It was almost time for practice. Mamori was going to her locker to change her shoes. She saw him leaning against a row of lockers. She approached her locker normally. An envelope was given to her.

"It's some plays for the game. I thought you should have it before the game. Open it when it comes to that." He didn't dare to look into her eyes.

"By that, you mean when Hiruma-kun is unconscious from a serious injury, right?" She was disappointed. Very disappointed. She held back the tears forming in her eyes.

"If you already know then don't ask." He replied coldly. This was the best choice for the team. Suddenly he heard a sound of paper being torn. He looked at the source of the sound. The envelope he gave her was already ripped to pieces. He was furious.

"You fucking manager!" He yelled. He looked up and saw teardrops falling onto her cheek.

"I know I could get fired as a manager for this, but I tore the papers without reading it. That way you can't get seriously injured." She left him standing in the empty locker room. Tears still gleaming down her cheek. How could he do that to her? To the team! She knew there was a good chance of him being tackled by Gaou, but he didn't need to give up this soon. It wasn't like him to rely on hopelessness like this. He had always persevered even when the chances were only 0.0001%.

They didn't talk that whole afternoon. Aside from the practice commands, Hiruma was pretty quiet. So was Mamori. She only talked to Suzuna occasionally. Every one in the team knew they were having a fight. Even those who didn't spy on them earlier with Suzuna. When practice was over, everybody took a shower and quickly went home. They didn't want to be in the middle of their fight. Mamori stayed behind as usual to pick up the dirty laundry and tidy up the place. She was sweeping the floor when the door opened, revealing the quarterback in his protective gear. Much like in the locker room earlier today, only a lot sweatier. He put down his helmet on the table and began taking off the gear. He put his stuff in his locker and closed the locker door with a bang. He stood there staring at her for a few seconds and snarled angrily.

"That's it! I wanna know what the hell is wrong with you, fucking manager!" He grabbed her arm and spun her around. She dropped her broom and stared menacingly at his eyes.

"You wanna know what's wrong with me? It's you! You're what's wrong with me!" She shouted back. She once again held back the tears forming in her eyes.

"Me? Why me? You're the one who's been ignoring me all afternoon!" He loosened his grip on her arm a little after seeing her watery eyes.

"You're just gonna give up from the beginning! You're not even gonna try! Don't you have any faith in the team at all?" Drops of tear began falling from her eyes.

"What the fuck are you blabbering on about?" He lowered his voice slightly.

"That envelope, earlier today. You gave it to me because you don't trust the team! You don't believe the line can protect you, do you?" She blurted out.

"You don't understand! It was the only way! There's a 100% chance that Gaou will knock me unconscious, or worse, break my arm! If I'm gone, I had to pass on my strategies to someone!"

"Why can't you just admit that you don't trust them!"

"Why is it so hard to talk to you?!! It's not them that I don't trust! It's me!"

"What?"

"Look, you know I'm not the strongest guy out there. Even that fucking Banba got seriously injured! Think logically, manager! If Banba got injured, think what he could do to me!"

"Hiruma-kun…" She didn't know what to say. He was right.

"Do you get it now? And you had to tear the envelope to pieces!"

She stayed quiet. Hiruma did too. An awkward silence fell between them. She suddenly started sobbing.

"Hey. Hey! Why are you crying?! Stop it!" He tried to stop her. But she just cried harder.

"I'm…sorry…." She said in between her crying. He didn't know what to do, so he pulled Mamori closer and held her in his arms.

"What the fuck are you apologizing for? Don't fuss over something that's already been done, fucking manager." He tried his best to calm her down. He touched her hair gently.

"Stop crying." He said sternly, but gentle at the same time. After a few long minutes of crying, she finally calmed down enough to talk. She pushed away from his grip.

"I'm sorry I acted without thinking. You must've worked hard on those plays you gave me. And I tore them apart thinking that you didn't have any faith in the team."

He grinned. He was about to say something when the door to the clubhouse was opened. It was Sena. He peeked inside and said in a hushed tone,

"Mamo-nee? Are you still here? I left my shirt here…"

Mamori wiped the remaining tears on her face and faced Sena.

"Sena-kun.. Don't worry, I'll wash it for you.." Her voice was groggy and hoarse. Sena knew immediately that she had been crying. He stepped inside and saw Mamori with puffy eyes. Sena was worried.

"Mamo-nee? Have you been crying? What's wrong?"

By then, Hiruma had already grabbed all his things and he was ready to go home. He walked over to where Sena was standing and said something to him.

"Make sure she gets home safely, fucking chibi." After he said that, he walked out of the clubhouse and went home. Inside the clubhouse, Mamori was still hiccupping from all the crying.

"Mamo-nee.. What's the matter?" Sena approached her. Mamori shook her head and smiled weakly.

"Nothing," she said. "Everything's fine Sena-kun."

"Okay then.. Let's go home.."

"Yeah.."

When the game against the Hakushuu Dinosaurs finally came, she couldn't help but worry. But when the game was about to start, Hiruma signaled something to her.

'Have faith in the team, right?'