[Jude's POV]
'Where the fuck are they hiding? Am I supposed to wait for them in front of their personal room like a creepy stalker?'
I was getting impatient.
Both from apprehension and excitement.
Did things proceed like the story I know? Or did my existence induce some small change which switched the course of history.
The butterfly theory is famous for a reason. Maybe my appearance did change a few things.
But I doubt it.
Other than the people I interacted with, I failed to induce a significant level of change.
I failed to finish in the top 3. The number on my shoulder indicating the number "4" was a constant reminder of that failure.
Not that it meant anything to begin with.
It was just a number with no real meaning behind it.
The true ranking will only start after the second selection.
Until then, it's as meaningless as the number I had during the first selection, just a way for weak minded people to gauge the strength of others.
That's why most people spend days and days before choosing a team to go against, they were all way too worried to lose, they didn't accept challenges from higher ranked people and only went for the lower ranked ones.
I doubt any of those people will make it to the third selection.
Those people can't compare to the ones I have in mind.
I was so excited at the idea of meeting them that two different quests appeared as soon as we left the 4th state's canteen.
[Special quest: approval (1)
Difficulty: ??
Time limit: 2 hours.
Earn the approval of Itoshi Rin and impress him.
Reward: ??]
[Special quest: approval (2)
Difficulty: ??
Time limit: 2 hours.
Earn the approval of Meguru Bachira and impress him.
Reward: ??]
..
And now, after 15 minutes of intense search, those two players stood a dozen meters away from me.
In one of the numerous training fields of the 4th stage, they were playing against each other. From the little I got to see, there's no doubt that they deserve their hype.
The training field was smaller than some of the other ones I've seen so far. Quite fitting for a one on one.
Seeing them in person didn't disappoint in the slightest.
Bachira was known for his dribbling, and for a good reason.
Yet he wasn't able to get past Rin.
The little brother of the man who stopped my tournament run in Spain. If I had beat him and won the tournament, I wonder what kind of incredible rewards I could've gotten.
What a shame.
'I guess I'll have to take those rewards from your little brother instead, until we meet again.'
My steadily increasing heartbeat as well as the goosebumps all over my body confirmed my earlier theory. It's my excitement, wishes and goals which generates the quests.
And as of right now, my dearest wish was to prove that I reached their level.
Show them that I exist. That from a bedridden sick man, I'm now capable of standing on the same level as people who lived for football since their childhood.
Unconsciously, my body moved towards them. I stepped through the gate.
I could hear Hiori speak to me, but I wasn't able to pay attention to it. The sound of my heartbeat and palpable excitement was too overwhelming for me to care about anything else.
"Here are the neighbors I've been wanting to greet." I spoke, loud enough for them to hear us coming.
They both turned towards us simultaneously.
Bachira was confused. As for Rin, I couldn't tell. He had the same inexpressive face as his brother.
It's probably in the genes.
"How about a friendly 2vs2? We have an injured teammate and it gets quite boring just waiting."
Bachira didn't immediately reply but instead looked over at Rin.
"I won't be wasting my time with something so childish." Rin replied coldly before heading out.
I couldn't tell if he was leaving because his training was over, or perhaps he was going to another training field, but I wasn't going to let this opportunity slide. I'll make him stay — even if I have to use my joker.
..
"Rin Itoshi, you're awfully similar to your big brother. He was just as nonchalant, until I scored on him of course." I mocked, my voice deeper and darker.
Technically...
It wasn't a lie. I did score on Itoshi Sae in my last game in Spain.
I needed that much to get him to play. And as expected.
The fish took the bait. Rin immediately stopped and turned around.
"You scored against my brother?" He asked, this time I could hear a slight crack in his voice.
"He did try to stop me, but was way too overconfident. I can see that it runs in the genes." I grinned while openly looking down on him and his brother.
I knew that if there was something he wouldn't let slide, it would be that.
I should praise him for his poker face though. I could sense that he was clearly angry, but he didn't let it transpire on his face.
"Since you scored against him, I imagine you won't have any issue scoring against me, right?" He asked sternly before picking up one of the balls and throwing it at me.
"As I said, it will be a friendly 2vs2," I reiterated with a smile.
I had a wide grin on my face. Who knew meeting Sae back then would come in handy almost two years later.
"Stand up," Rin ordered. His eyes didn't deviate from me even when he spoke to Bachira.
"Hey Rin-Chan, it seems like this is going to be fun." Bachira didn't mind it, his simple minded smile unwavering even after the harsh demeanor of his teammate, or perhaps he viewed him as a friend. All Bachira wanted was to have fun.
After all, that's what football is about, right?
One who plays football for fun, and the other who puts his life on the line in each game to surpass his brother.
'What a fun duo,' I thought before looking at my own teammate.
"I count on you to surprise them." I winked at Hiori.
I was already planning to put all the chaos possible in this project — this is only the beginning.
..
..
[IMAGE]
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Author: I'll be finishing up and dropping the next chapter as soon as we reach 120 power stones!!