"Hm? Oh they never come. It's always just been Rin and I whenever it was Sae playing."

Seiren and Isagi both walked down the hallway to their classroom. She held his jersey in between her arms. She was planning to put it in her bag once she got to class but she spotted Chigiri and Bachira down the hall, staring at them as if they caught them in the act of something unusual. "Oh here we go.." Isagi mumbled, already expecting nonsense to spit out their mouths.

"So..are you coming to the game Seichan?" Bachira smiled.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you coming to the game Seichan?" he pouted after having to repeat himself, thinking the girl didn't hear him the first time but she was just caught off guard by the sudden nickname. "Oh yeah I'm coming." Seiren nodded her head. "Are you going to be cheering us on?" Bachira wrapped his arm around her shoulders, now walking beside her as Chigiri fell on Isagi's side.

"Is that a stupid question?" she laughs. "Of course I'll be cheering you guys on." she said, the two entering their classroom. "Good cause I think Isagi will get upset if you don't. You're like his best friend besides me." Bachira makes it well known that he was there first, watching Seiren laugh. "I understand. Don't get jealous if he likes me more than you." she jokes, sitting at her desk.

"He might." he mutters before heading to his seat. "What did he say?" Isagi quickly pulled a chair out next to her. "That he's the better best friend." Seiren locks eyes with Isagi. "Typical." he laughs. "We're hanging out after the game if you want to come with. It's at Reo's place. Just us second years." he taps his finger on her desk, awaiting her response. "I'll go. Reo has this cool gaming set up for Nagi and I haven't played on it in forever."

"Wow..just going for the gaming set up? I thought we were closer than that?"

"You're being dramatic Yoichi. Not everything's about you.." she teased.

"I'm hurt." Isagi places his hand over his heart, pretending as if he had been shot. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later." they notice their homeroom teacher come in, his eyes falling over to his desk before waving at the girl. Seiren keeps her gaze on Isagi for a while before her attention drifted off to the front of the class. She sighed softly, only wanting the day to pass so she could be in the stands cheering for her school.

———

Lunch felt like an hour.

Seiren avoided Kimiyo at all costs, not wanting to spend a moment with her alone so as soon as the lunch bell rung she practically ran towards the roof top. The fresh breeze and warm sun suddenly made her worries go away. She walked towards the railing, she could already see them on the field, practicing their legs off as she spotted their opponents bus park adjacent to them.

She tilted her head. The school was also well known to be prestigious. Their sports were phenomenal and on par with her school's. Seiren sighed as she watched the team get off the bus. She spotted a few girls coming off, figuring they were their managers. Her gaze darted back to her team, eyes jumping off each of the players until she found Isagi. Almost as if on que, he tilts his head up like he was expecting her to be there.

Isagi passes her a gentle wave to which she reciprocated. Their team then took a break, allowing themselves to save up their energy. Sae went to grab a water bottle, only to see that it was empty. He pouted and decided to go inside for a drink. Given that the halls were empty, his cleats echoed through them. "Shit.." he had forgotten to take them off, leaning against the wall before taking off his shoes, not wanting to mess them up.

The water fountain wasn't that far, just a few steps away until he was pushed against a wall, a girl rushing towards the fountain as if her life depended on it.

Sae tilted his head. He wasn't upset but he was bothered at the fact that this girl didn't even say excuse me. "The hell was that?" They were close to the gym meaning there weren't any classrooms nearby to see how irritated Sae had become. The girl looked up, still drinking the water before standing straight and wiping her mouth. "Do ya know..how hot that damn bus was?" she panted, fanning her face with her hand.

"I don't care about your little dehydration story. Say excuse me next time." Sae waited until she would move out the way, tapping the bottle against his thigh. Her eyes scanned him before she went ahead and took another drink. "You know that's unsanitary." he said. She paused for a moment. "Well aren't you here for the same thing pretty boy?"

"Huh."

"Yer messin' with me sayin' this is unsanitary but yer over here waiting for me to get done..so you can drink as well." she laughs but Sae was still on the fact that she called him a pretty boy. "What's your name?" she asks, backing away from the fountain before grabbing a pen and a sticky note out of her purse. "Sae?" he was more than confused. The prodigy must've thought she was lying her way to get to know him but she actually had no clue as to who he was. No but her accent was different. She wasn't from this part of Japan so that must've explained it.

"Mkay Sae. This is my number. Text me and don't keep me waitin' too long."

A tall honey blonde girl with dark brown eyes with natural lashes possibly longer than his and was wearing a uniform much different than his had gave him her number. The school lighting wasn't enhancing her beauty enough but Sae honestly thought she was breath taking.

She grabbed his hand, placing the neatly folded sticking note into his palm before walking past him. She had forgotten to tell him her name, quickly halting her steps. "Oh Sae! 'm Akagi Miori but Mio is just fine!" the girl smiles before rushing off back outside. Sae stood stunned. Had any of the girls at the school even approached him in such away or were country girls more bold? He couldn't really tell but the grin on his lips seemed natural.

Sae glanced down at her number. He was definitely texting her later on.

Seiren could hear the rooftop door open but her eyes were glued on the teams to even notice that the lunch bell had rung. "Seiren.." the familiar voice made her sigh. "What?" the girl mumbles. "Are you coming to the game?" Kimiyo asks. "Like it matters to you." Seiren pushed herself off the railing, now realizing she had to hurry to class or else she would be marked tardy. "I'm happy without you. Don't try to scoot your way back into my life again. I don't need it." Seiren said, making her way to the door.

Kimiyo would've said something but Seiren had already left. She glanced over to the field before looking down at her shoes. She then noticed Seiren's bag on the floor, the blue jersey poking out from the inside catching her interest. The number eleven with Isagi's name was on the back led her to look back at the teams. Their game was today and many people were going to come watch it so for Seiren's sake, Kimiyo thought to keep it safe before anything else could happen to it.

"Itoshi. You're late. Do I have to call your parents? This is out of the ordinary from you."

"Sorry. It won't..Uhm excuse me. I left my bag.."

"Please hurry.."

Seiren rushed back up to the rooftop, finding her bag in the same place it was. She hadn't notice the jersey being gone just yet, her only worry being was to get back in class before her teacher could complain about it to her parents. Seiren paced into the classroom, heading towards her desk while everyone had begun the worksheet on their desks. She let out a deep breath, shaking off the anxiety that had slowly begun to pile up inside her.

———

By the time school ended, they were already halfway through the game but at this time, Seiren was stuck searching the entire school for this jersey.

They were up by one, leading with a score of 3-2. Their opponents had taken a time out and Isagi glanced at the stands. Most of the students had already came in but she wasn't there yet. He waved to his parents before turning back to his team. "I thought she was coming?" Bachira frowned. Rin overheard them, his eyes darting up to the bleachers as he tried finding his sister. "She's not here." he said.

"I see that.." Bachira sighed, glancing up at Isagi who was oddly quiet. "Maybe if you score a goal she'll appear." he tried lifting up his mood. "She probably lost track of time." Reo joined in. "She's an academic addict. If anything she's probably just doing work. Don't get too upset." Reo also tried calming down Isagi's nerves. "I'm not upset. Just worried." he shrugged it off.

Rin glanced back at the bleachers, his eyes catching onto a particular girl. She gave him a thumbs up after scoring the previous goal. He looked away shyly. Sae saw the entire interaction, nudging Rin's arm. "Girlfriend or not?" he said. "Not. Now leave me alone." the younger sibling crossed his arms. Sae rolled his eyes, his gaze darting across the field before locking eyes with the girl he had met just prior to the game.

Miori. Maybe you could say Sae was a little intrigued. He had just never been approached by a girl before in such a bold way. He wasn't used to it but he liked it. Maybe he'd invite her to one of their next games. Just like Seiren said. Speaking of his sister, he hadn't seen her obnoxious face just yet. His eyes scanned every person's face there but none of them were hers. She had always been there for their games so what was holding her up for so long? They were already at their halfway mark so he hoped she'd get there soon.

Seiren checked in her classroom for the tenth time. She knew it couldn't just magically disappear out of her bag so she dumped everything out once again, even checking the smallest pockets just in case. She sighed, dropping herself onto her chair. The school was practically empty and she could hear the cheers roaring from the stands outside. She wanted to watch but she felt guilty losing his jersey so she couldn't.

Seiren walked back up to the rooftop, maybe it had magically flown out of her bag and landed somewhere else. The loud synchronized cheers made the pit in her stomach grow even deeper. She trailed over to the ledge and there she saw it. Isagi had scored the next goal with his two gun volley. His teammates crowded him, piling up onto the boy as he smiled widely. He had perfected his move so much it almost came like a second nature to him. There Seiren saw him glance back over to the stands, his eyes darting back and forth before looking up at the roof.

She had met his gaze briefly before turning away. "Where is it..?" she slowly became frustrated at herself. Seiren wanted nothing more than to go down there and cheer him on with the rest but she couldn't just let his jersey wander around. He gave it to her. She headed down to each floor, each classroom, each desk and even the janitors closet yet nothing.

Time had seem to corrupt her mind and by the time she researched the entire school, the match was over with.

Seiren walked outside, watching the families and students leave to get home. She poked her head out from around the bleachers, her eyes darting across the field to find Isagi. She wanted to apologize for not coming, hoping he would understand the situation.

"Sorry..she had gave this to me during lunch."

Her head turned as her eyes caught sight of the jersey in Kimiyo's hand. Seiren sighed. She should've known. Isagi glanced down, unsure if he should believe the girl or not. "She said she was too busy to come. Seiren's always like that. Don't expect anything less from her." Kimiyo said, passing his jersey back to him before making her leave. Seiren could feel her body twitch.

"The hell were you?"

Sae's voice echoed and Isagi lifted his head up, watching Seiren avoid his gaze. "I was doing something.." she muttered. "You missed Isagi's shot." he said. "Don't worry..I saw it." Seiren sighed while Sae glanced over his shoulders, pushing the girl towards Isagi. "You two are hopeless." he says, leaving them be.

"You didn't come."

"I lost your jersey. I was looking for it."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

Isagi was one who could immediately spot if someone were lying to him, he'd notice the fidgeting, the avoidance in eye contact but Seiren could only stare back at him in guilt. "I saw you at the roof top." he tried smiling, hoping to ease the awkward tension between them. "Yeah I know. I kept going up there cause I had my bag with me and I think Kimiyo..took it from me." her eyes darted down to his hands. The small scrapes and hints of red could easily tell her how hard he played.

"Someone's roughed up." she teased, nudging his shoulder.

"Yeah well I was trying to show off to someone. Maybe next time?" he rolls his eyes.

"Oh most definitely."

"This time i'll give you the jersey before the game. Make sure no one steals it from you." Isagi then wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. "How convenient." Seiren laughs before he let go. "You should try it on though. I wanna see it on you." he lays his jersey onto her head. "The game's over though?" she mumbles, pulling it down and holding it in her hands. "Just try it!"

"Fine..but let's hurry. I really do want to play at Reo's."

"You're honestly such a loser underneath your cold exterior."

Their game had ended during sundown, allowing the sun's yellow and orange hues to paint the prettiest painting in the sky. As Seiren tried to justify herself, Isagi could only focus on how much more greener her eyes looked underneath the sunset's rays. Her layered auburn hair tied up into a messy bun seemingly passed as more red during this time of the day. He fell into a daze, his mind nothing but blank until he heard his name being called.

"Yoichi! You did amazing!" his parents soon ran to him after finally getting off the bleachers. "Thanks.." Isagi awkwardly mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "Are you planning to celebrate with your friends?" Issei darted his gaze over to Seiren, noticing the jersey in her hands. His mother noticed the same thing, deciding to geek about it once they got into the car. "Yeah. We're actually going there now. Reo's taking us after we change."

"Okay! Don't come home late! It's nice seeing you Seiren!"

"You two as well!"

"I think my parents like you."

"I'm just a sweet girl. How could they not?"

"Yeah if you told me that when we first me..I would've immediately disagreed." Isagi shook his head, walking back to his teammates as they were cleaning up the field. "Uhm do you mind waiting here? It'll just be quick." he said, turning to face her. "I don't mind. I'll just sit over there." Seiren pointed at the bleachers closest to the exit. "Mkay. I'll be quick!" Isagi smiled at her.

Seiren noticed the opponent's team gathering up their belongings as she sat down, one of the managers looking back at her, squinting her eyes before walking up to Seiren. "You gotta brother?" she said. "Uh yeah?" the younger Itoshi fell into a state of confusion. Everyone automatically knew who her brothers were yet there was this girl asking her if she had one. "Sae right? I'm Miori. Your future sister-in-law. Nice to meet ya." Miori gently grabbed Seiren's hand to shake. Oh the wide smile on her face was unexpected.

"What are you doing?" and just like that, Sae came to view. He saw his sister being bombarded by the girl who had pushed him earlier so he decided to come check what was going on. "I like her." Seiren said, giving him a knowing look. "Don't worry I gave him my number." Miori grinned proudly and all Sae could do was shake his head. "Oh did you? And he took it?" Seiren began to tease her brother. "Like a good boy." Sae was taken off guard. He didn't like this. Nope. Not one bit.

While Sae tried defusing the situation, Rin was on the other side of the field with Kurona and Nanase. "I'm really jealous of you.." Nanase said, gently tapping Rin's shoulder as the girl he really liked slowly made her way towards him with a bag of sweets. "Are you planning to eat those..?" Kurona whispered to him. "Get away. Both of you.." Rin mumbled embarrassedly, fanning his hand as they both snickered, giving Eimi a wave before leaving them alone while she stood next to the boy.

"You did good out there.." she cleared her throat.

"Just good?"

"You did amazing Rin. I'm happy for you." she looked up at him. Her short bob flowed with the wind, her green eyes glowing underneath the sun. Rin couldn't look down at her, especially when he thought she looked even more prettier underneath natural lighting. "Thank you Eimi.." he whispered loud enough for her to hear. Eimi then grabbed his hand, placing the bag of sweets onto his palm. "I put some protein in them— not too much cause then it takes away the flavor.." she chuckled.

"I have to get going soon..so I'll see you tomorrow Rin."

He didn't want to let her go that easily so he swiftly pulled her into a hug, catching her off guard before pressing a kiss onto her forehead. Rin does have a girlfriend. He just wanted to keep it secret from his obnoxious older siblings for a while. Eimi could feel the blush creeping up on her cheeks and so did Rin. "I'll..call you later." he glanced off to the side.

"Mhm. Bye Rin!"

"Bye Eimi."

"That bastard.."

"So he lied..Do we not have a sibling pact..?"

Eimi could feel pairs of eyes on her, looking around to find Seiren and Sae both staring at her. She wondered if she had done anything wrong but no. Instead she realized that their relationship had been exposed. Seiren gently waved at the girl while Sae stood still. Eimi awkwardly waved back before rushing home.

"Awe they're cute." Seiren chuckles. "Hm. He's in a relationship before us. That doesn't feel right." Sae muttered, his eyes subconsciously darting over to the girl who was leaving with her team. "He can have this moment for a bit..but let's interrogate him later like how we used to do." Seiren nodded her head. "Like throwing him in the closet?" Sae questioned. "Yeah!"

"He's taller than both of us."

"Okay but he's the little child..?"

"You're right."

Isagi came back with his duffle bag, seeing as Sae was with his sister. "Ready? They're almost done but Reo's ride is here." he said. "Oh yeah. Let's go." Seiren quickly stood up. "Don't get home late." the older brother mumbled, eyeing Isagi for a while. "Okay sure.." she said, trailing behind the boy as they left the field. "I'm so exhausted..!" Isagi playfully leaned against her. "Don't do that. I'll fall!"

"Pretty sure that's the point."

The two teenagers both looked at each other before laughing. "Wait try the jersey on!" Isagi said, taking it from her hands and grabbing her school bag. Seiren pressed her lips into a fine line while Isagi covered her face with the jersey, pulling it down onto her shoulders since she only had her button down on. It looked puffy on her, mainly cause it was layered over her school shirt but it suited her. That's what Isagi thought.

"I like it. You can keep it."

"This feels uncomfortable.."

Isagi backed away, looking her up and down before giving her a thumbs up. "It looks nice. It honestly goes with our uniform." he said, earning a playful hit from her. "I'll get hot. I'll be right back. I'm just gonna take the long sleeve off." Seiren quickly jogged back into the school, finding the nearest restroom while Isagi leaned against the pillar, waiting for her to come back.

"Sae! Rin!" his eyes darted off to the two parents who had made their