2022-05-01, 04:39 PM - Word count:
Squall yawned as he entered the high school pitch, followed by a young girl. Yumi Narazaki, the granddaughter of his now departed friend, was a member of the local school's female soccer team and she requested from him the chance of having him play a game with her team. Given he didn't really have any plans and Ginger wanted the house for a meeting with some friends she made, he decided to entertain her wish. Besides, as little as he knew about dealing with other people, he imagined dealing with girls who knew about the sport would probably be a fairly easy job. They're Japanese, those people tend to be polite and stuff.
Yumi: Well, Mr. Squall, here's my team.
He looked around, finding a mostly plain-looking squad of girls, all more or less ready to play with the school's uniform - a pretty modest set of long-sleeved white shirts, blue shorts and blue socks, the school's name written in the traditional Latin alphabet showed they attended East Tokyo HS. He placed his hands inside his pockets, observing all of them one by one. One girl, Ami, was quick to ask something.
Ami: Oi, Yumi! Who's this guy? Your friend?
Yumi: That's Vercetti from Tokyo SC.
Ami: Oh, wow.
Another girl, Taki, peeped from behind the circle of players.
Taki: He looks taller in person.
Squall: Yeah, the TV doesn't do anyone justice... Too small, y'know.
Ami: Funny guy, heh.
Squall: Little bit. So, do you guys have a manager or something?
Yumi: Yeah, but she's sick. So it's handy that you accepted our offer.
Squall: Eh, a change of pace might be good for me too. So, what are we doing? All of you against me? Wouldn't be really fair.
Ami: You could play with our reserves if you want, Mr. Vercetti.
Squall: ...Wording.
He said, raising a finger while they laughed.
Squall: I'll be teaming up with some of you, then. If I see any of you goofing up with anything, we'll talk during the game. That way y'all will get your edges fixed and I'll get to see if I can handle a captainship gig at some point. Is that good?
They replied with a yell of "aye-aye, captain" which made him laugh a bit before they started things off.
(...)
The Canadian found himself actually tired from the whole ordeal. The girls were very polite and with really good senses of humour. They also played his socks off, running like they had infinite stamina. Still, he was able to have a lot of fun explaining to them what they were missing and he felt like he might have learned a thing or two himself. All a fairly productive way to spend the morning. After having lunch at the Narazaki's, he headed back home. Ginger had signed up for a local college that would teach her how to handle kids, so she was going to be out every now and then... though she had stated that she'd be with friends that morning.
But now, it was 1 PM. Surely, they had already left by this point.
As he opened the door, he noticed that not all of them had left. A guy with a flashy, teal-dyed haircut set like a mohawk was sitting with her on the couch. Clearly a guy from the region, by his skin and face. Ginger laid her head on his shoulder, so Squall could tell something was probably going on. Ginger didn't even move when she noticed his presence, it was the guy who seemed a bit off.
Ginger: Ah, hey, Squall... Calm down, Jiro, that's just my roommate.
Jiro: A-Ah... t-that's y-your-
Squall: Room-mate, man. Don't worry 'bout me. Though, uh...
He grinned as he passed by the couch.
Squall: If y'all advance things further, putting a sock on the doorknob would be helpful. Just sayin'.
One of the couch's mini pillows found its way towards his head, Squall barely dodging it.
Ginger: Squall, you jerk!
Jiro: Uh... I mean, we're only friends...
Ginger: Yeah!
Squall: And I'm just playing with you two, chill. Who's him, though?
Jiro: Oh, we're classmates from the Child Caretaking Course.
Squall: For real?
Ginger: Yes. As much as Jiro here looks like a punk band member-
Jiro: Oi, don't diss the hair... It's true I do care about kids, though.
Squall: Ah, alright. Well, Ginger and I are friends from back in America. She's living with me until she gets a place of her own, so I hope you don't mind that.
Jiro: Uh... w-well, n-not at all... It's just you look kinda familiar...
Squall: Name's Squall Vercetti, center-back for Tokyo SC.
Jiro seemed surprised.
Jiro: Damn... so you're the guy?
Squall: I'm more of a coadjuvant myself but yeah, I'm one of their players. Given they're probably not gonna move me around, I'll be here for a while.
Ginger: That said, we're only friends.
Squall: She's kinda like my younger sister, anyway. Just behave, aye?
Jiro: Uh... alright, Mr. Vercetti.
Squall: It's just Squall. Mr. Vercetti was my dad... and let's just say he was a naughty piece of work.
Ginger muttered the word "mafia" while Squall got up to take a bath.
Squall: I'm gonna go get some sleep after a shower. Y'all can do whatever you want, aye?
Jiro: Y-You sure, sir?
Squall: You're gonna be with her more often than me in the near future, no need to feel ashamed. 'sides, like I said.
He messed Ginger's hair, causing her to pout.
Squall: Younger sister. See y'all later.
He left them, Jiro speechless while Ginger seemed to be aiming another pillow at him. Life was starting to get hectic, he guessed.
Yumi: Well, Mr. Squall, here's my team.
He looked around, finding a mostly plain-looking squad of girls, all more or less ready to play with the school's uniform - a pretty modest set of long-sleeved white shirts, blue shorts and blue socks, the school's name written in the traditional Latin alphabet showed they attended East Tokyo HS. He placed his hands inside his pockets, observing all of them one by one. One girl, Ami, was quick to ask something.
Ami: Oi, Yumi! Who's this guy? Your friend?
Yumi: That's Vercetti from Tokyo SC.
Ami: Oh, wow.
Another girl, Taki, peeped from behind the circle of players.
Taki: He looks taller in person.
Squall: Yeah, the TV doesn't do anyone justice... Too small, y'know.
Ami: Funny guy, heh.
Squall: Little bit. So, do you guys have a manager or something?
Yumi: Yeah, but she's sick. So it's handy that you accepted our offer.
Squall: Eh, a change of pace might be good for me too. So, what are we doing? All of you against me? Wouldn't be really fair.
Ami: You could play with our reserves if you want, Mr. Vercetti.
Squall: ...Wording.
He said, raising a finger while they laughed.
Squall: I'll be teaming up with some of you, then. If I see any of you goofing up with anything, we'll talk during the game. That way y'all will get your edges fixed and I'll get to see if I can handle a captainship gig at some point. Is that good?
They replied with a yell of "aye-aye, captain" which made him laugh a bit before they started things off.
(...)
The Canadian found himself actually tired from the whole ordeal. The girls were very polite and with really good senses of humour. They also played his socks off, running like they had infinite stamina. Still, he was able to have a lot of fun explaining to them what they were missing and he felt like he might have learned a thing or two himself. All a fairly productive way to spend the morning. After having lunch at the Narazaki's, he headed back home. Ginger had signed up for a local college that would teach her how to handle kids, so she was going to be out every now and then... though she had stated that she'd be with friends that morning.
But now, it was 1 PM. Surely, they had already left by this point.
As he opened the door, he noticed that not all of them had left. A guy with a flashy, teal-dyed haircut set like a mohawk was sitting with her on the couch. Clearly a guy from the region, by his skin and face. Ginger laid her head on his shoulder, so Squall could tell something was probably going on. Ginger didn't even move when she noticed his presence, it was the guy who seemed a bit off.
Ginger: Ah, hey, Squall... Calm down, Jiro, that's just my roommate.
Jiro: A-Ah... t-that's y-your-
Squall: Room-mate, man. Don't worry 'bout me. Though, uh...
He grinned as he passed by the couch.
Squall: If y'all advance things further, putting a sock on the doorknob would be helpful. Just sayin'.
One of the couch's mini pillows found its way towards his head, Squall barely dodging it.
Ginger: Squall, you jerk!
Jiro: Uh... I mean, we're only friends...
Ginger: Yeah!
Squall: And I'm just playing with you two, chill. Who's him, though?
Jiro: Oh, we're classmates from the Child Caretaking Course.
Squall: For real?
Ginger: Yes. As much as Jiro here looks like a punk band member-
Jiro: Oi, don't diss the hair... It's true I do care about kids, though.
Squall: Ah, alright. Well, Ginger and I are friends from back in America. She's living with me until she gets a place of her own, so I hope you don't mind that.
Jiro: Uh... w-well, n-not at all... It's just you look kinda familiar...
Squall: Name's Squall Vercetti, center-back for Tokyo SC.
Jiro seemed surprised.
Jiro: Damn... so you're the guy?
Squall: I'm more of a coadjuvant myself but yeah, I'm one of their players. Given they're probably not gonna move me around, I'll be here for a while.
Ginger: That said, we're only friends.
Squall: She's kinda like my younger sister, anyway. Just behave, aye?
Jiro: Uh... alright, Mr. Vercetti.
Squall: It's just Squall. Mr. Vercetti was my dad... and let's just say he was a naughty piece of work.
Ginger muttered the word "mafia" while Squall got up to take a bath.
Squall: I'm gonna go get some sleep after a shower. Y'all can do whatever you want, aye?
Jiro: Y-You sure, sir?
Squall: You're gonna be with her more often than me in the near future, no need to feel ashamed. 'sides, like I said.
He messed Ginger's hair, causing her to pout.
Squall: Younger sister. See y'all later.
He left them, Jiro speechless while Ginger seemed to be aiming another pillow at him. Life was starting to get hectic, he guessed.
