“To a long, successful footballing season…” Gonda proclaimed with a blooming grin, as he sat at the head of a visibly lively table.

“…Cheers!”

Soon after the toast, a chorus of glasses clanking softly against each other filled the amply lit hall that the team of Hinami and staff occupied.

In the wake of their monumental playoff victory, the jubilant coach proposed a celebratory dinner for the entire team. The location for such a boisterous party was none other than the coziest family restaurant on the island.

“Ah! This sure hits the spot!” Like a drunken old man, Totori downed his glass of fresh orange juice. One the other side of the table, the coach of the pirates eyed an expensive bottle of sake on display.

“Dad…”

“I know, I know…”

In the face of his daughter's admonishing tone, the seasoned veteran could do little but begrudgingly nod. Yet, rather than staying put, he simply lit up another cigarette.

That was a hobby even his daughter couldn’t keep him away from.

“Drink up, Reo. We owe this victory to you, after all.”
With his characteristic aura of calm and kindness, the voice of reason, Kaoru Nakatani smiled warmly at the star of the night.

“Hey, it’s not like he did all the work you know!” Umio interjected from across the table, causing Totori to react.

“You didn’t see those moves? That finesse shot? That quick stepover? Come on…” The short guy scoffed, causing Umio to shrink back into his seat.

Kaoru gave a laugh, as the eccentric Koichiro found his chance to interject.

“Well, he certainly wasn’t more dazzling than me.”

“Oye, you came on from the bench for a mere 10 seconds! You were just fodder to waste time!” The still bitter Umio pointed accusingly.

“Uhm, I think we shouldn’t really fight about this…” Souta Inoue, the shy center back that didn’t get to play managed to come in between them.

“Just let those idiots fight it out, maybe they’ll find some common ground with the brain cells they share.” Junya Asagiri, Housen’s partner in defense, kicked back in his seat, a lollipop stick sticking out of his mouth.

“Where’s the captain when you need him?” Totori half-joked as he glanced over at Housen, who was engaged in conversation a few paces from the table with a certain coach assistant. Reo observed the scene with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, a feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint.

Why was he so interested in a girl he met a mere week ago? He’d never shown such interest so readily before, or at least that early…

Shuna was a mystery to him.

“Yuusaki-kun?”

"Eh?" The young man jolted a moment after he was called, drawing the attention of a few heads in his direction. A brief silence ensued as everybody waited expectantly.

Waited for what? Reo?

“Ah, sorry. What was it again?”

“Get your shit together, dude!” Umio growled. “Ouch!”

Before Toraichi, who wasn’t one to take attitudes lightly, smacked him upside the head.

“Put a sock in it, pal. You’re being even louder than Totori.”

Kaoru calmly brushed off the incident, and looked back at his pondering friend.

“Your skills today came completely out of left field… How come?”

“Eh…” Reo fidgeted in place. He really did showboat a tiny bit, that much was true. Did he actually blow his cover?

“You used to play football before coming here, right?”

“…”

Reo gulped. Wow, he had really done it.

“What a stupid question...” Koichiro scoffed as usual, but dispelled the air around Reo nonetheless, “Of course he played before coming here you airhead! Skills like that don’t manifest overnight!”

Right… Reo exhaled in silent relief.

“Yeah, I played all through middle school, and then for a small high school team. I wasn’t all that… into it, though.”

Reo found a way to cover it up, as he sipped some juice from his glass.

“Really? You didn’t seem all that averse to it today…” Kaoru’s usual friendly demeanor, displayed more of a genuine question than any sort of accusation.

“Hello, everyone! Here are some snacks on the house!”

While the food everyone had ordered was being prepared, a lady arrived with some additional snacks, timing her arrival to perfection.

“Oh, neat!”

“Say, you wouldn’t happen to be from our school, right?”

While Umio cheered, the womanizer, Junya Asagiri found an opening to strike up a conversation.

“I’ll go get some fresh air…” Reo saw his chance to escape, and didn’t hesitate as he took his glass and ventured out of the hall and onto the balcony overlooking the sea.

The night was still, and despite the loud interior of the restaurant, the whole island seemed to be winding down for the day. Save for a few local pubs however, where some hot-blooded Hinami fans surely were celebrating victory over a few rounds.

As Reo looked out to the sea, he breathed in the refreshing night air.

“Why the long face, oh man of the match?”

A sweet, cheeky voice reached him from the side, as Reo leaned against the railing.

“Shuna…san?” He questioned, as she leaned close to the railing too and followed his line of sight across the waves.

“Drop the honorifics…” She waved a hand, before slipping back into her usual expression, “What you doing out here?”

“…Getting some fresh air, I guess.”

While it took him a few to reply, Shuna smiled knowingly.

“I get it. They are too loud after a long day, right?”

Reo suppressed a chuckle. “Well, kind of.”

“Still, I wouldn’t trade this atmosphere for anything…” Wistfully, Shuna gave a smile that spoke volumes of her feelings for the current Hinami team. “You know, all of them only have three years to play for the real Hinami Pirates they’ve all been watching since they were kids. They may not look it but they love every minute of it, and probably would want it to last a little longer.”

As Shuna made a somewhat emotional remark, Reo stood there slightly taken by surprise.

“I see…” He nodded. “I never thought of that. It may be because I’m an outsider, though.” Reo turned his head towards the girl beside him, giving her a look that was hard to pin down. Curiosity, intrigue… and perhaps tinged with a tiny bit of regret.

“Do you… like football?”

That was a question that came out of left field, and Reo couldn’t miss its weird timing. It was like she had seen through him. Yet, the young man played it safe, like he always did.

“What kind of question is that?”

“Well, I’ve seen you in training the past week… You look rather distant. Like you’re not really enjoying it, you know? It kind of struck me.”

“Well it’s training… I doubt many people like it.”

“Nah, you’d be surprised.” Shuna shook her head. With a smirk, Reo found room for some of his teasing.

“I didn’t know you payed me special attention.”

“I’m paying YOU, the same attention as everyone else, as my position of coach assistant demands.” Shuna returned the cheekiness with some of her own, and a small poke to the forehead.

“Hey…” Reo winced in surprise, while the young girl’s face stayed smiling for the length of a few seconds.

“If you don’t want to answer, it’s fine…” Shuna let out a sigh, as she rested her head on her palm, “I happen to love football, though.”

“I think I know that.”

“Yeah? Well let me tell you something else then. Moments, and plays like the ones you gave us today… The first goal, and the way you looked when you won that penalty… they make me love football even more.”

“Eh?”

Without realizing, a blush had crept up on Reo’s face. Shuna seemed to have landed quite the backhanded hit on his heart.

“And the way you looked before you were subbed on…” She turned her back to him, but it felt like her smile was evident through her tone alone. “It felt like you were geared up and raring to go. Maybe you like football more than you think?”

Her final question, struck Reo like a bolt.

“Anyway, great job today.”

With another final word, she left a dumbfounded football player behind. It was as if she had just scored 3 goals in quick succession to claim an overwhelming victory.

Every single one of her points seemed to linger on the young man’s mind, as he watched her retreating silhouette inside the hall.

Her first words struck a chord within him. Being the reason somebody fell in love with a sport was undoubtedly a big compliment, even for someone as apathetic towards it as him.

Then there was the other thing… Liking football more than he thought? The mere idea felt preposterous… But, her tone truly seemed genuine.

“Agh!” Reo shook his head frantically and downed the juice in his hands in one go. In a huff, he soon found himself inside the hall once again.

“HI – NA – MI!”

In a hall brimming not only with laughter and energy but also with newfound euphoria. Umio, flush-faced, had his arm draped over an equally flushed Totori as they belted out a famous chant for their beloved team. On the opposite side, a few staff members, clutching a cheap bottle of sake, joined in the celebration.

“Best team in the land and all the world!”

“HI – NA – MI! BEST TEAM IN THE LAND AND ALL THE WORLD!”

“The hell…?” Reo narrowed his eyes at the scene.

“Yuusaki-kun!” Vice-captain Kaoru exclaimed as soon as he spotted him, rushing over.

“Nakatani?”

“It’s a disaster! Some of the chocolates had liquor in ‘em, so Sekine and Totori are—“

“Drunk like a pair of sailors.”

Toraichi completed the sentence, as he stuffed his face with food over by the table. Meanwhile, Kaoru gave a very heavy sigh, the likes of which surely had earned him the nickname of the team’s mother.

“Coach Gonda!”

“Ah, just let them sort it out themselves.”

While Kaoru tried to get his attention, Gonda simply passed by them completely disinterested. His staff was simply drunk on sake though…

“Oh these look delicious!”

“Shuna-chan, no!”

While everybody tried to stop Shuna from making the same mistake Umio and Totori had minutes prior, the drunkards sung even louder.

“HI – NA – MI!”

“KAI –ZO – KU!”

“Hehe…”

“Who got my daughter drunk?!”

“Everybody, please calm down! Housen-kun, please help me over here!”

“…”

“Why’s the captain sleeping…?”

“They said he’s an early sleeper, so it’s probably past his bed time.”

“What in the blue hell is going on?!”

As Reo looked at the sheer chaos brewing in the hall, with Kaoru trying to stop Gonda from taking it up with the hall’s management, Shuna giddily laughing, and Housen dozing off in the corner, the ever-steady Toraichi finally spoke up.

“Welcome to Hinami.”

“Will you stop eating, already?”

“Say… what’s your number?”

“Hey, didja come watch me today?”

One the far side, Junya and Akihiko were still hitting on some waitresses, and the drunkards even had some other patrons of the hall join them.

“HI – NA – MI! KAI – ZO – KU!”

“HI – NA – MI! KAI – ZO – KU!”