Head In The Clouds 23

“Make sure you revise section 1 to 4 for tomorrow, everyone. Dismissed.”

When the bell for lunch break rang, and freed everyone from the grasp of learning for a good half hour, Totori stretched in his chair exaggeratedly as always.

“Finally!”

The young man cried, as he turned back to his friends. Toraichi and Reo were absentmindedly looking at the students filtering out of the classroom, animated waves of chattering following them out the door.

Reo specifically, eyed a certain someone who followed the flock of students out the classroom doors.

“What are we having for lunch?”

“Let’s just hit the cafeteria.”

“Sweet!”

While Totori and Toraichi managed to settle on their lunch plans fairly easily, Reo pushed himself off his chair and frowned.

“Guys, I’ll have to take a rain check today.”

“Eh?”

As he had imagined, the two looked back at him curiously.

“I have a… prior engagement. But I’ll catch you later, ‘kay?”

“Hm.” While Toraichi smirked silently, Totori was still stuck in place, frozen like a laggy PC monitor.

“EH?”

“I’m guessing yesterday went well?”

“Maybe. But I’ll fill you in later.”

Reo took a vague approach in answering his friends, as he made his way out the classroom too.

Shuna and he had officially started dating as of last night, and while the two were equally delighted for that new endeavor they had also decided on some things.

That they’d lay low for a while, and keep it secret, at least until they were both ready to publicly display any sign that would point at the nature of their relationship. Hinami was a small island after all, and rumors spread like wildfire.

Reo walked briskly down the school hallway with a very clear purpose in mind. Somebody was waiting for him.

He picked up a simple sandwich from the canteen and made his way towards the training field he spend a lot of his daily time at.

Inside the surprisingly clean interior of the storage shed for training equipment, a young woman sat atop a gymnastics jumping box, a neat blue bento resting in her lap.

When Reo pulled the door open, Shuna, the maiden in question, offered a small smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Make sure you close the door behind you.”

Reo did as he was instructed and looked around their first ever date spot. Was it actually a date? He couldn’t help but question.

Yet the location made it feel oddly… forbidden.

“What’s the matter?” Shuna questioned, noticing the weird expression he wore.

“I don’t know, it just feels weirdly… weird.”

“I am glad to see your vocabulary is growing at a toddler’s pace.”

“I mean, it kinda feels like we’re doing something we shouldn’t.”

While Shuna’s white skin took on a hint of red in the process, her glare also intensified.

“Get your head out of the gutter, please. We haven’t even held hands yet and you’re already thinking like a perverted old man.”

“I am not!” Reo quickly retorted, before sighing in defeat. “Although that roast was so effective everything I say will probably feel lackluster…”

“Now that your swollen head deflated a little…” Shuna smiled cheekily, patting the space next to her.

“Come, sit.”

Without another word, the young man obliged and sat next to the girl he had recently established a relationship with. The air in the equipment shed though confined, wasn’t stifling, and the pleasant sunlight filtering in through the small window at the far top of the wall was surprisingly sufficient.

This place was an extra benefit to dating the coach’s assistant and daughter, since only they had access to the keys unlocking it.

“What are you having for lunch?” Shuna cast a sideways glance at Reo, who unwrapped his sandwich.

“Just a yakisoba sandwich—“

The disapproving look from Shuna came with zero ms delay.

“You do know you are something of an athlete, right?”

“Athlete? Isn’t Hinami Pirates just an after school club— OWOW!”

In an instant, Shuna caught his thigh in a powerful pinch, causing Reo to cry out like a wounded puppy.

“What was Hinami Pirates again?”

“I’m joking! I’m joking! Now unhand me!”

“Fumu, that is sufficient.”

Like a satisfied samurai lord Shuna simply unpacked her bento and placed it between them.

“Here.”

She simply said, while Reo looked at her food quizzically.

“You sure?”

“Would I be offering, otherwise? Plus I’m not telling you to eat it all. We can just share.”

“O-Okay…”

There was something within Reo that awakened by the thought of sharing a lunch with her. His eyes scanned around and noticed the complete lack of something, however. Another pair of chopsticks…

“Don’t look like that…” Shuna lowered her gaze, her voice slightly tinged in embarrassment. “I-I’m not feeding it to you.”

“But—“

“I know what we are, but these things take time… so we shouldn’t rush…”

While Shuna was positively blushing all the way to her ears, despite trying to play it cool and composed, Reo still hadn’t gotten his point across.

“…There are no other chopsticks, right?”

“Ah.”

Suddenly, realization hit the blushing girl like a goal straight from a free kick.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Okay everyone, great work today.”

With a satisfied nod and a clap of his hands, Gonda signaled the end of Wednesday’s training session. Hinami would be facing Washizora on Sunday, a team with an impressive record so far this season. And for that home game, the pirates had to forget about their win only a day prior and prepare accordingly.

Yet a certain pair of teenagers who shared a few glances between each other didn’t seem all that focused at the task at hand. Reo, one of the two in question removed the band holding back his hair and moved down towards the locker room. After his change of heart during the match against Nagareboshi, the young man had felt a change in his teammates’ attitude towards him. And in today’s training that feeling became even more apparent. Maybe sharing the burden along with them really has helped everyone see eye to eye with him.

“Good work, Reo. I like how you see my one-two there...” A certain red haired eccentric, that went by the name of Akihiko, jogged up to his equally eccentric teammate. With his fingers, he simulated to Reo some tactical movements for him, and the blonde number 10 nodded nonchalantly. Truth be told, for him there was only one thing on his mind.

As the two walked side by side, the coach assistant and team manager gave a smile. “Here.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Reo weighed the bottle of water he received from his… girlfriend slash coach in his hand and smiled back. Meanwhile a perplexed Akihiko, raised a brow.

“Oh… here.”

“Thanks, Shuna.”

It seemed she had forgotten to continue giving away water to the rest of the players, after she had completed the mission she had designated as top priority in her brain.

As the two boys walked off, a silent gaze between assistant and player lingered still.

After school, was the silent notion shared between the couple.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“So…”

“So?”

Shuna and Reo indeed kept their promise, walking back home from training together. They waited until everyone had left, knowing it might raise suspicions around the island. However, with only a few days into their relationship, they couldn’t bear to act like strangers either.

Reo walked slowly, and Shuna matched his pace, her hands folded behind her back. The deliberate pace reflected his inner turmoil perfectly. Eventually, he stopped a few steps from Shuna's home, gathering his courage.

“Uhm, Saturday. You free?”

Following along, Shuna stopped as well, and raised an inquisitive brow, yet without being able to hide her amused grin.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Let’s go on a date. A real one… and not just lunch in the equipment shed.”

“What? You don’t think it’s romantic?”

Without dropping her grin, Shuna teased, something that made Reo produce a soft chuckle.

“On the contrary, but… it doesn’t beat the real thing.”

“A date, huh? People might see us and ask questions, you know.”

Despite her words, the girl didn’t seem at all averse to the idea. Instead, it seemed like she was testing the waters.

Reo looked up, and rubbed the back of his neck. He let his fists drop to his sides, and exhaled.

“Is that… so bad? I mean we are dating.”

A bold question, Shuna’s eyes seemed to acknowledge.

“Well, Hinami is rather small and behind the times. If someone knows, everybody does soon after.” Shuna’s smiling visage didn’t fade despite that. Instead she smiled even brighter. “But I don’t mind.”

“Does that mean…?”

“Yep. Let’s go on a date. But let’s do it early, ‘cause we both have plenty to do the next day.”

“Right…” Reo nodded and nodded, unable to contain a smile forming across his face. She said yes. “…Right.”

They might have been dating, but still those little insecurities and what-ifs were still pretty real due to their relationship still feeling so fresh. Thus the relief that came with Shuna’s reply was more than Reo could have hoped for.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Shuna turned on her heel, hiding her own silly grin behind her back and away from his eyes.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”