[Kidou wasn't one to usually break the silence of a study hall. In fact, Gran was usually the one to initiate the conversation, but this time, it's Kidou who's the ice breaker. And more importantly, switching to complete Japanese. His eyes glint, his eyebrows raise, and he's soon staring right into his friend's goggled view, ready and listening.]
A request...
[Kidou had switched the language to keep this private, hadn't he. There's a soft, nonchalant turn of the page of the book he was reading, smiling to himself.]
[After he's made eye contact, Kidou drops his gaze towards his paper, playing nonchalant as possible so as to try to avoid drawing attention. He speaks quietly in a language he's certain no one else around them speaks.
It's not quite correct to indicate that everything's okay - he couldn't just say 'yes' without it being dishonest - but any issues to smooth out are best kept between him and Genda. This is a step towards that goal, one of many.]
[He turns the page, feigning reading more than anything. It wasn't anything he couldn't go over once more at home, really. And whatever Kidou had to talk to him about, good or bad...he was going to listen.]
He's a friend of yours, right? From Teikoku Academy?
[The confirmation is brief, but there's an unmistakable fondness to his voice that says just about everything that needs to be said. And now... for the favor. Kidou would never ask this lightly. Information about someone else - especially abilities - is not something you give away so easily. Gran is someone Kidou's known for a long time now, and by now has Kidou's trust, but Genda only has his trust in Kidou to go by. Even giving the few specifics he plans to now is enough to make him try to be as discreet as possible.
While Kidou is certain this is the right call, it's still not one he makes without a little bit of trepidation. Far more than it would appear is riding on this.
Kidou picks up a pencil, tapping it to his paper in thought. To anyone observing, it hopefully appears that his contemplative look is due to math and not to constructing how to put this rapidly in his head before continuing.]
He has a power that requires multiple people to activate, but the description provided is unclear. I'd like to ask your help in testing its capabilities.
[As he thought. He'd known that Kidou was close to Genda. Their thought processes were too similar, and they had such formal ways of speaking over texts. Birds of a feather, that's what Midorikawa would say, wouldn't he? A smile cracks at his lips at the very thought that Genda tried to deny it. There's another page turn, not drawing any attention to the statement that might direct Kidou's attention from what he wants to ask.
Being poised and calm was one of Gran's strong suits.]
Multiple people.
[He repeats it, and to any eavesdroppers would only have the appearance of someone being asked a question on a certain math problem. The wonders of lost in translation at work.]
[Kidou stays still, continuing to look at his paper. It's a good question - one that he himself would ask had he not read its description directly. This power is made all the more intriguing that it isn't; Kidou hadn't heard of anything outside hissatsu that required a group to work before.]
[Now that's something that catches his attention, pausing on turning another page, fingers rubbing the corners together.]
A group-related power...that's a new one.
[He looks up, eyes bright and shutting that book, sliding it forward to give him room to place folded arms there.]
Of course I'll help, Kidou-kun.
[He didn't even know what the power was. But if Kidou was asking him, he'd have said yes no matter what. Genda needed a support group as well...someone outside of the one he usually defaulted to.]
[Kidou matches that look with a smile of his own, looking up from his paper directly into his friend's strange eyes.]
Thank you, Gran.
[There was little doubt in Kidou's mind that Gran would agree - they were on the same team twice over, and even beyond that they were a team by virtue of being from the same place. He had faith that Gran would be willing to support him. But seeing him willing to support Genda spreads its own warm feeling of gratitude across his heart.
The warmth doesn't leave his voice as he continues.]
I'll let Genda explain the specifics. Are you free this week?
[He can't see Kidou's eyes behind the goggles except for the faint hint of an outline, but he can practically bet on the fact that they're just as grateful as his words. And honestly, that's more than enough for him, smiling wider as he goes back to his book, making sure he's not skipping too far ahead in his studies.]
I have work on Wednesday and Friday, but I'm free otherwise after soccer practice.
Where should we meet up? Should we keep this away from the public...?
Yeah, it's best if we keep this quiet. It won't need much space, so I think any unused room should work.
[Which he'll have to figure out, but there's spots like that at school if he can't find a better option. Even if Genda doesn't end up transferring, that's plan B.]
[You know, like it was an everyday normal person reaction. Seriously man, who's the alien again?]
But I think it would mean a lot more if it came from you.
[There's a small bite to his lip, wondering if he should reveal what Genda had said to him about him and Kidou not really being teammates anymore. Teammates spanned over more than just your school. He wouldn't dare say anyone on Genesis wasn't his team just because he was on Inazuma Japan.
Ultimately, though, that should be something Genda should admit to himself. Even if he never will.]
[Kidou had honestly intended to extend the invitation a while ago. But with just one sentence, Genda had managed to rearrange Kidou's entire list of priorities, and given the vague unease during their subsequent meeting he just hadn't found the place to bring it up. If he made Genda feel pressured right now, he wouldn't get the desired result.
Kidou's opinion of Genda wasn't ever going to change; one only had to listen to the way Kidou talked about him to know how he felt. He was always going to have the same fond attachment to him that he'd always had, and he honestly wanted his friend to transfer to NMS. But, given when Kidou believes Genda is from (no matter how inaccurate it is), this needed to be addressed very carefully, and he'd probably only get one chance to get it right.
All in all, it's for the best Gran doesn't mention what Genda said.
His eyebrows knit a little more, watching Gran's brief hesitation. His friend seems unsure about something, but Kidou has no context for it. Is there something he wants to say but isn't, or is it that he's trying to find the right way to say it? When Gran continues, the latter seems most likely.
Kidou focuses all the more on whatever Gran says next, accepting the statement with a serious nod. Gran's right, without any question. He doesn't need to go into any further detail about it.]
I will.
[Technically, he'd already indicated that, but this time he adds resolve to his words. It's a statement, not something closer to an admission.]
[Hiroto was sure that these two had something deeper than words could say. It was the same as he felt about Midorikawa or Izuno or the team members of Genesis. But Kidou often kept his emotions behind a locked door, and Genda, after one talk with him, seemed to be even more closed off. Neither would reach to open the door of the other, and thus brought them to the stalemate they're at now.
There's a soft "Shikataganai", more cheerful than the word actually suggests as he rests his chin on his hand.]
If there's one trait that Raimon has shown, it's the strength of frienndship above all else. Genda-kun isn't Raimon, but you are now. You can show him what Endou-kun had taught you.
Kidou's eyebrows rise, mouth parting in soft surprise, and any tension in his body vanishes. Those words resonate down to his core - a not so subtle reminder of what he is. Although he'd quickly grown deeply attached to Raimon, it used to hurt to hear. He was Teikoku, too. But now, any sadness those words could carry was outweighed by the strength of that warm friendship that Raimon embodied. He'd belonged to Raimon before he knew it.
What would Endou do in this situation? It was a question Kidou hadn't considered, but it's not hard to guess. To Endou, the ways to tackle life's problems were often simple - share soccer together with your friends, and try your best. The dedication to that philosophy of Endou's was the key that bound them all together, and both forged and kept friendships with many of the teams they encountered along the way. Everyone, from Raimon and Teikoku's teams, to Inazuma Japan, loved soccer. .
Do your best wholeheartedly, and believe in your friends. That was the soul of Raimon.
This place hasn't been good for Kidou's nerves. It had become easier to start to close parts of himself off, letting the divide between his true feelings and how he acted slowly grow farther apart. It meant that, when, it was all too easy to fall back into some older patterns. His approach had ended up being more cautious than Endou's would have been. And Gran had immediately seen through everything. Kidou didn't need to ask how.
After a moment, Kidou breathes out softly, closing his eyes with a grateful smile.]
Strange to think that I would be Raimon's ambassador now.
[Instead of Endou, who he may or may not be in denial about for the moment. Kidou was the one who stood faithfully by Raimon and worked to sustain the team as best he could, but he never considered himself as the one who could spread that spark on his own. With Ulvida, he hadn't even tried. But with Genda, it would be up to him. He just hadn't been sure of how to try without making things worse until this moment.
[Gran's voice doesn't have an ounce of doubt in it, effortlessly spilling out encouragement as he takes this time to look out the window, watching the kids in the last period gym class run their final lap. Funny, it was so nostalgic of Inazuma Japan's training regiments, although much later in the day than he was used to. It made a great distraction when he didn't want to bore his eyes into Kidou's own, keeping the conversation less than confrontational.]
Soccer isn't the same here as it is back home, but I don't think the spirit of it has to die.
[The bell for the final period of the day sounds, and the students start to gather their belongings to make a mad dash for their lockers. Gran does the opposite, taking his time to put his belongings away, making sure his lunch container was still packed in his bag, and wrapping that strap around his shoulder so his bag hung at his side.]
If you want my honest opinion, Kidou-kun, I think Raimon can do anything.
[That smile only grows at Gran's encouragement. Kidou says nothing further, but it's clear the words sink in. Kidou didn't have that many things to pack up, but he held back anyway. Not only was he less than eager to be stuck in the initial rush, but his assigned locker had the unfortunate distinction of being close to the exact middle of the locker wall, and if he ended up there in a crowd, he risked getting mobbed by curious attention seekers trying to get close to a celebrity or see what he had in his locker (absolutely nothing interesting). It happened almost every time.
He takes that time instead to focus on what his friend is saying. None of it is anything Kidou himself didn't feel or know to at least a large degree, but some of that had been driven too far down to be easily accessible. He didn't quite have Gran's thorough faith in Raimon's team, although he came close to it. Raimon could go far, but they always had that chance of failure. There were times they didn't succeed, and things that went wrong because of a misstep. 'Anything' was a bit of a stretch. Even Endou didn't always succeed at everything he wanted to. And no team, ever, was truly unbeatable.
But, then again, Kidou was someone who was always looking for problems in order to figure out counters. He'd seen times that Raimon really stood no chance against what they needed to beat. It meant that Kidou didn't often try to see Raimon from the perspective of an outsider. Being pulled back to look at things from Gran's perspective instead of his own like this couldn't be more welcome, and the underlying associative statement doesn't go unnoticed.
Like everything else Gran has said, he's not wrong.
Kidou stands up a few moments before Gran does, posture straight and proud as ever, and feeling a lot more confident than he had been just moments before. As Gran adjusts his bag on one shoulder, Kidou reaches out to briefly set his hand on the other. Then, looking straight ahead, he walks out of the room.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
A request...
[Kidou had switched the language to keep this private, hadn't he. There's a soft, nonchalant turn of the page of the book he was reading, smiling to himself.]
Is everything okay, Kidou-kun?
no subject
[After he's made eye contact, Kidou drops his gaze towards his paper, playing nonchalant as possible so as to try to avoid drawing attention. He speaks quietly in a language he's certain no one else around them speaks.
It's not quite correct to indicate that everything's okay - he couldn't just say 'yes' without it being dishonest - but any issues to smooth out are best kept between him and Genda. This is a step towards that goal, one of many.]
You've spoken to Genda, correct?
no subject
[He turns the page, feigning reading more than anything. It wasn't anything he couldn't go over once more at home, really. And whatever Kidou had to talk to him about, good or bad...he was going to listen.]
He's a friend of yours, right? From Teikoku Academy?
We spoke on the network.
no subject
[The confirmation is brief, but there's an unmistakable fondness to his voice that says just about everything that needs to be said. And now... for the favor. Kidou would never ask this lightly. Information about someone else - especially abilities - is not something you give away so easily. Gran is someone Kidou's known for a long time now, and by now has Kidou's trust, but Genda only has his trust in Kidou to go by. Even giving the few specifics he plans to now is enough to make him try to be as discreet as possible.
While Kidou is certain this is the right call, it's still not one he makes without a little bit of trepidation. Far more than it would appear is riding on this.
Kidou picks up a pencil, tapping it to his paper in thought. To anyone observing, it hopefully appears that his contemplative look is due to math and not to constructing how to put this rapidly in his head before continuing.]
He has a power that requires multiple people to activate, but the description provided is unclear. I'd like to ask your help in testing its capabilities.
no subject
Being poised and calm was one of Gran's strong suits.]
Multiple people.
[He repeats it, and to any eavesdroppers would only have the appearance of someone being asked a question on a certain math problem. The wonders of lost in translation at work.]
Is it a hissatsu? Or something else entirely?
no subject
It doesn't appear to be related to soccer.
no subject
A group-related power...that's a new one.
[He looks up, eyes bright and shutting that book, sliding it forward to give him room to place folded arms there.]
Of course I'll help, Kidou-kun.
[He didn't even know what the power was. But if Kidou was asking him, he'd have said yes no matter what. Genda needed a support group as well...someone outside of the one he usually defaulted to.]
no subject
Thank you, Gran.
[There was little doubt in Kidou's mind that Gran would agree - they were on the same team twice over, and even beyond that they were a team by virtue of being from the same place. He had faith that Gran would be willing to support him. But seeing him willing to support Genda spreads its own warm feeling of gratitude across his heart.
The warmth doesn't leave his voice as he continues.]
I'll let Genda explain the specifics. Are you free this week?
no subject
I have work on Wednesday and Friday, but I'm free otherwise after soccer practice.
Where should we meet up? Should we keep this away from the public...?
no subject
[Which he'll have to figure out, but there's spots like that at school if he can't find a better option. Even if Genda doesn't end up transferring, that's plan B.]
no subject
[A humourous little jab at the giant wall cat, if anything.]
no subject
[Please don't ask why he hasn't yet. It's
stupidcomplicated.]...
It won't be easy for him, but nowhere like Teikoku exists here. I doubt he'd find a better option.
[Translation: I really hope he doesn't find a better option.]
no subject
[You know, like it was an everyday normal person reaction. Seriously man, who's the alien again?]
But I think it would mean a lot more if it came from you.
[There's a small bite to his lip, wondering if he should reveal what Genda had said to him about him and Kidou not really being teammates anymore. Teammates spanned over more than just your school. He wouldn't dare say anyone on Genesis wasn't his team just because he was on Inazuma Japan.
Ultimately, though, that should be something Genda should admit to himself. Even if he never will.]
He may be waiting for you to make the first move.
no subject
Kidou's opinion of Genda wasn't ever going to change; one only had to listen to the way Kidou talked about him to know how he felt. He was always going to have the same fond attachment to him that he'd always had, and he honestly wanted his friend to transfer to NMS. But, given when Kidou believes Genda is from (no matter how inaccurate it is), this needed to be addressed very carefully, and he'd probably only get one chance to get it right.
All in all, it's for the best Gran doesn't mention what Genda said.
His eyebrows knit a little more, watching Gran's brief hesitation. His friend seems unsure about something, but Kidou has no context for it. Is there something he wants to say but isn't, or is it that he's trying to find the right way to say it? When Gran continues, the latter seems most likely.
Kidou focuses all the more on whatever Gran says next, accepting the statement with a serious nod. Gran's right, without any question. He doesn't need to go into any further detail about it.]
I will.
[Technically, he'd already indicated that, but this time he adds resolve to his words. It's a statement, not something closer to an admission.]
no subject
[Hiroto was sure that these two had something deeper than words could say. It was the same as he felt about Midorikawa or Izuno or the team members of Genesis. But Kidou often kept his emotions behind a locked door, and Genda, after one talk with him, seemed to be even more closed off. Neither would reach to open the door of the other, and thus brought them to the stalemate they're at now.
There's a soft "Shikataganai", more cheerful than the word actually suggests as he rests his chin on his hand.]
If there's one trait that Raimon has shown, it's the strength of frienndship above all else. Genda-kun isn't Raimon, but you are now. You can show him what Endou-kun had taught you.
What he taught me.
no subject
Kidou's eyebrows rise, mouth parting in soft surprise, and any tension in his body vanishes. Those words resonate down to his core - a not so subtle reminder of what he is. Although he'd quickly grown deeply attached to Raimon, it used to hurt to hear. He was Teikoku, too. But now, any sadness those words could carry was outweighed by the strength of that warm friendship that Raimon embodied. He'd belonged to Raimon before he knew it.
What would Endou do in this situation? It was a question Kidou hadn't considered, but it's not hard to guess. To Endou, the ways to tackle life's problems were often simple - share soccer together with your friends, and try your best. The dedication to that philosophy of Endou's was the key that bound them all together, and both forged and kept friendships with many of the teams they encountered along the way. Everyone, from Raimon and Teikoku's teams, to Inazuma Japan, loved soccer. .
Do your best wholeheartedly, and believe in your friends. That was the soul of Raimon.
This place hasn't been good for Kidou's nerves. It had become easier to start to close parts of himself off, letting the divide between his true feelings and how he acted slowly grow farther apart. It meant that, when, it was all too easy to fall back into some older patterns. His approach had ended up being more cautious than Endou's would have been. And Gran had immediately seen through everything. Kidou didn't need to ask how.
After a moment, Kidou breathes out softly, closing his eyes with a grateful smile.]
Strange to think that I would be Raimon's ambassador now.
[Instead of Endou, who he may or may not be in denial about for the moment. Kidou was the one who stood faithfully by Raimon and worked to sustain the team as best he could, but he never considered himself as the one who could spread that spark on his own. With Ulvida, he hadn't even tried. But with Genda, it would be up to him. He just hadn't been sure of how to try without making things worse until this moment.
He just had to try anyway.]
But, you're right. That's what I need to be.
no subject
[Gran's voice doesn't have an ounce of doubt in it, effortlessly spilling out encouragement as he takes this time to look out the window, watching the kids in the last period gym class run their final lap. Funny, it was so nostalgic of Inazuma Japan's training regiments, although much later in the day than he was used to. It made a great distraction when he didn't want to bore his eyes into Kidou's own, keeping the conversation less than confrontational.]
Soccer isn't the same here as it is back home, but I don't think the spirit of it has to die.
[The bell for the final period of the day sounds, and the students start to gather their belongings to make a mad dash for their lockers. Gran does the opposite, taking his time to put his belongings away, making sure his lunch container was still packed in his bag, and wrapping that strap around his shoulder so his bag hung at his side.]
If you want my honest opinion, Kidou-kun, I think Raimon can do anything.
They defeated aliens, after all.
no subject
He takes that time instead to focus on what his friend is saying. None of it is anything Kidou himself didn't feel or know to at least a large degree, but some of that had been driven too far down to be easily accessible. He didn't quite have Gran's thorough faith in Raimon's team, although he came close to it. Raimon could go far, but they always had that chance of failure. There were times they didn't succeed, and things that went wrong because of a misstep. 'Anything' was a bit of a stretch. Even Endou didn't always succeed at everything he wanted to. And no team, ever, was truly unbeatable.
But, then again, Kidou was someone who was always looking for problems in order to figure out counters. He'd seen times that Raimon really stood no chance against what they needed to beat. It meant that Kidou didn't often try to see Raimon from the perspective of an outsider. Being pulled back to look at things from Gran's perspective instead of his own like this couldn't be more welcome, and the underlying associative statement doesn't go unnoticed.
Like everything else Gran has said, he's not wrong.
Kidou stands up a few moments before Gran does, posture straight and proud as ever, and feeling a lot more confident than he had been just moments before. As Gran adjusts his bag on one shoulder, Kidou reaches out to briefly set his hand on the other. Then, looking straight ahead, he walks out of the room.
Seriously, thank you.]