Chapter 50 — Quiet Before the Field (Part 1)
School ended like nothing happened.
The final bell rang, chairs scraped lightly against the floor, and the classroom dissolved into its usual end-of-day noise. Bags were lifted, conversations overlapped, and footsteps moved toward the exits. To most students, it was just another day.
He walked out of the school gates the same way he always did — escorted, watched, protected. The familiar black car waited at the curb. The bodyguards opened the door with practiced efficiency, and Haruya slid into the back seat, posture straight, expression calm.
Yet his mind was anything but.
The car pulled away, the school shrinking behind tinted glass.
He leaned back against the seat and stared out the window as the city passed by — tall buildings, crowded sidewalks, glowing screens. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
Inside his head, thoughts overlapped and tangled.
Football.
The word echoed again and again.
He hadn't raised his hand impulsively. He definitely hadn't done it because of anyone else in the room.
He did it because, for the first time in a long while, something felt… familiar.
---
Back Home — A Quiet Room
The mansion gates opened smoothly, as they always did. The car rolled into the driveway, stopped, and Haruya stepped out. Servants greeted him politely. The house was warm, peaceful.
He went straight to his room.
The door closed softly behind him.
Haruya dropped his bag beside the desk, loosened his tie, and lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His arms rested loosely at his sides. His breathing was steady.
But his thoughts weren't.
State-level matches…
If his class team won, they wouldn't stop at school-level games. They would go further. Bigger crowds. Bigger fields. More attention.
In this world, women dominated sports. Strength, stamina, competition — it all belonged to them. Seeing women play football wasn't strange here.
What was strange… was him.
In his previous world, football was rough, chaotic, shared mostly by boys. He remembered dusty fields near the orphanage, worn-out balls, scraped knees, laughter mixed with curses. Girls played sometimes, yes — but never like this. Never at this scale. Never with this level of intensity.
Here?
Women played seriously. Aggressively. Professionally.
Watching women play state-level football…
The image formed in his mind: powerful legs cutting across the field, fierce tackles, voices shouting commands, sweat and determination under stadium lights.
It felt… awkward.
Not wrong. Just unfamiliar.
And yet—
A small, uncontrollable spark of excitement flickered in his chest.
I'll be there too…
Haruya sprawled across his bed, staring at the ceiling with a grin he couldn't quite wipe off his face. Thinking about start-level where—the match against the so many women' academy team. Just thinking about it sent a restless buzz through his veins.
*Playing against so many girls… running, sweating, sliding in for tackles…*
His mind wandered straight into dangerous territory.
He pictured it perfectly: he'd be sprinting toward their goal, ball dancing at his feet, crowd roaring. Then one of them—the fastest defender, ponytail flying, jersey hugging every curve—would dive in to stop him. Bodies colliding, limbs tangling, and his elbow… *oh man*… brushing right against the soft swell of her chest. Accidental. Totally accidental. But warm. Real. Unmistakable.
The scene looped in his head, vivid and merciless. Again. Again. The brief pressure, the way her shirt would cling with sweat, the heat of skin under thin fabric. His imagination supplied every detail it shouldn't.
Heat exploded across his face. A familiar tickle started in his nose. He sat up too late—warm blood was already slipping over his upper lip. Nosebleed. From a daydream.
*Perfect.*
He pinched his nose, groaning, cheeks burning hotter than the summer asphalt outside.
*I'm not a creep, okay? I'm really not. It's just… how's a guy supposed to stay calm when there will be so many, against all of them team feels like that? Bodies moving like that, right in your space, challenging you, blocking you… How do you not imagine stuff? How do you not react?*
He flopped back down, tissue clamped to his face, heart racing with equal parts shame and anticipation.
He already losing his mind but some how haruya control himself.
He imagined again standing on that field. Wearing his school colors. Hearing the crowd. Feeling the grass beneath his boots.
It made his stomach twist.
Part of him felt out of place.
Another part of him felt alive.
"I'm really doing this…" he murmured quietly.
He turned his head to the side, staring at nothing.
If we win at school… I'll really be playing at the state level.
That thought made his heart beat faster.
But because this was something he earned coming in this world.
Something he chose.
Something that wasn't decided for him.
He exhaled slowly.
"I won't know unless I try."
The ceiling above him didn't answer. But for the first time in days, Haruya didn't feel trapped between expectations.
He felt like he was stepping forward.
---
Elsewhere — A Woman Who Never Rests
While Haruya lay quietly in his room, another mind was anything but calm.
Akari sat alone in the staff room.
The room was nearly empty now. Most teachers had already left, their desks dark, chairs pushed in neatly. Only one light remained on — the one above her.
She sat perfectly straight in her chair, hands folded loosely on the desk, eyes lowered.
She had heard everything.
The announcement.
The murmurs.
The shock.
And most importantly—
When Haruya raised his hand.
Her fingers twitched.
Thinking about Football match.
Physical contact. Running. Falling. Collisions.
Crowds everywhere.
So many dirty Eyes watching my haruya.
Those evil Hands that might touch my haruya without permission.
Her lips pressed together, the corners tightening.
She slowly stood, walking to the window. The evening light painted the hallway in gold and shadow. Students passed outside, laughing, carefree.
Akari's reflection stared back at her from the glass.
Her expression was gentle.
"So you want to step onto the field…" she whispered softly. "You're brave. Reckless… but brave."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
If any girl tries to hurt my haruya…
The thought completed itself without effort.
I'll make that girl regret being born.
Akari didn't imagine screaming or chaos. She imagined consequences. Long-lasting ones. Careers quietly ending. Reputations dissolving. Lives bending permanently out of shape.
She returned to her desk and sat down again, crossing her legs slowly.
"If the match reaches the state level…" she murmured, tapping a finger lightly against the wood, "the attention will multiply."
Her mind worked smoothly, methodically.
Teachers. Supervisors. Medical staff. Security protocols.
She would know who was present.
She would know who touched him.
She would know who looked at him the wrong way.
And if someone crossed a line—
Her calm smile returned.
"I'll protect you," she whispered, almost tenderly. "Even if you never know but you always be mine..."
The room remained silent.
Outside, the sun dipped lower.
And somewhere across the city, a boy lay on his bed, thinking about football — unaware that the field he was stepping onto wasn't just grass and goals.
—To be continued...
Author note
Hey my dear readers,
Sorry for disappearing for a bit. As I mentioned earlier, I had to go somewhere and just couldn't manage to write or upload chapters during that time. No secret plot, no drama — just real life being real life 😅
I'm back now, alive and breathing, and ready to continue the story with you all.
This chapter is a bit short, but that's intentional. Chapter 50 is going to be split into multiple parts, and things are about to move fast — especially with the sports arc starting properly.
So please stay tuned, be patient with me, and thank you as always for sticking around. Your support honestly keeps this story alive.
—king_fuzu.