False Love (Part 2)

Under that kind of pressure, the opposing goalkeeper had clearly lost his nerve. He rushed out of the goal in a panic, only for Hirata Yosuke to dribble past him with ease and score into the open net.

The entire field erupted, waves of cheering rolling one after another.

Hirata Yosuke spread his arms and sprinted toward Kitagawa Ryo, then leaped into the air and flung himself at Ryo, who had already braced himself to catch him. Less than two seconds later, Ryo pushed him away in distaste.

"Enough. The game just started. Save some energy."

Five minutes into the game, Hirata Yosuke feinted a cross and sent a low pass back from the right. Ryo, now in full attack mode, appeared like a ghost at the edge of the penalty arc. There wasn't a single opposing player within two or three meters of him.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Ryo planted his right foot and swung his left leg back, striking the rapidly rolling ball.

With a dull thud, the ball changed course and shot off Ryo's powerful kick like a cannonball. The opposing defender turned in a hurry but barely managed to block it. The black-and-white ball hurtled toward the top-left corner of the goal.

From that close, the goalkeeper had almost no time to react. Before he could even dive, the ball slammed into the snowy white net.

"Goal!"

The commentator cried out excitedly from the booth:

"It's the tenth minute, and Kitagawa Ryo has taken Hirata Yosuke's pass and fired a superb long-range shot from just outside the penalty area! Only ten minutes into the game, and Ryo has already helped the home team take a two-to-nothing lead with a goal and an assist!"

As the commentator's passionate voice rang out, Ryo smiled and jogged over to the home team's stands, spreading his arms. He pointed to the school crest on his jersey and said:

"Welcome to our school!"

The new students, who had only been at the school for a semester, instantly went wild. These boys and girls, only around thirteen years old, thought they had chosen the most interesting middle school imaginable. They cheered enthusiastically for Kitagawa Ryo, their older schoolmate who had already graduated. Perhaps that very day, many of them resolved to join the soccer club.

If I scored in front of all these classmates, would the person I had a crush on start liking me?

Ryo naturally had no idea what the younger boys were thinking. He casually high-fived his teammates, then returned to the field.

As the first half went on, the opposing team realized how dangerous Ryo was. They were a strong team, and Ryo also held back here and there, so the first half ended with the score at two to one. Both sides headed into halftime.

"Here, senpai. Have some water."

Ryo took the bottle Hirata Yosuke offered him. He sipped to soothe his parched throat, then turned to ask Hirata:

"I don't remember our school having a cheerleading squad before."

"They only added one this year."

Hirata, sitting beside him, glanced at the home team's cheerleaders in bright blue outfits, then waggled his eyebrows at Ryo.

"Well? What do you think?"

Their skirts were a little shorter than the usual school uniform, and fluttered as they jumped, sometimes revealing a glimpse of pale waist. Leaning back in his seat and watching the performance, Ryo somehow found himself thinking of Ichinose Honami. Suddenly, he pictured her wearing the same cheerleading outfit.

"Ahem..."

Ryo coughed awkwardly, then pretended to pick up his phone from beside him. He happened to see a text from Ichinose Honami: "I'm off work! On my way." He replied, then turned his attention to the sudden commotion on the field.

When he looked up, he saw that the opposing team's cheerleaders had just taken the field. Their bright yellow outfits stood out against the home team's bright blue uniforms. Their fitted crop tops and white knee-high socks drew even the home students' eyes.

"Hm?"

Ryo noticed something odd and frowned as he turned to Hirata Yosuke.

"Don't you think there's something off about the girl at the far right of the second row?"

"Where?"

At Ryo's words, Hirata widened his eyes and looked, but they were too far away to make out much beyond a sea of pale legs.

"Never mind. I might be imagining it."

Ryo stared deeply at the unusual-looking figure, then patted Hirata Yosuke on the shoulder.

"Get ready. The second half's about to start."

When Ichinose Honami crossed the campus alone and reached the field, it was nearing dusk. The oppressive summer heat had begun to ease. After orienting herself, Honami headed for the open east gate of the field.

She and Kitagawa Ryo didn't attend the same middle school, but they knew each other's campuses well. They had walked around here together and learned where everything was, from the classrooms and playground to the day's cafeteria menu. Since there was a soccer match today, the entrance gate had been left open, and Honami soon reached the field.

Honami was one of the most athletic people her age, but she had hardly ever played soccer. Still, thanks to Ryo, she knew the basic rules. Since she had arrived late, she could only stand in the aisle, and even on tiptoe she could barely see the field. But she immediately noticed the score and time displayed on a large screen nearby.

The score was four to four, and the time was 91:03. In other words, the friendly match had reached the final moments of stoppage time.

Honami rose onto her toes and looked toward the field. She saw the opposing team's striker try a shot, and amid a roar of cheers, the home team's goalkeeper dived to the right and caught the ball.

Ryo spotted an opening and immediately moved left to make space to receive the ball, raising his hand to signal for the goalkeeper to throw it to him.

The home team's goalkeeper had played many matches with Ryo before he graduated, so he understood at once. He darted around the opposing player blocking his path, took a running start, and hurled the ball toward Ryo with his right hand.

Ryo had already contributed two goals and two assists over the course of the match. As soon as the opposing players saw him about to receive the ball, three of them instinctively rushed over, hoping to win possession through the advantage of a triple-team.

Faced with this, Ryo simply flicked the ball to Hirata Yosuke, who was unmarked.

Realizing they had been fooled, the opposing players could only stop and turn around. Ryo, who had just passed the ball, suddenly accelerated and darted into the opposing half.

Hirata let the ball roll past him to his right, made a slight adjustment, then launched a long pass with his right foot.

His long passes weren't as good as Ryo's, but they were still reliable.

The ball soared straight toward a striker waiting in the middle. The opposing players, already worn out from chasing the passes, pushed themselves to the limit to catch up after the striker had carried the ball thirty meters. Both teams had played the entire match and were nearly out of stamina. When the striker slowed to a jog, the defender following him let out a sigh of relief.

Just then, he saw the striker smile faintly and nudge the ball toward the center with the inside of his left foot.

"Roooooar!"

A deafening cheer erupted across the entire field.

Only when he saw the ball moving did the opposing captain notice Ryo, who had somehow already made a high-speed run forward. His heart sank.

As team captain, he forced himself to ignore the screams in his throat and lungs and tried to intercept the ball. But he was at least two full tiers slower than Ryo, and the gap between them only widened.

There was only one defender and the goalkeeper in front of Ryo now.

The defender, who still had plenty of stamina, reacted quickly and lunged across, hoping to stop Ryo's attack with a foul. But Ryo was sprinting at full speed. He used the outside of his left foot to knock the ball forward, carrying it five meters ahead, then raced after it.

The opposing goalkeeper charged out of the goal again. He knew this was the shot that would decide the match. Ryo had kicked the ball past the defender and was chasing after it. If the goalkeeper was fast enough, he could save it before Ryo reached the edge of the penalty area.

But he'd forgotten that it took time to get up to speed. He had barely taken a few steps when Ryo, already moving at full pace, reached the ball. The goalkeeper had no choice but to retreat.

Under the extreme pressure, he had nearly made a fatal mistake—charging out halfway, then retreating.

Ryo naturally didn't let the mistake go to waste. Seeing the right side of the goal wide open, he nudged the ball forward and to the left, then planted his right foot to steady himself and struck the underside of the ball with the instep of his left foot.

"A chip shot!"

The teacher commentating on the match, his voice hoarse after a whole game, was almost feverish.

The ball arced through the air, then plunged into the unguarded goal.

"Five to four! That's the end of the match! After a breathtaking final pass and chip shot, the score is five to four!"

The field became an ocean of screams and cheers. People loved a last-second winner. Amid the frenzy, Ryo saw his team's striker—the boy who had passed him the ball for the final goal—run toward the stands.

It seemed someone had arranged to meet him there. The boy took a bouquet of roses from them, leaped onto the stands, and dropped to one knee in front of a girl on the right.

"Sakagami, I like you! Will you go out with me?"

After a brief silence, the entire field shouted as one:

"Say yes! Say yes!"

Under a thousand gazes, the girl blushed and shyly accepted the roses. She lowered her head and kissed the boy on the cheek.

The next moment, the striker, having just succeeded in his confession, raced around the field like a horse let loose from its reins, shouting his thanks to the crowd.

Ryo planted his hands on his hips and chuckled as he teased Hirata Yosuke:

"He's still got that much energy after playing the whole match. I bet he could play another full game without getting tired."

Hirata wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Senpai, I think I just heard someone say they saw Ichinose."

Thinking that Honami had been in the stands to see his winning shot, Ryo suddenly felt a childish urge to show off. He raised his right hand, made a finger-heart, and ran toward the stands.

Ryo had only meant to show off to Ichinose Honami, but he hadn't expected the stands to fall silent.

Was Kitagawa...senpai going to confess to someone?

Ryo had been Student Council President and soccer club captain for three years, and people had talked excitedly about him throughout that time. There were also rumors of his connection to the school's chairman. After the striker's confession, nearly every student assumed Ryo intended to confess to someone too.

So every eye followed the figure who had earned the match's MVP that day. They watched as he rushed toward the right side of the stands. Was the person Senpai liked sitting there?...No, he'd turned left again.

Ryo had confidence in his eyesight. Besides, even in a crowd, Ichinose Honami was the most eye-catching girl there. But after awkwardly running around the entire field, he still hadn't caught sight of her golden-pink hair.

A few girls stood up and shouted things like "Senpai likes me!" and "He just hasn't found me yet!" but most of the students eventually decided that he was simply greeting his juniors at his alma mater after graduation.

"Hey, Honami."

Annoyed at having missed her, Ryo called Ichinose Honami while changing out of his soccer uniform.

"Hey, sorry, Ryo. Maki called me just now, so I went outside to answer because it was so crowded. But I still saw your final shot! The girls beside me were screaming."

Honami's clear, gentle voice was as lively as ever, with a hint of apology.

"Maki said the cat hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days. She wants you to take it to get checked out."

"I've got plans these next couple of days, so I can't. I'll send you the number for a pet hospital. You can take Maki and the cat there when you have time."

Ryo smoothly sidestepped the trap Honami had set for him. One of the main reasons he had moved away from across the street from the Ichinose Family last year was that he'd sensed Ichinose Maki, Honami's little sister, might have feelings for him. Ryo couldn't be bothered to deal with something like that, so he'd simply cut off her hopes. Had Honami noticed?

Ryo never underestimated his childhood friend.

"By the way, I'll be leaving through the east gate in a bit. Are you waiting for me outside?"

Ryo packed up his things. As he walked toward the exit, he nodded and smiled at the younger students nearby.

"Oh, right. I'm waiting by the east gate. It's really crowded, and I'm roasting out here."

"Okay. See you soon."

"See you."

He ended the call, slipped his phone into his pocket, then patted Hirata Yosuke, who had kept his distance until Ryo finished his call before coming over.

"So, have you decided which high school you want to go to?"

Hirata gave his usual sunny smile.

"I'll figure it out later. It's not like I have an inheritance waiting for me even if I don't go to school, like you do, senpai."

The two chatted about school and friends until they ran into a group of people—or rather, a group came straight toward them.

"Hello. Is there something you need?"

Hirata Yosuke stepped forward to speak to the group of girls. He didn't think they meant any harm. After all, the people coming toward them weren't a bunch of burly men, but the opposing team's cheerleaders, whom they'd seen during halftime.

"Come on, get out there."

Whispers rustled from the group. The girls exchanged knowing looks, chattering like a flock of sparrows.

"Kitagawa Ryo...You're Kitagawa-senpai, right?"

The girl at the front was fairly pretty, but her thin lips looked a little sharp, perhaps because she was wearing too much lipstick.

She grabbed a girl hiding behind her and shoved her forward, as if driving her out.

"My...friend."

Laughter came from behind them. She glared fiercely over her shoulder.

"She was planning to confess to you."

The girl stumbled forward when the leader shoved her with a swing of her right hand, nearly falling to the ground. Without thinking, Ryo stepped forward and caught her by the arm.

"Are you all right?"

But the girl seemed not to hear him. Her honey-colored bangs hung down, and her head was bowed so low it nearly reached her knees, hiding her expression. All he could see were her trembling, bloodless lips, as if she were trying to say something.

"I...I...like you. Please go out with me."

Ryo frowned as he heard the halting, broken confession. Her cloudy blue eyes had lost all their light, like glass marbles.

"Okay."

The next second, Ryo answered that way. He reached out and held her by the shoulders, looking straight at her with a smile.

"I'll go out with you."

Chapter 7: False Love (Part 2)