Aka burst into the penalty area.
The crowd rose as one.
Yusuke stayed glued to him, refusing to give even a single step. Every stride hurt now. His lungs burned, his vision blurred, but none of it mattered. If he let Aka escape now, the match was over.
"You're not getting away!" Yusuke shouted.
Aka glanced sideways.
"...Still chasing."
He planted his foot and cut sharply to the left.
Yusuke reacted instantly.
The two nearly collided before Aka nudged the ball back toward the middle, forcing Daichi to step up.
Ren collapsed inward from the opposite side.
For a moment, Aka was completely surrounded.
The crowd held its breath.
Then...
he smiled.
With the outside of his boot, he threaded the ball through the tiniest gap between Daichi and Ren.
Theo burst onto it.
"Watch the right!" Hiroto yelled.
Theo swung his leg.
BOOM!
The shot screamed toward the far corner.
Tsubasa exploded across his goal.
His fingertips brushed the ball just enough to change its path.
CLANG!
The ball smashed against the post before bouncing back into play.
The stadium erupted.
Yuma reacted first, throwing himself toward the loose ball before Lucien could arrive.
He hacked it clear without thinking.
The clearance only reached midfield.
Réservoir was already waiting.
He brought it down effortlessly.
Southside immediately rushed toward him.
Yusuke.
Takumi.
Hiroto.
Everyone.
Everyone except one.
Riku.
He was still behind.
Still running.
Still watching the others disappear ahead of him.
"...Come on..."
He pushed harder.
His legs responded.
Barely.
The gap refused to close.
The match continued without him.
Réservoir calmly switched the play toward the left wing, forcing Southside to sprint all over again.
Yuma turned immediately.
Takumi followed.
Sora chased back.
Riku tried to join them.
Again...
he fell behind.
The noise around him became strangely distant.
Every chant seemed directed at someone else.
"YUSUKE!"
"Tsubasa!"
"What a save!"
The words blurred together.
None of them reached him.
His eyes drifted toward the players racing ahead.
Yusuke throwing himself into another tackle.
Tsubasa screaming instructions.
Hiroto organising the press.
Everyone had a role.
Everyone was needed.
Everyone...
except him.
"...Damn it..."
He gritted his teeth.
His fists tightened.
"I'm here..."
Another sprint.
Another few metres lost.
"...Can't you see me?"
Ahead of him, Yusuke finally managed to poke the ball away from Aka.
The crowd exploded.
"GO, YUSUKE!"
Yusuke immediately turned defence into attack, pushing the ball into open space.
Takumi sprinted beside him.
Yuma charged through the middle.
Sora overlapped on the left.
The counterattack was on.
Riku chased after them.
He wanted to call for the ball.
Wanted to tell them he was open.
Wanted to remind them he existed.
But the words never came.
His teammates were already gone.
Again.
Yusuke slipped the ball to Takumi.
Takumi found Yuma.
Yuma tried a first-time pass back toward Yusuke.
Marc Pelletier slid in.
Clean tackle.
Nocturne recovered.
The attack died.
Southside immediately turned to defend once more.
Everyone sprinted back.
Riku sprinted too.
And once again...
he was the last one.
Coach Daniel watched from the touchline with folded arms.
His expression slowly hardened.
He wasn't looking at the ball anymore.
He was looking at Riku.
"...So that's it..."
The coach finally understood.
Riku hadn't left because he hated soccer.
He hadn't left because he hated Southside.
He'd left because he'd convinced himself...
that no matter how hard he ran...
he would always be chasing people who never looked back.
The whistle stayed silent.
The match rolled on.
The score remained locked at 3-3.
And somewhere in the middle of the chaos...
Riku continued running.
Trying desperately...
to catch up to a game that seemed determined to leave him behind.
To Be Continued.