Life As Teikoku's Manager (an Inazuma Eleven f.f.)

Bonds Are Hard To Build

Next Day After School

        "Ne, Inoue! You're late!" Gouenji shouted teasingly as I finally ran up to the practice field, fifteen minutes after school had ended. "Well, sor-ry! It was because somebody *cough* you *cough* didn't tell me that the field was in the front of the school! I spent ten minutes searching for a soccer field in the back, going to all the other sport clubs asking where it was. But nooooo they would only laugh at me, thinking that I am one of your fangirls. Then finally this blonde guy from the track club told me it was at the front of the school, and now here I am. And do you know how much more time it takes to change out of the girls uniform than the boys'? You have to make sure that none of the cheap public school uniform fabric rips, and that it doesn't get wrinkly. And I ran into a little trouble in the girl's locker room when the girls from the baseball club gave me a hard time about the whole Inoue Shizuro thing, thinking that I only did that because I was a pervert. Then I had to spend two minutes straight explaining to them that no, I did not have fantasies of fucking you, which, in fact, is very very disturbing, and that I had never saw a boy changing before or has been in the same room as a boy changing other than Sakuma on my first day as Teikoku's manager but that's a completely different matter!."

        When I was finally finished ranting, Gouenji and Kidou, who was standing next to Gouenji, were bent over clutching their stomaches and laughing like crazy. "Why didn't you let me enroll as Inoue Shizuro?" I demanded towards Gouenji as I marched over to the two boys. Between his laughing and gulps for air, Gouenji managed to reply, "You wanted to regain your lost reputation, remember?" "I have a feeling you only did that to get back at all the time I scored more goals than you," I fumed. Still laughing, Gouenji replied, "So what? I had more fans than you." "Your're just jealous you didn't have someone like Hinata," I retorted, a spring of truimph in my words. Suddenly, Kidou's expression grew serious. "Who's Hinata?" he asked crossly. Gouenji quickly grew silent and stared at me. "Uh...," I stalled, trying to find an excuse. Crap, I had accidently let a little of my past slip, and for some reason my gut told me Kidou was not going to be happy about this if I told him the truth. Luckily, Gouenji distracted Kidou by shouting, "C'mon! Practice is starting!" I shrugged at Kidou, than ran toward the field and gave Gouenji a thankful smile when no one was looking. Or so I thought. Little did I know about the studying gaze of two gray orbs observing me carefully.

        Since I had missed out on the first fifteen minutes which Raimon had spent on stretching and warming up, I was too do a quick five minute stretch as Raimon jogged their daily laps around the field. After they were finished, Hibiki-kantoku gathered us up in a huddle. He explained a few things on getting used to the new spacing and timing, so today's practice was dedicated to learning how to work with the new players (me and Kidou), passing, and teamwork. Kidou's sister whose name I finally learned was Haruna came up to us holding a wooden crate with only a small hole on the top. We were instructed to reach in and pick a ball up, and people with the same colors were going to be partners for the first exercise.

        I was one of the last people to go since I was in the back. I reached into the hole and pulled a ball out. It was a blue. My eyes instantly scoured over everyone, and with an internal groan I found out it wasn't Gouenji, or Endou, who I was at least okay with. It was the boy with the turquoise ponytail who used Honoo No Kazamidori with Gouenji. Heck, I'd even be fine with Kidou if it meant not having to partner up with members of Raimon, who I'm sure didn't like me at all because of my playing style and untrustworthy connection to Kageyama.

        But the coach's decisions were law, so I had to bare with this for twenty minutes, then I could just go back to playing soccer the real way. We started off with this weird thing where we had to sit back to back and link our elbows together then try to get up. I instantly felt uncomfortable and aware that even though he would probably never show any love interest in me, I was still a girl and boys touching me always made me alarmed.