10 Years Ago, Takinami Household in Tokyo

Mika sat down excitedly in front of a mirror with her tiny feet hanging off the chair while one of the maids brushed and styled her hair neatly.

“Are you excited Ojou-sama? I can’t believe our little princess is already turning 4 years old today!”

Blushing, Mika’s cheeks turned a strawberry pink while she nodded quietly, attempting to maintain her graceful posture.

“There, all done, you look very pretty Ojou-sama.”

“Thank you!”

Finally done, Mika started to skip down the stairs but stopped herself midway in order to calm herself down and began to walk as primly as she possibly could. Clutching the stairwell beneath her palms, she nervously looked at the door where her mother would be entering from any minute now.

Her father had already informed her weeks earlier that he would not be able to come home tonight due to a business trip in Paris and instead sent her a deluge of luxury clothes, accessories and jewellery that she had no idea what to do with as a four year old. Thus, Mika was eagerly waiting for her mother to return home for the day in order to share dinner together, which was a rare occurrence that only happened once or twice a year.

One Hour Later

Mika sat down on a chair that had been brought for her by Edmund, as she smiled brightly every time the door opened but was quickly disappointed when it was just another worker entering the house. Seeing the small girl wait so calmly, Edmund put on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and gently put his hand on her shoulder with his gloved hand.

“Ojou-sama…”

“Yes Edmund?”

“You know how it is with the Lady. Something likely came up at the company, so how about we eat dinner now and we can save the cake for later.”

Hearing this, Mika grabbed the chair underneath her with her hands until her knuckles turned white before looking up at her butler and giving him a small smile.

“That’s okay Edmund. I can wait a little longer. I know mother is busy so I have no problem with waiting for her.”

Seeing the sad smile on the girl’s face who appeared to be used to this, Edmund sighed before bowing and walking away.

Three Hours Later

Still waiting on the chair next to the stairwell in front of the door, Mika tried not to close her eyes as night fell over the house. Giving a small pinch to her left arm, Mika resisted the urge to fall asleep with all her might and rearranged her position on the chair uncomfortably.

“Ojou-sama!”

Hearing a familiar voice, Mika stood up and looked at Edmund who swiftly brought her over to one of the rooms where a large rectangular screen was waiting.

“Mother!”

“Yes Mika, there’s no need to state the obvious.”

Giving a polite bow, Mika greeted her mother respectfully and tried not to show a smile. Her mother had already instructed her that smiling was only appropriate for situations where achievements deserving of such celebration were made.

“What do you want Mika. I’m busy.”

Tapping her wrist impatiently, Mika’s mother, Sumino Kuroha, gave her a frigid stare that made her start to sweat a little under her dress.

“It’s just…I was wondering if you would be home in time for our birthday dinner that we had scheduled today. I know father won’t be able to come but I was hoping….”

“Gosh Mika, how long will you be a child? You’re already four years old and there’s no need to baby you any longer. It’s time to grow up and behave as expected from someone of our family’s stature. Have your tutors taught you nothing? The only reason we’ve been wasting time on this nonsense is because Edmund insisted it would be useful for your development but enough is enough.

Listen well Mika.

Everyone on this planet has a birthday, meaning you’re just one of the billions of people perpetuating a ridiculous custom that celebrates something that has happened to billions of other people. What reason is there to celebrate such a mediocre, low-level achievement? Do you understand me? So stop bothering your father and I with this childish, commoner behaviour and if you want attention so badly then why don’t you finally do something that deserves it. I heard recently that the Kitagawa’s heir has already demonstrated fluency in English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. It’s quite remarkable considering his mother is one of the most dull-witted, simpleminded and vapid women I’ve ever met…

In any case, I suppose since you’re four now, your father will want you to start studying soccer as well but I expect you to keep up your other studies as well, understood Mika?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Mika watched as the screen turned black with her mother ending the call after finishing all of the business she had intended to discuss with her. Exiting the room, she gave a melancholy look at Edmund who greeted her upon seeing her exit the room.

“Shall we have some dinner now Ojou-sama? I’ll have the chef cook something for you—”

“It’s fine Edmund, I’m feeling a bit tired so may I go up to my room to retire early tonight?”

“Of course Ojou-sama…”

After letting Edmund carry her to her room, MIka laid down on her bed and began taking out the accessories from her hair. Taking a look in the mirror, Mika wondered who the pathetic girl who was looking back at her was. With a pensive sadness emanating from the purple eyes, Mika scorned that pathetic, weak and pitiful girl who looked as if she was about to burst into tears any moment.

That girl in the mirror was not her.

It couldn’t be. It couldn’t.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Present, Hakuren Hotel

“Mika, Mika, MIKA!”

Feeling a hand warmly land atop her shoulder, Mika turned around and was met by the familiar blonde hair and concerned green eyes of Galahad who had called her name three times in distress.

“Oh, Galahad-kun. Um, what were you saying? Apologies for my lack of attention…Are you ready to leave already? Has the bus arrived earlier than what was listed on the schedule? It should only be 18:15 right now? I mean 19:15. Apologies for the confusion, I—”

Galahad had never seen Mika like this before, and worriedly sat her down on one of the couches before she could ramble on about the time any longer. Always giving off the impression that she was perfectly put together, it was a first to see her looking so frazzled and disoriented which only made him more concerned that something horrible had happened.

“Mika, calm down.”

Sigh

Pausing to let out a deep breath, Mika closed her eyes and put her hand over her heart while Galahad waited beside her. Tilting his head to the left, he gave her a soft smile before asking

“Better?”

“Much better, thank you. How embarrassing to lose my composure so easily, I apologise that you had to see that.”

“It’s not embarrassing so don’t think that way Mika. We all have times when we’re worried, scared or nervous about something. If you think it will help, then you can talk about it with me or if you need me to, I'll just sit here and listen like a rock if that’s what you need.”

Seeing Galahad harden his face like one of the Easter Island Moai Statues in his best imitation of a rock, Mika let out a small laugh before thanking him.

“Thank you Galahad…it’s just…I went to check on Leonidas to see if he was ready to leave when I discovered he had gone missing. I checked with the hotel staff and they reported seeing a child running out of the lobby about an hour ago and even though I’ve sent over 100 people looking for him throughout the city I haven’t heard anything yet so I’m feeling a bit uneasy that’s all…”

“I see…”

Furrowing his brows, Galahad got up suddenly as if an idea came to him.

“Well, sitting around here worrying won’t do much good so how about I call the team and we can all look for him too? The more people the better right?”

Seeing Galahad shine brightly with overflowing positivity, Mika had no choice but to give him a small smile and nod her head.

“You’re right, let’s—”

Ding

Mika’s eyes went back and forth quickly as she read the message she had just received on her phone. Getting up with a start, she dashed out of the hotel with Galahad following closely behind.

“Mika! Wait up! Where’re you going?”

Mika didn’t stop and instead answered between breaths.

“I got a report that a child was seen entering the forest just outside of the city. It’s dangerous for a small child like Leonidas to be out by himself at this hour already, but if he’s in the forest we need to find him as quickly as possible!”

“Mika, hold on for a second.”

Huff Huff

I know you’re worried but let’s think about this. You need to go back and organise the search party don’t you? I’ll go on ahead first and you can get the others and join up with me later.”

“Are you sure? Leonidas is my responsibility, you don’t need to go out of your way to help me…I can handle this.”

“I know you can, that’s why I’m saying you should head back and start organising everything. They’ll be a lot more efficient under your leadership, and besides I’ve told you before. Friends should help each other out right?”

Mika looked at him hesitantly before nodding and began to run back to the hotel, much to Galahad’s relief.

“Galahad!”

Galahad stopped and turned back around as Mika gave him a smile that showed off a set of brilliant white teeth.

“Thank you!”

Spinning back around, Mika gave him a friendly wave before returning along the path they had taken while Galahad was still frozen in place. Placing his hands over his ears where his heart seemed to have moved, he let out a sigh as he calmed himself down.

That…was dangerous.

30 Minutes Later, Hakuren Forest

“Tsujo-kun! Are you out there! Tsujo-kun!”

Galahad sweatdropped as he realised he didn’t have any semblance of an actual plan other than searching blindly around the forest, hoping he would run into the new Raimon member somehow.

Well…

There was no time for negativity, as long as he didn’t get lost it was better than no one searching for him.

“Tsujo-kun! TSUJO-KUN!!”

Walking around blindly in the dark forest, Galahad continued to leave markings in the dirt behind him with a stick to mark his path.

“TSUJO-KUN! It’s me, Galahad! From Raimon! If you–”

Oof

Galahad rubbed his head wearily after falling over some sort of rock and tried to reorient himself. Pointing his phone’s flashlight at the rock, Galahad took a closer look when the dark rock started to move.

“Tsujo-kun?!”

Galahad lifted up the ‘rock’ and once he saw legs and arms he knew it was a person. Seeing that there was no escape, Leonidas indicated for Galahad to put him down with his hands and sat beside a nearby tree while Galahad moved to sit next to him.

“Everyone’s really worried about you Tsujo-kun, we should head back to the hotel before it gets any darker out.”

[Don’t want to]

Typing this, Leonidas hid his face as he pulled his knees close to him. Watching the boy shrink away from him, Galahad ran his hand through his hair thoughtfully and decided it would probably be best to try and talk it out before they returned.

“Mmm…I see. Do you want to tell me why? If something is weighing you down, it can help to talk it out with someone and let it all off your chest y’know? I’m not sure if I’ll have any solutions, but I promise whatever you say here will be just between you and me, so you can say whatever you want and no judgement from me, I promise.”

Flashing a broad smile, Galahad gave him a thumbs up in order to try and lighten the mood but Leonidas just stared glumly into his knees and made no reaction. Sweatdropping, Galahad rolled his eyes upwards as he tried to come up with a back up plan to get Leonidas to come back with him when he heard a metallic voice from the boy’s tablet.

[I’m scared]

“What’re you afraid of?”

[I’m not like you, Yozora-kun. I’m…bad. I’m a bad kid.]

“What! You’re not a bad person! Even though you didn’t know us, you were willing to show us around the first day we arrived, remember?”

Shaking his head vigorously in denial, Leonidas continued typing on his tablet.

[I’m greedy. It’s not good to be greedy. When you’re greedy, you develop expectations and when you have expectations, the only thing that awaits you is disappointment. And once you're left alone and all you have is disappointment, it swallows you whole until nothing is left…]

Galahad listened quietly as the robotic voice trailed off, leaving the two sitting silently in the dark, with the leaves of the tree blocking even the moonlight from reaching them.

“You know Tsujo-kun. I get scared too when I’m on the field.”

Startled, Leonidas turned to face the older boy with his orange eyes opened wide as if he didn’t believe Galahad’s words.

“Haha, really, it’s true. We’ve faced a lot of super strong opponents by now and they’ve all had amazing hissatsus and techniques.”

Closing his eyes, Galahad felt the wind sweep his hair back as he remembered their first match against Eisei Gakuen where Seiryuu had completely overwhelmed him and the other defenders.

“Some of them were so powerful I just wanted to run away from the field right there!

But…

The thing that scares me the most is not being able to protect the people that are important to me.”

Galahad opened his eyes and saw that he now had Leonidas’s rapt attention and continued a bit melancholically.

“You’re right though, Tsujo-kun. It can be scary to be greedy but the thing is that having greed is proof that you’re alive! Without wants and desires, we’d just be like dolls…moving without any reason or motivation and I think that’s even more terrifying than trying to go after something you want and failing…”

Smiling with a vague uncertainty, Galahad looked upwards rather than at the boy sitting next to him and asked

“Tsujo-kun, how did it feel playing with all of us on the field today?”

Hearing Galahad’s question for him, Leonidas stopped hiding his face behind his tablet and put it down gently on the dirt below him. Rubbing his hands together nervously, he answered

“I-I liked it.”

Smiling until his eyes could not be seen, Galahad nodded his head encouragingly and replied

“That’s a relief then…”

“B-But what if it all goes away…W-When I received the ball from Mika-nee, it felt really…warm. I never knew I could feel so warm before but if it all goes away and I-I have to go back to that place…I d-don’t know if I could take it. I don’t want to be left behind anymore, I don’t want to be alone.”

“Then all you have to do is get stronger! Strong enough that you can walk on your own and then you’ll never have to be left behind again.”

Leonidas shook his head at this and muttered meekly.

“I’m not like you Yozora-kun. I’m weak…that’s why mother left me and that’s why Katata-sama left me…because I’m weak.”

Grabbing Leonidas’s shoulders, Galahad spoke in a serious tone, “You’re not weak Tsujo-kun, that’s not what I saw in our match today… and even if you don’t feel strong right now, you will get stronger and you’re not going to do it alone. You said that ball today that you scored with felt warm right? Do you know why it felt warm?”

Staying mute, Leonidas didn’t even blink as he waited for Galahad to finish his thought.

“It’s because that ball carries everyone on the team’s dreams and hopes within it, meaning when you shoot, you’re never doing it alone.

Since you’re a forward, you might not see us defenders as much, but I promise you that I’ve always got your back, Tsujo. I’m Raimon’s centerback after all! It’s my job to protect the team’s goal and I’m going to keep getting stronger so you can rely on me without any fears.”

With this, Galahad laid back down against the tree while Leonidas sat silently, mulling over his complicated thoughts. After scoring during the practice match against Hakuren today, he had felt a wave of emotions that he had never felt before and it was as if he was finally awake after an endless sleep.

But that had scared him.

Feeling the exhilaration fill his entire being when he scored that goal, it was like an intoxicating drug that Leonidas was afraid to become addicted to. What if all that happiness all disappeared just like everyone thing in his life? If he had to go back to the dark room once again, this time…he would surely lose his mind. While Mika had told him to trust her, Leonidas couldn’t feel completely at ease, not sure when she would abandon him once she realised how weak and inadequate he was. But now…

He was still afraid…but now he was going to get strong. Strong enough to walk next to the Raimon members proudly. And he didn’t have to do it alone…

I promise you that you’ll be able to fill that emptiness of yours with many, many happy memories in the future.

Since you’re a forward, you might not see us defenders as much, but I promise you that I’ve always got your back, Tsujo.

Resolving himself, Leonidas decided he was going to be greedy. Even if it scared him, he was going to chase after that happiness he felt today and continue filling the emptiness inside of him with more happy memories until the empty, dark room was filled with light.

Looking upwards at the older boy who was patiently sitting beside him, Leonidas bowed his head low and told him

“Thank you Galahad-nii…I’m ready now. Let’s go back and I’m sorry for all the trouble.”

“That’s great Tsujo-kun! And you don’t have to be sorry about anything. See, Mika texted me and told me she delayed the bus to tomorrow so no one’s in a rush to go anywhere.”

Standing up at these words, Leonidas looked upwards at the moon that could finally be seen through the leaves of the tree that had been spread apart by the wind. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, it felt as if a heavy weight had been taken off of his shoulders and Leonidas began to breathlessly follow Galahad back to the hotel.