October sunlight no longer burned, but it was still enough to draw sweat beneath every player’s jersey.From the stands, cheers thundered across the field — students waving flags, banging drums, and shouting the names of their favorite players with unrelenting energy.
Among that sea of voices, one name rose louder than the rest — as if it had been fated:
"Aoi! Aoi! Aoi!"
And from the opposite end, carried through the heavy tension in the air, another name answered:
"Go Rika! Momozono!"
The friendly match between Seiran and Shirohana — the two strongest girls' schools in the Eastern region — had begun. Every year, like clockwork, they clashed just once, and every year it was nothing short of destiny.
On the pitch, the ball moved with precise rhythm — swift, sharp, relentless.Aoi Takasora, Seiran’s number 10, commanded the heart of midfield. Her hair was tied high, her tanned skin catching the light with every decisive step — as though each movement was part of some hidden choreography only she could see.
Across the field, Shirohana’s captain Rika Momozono, jersey number 5, bore a small beauty mark beneath her left eye — giving her smile a softness that was almost mysterious. But don’t be fooled. Rika was steel in motion — a center-back with uncanny timing, always there when danger approached.
---
Seiran Lineup:
Aoi Takasora (10) – Attacking midfielder, quiet and lightning-fast
Mizuki Hayashi (11) – Main striker, known for her "Matsuura Spiral Shot"
Chika Igarashi (7) – Witty winger, fast as the wind
Yume Natsuki (8) – Playmaker, analytic mind
Haruna Kido (6) – Defensive mid, strong as an ox
Sena Fukuda (3) – Left back, looks gentle, tackles like a truck
Kaho Tsukino (2) – Right back, loves dramatic anime-style slides
Mirei Honda (4) – Center-back, yells constantly for no reason
Tama Kawamura (5) – Aerial center-back, great with headers
Hinata Okabe (1) – Keeper, reflexes like lightning
Riko Yamada (9) – Substitute for second half
Shirohana Lineup:
Rika Momozono (5) – Captain, romantic center-back
Ayaka Minami (9) – Main striker, self-proclaimed “lover of football”
Nao Shinomiya (7) – Winger, raspy voice
Mio Takagi (8) – Playmaker, addicted to strategy games
Fuyuka Aihara (10) – Attacking mid, Aoi’s rival in skill
Sakura Izumi (6) – Defensive mid, plays like a swordswoman
Erika Nomura (3) – Left back, dead-eyed stare
Kaoru Satou (2) – Right back, laughs when she takes players down
Megu Hoshizaki (4) – Backup center-back, loves anime more than drills
Chiaki Naruse (1) – Keeper, hands faster than brain
Yui Nishina (11) – Loud substitute, always yelling "Put me in!"
---
The first 25 minutes saw no goals. Fuyuka and Aoi clashed endlessly in midfield, while Mizuki and Ayaka raced like warhorses from another era. But everything changed in the 32nd minute, when Yume slipped a sharp through-ball into space.
“Ball to Aoi!” Chika shouted, veering left.
But Aoi didn’t pass.She kept the ball close, cutting through defenders toward the penalty box — and standing between her and the goal was only one figure:
Rika.
“Not that easy,” Rika smiled softly, stepping forward like she had been waiting for this very moment.
Aoi narrowed her eyes. Not out of fear — but because of those eyes.
They collided like two opposing winds. Cleats struck turf. Air hissed. Aoi spun, the ball bouncing free — and Rika, quick as ever, moved in to recover—
“Wha—?!”
The stadium erupted as Aoi —lifted Rika off the ground.
No one understood what just happened — not even Rika.For half a second, she was caught in the pull of Aoi’s arms and momentum — number 10 lifted her with ease, spun her mid-air in what looked absurdly like a waltz... and gently set her down, as though nothing had ever happened.
“Sorry,” Aoi murmured. “But this ball’s mine.”
Rika froze.She stared after Aoi’s retreating back, the number 10 racing toward the goal, the ball clinging to her feet like it belonged there.
“What... was that?” Mizuki shouted from across the field.Chika screamed, “Why don't you ever lift me like that?!”
No whistle.Not even the referee seemed ready to process what he’d seen.
---
From that moment on, the game changed.The ball moved again.And Mizuki ended the play with a low shot that opened the score: 1–0 for Seiran.
Rika stayed still for a few more seconds.
That feeling — of being lifted, spun, and set down — wasn’t like any tackle she’d ever experienced.It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t rough. It was... strangely gentle.And, if she was being honest, slightly provocative.Her body still felt like it hadn’t quite landed back on the ground.
She shook her head.This is a match. Stay focused. Don’t waver.
“Just because she’s older doesn’t mean she can do whatever she wants...” Rika muttered, eyes locked on Aoi’s silhouette — high ponytail swaying with every stride, as if nothing unusual had ever happened.
---
The referee blew his whistle. Play resumed.Cheers surged from the crowd.From the sidelines, Shirohana’s coach bellowed:
“Momozono! Fall back! Fuyuka, mark Ayaka!”
“Understood!” Rika replied.
Ayaka Minami — Shirohana’s number 9 — received a pass from Nao and bolted forward like a silver arrow, dodging a slide from Sena before firing a long-range shot — but Seiran’s keeper Hinata dived with brilliant timing to push it away.
While both teams restructured, Aoi fell back to midfield.Her expression was as unreadable as a winter lake.But for a second, her eyes flicked toward where Rika stood.
The younger girl — hair tousled, brow furrowed, lip caught between teeth — wasn’t angry about being lifted.She was angry about losing the ball.
Stubborn one, isn’t she... Aoi thought.
---
Halftime: Seiran leads 1–0.
Inside the Shirohana locker room:Rika slumped onto the bench with a deep breath.Ayaka sat beside her, offering a bottle of water.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen you picked up like a sack of rice,” Ayaka teased, covering her mouth to giggle.
“Shut up.”
“But it was... kind of cute.” Ayaka winked.
Rika turned away, cheeks flushed — though she couldn’t tell if it was from exhaustion or embarrassment.Ayaka’s words faded, but the feeling from Aoi’s hands lingered — light, yet unshakably firm.A kind of control Rika had never felt before.
---
Inside Seiran’s locker room:
Chika bounced around excitedly.“Hey Aoi! That lift move earlier — was that planned? Like a tactic?”
“No,” Aoi replied, taking a sip of water, expression blank.
“Then why’d you do it?”
Aoi set her bottle down and answered slowly:
“Instinct.”
Yume — the short-haired playmaker — gave her a long look.
“You felt something, didn’t you?”
Aoi shot her a side glance. “Nonsense.”
“Oh?” Yume leaned on her hands, smiling.“Then I’m not the only one who noticed something... unusual in your eyes back there.”
---
Second half began.
Shirohana switched formation.Fuyuka pushed forward, while Rika dropped even deeper — a hidden libero.She didn’t say it out loud, but the vow echoed in her mind:
I won’t let her get past me again.
She proved it in the opening play.The moment Aoi touched the ball, Rika lunged in with a clean tackle.
Aoi blinked. She straightened, now truly looking at the girl in front of her — and for the first time, there was something in her gaze that wasn’t cold.Something that looked like curiosity.
---
The rest of the half was a tense game of minds.Mizuki fired from distance again and again, only to be denied by Shirohana’s agile keeper, Chiaki.Ayaka countered with two near-goals of her own.
The score remained 1–0.
In the 83rd minute, chaos broke out at midfield.The ball ricocheted off Erika’s foot — Aoi pounced on it.But this time, Rika didn’t wait.
She dove in first.Both went down — Aoi underneath.
The whistle blew.Foul on Rika.
Aoi sat up, not angry — just staring.
“Don’t think you can lift me every time,” Rika muttered, bracing herself.
“Didn’t plan to,” Aoi replied, eyes never leaving hers.
They were inches apart.The crowd roared.The referee waved play on.
But in that breath between moments — something shifted.Something drew them closer.Not gravity.Not strategy.
Just a gaze — unspoken, unreadable.
---
Full time: Seiran wins 1–0.
The two teams lined up to shake hands.Rika and Aoi faced each other once more.
Rika extended her hand.Aoi took it.A gentle squeeze — not too light, not too firm. But neither let go right away.
“See you at the real tournament,” Rika said, voice lower than usual.
Aoi nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”
They released.Each returned to her team.
But one thing was certain —The match didn’t end with the whistle.Something else had begun.
Something unmeasurable.Unwritten.And yet,powerful enough to shake the heart.
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