Protecting Family

"How on earth did you raise your son?! And you call yourself a public figure!"

"Luka was certainly in the wrong, but surely you realize your own child isn't entirely innocent either?"

"What did you say? Well, I suppose with a father like that, it's no wonder the son turned out this way."

Shouts and accusations flew back and forth in the crowded room of parents.

"Now, now. Everyone, please calm down..."

Amidst the chaos, the Principal was doing his best to placate the furious parents. I'd gotten a sense of it when we met over the soccer coach incident, but the Principal was truly a master of self-preservation.

Fortunately for me—the guy who had just thrown the punches—that worked out perfectly.

I had been prepared to spend the night in a holding cell, but it looked like they wouldn't be calling the police after all. Bullying, trespassing by an outsider, and assault.

Any one of these could easily make the local papers, and with all of them happening at once, the Principal was desperate to sweep everything under the rug.

"That boy! Expel him immediately!"

"M-Mrs. Sakamoto, I am terribly sorry, but young Tachibana is not a student at our school."

"So you're saying an outsider just walked in and beat up a student?! What kind of school is this?! Do you honestly think I'm going to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let this slide?"

"Mrs. Sakamoto, again, my deepest apologies, but we have clear evidence that your son, Sakamoto, was bullying young Miss Tachibana. If we involve the police, we will have no choice but to launch a thorough investigation into that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as well."

"W-What do you mean by that?! My son is the one who got beaten up!"

Moreover, every time I made eye contact with the Principal, I subtly brushed my hand against my forehead—right where the ashtray had grazed me. The gesture worked wonders; his attitude toward us was remarkably favorable.

I was fully prepared to pay a settlement, but look at this.

A teenager who threw punches to protect his little sister versus a soccer coach who nearly committed manslaughter by throwing a heavy glass ashtray at a student.

There was no question which scandal would cause a bigger uproar. Since I still had the medical certificate from the hospital from that incident, it was only natural for the Principal to side with us.

Damn, Luka. Did you foresee all of this? Am I a genius or what?

Admiring my own past foresight in keeping that incident quiet instead of making a fuss, I watched the parents bicker. There were moments when I wanted to chime in with a sarcastic retort, but every time I opened my mouth, Father shot me a warning glare, keeping me quiet.

With the Principal subtly backing us, the parents of the boys I had thrashed began to lose their momentum.

"Are we really going to take this to court?" Father spoke up, his voice low and steady. "Because if we are, I will do whatever it takes to protect my daughter. And I believe you are all well aware that I have more than enough resources to hire the best lawyers in the country."

That was the final blow. Having earned a fortune playing abroad, Father's financial clout was undeniable, and the parents' remaining bravado completely evaporated.

"W-Well, we're not saying we must go to court. But we're parents too! Our child came home black and blue. Surely an apology is in order?"

"Luka."

At Mrs. Sakamoto's words, Father turned his gaze to me.

"...I'm sorry."

Well, apologizing wasn't that hard. If a single sentence could save us from a massive payout, I'd say it a hundred times. Honestly, the heavy atmosphere made me feel like Father would beat the crap out of me at home if I didn't apologize right then and there.

"However," Father continued, "I expect an apology to my daughter as well. After all, we are all parents here, aren't we?"

I wasn't the only one feeling the crushing pressure. As Father slowly locked eyes with each of the boys, apologies instantly spilled from their mouths. Actually, "pressure" was putting it lightly. Father cherished Luna even more than he did me, and the sheer, murderous intent glinting in his eyes left them with no other choice.

"Haha, well, it is truly a relief that this minor scuffle..." the Principal began.

"Minor?" Father interrupted.

"...T-This not-so-minor scuffle could be resolved through peaceful dialogue," the Principal quickly corrected himself, shrinking back under Father's gaze. "After all, are we not a peace-loving people? Our school's motto is Love, Faith, and Peace, after all. Ha... haha."

Watching the Principal instantly fold under Father's glare, I realized that if Father had found out about Luna's situation before I did, things might have ended far worse.

With mutual apologies exchanged, the matter was finally settled. Luna and I stood near the school gates, waiting for Father ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to finish up inside.

"Luka."

"Yeah?"

Luna tugged at my sleeve, calling my name.

"...Thanks."

"What was that?"

"...Thank you."

Her face was bright red as she mumbled her gratitude. But honestly, there was nothing more embarrassing than hearing a family member thank you.

"What did you say?"

"I said thank you!"

"Still can't hear you."

"Luka!"

Finally realizing I was teasing her, Luna shrieked. I reached out and gently patted her head.

"We're family. If anything like this happens again, just tell me. I'll come running, no matter what."

"...Idiot."

"Don't be shy."

"You dummy! This all happened because of you anyway!"

Luna began flailing her arms and legs, playfully pummeling me in frustration. Of course, it didn't hurt at all.

As I stood there enjoying Luna's "massage," Father walked out of the school gates, his expression grim.

"Luka."

Gulp. Please tell me I'm not getting whipped again.

Having lived through the brutal, old-school athletic culture of the late 1900s, Father was the type who didn't hesitate to spare the rod, even in the 2010s.

He had given me a harsh discipline session back during the social media incident, so my calves instinctively began to tremble. Luna, well aware of Father's temper, kept glancing back and forth between us with a worried look.

"...You did well."

Contrary to my fears, Father reached out and ruffled my hair, offering a rare word of praise.

"If it were up to me, I would have sued every single one of those bastards. But I couldn't risk anything jeopardizing your future career, and for that, I am sorry. Luna, can you understand why your father had to let it go?"

"Yes... I don't want Luka to lose his chance to play soccer because of me either."

"And Luka. A man must know how to protect his family. I failed to do my part this time. Luka, will you promise to keep protecting your sister and mother from now on?"

"Of course."

"To do that, you'll also need to watch your mouth a bit more."

"...I'll work on that."

"Sigh..."

"But Father, more importantly, what about Luna? Are we really going to keep her at this school?"

"That would be difficult. Luna, what do you think?"

"...I don't know."

"Personally, I feel like something like this could easily happen again if she stays," I chimed in.

"..."

"Why don't you come to England with me instead?"

"What? But I barely speak any English!"

"It's fine. You can get by with Portuguese to some extent. The languages are similar enough, so learning English won't be that hard for you. Besides, your English grades are pretty good."

"Still, to move so suddenly..."

"Luka is right," Father agreed. "After what happened, there is no reason for you to remain in Japan."

"Yes... but moving to England all of a sudden..."

"Don't worry, Luna. Your big brother is going to make more money than you could ever dream of spending in a lifetime. I can easily support you."

"Ugh, would you shut up for a second?!"

"If England feels too daunting, Portugal is also an option," Father said gently. "Take your time and think about it."

"...Okay."

Well, Portugal wouldn't be a bad choice either. To be honest, if Luna came to England, she would probably live with our parents. While I had gotten a bit closer to Father, things were still awkward with Mother, so I preferred to keep my distance if possible.

No matter how many of Luka's memories I possessed, the biological awkwardness was hard to shake. It felt like living with the owners of a boarding house where I'd stayed for a few years—we were close, but there was still a strange distance.

I wonder if this will get better if we live together longer.

Still, seeing Father bring up the idea of leaving Japan first made it clear that he, too, had grown completely disillusioned with the country.

In fact, ever since the social media incident, he had constantly brought up his glory days with the Japanese national team, trying to nudge me in that direction. But seeing his reaction now, it felt like I could choose Portugal with a clear conscience.

Anyway, while Luna was talking things over with Father, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number in England.

The reason I woke Gillar up was simple.

"If a call-up request comes from the Portuguese youth national team, could you accept it?"

My revenge for Luna wasn't over yet. The only reason Luna had to go through that was because the Japan Football Association had released a barrage of ridiculous articles about me.

So, I decided to take revenge the best way I knew how. If I joined the Portuguese U-17 team and led them to a championship, the JFA would surely regret ever publishing those articles.

The youth national team held nothing but bad memories for me, but for Luna—who had warmly comforted me on my very first day as Luka—it was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make. And as a bonus, it would pave the way for me to join the Portuguese senior national team later on.

But alas, life doesn't always go according to plan. Still, my intentions to protect Luna were what truly mattered, right?

Luna, your brother really cares about you. Seriously.

Where else in the world could you find a brother who beats up the punks bullying his sister, and is even willing to play for a youth national team despite his trauma just to get back at them?

No matter how I looked at it, I was an incredibly good brother. The rest of my revenge could wait until I faced the Japanese national team on the pitch later.

Well, now Gillar could start his day with a clear mind, so it was a win-win.

Oh, wait. He was on vacation, wasn't he?

Well, Gillar being on vacation wasn't really my concern. The early bird catches the worm, after all.

Two weeks later, our entire family gathered in London.

"The house is huge..." Luna muttered.

"It is quite spacious. Honey, I think we should rent out the spare rooms," Mother suggested.

"Huh? Why? It's not like we're short on money," Father replied.

"Dear, we should make money while we can. You never know what might happen in the future. Do you have any idea how much a house like this costs?"

"Don't worry, Mother," I chimed in. "You have your son."

"You're the reason I'm worried in the first place. But honey, how did you manage to find a place like this so quickly?"

"A player who's transferring ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to another country used to live here. A mutual acquaintance connected us, so I was able to secure it quickly."

It's spacious, has a yard, and seems perfect for training. It's close to the training center and the school, too.

I was highly satisfied with our new home on the outskirts of London. Now that Luna's problems were completely resolved, all that was left was to sign the contract and prove myself during pre-season training.

With July just around the corner, my heart was already pounding with anticipation.