Whispers Of The Heart

by Joshua the Dragonslayer

Heartfelt Game Of Football

It was another day at Shuchi'in Academy and Ishigami sat in the courtyard during lunchtime, engrossed in a video game on his handheld console. It was a typical day for him, or so he thought. The sun was high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the students as they chatted and laughed around him. As Ishigami finished a level to his game he reached down to grab a potato chip from the bag. Looking at his game while he ate it, Ishigami started to think.

'I'm finally at the boss level. It might've taken me all night but the time has finally come.' Yu Ishigami, Treasurer for the Shuchi'in Academy student council and one of, if not, the best when it comes to video games. Currently, Ishigami is in the middle of playing one of the newest video games that came out just yesterday. He may have had to wait outside for four hours but that was beside the point! The point was to be the first person to finish the video game and he was one level away from doing just that! 'All right, all that's left is the final boss fight. How should I approach the battle? Play slow at the beginning to get a good idea of what the boss's attacks look like? Or should I just go for broke right from the start and try to overpower the boss?' As he navigated through his thoughts of what to do in the virtual world, Ishigami felt a tap on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up to see his friends Joshua and Shirogane standing there, smiling to themselves.

"Hey, Ishigami! You up for a game of football?" Joshua exclaimed, excitement evident in his voice.

Ishigami blinked, surprised by the sudden invitation. "Huh? Football?" Ishigami imagined himself playing soccer and making a complete fool of himself. Sweating to himself, Ishigami looked away waving his hand. "No way, I'd rather die than make a fool of myself kicking a ball up and down a field like an idiot."

Joshua blinked at Ishigami and then at Shirogane who pointed at Joshua's backpack. "Oh yeah, that's right!" Joshua then took off his backpack, unzipped it, reached into it, and pulled out a ball. Looking at it, Ishigami realized that it wasn't soccer Joshua was talking about, he was talking about... "Good ol' American football! Where some of the greatest athletes to ever walk on this planet face off every week! From throwing to catching, running, and avoiding being tackled, it's great! C'mon Ishigami I promise you'll enjoy it. Besides, if Iino sees you playing video games she might take your game console again. And I know how much you've been wanting to play that game." Joshua smirked as Ishigami grimaced. He knew Joshua had a point but...

Miyuki nodded. "We're putting together a friendly match, but we're one person short. If you joined our team we would have an even amount. I think you'll enjoy yourself."

Ishigami hesitated, glancing down at his console. He wasn't exactly the athletic type, and he had never played football before. But the eager looks on his friends' faces were hard to resist. But he was one level away from completing the whole game!

"Come on, Ishigami! It'll be fun, I promise." Miyuki urged, nudging him playfully. "We'll teach you all there is to know."

With a sigh, Ishigami put his game into his backpack and stood up. "Alright, fine. But don't expect too much from me. I'm not exactly a sports star."

Joshua grinned. "Don't worry, I'll teach you the basics. It'll be a learning experience! If I was able to teach Shirogane then I'll definitely be able to teach you how to play." Ishigami looked at Joshua confused and turned to Shirogane to get answers but when he looked over at Shirogane, he was looking everywhere but facing Ishigami. Joshua just laughed while Shirogane rolled his eyes as Ishigami was still lost.

They made their way to the field where a group of their friends had already gathered. Joshua and Shirogane introduced their friends to Ishigami who waved at them. Spike, a year behind Ishigami was talking to some of his other friends. Judging by how he was bouncing up and down, he was probably excited for the match. Flash, who was the same year as Joshua and Shirogane was talking to Joshua smirking while Joshua grinned back, most likely rivals from what Ishigami could tell. There were also a few others who were eager to join in the game.

"All right, Ishigami. I'll try to explain this to you the best way that I can." Joshua then explained the rules of football to Ishigami, who listened intently, trying to memorize the positions and strategies. "I'm the quarterback, who's going to throw the ball to the receivers, which are you guys. Your job is to catch the ball and go upfield to where the touchdown area is." Joshua pointed to an area where Flash was placing down some cones. "That's where we have to get to if we want to get some points when on offense." Joshua then turned and pointed behind them where Shirogane was placing some cones. "That is where they are trying to get some points. Our job when on defense is to try to stop them from scoring and getting the ball back. Oh, and when on defense if you as the defender catch the ball that's an interception allowing us to get the ball back. Since we're not playing in a league, and since none of us want to get seriously hurt or injured, we'll be playing two-hand touch. So if a defender touches you with both hands stop. The same applies to you when you're on defense, be sure to touch the person with two hands. Did you get all of that?"

Ishigami nodded his head. "Pretty much, yeah."

Joshua smiled. "Great, then that means we can start a game." Before he knew it, Ishigami found himself on the field, trying his best to keep up with the fast-paced action.

Ishigami's team lined up with the ball, they had won the coin toss so they got the ball to start with. Joshua lined up with the ball and smiled. Ishigami got into his place and noticed someone walk over to where he was. 'So that the defender. All I have to do is somehow be able to get the ball, sounds easy enough.' "Hike!" Hearing the yell, Ishigami took off and started to run before quickly turning to the left. Seeing his teammate open Joshua threw the ball over to where Ishigami was heading. Ishigami smiled, his friend was throwing him the ball, and now all he had to do was...

"Incomplete!" Ishigami stopped and looked down at the ground in shock. Instead of being in his hands, the ball was on the ground. "Second down!"

Grabbing the ball, Ishigami went back to where his teammates were at. "Sorry about that, I thought I had it."

"No worries, Ishigami. You were just too focused on getting up the field you took your eyes off the ball at the last second. Be sure to keep your eyes on the ball at all times, once you do catch it then you can worry about getting upfield." Ishigami nodded his head and got into place. Not wanting to make another mistake, Ishigami was determined to make up for his mistake. "Hike!" As Ishigami ran, he was determined to not make a complete fool of himself.

However, it quickly became apparent that he was struggling. He fumbled catches, missed passes, and stumbled over his own feet more than once. As the game progressed, Ishigami's frustration grew. He felt out of place and inadequate compared to his more skilled teammates. It didn't help that some of his teammates were teasing or downright making fun of him, even the other team had stopped defending him. He had yet to catch a single pass no matter how easy it seemed and he had given up two touchdowns from either being in the wrong place or losing the receiver during their route. Despite all that though, Shirogane and Joshua tried to cheer him up, but it was no use.

Watching Shirogane catch a pass from Joshua to score a touchdown to make the score 28-21, Ishigami sighed to himself. Just as he was about to call it quits and retreat to the sidelines and go back to his video game, something that he was actually good at, he noticed something that stopped him in his tracks.

A crowd had gathered around the field, drawn in by the spirited game. Among them, Ishigami spotted Fluttershy and her friends, watching with interest. A sudden surge of determination welled up inside him. He couldn't back down now, not with Fluttershy watching, he didn't want to be seen as a quitter when things got tough. With newfound resolve, Ishigami focused on the game. He shook off his earlier failures and started to move with more confidence.

"Hike!" Ishigami stepped back and watched carefully as Flash held the ball, looking for a receiver to throw to. When he spotted someone Flash threw the ball high into the air. As Ishigami ran over to the receiver he was throwing to, Shirogane jumped in front and got a hand onto the ball tipping it and off track. With quick reflexes, Ishigami tracked the ball that seemingly floated in the air, and jumped to catch it. By some miracle, Ishigami's diving attempt worked out as he actually caught the ball!

The crowd roared and cheered as Shirogane blocked the receiver. "Run Ishigami!" Not having to be told twice, Ishigami quickly started to run. Being once previously in track Ishigami was fast as he ran up the field leaving everyone else behind and in his dust.

"That's the way, Ishigami! Just keep running!" Ishigami looked back to see Joshua running after him along with the rest of his teammates. Nodding his head, Ishigami picked up his speed and went all the way for a... "Touchdown!" Ishigami had been so focused that he didn't even realize that he had made it to the touchdown area. Before he could celebrate by himself, Ishigami was tackled by his teammates who cheered for his success. Thanks to him the score was now tied at 28 for both teams. "That was amazing, Ishigami!"

Ishigami smiled until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "He's right, that was incredible speed, Ishigami." Ishigami's other teammates also voiced their congratulations to him, along with the crowd who only got louder when Ishigami scored.

"It was all thanks to you tipping the ball for me. If anyone should be getting the credit it's you, not me." Ishigami thought back to when Shirogane had jumped up and tipped the ball, he had noticed Kaguya in the crowd watching in amazement when Shirogane did that. Ishigami smiled to himself, although he would never say anything, he knew about Kaguya's crush on their student council president.

"C'mon guys!" Ishigami turned to Joshua who took out his phone. "We have five minutes left of lunch, and if we want to win we have to stop them and get the ball back!" Everyone quickly got back into their places and waited as Flash talked to his teammates before getting into his position.

"Hike!" Flash quickly threw the ball off to Spike who ran and went a few yards before being tagged by Shirogane. Running to where Spike was tagged, Flash got the ball back and called it. "Hike!" Once again Flash threw the ball quickly to one of his teammates but Joshua was fast enough to bat the ball away.

"Dang it! I should've caught that! Whatever, it's third down! We gotta stop them here! Lock up! Man-to-man coverage, watch your man!" Everyone nodded their heads as they watched and waited for what Flash's team would do.

"Hike!" Upon yelling Flash took off and started running but he didn't get far thanks to Joshua.

"I knew you would do that, Flash! Fourth down!" Ishigami quickly got back into place, one more stop and they would get the ball back with good field position and with probably enough time to get off two or three more plays if lucky. As Ishigami got into position, he noticed Joshua and Shiorgane talking to one another. "You play deep I'm blitzing him. He'll most likely throw it away or try throwing it. If that's the case, you would have the best chance of picking it off."

"Got it." As Shirogane was walking to his place, he made eye contact with Ishigami and smiled. "Do your best, Ishigami." Ishigami nodded his head and got into his spot. All he had to do was make sure the person he was defending didn't catch the ball and his team would get the ball back.

Flash got the ball back and looked at all his teammates. "Hike!" Like Joshua had said he ran right toward Flash. When Flash noticed him, he quickly threw the ball into the air, basically asking for a prayer to be answered. The ball was poorly thrown so it wobbly flew in the air. Ishigami saw a chance and took it. Running toward the ball Ishigami jumped for the ball and tried to catch it. However, just like earlier, the ball went right through his hands. 'Crap! I didn't catch it.' Looking behind him, Ishigami noticed Spike smiling as the ball slowly approached him.

However, like a bullet, Shirogane jumped the gun before Spike could catch the ball and caught it for himself. "Run, Miyuki!" Ishigami looked and saw Fujiwara, Iino, and Kaguya cheering and celebrating as Shirogane caught the ball and started running up the field. Ishigami ran with him while simultaneously blocking Spike who was desperately trying to tag the student council president.

He wasn't able to take it back for a touchdown but Miyuki was able to take it as far as he could. "Hurry! We only have a minute left, let's go!" Everyone quickly went to their places and waited for the call. "Hike!" Ishigami took off and did his best to get open but before he had the chance Joshua had already thrown the ball to Shirogane who was being covered by two people. However, having the speed and height over them, he jumped up and caught the ball one-handed and picked up a bit more yards before finally being tagged. Ishigami stared at Shirogane in shock, he had caught the ball one-handed! Thanks to his catch they were about eight yards away from getting a touchdown and winning the game.

As Joshua retrieved the ball back he noticed Ishigami walking over to him. "Oh, Ishigami, what's up?" Looking at his eyes, Joshua understood how Ishigami was feeling. "I get it. All right then, just get open and I'll throw your way."

Ishigami nodded his head as he got into place. He was determined to help his team win. He was determined to catch a pass from Joshua and make an amazing play like Shirogane did. He was determined to look good in front of Fluttershy!

"Hike!" Ishigami ran and quickly cut to his right. "Ishigami!" Ishigami turned his head and saw the ball traveling through the air towards him. Putting his hands out, Ishigami was going to catch the pass no matter what. 'Catch it!' With perfect accuracy the ball was placed perfectly into Ishigami's hands. Not wanting to drop it, Ishigami pressed his hands against his body, dropped to the ground, and closed his eyes.

Opening his eyes, Ishigami noticed his teammates onto of him shouting and cheering. The cheers from the crowd could be heard in the background. Looking up, the first thing he saw was the smiles of his teammates. The second thing he noticed was Flash with a frown on his face before finally sighing and smiling. The third and final thing Ishigami noticed was the football that was in his hands. He had done it, he had caught the ball! The game-winning touchdown, 35-28, Ishigami's team had won, and it was all thanks to him!

"That was awesome, Ishigami! We did it! You did it! It's all thanks to you!" Ishigami's teammates celebrated with him congratulating him on his game-winning catch. Just then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The two teams quickly shook hands with one another and the crowd who had been watching them the whole time clapped for them before starting to make their way to their next class.

"Don't forget about the meeting after school, Ishigami." Ishigami nodded his head as Shirogane and Joshua smiled and waved goodbye to him before making their way to their next class.

Ishigami smiled, in the end, Ishigami's team had emerged victorious, thanks in part to his unexpected contribution. As the players high-fived and congratulated each other, Ishigami couldn't help but steal a glance at Fluttershy. She was smiling, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Ishigami headed over to get his backpack and make his way to class before he was late to class.

Ishigami felt a sense of pride swell in his chest. Maybe he wasn't the best athlete, but he had given it his all, and it had paid off. As he walked off the field, he couldn't help but smile, knowing that he had impressed not only his friends but also the girl who had captured his heart with her quiet grace. As Ishigami grabbed his backpack and started walking to class, he started to think about his sudden spark of determination.

First, he noticed Fluttershy trying to hand out papers for the animal shelter. Then he started thinking about her more and even started asking his friend questions about her. And now when he was about to give up playing football, and go back to playing his video game, when he noticed Fluttershy something inside of him sparked and he started playing well enough to help his team win the game. At first, he thought it was just because he was interested in her and what she was doing since he had never seen her before, but the more and more he thought about her, the more things changed. The more he thought about it, Ishigami came to a final conclusion. Coming to a stop and sighing to himself, Ishigami looked up at the sky with a small smile.

'I guess I do like her... WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!'

Preview: In the quiet confines of Math class, Ishigami's world takes an unexpected turn when fate pairs him with Fluttershy for an assignment. As they delve into the complexities of equations and calculations, a tentative bond forms, woven through shared moments of understanding and mutual learning. With each problem solved and each question answered, Ishigami and Fluttershy uncover hidden facets of each other, paving the way for a blossoming connection amid the world of numbers and nervous glances.

Next Time: Equations Of The Heart

Author's Note:

Hello again, the second chapter to the story of how I became a writer is now over. This chapter gets a bit closer in understanding how I became a writer. In this chapter, or on this day when things happened we played a fun game of football. This was a normal thing we did everyday at lunch and normally we would always gather crowds as we played. My friend at the time wasn't really into football, or any sport for that matter. But we finally convinced him to give it a try. At first he wasn't that good, it took a while until he could start catching passes and not drop them, but with time he got better. His first time playing football went as good as Ishigami's did, he kept making mistakes and some of the guys we played with started to make fun. He was about to give up but when he saw that his crush was watching, he wanted to look good, something we all want to do in front of our crushes. It was then his confidence sparked and he started doing better, so much better that he helped us win that day. It was nice seeing my friend so happy knowing that he was able to help us win the game. I know this story may seem like it's starting slow but trust me, things will start to speed up. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I hope everyone has an amazing Easter. See you guys next time - Joshua The Dragonslayer