Author's Note: There will be major time lapse in this chapter.
Chapter Four: Everything Will Bloom
For the past weeks, the Devil Bats had been assisting in the expansion of the clubroom. The construction was completed and everyone was able to explore the interior. The changing room was the more impressive addition; each person had their own one shelf...minus the Ha-Ha Brothers. Within the same week, Sena stopped visiting Shizuka. Not only did she not want to see him, he had to concentrate on his rivalry with Seijuuro Shin. He had to become stronger in order to make the lies reality, in order to reach the finals. There, he would face Shin again. However, he did pay Shizuka one last visit...
She had refused to come out from the tent, but Sena was glad to know she was still eating. He talked to her from outside.
"I'm sorry if I made you sad, but I won't apologize for asking because we're friends. Aren't friends supposed to understand each other?"
Shizuka didn't say anything.
"It's okay if you don't tell me. But, I'm going to find out myself and–"
"If you do then I'll tell you," she said from inside.
Happy that she spoke, a gleam lit up in his eyes. So she's not angry at me. "Take care of yourself then!"
Though she only said a few words, a response was a response. If she wanted to sever all ties with him, she would have kept quiet. Sena promised himself that he would not see her again until he discovered the truth. Not the whole truth, but a truth. Changing into his uniform, Sena put his helmet on. The marching of footsteps alarmed him and he crawled under a stool. Jumonji and his two buddies entered and began to ransack the room for the photos Hiruma kept using to blackmail them. They were interrupted when Komusubi tackled Togano. Jumonji raised a bat over his head, preparing to swing. Fortunately, his pride got the best of him when he realized how petty the situation was. Did he need two other people to defeat the little fat ass?
When Sena was about to interfere, Jumonji dropped the bat, hitting him. The trio quit the team afterward. Creeping out from under the bench, Sena had his doubts on whether they would return. Every time Hiruma wasn't around the three would slack off during training. Also, they only participated because Hiruma was extorting them with censored crotch shots. He recalled back to the Tokyo Tower trial. Hiruma was right. Without determination, how can anyone reach the finishing line? If I keep trying to learn more about Shizuka, I should succeed, right?
The team was measuring everyone's bench press records again to prepare for the match against the Taiyou Sphinx. This was Sena's worst trait: he had zero strength. However, with all the training he had been through, he must have physically improved in arm power. He started with the lightest weight, twenty kilograms, with Monta as his spotter. Hauling the weights, his shoulders dug onto bench and his back arched. Gritting his teeth, Sena placed the weight back onto the rings.
"I did it...exactly twenty kilograms," Sena panted.
"That was forty kilograms," corrected Monta.
Mamori congratulated him. All that training had paid off. Sena was one step stronger, one step closer to meeting Shin again. He looked around the room. There was no sign of Hiruma. Where did he go? He was here to tell us about being Japan's representatives and now...
Jumonji, Kuroki, and Togano came limping in, their bodies covered in bruises and scratches. Those injuries were a result of challenging Banba, the main linebacker of the Taiyou Sphinx. They all lay down on separate benches. Gripping the metal bar, Jumonji thought back to those linebackers. They had called them "useless noobs". I'll fucking show them! Bench pressing eighty-five kilograms, he increased his record by twenty kilograms. He was going to get revenge for being humiliated. After all, the Ha-Ha Brothers hated to lose.
Hiruma strolled in. Upon seeing the trio, he smirked. Looks like they're fired up. He furrowed his eyebrows when Sena came over.
"I thought you wanted to check our records," Sena said.
"Do I need to watch in order to check?" Hiruma made a valid point. There was something known as paper and pen.
"Well, I was just wondering where you went."
"In the clubroom. Now stop with these pointless thoughts. What you need to focus on is tomorrow's game. Got that?" Hiruma brushed past him to talk to Kurita.
For an instance, Sena smelled a feminine scent blow in the air. He was positive that it came from Hiruma. When he sniffed the air again, it was gone. Sena went over to Hiruma and inhaled the air around him to check. Kurita and Hiruma stopped to look at Sena, who was circling around the two. The veins in Hiruma's skull pulsed and he shot at Sena's feet.
"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled.
Mamori caught Sena before he could fall on his back.
"No need to shoot," Mamori scolded Hiruma for his violent ways. Sena assured her that it was okay. It was his fault anyway.
The Tokyo Spring Semifinals were about to start. The Oujo White Knights were preparing for the great battle against the Shinryuugi Nagas. Everyone took the monorail to Enoshima Stadium after the match between Deimon and Taiyou, which had ended in a tie. The island there was splendid. The radiance of the shoreline was beautifying along with the curvy female surfers as some males took notice of. Sena and the team crossed the bridge to get to the stadium. Sena had not expected to attend a match afterward. He had planned to do some research on Shizuka at the school, but he wasn't complaining. He would be able to see Shin play.
"Slow down, Chuubou!" Sakuraba went airborn as Chuubou rolled down the bridge in his wheelchair.
The two escaped the hospital and left a note for Nurse Oka, telling her not to curse them. She disregarded their request. Sakuraba yearned to play after resting for so long. He had promised Chubou and himself that he would become stronger and he wasn't going to accomplish that by lazying around in bed. Reaching the field, Sakuraba went to change. While Chubou waited, he had a good look at the rest of the Royal White Knights. A man in a number forty jersey left him the biggest impression. That was Shin, best known for his Spear Tackle.
Shin was about to clip his helmet until he spotted Sena in the bleachers. He overheard Deimon discussing the Kongo Brothers. Those twins were one of the highlights that made this match worthwhile for the media. After all, it was due to the Kongo Brother's skills that allowed Shinryuugi Naga to win against The Golden Age. Despite all the hype, Shin was not afraid of them. Today was his opportunity to show Sena what he was made out of. It was his declaration of war.
Over on the Shinryuugi's side, Unsui was hollering into his cell phone. Agon had yet to arrive and the match was going to begin in any minute.
"You bastard, get your ass over here!"
"Mother fucker, don't shout in my ear," groaned Agon on the other line.
"Stop screwing around!"
"I heard you! Coming right over! I'm still a bit hung over though."
Unsui could hear the faint sound of a blow dryer in the background. Obviously, Agon wasn't the one drying his hair. There was only one possible conclusion Unsui could come to: Agon got in with another chick. When his teammates overheard, they became furious and also secretively jealous.
What a bunch of trashes. Agon had knocked out Habashira and his gang without breaking a drop of sweat. Leaving the giant heap he made, he proceeded to change out of his bloody clothes. Stuffing his shirt into his bag, he continued on his way to Enoshima Stadium. Adjusting his shades, he saw a girl in a fluttery turquoise dress with white lily patterns and boots. There was only one person he knew who matched that description. Jogging up to her, he spun her around.
"Yo, flower trash!"
A pair of shocked hazel eyes peered up at him.
"It's been a while, Agon-san," Shizuka greeted, not minding the nickname at all.
"Come to watch to game?" He wrapped an arm around her.
"I was, but I changed my mind."
"You still hanging out with that trash?" He dug his thumb into her collar bone.
"Hiruma is not trash," she said.
Her friendly demeanor dropped.
Agon suddenly slammed her against a telephone booth. Wincing, she raised a hand to push him away, but he snatched her wrist. Shizuka inhaled sharply when Agon brought his face close to hers. "Not only is your body sad, so is your strength. Were you trying to do something with this hand?" He twisted her wrist, evoking an agonized yelp from her. When she didn't counter his insult, he flung her to the side. She lost her balance and fell, scraping her knee. "It's only right for trash to hang out with trash." Spitting on the ground, he walked off.
Moaning in pain, Shizuka gripped her cut up knee. What Agon had said wasn't false. Did she think she could take him on by herself? She had been exploring the Segami Bay, debating on whether or not to attend the match. She decided not to and while heading home, she had the misfortune of bumping into Agon. He certainly hadn't changed since the time she used to hang out with him. He still man handled women and called people "trash".
"Miss, you alright?"
She sat up to see who the voice belonged to. Standing before her was man in a blood stained white trench coat.
I could say the same for you, thought Shizuka.
The Ha-Ha Brothers were speechless when they saw their name plates on separate lockers. Hiruma had acknowledged their efforts and rewarded them. Determination truly was important in an athlete. It had the ability to turn average athletes into all-stars and the ability to unite a team. Sena smiled to himself. This is what the team needed if they wanted to reach the finals. Passing by a vacant locker, he saw a black block.
"A kick tee!" She grabbed it and explained to Monta and Sena its purpose. Kurita anxiously reached over to stop her.
The three were confused.
"Leave that tee there. Don't touch it, fucking manager," Hiruma muttered, his back facing everyone.
"You don't have to talk like that! Always being like that to everyone..." Mamori ceased her nagging when Hiruma butted in.
"It's Musashi's personal property."
Mamori fell silent and placed the tee back to where it was. "I'm sorry."
The silence was broken when, through the intercom, the Ha-Ha Brothers shouted, "What an awesome kick!"
Kurita, Monta, and Sena exchanged curious looks before dashing off to the scene. A crowd was gathered on the field as they watched a tall and lean man kick a football straight through the middle of the goal. The man brought out a comb and with a suave motion, brushed it through his hair. He could comb his sideburns too if he wanted.
"You're not Musashi..." Kurita was disappointed and interested at the same time.
Who was this elegant kicker?
"Sasaki Kotarou, kicker of the Bando Spiders. TFP success rate is one hundred percent," Hiruma read aloud from his threat book. "So, what do you want fucking sideburns?"
Kotarou placed a football onto a tee. "I heard of the thing about 'The 60-Yard Magnum' from her."
"Her?" Sena needed clarifications on that. Hiruma and Kurita appeared to know who he was referring to though. Sena kept deliberating who this "her" was. It's not Mamori-neechan and I don't really know of any other girls. If he heard about Musashi from that girl then I should ask the girl who Musashi is? But who's the girl? He clutched his aching head. It was never too good to think too hard. You'd just end up hurting yourself, especially if you had half a brain like Sena.
While Monta and him went home that night, Monta suggested to look for Musashi in order to bring him back to the football team. Deimon needed a kicker if they hoped to defeat the Americans. Sena agreed to the idea. Perhaps by looking into who Musashi was, he might find out something about Shizuka along the way. That is, if anyone in Deimon knew her.
At the library, Monta and Sena were flipping through the yearbook. No student went by the name of Musashi, bringing them to the conclusion that it was a nickname. Also, Mamori had said that they had already met him. Scanning the student's profiles, Sena practically smothered his nose into the book. He pointed to a guy called Muro Satoshi. He was the one who had tripped the two when they went to see Kotarou.
"This guy's Musashi?" Sena set the yearbook onto the table. The coming breeze flipped the page and his eyes widened. There was a picture of a girl with short brown hair, who candidly resembled Shizuka. When he checked the name, it was crossed out with a black marker. He snatched the other copy from Monta and went to the same page. The student's name was crossed out in that one too.
"What's wrong?" asked Monta.
"Doesn't she look like Shizuka?"
"When you think about it, she does."
They checked every copy of the yearbook the library had and in each one, her name was crossed out. It was so frustrating; they wanted to pull their hair out.
"What are you guys doing?" Yukimitsu came over, carrying a stack of books. He dropped them on the table with a loud thud.
"Perfect timing max!" Monta shoved the yearbook into Yukimitsu's face. "Is this Nishihara Shizuka?"
Yukimitsu suddenly went stiff. Gathering the sides of his pants into his hands, he chewed on his lip.
"So it is? Do you know her?" Sena tried to get an answer out of him. His heart dropped to his stomach when he realized Yukimitsu wasn't going to speak. "This is Nishihara Shizuka, isn't it?"
Monta handed Sena another copy he had found on another shelf. Arriving at the page, the name was also crossed out, this time in red ink. The girl's picture was scribbled all over and in the self-introduction, someone wrote, "Fails at everything". On impulse, Sena tore the page from the binding and crumbled it.
"I don't get it. Why would someone write that?" Sena pressed the wrinkled paper to his chest.
"That ain't cool," Monta growled, the muscles in his face tightening. "Let's find Musashi. Maybe he knows something."
Things were not going well. Challenging the soccer team in a shoot-out was not the smartest move, especially when you had a dog and a carpenter on your team. Monta wasn't any better since he couldn't kick or throw to save his life. In fact, Cerberus proved more useful than Monta in terms of scoring. The old carpenter only volunteered to kick after finding out that if they lost, they couldn't use the field to practice anymore. Standing a few feet away from the ball, he rested both hands on his left knee.
"Come on. Kick if you dare!" Muro laughed.
Bringing his foot forward, the older man sent the ball flying into the Muro, sending him into the net. When the dust cleared up, Kotarou dropped his comb. Pointing at the old man, he shouted, "I am Sasaki Kotarou. Who are you, old geezer? What is your name?"
The old man looked back at him. "Takekura Gen. You guys might know me better by 'Musashi'."
All three had their jaws dropped.
He's been with us this whole time! Musashi's identity was right under Sena's nose and he was completely oblivious. In that case, maybe information on Shizuka was also in plain sight; he just didn't know. "Musashi-san! Do you know Nishihara Shizuka?"
Musashi and Kotarou both turned to Sena.
"Yes, but I don't have anything else to say," he said. "It's none of your business."
"Shizuka? She's a–" Kotarou cut himself off. "Hey, Musashi! Your Japanese national record is the 60-Yard Magnum!"
"That's all bullshit." Musashi sat down on the stone steps and lit a cigarette.
As Sena watched the two kickers go back and forth at each other, he reached into his pocket where he had put the ripped yearbook page. So she is the girl in the picture. Even Kotarou-san knows her, but how? More importantly, why is that each time I'm about to learn something climatic, they stop mid-sentence?
"Assholes who betray their buddies just ain't cool! See ya!" Kotarou stormed off. "I was a fool to have thought this guy's number one in the nation! Why didn't she tell me he was like this? Was she making fun of me? Wait until I see her again!" Grumbling irritably to himself, he flicked his comb open and close continuously.
Musashi took a drag out of his cigarette. How does he know her?
Sena and Monta went to change. Pulling on his shoelaces, Sena stumbled. Tumbling back, he rolled out of the changing room and crashed into the office. Monta went to check on him. He didn't sustain any injuries from hitting his head all thanks to the helmet. However, he did knock over some folders, scattering the paper all over the floor. They began to pick them up. Stuffing the papers into the folder, Monta saw something an object that seemed out of place. Taking it, he scrutinized the tiny rectangular glass bottle, shaking the yellow liquid inside.
"Perfume? Is it Hiruma's?" Monta queried.
Sena gasped, recognizing the bottle to be the same one that Mamori hid from him. "Can I see that? Uh, on second–"
It was already too late. Monta threw the bottle and with his poor coordination, the bottle flew to the left. Sena tugged at his hair as he watched the bottle bounce off the wall and shatter onto the floor. What if that had been something important? Sena would have screamed for his life until the room began to smell like jasmine.
"Man, that's strong!" Monta pinched his nose.
Jasmine? Sena's mind began to reel madly. Everything was coming together all at once: why Mamori hesitated about being the manager, the perfume bottle, how Shizuka knew about Sakuraba not being the ace, and the vandalism in the yearbook. Racing out the door, Monta called after him. The reason why I kept smelling jasmine when I was with her was because she was wearing perfume, the same perfume in the clubroom. If Hiruma has it then naturally they know each other. If the bottle is in the football team's office then...Arriving at the park, he saw Shizuka on the swings. Steadying his breathing, he took off his helmet. She tilted her head up, her hair fall over her eyes.
"Did you figure it out?"
Sena nodded.
"You were part of the Deimon Devil Bats. You were the manager," he said, "but you quit...Why?"
Author's Note: Sena has the situation figured out. Now it's up to Shizuka to tell him the truth. Finally, the readers can delve into the heart of the story and the plot can progress.