for you." 

Shinoyama has already stuck his into his mouth, so I guess it's edible. 

"How did you get that?" I ask as I finally take it. "I thought you were broke."

"A magician never reveals his secrets..."

Yeah he definitely didn't buy it. But it's just some candy, so nothing to be impressed about. He didn't even use those random flowers nor his keshin to present them in a dramatic way like the time he showed off a stolen sushi box at one picnic we had several months ago.

"That wasn't the magic trick you wanted to show me though."

"Ha, no shit Sherlock. Alright, now for real..." Trickster swings around his wand and taps the pile of flowers. "Ta-da!" 

The flowers start to spiral up in front of us and slowly take the form of Mitsuyoshi's famous "magician's box". One of the props of his overly dramatic keshin shoot. Then, with a second tap of the wand, the flower box explodes into coloured sparkles which, upon disappearing into the grass below, reveal a soccer ball right where the stack of flowers was a second ago. How did he do that? Mitsuyoshi will probably give the same answer as before, so I don't even bother to ask.

"Cute."

"Thanks! So... Do you want to play soccer with us? It's been a while."

That's true. Mitsuyoshi's been unable to play for a week and Shinoyama was busy trying to find a way to help his sister with her job at the library. And the week before I was too obsessed with getting a keshin that I didn't play with them at all – although I'd rather forget about that; I probably looked really stupid and desperate. Anyway, I've given up on my keshin dreams: if I my shoots are stronger than Mitsuyoshi's – which they are, and even Coach recognises it –, then I don't need a weird monster coming out of my back to be the best captain my team could ever have.

"Yeah let's play," I answer. "And then how about we go see a movie?"

"Yeah!"

"If you don't ditch us last minute like the other time."

"I won't, I promise," I say as I roll my eyes. OK maybe I should have looked them in the eyes but my point still stands: I won't ditch my friends again. I'm not a dick, at least not when I have no reason to be.