As the final whistle sounded, players of Kawasaki tossed their hands in the air. Their joy was evident in their ecstatic faces.
Their fans rallied together as they celebrated this moment of triumph together with the players. Cheering and swinging their banners, they appreciated the team's hard-fought victory. They were genuinely happy about this win.
Opposing fans on the other hand weren't happy about the result. In fact, they were mad at their players for bottling the match. Clearly, for most of the game, they had dominated the game. And, they even had a two-goal lead against the opposing team until the second half.
But after the first half, it's as if somebody had cursed them, their performance only deteriorated while the opposing team's performance skyrocketed.
Letting the triumphant feeling of victory sink in, Hiro glanced at the stand. The stadium was buzzing with the sweet melody of celebration. It was grandiose. Every moment felt grand.
A perfect debut.
Registering two assists and a goal, he had played a perfect game, rallying his team to victory. Not only had accomplished the objective given by the system, but he had also exceeded it.
While enjoying the moment, his gaze landed on Kota. Jumping and cheering with all his might, he was thoroughly enjoying the moment. It made him smile.
Smiling, he lifted his hand triumphantly and started waving at him.
There was an unusual sparkle in his eyes, one that of admiration and joy. Not only was he fortunate enough to watch his debut, but he was also fortunate enough to witness his hero leading his team to victory. What more could he wish?
Then he searched for his parents among the seas of supporters. He knew where they were seated. But despite that, he found it quite difficult to locate them due to the ongoing madness on the stands.
People were present in so great of a number, that it made it almost impossible to locate them. Still, after tirelessly searching for them for a while, he finally found them. Hidden behind the walls of supporters, he could barely see them.
But he managed to catch a glimpse of happiness in their faces. Which made his smile even wider.
Though, he couldn't continue to sightsee as he got swarmed by his teammates. Congratulating him for his performance, they expressed their gratification. Some ruffled his hair, while some patted his back, and each expressed their gratefulness and pleasure to play alongside him.
[Quest Completed]
While at the same time, he heard the notification for the completion of the quest. This only added to his joy.
But he was in no hurry to decide whose talent he was going to copy. Claiming the reward could wait until after the end of the celebration, he thought so and ignored the notification.
"Hiro!!"
"Hiro!!"
It only got even more sweeter as suddenly the crowd of supporters started chanting his name. Upon hearing his name being called by so many people, he couldn't help but feel touched. Such an honor, how could it not affect him?
Wandering his eyes all over the stadium, he paid homage to those supporters for their gesture. Right now, the entire stadium was buzzing with his name.?Reporters and cameramen flocked over him, trying to interview him and capture this wonderful moment with their camera lenses.
They could smell big news. And, almost every single one of them was sure that it'd make headlines in tomorrow's news. Not only that it'd provide great coverage for their channels. So, none were willing to miss out on this moment.
The stadium was lively, but so was the street. In the streets, people were singing his praises while at the pub people were discussing his performance with much passion. Just from a single match, he had become the topic of discussion.
"Damn!! I wish I could also play like him"
"He's too good"
"Play like him huh? Then you gotta practice like him as well"
In the dormitory, youth players were mesmerized by his performance. Many wished to play like him while many were sneering at those who wished to play like him. Well, it was to be expected since most of them hadn't spent time with him.
But, it was known all over the dormitory that he trained like a beast. Even after graduating from the academy, coaches often mentioned his name as an example of discipline and effort. They wanted to instill the philosophy of discipline and effort in the new recruits, so they often used his name.
Well during his time at the academy, he had been the pride of the academy. So, it was only natural for the coaching staff to use his name to educate others.
Unknowingly, he had already become the inspiration of many upcoming footballers despite only being 16 years old. He had many admirers who admired his dedication and his gameplay.
Hard work beats talent. We've often been told this from childhood. But what if geniuses work hard too? Then you meet a monster, a person beyond comprehension.
And, Hiro was the very definition of that person. Not only was he already gifted but he also worked the hardest. So, he remained at the pinnacle during his stay at the club.
Not even once did anybody come closer to beating him. To many, he was like a wall that couldn't be surpassed no matter what. While to others, he was a sturdy mountain they could rely on. There were also those who considered him their rival.
But many dismissed those thoughts after competing against him for a while. Among those many, one was Nijichi. Though he had shared the same jersey with him, he never once considered Hiro his comrade. To whom, he always remained a rival he needed to surpass in order to be the best.
"I won't be defeated Hiro," Nijichi mumbled while clenching his fist, "We'll meet soon"
Being older than Hiro, he had already made his debut for Vissel Kobe who currently were sitting at the top of the table. Though he hadn't been as impressive as Hiro, he had been named the young player of the tournament the previous year due to his amazing performance.
Back at the stadium, people continued to shower him with praises for his performance. Some could even see a glimpse of the future when he led the national team to the World Cup. Their eyes glistened with hope as they felt extremely hopeful about his future. They just couldn't wait to see more of him.
The World Cup was just around the corner. And so was the Asia Cup. Though he hadn't debuted for the senior team yet. If he continued to play like this, then who knows he wouldn't be included in the team despite being only 16 years old.
But there was a slight problem. There wasn't much time left for the Asia Cup. And though they had already qualified for the tournament, his future continued to remain uncertain due to the amount of playing minutes he had left for him to convince the national representatives to include him in the team.
With all those players from overseas who were already proving their worth in Europe's top five leagues, it was a rather difficult task for him to convince the national representative to give him a shot at the team.
Just like in this match, he'd have to prove his worth in every single match from now on. He couldn't afford to play decently if he wanted a spot in the national team.
But still, despite the limited playing minutes, Hiro was more than ready to take on this seemingly impossible challenge. He wasn't afraid in the least.
Instead, he was rather looking forward to the challenges.
Then after the celebration, as he started making his way to the tunnel, he got blocked by several reporters who were dying to interview him. Pausing midway, he stopped to answer their questions. After all, ignoring them wouldn't do any good for him. Instead, it'd only bring him harm and slander.
If he ignored them, they'd probably spread rumors saying he was arrogant and ignorant. Worst, they could also jeopardize his candidacy for the national team.
Staying on their good side only benefited him. And, who knows due to the media coverage, his chances of getting noticed by the national representatives might increase. After all, there are times when a player is chosen based on the hype rather than their performances.
With such thoughts in mind, he sweet-talked the reporters. Sugarcoating his words, he answered their questions in the humblest possible manner.
"How did you feel when you stepped out onto the pitch?" one of the reporters asked.
"Well, I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't nervous," he said, his words sweet and polite, "But I was prepared for this moment. From the moment I got the call-up, I replayed the moment of debut time and again in my mind to prepare myself"
While speaking such, he paused for a while and released a sigh, "But even after all those visualizations, when it came to the actual moment I still got scared hahaha..."
"If not for the trust of Coach Tatsuya and my teammates, I might have locked myself in the bathroom. So, I'm really thankful for their words of encouragement" Sweet-talking his way into the hearts of the reporters, he expressed his gratefulness to his coach and his teammates.
His humor lightened up the atmosphere a bit.