Chapter 8: Beware of The Eagle
Peeking from the window, the student council room was pitch black. Kiyoshi grimaced. It hadn't been long since he was called through the speakers to come to this room in the special building, or so they called it. Tapping his foot impatiently, he weighed his options: stay here and wait for a member of the council or come back in a while.
He had successfully managed to infiltrate Kidokawa Seishuu on the eve of the Football Frontier. His cover was that of a random student selected to transfer and build trust between the schools. It was probably the student council's job to overlook he was adjusting well as they handled most of the student affairs. The Coach told him he would have been ordered to join the soccer club under normal circumstances, and that's exactly what worried Kiyoshi. From the moment he accepted the offer, the situation was abnormal. Kiyoshi gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. And it was this abnormal situation led him to get caught. He had scouted the area around the field and found the perfect spot to spy the team. If he hadn't given Kidou-san the report about Fire Tornado, the Coach for sure would have failed him. He would be back to Teikoku gazing at the soccer club's practice with broken dreams. Now he was given the real mission, find the missing manuals for Tornado Legend, Kidokawa Seishu's ghost hissatsu. On top, he still had to submit weekly reports. No, he didn't have time to waste.
After giving one last bitter look through the glass, Kiyoshi huffed and began to walk away from the door. As if on cue, it blasted open. But before Kiyoshi could understand the situation, the room's darkness swallowed him whole.
"Hey, Teikoku boy," a masculine voice said as the two were enveloped in darkness, the door shutting close behind them.
Kiyoshi instinctively threw a punch in the voice's apparent direction, and it was caught with ease. The grip was tight like that of a trained athlete. Something dug into his fist's flesh, a wave of cold terror crawled deep into his body.
He screamed, his voice echoing beside it at the threat of certain death. Or worse, perpetual pain.
Between ragged pants, Kiyoshi heard a delighted chuckle beside his ear, warm breath tickling the hair on his neck.
The lights turned on. Kiyoshi shut his eyes instinctively, opening them to meet a pair of muddy eyes before looking away for his bangs to provide a safe cover. The boy was close.
Seconds passed, the boy releasing the grip from his fist without a word. There were carving marks between his knuckles.
Kiyoshi raised his head and shot the boy a cold glare, his voice flat, "What was that?"
A grin broke on the boy's face, taunting Kiyoshi to land a punch, "A greeting."
"What kind of greeting is that?!" He barked, his words quivering at the end. Who the fuck tries to scare someone to death? His heart almost stopped.
The boy chuckled, gazing down at Kiyoshi's trembling figure.
Kiyoshi growled, his teeth gritting loudly. A dull scar ached in his chest. The dust, the cold, and the tears were still lucid. It wasn't a wound time could heal. The fear was ingrained in him like second nature.
If he was caught so easily then the lack of training, among other things, had caught up with him. Deep down, his pride took a blow of letting a mere student from a public school prank him. However, he had clung to life desperately. He still wanted to live. It wouldn't let him die either way.
The boy had moved to the center of the room when Kiyoshi was getting a hold of himself and spoke casually as if nothing had happened. "I'm Kensou Saburo, treasurer of the student council. Nice to meet you, Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi's fists unclenched, anger fading like a balloon whose air was taken out. "What. . . what are you doing here?"
But Kensou Saburo shrugged as if it wasn't a matter of importance. "More importantly, what are you doing here?" he asked with an interested gaze, "it's obviously due to Kageyama but what did you do to be sent to spy on Kidokawa?"
Kiyoshi looked away. He had no reason to answer that. He saw Kensou shrug again from the corner of his eye and a small breath escaped his lips.
"Sit down," Kensou said as he rested on the couch like it was his throne. It didn't seem like an offer. Kiyoshi tentatively obeyed, taking the couch beside him.
Giving a long look at Kensou who had propped his feet on the coffee table, Kiyoshi noticed his lean figure and deep brown hair that framed a face. His mature, dignified demeanor was that of a well-educated person.
But he was still on guard. Whoever knew of his objective and wasn't allied with the Coach couldn't be trusted.
"What are your plans?" Kensou asked.
Kiyoshi chose his words carefully. "I'm not sure yet." It wasn't a lie. He had a few options but hadn't chosen what to do.
Kensou heard him bored and Kiyoshi's eyebrow twitched.
"Join the student council." Again, Kensou wasn't offering. "You don't know what club to join either, am I right?"
". . .Uhn." Kiyoshi agreed but was reluctant to take the offer. He had to look for a club where his absence meant little and its activities were irrelevant to others. It could be a big club with many members or a laid-back club. The student council didn't meet any of those qualifications.
Kensou stood up and walked to, his demeanor taking an unexpected change. "Who do you think convinced the president to let you into the school?"
Kiyoshi tried letting his tone topple him, waiting for his next words with a frown.
"The student council knows why you are here, Kiyoshi. Did you really think they were stupid enough to not suspect a transfer student from Teikoku? How long do you think Kageyama has been doing this?" Not waiting for his reply, Kensou continued." Join the student council," his voice took a cheeky tone, "I'll help you."
"Why?! What do you get from it?" Kiyoshi said hurriedly. This was enemy territory; he had taken too long to realize. They were less than acquaintances back then.
Kensou grinned, very much like Kidou-san, but it was much more polished. "You will get the freedom to move around the school and authority. Motives shouldn't be your concern. You don't want to get caught spying behind a bush, do you?"
Kiyoshi felt his cheeks warm; the image of the little girl scaring him was still vivid in his mind. Kensou's logic made sense. His meeting with Sumire Yuu made him realize he was taking too many risks. He could use the authority of the student council to get close to the club and get much information. With their backup, it was unlikely people would suspect a transfer student was a spy for Teikoku. Instead of hiding in the shadows, he could walk in the light with ease. He wasn't tempted by the offer of power, but the ways said power would be useful to him.
"I have to refuse," he said politely. It was too good to be true. Kensou's motive was the biggest issue. And Kiyoshi doesn't want to be anyone else's tool.
Kensou's face twitched, and the hand he placed on Kiyoshi's shoulder felt dangerous. He looked down at him like an eagle about to grip his prey. "I'm not giving you an option, Kiyoshi," he said slowly. "Join the student council. Or leave the school."
A shiver shook Kiyoshi's spine. When Kensou grinned diabolically, the meaning of his statement dawned on him.
"Join the student council or your cover will be blown."
"You bastard." Kiyoshi's body shook and slapped away Kensou's hand. "What are you planning?" He met Kensou's muddy eyes. With how apathetic Kiyoshi treated others, it was almost comical he disliked the guy in less than an hour.
"Revenge," Kensou sneered, "against the most powerful figure in the soccer world."
Beware of the Eagle | End