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Kagero wasn't much different from his peers, but what set him apart was his soft, grass-green hair that draped elegantly over his face, alongside his dark green eyes—focused, yet relaxed. Everyone who saw him called him "annoyingly lazy," but was it truly his laziness that bothered them, or how deeply he understood them even when they remained silent?
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The sound of balls thumping in the mid-sized hall of the Shotakamaharu High School soccer Club echoed throughout the day. It was Sunday—the day official matches began for teams to qualify for the National Championship! Their match against Sino High was drawing near, so the coach had started intensive training sessions since the beginning of the first week... today.
The assistant coach blew the whistle, signaling the start of a practice match between the team members. It was a mini 4x4 match, aimed at developing cooperation and building dynamics between their individual playstyles.
"Kota," the first-team striker, received the ball first. He was quickly covered by "Toshi" and "Keiji" on both sides. He narrowly found a gap, exploited it quickly, and passed the ball to his nearest teammate. His teammate, "Hiyoshi Taga," was a bit nervous about receiving the ball so early and quickly extended his foot to trap it.
What he didn't account for was a swift movement that snatched the ball from him in an instant. All he felt was a gust of fresh air and a glimpse of grass-green hair in his field of vision before realizing the ball was no longer his. Hiyoshi noticed too late as the green-haired boy advanced toward the opponent’s goal alone.
The goalkeeper, as his facial expression suggested, was focused and confident in his ability to stop the ball. But as soon as he saw the green-haired boy approaching, his emotions began to scramble. He hadn't planned on facing him!
The boy, Hayama Kagero, advanced with a latent confidence. He didn't exert unnecessary effort; instead, he simplified difficult and long maneuvers by tapping the ball forward in short distances and catching up to it. This was a source of irritation for his opponents, but a safe way for him to reduce any chance of the ball being stolen. Well, it wasn't as if they could get close enough to steal it anyway, but Kagero calculated every single step on the pitch.
Soon, he saw the goalkeeper’s face right in front of him...
Signs of anxiety: slightly trembling hands, a frown on his lips, a bead of sweat finding its way down the boy's cheek, and the slightest quiver in his mouth. A blue aura swirled around the boy, which Kagero could easily identify Anxiety.
As he drew closer to the goal, his pace slowed. He looked into the goalkeeper’s face for a long moment, pulling his foot back to prepare for a shot. The goalkeeper braced himself intensely, trying to predict the ball's trajectory. However, the players behind Kagero didn't stop—especially Kagero’s own teammates.
'Why?' the goalkeeper wondered to himself.
Instead of shooting, Kagero flicked the ball backward toward his nearest teammate, "Keiji." Keiji trapped the ball with the top of his foot before rifling it powerfully into the bottom-left corner of the net. It bypassed the goalkeeper’s desperate hands, coming to a rest inside the goal.
"1-0," the referee announced.
Keiji let out a satisfied sigh and quickly turned to face Kagero, only to see him already walking back to his position. His joy faded, replaced by a childish pout. He hadn't been able to understand Kagero since they started their first year of high school.
He was a good person... but on the field, he was somewhat "annoying."
'The match is still at the beginning...' Keiji thought to himself before resuming his position.
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Just as the match began, it ended quickly with a score of 4-1 in favor of Kagero’s team.
As soon as the game concluded, the players collapsed onto the nearby benches. Keiji sat next to Kagero, who had a towel draped around his shoulders. Kagero took slow, steady breaths before he began wiping the sweat and signs of exertion from his face. Keiji noticed this and couldn't help but make a comment.
"You’re always so calm, Kagero-kun."
Kagero perked up at the mention of his name, glancing at his teammate before continuing what he was doing. Keiji’s smile was more irritated than happy.
'So frustrating!' Keiji thought.
Kagero had noticed Keiji’s gaze since the start of the match, but he wasn't really interested in asking why. Since he was young, he had learned to mind his own business, and he followed this rule strictly. Interfering in things that didn't concern him often brought headaches—and he couldn't stand the exhaustion of a headache.
"Kagero-san, your play today was excellent!" Toshi said with a smile as he headed toward them. Kagero gave a quiet nod before the blonde-haired boy sat beside them.
"Kagero-san, how do you stay so calm even in difficult moments? Your interception of Kota’s pass and your third goal were more than amazing!" Toshi mused, replaying the event in his mind.
Kagero looked at him, then calmly placed the towel on his lap.
"It doesn't require calmness, it requires focus. Don't distract your mind with the next steps—just take them," Kagero replied in a tone that was, to say the least, serene and somewhat enchanting—the tone of a doctor gently telling you the solution to your problem.
Toshi’s smile widened at receiving a response. Kagero rarely spoke, and yet, he had given him an answer. it was a rare kindness!
"You’re really smart, Kagero-san!" Toshi chirped. "You know, you’re like a teacher, always teaching us new lessons in training~"
Keiji, who was suddenly drawn into the conversation, shot them a look.
'You're the only one who listens to me, Toshi-kun,' Kagero mused internally before excusing himself to go to the restroom.
"A teacher? He’s more like a koala—lazy and barely speaks," Keiji remarked. Toshi couldn't stifle his laugh before replying, "Hey! Kagero-san is actually helpful. If it weren't for his observations, you’d still have no idea how to receive a ball properly."
Keiji flushed red with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Was Kagero useful after all?
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Meanwhile, in the restroom, Kagero washed his face with cold water to refresh his soul, which was weary from running. The striker position he occupied was intense, especially his attempt to fill the gaps in his small team. He wasn't designed for that, and yet...
They had managed to score a goal against him. After his third goal, they suddenly gained the strength to score their first. If it hadn't been for his long pass to his teammate, the opponents wouldn't have been able to intercept and move. It was necessary, but he struck back by creating the fourth and final goal.
He still needed to develop his skills and get his body accustomed to more running and endurance. Kagero’s cold gaze focused on his reflection in the mirror.
Then, he remembered Toshi’s words: "Kagero-san, your play today was excellent!"
There was something in Toshi's tone... something annoyingly familiar to Kagero.
'Good job, Haya-chan!'
An old memory of a cheerful face smiling at him after he scored a goal.
'Well done!'
Kagero’s features contorted as the memory returned bit by bit.
"I don't want to remember him now," Kagero muttered with irritation, clenching his fists at his sides.
'Haya-chan!'
The name made his stomach churn.
"Haya-chan..." Kagero whispered to himself.
"Pathetic... pathetic nee-san.. " he spat. His voice sounded like that of an annoyed child.
He quickly left the restroom, the towel hanging around his neck, as a black hair tie peeked out from the pocket of his sports shorts.
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