The following morning, Michael and Adé arrive in the classroom and take their seats. Eugene, while hardly one to raise his voice unless absolutely necessary, has been more silent than usual, even ignoring Adé's repeated prodding. It's not until lunch break that they finally learn why.
"What do you mean, there's no practice today," Kaiser asks, a tinge of frustration in his voice. "What could be so important that it could affect club activities?"
Eugene answers in an 'of course you wouldn't understand' tone, "You didn't hear about it already? The principal announced it at the morning assembly."
"I was busy trying to wake up this Dumbkoff. That's why we were late." Kaiser points his thumb at Adé, who laughs sheepishly.
"Arion made a thread on InaLink the moment he found out about it."
Adé blinks, then checks his phone for an update. "What? This can't be…!"
His reaction has Kaiser curious about what's going on. Mobile at the ready, he opens up InaLink, and is barraged with a flood of messages from his fellow teammates.
"I can't believe it… Shun's gone." This is the first message in the thread, sent by Arion. Texts from JP and others respond, demanding context. Then Riccardo, the former captain and fellow third-year, sends a link to an article. The messages that follow show everyone's disbelief and grief, eventually ending with Coach Evans declaring the cancellation of today's activities to leave time for mourning.
Adé, at a loss for words, excuses himself and leaves the classroom, leaving the remaining two alone. Kaiser gets up, but Eugene stops him. "Leave him be. With everything that's going on, he needs space to breathe."
Kaiser shoots daggers in the redhead's direction. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Adé's not used to hearing this sort of news. The last thing he needs is somebody suffocating him."
"We're his best friends! The least we could do is be there for him!"
"Riddle me this: are you really doing this for his sake? Or do you have other motives in mind?"
"I could ask the same of you."
"How do you feel about Shun's death? He was one of our teammates, after all."
With a scowl, Kaiser turns and runs out. Eugene, alone, slumps over his desk, his dark eyes glazed over. So you finally show your true colors, he says to himself as a smirk spreads across his face.
Once school lets out, the trio walk out of school, pretending not to notice the emptiness of the outdoor field as they make way for the entrance. From a distance, Eugene can spot a figure standing outside the school gates, waving at him. His friends quickly notice, surprised when they see the slate-and-yellow uniform the figure is sporting. "Naga," Eugene mutters under his breath.
"Eugene," the figure exclaims as he rushes over to greet him. "So these two are your friends?" He gasps and points at Adé. "You! I remember you! You pulled off that Flying Fish move like it was nothing. And your dribbling—amazing!"
Adé, dumbfounded, stutters, "Thanks, I guess." His brown eyes side-glance at Eugene. "I didn't know you two were friends. Looks like Kai's not the only one with pals in Lunar Sea!"
The comment sparks a glimmer in the mysterious student's coal-black eyes as they shift to the cyan-haired boy. "So you're the one they call 'Kaiser'? The one with the Sidewinder? Dodge told me a lot about you. I didn't expect much from you, but your performance in Saint's Way really changed me."
Kaiser glares at the boy, but is interrupted by Eugene before he can retort. "Naga, this is Adé and Michael. We attend class together."
"You three are classmates? Gosh, I'm super-jealous of you! Me and my friends are all separated. Maybe I should transfer to Raimon. Then we can meet up during lunch and talk and—" He stops dead in his tracks. "Oh, I'm Naga, by the way. Nobby Naga. Nice to meetcha!"
Kaiser says in a low tone, "Yeah. Same to you."
Mesmerized by the younger boy's charisma, Adé brings up a suggestion. "Hey, how 'bout he hang out with us today? It'll definitely change things up!"
Eugene opens his mouth as if to protest, but Naga bursts in with, "That's wonderful! I know this great place not too far from here. We can eat something there and hang at the arcade or something. My treat!" Grabbing the bespectacled one by the hand, he drags him out, with his friends pursuing him.
Late in the afternoon, Max stops by the football pitch out front, only to find it empty. Of course. If something as drastic as a player's passing happened during his time, their captain would have done the same, possibly more. If only he had something to offer…
"Max?" Timmy runs up to him, stopping beside him. They take in the moment, absorbing all that they have just learned. Looking up at the sky, he comments, "It's getting cloudy. We should start heading out before it gets worse." Following along, Max—for the first time in a long while—has absolutely nothing to say.The following morning, Michael and Adé arrive in the classroom and take their seats. Eugene, while hardly one to raise his voice unless absolutely necessary, has been more silent than usual, even ignoring Adé's repeated prodding. It's not until lunch break that they finally learn why.
"What do you mean, there's no practice today," Kaiser asks, a tinge of frustration in his voice. "What could be so important that it could affect club activities?"
Eugene answers in an 'of course you wouldn't understand' tone, "You didn't hear about it already? The principal announced it at the morning assembly."
"I was busy trying to wake up this Dumbkoff. That's why we were late." Kaiser points his thumb at Adé, who laughs sheepishly.
"Arion made a thread on InaLink the moment he found out about it."
Adé blinks, then checks his phone for an update. "What? This can't be…!"
His reaction has Kaiser curious about what's going on. Mobile at the ready, he opens up InaLink, and is barraged with a flood of messages from his fellow teammates.
"I can't believe it… Shun's gone." This is the first message in the thread, sent by Arion. Texts from JP and others respond, demanding context. Then Riccardo, the former captain and fellow third-year, sends a link to an article. The messages that follow show everyone's disbelief and grief, eventually ending with Coach Evans declaring the cancellation of today's activities to leave time for mourning.
Adé, at a loss for words, excuses himself and leaves the classroom, leaving the remaining two alone. Kaiser gets up, but Eugene stops him. "Leave him be. With everything that's going on, he needs space to breathe."
Kaiser shoots daggers in the redhead's direction. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Adé's not used to hearing this sort of news. The last thing he needs is somebody suffocating him."
"We're his best friends! The least we could do is be there for him!"
"Riddle me this: are you really doing this for his sake? Or do you have other motives in mind?"
"I could ask the same of you."
"How do you feel about Shun's death? He was one of our teammates, after all."
With a scowl, Kaiser turns and runs out. Eugene, alone, slumps over his desk, his dark eyes glazed over. So you finally show your true colors, he says to himself as a smirk spreads across his face.
Once school lets out, the trio walk out of school, pretending not to notice the emptiness of the outdoor field as they make way for the entrance. From a distance, Eugene can spot a figure standing outside the school gates, waving at him. His friends quickly notice, surprised when they see the slate-and-yellow uniform the figure is sporting. "Naga," Eugene mutters under his breath.
"Eugene," the figure exclaims as he rushes over to greet him. "So these two are your friends?" He gasps and points at Adé. "You! I remember you! You pulled off that Flying Fish move like it was nothing. And your dribbling—amazing!"
Adé, dumbfounded, stutters, "Thanks, I guess." His brown eyes side-glance at Eugene. "I didn't know you two were friends. Looks like Kai's not the only one with pals in Lunar Sea!"
The comment sparks a glimmer in the mysterious student's coal-black eyes as they shift to the cyan-haired boy. "So you're the one they call 'Kaiser'? The one with the Sidewinder? Dodge told me a lot about you. I didn't expect much from you, but your performance in Saint's Way really changed me."
Kaiser glares at the boy, but is interrupted by Eugene before he can retort. "Naga, this is Adé and Michael. We attend class together."
"You three are classmates? Gosh, I'm super-jealous of you! Me and my friends are all separated. Maybe I should transfer to Raimon. Then we can meet up during lunch and talk and—" He stops dead in his tracks. "Oh, I'm Naga, by the way. Nobby Naga. Nice to meetcha!"
Kaiser says in a low tone, "Yeah. Same to you."
Mesmerized by the younger boy's charisma, Adé brings up a suggestion. "Hey, how 'bout he hang out with us today? It'll definitely change things up!"
Eugene opens his mouth as if to protest, but Naga bursts in with, "That's wonderful! I know this great place not too far from here. We can eat something there and hang at the arcade or something. My treat!" Grabbing the bespectacled one by the hand, he drags him out, with his friends pursuing him.
Late in the afternoon, Max stops by the football pitch out front, only to find it empty. Of course. If something as drastic as a player's passing happened during his time, their captain would have done the same, possibly more. If only he had something to offer…
"Max?" Timmy runs up to him, stopping beside him. They take in the moment, absorbing all that they have just learned. Looking up at the sky, he comments, "It's getting cloudy. We should start heading out before it gets worse." Following along, Max—for the first time in a long while—has absolutely nothing to say.