The match pressed on.
A good chance was still just that—a chance. Close didn't count.
Julian rolled his shoulders, breath misting in the cold. He'd tested the keeper once, and Malik had lived up to his numbers. That was fine.
He hadn't even unleashed Martial Memory yet. That was fine. He hadn't even unleashed Martial Memory yet.
The taste of that earlier shot still lingered on his boot—the near-miss, the clang of the bar.
It was a reminder, not a setback.The next time… the next time, the net would ripple.
He caught Leo's eye as they reset.
"Remember our bet," Julian said, voice low but cutting through the ambient roar. "When I score—I want you to do it."
Leo blinked, caught off guard.
"You're telling me you actually want to pull that off in a match like this?"
Julian's smirk sharpened.
"Exactly. In a match like this. So we can go viral."
Leo groaned under his breath, half disbelief, half amusement, but his eyes were already alive with the idea.
