Wreaking Havoc 14

“Agh, finally…” Totori, head in hands, barely wobbled on his feet by the side of the port.

“Didn’t know you had seasickness.”

“Well, it’s not every time he’s so…”

“…”

Without wasting time on further explanations, Toraichi pointed with his thumb to the half-dead young man, who looked up at them with a face so thin one could debate if it was two-dimensional.

“…I’m… okay.”

“Famous last words.”

As Toraichi busied himself with entertaining their seasick friend, Reo, hands tucked into his pockets, turned his gaze towards the ferry that had cut along the waves to bring them to Mizushima. The ride was shorter than he had anticipated, and before he knew it, the team was already preparing to split up and explore their new destination for a few hours before reporting back to their coach for duty.

Mizushima.

A sign stuck to the concrete grabbed Reo's attention, its big bold letters standing out against the backdrop of a sprawling stretch of land. Mizushima, the second-biggest island in the archipelago, was home to around 60,000 people. It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t exactly small either. Another thing Reo had picked up from Totori was that Mizushima boasted not just one, but two powerhouse teams, both among the strongest in the league.

Mizushima Clovers, the one they'd be facing today, and another by the name of Inazuma.

“Totori, you doing alright?” A rather tall and lean young man approached, looking concerned. He was Kyogo Haneda, their goalkeeper.

“It’s a common occurrence…” Aki Magowski, the bespectacled defender sighed with a shake of his head.

“Totori? Are you dead?”

“Totori is dying!”

On the other hand, Isamu and Wataru Futatsuki, the troublesome twins spoke absentmindedly and with alarm respectively. Yet all that did was rub salt to the wounds.

“I said, I’m— BLGAFSF!“

“Oh no…” Toraichi and Reo instinctively stepped away, as Totori moved a hand over his mouth.

Everybody knew what was to come next.

❖ ⚽ ❖

"Phew..." Totori wiped the sweat off his brow as he and his friends strolled down the streets of Mizushima.

“I feel way better now!”

“Having had witnessed that, I can’t really say the same…” Reo rubbed his temples a little, while Tora on the other hand chose to stay silent.

“Never mind that, we have a whole 2 hours to see the sights around here!”

Since Totori wasn’t hurling anymore, he seemed to have regained all his energy. So, the two of them followed the energetic young man around town. The main square of Mizushima, adorned with a fountain and a cobblestone path that wound its way around greenery and trees, seemed to be brimming with life on a Sunday morning.

People of age basked in the morning sun on benches, while younger individuals strolled with their dogs or watched over their children frolicking nearby. The attire of the three young men stood out distinctly amidst the locals, yet despite being temporary rivals for the day, they were greeted with genuine respect by everyone. Laughter and chatter filled the air, mingling with the sound of splashing water from the fountain and the occasional bark of a playful dog.

“Do your best!”

“The Clovers will still win! Hehe!”

An elderly couple quipped. They didn’t laugh mockingly, but merrily instead. It felt like football really was a festivity for Shinrin.

The paved path encircling the park was also laid with cobblestone, serving as a gateway to a narrow promenade leading into the town's bustling shopping district. Along the path, shops lined the narrow streets, some already open and bustling with activity, while others were just beginning to set up for the day.

“While in Mizushima there’s but one place to check out!”

Totori cried, as he upped his pace. Passing through a few shops, the three of them spotted a few of their teammates milling about. Soon, the group stopped before a grand, three story building.

“A… retail shop?” Reo, the city boy, wasn’t exactly amused by the otherwise intimidating sign reading “MizuClo”

“It’s the biggest retail shop in Shinrin! Inside you can find anything you desire!”

It was indeed quite big, Reo observed. In fact it was so big it could have easily held its own in Kyoto and still look grandiose. However, where he used to live, such buildings weren’t exactly an attraction.

“There’s basically a lot to see here.” Toraichi added. “Decent time killer I’d say.”

“Heh, why not?”

❖ ⚽ ❖

True to their word, the retailer shop was extremely spacious, filled with rows upon rows of merchandise. A friendly young lady greeted them with a smile as they entered. They wandered through the aisles, examining items ranging from cooking utensils to potted plants, and even sleepwear for… women?

“Why are we even here?”

“Agh, must have taken a wrong turn!”

Really, it was easy to get lost in such a big shop. Before long, as they ventured deeper into the retailer, a sign reading "SPORTS SECTION" caught their attention, peeking out overhead.

“Heh…” Totori smirked, the goofing about was finally getting to the good part.

“Woah, check this out…” Evidently, they weren’t the only ones there. A purple buzzed head, as well as a blonde one with slicked back hair, peeked out from amidst the shelves.

“Hey put that down man!”

“What?! You don't trust m— WOAH!”

“OYE!”

All sorts of chaos ensued as a basket filled with balls was toppled over, its contents spilling out and bouncing along the aisle. Reo stopped a loose ball with the back of his shoe, while Totori simply cocked his head.

“Sekine? Asano?”

“Agh! You idiot, look at what you’ve done!” Mikki Asano, gritted his teeth as he indicated to the mess.

“Shaddup! You jinxed me in the first place!”

One could wonder how they managed to hang out together when they bickered so frequently. Thanks to his friends, Reo had learned that this was a very common occurrence.

“Hey, guys—“ While Totori the pacifist was about to break it up, another pair emerged. Similarly, or maybe even more troublesome.

Akihiko the redhead narrowed his eyes. “The hell you guys doing?” In tow, he had Junya, who mostly gave you the cold shoulder if you weren’t wearing a skirt.

“Oh, Hatate and Asagiri….” Umio narrowed his eyes back at the two. “How come you’re not hitting on the free kick mannequins out back?”

Indeed, the two young men, who mostly had their womanizing tendencies to unite them, were a very likely pair outside the field.

“The hell you mean by that?” Akihiko wasn’t exactly amused by that comment.

“More importantly, shouldn’t you pick those up? You’re making trouble for the girls working here.” Junya, started out promisingly, but quickly showed his true colors.

“Yeah, yeah…”

“We’ll help! Right, guys?”

While Reo’s group was content by simply observing, Totori decided to drag them into the action.

“Nah, leave them to it, Toto. They might learn how to handle a ball in the process.”

“What didja say, you redheaded punk?!”

It seemed Akihiko’s dig had gotten the best of the short-tempered Umio. It was pretty evident his cocky attitude didn’t play well off of him, nor did his good looks. Umio actually had a tendency to dislike good looking people.

“I trust you’re talking about Umio exclusively, yeah?” Mikki, not one to get angry easily, yet also not one to hold anything back, raised a brow.

“Well, it’s not like you’ve ever gotten past me in training now, have you, Mouse?” Junya’s lips parted into a small grin and the duo of subtle douches finally felt complete.

“Mouse…?” Mikki’s eye twitched involuntarily.

With Junya Asagiri being a defender, and Mikki Asano an attacker, their clashes during training weren’t far and few in between.

“Okay, punks…” With a vein sticking out the side of his temple, Umio cracked his knuckles. “Let’s settle this!”

“And how would we do that, exactly?” Akihiko asked, before Mikki turned to a small goal off by the corner. Soon everyone’s eyes turned to look, a new fire sparking within their eyes.

Right as a heated battle was about to take place, Hinami’s voice of reason thankfully rounded the corner, “Uhm, is everything all right over here?” Kaoru, the soft-spoken young man looked on between the two parties, sensing the tension in the air.

“Guys… You shouldn’t be… fighting…” Souta Inoue too, seemed to agree with his friend. Despite his timid demeanor, he managed to at least spell out a few convincing words.

Despite the attempt to talk them down, wingers and womanizers stared down one another quite intensely.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“Wait for my whistle…” A tanned, big young man stood in the eerily silent corridor of the famous retailer shop in Mizushima, holding a whistle with a price tag on it. The air was palpable.

Umio and Hatate stood shoulder to shoulder, the former attempting to evade his marker's grasp while the latter remained steadfast, refusing to budge an inch. Similarly, Mikki faced off against Junya, their confrontation poised to ignite at any moment. Meanwhile, a short distance away, Reo stood behind a ball, his usual amusement replaced by a more serious expression. His task? To mediate the dispute between his four bickering teammates.

And how would they settle their score? By staging a simulated corner kick showdown. If Akihiko and Junya successfully defended the goal, they would emerge victorious. Conversely, if Umio or Mikki managed to score, they would earn the ultimate bragging rights. And thrown into the mix were Totori and Toraichi, with the latter tasked with marking the former. Adding more people to the mix always helped spice things up.

Yet a question lingered still, in the corner-taker’s mind.

How they hell did we get involved?

“Are you really sure about this…?” Kaoru’s smile only worked on one side, as he asked.

“Well… I’m just here to take the corner kick.” Reo shrugged, while Ayase Ishiguro, the impromptu referee, blew the whistle.

Reo struck the ball sweetly with his left foot, sending it flying into an imaginary opposition box. The ball soared across the shop, and the players used their bodies to one up each other, each with their own goal.

“Gah!”

Junya, although, not the tallest center back out there, managed to clear.

“Yosh!” Akihiko cheered.

“Wait!” But Totori, playing for the attacking team hadn’t said his last words just yet. With great vigor he managed to retrieve the ball, setting it up perfectly for a well-positioned Mikki.

As the ball floated towards his foot, Umio gulped and raised his arms. It was almost like a last minute play, where the speaker would charge up his vocal chords and shout…

“Asanooooooo—!”

“I KINDLY REQUEST YOU LEAVE. IMMEDIATELY!”

Instead a soft voice boomed like thunder, much unlike its weight. The ball dropped to the ground in a moment of eerie silence. Everyone meekly turned to stare at the shop clerk, who had two brawny men clad in blue by her side.

❖ ⚽ ❖

“We’re SORRY!”

After ALL the Hinami players in the shop (with no exception) were rightfully kicked out of MizuClo for playing football within the premises using items they hadn't even paid for, they all bowed their heads in unison to apologize.

“Ah, we’re really sorry! I tried to stop them but—“

While Kaoru was still speaking with security, trying to dissolve the situation and still apologizing, the other players exchanged a wary sigh.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that whistle.” Even Ayase, the mountain of a teenager, seemed more than just apologetic.

“Well, at least WE got our point across.” Akihiko crossed his arms across his chest, causing a seething Umio to turn around hastily.

“What?! The play wasn’t even over!”

“Ah, I’m done.” Mikki, instead of going at it again, just raised his hands up in surrender.

“Yeah, same. This wasn’t worth hurting a lady’s feelings over.”

Junya, although with different kinds of motives, agreed. Right as another fight, this time a clear one on one was about to brew, a low clapping sound caught everyone’s attention.

As if on cue, a pair wearing green tracksuits, waltzed up to the Hinami players with unmatched confidence.

“Wow, well done!” The one who was clapping, clearly mockingly, spoke. He was tall and lean, and had curly blonde hair tucked behind his ears. His good looks, green eyes, and cocky smirk especially pissed Umio off.

“Didn’t know getting kicked out of MizuClo was possible! That’s probably the only chart in which Hinami is first at.”

The young man’s tone held subtle malice in it, as his grin widened.

“Who the hell—“

“Ah… Daiki… Shimizu?”

While Umio was on the verge of picking another fight, and rightly so this time, Totori swiftly produced a piece of newspaper out of nowhere, holding up the photo on it before their very eyes. The picture on it, and the face before them were identical.

“Hah, it seems the bums know me.” Presumably Daiki, the face matching the picture scoffed.

Daiki Shimizu, Mizushima Clover’s ace.

“Bums?” Reo raised a brow.

“Got something you wanna say? Then say it.”

Not one to back down when it came down to it, Toraichi, the tallest and most brazen of the bunch, walked up to the blonde egoist.

“Relax, we're not here to fight.”

For the first time since they arrived, Daiki Shimizu’s entourage, an equally tall teenager, with a dark green Elvis Pompadour stepped between his friend and Toraichi. His blank yellow gaze attempting to defuse the tension.

“Yeah? Then why come here in the first place?”

Toraichi didn’t budge an inch.

“Hey, Take, relax.” Totori grabbed his friend.

“…Not like they’re worth it, anyway.”

Reo too, stepped forward to drag his friend away from the commotion, but his sharp tongue wasn’t exactly easy to put a lease on. Something Daiki did not let go of so easily.

“What was that?”

“Ah! Not again!” Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed closer. “We don’t want ANY trouble either, okay? We’ve actually had enough!”

Kaoru squared off between the bickering parties, pulling them apart easier than it actually was. He only hoped his easy on the eyes expression did the trick here too. Seeing a calm face like his, the pompadour guy exhaled away the tension too.

“Right, we’ll be off.” He grabbed Daiki’s shoulder and turned his back. “Come on, Dai.”

“You always have to be reasonable like that, eh?” His friend, visibly disappointed, scoffed as he left.

While the two Clovers walked away, the calmest of the two shot a glance at Reo and his group. His eyes were narrowed, and seemed to speak volumes of his intentions.

You’re gonna lose.

Reo smiled a little. As eccentric as he was, drama between teams always helped to spice everything up.

“I can't help but wonder, is it some kind of male primitive instinct of yours that makes you constantly pick fights for no reason?” A familiar, soft voice reached everyone just in time to dispel the last of the tension, as the coach assistant walked up to the Hinami team.

“Shuna?”

“Shuna-chwan!!”

Reo addressed her in his usual manner, while Umio, the true believer, was just about ready to foam at the mouth. Accompanying her was a short, bubbly figure buried in her notes, scribbling away furiously. Maemi.

“You seriously got kicked out of MizuClo?”

“Well…”

“Kind of?”

Totori and Reo didn’t exactly give a convincing reply.

“Okay everyone!” Maemi suddenly bounced up like a spring, “Would you care to tell me what transpired here? It would probably make for a good—“

“No.”

“Ouch!”

Toraichi bonked his sister on the head, which caused her to glare back like an angry rabbit.

“Onii-chan! Why in heavens didn’t you wake me up this morning?!”

“Because you would have been nagging us all through the ferry ride.”

Her brother replied matter of factly, not showing any bit of remorse for abandoning his sister early in the morning.

Totori in turn glared.

“Maemi-chan wouldn’t be nagging us!”

“Seriously, man?” Reo held back the urge to roll his eyes at Totori’s obviousness.

Ultimately ignoring him, Maemi continued to glare at her brother.

“Well, now I was two hours late, thanks to you! And Shuna had to wait for me to get here.”

“Well, it’s not like I was alone.” The victim in question shrugged. Reo couldn’t help but wonder about the nature of her answer. Was she with Housen?

“Ah, Shuna-san?” Akihiko smiled wryly and apologetically. It wasn’t often you saw him act so reserved around a girl. “Would you please keep that event a secret from Housen?”

As Akihiko bowed his head and clasped his hands together, Shuna debated on giving everyone a fright. In the end, she decided against it.

“Sure, but you better not be late. Remember we’re meeting up in an hour.” The coach assistant gave her answer, as she waved everyone goodbye.

“Let’s go Maemi-chan.”

“But the scoooop…”

Unfortunately for the aspiring journalist, her stronger friend managed to drag her away before she made more of a scene.

A/N:

Kaoru visual is up! Next vote is a free one, who do we wanna see next? 

Thank you for reading!