After saying goodbye to Shun and his team at the station, Rika and her teammates returned to their school first. As soon as they stepped inside, chaos erupted.
One of the girls immediately pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the pictures they had taken during the tournament.
"Look at this shot! Shun's bicycle kick! It's straight out of a sports anime!"
Another girl leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Show me, show me! Oh my god, he looks so cool!"
A third-year senior, usually calm and composed, peeked at the photo and gasped dramatically.
"Who. Is. This. Boy?!"
Before Rika could even react, the entire classroom turned into an investigation unit.
"Wait, you met this guy in the tournament?"
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"Where does he go to school?"
"What's his Instagram?!"
Rika, still sitting at her desk, felt a vein pop.
"Oi, why are you all acting like this?" She asked, exasperated.
Her teammates grinned. "Because you actually played a match with him! And from what we saw... you two were kinda in sync."
Rika clicked her tongue, turning away. "Tch. It was just a match. He's nothing special."
But even as she said that, the memory of his ridiculous dribbling, insane speed, and that final goal flashed in her mind. She shook her head quickly. Forget it.
Meanwhile, the other girls in class were still obsessing over the photos.
"We need his name. No, we need everything about him."
"You played with him, right, Rika? Spill the details!"
Rika sighed. "His name's Shun. That's all I know. Now drop it."
But it was already too late. The girls were dead set on finding out more about him.
Later That Day - Rika's Home
After a long day of dodging questions about Shun, Rika finally made it home. She threw her bag onto the floor and stretched her arms, already planning to take a nap when—
"Rika, I need to tell you something."
Her father's voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned around to see him sitting at the table, looking serious.
"Huh? What's with that face?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Her father sighed. "I've been transferred… We're moving to Tokyo next week."
Silence.
For a full five seconds, Rika just stood there, staring at him. Then—
"Wait… WHAT?!"
Her father nodded. "I already arranged for your school transfer. You'll continue your studies and soccer there."
Rika's mind went blank. Tokyo. The place where Shun lived.
She thought back to all the girls earlier desperately trying to figure out who he was. If they found out she was moving to the same city as him, she'd never hear the end of it.
Her father, completely unaware of her inner turmoil, casually continued. "We'll start packing tomorrow, so be ready."
Still in shock, Rika slowly walked to her room and collapsed onto her bed.
"Tokyo, huh…?"
She exhaled, staring at the ceiling.
Was this fate? A coincidence? Or just the universe messing with her?
Either way, her rivalry with Shun wasn't ending anytime soon.