Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Regrets~ I'm Having Them~ -4
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“Haa… Haa…”
While the ball was out of play, I placed my hands on my waist and gasped for air.
An unsightly panting sound escaped my lips, and my chest heaved like a raging tide.
“Haa—!”
I exhaled sharply, trying to regain my composure, but it was no use. My mouth felt sticky, and my shins were screaming in protest.
A quick glance at the scoreboard showed the clock ticking toward the 90th minute.
Suddenly, it struck me as a funny thought that each tick of the clock represented a unit of my stamina being drained.
We were in the 84th minute, and it felt like I had burned through exactly that much energy.
So, what happens now?
If this goes into extra time, I’m dead.
That might actually be true.
Thankfully, this is a league match. If this were the Coppa Italia… that would be terrifying.
Thinking about it, how much stamina do players who can run for the full 120 minutes of extra time have?
Just surviving a full 90 minutes is killing me… Can people really run for 120 minutes?
Probably not.
They’re just monsters.
“Jee-an!”
“...!”
A voice from the bench snapped me back to attention. I felt a sudden jolt, a sign that my mind had been starting to drift.
“Here!”
I turned my head to see the coach waving something white.
I ran over to him like a dog sprinting to its owner holding a treat.
“Thank yo—”
“Don't talk, just chew and swallow!”
The sweet flavor of banana filled my mouth.
I felt a little bad for Jiu, but nothing in the world could be sweeter than a banana eaten around the 80th minute.
“...Gulp.”
However, tasting good and going down your throat are two different problems.
My sticky saliva kept trying to cling to the banana, forcing me to swallow hard to push it down.
A “Gulp!” sound, like a sound effect from a manga, echoed from my throat.
Either way, bananas are amazing.
Perhaps bananas are a gift from God.
Just the sweetness in my mouth made me feel like my mind was coming back.
It seems I’ve been running on autopilot until now.
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86:32
FIO 1 : 1 JUV
The score was still 1-1.
The time had passed the 86th minute.
From my perspective, playing the game, it was anything but easy, but for a spectator, it must have been a frustrating match.
No goals had been scored in the second half, and there hadn't been many notable chances either.
I’m not trying to make excuses, but the opposition was the one dictating the pace of the game.
Was it because the one counterattack they allowed us led directly to their goal?
They were cautious, and then cautious again.
It almost felt like they would be content with just a draw.
Of course, a part of me felt a strange sense of pride that Juventus—the team that had drilled the pride of being the best in Serie A into me during my time there—was playing with such a timid approach.
It was frustrating and difficult that I rarely got a chance to touch the ball.
It’s strange, now that I think about it.
In the past, when I was in the middle of a game, I used to think differently.
I used to wish, more than anything, that the ball wouldn't come to me.
I wished for no opportunities to come my way.
Back then, I was afraid of the ball.
That's why I hated it when the ball came to me.
Every time the ball came my way, it felt… like having to give a presentation in front of dozens of people.
My heart would pound, I’d get incredibly nervous, and the ball would feel less like a ball and more like a bomb.
So, I would constantly repeat to myself, ‘Don't come, don't pass to me.’
And yet, every single time I said that, the ball would invariably come to me.
It was strange, really.
Anyway, because of that, there were times when matches where we spent more time defending were better for me.
Matches against teams that were so good we barely got a chance to touch the ball.
Those matches were the most comfortable for me.
“Defend! Concentrate!”
“Not much left! Hold on!”
Today was exactly that kind of match, but if you asked if that made me happy…
My answer would be ‘No.’
It wasn't the same feeling as before. I didn't feel at ease because the ball wasn't coming to me, nor did I wish for this situation to last.
On the contrary, I was thinking it every single moment.
Please, I want to get that ball.
I just hoped for an opportunity to come our way soon, and subconsciously, I felt that I wanted that opportunity to come to me.
Of course, it wasn't some heroic delusion that I could solve everything just by getting the ball.
To be precise, I just hoped for a chance for my team, and if that chance came to me, I was ready for it.
My team will win this match today.
Nothing is more important than that.
If I have to bear the burden of playing a key role on the path to that victory, I am ready to carry it.
Paaaang—!
Paaaang—!
Time flowed by as meaningless as the opponent's passes.
Maintaining focus in moments like this is incredibly difficult. The reason everyone keeps shouting about concentration after the 80th minute is because it's just that hard.
I had lost my focus for a moment too, but the banana woke me up.
Normally, this would be a time where it wouldn't be strange to be substituted.
But the fact that the coach handed me a banana meant he had no intention of taking me out.
That, in turn, meant there was still a role for me to play in this match.
I gripped the thread of my concentration tight and waited to fulfill that role.
And then, just as the clock on the scoreboard was approaching 90 minutes.
Beeeeoong—!
A pass from the opponent headed straight for the back.
It was a surprisingly bold forward pass that sent a chill down my spine.
Were they gambling in the little time left?
A defender launched a high ball toward our box.
And standing there was Vlahovic.
I know I shouldn't say this, but damn, his positioning is perfect. Seeing him settled in the exact spot where the ball would drop made my back run cold.
Nastasic tried his best to steal that position, but Vlahovic gritted his teeth and held his ground, refusing to give it up.
Just as he bent his knees to leap up with all his might.
Paaaaaang—!
An eagle appeared and snatched the prey like lightning.
It was Milenkovic, who had jumped a split second before Vlahovic.
Obviously, it's faster and higher to jump after a run-up than to jump while fighting for position.
That's why Milenkovic's running header from behind was able to cut the ball out.
But that's not what's important right now.
Paaaang—!
The ball Milenkovic won went to Torreira's feet.
I made eye contact with the senior who immediately turned to face the front.
I nodded with my eyes, and soon his foot moved.
Paaaaaang—!
The pass came toward me, and I've never been so happy to see a ball.
Once, while snooping through Jiu's messenger profile picture, I saw a phrase.
Was it, ‘Don't forget what's precious just because you're used to it.’?
That was the truth.
It's a ball I always played with, but to think a moment like this would come where I'd be so happy to see it.
I'm learning another thing from Jiu.
Chwaaaaaaa—
Paaaang—!
I carefully received the strong pass at my feet and settled it.
The space was wide, so there was no interference even if I turned around immediately.
I carried the ball forward.
Tat-tat-tat—!
Two defenders.
They looked terrifying at a glance, enough to make anyone hesitate, but I wasn't scared.
Thanks to the uncles I used to play with when playing with my nephew.
If anything, Nastasic and Milenkovic are scarier.
Tat-tat-tat—!
I put all my effort into increasing my speed.
Then, one of the two defenders stopped backpedaling and charged at me.
He was taking huge strides, clearly intending to knock me over.
So I poked the ball away and twisted my body to save myself.
Tuk—!
The ball I nudged away went between the defender's legs, and I barely slipped past him to avoid the collision.
Having a wide stride means there's more space between the legs, so it wasn't hard to steal the ball.
Tat-tat-tat—!
I kept running.
At this point, I have to thank the banana again.
If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be able to run like this.
The banana is definitely a gift from God.
Tat-tat-tat—!
Perhaps because the first defender was taken out, the remaining defender was waiting for me, standing on the edge of the box.
His position and the goalkeeper's position behind him were quite exquisite, making it difficult to shoot with the defender in front of me.
I charged straight at the defender, maintaining my speed.
My experience told me that it would be more effective to forgo flashy tricks and just change direction with the speed I had built up.
Tat-tat—!
A few steps before the defender, I leaned my upper body to the right, then bounced to the left and kicked the ball.
Then, my vision opened up wide, and facing me was not a defender, but the goalkeeper.
The shot… was light.
Beeeeeeoong—!
Shwooooooong—
Thwack—!!
However, the net shook heavily.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!!
The moment the net shook, my entire body gave out, and I collapsed right there. Thanks to that, I could feel the fans' cheers with my body.
Like my phone vibrates when I'm messaging Jiu…
The ground shook like crazy.
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Solving a difficult problem is more fun than an easy one. The sense of achievement is greater when you solve it.
That's how today's victory felt.
2-1.
It was tough, but we won.
“You bastard!”
“I love you! You're the only man I love!”
“In my next life, I'll be your dad!”
I don't know why I have to hear these terrible things after winning the match, but I had to let my seniors massage my body as they pleased.
I didn't have the strength to resist, and besides, I didn't exactly hate it.
“What a cute bastard!”
“...Ow!”
Wait, hold on. This is a bit much.
Feeling a pain in my cheek, I frowned and turned my head away instinctively.
Nastasic's thick fingers were pinching my cheek.
Ugh, why does it hurt so much?
“What are you doing, you idiot! You're hurting the kid.”
“Ah, Nastasic!”
Maybe because of my reaction, the mood suddenly turned cold. Then, everyone glared at Nastasic, who also looked flustered and scratched his head.
Um… I wasn't trying to get mad…
“It's, it's okay. It's, it's thanks to the senior that I could score. I scored because you helped me in training.”
I should help the senior out.
“It was way easier getting past the opposing defender than getting past you.”
“Hahahaha! Right? I told you, right?”
At my words, Nastasic, who had been scratching his head, broke into a wide grin again.
As he did, he reached his hand out toward me again, but this time, the other seniors stopped him, so his hand couldn't reach my cheek.
“Isolate this guy!”
“Ah, Nastasic! Come here!”
Two guys clung to him and dragged Nastasic away, and anyway, thanks to that, I was finally free.
Hoo… that's tough.
Winning the match is great and all, but the aftermath is always this exhausting.
I shook my head and was about to head for the locker room when.
“...”
Someone was blocking my path, so I looked up to see Vlahovic standing there.
“...Huh?”
I was a little surprised and let out a stupid sound without realizing it. He made an indescribable expression, then extended his hand.
“You've gotten better.”
“...Ah.”
I took his hand.
Then, he gave a slight smirk.
“Can I have your jersey? If you don't want to, that's fine too.”
“Jersey… Ah, sure.”
At the request for my jersey, I struggled to take off my top.
I hope Jiu doesn't see this.
To an outsider, it looks exactly like I'm getting mugged…
“Sorry. I'm a bit sweaty...”
“You still worry about pointless things.”
I handed him the jersey, soaked in sweat, and Vlahovic took off his jersey right there and put mine on.
“...”
For some reason, I had to hold back a laugh seeing that. It was comical how he had to squeeze into a jersey that didn't fit, and after putting it on, it was way too tight. His assets were threatening to tear through the fabric.
But, even so, that purple jersey suited him well.
“You don't need mine, right?”
“...Ah. Give it to me.”
“Here. Don't burn it or anything.”
Vlahovic placed his jersey in my hand and turned around with a smile.
Don't burn it, he says.
He acted like he didn't care about anything during the game, so I guess he's human after all.
I'd heard that fans had gathered his jersey in one spot and burned it, so maybe that bothered him.
I watched his back as he walked away, and finally burst out laughing because of the jersey that was bursting at the seams on me.
“...”
Hmm.
I'm not sure.
Before and during the game, I really wanted to make him regret it…
After sharing a brief handshake, my thoughts changed again.
I hope he doesn't regret it.
Maybe it's because I realized that even though the jersey changed, he's still the same person.
Well, regardless of him, winning against Juventus again is a very happy thing.