Chapter 75 – Ten Days Later
Ten days passed quietly.
Too quietly.
Training continued every morning and every evening like nothing had changed. The team still showed up. Still ran drills. Still argued. Still played matches against weaker local teams that barely challenged them.
But underneath all of it—
something stayed incomplete.
Riku never came back.
No messages.
No calls.
No sightings around the field.
Nothing.
At first, everyone expected him eventually.
Every time footsteps approached training, someone looked up automatically. Every time the gate opened, there was always that half-second where the team checked without realizing it.
Then slowly—
that stopped happening.
Not because they moved on.
Because they got tired.
The tenth day felt colder than usual.
Clouds drifted slowly across the sky overhead while Southside trained under dull afternoon light. The field looked rougher now after days of nonstop practice, patches of dirt exposed where grass had been torn apart by constant movement.
Yuma wiped sweat from his forehead aggressively.
"Again!"
Pambara nearly collapsed trying to keep pace during sprint drills.
Not dramatically.
Not lazily.
His body genuinely just couldn't keep up.
"You move like an injured dad," Yuma muttered while jogging past him.
"…That's fair."
"You're nineteen."
"…Still fair."
Even after ten days—
he still accepted every insult like it was weather.
But something had changed.
Slightly.
His passing improved.
Not flashy.
Not incredible.
Reliable.
His positioning improved too.
He still lacked speed, strength, and technical skill compared to everyone else, but he started appearing in the right places more often. Cutting lanes earlier. Moving before passes happened.
Watching.
Always watching.
During scrimmages, Yusuke noticed it first.
Pambara couldn't beat defenders.
But somehow—
he kept making everyone else easier to play with.
"Left."
Pambara pointed quickly during one play.
Takumi shifted instinctively.
The pass arrived exactly where the space opened.
Another play.
"Pressure coming behind."
Hiroto turned immediately before the defender arrived.
Perfect timing.
Another.
"Ren's drifting too wide."
Daichi adjusted instantly.
The defensive gap closed.
It was strange.
Pambara barely stood out physically.
But the team itself—
started feeling smoother around him.
Not complete.
Never complete.
But smoother.
The sun lowered slowly over the field as training finally ended.
Everyone looked exhausted.
Sweat-soaked.
Breathing heavily.
Hiroto gathered everyone near midfield.
"…Listen up."
The team quieted slightly.
Hiroto held up his phone.
"…The regional fixtures got finalized."
Immediately, everyone's expressions sharpened.
Takumi frowned slightly.
"…Already?"
"Yeah."
Hiroto's eyes lowered toward the screen briefly.
"…First serious match is tomorrow."
Silence.
Then—
"…Who?" Yuma asked.
Hiroto looked up slowly.
And for the first time in days—
real tension returned to the field.
"…Nocturne Eleven."
The air changed instantly.
Sora's posture stiffened.
Takumi's eyes narrowed.
Daichi clicked his tongue quietly.
Even Tsubasa looked visibly uncomfortable.
Yusuke stayed silent.
But his jaw tightened immediately.
"…Again?" Ren muttered.
"No way that's round one."
"It is."
Nobody spoke for a few seconds after that.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
Aka.
Yuma exhaled sharply.
"…Good."
Everyone looked at him.
His expression twisted slightly.
Not confidence.
Not excitement.
Something rougher.
"…I'm sick of feeling weak."
The wind swept lightly across the field.
Pambara stood near the back of the group quietly listening.
Then slowly raised his hand slightly.
"…Um."
Everyone looked toward him.
He immediately looked nervous again.
"…I'm starting, right?"
Silence.
Because hearing it out loud made it real.
Riku was gone.
And Pambara—
was taking his place.
Hiroto nodded once.
"…Yeah."
Pambara swallowed slightly.
Then forced a small smile.
"…Okay."
Yusuke watched him carefully.
Noticed the tension hiding underneath that smile now.
For the first time—
Pambara looked scared.
The team slowly started packing up afterward.
Nobody joked much.
Nobody argued.
The mood had shifted completely.
Night fell by the time they left the field.
Streetlights flickered on one by one as the city darkened around them.
Yusuke walked behind the others quietly, his thoughts drifting further and further toward tomorrow.
Toward Aka.
Toward losing.
Toward Riku.
Then—
his phone buzzed suddenly.
A message from an unknown number.
He frowned slightly.
Opened it.
A single image.
A soccer field.
Empty.
Dark.
And standing beneath the goalpost—
Riku.
The message underneath simply read:
Still invisible.
Yusuke stopped walking completely.
His chest tightened slightly.
"…Riku…"
Ahead of him, the rest of Southside kept walking toward tomorrow.
Toward Nocturne Eleven.
Toward Aka.
Toward Réservoir.
Toward another match they still weren't ready for.
And somewhere far away—
Riku was walking a completely different path alone.
The next match had already begun long before kickoff.
To Be Continued.