In The Clovers’ Grasp 15

Time on Mizushima Island flew by faster than Reo anticipated. Before the players realized it, they had to journey from the meeting spot to the stadium. With the match a mere two hours away, as they rode in their black team bus adorned with its signature skeleton design, Reo and his companions caught a glimpse of the bustling crowd surrounding the stadium.

Countless fans donning their kits, along with green t-shirts and distinctive green top hats, swarmed around the stadium, eagerly awaiting entry. Despite the bus's sealed windows, the players felt the festive atmosphere and mounting anticipation for the game among the Mizushima populace.

The Clovers' stadium surpassed all expectations, boasting a grandeur that defied the norms of a high school team on an island. Yet, such feats were not uncommon in Shinrin, where teams frequently shattered conventional expectations.

Emblazoned in bold dark green letters at the forefront of the structure, the stadium proudly displayed its name: "CLOVER GARDEN."

Towering and modern in design, it stood in stark contrast to Hinami's classic and vintage venue.

Soon, the bus rounded the stadium, and the players disembarked, entering the premises from the rear. One by one, they filtered out of their transport and into the stadium, accompanied by lively chatter and songs emanating from the Clovers' fans on the opposite side.

It made Reo feel oddly like he had achieved professional status, with the atmosphere feeling incredibly real.

❖ ⚽ ❖

After a light, mini warmup session concluded for the Pirates, the players returned to their dressing room, while the crowd in the stadium gradually filled the stands. The stands were positioned very close to the pitch, much like in Hinami, reminding Reo of the British stadiums he often saw on TV. The enclosed stands, sporting an awning on top, effectively trapped the noise and amplified the cheering of the fans. In contrast to Hinami's open-top venue, which stretched upwards like a coliseum, one could say Clovers' Den felt more like a cage of sorts.

When the players found themselves in the well-kept away team dressing room, Gonda leaned against the table in the middle and produced his usual tactics board. With Shuna by his side, coach and assistant were ready to start analyzing.

“Listen up everyone, and listen well…” Gonda cleared his throat, “Shuna will now give you the opponent analysis. We’ve talked about this during training, but repetition is the mother of learning.”

With a lit cigarette in his lips, Gonda gave the stage to his daughter. Producing a thin pair of glasses, much like her father, the young girl, looked at her drawing board and began.

"Mizushima Clovers are known for their fast-paced style of football. They frequently bypass midfield with long balls, seeking out their quick, strong wingers who are adept with the ball at their feet. This means we need to maintain control over our press and ensure our defense remains tightly marked on their potential targets for those long balls. As for their star player..." Shuna paused, flicking to the second page of her board, a slight frown creasing her brow.

“Shimizu Daiki, number 7. He plays as a left winger, and is the captain of the team. His strong suits include dribbling and high technical ability. He’s the sort of winger that can create scoring chances from any position.”

The players nodded, as they turned to look at the two twins sitting by the side of the bench.

“We will…”

“Contain him!”

Naturally, the two defenders, who usually complemented each other, exchanged a resolute nod. One of them would be tasked with marking him, as right backs often had the responsibility of halting the opposition's attacking force on the left side.

“But there’s more.” Shuna spoke in a tone devoid of complacency, “Their striker is equally dangerous.”

With a tap on her board, she looked up to the players, and most importantly towards Housen. He was the leader in defense after all, and typically it was a center back’s duty to stop an opposing striker.

“Kazuya Rito, he’s Clovers’ number 9. He’s a tall, strong center forward, that’s also a good ball carrier to boot. He often wins individual battles against his opponents, and presses relentlessly. Last year, he scored quite a number of goals, including shots from tight spaces, headers and one-touch finishes, to make him the third highest goal scorer in the league. He’s really one to look out for.”

Kazuya Rito, huh? Reo thought back to the tall individual sporting that outdated pompadour back in their confrontation.

“Was that—“

“Yep.” Totori nodded, having caught along, “That was Rito.”

"Well, some of you have probably already met the pair," Shuna remarked with a wry smile, glancing at Reo and the others, recalling their earlier charade. Akihiko, for one, averted his gaze and whistled merrily, refusing to maintain eye contact with the assistant coach.

In response, Housen glared.

“Huh?”

But for some reason Reo was the recipient of that menacing stare.

“Hey, why’s he glaring at me of all people?”

“Maybe word got out that you have the hots for his childhood friend?”

“Oye!”

While Totori aimed a dig at his friend between their whispering, Gonda cleared his throat somewhat aggressively, commanding silence around the dressing room.

"Please keep in mind that all this information comes from the reports we gathered from last season. If we spot any changes, we'll address them at half-time," Shuna instructed, nodding to herself. She then turned to her father, the coach. "Report, over."

“Thank you, Shuna. Now let’s talk about OUR tactics.”

The Hinami coach was mostly a cheerful man, oftentimes seen smiling. Yet when the hour came, he was strict and serious. He gave it his all during coaching, and he expected no less from his players.

With his tactics board, he presented the line-up.

It was the usual 4-4-2 they played during their last game, with a silght difference.

Of course Kyogo Haneda was starting between the sticks as the goalkeeper, and the rest of the defense was the same as last time. Housen, Junya, Aki, and the defensive twin Wataru.

“…I need you to be compact, and anticipate the long balls to their wingers just like we practiced.”

In midfield were Akihiko Hatate, as per usual, with Ayase Ishiguro, the strong defensive midfielder.

“I need you to press their midfielders enough, so they don’t get to pass it wide easily.”

In the wings, starting was Kaoru, and on the other side…

Reo Yuusaki. That was the aforementioned slight difference.

“Reo, you’re starting today.” Gonda almost suppressed the urge to smirk. “Your display last time gave us the win, so this is your reward. Go and seize the chance.”

Reo almost didn’t know how to react to those words, and it showed on his face. They both knew what he was really capable of, so not leaving him on the bench made way more sense than the other way around. Reo thought nobody needed a reason, or rather, an excuse, to start him.

“Kaoru, you stay wide and come back to provide support in defense. Reo, you can drift centrally, and play as a 10 when the situation demands it.”

Finally, the partnership up front, was complete with Totori and Toraichi, two very different center forwards, that brought something unique to the table each.

“Toto, I need you to press like your life is depending on it.”

“Aye sir!”

“Tora, I need you at your best. Don’t think too much, when you’re given the chance. Shoot.”

“Yes, coach.”

Judging by the fire in their eyes, the two strikers were raring to go.

Finally, Gonda smiled, feeling the building anticipation, and straightened out.

“Guys, Mizushima Clovers are strong. Some would say they even have a chance to win the league this year…” Before any uneasiness could set in the dressing room, Gonda raised his voice. His eyes were burning beneath his frames.

"But! We are strong as well! And we've worked hard to be here! We won't give anything away tonight. We'll perform just like we practiced—hard and resilient." With his speech concluded, the coach motioned towards the captain, who rose from his seat and placed his hand firmly on the table in the middle.

“We’re finally here. After 2 years, Hinami is back where it deserves. We’ve all worked hard for this. So let’s do this, everyone. From the first whistle to the last! We won’t give up! We won’t stop running! Let’s go!”

As everyone huddled together, the intensity in the air palpable, each player's gaze fixated on the center of the table, their hands stacked atop each other in a solemn display of unity. With a final cheer, Housen's voice echoed through the room, resonating with determination and resolve.

“1…! 2…! 3…!”

There was a pause, as everybody prepared to shout with all their heart.

“HI – NA – MI!”

The voices reverberated off the walls, the collective emotions of everyone present intertwining into a single beating heart. For all the players in attendance, today marked their debut in the Shinrin league. The tension and nerves created a pool of anticipation in the pit of their stomachs, an untapped, bubbling emotion rising from within.

It was go time.

❖ ⚽ ❖

The walk from the dressing rooms to the pitch was guided by a narrow corridor adorned with stickers of green and white. The teams lined up, ascending a few steps, and awaited the referee's signal at the exit of the tunnel. From his vantage point, Reo could see the expansive green grass stretching out before him, along with the lower section of the stands where the boisterous fans of Mizushima resided.

Boisterous because even if he couldn’t see them, he could definitely hear them shouting out chants and getting ready to welcome the two teams on the pitch.

As for Reo himself…

The blonde young man took a deep breath. It was his first time starting for Hinami. While it was a common occurrence for him not to be on the bench, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the times he had gone through debuts in the starting 11 of a team.

"Nervous?" The short individual in front of him offered a reassuring smile as he glanced back. Totori was cheerful as always, Reo thought. But there was something more. A fire burned in his eyes. The eager breaths through his nostrils were testament to the excitement building within him.

“Nah… Not really.” Reo shook his head, and swatted him on the back, “If anyone is, that’d be you.”

Before Totori could reply after his small chuckle, The Clovers emerged from the dressing room as well, led by the blonde eccentric winger at the forefront. As the tall and strong team walked up next to Hinami in a line, Daiki turned to glare.

Of course, Housen, the captain and also the one to lead the line, didn’t hesitate to stare back.

The Clovers wore their home kit, a mix of green and white in thick horizontal lines that accentuated their dark green badge on their chest. The numbers on their chest and back were black, matching perfectly with other details in the design, and complementing their black shorts and socks.

Normally, teams playing as visitors had to wear colors that didn't clash with the home team's kit. However, Hinami's black home kit was eligible to be worn. Nonetheless, the Pirates had to switch to white socks and shorts to ensure a more distinct contrast.

The tension between the teams as they waited for the referee was palpable, akin to a silent, deadly stare-down. The air was so thick you could practically reach out and touch it.

Finally, the officials emerged. Almost as a means to reassure his friends, Toraichi turned to Reo and Totori and gave a thumbs up.

“Let’s do this.”

The two players replied with a hearty nod, and soon, the referee led the two teams out of the tunnel.

As soon as the lines of black and green stepped onto the field, feverous cheers accompanied each and every step. The confines of the closed-off stadium felt like a cage, trapping the voices and shouts within its thick walls, amplifying them to the players' ears as if through a megaphone.

On one side of the pitch, behind the left goal, the loudest of fans raised their hands in the air, each holding a single piece of coloured paper. Every fan had been given one upon entry to the stadium, and when they were all raised together, the small square pieces formed a single cohesive image.

That was a so-called tifo, as Reo had heard. The pieces converged to complete a single image: a green clover emerging from the stands like a magical spell, with a simple golden trophy behind it against a white background.

As the teams gathered next to each other to exchange the usual handshakes in a line, the stands, filled to the top to welcome the opening matchday, erupted in a simple chant.

“Mizushima is Green! Clovers win the league!”

Off in one corner of the stadium stood a few more fans, distinct from the sea of green and white. Clad entirely in black, they clapped rhythmically while waving their Jolly Roger flags in the air.

These must be the so-called away fans, Reo thought to himself as he took up his position on the right side of the pitch. The grass beneath his feet felt immaculately maintained, and the darkening sky above contrasted beautifully with the small green lights of the stadium awning.

The crowd, the gentle breeze, the field—everything felt perfect for a football match.

Why was he having these thoughts?

Reo shook his head and turned to Hinami's bench. There, he saw Shuna clasping her hands together, as if silently praying. Gonda paced back and forth, while even the substitutes, who could have been grumpy for being left on the bench, looked on resolutely.

The referee raised his arm and positioned the whistle at his mouth. With a resounding blow, the match kicked off.

It was Mizushima who kicked off the game, having won the coin toss beforehand.

Reo shuffled about, not particularly inclined to defend or engage much off the ball. It wasn't a sign of reluctance but rather his typical low work ethic attitude.

Sure enough, just like Shuna had explained, the ball travelled briefly between Mizushima’s defenders and soon one of their tall center backs whiped it high and far towards Daiki Shimizu.

“That’s the way!” A short, thin middle-aged man with long whitish hair cheered from the bench wearing a standard dark green sports coat.

“Tch.” Gonda clicked his tongue at the sight of him.

It was Toshinori Date, the Clovers' coach. He was a kind old man most of the time, but for some reason he and Gonda had always found reasons to clash frequently throughout their coaching careers.

Thankfully, while Daiki Shimizu managed to control the ball and get past Wataru, Junya Asagiri intervened, and threw the ball out for a thrown in with a well-placed tackle.

“Nice job. Junya! Don’t let them play the way they want!”

“Hm.”

Date, who was on the touchline much like Gonda smiled at his rivals’ comment. “Even if we don’t play like we want to, we’ll still win.”

“What was that?!”

The usually calm Gonda, was a raging bull when it came to football matches. So it was natural, a dig such as the one Toshinori Date just deployed caused his temper to skyrocket.

Date was a coach who would use any means at his disposal to win. He didn't care if his team played great football; all he wanted was to secure the victory. Performance was secondary to him; getting the three points was all that mattered.

Though Gonda found it mocking, the nature of Date's comment wasn't much different from what he would normally expect.

“Dad, calm down!” Shuna grabbed her father’s arm, before it got heated. “Look!”

She pointed to the field, where Ayase Ishiguro managed to cut off Clover’s midfielder, and pass it on to Hatate.

The agile maestro had no trouble turning his face to the opponent’s defense, and sending the ball towards Reo off to the right side.

Since Reo received it perfectly, the defender before him had no choice back to take some steps back, and give the winger some space. Little did he know, that Reo wasn’t just an ordinary winger.

Might as well...

Reo's instinct kicked in, despite his half-baked thought process. With light touches to move the ball forward, he faked a move to the right but instead dove headfirst towards the left. The defender danced like a doll in a puppeteer's hands and was ultimately left behind with ease.

"Reo!" Reo contemplated going solo, but ultimately passed back to a moving Hatate, who was smart enough to play it back to him for a quick one-two. Reo had moved into the box masterfully unmarked, and the maestro's pass was pinpoint accurate.

“REO!”

Toraichi raised his arm in anticipation, taking up his position with confidence in front of goal. The crowd fell into an eerie silence, mesmerized by Hinami's effortless presence on their danger area after a two-year absence from the league.

Reo expertly controlled the ball, his vision locked on the goal ahead. With the tall keeper advancing to claim the ball, ready to lunge at the dribbler’s feet, the opportunity to pass it to his left unfolded perfectly. Toraichi surged forward, poised to simply slot it into the net with ease.

But Reo had demonstrated time and again, that he wasn’t a team player. Instead of passing it for an open goal, with his left foot, he decided to chip the ball over the keeper.

Reo did exactly that, as he made the ball rise with the tip of his boot, and jumped over the keeper who tried to take the ball away from him. The ball soared in the air, higher than the man in goal would ever hope to reach, and the Pirate fans jumped to their feet, ready to celebrate.

“OH!”

But the Clovers gasped in relief instead, as the ball clipped the crossbar and went out of play.

“Damn it…” Reo huffed in disappointment, as the whole of Hinami seemed to stay eerily silent.

“I was free, you know…” Toraichi uttered, as he went towards his teammate and extended his hand to him, helping him up from the grass, “We’ll get ‘em next time.”

Despite the clear upset, Toraichi chose to encourage his friend. The game had just began after all. But it wasn’t like Reo regretted his choice. That was exactly who he was.

“Ah damn it!!” Gonda still pacing in front of the bench seemed to hold his head in frustration.

“Be more compact! Don’t let them pass right by you!” Toshinori Date on the other hand had some work to do to get his players’ head back in the game.

Despite the clear chance for Hinami, Clovers had the next say as the keeper positioned the ball in front of him, preparing to take the goal kick and resume play.

“Keep your cool! Pass it to me!” A midfielder for Mizushima, with black buzzed hair, and a strong tall build motioned for the keeper. On his back was the number 22.

The keeper reciprocated, and sent it straight for him with a long pass.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

Akihiko, not one to engage much, saw the opportunity to intercept and charged. The number 22’s body type made him look strong sure, but also slow, and predictable.

“Eh?”

However the seemingly slow midfielder, weaved the ball around the midfielder so fast, it left Akihiko in the dust. Unbothered, he sent a long ball straight for Daiki Shimizu, the number 7 and the Clovers’ ace.

“That number 22, must be a first year…” Shuna tapped her chin. “I’ve never heard of him before…”

“Go, Wataru!” Instead of replying, Gonda barked his order.

However, the Clovers captain made it look way easier than it was, as he ran his way past the defender and towards the box.

“Damn it! Come on!”

Shimizu really knew how to exploit even half a meter of space.

Even Junya, who went out to intercept, was dribbled past in much the same fashion, leaving only Housen and Mago on the far back to defend.

"Hah." The eccentric winger snickered, his eyes alight with the paths leading to a goal. He could take the shot with his dominant right foot and set the stands ablaze.

No.

But instead, he chose the option he knew had more promise. With a flick of the ball with his right foot, he sent a gentle cross soaring towards the back post.

Thankfully, Housen had Rito marked and the cross covered…

Or so he thought. Housen hadn’t even realize Kazuya Rito had escaped him, and positioned himself exactly between him and Magowski. Right where the ball was about to land, in the far end before the goal.

With a simple header, and without even needing to jump, Rito squared the ball beyond Haneda’s grasp, and sent it in the back of the net.

“GOAAAAAAAALLL!”

The crowd jumped to their feet, and shouted with all their hearts, while the scorer ran to the far corner to celebrate alongside his teammates.

“GOAAAAAL FOR THE CLOVERS! NUMBER NINE, KAZUYAAA…”

“RITO!”

While the announcer and the fans were having the time of their lives celebrating, The Hinami players stood eerily silent. Right after their big chance to score, Mizushima Clovers, the powerhouse they thought they had cornered not only wasn’t facing difficulties, but were 1-0 up within their home turf.

No matter how you sliced it, it wasn’t looking good for the Pirates.

On the other hand, Reo looked around the erupting stadium in silent realization. While Shimizu and he had similar chances, the latter chose to trust his teammate and friend, and not go it alone.

Stop that.

Reo shook his head.

That wasn't who he was. Reo had always been the star of the show. He had come this far with that mindset, earning a contract ready to be signed simply because he played like the best of the best. There was no point in changing that now.

“Come on! Keep your heads up!”

Housen tried to boost his teammate’s morale, as they brought their ball forward for the kick off.

“They have great coordination…” Gonda muttered, as he looked back at the pitch.

“Nothing is over yet!” Shuna clutched her tactics chart tight to her chest.

And her words couldn’t have been truer. Even if they were destined to go down tonight, they would do so fighting.

A/N:

Today’s visual is a surprise as per your request: You can go and check out Kyogo Haneda, our goalkeeper!

Next up I’m thinking of uploading a collage of the Mizushima players we know by name. What do you think?