Chapter Text
“Soccer?!”
Harua stood in front of the principal when the sound of his hand hitting the wooden desk, a judgmental expression from the middle-aged man... as if, deep in his mind, he were scolding him and every one of his future generations for daring to slam the desk like that in his presence while expressing surprise.
The boy, in turn, understood the message behind the stern look and slowly pulled his hands away, returning to his previous, more composed posture.
“Sir, I’m not sure I’ll perform well in this…” Harua started, a nervous smile forming on his lips “Besides being extremely exhausting and interfering with my school routine, I’ll also be forced to participate in the boys tournaments.”
“That’s the point, Shigeta.”
“But I’d rather bake cookies for the students than run after a ball for fifty minutes!”
Harua replied, panting, as if he had already crossed the whole field during the first half, watching the man’s deadly glare, which made it clear he wasn’t buying into his drama.
“I’m too busy studying for the exams,” he shot back bluntly, as if playing his final card.
“The exams are next semester, and you’ve already memorized every subject. Don’t act like a spoiled child, think like a sensible teenager, Harua. You will take the extra soccer class that wasn’t even a request.”
Sitting in the chair, the boy stared at the principal. His face was red, almost boiling with anger, he didn’t want this. Unlike him, the man didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by forcing him into extra lessons, nor by his completely negative reaction. The principal’s firm expression remained exactly the same, showing no sign of changing his mind or giving up easily on turning that boy into his finest relic.
On the other hand, Harua was so frustrated. He didn’t even have his own choice in the matter.
“This isn’t fair!” he stood up from the chair, making it scrape slightly backward, only to receive another sharp, deadly look from the principal. “I’m sorry, sir.”
He sat back down, this time with his head lowered until his perfectly clean white sneakers came into view, his anxious hands tightening over his knees, unable to gather the courage to face the situation.
“I won’t tolerate it if it happens again,” the man fired back irritably before turning his attention to the boy sitting right beside Harua, slouched awkwardly in his chair.
“You, Hirota your grades are terrible. That’s why I called you here.”
His calm gaze met the man’s without much expression or emotion. Honestly, he’d do anything just to get out of there. It was obvious how uncomfortable he was.
“I want our dear genius to help you with the subjects that are red-marked on your record. Exams are coming next semester, and you both know I don’t tolerate repeat students.”
The moment Hirota Riki - or Maki, as everyone called him - was summoned, the first thing he saw was the prodigy kid, and from that point on, he knew everything was going to go wrong.
Because honestly, at what point in his life did it make sense to pair someone that important to the school with a student who literally held the title of hopeless at anything involving math?
Unlike Harua, Maki was ridiculously bad with numbers. He did a little better in sciences, but since everything these days somehow involved calculations, that didn’t help much. It should’ve mattered to him… but clearly, it didn’t.
“I get it,” Maki said, slouching back in his chair and checking his wristwatch, barely interested. “You want him to help me with school stuff, while I help him with the team?”
Harua glanced sideways at the boy. The thought of spending three months training with someone like Maki was ridiculously irritating, but he wasn’t going to turn that into an excuse not to do it.
“You’re very clever,” said the principal with a weak smile.
Maki smirked, smug. “Yeah, I know.” He stood up, adjusting his shirt. “Can I go now?”
“No,” the man replied with a sarcastic smile still on his lips.
The boy pulled a bored face and sat back down, this time turning his attention toward the boy next to him.
Harua, Shigeta Harua. He was so different from him that it was almost nauseating to think they’d have to spend time together. And like everything else in that gossip-infested school, this would probably give everyone another reason to doubt their “sudden connection.”
“I’ll give you some time to talk this through,” said the principal, standing up and heading for the door. “Think carefully, boys. This is for your own good. You represent the academic and athletic pillars of our school you need each other to become great in all areas. Our goal is to create stars ready for the world.”
He exited the office, leaving the two of them staring at each other with matching looks that basically said: Yeah, we already know where this is going.
And of course they did the entire school had been obsessed with rumors that the two of them were secretly dating.
It all started when Maki had transferred in and got caught inside the boys’ locker room with Harua who’d only gone there to handle something, but obviously everyone assumed the worst. Someone from the school’s gossip blog saw them standing too close, and that was it.
From then on, Harua and Maki’s lives turned into a mini celebrity scandal. They had no privacy. Couldn’t even be seen in the same square meter without people whispering.
“Don’t look at me like that, Bunny,” the blonde teased, tearing open a pack of gum. “Want one?”
“No, thanks. And please, keep your nicknames to yourself it won’t look good if people see us in here alone again,” Harua said, standing up while the other boy stayed seated. “I want to make this quick.”
The boy nodded, making a hand gesture that basically said go on. Harua ignored how annoyingly arrogant that was and straightened up, ready to explain everything in detail.
He intended to make this work, especially since they’d be spending more time together. His sudden involvement with the soccer team already felt like the start of a disaster and another round of rumors.
“Unfortunately, I’ll have to join the team, so I need you to tell me when the practices are, the schedule for each session, when they start and end, and also give me a list of every player and their behavior patterns oh, and the size and width of the field, plus when the next tournament will be.” He began pacing in circles, talking meticulously. “I’ll also need…”
“Patience,” Maki interrupted. “Do you want the ball circumference too? You’re not even breathing.”
Realizing he’d been holding his breath, Harua immediately felt ridiculous. How did he even notice that? He inhaled again, counting to three before sitting down, this time turning his chair toward the boy.
“This is important to me.”
“Sounded like it’s more important to him,” Maki said bluntly, earning a shy glance from Harua.
He was right but eventually, Harua would get used to the idea of running across a field chasing a ball. After all, if this was part of building his perfect future, he’d do it without overthinking.
“There’s a bigger concern than what is or isn’t important to me,” he sighed softly, starting to pace again. “Tell me when practice days happen.”
“Hmm… Tuesday and Thursday. On Saturdays, we say we practice, but it’s mostly an excuse to hang out in the locker room.”
“You what?”
“It’s not alcohol,” Maki said quickly. “Most of us are already of age. We just buy energy drinks and snacks.”
“That explains why the cleaning staff complains every Monday… Do you realize you’re making some students’ jobs harder?”
“Come on, Harua. Tell me what you actually want I don’t have all day.”
“Oh? You’re a busy guy, Hirota Riki?” Harua crossed his arms with a smug smile.
“It’s Maki, for crying out loud. Don’t call me Riki.”
“And what if I don’t want to stop?”
“And what if I don’t want to help you?” Maki shot back, just as sharp.
“Wouldn’t make a difference to me.”
“Same here. I’m screwed either way. You’ll just waste my time.” Maki shrugged, propping his feet on the principal’s desk earning an incredulous look from Harua.
“You do know the principal’s office has cameras, right?”
Maki instantly dropped his feet and straightened his posture.
Harua’s laugh was short but enough to make Maki realize he’d just been caught in a slightly ridiculous situation. He sat up straighter, forcing a serious face again.
“You know how to laugh?” Maki asked, voice dripping with irony.
“Sorry, couldn’t help it you looked pathetic,” Harua said, still smiling. “Anyway, we need to plan how we’ll do this without drawing the entire school’s attention.”
“That’s already impossible,” Maki said, standing and shoving his hands into his pockets as he stepped closer to Harua. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the gossip starts the moment we walk out that door.”
“What can we do to stop that from happening?” Harua lifted his gaze toward him.
When their eyes met, they froze for a moment and Harua suddenly noticed their height difference.
“Why not just enjoy it?” Maki smiled.
“You’re kidding, right? Ugh…”
Harua rolled his eyes, turning away and walking toward the door. As soon as he opened it, a few people glanced over not too interested at first… until Maki appeared right behind him.
Instantly, every head turned. They tried to act casual, but it was obvious how desperate they were for gossip. “Isn’t that Harua and Maki?” “What were they doing in the principal’s office together?” “Did they fight?”
Harua sighed heavily before spinning around, pushing Maki back into the room, and closing the door.
“You stay. I’ll leave first.”
“You look incredibly hot when you give orders,” Maki said, a suspicious smile tugging at his lips.
“Are you seriously going to flirt with me the entire time?”
“Except when I’m flirting with someone else.”
“Ridiculous,” Harua muttered, clearly done. “Okay. Tomorrow I’ll show up to practice, I’ll talk to the coach today. Wednesday, you’ll meet me in the library for our first study session.”
“Wait… every Wednesday?!” Maki raised his eyebrows.
“Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.” The shorter boy crossed his arms with confidence.
“You’re kidding. I won’t survive that. We need to keep our distance so we don’t get attached, Bunny. Wednesdays are enough.”
“No. Take your studies seriously, Maki.”
“No negotiation?” Maki clasped his hands together dramatically, like he was begging.
Harua stared at him again, thinking but there was nothing. Nothing except Maki’s pitiful puppy-dog eyes.
“Fine. Monday and Wednesday,” he decided, hearing Maki cheer quietly, “but on Fridays, you’ll meet me off-campus so we can review.”
“Deal. I’ll pick the place.”
Maki smirked, patting Harua’s shoulder before strolling toward the door.
“Hey! I didn’t agree to that!”
“See you tomorrow, Bunny.”
“I was supposed to leave fir- argh! I’m gonna need patience… so much patience.”
He muttered to himself, alone in the principal’s office.