Practice ended early for us. Endou and the others decided to eat at Rai Rai Ken again. I went on ahead; Mom was cooking katsudon, so I didn't want to work up an appetite. Kuroi went in. He was hungry after all. 

"Data regarding each of their abilities?... Y-Yes, after the training at the Inabikari training center... Yes definitely."

"Asuka."

Immediately, he hanged up on whoever was on the phone; My guess, it was Kidou. "Are you seriously going to keep doing this?" I asked. "You're good at putting up an act, but I know what you're up to." 

"Who's to say you're not acting?" Asuka asked. "I'm not acting. I've changed. And I mean it. One day you're going to regret this." 

Asuka puts his hands in his pockets and walks out, but not without saying, "You'll be the one feeling regret."

I sighed once he was out of my sight. I never understood him. When he joined before, I could notice his plays... good, but it was like he was missing something. Not like I know. I never really knew the members that much anyway, just their names. The only persons I knew were Koujirou and Narukami. 

I sighed again and walked out of the alleyway, but walking to the opposite direction. Asuka is my friend too, and I don't want him being found out. But if he continues this, Raimon will lose and everything that they've worked so hard for was put into waste.

I covered for him during Nosei, when Otonashi and Kino were shocked that he used Killer Slide. I made up a lie, so he wouldn't be found out quickly.

It's best if I still cover up for him, even if he was working for Kidou.

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"Sakuma, are you alright now?"

"I'm fine, Shuuya. I haven't cried in a while, you know?"

Kuroi had went to class early, so me and Shuuya were walking to school. He was concerned after what happened yesterday, and I don't blame him. It was the first time I broke down in front of people, and the last time he saw me cry was... when I was 9.

"How's Yuuka?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"It's been a year." He said.

"Oh, sorry."

I shouldn't have bothered changing the topic, because the walk to school became awkward, and silent.

Once we arrived, I told Shuuya that I had to look for something in the club room, and that he'd go ahead. But I was lying. I needed to check on Asuka to see if he actually decided to get the data. 

Walking there, I heard sounds coming from the school garage. One of the doors was open, and I saw Raimon's coach, Fuyukai, doing something with the bus. There were three buses, and he was doing something with the third one. I snuck in and hid behind the second one, and just in time too, because Asuka came in.

"Sensei!"

I didn't need to look at his reaction, because I know he was shocked at seeing Asuka.

"Oh, it's you." I heard Fuyukai sigh in relief. "Don't surprise me like that, please."

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Well, I wonder."

I heard footsteps. I figured that Fuyukai was going to leave the room, but not without stopping to say something to Asuka. 

"By the way, I'll give you a piece of advice..."

"What advice...?" I whispered to myself.

"Don't ride this bus."

I heard him leave the room. Why didn't he want them to ride the bus? Unless he done something to it, which he was... wait. Don't tell me he----

"Is this the Commander's order as well?! Damn it! What should I do?!" 

I heard Asuka kick the wheel of the bus? So Kuroi was right. Kageyama was trying to get rid of us. That's why he put Asuka in charge of this. No, that's why he put Nina and Kidou in charge of this. But Kidou wouldn't do something so far as to get rid of them, and Nina only wanted me either in the hospital or not playing soccer again... so... this was Kageyama's true intentions?

------------------------------------------------------------------

I skipped training and hid behind a tree; I overheard Asuka that he and Kidou were meeting up behind the club room, so I asked Endou if I could skip the laps. Kuroi was with me, so the both of us were trying not to get caught by our ex- captain.

"Are you sure they're meeting up here?" Kuroi whispered.

"I overheard Asuka, alright?" I groaned quietly. "And you were right, Kageyama is trying to get of us."

"Told ya!"

"Quiet!"

I saw Kidou walking towards Asuka, with his hands in his pockets.

"Where's the Inabikari Training Center Individual Ability Data?" I heard Kidou ask.

"I don't have it yet." Asuka answered.

"Then why did you call me here?" Kidou looked at him.

"Kidou-san, are you sure about this?" Asuka asked. "This is just going overboard. Putting a trap on the transportation bus..."

"What did you say?" Kidou asked, shocked. I knew he couldn't stoop that low just to win the district finals. 

"I knew it... you didn't know about this either, Kidou-san?" Asuka looked at him. "Is this how Teikoku does things? What is the Commander thinking?!"

Kidou hesitated and looked away from him, but Asuka remained persistent about this matter. "I can't keep following the way Commander does things. He's going too far! Does he want to win so badly?!"

"Don't speak another word." Kidou said through gritted teeth. "We're not allowed to criticize how Commander does things."

"But--!"

"Onii-chan!"

Asuka hid behind his spot, and me and Kuroi were shocked at what we were looking at.

Otonashi and Kidou are siblings?! How is that even--- I don't even--- Nope. I'm not going to shout or scream... or anything else that will attract any attention.

"What?! They're brother and sister?!" Kuroi whisper-shouted, and I covered his mouth.

 "Are you here to spy on Raimon Jr. High?"

Otonashi's question was ignored because Kidou started to walk away, but Otonashi grabbed his wrist, but he managed to get out of her grip.

"We're not supposed to see each other."

After that, he walked away, leaving the place.

I looked at Kuroi and he looked at me. We have to find out about this, even if it meant.... going into enemy territory.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"You can do this, Rena. You can do this and just... talk."

I took a deep breath before knocking at the door; I had to wait at least an hour before going in, because at this time they'd be having dinner... and I had to skip mom's katsudon for this... it'll be worth it anyway.

The door opened revealing Kidou's father. "Sakuma-kun, what brings you here at this hour?"

'And up to now... he still thinks I'm Jirou.' I thought, sweat dropping mentally. Last time I visited, his father thought I was Jirou, so the confusion went on, and me and Kidou didn't even bother to explain.

"G-Good evening, Kidou-san," I bowed. "I-I'm just here to see Yuuto." 

The words in my mouth were like spitting a bunch of rotten food in my mouth. I have never said Kidou by his first name, not ever. 

His father let me in and showed me to his room. After that he said he had something to discuss with another company. I took a another deep breath before knocking on the door.

It opened, and I saw that his goggles were off, and his dreads were down; I guessed he was finished taking a shower or something, and I was glad that he was wearing some clothes on... otherwise I would have fainted.

But it was my first time seeing him without his goggles. I always knew he had red eyes, but not this red either.

"Sakuma?"

"Yeah.... but not Jirou." I said. 

"What are you doing here at this time?" He asked.

"I just... came to visit. I mean, sure you let me off but uh..." I trailed off.

He led me inside. It was a big room. I'm surprised he had this room all to himself. I saw him put back his dreads back. "If you need something, say it now."

I took a deep breath. "You and Otonashi are siblings?"

Kidou dropped his goggles that he was about to put on. "H-How did you find out?" 

"I uh... might have been spying on you." I said.

He sighed and looked at me. Then he explained.

He and Otonashi lost their parents at a young age. Kidou was 6 at the time and Otonashi was 5. Their parents were always working overseas, so it was just them. Until their parents died in an accident, it left them alone for good. The only thing they salvaged from the crash was an old soccer magazine. 

They were adopted into different families. Kidou had made a deal with his father that if he won in the Football Frontier for the third time in a row, Kidou's father would adopt Otonashi.

So... he was doing all that spying, just to win and get Otonashi back?

"I... didn't know." I said. 

"You had the right..." Kidou said.

I didn't have the right. Aside from asking that question, I had another one in my mind.

"You... and the rest at Teikoku... aren't mad at me, right?" 

Kidou looked at me with his eyebrows raised. I sighed. "I chose Raimon over you guys... and after that encounter a few weeks ago, I've been having doubts."

"Kuroi told me what happened in Shuuyou Meito." Kidou said. So even after he quit, he still has ties with Kidou? I'm glad he didn't tell anything about the data yet. "And to your question, we're not."

"You're not mad at me for leaving you guys?" I asked. 

"No, we're not. We figured that you left was because Jirou said that she needed time to be herself again, and the rest of us agreed on that. Nina's lies weren't effective on us either; Jirou knows you, and he told us everything." Kidou grabbed his goggles, and wiped them first before placing them back on. 

"Oh... just... asking..." I muttered.

"Is there anything else?" He asked.

"Am I.... still a part of Teikoku? Along with Kuroi?"

"Jirou and Genda always asked that..."

I looked at him.

"And we always said you were."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"You actually talked to him? I didn't know you were straight-forward."

I ignored Kuroi's comment and passed the ball to him, and he ended up tripping. "We reconciled, alright?" I rolled my eyes at him. "Alright, alright, I believe you, but what about your bro-bro?"

Jirou and I didn't talk again; It was getting uneasy for me. We usually talk after a while but this... it was too long.

"I'll say something... right after the match. Win or Lose." I chuckled.

"Say, do an imitation shoot. From Teikoku, that way, they'll know you weren't lying." Kuroi suggested. Hey, he had a point. And the goal was wide open so... why not. 

"Pass it, and move aside."

Kuroi kicked it in the air and moved away from the goalpost, and I jumped up.

"Hyakuretsu Shot!"

It went in the goal, as expected anyway. I thank Jimon for teaching me that move--- Oh wait, he didn't teach me. I've been just on the bench watching him do it and it took me 3 days to actually master it.

"Now Koujirou-nii's going to be shocked at this!" Kuroi gave me a high-five. "Yeah, I guess he will, but I'm guessing that he'll stop it." I said, chuckling a little.

After that, I sat down with Otonashi; My legs kinda hurt from doing that shot, so rest was all I needed. Kino and Otonashi saw that Fuyukai was smiling at the Raimon team. I knew why he was smiling. The little backstabber.

"It's rare for Fuyukai-sensei to come here." Kino said. Now that she mentioned it, he never comes to watch us practice. At all.

"He's still the coach after all." Otonashi said.

"That's true..." I mumbled.

"Fuyukai-sensei."

I saw Natsumi walk over to him. "Yes, what's the matter?" Fuyukai asked, putting on a fake smile. Natsumi gave a small smile, and a smirk at the same time. "I have a favor to ask. Can you do it?"

Fuyukai clapped his hands together. "I don't have any reason to object the lady of the school." He said.

"OK then, I want to check the bus that's going to the match. Could you drive it for a bit?" She said.

Looks like she found out... but who told her?

I took a glance at Asuka. I sighed in relief. Finally he came clean, but I was hoping that Fuyukai wouldn't reveal anything that would blow his cover.

I saw Fuyukai's face turn into panic as Natsumi asked that. Everyone else looked at him, including Asuka. "M-Making such a request so suddenly... But I don't have the license to drive large vehicles." Oh now he's objecting. What a fake.

"You don't have to worry about that. It's private property within the school, so you don't need to have a license." Natsumi said. Oh she is good. I guess it's the advantage of being the chairman's daughter. "And I'm only asking you to drive a little."

"B-But..." Fuyukai trailed.

"Oh, I thought you didn't have any reason to object." Natsumi smirked a little. Yep. She's good.

All of us went to the garage. Fuyukai was inside the car, and he was hesitating to drive it. Natsumi kept forging him to drive, but he only managed to start the engine. He was shaking. I saw him shaking with fear, then he finally gave in

Natsumi showed a little that revealed that this would happen to us. Then Fuyukai started laughing darkly, then went out of the car and came in clean, but he was happy that he did, which was something odd. He came in clear, and said that he was doing this for someone. 

"Teikoku, right?" I asked. Fuyukai looked at us.

"For the sake of Teikoku, you don't care what happens to your students?!" Shuuya asked furiously.

"You people don't know how terrifying that guy is!" Fuyukai said, in a panic.

"Yeah, and I already know who." I muttered under my breath.

"I won't have teachers like you in our school. Take it as an order from the chairman." Natsumi concluded. 

But Fuyukai didn't care about that, and revealed Asuka as one of the spies of Teikoku. I knew he would do something like this, and I wish I didn't know he would do it at all. 

I saw him run off. Kuroi wanted to follow him, but I stopped him. "Let someone else do it, Kuroi."

"Eh?! But he's one of our friends! We can't let him!" Kuroi exclaimed.

"Kuroi, we don't know that much about him, so we won't be able to understand him." I said.

"Well, I don't care! Domon!" 

He managed to let go of my grip and ran after him with Kino. I sighed. "Kuroi... you are one heck of an idiot."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Turns out everyone had forgiven Asuka, and I did too. He told me that he wrote the letter and deleted Kidou's cellphone number. I gave him a pat on the shoulder, and a thumbs up, saying that it was a good decision to make.

But then... bad news came on our way.

And Megane had to be the one to break it to us.

"In the Football Frontier code of conduct, it says, 'Teams without a coach will not be acknowledged as participants'."

In short, we're doomed without a coach.