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[soccer? that's quite a turn, but Reimi's happy to go along with it. he wouldn't bring it up in this context unless it was something important to him.]

Probably! I don't think that I've ever played soccer in my life.

[she hadn't been particularly athletic while alive, not doing much more than going for walks or jogs outside of gym class. something as intense as soccer was never even considered; somehow she doubts that even with practice she'd be particularly good at it.]

That's not surprising.

[FUBUKI DON'T BE RUDE.]

When you play together with other people, when you're on a team, you can't hide what's really in your heart. Even something as simple as passing a ball back and forth reveals things about you. It carries all of our thoughts and feelings.

[No hands necessary, not unless you were a goalkeeper.

Fubuki sighs deeply, the thought deeply contenting. The smell of the turf, of clean air hypercharged by an audience on the edge of their seats, electricity buzzing through friend and foe alike...and the moment when he could be like the wind. There was nothing so fine in the world. This one or any other.

Playing soccer, he didn't feel alone. Atsuya lived through his soccer, and he had everyone with him on the field, too. It was simply the best place to be...and the place he missed the most. The place Kouyuki hadn't made the same home Fubuki had.]

It sounds wonderful. You should teach me how to play sometime, so long as I'm allowed to be terrible at it.

[after all...]

It's been a long time since I was that close to people.

[the ability to naturally perceive the supernatural was a rare one, especially in a town as small as Morioh. within that already small percentage, none of the people who'd stumbled into her alley had been brave enough to listen to her once they realize where they were.

it was fine, as things had worked themselves out in the end, but there was no denying that it had made those fifteen years an incredibly lonely experience. beloved as Arnold was, he could only provide so much companionship to a young girl.

perhaps it's a little selfish, but she makes the suggestion for her sake as much as Fubuki's. to allow him to do something he loved a little more often, to make that connection he put so much stock in...but also to remember what it was like to give all of your feelings to another person in the real world. she wanted that again.]

[A little more sincerely, Fubuki offers...]

You can't really be terrible at anything as long as you try your best.

[After all, everyone started at the bottom, didn't they? He hadn't been born naturally good at defending, just as Atsuya hadn't been born the perfect forward. They'd each had to work hard to become the finely tuned athletic machines they were, just as Shirou'd had to work to assume the role Atsuya had left behind after he'd...]

Anyway, I used to be captain for my school team, so I can teach you if you want.

[He pauses a moment, enthusiasm sobering as her words sink in, and he wonders what she means. Weren't they fairly close when they'd gone to the cafe at the festival? Or maybe she was referring to her real self. Was she some kind of a convict who'd been in prison before? There's really no polite way to ask that, so he simply goes with...]

We'll start slow. It's not fun to fall on your face.

You'd be surprised!

[her friend's confidence in her hidden athletic ability is touching, but Reimi has a bit more practical view of what her future sports career holds. at least she knows that she'll have a great time no matter what the end result is.]

But I don't mind making a few mistakes here and there as long as no one's pushing me. Things might end up pretty ugly like that.

[her voice is teasing, although there's some real threat in her words. there's no way she couldn't retaliate (in a good-natured sort of way) to pranks like that. it would be unthinkable.]

Oh? But if you keep trying you'll always improve, even if it's only a little bit at a time.

[Makes perfect sense to him, anyway.]

I won't push, though. [Not any more than is required, that is.] It's not fun to be too forceful.

[But obviously he thinks a little pushiness is just fine. Even if that means retaliation.]

That's true! But a lot of people don't have the patience for that.

[like Rohan...or Kira. incremental improvement just didn't seem to be in the vocabulary of a lot of people that she knew, which was a shame. it was the only way that she really knew how to progress these days.]

You know, I've got a feeling that our definitions of 'forceful' don't really match up.

[not that she sounds like she minds very much. misadventures and silly counterattacks were what made a friendship vibrant and strong.]

Are you one of those people?

[Presumably under the impression that he already knows the answer to that question, Fubuki continues without stopping...]

Anyway, if we're going to play soccer, I'll need to get a ball first. But if we're waiting, that won't be a problem. I'll have one before we skip school.

[wow, way to just assume things. maybe she's a terribly impatient person now, Fubuki! but Reimi just giggles over the whole thing, allowing him to continue on without attempting to halt him.]

My parents have a pretty big mishmash of sports stuff for the daycare. We can always just borrow a ball from there if you want.

Ah...yeah, that's fine with me.

[More or less. He really wants his own ball, and having been just robbed of the excuse to buy one, he feels a little bit put out. Not unlike when Guts had unintentionally made him feel like he shouldn't look into joining the soccer team. As if, here in this world, he really should only stick to what "Kouyuki" would have enjoyed and pursuing the activities "Shirou" loves is taboo.]

As long as they won't miss it and we return it when we're done.

[...look, he can be a bit of a brat, but taking anything away from little kids is a line he won't ever cross.]

[because Fubuki continues to bottle up his emotions like some kind of dangerous exercise in teaching Boyle's law to young schoolchildren and Reimi can only read surface thoughts when using her persona, she has absolutely no idea of the sadness she's just visited upon him. instead there's only the vague sound of shifting from her end, like someone nodding.]

Things can get pretty hectic there, so I don't think they'd miss anything as long as we bring it back later.

[she laughs again, this time with a mischievous bent.]

And if they do we can always just bribe one of the kids I sit for to let us borrow one of theirs next time.

Next time...

[It makes sense that there'd be a next time. Soccer isn't a sport someone can play once and know. It's too big for that, and much too important. If he's going to teach her what he knows, they may very well spend the rest of the school year playing and practicing together. Maybe even beyond that.]

...no, it's okay. I'll have my own ball by then.

[It's okay, Reimi. He can only tolerate so much standing in his way, after all. And if it's just the two of them practicing, it isn't like anyone who expects him to be "Kouyuki" will be disappointed, right? This is fine.]

Mm, that's probably better. I'd go broke if I had to keep paying them to rent one out.

[she could also just buy one of her one, which...maybe she'll consider. it depends on how much of this endeavor she genuinely likes and how much of it is because she enjoys spending time with Fubuki doing something that he loves.

she's hopeful, though. it's been so long since she physically pushed herself to her limits. she can't even remember what that exhaustion feels like anymore, not really.]

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