The next few days passed in a blur of schoolwork, football practice, and quiet evenings spent thinking about the system's next challenge. Yuto knew what he had to do: juggle the ball 100 times. But each time he attempted the quest, he couldn't break past twenty or thirty juggles before the ball fell to the ground.
Each failure gnawed at him. His frustration was growing.
At school, Yuto found it hard to concentrate. He could feel the weight of his inadequacies on his shoulders, and the pressure of constantly proving himself made his chest tight. No one knew about the system, of course, but it felt like everyone could see through him—see how he was struggling to keep up, both with the team and his personal goals.
"Yuto, are you okay?" Sora asked during lunch break one day, as Yuto absentmindedly poked at his food.
"Huh?" Yuto blinked, shaking himself from his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Sora wasn't convinced. "You seem… distracted lately. And you've been off during practice. Everything alright with football?"
Yuto hesitated, the words catching in his throat. How could he explain what was going on? How could he tell Sora that he had a system that was pushing him beyond his limits?
"Just… having a hard time with some stuff," Yuto said vaguely. "Trying to improve."
Sora leaned back in his chair, nodding slowly. "I get it. Football can be tough. Especially when you feel like you're not improving as fast as you want to."
Yuto looked up at Sora, surprised by his words.
"Believe me," Sora continued, "we've all been there. Ryota makes it look easy, but even he has had moments where he wasn't sure if he could keep up."
"I guess…" Yuto murmured. "It's just hard to keep up with everyone else. Feels like I'm always behind."
Sora smiled gently. "You're not behind, Yuto. You're improving. You just can't see it yet."
That evening, Yuto stood in the park again, staring down at the ball in front of him. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, and the sky was painted in shades of deep blue and purple. The cool air was refreshing, but Yuto barely noticed it. His mind was fixated on one thing: completing the quest.
[ Objective: Juggle the ball 100 times. ]
He gritted his teeth and lifted the ball with his foot, starting the exercise again. His touches were careful but determined, focusing on every bounce.
One, two, three, four.
The rhythm was familiar, but it didn't stop the creeping anxiety from bubbling up.
Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four.
The ball slipped. Yuto scrambled to catch it with his foot, but it bounced awkwardly and fell to the ground.
"Ugh!" Yuto growled, kicking the ball angrily. It flew into the air and landed several feet away. "Why can't I do this?!"
He dropped down onto the grass, burying his face in his hands. Frustration boiled over, and the weight of everything he had been holding in began to crack.
'What's wrong with me?' he thought bitterly. 'Why can't I just get better like everyone else? Even with this system, I'm still stuck.'
The system remained silent, as it always did, offering no advice or encouragement. It only presented tasks, never acknowledging the struggle that came with completing them.
Yuto sat there for a while, letting the silence surround him. He glanced up at the ball, resting innocently a few feet away. The ball wasn't the problem. It never had been. The problem was inside him. It was his own doubt, his own hesitation that was holding him back.
Ryota's words echoed in his mind: Trust yourself more.
But that was easier said than done.
Just as Yuto was about to give up for the night, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see Ryota walking toward him, his hands in his pockets and a casual smile on his face.
"Still out here, huh?" Ryota asked, glancing at the ball. "You've been practicing a lot lately."
Yuto sighed. "Yeah. Trying to get better."
Ryota sat down next to him, the usual sharpness in his expression softened. "You're not going to get better by overthinking it, you know."
"I'm not overthinking it," Yuto muttered, though even he didn't fully believe that.
Ryota raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because every time I see you on the field, you're hesitating. Like you're afraid to mess up."
Yuto clenched his fists. "It's not that simple."
Ryota chuckled lightly. "It never is. But that's football. You've got to make decisions on the fly. If you're always second-guessing yourself, you'll never improve."
"I know," Yuto said quietly. "But what if I'm not good enough?"
Ryota's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, Yuto thought he would brush off the question. But instead, Ryota leaned back, gazing up at the stars.
"You think I never had doubts?" Ryota asked, his tone surprisingly gentle. "There was a time when I wasn't sure if I'd make it as captain. I thought maybe I wasn't good enough either."
Yuto blinked, surprised by the admission. "Really?"
Ryota nodded. "Yeah. But you know what I realized? Football isn't just about skill. It's about how much you want it. How hard you're willing to push yourself, even when you feel like you're not good enough."
Yuto listened, letting Ryota's words sink in.
"You've got potential, Yuto," Ryota continued. "You've just got to stop doubting yourself. Trust your instincts, and don't be afraid to fail. That's how you get better."
Yuto stared at the ball, his mind racing. Maybe Ryota was right. Maybe the problem wasn't that he lacked skill, but that he lacked the belief in himself to use the skills he had.
Ryota stood up, offering Yuto a hand. "Come on. Let's see those juggling skills."
Yuto hesitated for a moment, but then he reached out, letting Ryota pull him to his feet. He grabbed the ball and took a deep breath. This time, he wasn't going to overthink it. He wasn't going to focus on the quest or the system. He was just going to play.
He started juggling again, this time with a lighter touch. The ball danced off his feet, rising and falling with a steady rhythm.
One, two, three.
Yuto felt the tension ease out of his body, the weight of his doubts lifting just slightly.
Twenty-five, twenty-six.
He didn't think about the number. He just focused on the ball, the way it felt under his feet, the way it responded to his touch.
Eighty-seven, eighty-eight.
Yuto's heart pounded, but this time, it wasn't from anxiety. It was from excitement.
Ninety-nine, one hundred.
The ball dropped to the ground, and Yuto stared at it, his breath catching in his throat.
'I did it.'
[ Quest Complete! Ball Control Boost (Level 1) unlocked. ]
The system's message flashed before his eyes, but this time, Yuto barely noticed it. He turned to Ryota, who was grinning at him.
"See?" Ryota said, clapping him on the back. "You've got it in you."
Yuto smiled, the sense of accomplishment washing over him. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was moving forward.
As he walked home that night, Yuto realized something important. The system could give him boosts, quests, and skills, but it couldn't give him confidence. That part was up to him.
And now, he was ready to find it.