Hinami.

A small island in a miniscule archipelago.

An unknown. simple patch of land, amidst a vast ocean.

Yet as simple and small as Hinami is, there’s an undeniably special air about it. Maybe it’s because of the people, or their weird traditions.

Maybe it’s a combination of both.

But one such tradition revolves around a particular sport. And a certain, black and white football team. To outsiders, the Hinami Pirates might appear as just another high school team. There are people of course, who would cheer that team on for that purpose alone.

But the residents of Hinami are different. There’s an air about them, and the atmosphere in the island— an intangible essence that one can only truly grasp by being a part of it.

And that is, when Hinami Pirates play an official match. When the Hinami stadium fills to the brim, with pure raw emotion and dreams, creating an atmosphere that is nothing short of magical.

And today happened to be one of those remarkable days.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Ready?”

“Not this again, mom.” Reo sighed, as he slipped into his trainers and opened the door to venture downstairs, his mother chuckling to herself.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t be the nervous one.”

“…”

"Are you ACTUALLY trying to stress him out?" Reo's sister, Mahono, scolded their mother from the comfort of the couch. She lounged there with a magazine in hand, her glasses slightly askew.

“Right, you’re right! Don’t be nervous, Reo-chan!”

“When was I ever?” Reo smirked to show off his excess of confidence, and threw a nonchalant wave. “Itekimasu!”

“Iterashai!”

With the pleasantries out of the way, his duffle bag strewn across his torso, and his black and white sportswear already on, Reo was on his way. This time, he had decided against using his bike, since Totori insisted on meeting him halfway.

After a long week of training, the Hinami players were ready to face Kame Hama on Sunday evening. 

Reo looked back for a second, silently pondering if his family would be watching the game or not.

Knowing his mother, Reo thought, she definitely wouldn't miss it. The reason they weren’t going to the game, in the first place, was to avoid adding any extra pressure on him, even.

Extra pressure, huh?

He still hadn’t talked to his mother about anything that happened on his first day. Not the weird coincidences, not Hinami and certainly not WHY his coach forced him into it in the first place. Yet his mother smiled, and nodded all the same throughout the week.

She surely knew what had transpired, Reo surmised, yet he had no energy to spare on such a discussion. He had a tendency to be distant after all that happened back in the day, anyway…

The walk to school remained the same as always, with scarce foot traffic until the halfway point. As Reo moved closer to the central area, the density of structures increased, and more people seemed to flock out of their houses, seemingly marching in the same direction.

Just like some sort of peculiar army, or even a cult.

Clad in old retro black and white jerseys, fan T-shirts featuring the known crest of their favorite team, and even scarfs despite the weather, the people of Hinami and their choice of apparel made it abundantly clear what day it was.

Matchday.

Families, ranging from the young to the old and everything in between, accompanied by young children and even Reo’s classmates who weren’t part of the team, walked with one collective purpose in mind: to give their all in support of Hinami Pirates this evening.

As they marched, their hopes and dreams seemed to take shape around them, all their anxieties and hopes spurring them on, and coating the atmosphere with a palpable anticipation.

“It feels very… festival-like, right?” Totori chuckled a little, as the two of them joined the flock and walked towards their one destination: The Pirates’ football den.

The passersby, of course, gave them a few glances, primarily recognizing Totori, but they didn’t want to be the reason two of their players were late to the game.

“It kinda does…” Reo was still taken aback, by the sheer amount of people on the streets. Hinami was approximately populated by 30.000 people, and no doubt…

“…Half the island comes to the stadium at every home game to cheer us on!” The short young man declared proudly. “Sadly though, not all of Hinami can come to the stadium, so it’s an unwritten rule to let others take your place too if you’ve been to too many.”

“Is that a thing?”

“Tots!”

As the walk neared closer to the stadium, aromas of grilled snacks, and various street vendors came into view. It really felt like an all-out football festival, and everybody, from elderly to youngsters enjoyed it to the fullest.

When the two teammates weaved past the crowd and made their way to the school, from where they would discreetly make their way to the locker rooms, Totori spotted a few familiar faces.

“Oh, Kyogo!” Totori waved, and trotted over to the towering young man with cropped black hair. Kyogo was their main goalkeeper between the posts, a solid shot stopper with good reflexes.

“Totori and Yuusaki, huh?” The tall player smiled slightly as he stopped and turned his beady yellow eyes down at them. Next to him stood a pair that looked… almost identical to each other.

They shared a medium stature, fluffy black hair, and petite facial features. The only element distinguishing them and preventing the illusion of a mirror image was the color of a few strands in their bangs – one had them dyed red, while the other sported a lively shade of green.

Twins, obviously. Reo had thought the first time he spotted them during his second training session.

“I saw Toraichi over by the club building, if you’re looking for him.”

“Nah, we were just heading for the locker rooms. He told me he’d be there in a few.” Totori replied nonchalantly. Although Toraichi’s best friend has been Totori since these two were in diapers, the former would hang out with a few delinquents from another class from time to time. His sharp eyes and the “never shying away from a challenge” demeanor he wore certainly made him popular with that sort of crowd.

“He’s with his fan club.” Reo snorted.

Of course, that wasn’t exactly a joke. Those very same delinquents seemed to idolize Toraichi on the pitch, and even gave him the nickname Tora (tiger) for his overwhelming presence in attack. Of course, that very same group were very passionate about supporting Hinami overall, and their cheers weren’t limited to their friend.

“It feels like sometimes they share the same brain cells, too.” One of the two twins, whose name was Isamu, whose corresponding color was red, gave a snarky comment.

“That’s not nice to say, Nii-san.” The more reserved of the two twins, named Wataru, fidgeted a little as he spoke.

If their polar opposite attitudes wasn’t exactly weird enough, the very thing that baffled them all was how they initially played in the same positions on the field too. Incidentally, though, one was strong in qualities the other lacked, and while Hinami never had a complete right back defender, they could at least pick which one they needed based on the circumstances.

Pretty peculiar one had to admit, but it did the trick.

“Yuusaki, are you nervous for your first match?” Kyogo Haneda, gave a sympathetic smile, as the five of them walked towards the dressing rooms.

“Not exactly.” Reo heaved a sigh. “It’s a mixed bag of emotions.”

“Hah, I get you.”

“Sometimes, Nii-san wants to use the bathroom repeatedly before matches.”

“Hey don’t tell them that, Wataru you idiot!”

While everybody’s laughs helped in dispelling some of the tension, Reo’s throat still felt weirdly dry.

At first he wasn’t all too hot on joining the team, and naturally, that extended to competing in matches. However, the whole atmosphere in the island since morning, and the fact he’d soon be stepping foot in the pitch for an official match after so many long months was…

Nothing sort of exhilarating.

As much as his brain commanded his heartbeat to calm down, his heart just wouldn’t listen. As much as his brain remembered the bad moments and the pain, his heart beat with the pure anticipation for being able to play soccer once again.

It was weird. Foreign. But Reo had to cope with it.