The roar of the crowd had become a constant storm. A wave of anticipation building with every step Masaki took toward the final third. The 61st minute. Seikan High led 3–1. But the hunger for more had not faded.
Keiji Arase had seen enough.
The prodigy who had once prided himself on clean, surgical defending now surged forward like a blade without restraint.
"Masaki! Score"
Masaki didn't stop.
He dragged the ball with his sole shifted his weight like silk but bam—
A brutal slide.
Keiji launched himself with both feet in a last-ditch tackle. His cleats scraped the grass with violent speed, his body down.The stadium gasped.
Masaki's eyes widened just as contact was made — not with the ball, but his ankle.
THUMP!
Masaki's body twisted mid-air and hit the pitch hard. The ball rolled harmlessly toward the sideline.
The referee's whistle screamed.
Yellow card.
Keiji didn't protest. He sat up, panting, sweat running down his face.
His teammates looked stunned. That wasn't like Captain Keiji. He look desperate.They all thought.
Masaki lay still for a moment.
The medics rushed in.
But then—
He waved them off, stood up slowly, rolled his ankle once
No pain.
The free kick was set just outside the box on the left wing — 22 yards out. Perfect distance. Dangerous angle.
Captain Misaki Taro walked over and stood beside Masaki. The two whispered
From the bench, even Coach Himura and the other substitute stood up.
Aomori's wall formed. Five tall bodies.
Keiji was second from the left.
Masaki placed the ball, then stepped away.
Taro took his position beside it.
Two takers. One mind.
The whistle blew.
Taro ran up first.
He lifted his right foot—then planted.
A feint.
The defenders flinched.
Then Masaki approached slower and smoother.
A two-step run-up.
Then—
Boom.
The strike was perfect.
But it wasn't just power.
It was bend.
The ball curled up and over the wall with not just spinning but curve violently at the last second.
The keeper dive.
Too late.
GOAL.
Top right corner.
The net bulged like it had been struck by lightning.
The stadium exploded.
4–1.
⸻
70th Minute Approaching…
Aomori made substitutions. Their captain urged one final push.
But the stadium knew.
Masaki Renjirou had sealed it.
A goal so perfect, even the sky seemed to pause and admire.
The final whistle blew minutes later.
Seikan High had triumphed — and the pitch became a storm of joy.
"MASAKI! YOU BASTARD!" One of the substitute shouted, running over and slapping him on the back. "Was that even legal!? That ball curved like a crazy!"
Masaki smirked. "Well i learnsome physics."
Captain Taro threw an arm around both of them. "Don't worry. I'll teach physics and poetry at the same time. That was a one hell of a shot, Renjirou."
Aoi jogged over, hair a sweaty mess. "Can we agree that next time, I get a free kick?"
"Sure," Masaki said without looking at him.
"…You're lying."
On the other end, Keiji stayed near the halfway line, staring at the ground.
Hyuga walked up to him and extended a hand.
"You were good," Hyuga said sincerely.
Keiji took the hand and stood up. His face was tired, not angry.
"…He's not normal," Keiji muttered. "You guys better win the Interhigh. Otherwise, I'll hunt you down myself."
"Looking forward to it," Masaki said from behind, tossing him a towel.
Keiji caught it without turning. "…Tch."
———
As the team stood on the makeshift podium, medals around their necks and a massive Seikan banner behind them, the crowd began chanting:
"SEI-KAN! SEI-KAN!"
Taro stepped forward to the mic. His voice boomed across the stadium.
"To all fans of football across Aomori — thank you."
Cheers.
"We are not just eleven players. We are students also a dreamers. And now here we're champions of the prefecture."
Louder cheers.
"But this is just the beginning."
A pause.
"We ask for your voices. Your support. Your belief. When we walk into the Interhigh School Sports Festival as you know we carry the hopes of this prefecture with us. So raise your banners, wear your colors, and scream your hearts out. Let the nation hear it — SEIKAN is coming!"
The stadium erupted.
Even Keiji, now sitting on the Aomori bench with a towel over his head, managed a smile.
———
Back in the locker room, Aoi mimicked Masaki's free-kick run-up in slow motion while pretending to trip and fall.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Bro, you looked like an idiot!" Taira cackled.
"You guys are idiots," Masaki muttered but he smiled too.
Then, as the team packed up, Misaki Taro raised his hand.
"One final thing," he said.
Everyone turned.
"Rest well tonight and tomorrow dont do more training, let your body rest or else injury will occur. We will start training during Monday"
Groans echoed.
"But…" he added, "I'll treat everyone to ramen."
Cheers returned louder than before.