The crowd was still locked in awe, eyes fixed on Haruma's majestic move before them.
From the sideline, his mother stood just as still, watching with the same stunned expression
For a split second, the ball stayed balanced on Haruma's boot mid-air before he came down first, then letting the ball fall
But before the ball could actually land, from the side, another Hanaka High player came charging in, throwing his kick forward with full-force, aiming for a collision to break the play.
With perfect timing, Haruma lifted the ball just enough with his knee, soft, controlled, precise, popping it over the incoming tackle and slipping past the collision by a breath.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the dropping ball, Haruma took a few steps forward, and when the ball hit the grass in front of him, he swung his foot for the strike.
From the side another defender came rushing, throwing himself into a sliding block to shut down the shot.
But Haruma never flinched.
