After the heartfelt conversation with Hiraku, Kaiser felt strangely light, almost like a long-forgotten warmth had begun to creep back into his life. Hiraku, wiping his tears, smiled and said, "You really have changed." Kaiser turned his eyes to the sky and muttered, "Now I have something to enjoy other than loneliness."
That afternoon, Hiraku invited Kaiser to join a friendly football match. Kaiser hadn't played in a long time, but something in him stirred. He accepted with a simple nod. As they walked to the ground, he recalled the countless times he played alone as a child, escaping from the mess that was his home life. It wasn't just a game—it was the one place where he could control the outcome.
Once at the field, the match setup quickly escalated. What was supposed to be a friendly match had turned competitive when a group of university players arrived. They wanted in. The school allowed it, and suddenly, the match turned into a spectacle. The team line-ups were impressive.
On one side: Hiraku, Raju, Hiori Hyouka—known as the ace midfielder of the country, Raju—the ace of the national football team and Hiraku—one of the best defender in the country and five university players who were at the national level.
On the other: Kaiser, Itoshi (one of the top strikers), Kuai (a top defender), Rensuke ( one of the top midfielder), and five equally ranked university players. The crowd, initially disinterested, started to gather. Holy Cross was truly a powerhouse school, and today it was showing why.
The game began. Kaiser's team started strong, opting for an all-out offense. Michael, one of the university players, led the initial charge. But just as things seemed to be building, Raju intercepted and stole the ball, dancing through the field with terrifying ease. He passed it last minute to Hiori, who served it back with pinpoint accuracy, allowing Raju to score the first goal.
The crowd roared.
Kaiser narrowed his eyes. "So this is the difference between normal gameplay and elite performance," he thought. Yet he didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he clapped his hands and shouted to Kuai, "You were good. Let's go even harder!"
The match resumed. This time, Michael pushed forward again but was blocked by Hiraku, who seemed to have read every move. "He really hates to lose," Kaiser thought.
The momentum shifted again. Hiori received the ball and cut through the midfield like a blade. He passed it to Blake, another university player, who scored again. Now it was 2-0.
The crowd quieted. Whispers began. Some students lost hope. But not Rensuke. Not Kaiser. Both of them shared a look and smirked. They were just getting started.
At halftime, the team huddled. Sweat dripped from every player. Strategies were thrown around, but Kaiser stood silent, focused.
When the second half started, the mood was tense. Everyone expected the same pattern to repeat.
But then Kaiser changed everything.
Instead of passing, he took control of the ball himself. His feet moved with the elegance and confidence of someone who had mastered the game. Raju sneered. "Even a genius has limits," he whispered.
Yet Kaiser dribbled past defender after defender, cutting through their line. Just as he was about to be trapped, he passed it to Rensuke. But both players were instantly blocked—Rensuke by Hiori and Blake, Kaiser by Hiraku and Raju.
What happened next silenced the field.
Rensuke launched the ball into the air, then smashed it down toward Kaiser. With glowing eyes, Kaiser caught the ball mid-air with his foot, launched it higher, then raced to where it would land. He leaped again, missing the shot with his left foot.
Everyone thought it was over.
But in the very next second, he twisted mid-air and landed a powerful strike with his right foot. The ball screamed into the goal. Goal.
The crowd erupted.
Raju stared, speechless. Hiori whispered, "So he really is the prodigy."
Hiraku grinned. "You were holding back... You monster."
Kaiser walked back to his position with the calm of a soldier returning from battle. He looked up at the sky again.
"This... this is what it feels like to burn and freeze at the same time," he thought. "Frost and fire."
But the match wasn't over yet.
The final ten minutes began. Both teams were now serious. Sweat poured, tackles flew, strategies shifted every second. Rensuke and Kaiser became a deadly duo. One pass, two passes, sharp cuts, aerial maneuvers—the crowd was no longer just watching. They were living it.
On the other side, Raju was raging. He pushed harder, faster, and more aggressively. He tackled Kaiser once—a little too hard—but Kaiser didn't flinch. He got up and smiled.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "Afraid you're not enough?"
Raju's eyes burned.
The final goal would decide the game. 2-1, and time was running out.
Kaiser got the ball. His body moved like clockwork. He maneuvered through three players, lobbed the ball to Itoshi, who passed it back perfectly. Kaiser saw the gap—just one moment. He took it. But then Raju appeared in front of him but kaiser had already shot so it was stopped by Raju but then kaiser says "just as I expected" and then Kuai steals the ball from Raju but Raju wasn't scared he said "Do you think I became the ace easily, no. Let me show you what I've got" then he bounces the ball at the ground and then everyone goes in disbelief after what he did. He really controlled the ball at the back of his feet, then bounced it in the air then himself jumps and shoots and passes the ball towards one of his teammates but the teammate failed to gain control and in that exact moment rensuke appears steals the ball and passed to kaiser but kaiser was very far from the goal, so everyone thought that he won't be able score but kaiser shoots the ball from very far but it was just a feint everyone mistook it and then kaiser began his beautiful and destructive dance with the ball as he was approaching the goalpost hiraku and hiori appeared and says that " It will not be easy to score, genius" and "I will be the final wall for you, burning frost( kaiser's nickname when he used to play). Kaiser says stop me if you can and then aims at the corner of the post and then was about to shoot but hiori blocked him and tackled him as Kaiser was about to fall he threw the ball up and when he was at the back of hiori he does a bicycle kick.
He shot.
Time froze.
Then the net rippled. Goal.
2-2.
The whistle blew. Time up.
The game ended in a draw, but for everyone watching, it felt like the greatest match they had ever seen.
Hiraku came over and ruffled Kaiser's hair.
"See?" he said. "You do have friends."
Kaiser looked at the field, the cheering crowd, the sweat on his teammates' faces, the sparkle in Shinoa's eyes watching from afar, and even Rukia's proud smile.
He grinned.
"Yeah," he said. "I guess I do."