n

n

n

n

nSomehow, he seemed as if he was captivated by the world outside. So, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed in him.

nVisit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the est n𝘰vel reading experience.

nA player of such caliber shouldn’t be distracted by the allure of worldly desires. freёwebnoѵel.com

nThere had already been countless victims of such temptations. So, he didn’t want Hiro, who was like a brother, to join the victims’ list.

nIf only he knew about Hiro’s thoughts, perhaps he might not be as worried about him.

nAlas! He was in the dark. So, he couldn’t stop worrying about him.

nThen he nudged him, shaking him out of his reverie, “Hiro…, what will say to the coach if he asks us about the delay?”

nRolling his eyes to him, he answered solemnly, “Then we’ll have to tell him the truth” Was he for real?

nHearing him, he couldn’t help but feel taken aback.

nFor a while, he stared at him fixedly. He appeared unusually serious. It was almost as if he was telling the truth.

nWas he nuts?

n“Do you understand what you are saying?” he asked as he failed to decipher his expression. After all, if they revealed the truth they might get into even greater trouble. So, how could they answer honestly? Wasn’t it like intentionally asking for trouble?

nIf they had to answer honestly then what was even the point of hurrying right now?

nEven others couldn’t help but glance at him, dazedly.

nAgain with no changes in his expression, he said, “I’m saying we should tell the truth if we are asked about our delay.”

n‘Yup, he’s lost it’

n‘He’s gone insane’

nThey thought as they heard him.

nAll of a sudden it got eerily silent inside the cab.

nThen Hiro chuckled as he said, “Haha.., obviously we’ll make some excuses. After all, who in their right mind would dig their own grave? Unless they’re nuts obviously”

nThey were left dumbfounded for a while.

nThen as they heard him, everyone let out a heart laughter as they realized that he was trying to pull their legs a while ago.

nThe atmosphere around them was rather tense a moment ago. But right now, his pranks had lightened the mood. They no longer felt threatened as before.

nEven if they were to get penalized, it didn’t matter at all.

nLater as they arrived at the hotel, although they were asked to clarify they evaded the punishment with only a warning.

n********

nTime passed like the slipping sand in an hourglass.

nBeep!

nThe shrill sound of the whistle pierced through the heated atmosphere.

nOn a certain pitch, a match was taking place.

nA sea of people mostly dressed in yellow could be seen in the stands surrounding the pitch. They were the Brazilian fans who had shown up to show their support for their team who right now were playing a match against Japan.

nThe match was already more than halfway done as seventy minutes had already gone by.

nBrazil: 3 vs Japan: 1

nThe scoreboard read as such hinting at the victory of Brazil at the moment.

nThe faces of the supporters of Brazil held great delight and passion as right now their team was leading the game. They were exhilarated beyond measure that even when the game had been paused for a corner against their team, they couldn’t stop cheering.

nThe energy in the stadium was palpable.

n“Although their effort is commendable, how could they compete against us?” one of the fans spoke with pride.

n“Yeah, they had been defending almost for the entirety of the game yet they are losing” another added as he presented his opinion.

n“I think they might be trying their defensive tactics. Sadly…, it was against us hahaha…”

nMany people in the stand were presenting their opinions of the game until now. Arrogance was dripping from every word they said.

nWell, considering the opposing side’s performance until now, it was only natural for them to talk in such a contemptuous manner.

nJapan had been on their edge almost for the entirety of the game.

nThough they had tried to attack in the beginning after experiencing the offense of the Brazilian side they were forced into defending.

nEven the single goal they had registered in the match was an own goal.

nTheir delightful mood was further enhanced by the performance of one man- Thiago.

nHaving scored a hat-trick, he was on a roll today.

nYet just from a glance, one could feel the hunger in his eyes. It was as if he was hungry for even

nmore goals.

nThere was simply no stopping this man today.

nRight then an announcement regarding player change sounded in the stadium, interrupting many fans’ conversation.

nAs they heard the announcement they turned to look at the sidelines where three players were lined side by side, preparing to enter the field.

nMany recognized one of the players among the three- Kubo of Real Sociedad.

nAs many people here followed the Spanish league closely to watch their players like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Raphinha, and many others, they also recognized some other players who stood out

nin the league.

nAnd from Japan, Kubo was one such player alongside Yamada who stood out in the league.

nSo as they noticed him they immediately recognized him.

nAs for the other two, they didn’t recognize either of them. But since they appeared so young they couldn’t help but feel delighted.

n“Tch! Tch! Tch! Seems like they are throwing the game away now that they realize that they can’t beat us,” one of the fans said in a condescending tone, clearly mocking the decision of the opposing coach to bring out such young players.

nWhile many were making fun of the decision of the opposing coach, some appeared rather anxious. Their eyes were filled with terror almost as if they had seen something horrible.

n“Isn’t he that guy?” someone whispered, recognizing Hiro.

n“Yeah, he looks the same”

nUntil a moment ago, even though Tatsuki and Kenji were already on the field they couldn’t recognize either because they had forgotten their faces.

nAfter all, their impression of others who had participated in the match they had witnessed

nsome days ago wasn’t as deep as Hiro’s.

nBut when they saw his visage it triggered their memories of him.

n