A little into their second year of high school, the Raimon Soccer Club were on their way to the Holy Road finals. Then the car veers off the path, and they dive into the valley, where the car rolls off the cliff into the verge, and no one survives.
...
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The butterfly effect proves to be working, so Kirino takes larger, bolder steps forward.
Then his legs give out in practice for the second time in two days, and he begins to realize that things aren't as simple as they seem. This fixing the future thing won't be easy, and he's just starting to realize it now.
-
"Could you stop giving me heart attacks when I'm busy working? If I die and leave you alone, Mom will get mad at me."
Kirino feels strangely comfortable being on his brother's back. He's really too old for this, physically and especially mentally, but it just puts him at ease. It feels like peace.
Especially when he remembers his brother barging into the infirmary a while ago-- disheveled, hard of breath, in a visible panic-- it just makes him kind of happy.
"Hey, Kazu," Kirino speaks up, hands hanging loosely at his brother's shoulders, "thanks."
"What's with you? Creepy," Kazu responds quickly, stopping to cast his brother a strange, high-browed look. "Should I just drop you here?"
And Kirino shrinks, wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezing tightly in retaliation, "no!" he laughs. "I'll tell Shindou."
And Kazu visibly grimaces.
They walk home, calmly, a gentle hum at their throats, basking in the sunset. They were silent for most of the way, but it was warm, and Kirino was asleep before they got back to their house.
Kazu's face scrunches into a frown.
-
"Coach Endou, I trusted you!" Kirino throws himself onto the ground, on his hands, wailing in defeat, "I trusted you."
Endou chuckles awkwardly, scratching his cheek, "I'm sorry, Kirino, I, uh--" he looks away in shame, "got a little too caught up."
"Sorry, I guess I got a little too carried away, too," Sangoku rubs the back of his head, shameful.
