Ren was immediately swallowed by what was probably the biggest celebration Ryusei had experienced all season. The entire team was ecstatic. Ren had just put them into the lead, and now all they had to do was hold on for a few more minutes. If they managed that, then they would become regional tournament champions.
Because of that, even after the game resumed, every player on the team devoted themselves fully to protecting their lead for the few minutes left. Everyone was cold, soaked, and exhausted, yet not a single one of them yielded.
Fweeeet! Fweeeet! Fweeeeeeeeeeeet!
The instant the whistle blew, nearly half the players crumbled onto the ground. The supporters and spectators in the stands erupted in applause, cheering for the incredible match they watched. The full ninety-minute game, along with added time, seemed to drain both teams completely, especially after they had poured everything they had into the match from beginning to end.
This was, in fact, a highly debated topic within the JFA. Was it better to have shorter matches that put less strain on the young players, or matches that followed professional rules and regulations for the U–12 league? Although it was a topic that rarely reached a consensus, a compromise was eventually drawn up.
For the national U–12 league, where teams competed in their respective leagues in hopes of playing in the regional and national tournaments, they would play ninety-minute games with the standard rules. Even though they were still children, these young players competed at the highest level available for their age group, so many people argued that the games should mimic professional football as much as possible in order to nurture the next generation of players.
However, in smaller, less competitive leagues—especially those at the local level—the priority should not be pushing children to their physical limits, but instead fostering interest and enjoyment in the sport. Rather than exhausting them with overly demanding matches, these smaller leagues almost always followed a format with shorter games with fewer players per team.
This compromise had been introduced only six years earlier, shortly after public interest in the sport surged across Japan. Although this adjustment initially felt strange to many people, the public eventually became far more invested in the U–12 and U–15 leagues now that the matches mirrored professional games. The matches became more entertaining, and in these longer, more demanding matches, talented players naturally stood out more clearly because they had more time to showcase their abilities. As a result, even casual fans began following the younger leagues. And because of that increased attention, the teams that reached the finals gained far more recognition than before.
Both teams would return home with a rather elegant, dedicated plaque engraved with their team name. The plaques even included the names and numbers of each player. They served as a nice memento for both teams and would likely end up proudly displayed as a trophy in their respective clubs or schools.
But now, still on the pitch, the players from Ryusei Elementary and Suwa Cono FC soon lined up face-to-face and shook hands with each other and with the referees. The event organizers were already prepared, and they soon gathered both teams in the middle of the pitch for the awards ceremony.
A man wearing a formal suit stepped forward with a microphone in hand and prepared to speak.
"Hello, my name is Suzuki Riku. I am the regional tournament organizer for Nagano Prefecture. On behalf of the Japanese Football Association, I would like to congratulate both teams here today for making it to this year's finals," the man said smoothly before pausing as applause rang throughout the arena.
"And we would also like to thank everyone watching, both at home and in the arena, for your continued support of this tournament. Without your patronage, this tournament would not have been possible."
After another round of applause, he continued, finally getting to the centerpiece of the ceremony.
"First, we'd like to congratulate Suwa Cono's U–12 team for finishing as runner-ups in this year's regional tournament."
When he said this, an assistant brought him the first silver plaque, with "Suwa Cono U–12" engraved at the top and "2028 Nagano U–12 Regional Tournament Runner-Up" right beneath it in large lettering.
"It is an incredible achievement to make it all the way to the finals, and Suwa Cono delivered a performance worthy of being recognized as one of the strongest teams in the prefecture."
Official photographers took countless photos as the announcer, Suzuki, handed the plaque to Suwa Cono's coach and shook his hand. Once the stands quieted down again, Suzuki turned his attention to Ryusei.
"To the players and coaches of Ryusei Elementary, we dedicate this champion's plaque to you. It is clear how much effort you all poured into this tournament, and we are looking forward to your performance as Nagano Prefecture's U–12 representatives at this year's national tournament."
He presented the plaque to the team and turned to face the spectators once more.
"Everyone, please give a round of applause to the 2028 U-12 Regional Tournament winners—Ryusei Elementary!"
At those words, many people throughout the stands rose to their feet, giving the team a well-deserved standing ovation.
Ryo's senses were immediately bombarded by the deafening applause from the spectators and the endless flashes from the photographer's cameras. To his immediate left, right at the edge of his periphery, Ren stood, practically moved to tears.
Ryo understood that feeling completely. Knowing that he was being cheered on by his friends, family, and tens of thousands of spectators made the entire moment feel surreal. In the past, this was something he could only dream about, but now he was here, quietly shedding tears of joy. He was able to stand next to Ren, play alongside him, and share this victory with him, all thanks to—
{New Notification!}
The System.
{Quest Complete!}
—(Career Quest – Regional Sensation)
With the rain still falling around him, the applause from the stands still roaring in his ears, and the camera flashes still lighting up his vision, the regal, translucent display floated before him. Everything Ryo had accomplished in this life so far was thanks to that sentient screen. Almost imperceptibly, Ryo bowed his head slightly to the presence before him.
—————————————————————————————————
After the ceremony concluded and Matsumoto held a brief meeting with the team, Ryo and Ren were finally ready to head home. Matsumoto didn't want to keep the players there any longer and ended the meeting by mentioning that they would properly celebrate once everyone returned to school on Monday.
As soon as Ryo and Ren left the field, the very first thing they did was change back into their dry, casual clothes. The moment Ryo pulled off his waterlogged and dirty jersey and put on his dry clothing, he immediately felt ten times better. He could feel the warmth starting to return to his body, and he could finally feel his toes again.
It did not take long for the two brothers to reunite with their parents and board the train shortly after. Barely five minutes into the ride, Ren had already fallen asleep, clutching his bag and resting his head against Ryo's shoulder. Ryo, on the other hand, remained wide awake. Under normal circumstances, he probably would have been sleeping just as deeply as Ren was if not for his interest in the screen in front of him. The match had been exceedingly tiring, but now that he was finally able to look through his rewards, there was no way he could sleep even if he tried.
For the entire season, Ryo had seen the quest sitting there untouched every time he called up The System, so finally being able to claim it felt strangely surreal. Still, Ryo was certainly not sad to part with it. Without wasting any more time, he finally opened the quest window to claim the rewards.
{Career Quest – Regional Sensation}
—[Ryusei Elementary Has Been Missing A Key Piece To Be Victorious In The Regional Tournament. With The Addition Of The Player, Ryusei Elementary Now Has The Chance To Win Regionals. This Season, Win The Regional Tournament And Make It To Nationals.]
—[Penalty: Will Be Calculated Upon Failure.]
—[Reward: Will Be Calculated Upon Success.]
{Quest Completed Successfully}
{Calculating Rewards…}
—[Taking Into Account The Number Of Goals Scored…]
—[Taking Into Account The Number Of Assists…]
—[Taking Into Account The Increase In The Player's Fame…]
—[Taking Into Account The Player's Influence On The Team…]
—[Taking Into Account The Player's Contribution During The Regional Tournament…]
—[...]
Ryo silently watched The System go through all of its "calculations," not wanting to interrupt it.
Does The System actually need to calculate rewards? For some reason, I feel like it's showing me all this to make itself seem more reliable…
However, it wasn't now that Ryo would start questioning The System.
—[Finalizing Calculations…]
—[Determining Reward Based On Calculations…]
—[Appropriate Reward Applied!]
Now that The System seemed to have stopped calculating, Ryo was hoping the reward would finally show up. Slightly holding his breath, he opened the updated quest screen.
{Quest Complete – Regional Sensation}
—[Rewards – New Skill: Danger Indicator (S)
– New Skill: Burst Step (B)
– Overall +5]
Two skills? And five overall stat points? That's insane.
Ryo was completely taken aback by the quantity of rewards he was given. Not only had he been given an S-rank skill—his highest-ranked skill yet—but he had also been awarded a second skill along with five stat points.
I guess The System really wasn't joking when it said that career quests gave significant rewards.
Although a small part of him had hoped for another title, Ryo was far from dissatisfied with what he had received. Even the five overall stat points alone were a substantial reward, considering they were equivalent to several months' worth of progress. And judging from the names of the skills alone, Ryo could tell that they wouldn't let him down either.
{New Skill – Danger Indicator (S)}
—[A Passive Skill That Shows The Dangerous Intent Of Those Within 2 Meters Of The Player. This Intent Then Becomes Visible To The Player.]
{New Skill – Burst Step (B)}
—[An Active Skill That Causes The Player's Next Two Steps To Be Explosive By Temporarily Increasing The Muscle Output In The Legs. Can Only Be Activated Three Times A Game.]
Ryo carefully read through both descriptions and quickly realized just how absurd the skills were—especially Danger Indicator. As he continued pondering the implications and potential uses of his skills, Ren stirred slightly in his sleep next to Ryo.
Maybe I should rest a bit too…
Seeing that they still had a while before they reached their stop, Ryo finally let himself succumb to the exhaustion that had accumulated throughout the day, and before long, he fell asleep as well.