Spy Classroom - Volume SS3 - Chapter 3.1

Flashback ③

Football

“We’ve got a hole in our schedule,” Vindo said as he sat idly in the dining room. “Want to play some football?”

“If you’re bored, you could always just leave!” Lily yelled.

That was how the two spy teams ended up holding a football match out in the courtyard.

Avian was a group of elites, but one of their defining characteristics was how strict of a line they drew between work and play. When they had time off, they took advantage of it to its fullest. By the second half of the honeymoon, Avian had completely made themselves at home at Heat Haze Palace, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to drag the Lamplight girls into their leisure activities.

When the promise of, “If Lamplight wins, we’ll get out of your hair,” was made, the football battle lines were drawn.

They set up chairs in the courtyard as makeshift goals. Pharma and Grete were the referees, and Sara was the scorekeeper. Klaus was absent. Everyone else was a player. The first team to five goals would be the victor.

“Okay, start the gaaaame.”

When Pharma blew her referee whistle, Sybilla and Lily began kicking the ball back and forth. The referees’ and players’ gazes all gravitated toward it.

Monika was the first to make a move.

“Think fast!” she shouted as she sank a merciless body blow into the enemy defender.

Lan fainted in agony from the unforeseen gut punch. “Prithee, whyyyyyy?!!”

What Monika had done was a blatant violation of the rules. Vics had seen the whole thing, and as Lan went limp, he let out an indignant cry. “Ref?!”

One of the refs in question, Pharma, cocked her head in confusion as she stuffed her cheeks full of cookies. “Huuuh? I didn’t see anything. I was taking my care package from Sara.”

Grete played dumb and shook her head. “I’m quite sure I didn’t see anything, either.”

Neither of the referees had seen the play in question, so no foul was called. Lan hobbled off, unable to keep playing.

Qulle didn’t like what was happening one bit, and she stormed up to the referees. “H-hold on just a minute, now. I’m calling for new refs! You’ve clearly been bought off—”

While she was doing that, though, the game continued on. The refs hadn’t stopped the game, so the ball was still in play.

As Qulle looked away, Lily dribbled the ball over and smacked her leg into Qulle’s.

Lily collapsed onto the ground and began writhing around. “AAAAAGH, MY LEG!!”

“…Huh?”

Fweeeet, went Grete’s referee whistle. “Unfair charging, tripping the ball holder from behind while within the penalty area. Qulle gets a red card and is ejected from the game.”

“WHAAAAAAAT?!” Qulle shrieked in protest.

Down on the ground, Lily clutched at her leg with a look of anguish on her face. “It’s gonna take me two whole months to recover!” she moaned. “My career as a player is over!” “She’s already given the card,” Erna informed her, to which Lily said, “Oh, I’m better now,” and stood back up.

After Sybilla landed a beautiful penalty kick, Lamplight earned themselves a one-zero lead.

“““““…………………”””””

Having lost two players two minutes into the match, realization began dawning on the Avian players.

So that’s how Lamplight’s gonna play this?

When the refs weren’t looking, they attacked their opponents. When the refs were looking, they faked injuries to earn fouls.

The way they were taking full advantage of their spy techniques was downright revolting.

“If that’s how you wanna do this,” Vindo said, “then two can play at that game.”

From there, the battle only got uglier.

“Fool” Erna slammed into her teammates and insisted, “Avian just shoved me!” “Dreamspeaker” Thea said, “Hey, Pharma. If you call that a foul, I’ll send you Erna and Annette to use as body pillows,” to try bribing the referee. “Lander” Vics hurled the ball at Lily’s stomach and forced her to drop out of the match. “Forgetter” Annette sneakily swapped the ball out for a metal sphere in an attempt to injure the opposition’s legs, but “South Wind” Queneau spotted her and got her ejected from the game for her efforts. Meanwhile, “Flock” Vindo continued matter-of-factly playing football and racking up goals. “Pandemonium” Sybilla realized the tides were shifting against them, so she nonchalantly moved the goal out of position. When Avian called her out on it, “Glint” Monika played dumb, Sybilla intentionally got under their skin, and a brawl broke out between the two teams.

Queneau was the one person who didn’t join in the fighting, but despite insisting, “Nay, let’s just play football,” not a single person heeded his words.

In the end, everyone but him got red carded, so Avian won the match.