"Mika?" Serika asked with a drop of worry in her voice, wondering if the striker was still feeling out of sorts, judging by her lack of response to their earlier discussion.
"..."
Unsure by what her silence meant, the Raimon members looked at her with perplexity in their eyes until just as Serika was about to walk over, Mika looked up and gave them a light-hearted smile.
"Hi!"
"....."
Now even more bewildered, the Raimon members simultaneously furrowed their brows and looked at each other with confusion dripping from their eyes. Though the 'Demon Queen' had a pleasant smile and bright atmosphere, the contrast to her usual demeanour somehow made them feel uneasy.
"Um...are you feeling alright Mika?" Galahad asked hesitantly, slightly concerned that she was feeling down after losing possession of the ball to Yuka but despite his fears she reassured him,
"Of course! Never better, Gally-kun!"
"......Gally-Kun?" repeated Galahad under his breath while Mika bounced up from her seat.
Hop Hop
Bouncing on the soles of her feet, Mika did some light stretches while the Raimon members looked at her with clear confusion written all over their faces.
"Uh, well we should probably discuss our strategy for the second half then...Considering how quickly Nosaka has been responding to our tac–"
Click Click
Clicking her tongue at him, Mika then wagged her finger to interrupt Galahad before he could finish speaking and warned him in a cheeky voice.
"Blah Blah Blah. So boring! Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the show okay, Gally-kun?"
After shushing Galahad successfully, Mika then turned around to look at the other Raimon members and declared imperiously,
"Just leave everything to me and don't get in my way, or else I'll be realllly annoyed!"
Listening in on their discussion silently this entire time, Aphrodi narrowed his eyes watching Mika's strange change in behaviour and spoke up for the first time in the half-time,
"Kuroha-san, I want you on defence in the second half. Yozora-kun, you take the centre forward position and Serika, switch positions with Rikitake-kun."
"What?!" Galahad and Serika cried out in unison while Mika just laughed it off as if it didn't bother her.
"Okie-dokie Mr.Ruler of the Heavens! Doesn't matter to me!"
Tweet Tweet
"Wait, Uncle! What–"
"Serika, the match is starting! Don't question your coach, now go!" commanded Aphrodi forcing Serika to swallow her question back down her throat while the other Raimon players moved silently back onto the field. Then running to catch up to Galahad and Leonidas as they moved to centrefield she gave Galahad an eye and he shrugged.
"That's not Mika-nee." Leonidas said bluntly as he jogged in between the two.
"What? How do you know?" Galahad asked with obvious befuddlement written in his brows.
"Bad vibes." Leonidas answered in a calm voice.
After all, he of all people knew what those eyes of Mika's meant.
Though her aura was giving off a shining radiance at a first glance, the nothingness inside of whoever this person was, resonated with the nothingness that had haunted him for his entire life...With this statement however, the match had already begun and the trio's attention was brought back to the match with a start and Leonidas gave the ball a sharp kick to Galahad in response to the whistle.
Looking around, Galahad noticed that Mika was still standing casually in front of the goal to his surprise and so he sent the ball up to Serika who proceeded to dash forward aggressively and pass the ball to Leonidas who hesitated as he looked for an opening through Outei's formation.
However, the instant Leonidas received the ball he was surrounded in a familiar hexagon formation.
Hissatsu Tactics : Catenaccio Counter!
Rushing forward, Nosaka secured the ball while spinning his body around and then began to run alongside the other six who had set up the formation.
"Kairaku!"
"You got it, boss!"
Then, putting his hands together in an 'apology' motion, Kairaku looked at Kenji and Sadao who had moved to intercept him,
"No hard feeling bros! Gotta do it for the fans ya know?"
Dark Keshin : Dionysus, the Reveler!
Defence Equation!
Killer Slide!
The exact moment the two Raimon midfielders moved, Kairaku put his hand to the ground and closed his eyes. Wetting his lips, grape vines began to emerge from beneath them while satyrs and nymphs in large hordes stomped over both with Kairaku cheerfully making his way through the crowd with the ball surfing atop the many bodies.
Never Ending Festival!
"Boss! One order for a pass, coming right up!"
Tapping the ball lightly with his foot, Nosaka gave the signal to Haizaki and they both began to summon their Keshins when they heard a jubilant voice call out to them,
" 'Scuse me! Coming through!"
Hyup
Appearing from their blindspot, Mika grabbed the ball between her feet and executed a tight flip over the two Outei players' heads, sticking her tongue out playfully at their bewildered faces.
"Cya later losers~"
"Was that..." Haizaki muttered from beside Nosaka, while the pink-haired captain narrowed his eyes at the strange behaviour they had just witnessed.
"Fukunaga-kun!"
"Already on it!"
Flying up into the air with his wings, Yuka prepared to release a slew of feathers at Mika when she winked at him from the ground. Then, waving her fingers in front of her face like she was preparing a magic trick she grinned confidently,
"Now you see me...Now you don't!"
Cloak of Ba'al!
"What the–"
Disappearing from his sight completely, Yuka looked around wildly for traces of the ace striker but saw nothing until he heard Kotarou and Yokunaba shout out from behind him,
"You're not taking another step!"
"Just try and get past this!"
All Eyes on Me!
Shadow Wing!
Putting her hands on her face, blood began to pour over Yokunaba's body and flood towards Mika while waving his arm in front of him, a swarm of black bats emerged from behind Kotarou to attack Mika.
Meanwhile, having fallen back, Serika who was now running alongside Mika, called out to her urgently before the two hissatsus could overtake her,
"Mika! Ball!"
Despite her vigorous waving and repeated calls to pass however, Mika pretended she didn't see the blonde midfielder and instead proceeded to continue running straight in the direction of the hissatsus.
Tsk Tsk
"So weak..." scoffed Mika before putting her hands together in a triangle fashion, reminiscent of that in 'Pandora's Box.'
Wind blowing her hair around her violently, an enormous, pitch-black array appeared beneath them with strange symbols written in the concentric circles that spun faster and faster until the symbols began to peel off the ground and float in the air above them. As the symbols began to glow with an eerie light, the brighter they became the dimmer the blood and bats became until they had completely vanished from the field.
Seal of Solomon!
"How?!"
"Did she just...cancel our hissatsus?"
"I'll give you some friendly advice...you morons might as well quit soccer now before you embarrass yourselves any further, 'kay?"
Giggling mirthfully at their stupefied expressions, Mika easily dribbled past them and waved her fingers provocatively at Umika who was licking her lips with anticipation.
"Here we go!"
Reaching her hands out beside her, a towering figure appeared from behind her. With grey, leathery skin, hollowed pits instead of eyes, three heads resembling a cat, a toad and a gargoyle and long goat-like horns it painted the exact picture of what a demon would look like if they were real. Raising itself, a deep groan was heard before a horrific, grotesque body was revealed. Skin was falling off in bits and pieces allowing the skeletal structure underneath to be seen while an otherworldly, neon-green heart of sorts, pulsated ominously within the chunks of flesh and bone.
Legendary Keshin : Calamity Incarnate, Ba'al!
Hyup!
Mika took in a deep breath as a black fog rushed across the field while the sky was blotted out by a wave of clouds that darkened the entire stadium. Reaching to the sky with her left hand, her eyes began to fill with reddish-brown liquid that looked vaguely like blood and as it seeped outwards and fell on the ground, six blood-red bubbles appeared that surrounded her and began to spin. Turning her body to the right, she gave the ball a kick with her left foot, slashing the ball horizontally and causing a wave of blood to race towards Umika.
Blade of Extinction!
Dark Keshin : Schneewei–
"Huh?"
Not seeing the shadow that usually manifested behind her, Umika raised her eyebrow before attempting to punch the incoming shoot upwards.
Hina Hina, Become my Hina!!
Eek!
[GOAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! 'Demon Queen' Mika Kuroha scores the first point off of Outei in this match with some amazing solo plays! For the first time in this match, Raimon was the one in complete control but let's see if they can maintain that for the rest of the second half! With a two point lead hanging over them, Raimon has a lot of catching up to do if they want to win this year's Holy Road!]
"I told Mika this would be easy...she really is too soft..." muttered Mika as the Outei players ran towards her in a tight formation led by Nosaka following the subsequent kickoff.
Then, flaring her nostrils, her red and blue eyes stared ahead confidently as Tamaki made his way to the penalty zone.
"Excuse me Mr.Child of Soccer! I don't recall giving you permission to shoot!"
"Hmm?"
Stopping in his tracks, Tamaki looked down at Mika who was standing between him and the goal. The girl standing in front of him was carrying an assurance that had been completely devoid from the Raimon forward in the first half. It was almost as if...
"Who are you supposed to be?"
"Oh?"
Mika widened her eyes in feigned astonishment, and shrugged nonchalantly
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"I'm sorry, but I don't share my name with just anyone Mr.Takashima. So let's see if you have the skills to back up your title Mr.Child of Soccer!"
Seal of Solomon!
As the mystic engravings danced in the air between the two players, a strange light was cast on their faces. Testing his suspicions, he attempted to activate 'My World' but found that his hissatsu wouldn't activate.
"Interesting..."
Nonetheless, that still wasn't good enough.
Tamaki didn't know who this demon standing in front of him was, but if they thought just sealing his hissatsus was enough to stop him, they were sorely mistaken.
Hyup
Sweat dripped from Mika and Tamaki's faces as they battled silently for what felt like an eternity but was in fact only a few short seconds. Pulling a feint and turning right in a fluid motion however, Tamaki looked at Mika's face which distorted in an ugly manner and he gave her a 'v-sign' calmly.
"My win, Ms.Demon."
Giving a sharp left corner kick above Hyun-Ki's head, Tamaki walked slowly past Mika, both ignoring the cries of the announcer declaring the quick goal by Tamaki.
"So you've got some skills Takashima-san, but..."
Regaining control of her faculties quickly, Mika looked up with a bemused face.
"If this is it, then 'Soccer' should think about having a second child."
Unfazed by the obvious mocking tone in her voice, Tamaki scratched his head lazily and tilted it to the side while looking at her.
"So even demons can be sore losers?" Tamaki inquisitively asked, to which Mika's face darkened.
"Aki Takinami...That's what you wanted right? Count yourself lucky Takashima-san, you'll be the first person I sacrifice to Mika today!"
Cocking an eyebrow as if dubious to whether or not 'Aki' would be able to back up her declaration, Tamaki ran back to Outei's side of the field as the referee restarted the match.
Tweet Tweet
"Galahad-nii!"
Hyup
Flying in from the backline, Aki intercepted the ball that was on its way to Galahad and looked to Leonidas who was staring at her with a blank expression.
"Thanks Leo-chan! I'll be borrowing this for a little~"
"Mika?" Galahad asked with his mouth agape due to her strange behaviour but Aki ignored him and she waved her arm over herself turning her body transparent.
Cloak of Ba'al!
Glimpse of Glory!
Hearing Tamaki activate that annoying hissatsu of his, Aki frowned slightly but responded inhumanly fast by kicking the ball backwards with her heel, sending it smashing into Galahad's face before bouncing back upwards above Tamaki's head.
"That nasty little illusion of yours won't work on me, if I don't have the ball Takashima-san~~"
Following the course of the ball gracefully by executing a stylish flip over his head, Mika landed directly behind the ball and spreading her arms outwards in a fluid motion, the horrifying, three-headed grey being appeared from behind her once more.
Widening the corners of her mouth such that the whites of her glistening teeth could be seen, Aki laughed watching Tamaki move in to steal the ball once more from her,
"I told you, didn't I? You're not even fit to lick our cleats!"
LEGENDARY KESHIN : CALAMITY INCARNATE, BA'AL!
BLADE OF EXTINCTION!!!
Throwing the Outei defenders' bodies like flies to the ground due to the force of her hissatsu, Mika sent the horrific wave of blood behind the ball while Umika stood helplessly in its path.
[GOALLLLLLLL!! RAIMON'S ACE STRIKER MIKA KUROHA CLOSES THE GAP TO A SMALL TWO POINTS! WITH 20 MINUTES LEFT, RAIMON IS IN THE POSITION TO REALLY TURN THE TABLES ON OUTEI IF THEY AREN'T CAREFUL!]
Aki let out a refreshing sigh as if she had just taken a sip of cool lemonade on a warm summer's day and looked at the speechless Raimon members who were standing frozen on the field watching her.
Unbothered by the lack of the usual fanfare and cheering that accompanied a goal, she tapped Galahad's shoulder, whose face was still red to the impact of the ball being sent flying into him so she could use it as a trampoline,
"Nice positioning!"
"Mika!" cried Serika when she heard the 'Demon Queen's vicious remark but Galahad held her back.
"Afuro-san..."
He knew why Coach Aphrodi had positioned him the way he had now...
Pulling Serika aside with this realisation, Galahad whispered into her ear urgently while the blonde captain listened uncharacteristically attentively to his quick words. Both nodding as if they had come to a conclusion, they ran off as soon as the kickoff began.
Seal of Solomon!!
Aki moved like a snake with vicious but effortless movement, her body resembling flowing water as she glided across the field, dodging the Outei members easily. Ignoring the calls of her teammates, the corners of Mika's mouth twisted upwards making her lips resemble a cruel scimitar while her eyes shone with ecstatic delight.
Slurrrp
Biting her lips with excitement, drops of blood began to fall into Mika's mouth, filling her tastebuds with an overwhelming mixture of iron and sweat that only made them feel more alive. It had been so long since she had been allowed to run free like this...
Moaning with delight as she dribbled and weaved her way across the field, Aki quickly found herself standing in front of the goal once more. Then, looking up she began to breathe into her nose while a black fog filled the stadium along with a scent of decaying matter that made those watching the match have a sudden desire to retch.
BLADE OF EXT–
"Hm?"
Aki stopped suddenly upon a pair of emerald and rose pink eyes appearing in front of her, blocking her vision of the goal.
Cocking her eyebrow, Aki looked more confused than displeased,
"And just what exactly do the two of you think you're doing? Have you both lost your minds?"
"Baka!!! If anyone has lost their mind, it's you!"
Bristling with indignant rage, Serika's hairs were standing up like a defensive porcupine while Galahad tightened his hands into small balls.
"Mika! I know you're in there and if you're listening...is this really how you want it to end? I don't know what you're going through but we're your friends so whatever it is...we can get through it together!"
"Ha...Don't be ridiculous Gally-kun!"
Flipping her hair with annoyance as the clock continued to tick, Aki began to look at the Raimon duo with more irritation wondering if she should just shoot anyway.
"Can't you see I'm winning for us right now? So stop bothering Mika and stand aside!! You're only getting in t—"
"Wait...Mika?"
Looking behind her, Aki's eyes widened upon realising that Mika was now standing beside her.
"What are you doing awake? It's dangerous right now! Go back to sleep and–"
"Mika Kuroha!! You're so ridiculous! Are you forgetting all the training we did together! All the opponents that we had to overcome to get here? Every time we faced an insurmountable obstacle...we overcame it...together! If you win by yourself...it'll all be meaningless! So this is an order from your captain!! Wake up right now, and let's play soccer together!"
Listening to Serika's impassioned speech wordlessly, Mika looked at Serika's outstretched hand and then back at Aki with eyes that hid a faint glimmer that betrayed her thoughts.
Serika and Galahad were right.
She hadn't given up during the Seidouzan match no matter how impossible victory seemed and Galahad had responded to her feelings allowing them to claim their first victory in holy road...
Though they had been defeated by Eisei, they had used that defeat to bolster themselves and with Serika's help they had managed to move past the preliminaries after defeating the fearsome Teikoku Gakuen.
Each and every team they faced had been a worthy opponent but by having faith in each other, they were able to rise above and so...
Though Mika still didn't know how to respond to Yuka's sentiments, she couldn't betray her friends. They had gone through so much together and now wasn't the time to back down in hesitation.
"Thank you Aki...but I'll handle the rest."
Sigh
"If that's what you want Mika...but you know I'll always be here for you...because I want you to be happy, hmm?"
Nodding her head with gratitude, Mika gave Aki a gentle smile.
"Mmm. I know..."
Sighing one last time wondering if she would regret this later, Aki disappeared from Mika's mind for the moment and her eyes returned to the familiar amethyst purple that they had always been.
"Mika!"
Seeing Mika pass the ball for the first time in the second half, Serika gave a look of blatant relief at the Raimon forward who had returned to her senses.
"I'm sorry for worrying you...but there's no time to talk! Let's score...together!"
Nodding at the two girls who appeared rejuvenated, Galahad buried his feet into the ground with the field cracking underneath his weight and surrounding himself in an emerald-green aura, he sent the ball spinning into the air. Jumping in unison, Mika and Serika were enveloped in purple and golden auras respectively while they spun in opposite directions until they reached the ball that was still surrounded in a green aura in the air. Hitting it with their left and right feet respectively, the three let out a roar as the ball fell back to the earth with a mixture of emerald, gold and amethyst sparks.
INAZUMAAAAA
OVERLOADDD!!!
Dark Keshin : Schneeweißchen, The Living Doll!
Hina, Hina, Become My Hina!!!
Struggling to change the trajectory of the ball, Umika used her left arm to increase the strength of her shoot but to no avail. The moment the ball was about to cross the line however, another foot appeared to stop the hissatsu shoot.
Dark Keshin : Asura of Hellfire!
Erggggh.
Having run over as soon as he saw the Raimon trio stall on the field, Nosaka gave a forceful grunt, as the ball spun rapidly against his foot with purple, gold and emerald lightning bolts flying in all directions.
Just as he had expected...
It seemed no matter what world he was in, Raimon was always able to find some hidden strength within them that allowed them to overcome their limits...
But he couldn't afford to back down now...
ERGGGGG!!!
It was his responsibility to make sure Project Mars was fulfilled! He couldn't give in!
Mika, Serika and Galahad watched as Nosaka continued to struggle against the force of the ball and letting out a desperate roar they yelled in unison,,
"GO!!!!!!!!"
ARGGHHHHH!
[GOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!! ONLY A SINGLE POINT STANDS BETWEEN OUTEI AND RAIMON WITH 10 MINUTES ON THE CLOCK!!! THIS MATCH IS BECOMING A REAL NAIL BITER! OUTEI WILL NEED TO DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO MAINTAIN THEIR LEAD!]
Forgetting herself due to the excitement, Serika grabbed Mika and Galahad by their shoulders and dragged them towards her.
"Just one more point!!"
Looking at each other from within Serika's arms, Galahad and Mika looked at each other before responding back with broad grins.
"One more point!"
Though they knew Outei would be pulling out all the stops to prevent them from scoring again, the trio was brimming with a confidence that spilled into the rest of the team. Realising that the beating Outei was no longer a dream, the other Raimon members also began to look at each other with renewed vigour.
"One more point! One more point!"
Tweet Tweet Tweet
Watching from midfield, Tamaki's listless gaze followed Mika's movements as she ran alongside her teammates back to their side of the field. Though she now had a faint smile on her face, the gaze in her eyes had the same uncertainty they carried in the first half and he gave a sigh of disappointment realising the fun was over.
"..."
"What a rude demon..." Tamaki thought silently to himself as he watched Nosaka desperately leading the Outei players in an attempt to widen their lead and secure another point before Raimon could even the score.
Dark Keshin : Nidhogg, the Avatar of Malice!
TOTAL ECLIPSE REMASTERED!
Though, Nosaka had promised to show him something worth his time...
It seemed it was time to part ways with Outei Tsukinomiya.
Toumei Feint!
The previously level-headed Nosaka was now losing his cool after being thrown off by the introduction of 'Aki' and Raimon was more united than ever, and though their individual strength was still lower than Outei's overall...
Dark Keshin : Vampire Primo, Nosferatu!
Illusion Ball Remastered!
Well, it wasn't like the result mattered to him.
In the end, the outcome would be the same no matter who won.
Heaven's Time!
Snap
Feeling the world stop following the crisp snap from Serika's fingers, Tamaki decided to watch silently as she dribbled slowly past Nosaka who had an intense look on his face he hadn't seen before.
Hmm?
"Oh?"
"Galahad!"
"Mika!"
Jumping into the air alongside Mika, Serika began to spin and glow with a golden aura while Galahad shot the ball upwards like a ferocious cannon,
INAZUMA OVERLOAD!!!
Dark Keshin : Asura of Hellfire!!
There was no way Nosaka was going to let them score twice in a row like this, if Raimon scored now the momentum would be completely under their control and that would only make them even more difficult to defeat. If Outei wanted to win then they needed to win right now!
ARGHHHH!!
Struggling for a few moments, Nosaka felt his body fall back and he closed his eyes to hide from the horror of the inevitable announcement of another goal.
[EHHHH? WHAT'S THIS?!!]
Confused, Nosaka looked backwards and widened his eyes with relief.
Perfect.
Standing in front of the net was Yuka, holding the ball tightly within his hands.
[This is one for the recordbooks folks! It seems this will be our first red card in Holy Road's history today, with Yuka Fukunaga of Outei Tsukinomiya being awarded a red card by the referee for a deliberate handball to block a clear goal scoring chance!! Raimon will be awarded a direct free kick which...seems will be taken by Mika Kuroha of Raimon!! This could be the first match in this year's holy road that goes into overtime!!]
Still reeling from what she had just seen, Mika felt Serika tap her on the shoulder lightly while she got ready to take the penalty kick.
"You got this Mika! That keeper has nothing on you!"
Feeling another presence, she looked up and saw Makoto and the others walking towards her as well who all had come to give her some last words of support.
"You're our ace striker for a reason Mika! Give that keeper hell!"
"According to my calculations, going for the upper left will optimise your chances of success, Kuroha-san. I highly recommend–"
"No, go right Mika!! That keeper will never see it coming!"
"You better not mess this up, Demon Queen or else you'll have me to answer to!"
Tweet Tweet
Though she knew they meant well, Mika was now feeling more overwhelmed than before and she felt her breath get caught in her throat.
"Mika..."
"Galahad? What are you doing here? You know I'm the only one allowed in the penalty zone right now..."
Fumbling with his words, Galahad didn't know why he felt so uneasy but scratching the back of his head he looked down at his feet and opened his mouth quietly,
"I'm sorry..."
"Sorry? For what?"
"Just..."
Thinking back to the wild grin that was on Mika's face while she was running chaotically on the field earlier, Galahad couldn't help but wonder...was he...a burden to her?
Not having to worry about her teammates, Mika had looked so...free. What if that was how she truly felt and that was her true self?
"I just think...I haven't been of much help to you and because I couldn't block any goals today...we're forcing the weight of the match on your shoulders without even asking you..."
"..."
"Galahad...If you all didn't have my back today..."
Looking up for the first time since they had begun conversing, Galahad saw that Mika had a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes,
"I wouldn't even be standing here right now, so don't worry and just leave it to me...that's why I'm the ace striker right?"
"Now, get out of here quickly before the referee gives you a yellow card!"
Nodding his head slowly, Galahad watched as Mika turned back around and let out a low sigh while preparing to shoot.
It was all up to Mika now...
Tweet Tweet!
Sigh
Deep breath in.
Hold.
Exhale.
Placing the ball firmly onto the penalty mark, Mika swore the air had begun heavier as she struggled to raise her body back up.
She knew that her teammates were counting on her...
She knew that her parents were expecting her to win...
But...
Why?
Why couldn't she get that image of Yuka deliberately grabbing the ball with his hands to stop their shoot out of her mind?
Was that how far he would go to win?
"While you stand proud as a paradigm of success...To us...You are a monument to our failure"
Though she wanted to put everything she had into this kick, Yuka's words were lodged into her brain like a slow acting toxin.
She had to win but...
Victory came at what cost?
Tapping the ball lightly, as she began to feint a kick, it felt as if her foot had touched a black hole of some sort that was sucking in all of her soul and body.
Was the ball always this heavy?
No...she couldn't think like this.
Right now she just needed to focus on winning for the team...
But...
"I...sacrificed everything for soccer. Soccer was my life. I devoted my very being to it...Every day I woke up and soccer was the first thing in my mind. When I was eating I was thinking about soccer."
Stop!
She didn't want to hear his words anymore...
Finally, closing her eyes to ignore the heaviness of her heart, Mika put all of her weight into her right kick and then...
Boom
"..."
Clunk
"..."
[....No...]
[NO GOAL!!! Mika Kuroha MISSES the penalty kick, only getting the crossbar in a stunning twist of events!! AND WITH THIS....THE MATCH IS OVER!!! LET'S HEAR IT FOR THIS YEAR'S HOLY ROAD VICTORS...OUTEI TSUKINOMIYA!!!! BOTH TEAMS DID THEIR BEST BUT OUTEI IS THE ONE TO COME OUT ON TOP!!]
Ha....
Letting her hair fall to her shoulders, Mika sank knees first onto the field while the Raimon members ran up to her. Though she vaguely could sense they were trying to comfort her, time and space became blurred and then...
Darkness.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, tightening his fist with satisfaction, Nosaka, for the first time in one and a half years, was able to breathe freely.
They had done it.
At long last.
Project Mars was no longer just a dream...
"We did it...Asuto." Nosaka exhaled softly with both exhaustion and relief mixed into his voice.
No one would suffer again due to weak soccer ever again...
He would make sure of it.
Book 1 Fin
To be Continued in Book 2 : Fervent Dusk