Chapter One

Shy Girls

A large stack of papers was making its way down Deimon High's halls with slender legs sticking out the bottom. A green skirt swished over hidden knees and high black socks. A gleam of glass flashed around the edge of the stack, barely seen and quickly vanishing.

"Hey, look at those chicken legs. Are you kissing up already, four-eyes?" Laughed a male first-year as he nudged his friends in the ribs.

"K-K-K-Kurowara-san! I-I- N-no, I'm n-not trying to k-k-kiss up." Stuttered a soft female voice from behind the stack of papers.

"Sure looks like it. In middle school, didn't poor widdle four-eyes get stuck with all the big, bad chores? She made us all look bad then, and she's doing it now." The boy identified as Kurowara smirked at his friends and jerked his thumb at the stack of papers.

"N-No, I'm j-just trying to h-help!"

From down the hallway, Kuroki, Toganou, and Juumonji sauntered towards the small group of first years. Kuroki was checking out the new first-year girls not hiding behind a stack of paper, Toganou had his nose buried in monthly issue of Jump, but Juumonji's attention was wandering and happened to fall on the pathetic scene in the hallway. He scoffed quietly; suddenly he was glad to be looking down on such bullying instead of instigating it. Not that he was getting soft, never that, but football was a lot tougher, not to mention cooler and more fun, than picking on weaker students. His eyes narrowed as the first-year boy lifted a hand and then sent the large stack of papers flying through the hallway. There was a gasp of dismay and a flash of glass as the tiny girl, once hidden, dropped to her knees, scrabbling for papers as other students laughed or averted their gazes.

"Oh no! They'll get torn!" The girl whispered, without anger or blame in her voice.

Jeesh, this one's just like Sena. Juumonji sighed, elbowed Kuroki and Toganou and crossed the hall. His two friends rubbed their sides in confusion before catching sight of Juumonji glare down the three first-year wanna-be-badasses. As the first-years cowered, the two other second-year amefuto players backed Juumonji up.

"Hah?" "Hah!" "HAH?" They chorused. Most of the older students, recognizing the three without even seeing their faces, moved away rapidly as the suddenly blue-faced first-years ran off. With a sigh, Juumonji knelt to the ground and began picking up papers.

"O-oh! Th-thank you! Y-You d-don't h-have t-to do that." The girl protested.

Juumonji looked up, lip curled and eyebrows high. "Don't you want help? The papers will get torn, won't they?"

The girl, face and eyes obscured by huge lenses, blushed brightly. "Y-yes." She whispered. She blushed further as Toganou and Kuroki joined them on the floor.

"You're pretty stupid if you let jerk-offs like those push you around." Kuroki muttered.

"Not like you can talk. You used to do worse, baka." Toganou pointed out, smacking the back of his head.

"Hey! It wasn't only me! Why don't you say that to my face, huh?"

"I thought I did?"

"HAH?"

"Shut up." Juumonji smacked them both, snatched the crumpled papers from their hands, and rolled his eyes. "Get going if you're not going to help out here. The bell is gonna ring soon, you baka."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll tell the teach for ya." Toganou and Kuroki rose and sauntered away, hands in their pockets.

"Don't mind them. They're always like that." Juumonji gave the terrified first-year a lopsided smirk and handed her the worksheets. "Let the teachers know it's their fault for ruining these, all right?"

"H-Hai…" She nodded briskly. She got to her feet, the tottering pile back in her arms, though even more haphazardly. Juumonji 'tsk'ed.

"What's a little girl like you doing carrying all these anyway? Kuroki's right. You're asking for trouble." He lifted all but about five sheets into his arms and walked towards the teacher's lounge. "You're heading there, right?" He pointed towards the lounge at the end of the hallway. At her silent, astonished nod, he began striding down the hallway. He quickly shortened his pace as she jogged to catch up with him.

"Th-thank you… again for helping me. I didn't think… I didn't think anyone would." A sad smile curved her lips. "Most of my friends went to different schools."

"Then make more, duh." Juumonji shrugged. The girl glanced up quickly, her mouth in an 'o' of surprise. He couldn't help but chuckle. "You remind me so much of Sena. You should come to amefuto practice and meet him."

"Amefuto? American football? Deimon has one?" She asked in amazement. "Y-You're an amefuto player?"

"Yeah. I'm #51. My position in lineman. You should come cheer us on. We need it." He added wryly at the end. "Suzuna's great and, of course, Mamori is, too, but with exams coming up, we'll see a lot less of both of them."

"I… I'll come!" The girl blurted breathlessly. "I would love to. Do… Do you really want me to?" She rushed on. Juumonji looked down at her in surprise.

"Yeah, definitely. Our first game is the Koigahama Cupids. They always throw their girlfriends in our faces and it's really irritating. So, the more girls cheering, the better."

"Then, I'll definitely be there." She turned and grinned happily up at him. The glare of the afternoon sun fell from her lenses and he caught a glimpse of a round, sweet face surrounded by wisps of fawn-brown hair that had escaped from a waist-length braid, and a freckled button nose. She reached forward to grab the stack of papers from Juumonji and spun on her heel, braid snapping behind her. "You should get to class before you're too late, senpai." She added before sliding into the lounge.

"Huh?" Juumonji scratched in head, perplexed, before shrugging and heading off to his classroom. A smile spread over his scarred face. "No one's called me senpai before."

Behind him, the girl called Seno peeped around the lounge room's door, a long braid sliding over her shoulder to swing lazily in the air. She sighed, blushing, as she laid her cheek against her knuckles. What a nice boy. Most are so scary to talk to, but, even though he has that scary scar and that scary bully face, he looks so kind when he smiles. I hope I know senpai better one day. Dark grey eyes widened.

Oh no! I forgot to ask his name! Or tell him mine! Tomoe-chan is going to kill me for this! She'd probably already have his number! She sighed softly as he turned a corner out of sight.

"I'll find out today." She decided in a quiet, firm voice. She straightened, shook her head briskly, and jogged towards 1-A's classroom.

"Hey, Juumonji, why's that girl hovering behind that tree?" Asked Monta as they gathered around the bench to get drinks from Mamori at afternoon practice that day.

"Huh? Why you askin' me?" Juumonji snapped, making Monta squeak.

"Well, she's been staring over here at you since practice began." Mamori giggled. Juuomnji's brows rose and he turned. His face fell slightly seeing a tiny girl he mistook for a middle schooler, then his expression cleared.

"It's that Sena-girl." Juumonji said without thinking.

"M-Me? B-but I'm not a g-g-girl!" Sena protested shrilly as Monta laughed uproariously.

"Whoever she is, she's fucking interfering with training." Hiruma pulled out a gun and cocked the trigger. Hiruma, Yukimitsu, Musashi, and Kurita were planning to play for the spring tournament, but the fall would be out of the question with college exams so close. Even Mamori had said she'd be searching for a manager replacement before the fall season began.

"Suzuna and I will bring her over here so she won't be distracting like she is now. It's really only because she's trying to hide that she's so obvious." Mamori quickly pushed Hiruma's gun down towards the ground. His jade eyes glanced into hers.

"Fine." He shrugged her off, his gun disappearing mysteriously. "But if she does anything stupid, Mana-jerk, you better make her understand she's not to fucking come back."

"Yes, yes. Now, all of you get back on the field." She shoved a helmet on Hiruma's head and pushed him off the bench. "Itte! Go!"

The team followed, clipping their chin pads on.

"You know, maybe Suzuna-chan is right." Sena murmured staring at the hand signals Hiruma signed to Mamori that no one else could read.

"Whaddya mean?" Monta asked. Sena sweatdropped.

"N-Nothing!" Monta frowned at him, but forgot readily enough when practice restarted.

Mamori motioned to Suzuna, who speedily wheeled her way over. "You all finally noticed that girl checking out Monjii-kun, riiight?" Suzuna's antenna was already twitching.

"Yes. We have to make her less of a distraction to the team, or else." Mamori sighed. The two Devil Bat girls walked over to the girl behind the tree.

Seno barely caught movement out the corner of her eye as she watched Juumonji collide with those strange, body-like shaped things. She had noticed the team mark her during the time out, but when Juumonji went back onto the field, she completely forgot to leave. It was amazing to see the strength he exuded that his school uniform had hidden so well earlier that day. He was like a completely different person. He smiled more, out there on the field, than he did in school, too. So confident in his own skin.

"He's… beautiful." Inside her head, her best friend's voice cackled. You mean hawt, Mitcchi-chan. He's a sexy beast and you know it. Don't be such a prude!

She was blushed wildly when Mamori and Suzuna neared her and her tree.

"Excuse me, kohai, if you'd like to watch the game, why don't you come join Suzuna-chan and me?"

The girl squeaked in alarm and dropped her knapsack, sending books, pencils, and a half-empty bento rolling over the grass. As egg rolls, rice, and cold, sliced chicken spilled over the ground, a loud growl was heard from the field.

"Oh no, Cerberus!" Mamori cried out.

"C-Cerberus?" Seno repeated dumbly. She looked up and her eyes widened as a drooling, growling, blur of fur came rushing over the field towards her feet. "AIYA! NAZHIGOUTAIKUAILE!" She shrieked.

Mamori glanced at her, her hand reaching for the terrified girl's arm. Like a flash of green light, a red blur of a boy rushed between Mamori and Cerberus. Sena and the Sena-girl were suddenly a good five feet away, dust wafting like smoke. Amazingly, Sena was holding the girl aloft in his arms- a feat he'd barely been able to accomplish with Suzuna. Grey eyes blinked dazedly into amber in surprise.

"Nicongnalilaia?" She blurted.

"W-What?" Sena stammered.

"That's Chinese, isn't it?" Mamori jogged up to them as Sena set the girl down on her feet.

"Y-Yes. Sorry. I just spent a year in Shanghai and I just blurt out Chinese sometimes. Th-thank you…" The girl bowed quickly to Sena.

"N-No, it was nothing. Cerberus isn't so bad. He just likes food and doesn't like strangers."

"Well, he might've attacked me, so thank you for helping me. AIYA!"

"AAAHH!" Both shorties shrieked as Hiruma set off a round of bullets, an Uzi in both hands.

"I said get the fucking distraction the hell outta here, not make a bigger one, Mana-jerk!"

"Hiruma-kun! You're scaring her! Stop waving those guns around and put Cerberus on a leash!" Mamori shouted back.

The war began and the rest of the team edgily returned to the field.

"I gotta go, but I'm glad you're safe. Be careful, 'kay?" Sena waved and zipped back to the field, making her skirt flutter. She blushed brightly seeing Juumonji doubled up laughing.

"That's quite a first impression. So you speak Chinese and have more of a reaction to a guy thirty feet away than the one holding you so romantically in his arms?" Suzuna sidled up to the girl, making her squeak and jump again. Suzuna laughed.

Mamori rejoined them, fuming and glaring after Hiruma, who was currently dragging the happily munching Cerberus back to his doghouse.

"That man needs to keep that animal in check. Really now." Mamori huffed as she bent down to collect the scattered belongings.

"Oh! I'll do that! It's my fault! I'm a terrible klutz."

"It's fine." Mamori smiled. "What's your name? I never got it."

"S-Seno. Seno, Mitsuki." The girl quickly answered as she bowed. Both Suzuna and Mamori laughed.

"No wonder he called you the Sena-girl. You act just like him and even your name is similar." Suzuna gasped.

"Wh-Who?" Seno stuttered.

"We mean Monjii-kun- eh, number 51. We noticed you earlier, and he called you the Sena-girl." Mamori explained. Seno's face fell.

"Oh." She blinked and smiled widely. "OH! He recognized me?" She clapped her hands together, dropped her pencil case and notebook again. "I didn't think he would! Tomoe-chan won't believe me when I tell her!" She blinked again. "His name is Monjii? What an odd name…"

"No! That's my nickname for him!" Suzuna exclaimed, bursting into laughter again.

"His name is Juumonji, Kazuki. My name is Anezaki, Mamori and that's Taki, Suzuna." Mamori patiently gathered the dropped items, packed them neatly, and then handed the bag to Seno. Seno's face looked crestfallen as she politely thanked Mamori and rose with her.

They walked back to the bench in silence as Suzuna stifled her laughter.

"So…Taki-senpai-" Seno began before Suzuna caught her off, covered in goosebumps.

"Don't call me Taki! Or senpai! It's just weird!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Um, S-Suzuna-ch-chan?" Suzuna nodded happily. "You must be… close to Juumonji-senpai? Are… Are you dating?" Seno hesitantly inquired. Suzuna leapt back on her wheels, eyes wide.

"Ehhhh? No way! Monjii-kun is way too old for me!"

"HAAHH? What was that? I'm your age, you appeal-less flat-chest!" Shouted Juumonji from the field. "Itai!" He huddled on the ground around his gut where a well-aimed football from Hiruma had hit.

"His face is too old. I like boys with cuter, younger faces." Suzuna winked at Seno as Sena tripped over his own feet behind her. Hiruma began chasing Sena around the field, bullets flying, as Mamori sighed.

"I didn't mean to offend anyone…" Seno looked over at the field, looking rather terrified. "I guess I should leave. The game isn't until tomorrow, correct? I can come to cheer then and not distract anyone." She smiled sadly and flipped her long braid over her shoulder to fiddle with the ends.

"Don't go. Why don't you stay and I'll explain the rules to you so we won't get in the way again?" Mamori suggested kindly.

"Mamo-neechan knows how to handle You-nii, so you don't have to be scared of him, you know." Suzuna giggled as Mamori blushed.

"I don't handle anyone, Suzuna-chan!" Mamori protested heatedly.

For the rest of practice, Seno remained and learned the rules with avid attention, grey eyes bright. A sneaking thought knotted into Mamori's mind, so she was extra careful with the details and even drew diagrams (made of X's and O's) in the ground for emphasis. By the time the sun was sinking and Hiruma called an end, Seno was already stuffing game books and play cards into her backpack and discussing finer points of the game, like pass routes and disqualification rules.

"So, you really came. I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow's game, though." An amused, weary voice came from above Seno.

She squeaked, dropped play cards and her backpack to the ground, stumbled back, and tripped over the bench. A strong sweaty arm wrapped around her narrow shoulders. Her heart triple-flipped and somersaulted into her throat. Though it lasted only a few seconds, it seemed to last an eternity as she gazed upside down into light-brown, amused eyes. The scar on his cheek stood out in relief as the orange sun gleamed on his face. Though Sena-senpai had been the one to sweep her literally off her feet, it was the touch of Juumonji's large, warm hand that made her head wheel with vertigo. He righted her with a gentle push and leaned past her stunned, frozen form to grab her pack.

"Do you like amefuto now? Mamori gave you a lot of crap." Juumonji grunted.

With a gasp, Seno fell to her knees in the dust and scrabbled for the cards, making Juumonji laugh aloud. She looked over at him, blushing furiously. He made eye contact, still grinning.

"Déjà vu, right?"

She nodded. "I-I c-came t-today b-because I d-didn't know your name. I th-thought I c-could sneak a p-peek at your jersey, but it was t-t-too far away to r-read." She explained hurriedly. "Anezaki-san t-told me… I h-hope I wasn't t-t-too forward…"

"Nah. What's yours, anyway? I probably shouldn't call you Sena-girl."

"I'm not a girl!" Sena cried from beside Mamori, who was once again handing out drinks and towels.

"S-Seno! I'm Seno, Mitsuki!" She forced out as Juumonji handed her the pack and what cards he'd grabbed.

At her introduction, a few people burst out laughing.

"Are you guys like cousins are something? Maybe long lost twins?" Monta joked.

"Sena is my first name!" The one in question cried.

"S-Sorry! I don't mean to c-cause t-trouble! I w-will leave n-now!" She spun on her heel.

Hiruma and Mamori had done their usual wordless conversation by this time. With an imperceptible nod, Hiruma turned towards the clubroom and Mamori hurried to grab Seno's shoulder.

"Actually, we wouldn't mind if you stayed. They like to tease, but they're all good guys. Why don't I show you the clubroom while they all shower and change?"

Her grey eyes darted to Juumonji. He was already heading towards the clubroom, joking and laughing with Kuroki and Toganou. "A-All right." She whispered, caving.

Mamori gave her the grand tour- excluding the shower rooms- within minutes. Seno had never imagined that an after-school club could have a room so amazing. She even spun the roulette wheel- something she'd never actually seen before now.

"Ano… Anezaki-senpai?"

"It's all right to call me Mamori, Seno-chan."

"Oh, yes. Ano…M-Mamori-senpai… does a manager normally make snacks and staff for the team? Like… honeyed lemons or tea?"

"Why, yes. That is one of my many jobs." A glint sparkled in Mamori's eye. Fortunately, her back was to Seno.

"I know you're a third-year now… s-so why d-don't I bring some snacks for them tomorrow? You can have more time to study."

"That would help, but I usually do that for the morning practice and it's pretty early."

"Yeah. It's, like, around seven 'o' clock." Suzuna quickly caught on. "And I won't be here then."

"I can do that! I get up early to help my mom make breakfast all the time. It's no problem!" Seno eagerly told them. "I don't mind being around these guys so much. They all seem so nice. Especially Kobayakawa-senpai and Juumonji-senpai." She blushed softly as she said his name out loud. Mamori and Suzuna exchanged glances.

"Well, if you're sure, it would help me out a lot." A white lie never hurt anyone. Mamori told herself.

"Definitely."