Disclaimer: ES21, characters and their illegal weapons belong to their rightful creators ie Not Mine.
A/N: I love Koutarou to a stupid degree but he's such a minor character. Sometimes, I wish he'd start a spin-off series as a soccer star.
Drabble 3
Bando Spiders
American Football vs. English Football
They were here again. Slinking out from the shadows once practice was over and the main team departed. Those stalkers from the soccer team.
They crept silently over the empty field towards their prey. Akaba watched passively from the clubhouse as they slowly surrounded their prey. Koutarou always stayed back for extra practice. It was not hard to catch him alone.
"Smart daze!" The idiot declared, after executing yet another perfect kick. He struck a pose and combed back his hair, completely oblivious to the threat around him.
The soccer players were almost drooling.
"Sasaki-sempai…" One of the younger ones breathed out, unable to contain his admiration.
"Huh?" He turned, finally noticing the soccer players.
The soccer team captain hastily shoved the junior away.
"Sasaki-kun, we meet again." He greeted.
"Huh? Who are you?"
Akaba understood the pain on the soccer boy's face. The other had last tried to recruit the idiot not more than three days ago, approached him no less than 4 times and had been steadily stalking him for more than a month since they had first witnessed Koutarou's performance during the annual sports festival.
"Please join the soccer team!" The soccer captain got straight to the point.
"No." The kicker replied as readily, without a moment's hesitation.
That conversation might as well have been the one from 3 days ago, and 3 days before that, and before that.
"Why not?"
"Because I love American Football."
"They call soccer 'football' in England too. And we need you more than the American Football team does! Your talents will be better utilized! Please join our team!"
"No."
Akaba sighed and wondered when the soccer boy will finally give up.
"If we cannot convince you with reason," the soccer boy growled, emitting an evil aura, "Don't blame us if we use force!"
Most of the soccer team cracked their knuckles menacingly. Koutarou looked at them stupidly.
What an idiot, Akaba thought as he set down his guitar and headed towards the field.
--
As they were walking home later, Akaba and Koutarou were looking quite battered and worse for wear. But they walked with the satisfying knowledge that the soccer team shall be incapacitated for their next game that week.
After the expected quibbles and Koutarou's complains about how he can fight his own fights, Akaba asked Koutarou the question that had been in his mind for a while.
"Why American Football?" He asked the kicker.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You would shine much more in soccer. And, judging from your obnoxious nature, enjoy it. So why chose American Football?"
There was a moment of meaningful silence.
Then Koutarou grinned and tapped his head meaningfully.
"You get helmets in American Football." He said.
Akaba looked at him as if he just spoke Greek.
Koutarou looked back at him as if he was stupid.
"Protects my hair," he explained.