Disclaimer: Eyeshield is an original master-piece created by Riichirou Inagaki and Yusuke Murata.
Summary: After meeting Eyeshield 21, Shin Seijurou felt his abilities were still lacking and to overcome this, he started to train even harder, at the same time, he meets a red-haired girl from his class who seems to be particularly interested on Oujou White Knights and a unexpected bond was formed between those two…? A romance between a training geek and the daughter of the coach?!
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Chapter 10: Kanto Tournament
October 18,
"In five days there will be the last match of Devil bats on the tournament, they'll fight for the third place…" Sakuraba told in an eager tone and his gaze stopped on Shin's expression "Aren't you anxious too?"
"… Deimon is a team that has passed by a growth spurt recently, but that does not mean they will win." He was realistic.
Sakuraba smiled briefly with his friend's sincerity and turned round, then, again his eyes were mesmerized by a luminous sight:
"Shizuka-chan!" he beckoned.
There was nothing exceptional about her entering the classroom, but it also caught Shin's interest since…
"Your arm is healed!" the young brown-haired boy was enthusiastic.
"Ah, yes the doctor said I could finally stop using that arm sling… It feels better now…" she smiled kindly.
"It took a while… I was getting worried…" the receiver sighed in relief.
"It was because I forced my arm a bit, then it too more than normal to fully recover…" she scratched her face a bit abashed to tell it was actually because she fought delinquents and was hit by those bullies.
Shin simply stared at her for some seconds, then averted his gaze, but his expression seemed lighter, maybe he felt better now that Shizuka's injuries were healed since he felt guilty.
"By the way Shizuka-chan, are you going to watch Deimon's match too? Our match will be at night, so, there's plenty of time to watch both."
"I will!" her smile was more bright "It's Deimon's last chance, so I'm kinda cheering for them too… Moreover, if they classify to Kanto Regional, you will finally have a chance to play against them again, right?"
"Yes… I also wanted another match… This time I…" he clenched his fist "Will show how much I've changed."
"I'm anxious to see how Eyeshield 21 will play next time…" she giggled putting a hand to cover her smile,
Shin fidgeted on his seat, there was a heavy thump on his heart. His brows gradually came together as a grave expression was sculpted on his face, why did he feel that way? He touched his chest sweating a bit, could it be he had acquired a heart disease? For some reason his will to win Eyeshield 21 inflamed.
"H-huh… It seems Shin is also longing a duel against Eyeshield…" the receiver smiled worriedly with the intense aura coming out of his friend.
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October 23
Deimon's match against Bando Spiders was also full of surprises for many people, for instance, the true identity of Eyeshield 21 from Devil bats was revealed.
"Eeeh? B-but that's Sena!" the receiver was flabbergasted.
"Huh? Sakuraba-kun, didn't you know it was Sena-san?" Shizuka blinked twice, she was sure everyone knew.
"No… Shizuka-chan… Did you know?" Takami adjusted his glasses sweating.
"Yes, I thought everyone knew…" she was a bit shocked they seemed complete oblivious to the fact "It was Shin who told me he was the Eyeshield 21…"
"W-well, Shin is a special case…" Sakuraba sweated putting a hand in front of his mouth and approaching to whisper to the red-haired "Shin sees people by their muscles, not by their faces, that's why he…"
"Hm… That makes sense…" her shoulders slumped recalling the idiosyncrasies of the linebacker.
As expected, Deimon's match was breath taking and the weather only turned it like a sports movie. The sky darkened with the gray clouds, the wind blew heavily in the field. In the end, Sena could retrieve his pride as the real Eyeshield 21, and Devil bats were assigned as one of the three teams classified to Kanto Regional Tournament.
As for Oujou, they won Seibu on the finals, and Shin became the MVP of Tokyo fall Tournament. Shoji Gunpei was proud of his pupil, and Shizuka was happy, but of course, that title didn't mean anything to Shin, he still was determined to train harder and go to even higher lengths.
Sakuraba, Ootawara and other members of Oujou also entered on the selection of 11 best players from the competition for each position in American football. Shizuka cheered for them. The receiver was moved, it was the first time he was recognized by his skills as a receiver and not by the fake image as a model, he was a real star this time.
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"Congratulations!"
Shizuka applauded both Sakuraba and Shin before they entered the school, they were at the garden outside, most of the leaves were falling coloring the ground with orange, yellow and mild green tones.
"Shizuka-chan… Did you come here only to congratulate us?"
"You were on top 11, and…" she talked animatedly, almost like she was the one being rewarded. "Ah, I brought something!"
She rummaged hurriedly on her bag, her smile was even brighter, Sakuraba had a faint smile, she could be very honest unconsciously on some occasions, maybe she just felt happy because they had good results and her father seemed in a good mood since they won, but he was still being rigorous.
She handed Sakuraba a transparent plastic bag with a pink lace. It was stuffed with cookies.
"H-huh? Did you do those?!" he was surprised. "They're shaped like a football!"
"Yes! There's one for you too, Shin…" she picked another one.
He accepted it, but stared at the cookies for some seconds, and stared at Sakuraba's face then, he handed it back.
"Huh?" she was confused.
"It's not that I don't want it." he tried to explain in a leveled tone "I can't consume much sugar, and I already organized my diet for today. Thank you for your consideration."
Shizuka paused for a moment trying to assimilate his words. Sakuraba was stunned in part for his insensibility and in part for his complete lack of sociability, how could he refuse a girl's present like that?! He would never get a girlfriend if he kept acting so crassly!
"S-Shin!" he blurted out in a scolding and nervous tone while taking a peek at Shizuka's reaction.
"Ah!" the red-haired girl curved her brows up making that look like a little matter "I'm sorry, I forgot about that."
"No, Shizuka-chan, you shouldn't apologize for that, he's the one being mean here…" the receiver thought switching his gaze from the girl to his friend as a tense mood swelled up.
"I'll be going first, then."
He bowed politely and calmly walked away, Shin Seijuro seemed completely vague towards his surroundings. His reticent behavior hasn't changed much, it was what he thought. His eyes were set far away, on his own world, but… His slow and patient steps stalled when he overheard the next part of that conversation going on without him:
"How can that guy be so unapproachable?" Sakuraba commented feeling helpless and a faint smile sprout on his lips "I'm sorry for that, it's not that he doesn't appreciate your consideration, but you know, he only isn't very used to open himself to people… I'm sure he is happy…" he tried to attenuate the seemingly rejection. "It's a pity you had all the hard work to cook those…"
"I know he was not trying to be rude… You don't need to worry," She chuckled. "I can just eat them myself."
"E-eh? Aren't you giving them to another person?"
"No…" her smile was softer and her honey eyes seemed to melt "Those cookies were meant for you and Shin, it doesn't make sense if I give them to another person, right?"
Shin Seijurou remembered again, that sensation. It was the same for the coach, or even for Sakuraba, yet, something quite peculiar when it was about Shizuka. More people who cared about him. He could be so stupid sometimes, of course, it was not his intention, but he could be indifferent enough to cause many problems. Before, he wouldn't bother about what people thought about him or if his words had affected someone in any way, but recently, that inkling feeling weighting on his heart had been annoying his mind. And when he pondered about that, there was a bundle of other things that actually worried him more.
There wasn't really a problem in showing gratitude or even talking about what he thought, it was only… His disinterest came from the fact he judged it wasn't necessary to say the words thoroughly, people should be able to understand even if he didn't tell or interfere. Still… He turned back and his sight caught a glimpse of his classmates' faces.
A mild breeze passed by, blowing Shizuka's scarlet hair, the shades of her smile seemed somewhat resigned when she told that to Sakuraba. She combed a strand of her hair back before turning to leave.
Sakuraba's eyes focused on the present on his hands… Even though Shin was sincere, he could be very cruel on rare occasions because it looked like he hasn't carefully pondered his words before explicating it, like he wasn't considering their feelings at all. His thoughts were irrupted by the girl's voice:
"Ouch!"
She bumped into someone, and dropped the bag of cookies to touch on the tip of her nose that reddened.
"Shin?!" Sakuraba was startled. "Why did he come back…? Did he eavesdrop on our conversation…?"
He thought trying to fathom the thoughts of the linebacker, but it was impossible to read the emotions on the blank face of his companion.
"I'm sorry. I didn't notice you were here…" There was a drop of sweat on her face as she bowed slightly to apologize.
The linebacker quietly picked the plastic envelop on the ground. They wondered if his silence meant he had forgotten something, but their hypothesis was a complete flaw:
"I'm sorry too Shizuka." His declaration caused a flinch on the other two again.
"H-Huh? For what?"
"I haven't noticed earlier it was something important for you. I'll accept it."
"H-huh? Are you sure?" her eyes wavered for a brief moment "... But, you've said your diet…" her brows curled in worry.
"It's not a problem, I can reorganize it." he put the bag on the pocket of his pants. "Then, I'm going."
He turned away and left with the wind. Both the receiver and the red-haired stayed still for some seconds, trying to understand just what had happened.
"Pft… He can be so clumsy…" Sakuraba's internal thoughts made a smile appear on his face "I thought he was oblivious to his surroundings, but I completely mistook his tranquil temper for unawareness of the facts… He is always paying attention even when we think he isn't… That guy is so strict… I didn't know he could be gentle like this too… Although, he's still a very sloppy gentleman…"
He stared at Shizuka, she seemed still mesmerized as she looked at the path where he had gone and he wondered if it was only his impression or if her cheeks were more rose than usual, he rubbed his eyes and on the next instant, she was back to her normal self again, with a confident, kind smile on her face.
"Let's go too, Sakuraba-kun, we'll arrive late!"
"At least, she is in a good mood!" he answered with a grin, following the girl to their classroom.
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Sakuraba was anxious for the incoming matches, firstly, he was curious to see the results of Deimon VS Shinryuuji, since the latest were the favorites to win the title, although he personally preferred the Devil Bats.
"What's wrong?" Shizuka swiftly approached with a smile, staring at his worried expression.
"Ah, nothing… I was just thinking about the tournament…" he sighed heavily "Deimon will have a match against Shinryuuji, you know… That team from-"
"I remember…" she had a saddened glance "They're a strong team, but I'm still rooting for Deimon…"
"Shizuka-chan…"
"Ah, it's not that I prefer them over Oujou, but…" she gestured nervously, but her expression changed when her memory recalled about Agon, whom she met right after the match "I… don't like that person, the main player…" she felt a shudder spreading through her body.
"Huh?" Sakuraba wondered why she was acting so strangely.
"Eyeshield 21 is a player who always evolves during the matches, I want to see which sort of moves he will show against a genius like Agon… of course, he's not the only trump of Deimon's devil Bats, their Quarterback is also laudable."
Shin's comment startled the other two, he could be very talkative and precise when it was about football, they had a drop of sweat on their faces and exchanged a glance. He was really a peculiar person.
"But we will only meet Deimon at the semifinals if they win Shinryuuji…"
The receiver's gaze was focused on a distant reality he was foreseeing, one in which he would have his confrontation against Monta and Sena. Shin himself also emanated a fiery, imposing aura that turned him into an unapproachable person, but their concentration was irrupted with the sound of a pleasant chuckle.
"You two are the same when it's about American football…" Shizuka covered her mouth with one hand.
The two players felt awkward as a burning sensation invaded their cheeks, were they being mocked because of the strange habit of being too immerse into football they forgot the world around?
The match between Shinryuuji and Deimon was impressive, and as Shin predicted, Eyeshield leveled up his abilities as a player. What would happen now that they were one step closer to their promise of meeting at the finals?
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EXTRA:
Before the Tournament started, Kumabukuro's daughter, a teen journalist came to interview Shin, among the question she asked while he trained, there was one question that stunned his friend:
"Which kind of girl do you like?"
"One that can carry the pride of the team with her."
"Ah… He missed the meaning here!" Sakuraba pointed out on his mind, sweating aplenty "Those are requirements to be a manager of the team, not the type of girl he'd like as a girlfriend!" he stated "Shin is so…"
There was a dramatic pause on Sakuraba's mind. He stared at his friend with curious and perplexed eyes as the journalist asked more questions. He couldn't listen what she was talking, he was concentrated on his friend's training.
"Wait… The pride of the team…"
He gulped and took a peek at Shogun who was shouting at some players to incentivize them. The young idol could only picture an image on his mind, of the smiling Shizuka.
"Shin, could it be that you're smarter than I think…? He have said that she carried pride before, haven't he?" his thoughts only got more confused and he fastened the pace of his lifting of weights. "T-that guy, could he really be talking about…? Ow! I'm curious now! Had he finally awaken to those kinds of matters? I can't understand this guy!"
That doubt killed his inner self for the rest on the day, and maybe, he would never know. Shin Seijurou was a mysterious and rather quiet person whose thoughts were a complete maze for Sakuraba. Maybe, there was something changing on him…? Or not.