One month later.
The field felt different.
Not bigger.
Not smaller.
Just… sharper.
Every touch.
Every movement.
Every decision.
Nothing felt casual anymore.
Yusuke stood at the edge of the pitch, ball at his feet, breathing steady. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, but he was already there.
Of course he was.
He rolled the ball forward.
Stopped it.
Rolled it again.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
"…Again," he muttered.
He pushed forward.
Two touches.
Three.
Then a quick shot.
The ball slammed into the back of the net.
No celebration.
He walked forward and picked it up.
Turned.
Reset.
"Oi."
Yusuke didn't turn.
"…You're early."
"…You're earlier."
Kaito stepped onto the pitch, already holding a ball under his arm.
"…You've been doing this every day?"
"…Yeah."
Kaito dropped his ball to the ground.
"…Good."
No more words.
He started shooting.
Hard.
Fast.
Relentless.
Not one shot was lazy.
Not one shot was soft.
Every strike felt like he was trying to prove something.
Yusuke noticed.
Of course he did.
"…Still mad?" he asked.
Kaito didn't stop shooting.
"…Still chasing."
Yusuke smirked slightly.
"…Same thing."
"Don't start without me."
Riku jogged onto the field next, slightly out of breath but already focused.
"…You're late," Kaito said.
"…I'm on time."
"…You're not."
"…Shut up."
Riku grabbed a ball and passed it toward Yusuke.
"…Let's try it."
Yusuke caught it with one touch.
"…Again?"
"…Again."
They moved.
Not fast at first.
Just clean.
Riku passed.
Yusuke returned it.
One touch.
Then two.
Then movement.
But something felt off.
The timing wasn't there.
The flow wasn't there.
The connection
wasn't the same.
Riku clicked his tongue.
"…That's not it."
"…Yeah," Yusuke said.
"…We're forcing it."
Kaito watched from the side.
"…Told you."
"Oi, don't act like you know everything."
Yuma's voice cut in as he ran onto the pitch.
"WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS TOO!"
Sora followed behind him, laughing.
"…He means we've been trying."
Takumi walked in calmly, already juggling the ball without even looking down.
"…And failing."
Hiroto came last.
"…Not failing."
"…Learning."
Now they were all there.
Southside United.
No coach.
No instructions.
Just them.
And the idea Yusuke had planted.
"Alright," Riku said.
"…Let's stop trying to copy it."
Everyone looked at him.
"…What?"
"…That last play."
Riku pointed at Yusuke.
"…That wasn't something we can just recreate."
Yusuke nodded slightly.
"…Yeah."
"…So what do we do then?" Sora asked.
A pause.
Then
"We build it," Yusuke said.
They started again.
But this time
it was different.
Not trying to force the same movement.
Not trying to recreate the same moment.
Just
playing.
Hiroto controlled the tempo.
Short passes.
Clean.
Sharp.
Takumi moved wide, pulling defenders.
Sora cut in and out, creating angles.
Yuma pressed hard, forcing mistakes.
Kaito stayed high, looking for chances.
Riku adjusted constantly.
And Yusuke
watched everything.
"Switch!"
Hiroto called out.
Takumi moved.
Sora shifted.
Riku turned.
The ball flowed.
Better this time.
Not perfect.
But better.
Then
break.
Riku passed.
Yusuke moved.
One touch.
Back to Riku.
Kaito ran.
Shot
Saved.
"…Tch."
Close.
But not enough.
They reset again.
No complaints.
No frustration.
Just repetition.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Time passed.
The sun rose higher.
Sweat built.
Breathing got heavier.
But no one stopped.
"Faster!"
Yuma shouted.
"YOU'RE TOO SLOW!"
"…Then move," Hiroto replied.
Sora laughed.
"…He's right though."
Kaito took a shot.
Missed.
He didn't react.
Just grabbed the ball again.
Shot again.
This time
goal.
Takumi stopped the ball mid air and dropped it perfectly.
"…Control."
"…Always control."
Riku passed harder this time.
Yusuke adjusted instantly.
Returned it.
Better.
Cleaner.
"…There," Riku said.
"…You felt that?"
"…Yeah."
Not the same as before.
But closer.
From the sidelines
someone was watching.
Not part of the team.
Not making noise.
Just observing.
Hands in pockets.
Eyes sharp.
"…So that's them."
A pause.
"…Southside United."
He looked directly at Yusuke.
"…He's the one."
No smile.
No emotion.
Just focus.
"…Good."
Back on the field
Yusuke stopped.
Looked around.
Everyone was tired.
Everyone was better.
But something still wasn't complete.
Not yet.
"…We're getting there," Riku said.
Yusuke nodded.
"…Yeah."
"…But we're not done."
They lined up again.
One more run.
One more attempt.
One step closer.