The first one to notice was Suzuna. She saw it happen during a morning practice. It didn't take too long for her to bring the fact to Sena and Monta's attention. The two boys couldn't believe it at first, but once it occurred again, right in front of them both, it became quite undeniable. They couldn't predict it, they couldn't find further explanation to it, but once they became aware of it, they just couldn't ignore it, and, before they realized, it became an extra activity of theirs during the Devil Bats practices, to silently wait for it to happen.

Like this particular day, when, during the last five minutes break of the afternoon practice, Sena discretely witnessed how the team quarterback took a soda can out of his bag pack and, no words involved, threw it into the female manager's hands, who calmly received it, also in a confusing silence. Or that other time poor Monta clearly noticed when the blonde, after approaching her in the bench to discuss a certain tactic played during the practice, nonchalantly and while asking something about a success rate or whatever, handed her a creampuff, which she casually accepted at the same time she showed him some graphic written in her notebook. But the most confusing of them all was the morning at the clubroom, when, in plain sight of the three of them (plus at least half of the team), Anezaki grabbed a pack of sugarless chewing gum from her skirt's pocket and straightforwardly gave it to him, who took it with his almost-by-default grin in his face.

"Could it be they're dating?" Was Suzuna's usual explanation, whenever the topic was addressed. A very skeptical Sena and a desperately furious Monta always hurried to deny such theory. Whenever the dark haired girl asked Mamori herself if there was something between her and the demonic senpai, the alluded always responded with a cutting "Of course not", and the one (and very regrettable) time Monta dared asking Hiruma about it, he received, for all answer, a good amount of stray bullets and the observation that, if he had so many free time to be asking stupid useless questions, he might as well use it to train his lame ass so his tackling and passing wouldn't suck such donkey balls.

After that, they decided it was better not to look further on the issue, so the mystery remained unresolved.

"I just don't get it" Mamori had just taken a pause from transcribing in her notebook, and now was looking at the team captain. "You are only focusing on his speed. Wouldn't it be much better to add more strength exercises to his training?"

"That would be convenient, if the fucking shrimp wasn't a deplorable sack of limp bones" Hiruma answered from his chair, with his arms behind his head, his legs extended and his feet crossed on the casino table"

"Don't call him that!" She menacingly pointed at him with her pen. "And that is exactly why I'm telling you."

"Better shut your hole and hurry with that charts, I don't feel like staying here until freaking midnight waiting for you to finish."

She ignored that last request. "If you give him more physical training, he will gradually improve in power. Won't he?"

He looked at her with devilish eyes and a smile with sharpened teeth. "What's that, Mamori nee-chan?" He teased her "You're actually asking me to go though on the fucking brat? Could it be that you got tired of mothering his ass around? "

She stood up, sliding her chair back with her legs and placing both hands against the table. "That has nothing to do with it! Of course I care about Sena! That's why I want him to get stronger." She tried to calm down and then proceeded. "Look. I'm not telling you to give him that much of a hard time, just try increasing his strength work a little. For example, you could put more weight on his tackling target."

His smile opened wider. "Heeee" he exclaimed, half-closing his demonic eyes. "If I try doing that the shrimp will totally fail and get depressed right in the middle of the field. You really want to humiliate him like that? That's way too cruel of you, fucking manager."

"He won't" She stated confidently, while sitting back on her chair.

There was a short pause. Hiruma only moved to alternate his feet over the table, and then popped a bubble with his gum. "Let's bet on it then"

"Ok." She simply agreed, and got back to her writing on the notebook. "Which reminds me" She started, looking at him again. "Taki-kun got here on time for morning practice today, didn't he? So I won that last one."

"Yeah, yeah" The blonde replied, unamused. He moved his left arm from behind his head and, effortlessly and without looking, used it to reach something from inside the bag resting on a chair next to him. His hand wandered the insides of the bag for a while, like it was having trouble finding whatever it was looking for. Finally, it came out with a purple soda can. "Here" he said, as he tossed the can at her.

"Thank you" She replied in a fun, playful manner, after grabbing it in the air with both hands, and placing her finger on the tab in order to open it right away. Immediately following the distinctive sound of the can opening, a powerful gush of purple bubbly liquid bursted against her face.

Over Mamori's high pitched scream, Hiruma left out his loudest "Kekeke", while stamping his feet against the surface of the table.

"W… Why you…" The girl stuttered, her face and shirt soaking in purple, her arms loosely extended forward, and her right hand still grabbing the can. "You shook it!" She accused, horrified.

"Don't know what you're talking about!" Hiruma answered laughing, if possible, even louder.

Mamori stood up at the speed of light and rushed towards him with the most menacing look on her face. "I can't believe you! You are the worst!"

With an agile movement, he left his chair and moved out of reach of the furious manager's arms. "Serves you right for being a smartass" He said, as he grabbed his bag and quickly hopped his way out of the clubroom.

"Hiruma-kun, come back right now!" She demanded, but he was already closing the door after him. "She rushed to the door and opened it again. Hiruma was already out of sight. "You can sit and wait for those charts, you're never getting them, you jerk!" She shouted with all her might. During the following seconds, his demonic laugh still resounded in the distance.