By the time Shirase and Isshiki Iroha arrived at the clubroom, most of the soccer team members were already present.
Kirisu Mafuyu stood in the center of the room, and everyone—including the captain—looked unusually solemn.
"You two finally made it," the captain visibly relaxed as soon as he saw Shirase.
"What's going on?" Isshiki asked nervously, her voice dropping lower due to the heavy atmosphere.
Kirisu-sensei turned toward Shirase. "There's good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Tell us both at the same time," Shirase suggested calmly. "That way, the good and bad balance out and our mood won't be affected."
Kirisu's eyes immediately turned icy. This kid—daring to play games again in front of me?
The soccer club members stared at Shirase in amazement. Holy shit, Shirase, you've really got guts—talking to Kirisu-sensei like that?!
Isshiki shrank slightly, also intimidated by Kirisu's expression.
Only Shirase himself remained perfectly calm. He glanced around the clubroom before casually asking the captain, "Captain, does this clubroom have a lot of cockroaches?"
Kirisu-sensei's expression flickered.
Shirase continued smoothly, "If it does, feel free to tell me. I happen to be really skilled at exterminating cockroaches."
"Huh?" The captain looked utterly confused, wondering why Shirase suddenly brought that up.
Kirisu bit her lip softly. This little brat—is he deliberately reminding me?!
But, annoyingly, she really didn't dare to tackle a "cockroach dungeon" on her own.
With a slight cough, she redirected the conversation. "I'll just get straight to the point. The good news is, the principal was extremely pleased with your overwhelming victory in the friendly match. He also took special note of Shirase and Hayama's standout performance. From now on, if you want to apply for more friendlies, he'll definitely support you."
"And the bad news?" Isshiki unconsciously asked.
Kirisu-sensei's expression turned serious. "The bad news is, on Wednesday, for some unknown reason, some tabloid reporters accompanied Koshigoe High's team here. They recorded your entire match on camera and have already uploaded the footage online. Due to certain... special reasons, Shirase and Hayama's scenes were edited and uploaded separately onto short-video platforms. Those clips are now attracting a lot of attention."
Everyone understood perfectly well what the "special reasons" were—obviously, it was their handsome looks drawing clicks.
"So...we're famous now?" Isshiki's voice carried a faint trace of excitement.
But seeing everyone else still looking grim, she suppressed her enthusiasm and asked carefully, "Kirisu-sensei, isn't that a good thing? Why would it be bad news?"
Shirase interjected quietly, "Kirisu-sensei means that even though it was only small-time reporters filming us, the fact that a no-name team like ours easily defeated Koshigoe International—who made nationals last year—means other schools must have taken notice..."
Pausing briefly, Shirase met Isshiki's puzzled gaze and clarified, "Everyone's looking upset probably because one of the teams now targeting us is a powerhouse."
"Exactly." Kirisu glanced appreciatively at Shirase. "At noon today, the principal informed me three schools had already reached out to request friendly matches against us. He specifically emphasized Toritsu High School."
Just as expected, another storm arrives.
Shirase sighed inwardly.
"That school's name sounds familiar..." Isshiki furrowed her brows, trying to remember.
The captain beside her helpfully reminded, "Toritsu High made the top eight nationally last year. They also have a player who's already been scouted by a professional youth academy."
Kirisu-sensei nodded slightly and added, "In other words, if you accept this friendly match, you'll be facing off against a semi-professional-level opponent."
Isshiki Iroha jumped in shock. She finally understood everyone's anxiety. "We've only played one friendly match so far—how come we're suddenly facing semi-pros?"
While being invited by a pro youth academy didn't guarantee an eventual spot in professional leagues, it unquestionably meant the player was exceptionally skilled. After all, many professional stars started their careers from high school national competitions.
Kirisu-sensei turned to Shirase again. "Because of him."
Immediately, everyone's gaze shifted to Shirase.
Holding back an urge to praise him openly, Kirisu softly continued, "I'm not very knowledgeable about soccer, so after that win, I just thought Shirase performed quite well. But after researching online—and seeing Toritsu High's invitation—I finally realized that Shirase's performance on Wednesday already surpasses most ordinary high school players by far."
The captain and others immediately swelled with pride. One teammate joked, "We've discussed this countless times with Hayama already. Shirase's stamina is insane, and his technique isn't far behind."
"Most importantly, he's still improving every day," Isshiki closed her eyes, already feeling the headache coming on.
An invitation from a top-tier school meant her workload was about to skyrocket again.
"So, Shirase's the root of all evil, huh?" Hayama Hayato's voice came from outside the door.
Everyone turned. Hayama strolled in casually, dressed in his uniform, shoulder bag slung over one side, smiling warmly.
"Exactly! Shirase's the one to blame!" The team's anxiety eased significantly with Hayama's arrival, and everyone laughed together, teasing Shirase.
Shirase thought briefly, then asked, "So captain, you suddenly changed your plan today—decided to hold extra practice?"
"Extra practice isn't optional anymore... You have no idea, when Kirisu-sensei first broke the news to me, my heart stopped."
"Hey, hey, captain—you're exaggerating way too much."
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Kirisu-sensei quietly watched the team's lively interactions, her gaze gradually softening.
She could clearly see, apart from Shirase and the newly-arrived Hayama, the others were actually scared deep down.
But even then, not a single person raised objections or chose to run away.
Guiding students' talents down the right path—wasn't that precisely a teacher's duty?
Kirisu unconsciously curled her fingers into a determined fist. She needed to take things seriously herself; she absolutely couldn't let these kids down.
With all the members finally present, the players changed clothes and prepared to start training. Isshiki Iroha also straightened her expression and resumed her role as manager.
"Everyone, do your best! We're going up against a national quarterfinalist next!"
"Captain, worry about yourself first. You looked like you'd pass out just now."
"Thanks for the reminder—I'm at 1000% now."
"..."
Just as Shirase prepared to leave the clubroom, Kirisu Mafuyu suddenly spoke behind him, "Just now, did you deliberately mention cockroa—that insect?"
Shirase turned around. Kirisu-sensei's face looked utterly stiff, as though even mentioning the word "cockroach" would send her trembling in fear.
"I mentioned it accidentally," Shirase replied immediately.
Kirisu-sensei scoffed coldly, "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
Ignoring her suspicion, Shirase calmly continued, "Actually, when I said I was skilled at dealing with those bugs, it was the truth."
Kirisu-sensei blinked, momentarily stunned. Before she could reply, Shirase's voice came again.
"So, Kirisu-sensei, for things like this, don't rely on Kana-nee anymore. She's exactly the same as you—totally useless against bugs."
When it came to cockroaches, Kojima Kana was exactly like Los Angeles—after a few days without seeing her, she'd become totally LA.
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T/N: dont worry bonus chaps will be released on sunday
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