The word auntie instantly set Erum off. She narrowed her gaze, clearly annoyed. "Huh? What's with that tone?"
The girl exhaled, unbothered, and explained evenly, "Kirill definitely used an ability—one that either disrupted Ezekiel's concentration, movement, or timing. By the time he recovered and tried to defend, it was already too late. The shot meant to be defensive turned offensive because of the swing on the new ball, which cut back in and slipped past the wickets.
She continued evenly, "Not to mention, the wet pitch conditions since last week showers are making swing far more dominant. It was inevitable."
Zain's eyes narrowed, interest clearly piqued. "Oh? You seem to know quite a lot about cricket, young one."
The girl nodded, visibly pleased by the remark. "Of course. Ever since I was born, cricket has been my second reason to live. When you grow up alongside it, it becomes part of you." She paused, a faint smile forming. "Just like my brother always says."
Zain's reporter instincts latched onto the word instantly. "Brother?"
The girl's smirk deepened, her jet-black eyes glistening as she spoke. "Mm. That's what my brother Haitam talks about every day. You see the one standing at the center of the ground…?" She pointed toward Haitam on the field.
Then she turned back to Zain—whose expression had frozen—and to a clearly taken-aback Erum. "That star is my elder brother." She grinned. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Hira Asher—Haitam Asher's younger sister."
A brief silence followed.
Then a soft chuckle escaped Zain's lips. "Heh… what a coincidence."
"Yep. A surprising one," Hira replied lightly, turning back around, "I was planning to stay quiet, but this auntie just wouldn't stop mocking Karachi Kings. It got annoying, so I had to step in."
"Huh?" Erum scoffed. "I was mocking them because they were playing like that in the first place. And besides—if your brother's in Multan, why are you so worked up? Whose side are you even on?"
Hira shot her a sharp glance over her shoulder, "Does it matter?"
Erum stiffened.
"If I have a brother on one team, does that mean I'm forbidden from appreciating the other?" Hira continued coolly, "Who even decided that rule?" Erum was left speechless. Hira faced forward again, her smirk returning. "I side with potential and skill. Not my brother. Not my friends. I side with the best cricket, the best talent—the kind that makes my heart race."
She glanced back once more. "Thrill and disbelief—that's all I want to feel and Karachi just showed that. So here I am. When Multan shows it—then I'll be there."
Zain smiled, clearly impressed. "Hm~ Quite an interesting one, aren't you, little lady?"
"Haha, I hear that a lot," Hira replied, pleased.
Erum shot them both a dismissive look before turning back toward the field, lips pressed tight.
As Ezekiel reached the pavilion, Haruf passed him with a gentle smile, giving his shoulder a brief, reassuring tap, "Well done."
Ezekiel caught the words and returned the expression as he stepped inside. Almost under his breath, he murmured, "All the best to you." He lifted his gaze to the others.
The high schoolers were just as he had always described them—stern, unreadable, unmoved. Only Aigou and Senri raised a hand, offering a quiet thumbs-up. The middle schoolers, however, met his eyes with warm, unguarded smiles. Even though it felt like he had accomplished nothing—walking back before the match had truly settled—Ezekiel felt strangely relieved.
Helios spoke, arms crossed, his tone firm. "Don't tell me you wanted to come back this early." It wasn't harsh, but the disappointment beneath his words was unmistakable. Still, what was done was done.
Ezekiel nodded, "Yeah. I didn't. But they didn't give me a choice. No doubt about it… they're strong."
"That's enough pressure," Xavier cut in, turning to Helios, "He gave it everything he had."
Helios exhaled slowly, "You're too lenient."
"We're letting him breathe, for heaven's sake," Mikael shot back.
"You did great, Ezekiel." Poseidon stepped forward, handing him a sports drink and a towel.
Ezekiel set his bat and helmet aside and sat down, nodding, "Thanks, Vice-Captain."
Rauf watched him in silence.
From above, Orion leaned forward, studying him closely, "You blocked it, didn't you? You broke Kirill's Shadow Cage—right before you got out."
Ezekiel narrowed his gaze, a low hum leaving his throat. Even if he wanted to forget it, he knew he wouldn't. That ball—that moment—would stay with him for a long time. The impact was too sharp, too jarring, to fade easily.
"Of course," he said quietly, "Seraph's Cleve Persona's reflexes are on an entirely different level. It startled me. How could I not break it if someone of that caliber took over me completely?"
The pavilion went still. An indescribable chill passed through the space—coaches, high schoolers, middle schoolers alike.
"Took over…?" Nagi repeated softly, swallowing. The words alone felt wrong.
Zachariah blinked at Seraph's back, a flicker of old memory crossing his visible azure eye. Seles and Mir stiffened, clearly caught off guard.
Even Seraph himself, when heard it was frozen in quiet shock.
Ezekiel sensed the shift in the air. He had known it would come to this, yet he continued anyway. "But that damn late swing interfered," he said, exhaling. "And before I realized it…" He looked up at the monochrome sky beyond the pavilion.
"The wickets were blinking red." His voice lowered, "Looks like I got pushed back hard in this match."
Alan glanced at Seraph, who now sat with a strangely vacant look etched across his face. His eyes were hollow—indescribably so.
It felt as though Ezekiel's words had pierced something buried deep within him, as if a secret Seraph had fought to keep sealed had been ripped open in front of everyone. A Pandora's box, pried apart without mercy, spilling out and shattering his composure.
Seraph's fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Kenzo, watching from beside him, spoke in an almost careless tone, "Helios, my boy… why don't you toss your freshman into the Pacific Ocean for me?"
Xavier, Feng, Azazel, Lou Wang, Isa, Ren, Aigou—and the rest—blinked, completely thrown off.
Ezekiel turned around, eyebrow raised, pointing at himself in disbelief, utterly speechless.
Helios let out a slow breath, "First, I am not your boy. Second, I would love to—even if you hadn't said it. But right now, I'm truly at a loss. There isn't even a pond here, let alone an ocean."
Ezekiel swallowed, confusion written all over his face. "Hey… what is this about?"
"For running your mouth—insensitively and without restraint, I suppose," Gabriel muttered.
"How about we just bury him here with his head sticking out?" Ryan added coolly, "A fitting punishment for getting out on just nine runs. Even Ines would've done better, wouldn't he, Gabriel?"
Gabriel scoffed, a teasing glint flashing in his eyes.
"Hm. That proposal sounds much better. This one has my full support," Helios agreed, turning toward Ezekiel with an annoyed grin, "Get ready, brat."
A chill ran straight down Ezekiel's spine as he sprang to his feet. The high schoolers stared at the scene in stunned disbelief.
"Pft—haha!" Alan laughed beside Poseidon, while Ezekiel gaped at the two of them, utterly aghast.
"Hey! How can you laugh so brazenly at something this horrific, Vice-Captain, Alan?!" he cried.
Even Seraph couldn't help it—he smiled faintly, shaking his head, "Enough. Stop scaring him already. Come here, Ezekiel." He tapped the empty seat beside him.
Alan smiled to himself.
Seraph had always been like this—his emotions carried wherever the wind chose to take them. A frown that had weighed heavy only moments ago had softened into something quieter, almost comforting.
"How unpredictable…" Alan murmured, amused. His thoughts were abruptly drowned out as the stadium erupted in thunderous cheers the moment Haruf played out the final ball of the over.
"The 'Destructor,' Haruf Noorfaris of Karachi Kings, sees out the second over safely. Karachi Kings now move to seventeen for the loss of one wicket," Jones commented.
At the pitch, Haruf and Adam exchanged ends with swift taps of their bats. Adam, now at the striker's end, glanced toward Haitam just as he called someone in from the boundary.
The ball rested patiently in the umpire's hand, waiting for the next bowler to claim it. Adam followed Haitam's gesture—and his gaze sharpened when a tall figure emerged, drawing closer.
"Oh~?" Adam whistled under his breath.
Galleous stepped into the inner circle, halting just short of Haitam and the umpire.
The decision was clear—the third over belonged to him.
"Galle… Galle, huh…" Adam murmured. Taking the ball from the umpire, Galleous nodded at Haitam with an easy smile.
Haitam returned the gesture with a firm pat to his back, then motioned for the fielders to reset.
As play resumed, Galleous tossed the ball lightly into the air, settling into his mark.
From the non-striker's end, Haruf smiled faintly, wondering, "After Ezekiel… a leg-spinner for Adam already, huh…"