Haruma's eyes were locked on Masaru in disbelief while Masaru was gazing up at the sky with a straight face.
"What did you just say?" Haruma asked, his voice barely above a shivering whisper.
Still staring up at the clouds, Masaru began, "When I first saw you playing football, it was obvious that you were the worst striker I had ever seen in my life… But now, after a whole year of playing with you…"
A warm, genuine smile broke across Masaru's face and he slowly turned his head to look at Haruma.
"I can finally say that you're not the absolute worst anymore… Congrats, man. You've officially gone from worst to bad."
Haruma's eyes widened further in sheer shock, and within moments, tears began to spill rapidly down his cheeks as he burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs, all the pent-up frustration finally pouring out.
Masaru just kept right on smiling, watching his friend cry with a bizarre sense of pride.
"To celebrate your big promotion, let me treat you to some ramen," he said, pushing himself up from the grass with a wide grin.
"Let's gooo!" He excitedly announced, pumping his fist, while Haruma just kept on sitting there, hopelessly crying his eyes out on the grass…
The next day…
Haruma arrived at school, standing in front of his locker, swapping out his shoes.
"I'll definitely be there watching every game."
A female voice reached his ear of one of the two girls standing nearby.
"It's unbelievable that our school will actually play in this tournament." The other girl said, her excitement was evident.
"It really is! And it all happened because of Toru, he's just awesome" the other girl added, her face glowing with admiration.
Staying quiet, Haruma shut his locker, the sharp metallic click instantly catching the girls' attention. Without a single word, Haruma then turned and walked right past them, completely ignoring their existence.
"Isn't he also part of the team?" one of the girls asked, her eyes following him down the corridor.
"Yeah," the other replied with a dismissive shrug. "He's just a substitute striker. His real job is basically being the water boy, and honestly, he's undoubtedly the worst striker on the team."
Haruma kept walking with his expression unreadable as he disappeared into the distance…
Haruma was now walking down the long school corridors with his expression entirely blank and his eyes were cast downward, shadowed by the relentless echo of those girls' words still playing in his mind.
Reaching his classroom, Haruma slid the door open, only to stop dead in his tracks.
There, draped over one of the desks, was Toru kissing a girl. Their faces were tangled close, their lips pressed firmly together.
Noticing Haruma, without breaking the kiss, Toru subtly shifted his gaze, side-eying Haruma from the corner of his eyes with a cold, deliberate look. And once the girl noticed Haruma she immediately pulled away, her face flushing a deep crimson, completely avoiding Haruma's gaze, looking anywhere but at him, visibly consumed by embarrassment.
Haruma stood frozen in the doorway, his wide eyes slightly wide, filled with disbelief.
Looking at Haruma, Toru let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of his head.
"Ooh, hey Haruma, how are you buddy?" he said, forcing a casual tone and a tight smile.
Keeping his expression entirely blank, Haruma let out a quiet sigh and walked silently to the back of the classroom and took his seat.
The girl hurriedly moved away, slipping into her own desk while still completely avoiding Haruma's gaze.
Toru sat down at his own bench, a restless, nervous energy hanging around him. And now with no one speaking, the room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Haruma slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes landing on the girl sitting a few rows ahead with her back on him.
She sat in absolute silence, her long, beautiful black hair cascading smoothly down her back. And for a quiet moment, Haruma just stared at her, his face remaining entirely unreadable.
After a while, the heavy silence was shattered as a wave of students flooded into the classroom all at once, their loud chatter and bursts of laughter instantly filling the room with a chaotic surge of life and energy.
As the day progressed, the classroom erupted into thunderous applause, as all the students were clapping with immense enthusiasm, while Toru was standing proudly, a big smile lighting up his face.
The female teacher inside the classroom was also brimming with pride, before raising her hand signalling for students to quiet down, and as the students gradually complied, the teacher began.
"After some amazing qualifying matches," Her smile widening "Our football team has earned a spot in All-School Cup!"
A wave of broad smiles spread across all the students' faces, their excitement lighting up the entire classroom.
Turning to Toru, the teacher gestures towards him and adds, "And it all happened because of this young man. The pride of Hanaka High school, Toru Aokawa!"
The applause erupted once again, with all the students murmuring praises about Toru among themselves, While Toru remained standing, his posture confident and proud, basking in the admiration.
The teacher raised her hands once more, calming the class, as the claps gradually subsided. The teacher, with a warm and genuine smile, turned to Toru.
"Toru, we all are honored to have you between us." she said, her voice filled with pride, "And I'm sure, that one day, you will represent Japan on the biggest stage of the world."
Toru's demeanor softened as he smiled gratefully before bowing his head before her teacher, paying respect to her words.
Smiling proudly, the teacher turned to the class, "And I'd like to congratulate the other players representing this class," she announced warmly, "Masaru and Haruma, please stand up."
Masaru shot to his feet with enthusiasm, his energy peaking, while Haruma rose slowly almost lazily, his face devoid of any excitement or joy.
"Congratulations to both of you as well." the teacher said with a kind smile.
Masaru smiles brightly "Thank you so much, I'll make you all proud!" he declared, his voice brimming with excitement.
The teacher nodded with a smile, "Alright everyone, let's give them a big round of applause to boost their confidence!" she said cheerfully.
The classroom erupted into loud, enthusiastic applause, but all of their energy and attention were still directed to Toru, praising him openly.
Haruma stood in silence, his expression entirely blank, completely devoid of any emotion or excitement. And amid the surrounding noise he slowly shifted his gaze up toward the girl with the long black hair who was, too, clapping enthusiastically with her focus entirely locked onto Toru.
Haruma's pale, empty gaze remained fixed on her, watching as she poured all of her unrestrained enthusiasm into her applause, but it was all meant for Toru, and Toru alone…
As the school day came to a close and the sun began its slow descent, Haruma and Masaru were walking down the road together on their way home.
"Ughhh, when will this break finally end!" Masaru groaned loudly, throwing his arms over his head. "I'm seriously missing the field already. I just wanna get back to training!"
Haruma offered no response and simply kept on walking, his steps rhythmic and his expression entirely blank, completely detached.
Masaru glanced over at him, and once catching sight of his detachment he chuckled softly, clearly amused by something.
Noticing his laugh, Haruma turned his head slightly, a single eyebrow raised. "What? Why are you laughing?" he asked flatly.
Cutting his chuckle short, a mischievous smirk crossed Masaru's face, "Well, I bet it must be pretty rough for you to see your crush appreciating some other dude right in front of everyone."
Seeming genuinely confused, Haruma's brow furrowed. "And who exactly is my crush?"
Looking squarely at Haruma, Masaru dropped his voice into a teasing, knowing whisper. "Oh, come on, I'm talking about the one you can't seem to take your eyes off of. Your Long-Haired Goddess."
Haruma flinched, his step faltering for a fraction of a second.
Masaru leaned in slightly, his smirk growing "Your long haired goddess, Miss Rukia Takahara"
Haruma's eyes widened in sheer shock, his calm face completely slipping. A sharp, irritated look crossed his features as he turned to Masaru. "Are you crazy?" he snapped.
Masaru burst out laughing, enjoying the reaction. "Ahhh, come on, don't lie to your best buddy! I know how much you love long hair. And lately, with the way you've been watching Rukia, I'm pretty sure you love her."
As frustration washed over him, Haruma looked ahead again and shut his eyes. "No," he said sharply, his voice cutting through the air. "I don't love her."
Masaru smirked, completely unfazed. "Yes you do. You are just too scared to confess, so I did it on your behalf," he said casually, as if talking about the weather.
Haruma's eyes snapped open. And slowly, he turned his head back to Masaru, "You did what?" he asked, his tone tight and tense.
Masaru just chuckled. "Look buddy, it's better to confess. Even if she rejects you, then at least you won't have any regrets."
Stunned, Haruma stared at him, his anger growing by the second. "What are you even talking about? Rejection? Confession?"
Still smiling, Masaru met Haruma's intense glare. "I wrote a confession letter to her on your behalf, and put it in her locker."
Haruma froze mid-step, his feet glued to the pavement as his eyes wide in utter disbelief.
Masaru stopped a few paces ahead and turned around, glancing back at Haruma with a shrug. "Come on, it's not a big deal. If she rejects you, then it would be easy for you to mo—"
A punch landed squarely on Masaru's face, making him stumble backward, losing his balance before felling hard onto the ground.
"Why the hell did you do that?!" Haruma shouted furiously, his fists trembling at his sides.
Masaru slowly stood up to his feet, wiping the dirt off his clothes. "Haruma, I just wanted to help you," he muttered, looking up.
Haruma's frustration boiled over completely. "Helping me with what?! I don't like her, damnit!" he shouted, his voice echoing down the empty street.
Masaru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Stop lying to yourself, Haruma."
Consumed by anger, Haruma desperately started pacing around aimlessly, his mind racing.
Masaru kept his eyes on him. "What are you thinking now?" he asked flatly.
Haruma swiftly turned, looking at the route going back to the school. And without another thought, he sprinted back toward the campus.
Masaru flinched, startled by the sudden movement, before quickly rushing after him.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" he called out, straining to catch up.
"I believe she hasn't opened her locker yet!" Haruma said breathlessly, keeping his eyes locked ahead. "I will take that letter out before she sees it!"
Masaru let out a small sigh of disappointment but kept running close behind him. And Together, they both sprinted furiously back toward the school, their heavy footsteps pounding hard against the pavement.