Sakura’s dad is still staring at the now empty field. He doesn’t acknowledge her presence, not even when she places her bag on the empty seat between them. It’s nothing new to her, and frankly, she has already gotten used to it and learned to expect it. At least, it means she doesn’t have to look into his cold, hard eyes. No matter how much time have passed, she still hasn’t quite got used to them.

They sit in complete silence, for what feels like hours but can’t be more than a minute or two, and just stare at the vast expanse of the green, empty grass. She wonders what is going through his mind right now. Which match is playing before his eyes on that field? His first one? Or his last one? And if she was in his place, which one would it be for her?

“That new eleven,” his raspy voice finally breaks the silence. “She’s quite good.”

“She is,” Sakura admits.

“Better than you.”

The certainty in his voice makes Sakura grit her teeth. She wants to argue but knows there’s no point in that. He has years of experience to back up his statement; she has only her own confidence in her skills, and even that lately fluctuates depending on her mood. 

“She’ll take your spot on the team.” 

“Coach is changing the formation,” she says, her attempt at a calm tone failing as the words rush out of .

Her dad sighs, as if her words, her tone, her whole presence is tiresome to him. “I’m not talking about your current team. She may be eleven here. But she will be nine on the national team. And you know what that makes of you.”

She grips the edge of the seat, knuckles turning white.

Zero...

“Zero.”

“Don’t worry." She gets up and picks up her bag. “It won’t happen.”

I’ll keep my promise.

She has to. Otherwise, all the effort she puts into this game will be for nothing. Otherwise, she’ll never be able to look into his eyes again.

As she leaves the stadium, she briefly considers just going home. She has never been the most sociable type, and with everything that happened today, she feels like she has already reached her daily quota of human interaction. Not to mention that the conversation she had with her dad just now left a bitter aftertaste in . 

Sure, Yunjin and Chaewon will be pissed at her tomorrow, even more than their team’s captain probably, but they’ll get over it sooner than later and will be angry at her only by a matter of principle.

But, and yes, there is a but (which honestly takes her by surprise), it all boils down to that interaction she had with Kazuha when the girl was leaving the locker room.

See you later…

Yes, she’s aware that’s just how people say their goodbyes. And they will see each other later, later as in tomorrow. So why she cannot get rid of the feeling that if she doesn’t go to that stupid pub, she’ll come off as a liar and an overall unreliable person?

She has a hunch it has something to do with that smile the girl gave her but doesn’t want to delve deeper into that theory. It’s ridiculous enough that she had spent hours analyzing Kazuha’s game footage, and now she’s what? Analyzing her every expression? Yeah, let’s not go there. She was supposed to keep her distractions to a minimum and such thoughts were the opposite of that.

Nevertheless, there’s still a sound logic behind the idea of getting to know your new teammate. Especially, one who’s kind of her rival as well, as implied by her dad. So in the end, Sakura decides to go to the pub. Just not yet. She figures that if she waits a little, some of the teammates will leave by the time she arrives and the less people the better.  

Besides, she’s hungry, and the pub her team went to serves awful food. And she knows where they went to because they always choose the same place — an old Irish sports pub that’s about half an hour away from their stadium. 

Yunjin had found it. She says it reminds her of home, which is strange considering she grew up in the States and not in Ireland, but no one really has ever questioned the rationale behind that statement. Anyhow, the only dish they serve there is fish and chips, not exactly the kind of meal their team’s nutritionist would approve of, and with the season approaching, Sakura needs to start paying more attention to what she eats. 

Luckily, not far from the stadium, there’s a Korean restaurant that Chaewon once took her to. That was how Sakura discovered her undying love for kimchi jjigae. 

She reaches the place in ten minutes, pleased to find out that it’s relatively empty and places her order. While waiting for her meal to arrive, she takes out her phone and re-watches some of the matches that were played last week. But even after she gets her food, her eyes don’t leave the phone’s screen.

Their biggest rivals and last season Champions, Kawasaki Frontale, invited the Italian champions, Juventus, to play a friendly match with them. Sakura especially pays attention to Frontale’s defender, who used to play for them, Kenjou Kaname. Whenever a Juventus player outplays the woman, she cannot help but smirk in satisfaction.

The team from Kawasaki lost, but they put up a good fight. A sort of bittersweet outcome, Sakura thinks. She won’t deny seeing their rivals lose is satisfying (and seeing Kaname lose even more so) but looking at it from a broader perspective, she wonders about Japan’s chances against Italy if they were to meet during the World Cup. She stores that thought for later, as she gets a text from Yunjin.

Yunjinnie🐍
question
doesn’t she look like a moomin?

What follows is a picture of a Moomin and then a photo of Kazuha. Her head is tilted slightly to the side as she smiles shyly at the camera. Sakura has no idea why Yunjin felt the need to send Kazuha’s photo to her. It’s not like she forgot how the girl looks like. 

But as ridiculous as the comparison sounds, Sakura supposes there is some truth to it. Something about those soft, squishy cheeks of Kazuha reminds Sakura of the character from the Swedish cartoon. She keeps that opinion to herself, though. Yunjin probably doesn’t expect her to answer anyway, which is confirmed when she doesn’t wait for any kind of reply and just sends another text.

Yunjinnie🐍
she kinda does right?
chaewon says she reminds her of bae suzy
fair point but moomin is valid too 

Yunjinnie🐍
btw where are u? 
get ur cute here rn 😡
pwetty pwease? 🥺

She rolls her eyes then gets another text. This time from Chaewon.

ChaeChae🐯
u can come out of hiding
only the three of us left ;)

She chuckles. As expected, Chaewon has seen through her plan. She replies with ‘be there in 15 :)’ then pays for her meal and leaves.

🌸🍃

The atmosphere at the pub is much livelier than it was at the restaurant. There’s not many people but those who are there create enough of a chatter to give an impression that the place is crowded. Case in point, the moment Sakura enters, she can hear Yunjin’s laughter coming all the way from the upper floor, making it easy for her to locate them.

She climbs the wooden stairs and notices the trio sitting in the corner by the window. Kazuha is the only one facing Sakura’s direction, and so she’s the first one to see her. Her back straightens, and she gives her a little wave.

She’ll take your spot on the team. Her dad’s voice echoes in her head, but it sounds almost comical, when she looks at the smiling girl. If only Kazuha looked at least somewhat threatening to give more merit to that grave warning. 

Of course, it’s Kazuha’s skills that Sakura should be worried about the most, but it would be easier to treat her as an actual rival if on the field, as well as outside of it, Kazuha displayed stronger competitive spirit, or some sort of I’m after you scheming vibe instead of… well… instead of being all friendly and timid.

But who knows? Maybe Kazuha’s strategy is to act friendly, and as harmless as possible, around Sakura to lull her into a false sense of complacency? The way she does now, when she rushes to pull out the chair for Sakura as she approaches their table.

“Thanks.” Sakura takes her seat, dropping her bag under the table, and gives Kazuha a smile, knowing it looks awkward despite her best efforts.

She can’t help it though, because the girl overdid her friendly act a little. There was no need for her to do what she just did, and maybe she’s even aware of that herself, judging by her reddened cheeks. 

“Sakura! Finally!” Yunjin slams her hands against the table, making all the empty glasses shake precariously. 

Both Sakura and Kazuha reach for those that are about to fall, causing Kazuha’s hand to rest on top of Sakura’s when they go for the same glass, but Sakura is a second faster. 

Briefly, she registers that Kazuha’s hand is much bigger than hers, closer in size to that of Yunjin’s. It’s also warm and soft. And then it’s no longer there, as Kazuha takes it back, and if her cheeks were red before, now she looks as if steam is about to escape through her ears.

“I thought you ditched us!”

Sakura blinks then turns to look at Yunjin, hand still clutching the glass, and as the realization of everything that has just transpired sinks in, she starts to feel a little warmer under her t-shirt and retreats her hand.

The goalkeeper raises an eyebrow at her and opens , but before she has a chance to say anything, Chaewon cuts in, “They’ll kick us out if you keep yelling like that.”

“Yah! I wouldn’t have to yell if Kkura was with us from the beginning.”

“That literally makes zero sense!”

“Yah! Pupu! Who’s shouting now, huh?”

“Pu-pu?” Kazuha interrupts Yunjin and Chaewon’s bickering, head tilted in question as her eyes dart between the two.

“That’s the nickname we gave her,” Yunjin states, grinning proudly.

“You gave her,” Sakura corrects, rolling her eyes.

No one in their right mind would call Chaewon like that, except for the blonde, of course. But Sakura doesn’t point that out.

Yunjin pokes Chaewon’s cheek, chuckling when the girl swats at her finger. Then she props her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her palm as she gazes at the sulking girl. 

“Pupu because the first time I saw her, she had this curly, short hair and looked like a cute, little toy poodle.”

An awkward silence follows the statement as Chaewon stares at Yunjin stunned and with an unmistakable pink hue dusting her cheeks. 

Kazuha glances at Sakura, and it’s as if she’s asking what’s going on here?, but alas! There are no easy answers to that question. Sakura can only suspect that whatever is going on, it has something to do with the empty pint glasses that stand before Yunjin and Chaewon. 

The two always share those silent moments on the brink of realization whenever they are tipsy, but nothing ever comes out of it, which frankly, starts to frustrate Sakura. Yet, it’s not her place to intervene. These two dummies need to figure out for themselves whatever this thing between them is.

She sighs, shaking her head then clears to catch her friends’ attention.

Startled by the sound, Chaewon looks away while Yunjin straightens in her chair. The blonde’s gaze then drifts to Kazuha like she reminds herself the girl is still here. 

“Come to think of it, we need a nickname for you.” She rubs her chin, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. “Zuha!”

Both Chaewon and Sakura jump in their seats at the sudden outburst. Only Kazuha remains calm and collected. Sakura notes she seems to have adapted quite well to Yunjin’s loud, chaotic energy.

“Zuha?” 

Yunjin pouts, shoulders sagging. “What? You don’t like it?” 

“Take it. You never know what she’ll come up with next,” Sakura advises sagely. 

Kazuha chuckles, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I like it.”

“So Kazuha—” Chaewon begins.

“Zuha,” Yunjin rectifies, but Chaewon just ignores her. 

“What do you think of the team?”

“Everyone seems nice and friendly.” 

Though seemingly honest, that’s such a generic statement Sakura has to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. But what else could she expect? The question itself wasn’t the most original either. Sakura knows that if she was in her place, she would have given the same answer.

Chaewon hums her agreement, but quickly follows up with another question, “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you decide to transfer to our team?”

Now we’re asking questions.

Sakura glances sideways at the girl, trying to be as subtle in her curiosity as possible. 

“Ah…” Kazuha casts her eyes down and bites her lip.

It seems like the question took her by surprise, and her obvious hesitance to answer only further piques Sakura’s interest. She cannot shake off the feeling that the girl looks like she’s hiding something.

And then Kazuha glances sideways at Sakura in the same sneaky manner. It’s brief though, a blink and you miss it kind of moment, before her gaze is back on Chaewon.

“I guess I just missed Japan, you know,” she says with a shrug and a nervous chuckle.

Crossing arms at her chest, Chaewon leans back in her chair and gushes with a smug grin. She looks at Yunjin then at Sakura, clearly trying to rub it in their faces that she has guessed that correctly. 

But Sakura isn’t buying it. Something doesn’t sit right with her in the way Kazuha has answered that question. Her nervous smile, and the way she avoids their eyes now, looking like she’s deep in thought. Finally, the hesitance she has displayed before giving her reply. Call her paranoid, but Sakura feels like the girl isn’t telling them the truth.

Granted, Sakura doesn’t know her that well, or like at all, but she usually has good instincts when it comes to calling people on their bluff. And if she has to be honest, Kazuha isn’t even doing a particularly good job at hiding her dishonesty. 

“Ahh, I envy you Zuha,” Yunjin bemoans, her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. “You get to play next to the Miyawaki Sakura while I only get to stand and watch her back from afar. Though on a second thought, Sakura does have nice back, if you know what I mean.” She smirks, pretending to elbow Kazuha.

Kazuha’s eyes go wide as her entire face turns red again. And Sakura would find it funny if not for the fact that her own face probably looks similar if not the same.

“Yunjin…” she hisses, glaring at her friend while imagining various ways to strangle her.

The goalkeeper shrinks a little in her chair and in her lips, trying to stop herself from grinning.

“Please don’t mind her,” Chaewon chimes in, looking at Kazuha. “She’s…” She starts making vague gestures with her hands as she searches for a correct word to use and finally settles on, “…unique.”

“Is this your roundabout way of saying I’m gay?” Yunjin arches an eyebrow in offense. “Because if it is, you can just say it, Chaewon. It’s not like I’m hiding myself or something.”

“Yeah, I think that part is pretty obvious already. What I was trying to say is that you’re dumb.”

“Hey! That’s not nice! Besides, if I’m dumb then you’re dumber.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Oh, you’ve heard it.”

Yunjin and Chaewon glare at each other, faces just inches apart as they bump their forehead, and Sakura has no idea whether they’re about to smash each other faces using their lips or fists, but she knows she doesn’t want to bare witness to either of these options, and neither does Kazuha most likely. 

“Guys, please behave,” she says, but when that does nothing she adds, “You’ll scare away Kazuha.”

At the mention of the other girl, Yunjin finally breaks away from the intense stare down.

“Right, sorry,” she apologizes and reaches to take Kazuha’s hand into her own.

Sakura takes back what she thought before, because Kazuha only now is finding out how truly chaotic Yunjin can be, and judging by her shocked expression, she’s still adjusting. It’ll be a success if by the end of this meeting, the girl won’t decide to pack her bags and go back to the Netherlands.  

“Please don’t leave us,” Yunjin pleads. “I can tell you’re good, and I’d prefer to have you on my side of the field.”

Kazuha lets out a chuckle. “It’s fine. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. You two slayed at today’s practice, by the way.”

Kazuha glances at Sakura with a shy smile. 

Sakura doesn’t really know what to say, but she thinks Yunjin exaggerates as usual. It was just a practice scrimmage.

“So Sakura, how’s your search for the new roommate going?” Chaewon changes the topic all of a sudden.

There’s a slight edge to her voice, but no one seems to notice that except for Sakura. Surely not Yunjin whose palms rest atop of Kazuha’s as if she forgot to retreat them; the other girl seemingly ignores it, most likely due to the awkwardness of it all.

“Not good,” Sakura sighs with a grimace, eyes finding Chaewon’s glaring ones.

She almost forgot about that pressing matter courtesy of the girl sitting next to her, who was never supposed to become as much of a distraction as she has turned out to be. And apparently, not just to her. 

“I thought you’ve met some people who were interested,” Chaewon remarks as she lies her head down on Yunjin’s shoulder and loops their arms together. The goalkeeper shifts in her seat to accommodate for their height difference, letting go of Kazuha in the process. 

“I did,” Sakura says, a smile tugging at her lips as she notices how Chaewon’s gaze softens. “But one of them turned out to be a guy who owned a collection of spiders and snakes, and the other was a girl who asked me if it was okay to install cameras in the kitchen and the living room, because she sometimes sleep walks and wants to record that.”

“Yikes.” Yunjin makes a wry face, and so does Chaewon and Kazuha.

Sakura knew that finding a new roommate wouldn't be easy, but she had never expected just how much. It made her realize how lucky she was to have Nagisa. The girl was a perfect roommate — calm, polite and always paid rent on time. There were even times when Sakura felt like she was living alone, which was ideal for someone who was a loner by nature. But unfortunately, Nagisa had one flaw — Daisuke, her fiancé, to whom she was moving out next week.

“I have a week to find someone, or else the landlord will step in and accept just anyone,” now that she says this, Sakura realizes she should probably focus more on this issue. 

“Hey, maybe you can move in with us?” Yunjin suggests, and Chaewon’s head shoots up from her shoulder.

“And where she’s gonna sleep? On the couch?”

“Well, my bed is pretty big— Ouch!” Yunjin winces as Chaewon flicks her forehead. “What? I’m trying to be a good friend.”

“Yeah, right...”

“Alternatively, you could move into my room, and Sakura can take yours.”

Chaewon’s eyes widen and mouth fall slightly ajar.

I swear these two…

Sakura rests her elbows on the table, massaging her temples. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Kazuha smiling at her but more out of sympathy than amusement, and she finds herself returning the gesture. 

“Thanks Yunjin, but I still have a week,” Sakura breaks the silence finally.

Yunjin shrugs. “Suit yourself,” she says and tugs at Chaewon’s arm; the girl falls back against her side, returning them to their previous position.
 
“I’m actually searching for something to rent,” Kazuha blurts out, her back straight and chest puffed out as she meets Sakura’s gaze. “Before I left for the Netherlands, I lived with my parents in Osaka. Now, I'm staying at the hotel as I look for something more permanent.”

“That’s perfect!” Yunjin claps her hands, causing Chaewon’s head to bounce on her shoulder. The girl shoots her a wry look, but it goes unnoticed. “So you can move in with Kkura, right?”

“I mean…” Sakura begins to speak but doesn’t really know what to say because the idea isn’t that outrageous when you think about it and dare she say it, even makes sense.

“Come on, Sakura,” Yunjin prompts, sounding impatient for some reason. “We are on the same team. I bet living together will make even better strikers out of you.”

“And how would that work exactly?” Chaewon questions.

“I don’t know. They can strategize before going to sleep or something.”

“And you call me dumber.”

“Well yeah, but…” Yunjin throws her arm around Chaewon’s shoulder and pokes her cheek. “I also call you cute sometimes, if that makes you feel better.”

“Ugh, shut up,” Chaewon mumbles, pushing away the giggling goalkeeper.

“Uhm, so… what do you think?” Kazuha interjects, and Sakura can tell she’s nervous by how she starts chewing on her bottom lip.

“Well…” Sakura tries to do a quick pros and cons estimation in her head. 

As the saying goes, keep your friends close but your enemies closer, and even though she doesn’t see the younger girl as her enemy as such, she supposes it won’t do harm to be able to get to know her better. Maybe she’ll even find out the true reason behind her return to Japan, and how much of a threat she truly is to her.

“I guess I don’t mind, unless you’re having some strange hobby that involves exotic animals, or if you’re a sleepwalker.”

Kazuha’s eyes light up, lips stretching in a wide grin as she shakes her head vigorously.

Her apparent enthusiasm catches Sakura off guard, and an unwary chuckle slips past her lips. And perhaps she should be suspicious of the girl’s reaction, perhaps she just played into her hands, but try as she might, she cannot find anything malicious behind these soft, brown eyes. 

“Then it’s decided! Zuha will be Sakura’s new roommate,” Yunjin announces in a tone of finality.

Sakura shakes her head at her antics while Kazuha laughs quietly beside her.

“Okay guys, I don’t know about you, but I’d be going home already. I’m tired.” Chaewon stands up from her seat, stretching herself like a cat after a nap.

“Let’s get going then,” Yunjin complies.

They gather their bags and stand up from their seats, but before they leave the table, Yunjin taps Kazuha’s arm.

“Zuha! Let’s exchange numbers.”

“Ah, right…” Kazuha dictates her phone number and they all proceed to save it, sending her a text message right after.

Done with the number exchange, Sakura is ready to leave, but then Yunjin stops her by grabbing her arm.

“Give me your phone,” she says, face split into a wide grin. 

Sakura squints at her. “You’re doing this again, aren’t you?”

“Just give it to me for a sec.”

Sakura rolls her eyes but complies, knowing how stubborn Yunjin can be.

The blonde looks at the phone and shakes her head as she reads, “Kazuha, tsk, so predictable. Hey Zuha, what did you say your name meant? A leaf?”

“Uhm, yeah, why?”

“Nothing, just need to modify your name in Kkura’s phone.”

Kazuha shoots Sakura another questioning look, but all Sakura can do is shrug. It’s just Yunjin being Yunjin; there’s no point in explaining that.

“Here, that’s better. It’s not so soulless anymore.” Yunjin hands the phone back.

Sakura checks Kazuha’s number, and it’s now saved as Zuha 🍃, which okay, she must admit, sounds and looks much better.

“Guyss, are you going or what?” Chaewon whines and drags Yunjin by the arm towards the stairs.

Sakura and Kazuha follow close behind.

“Is your hotel somewhere close by?” Yunjin asks once they are outside the pub.

The sun is already setting, but the day’s heat still lingers in the air, allowing for another warm summer evening.

“Not really, it’s almost a twenty minute ride by bus,” Kazuha answers.

“We can see you off to the bus station then,” the blonde proposes, oblivious to the kind of disgruntled expression that flashes across Chaewon’s face when she hears it. 

Sakura decides to step in and save her from this one, since she knows Chaewon can’t really protest without coming off as rude. Yunjin’s golden retriever level of friendliness is sometimes too much for the introverted midfielder to handle, and Sakura can sympathize.  

“It’s okay, you guys can go your way, and I’ll see Kazuha off to the bus. It’s in the same direction as the train station, anyway,” Sakura says, and Chaewon communicates her gratitude through her eyes.

“Oh, okay, see tomorrow then.” Yunjin and Chaewon wave their goodbyes and walk away, arms linked.

Sakura glances at Kazuha and jerks her head towards the direction of the station. “Let’s go.”

She starts walking, and Kazuha falls into step beside her. The evening breeze catches at the strands of the girl’s dark hair, and she tucks them behind her ear, exposing her face to the sunset’s soft glow.

Damn she’s pretty.

Yunjin’s words suddenly ring out in Sakura’s head loud and clear, and she has to admit her friend had a point when she said that.

“The sky is pretty today,” Kazuha comments, tone soft, almost wistful. 

Looking up at the orange and pink hues smudged with wispy clouds, Sakura hums her assent. 

No other words are exchanged between them. Mainly, because all Sakura wants to ask is why are you here? Why Japan? Why this team? But she assumes that would just make her sound nosy. Besides, she quite enjoys this sort of easy silence that fell between them and wouldn’t want to shatter it. 

They reach the station, and so it happens that Kazuha’s bus is about to arrive.  

“Thanks for seeing me off,” Kazuha says, ducking her head in sudden shyness. 

Sakura doesn’t understand where it comes from, but it rubs off on her, and now her eyes begin to wander in an attempt to not look at how Kazuha’s hair is being mussed by the wind again. 

“No problem,” she mumbles while rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly. 

The bus arrives, and they say their goodbyes. 

Sakura ambles away into her direction, but then she turns around and calls out to Kazuha, who’s about to enter the bus, “Let me know once you arrive at the hotel.”

The girl nods at her with a smile, and the bus doors close.

🌸🍃

Entering her apartment, Sakura hears the buzz of her phone in her bag. She takes off her sneakers and walks to the kitchen while blindly digging for the phone. Upon finding it, she drops the bag on the kitchen stool and swipes to see a message from Kazuha.

Zuha🍃
hey
i just arrived at the hotel :)

Sakura
:)

Zuha🍃
good night ^^

Sakura
good night :)

“Who got you smiling like that?” 

Sakura jumps startled, almost dropping the phone as she clutches at her chest.

Walking past her, Nagisa snorts a chuckle and opens the fridge. She is in her domestic getup - long hair tied in a messy bun, thick, rimmed glasses atop of her small nose, and an oversized t-shirt that swallows her tiny frame whole.

Sakura frowns. “I thought you stayed at Daisuke’s tonight.” 

“That was the plan, but he was called to the hospital, so I decided to stay,” the girl explains as she pours herself a glass of milk then takes a seat on a stool across from Sakura. “So, who were you texting just now?”

Sakura’s first instinct is to say Nakamura Kazuha, their new teammate. But she knows that Nagisa won’t know who the girl is; she hates soccer and tunes out the moment Sakura mentions anything remotely related to the sport. In hindsight, she supposes that’s why they’ve never really become close friends, despite having lived together for over a year.

So she says something else, something that she would have never suspected to say when this day began.

“Just my new roommate.”