Our two groups met up near the line that separated the field. Mei and I stayed on our side; meanwhile, they stayed on theirs. Nothing else needed to be said. They were going to be our opponents.
Still, I took a few steps forward until I was just barely short of the line.
I glanced at Yu and asked, "Do you even know how to play soccer?"
Yu shook his head. "Nope. I'm just going to run as fast as I can and call it a day."
Well, at least he's honest about it.
There was no need to ask Julie or Mikhael; Julie could play every sport, and Mikhael is the soccer club's captain. Sora, however…
"What about you, Sora?" Mei stepped up beside me and asked.
Sora's posture shrivelled just a tiny bit. "I'm disappointed to admit that I'm not the best at soccer." His voice trailed off before he clenched his fists and stared at us with a burning determination. "But… I will try my best!"
To be honest, I was a little touched by how he could give it his all like that.
Suddenly, Julie pushed the three of them aside as she approached me with wide strides. She only stopped when she was a hair's breadth from the line. She crossed it without breaking a stride.
She continued forward until she was about arm's reach from me. One hand was resting on her hip, the other hanging loosely. She raised her chin, looking down at me.
"So, do you think you can beat me today, kid?"
I scoffed.
Don't think you're going to be better than me forever.
I lowered my head, but kept my gaze fixed on hers. "Who knows? We're going to find out soon enough."
I kept my voice even, but couldn't help letting out a tinge of competitiveness leak through.
Julie snickered. "When was the last time we played against each other again?"
"It was basketball, and before that was the punching machine," I replied without thinking.
Julie let out a low whistle.
"Wow, we've run into each other a lot this month…" She paused, her voice dropping to a deeper tone. "And you haven't won a single time."
Static rose in the air between us.
My hand twitched, but I stopped. She was trying to pull a reaction out of me, and I wasn't going to give it to her.
I sighed, breaking the tension.
"Well, there's a first time for everything." I glanced to the side. The teacher had just put the whistle to her lips. I turned back to Julie and let my smile fade. Her eyes widened. "And mine is about to come real soon."
Julie's grin grew even wider. "Then, show me what you got, kid—no." She lowered her head and chuckled, the wind blowing her hair across her face.
Her chuckle died, and she looked up at me once more. She didn't push her hair off her face. Instead, she stared through it.
"Show me what you got, Hoshino."
I tensed.
So… you're finally going to treat me like an adult.
I didn't say anything else. Julie's gaze lingered on me just a bit longer before she turned around and walked back to her side.
*Pwehhhhh*
The whistle cut through the air, a signal that the game was about to begin. The teacher walked to the center of the field and placed the ball down.
She glanced toward Mei and me. "Your team will start with the ball since you don't have Julie."
Mei and I nodded.
A second whistle sent everyone who had been lingering on the field to their places. Luna stood far to my right, Remi stood far to my left, while Lily and Yuka stood far behind me. I turned to Mei, not saying a word. She simply nodded.
The whistle blew one last time.
"Game start!"
I ran toward the ball, then blew past it and straight for the enemy goal. Mei kicked the ball and sent it barreling towards me.
I thought she'd be a little off the mark, but it was exactly where it needed to be.
Haven't played since middle school, my ass.
I tried trapping the ball with my foot —since I used to be able to do that as a kid—but it bounced to the side awkwardly. It was fine; no one was near me.
I dashed down the field while dribbling the ball. That was when a dark blur shot past me and planted itself in my way.
He wore a happy grin. "You're taking more initiative this time, Hoshino!"
I shook my head. "Really? I'm just following whatever Mei is telling me to do."
I passed the ball back with my heel and ran left. Ignoring the ball completely—as if he didn't care about it in the slightest—he continued chasing after me.
Luna received the ball and tapped it to Remi. Sora quickly ran up to contest her. In a panic, she sent a pass to Yuka. It was an absolutely terrible pass, one that was nowhere near her—but Yuka's eyes sharpened.
Her body lunged forward in a way I didn't even know was possible, and she smoothly retrieved the ball. Yu's and my mouths fell open. We both stopped running and turned to each other.
"Wait… she's actually good?" I said in disbelief.
"I thought everyone—aside from Julie and Mikhael—didn't know how to play!"
We continued to stare in awe as Yuka dribbled past one, then two, then three people.
Well... I guess you can call me that ugly nickname one more time if we win.
As Yuka drove down the field, Mikhael grabbed her arm from behind. She pushed his arm away, used her hand to force distance between them, then sent a curve pass.
The ball arched in the air before descending towards Mei. There was no one there. Free goal.
"Wow! You guys are good! Kind of."
Like a dragon, Julie launched herself into the air and intercepted the pass before Mei could reach it. She landed and hammered it back toward our side.
The ball soared until it landed in open space. Everyone dashed for the ball, and the first one to get it was Mikhael.
He dribbled past our whole team and shot. His kick fired straight into our net.
One to zero.
Their point.
It was only the first point, so there wasn't anything to worry about, but it only got worse from there.
Our goalie tried to throw the ball out of the net, but Julie intercepted it mid-air again.
I rushed over to her to block her shot, but she shot the ball between my legs and ended up scoring the second point.
Two to zero.
For our next play, Yuka and Mei dribbled past their whole team. The two of them were close to the net, but Yuka was getting double-teamed by Yu and Mikhael, while Julie marked Mei.
You know what? I don't care anymore.
I didn't know how to play soccer, so I doubted I could make any big impact in the game like Yuka and Mei could. Therefore, all I could do right now was hope for the best.
With the three strongest players on Yuka and Mei, I had a free lane to the net.
In an act of desperation, Yuka shot the ball randomly towards the net. I didn't look at where it would land. I just kept running.
Then, from the corner of my eye, the ball slowly descended towards me.
Holy shit. Luck is-
Almost at the same instant, Julie appeared before me. She had been on Mei the last time I checked, and now she was right here.
How the hell did you do that?!
A confident grin crossed her face. "Sorry, kid, but I was keeping my eye on you the whole time."
I suppressed the urge to sigh.
Of course you were.
I glanced around the field. All my teammates were behind me, Yuka was still double-teamed, and Mei was directly to my right. I wasn't good enough to pass the ball to her from this distance.
So, with no other options available to me—I continued charging forward. Julie ran towards me as well. The ball fell right between us. Julie slowed down, preparing to trap it, but I didn't.
When she saw me barrelling towards her, her eyes widened, and she took a step back.
"W-what are you–"
Of course, she'd take a step back; she was my Older Cousin. And no matter what happened—her first priority was to make sure I didn't get hurt.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Hard enough to ground myself.
Sorry for playing cheap.
The ball bounced and landed directly in front of me. I reeled my leg back and swung it forward with everything I had. I wasn't aiming at anywhere in particular; I was just winging it.
The ball shot between Julie's legs and into the goal. Setting the score two to one.
Julie stared at the goal, then back at me. She scoffed. "Well, would you look at that…"
A smile crept up my face. I opened my mouth, choosing my words carefully. "I told you…" My voice wavered, so I paused and took a quick breath through my nose. "That I'd beat you one day."
Julie's expression softened. She rubbed the corners of her eyes and suppressed a sniffle. "Yeah… you did, kid."
She took steady steps towards me and gently held my shoulder. She lingered just a bit, patted it twice, then walked away.
I didn't look back. Instead, I kept my gaze on the ball that was in the net.
It was the first time I'd ever beaten Julie.
My heart raced in my chest.
But my smile—never reached my eyes.