Chapter Text
Swish!
“GOAL!”
[Today’s match ends in a 2-0 victory for Matsukaze Kokuo! Matsukaze Kokuo High has secured its spot in the National Championship!]
Amidst the bent figures of high school boys choking back sobs, a solitary figure stood. Sapphire eyes looked around passionless, a soft breeze fluttering blue-black locks and cooling the sweat on his skin.
An incessant whirring sound, like the low murmur of an old film reel turning, played in his ears until it was all he could hear. His mind replayed the scene again and again and again .
The ball at his feet.
The goalkeeper blocked his path.
Tada-chan, the coach, the team hollering at him to pass the ball.
In the split second of hesitation, just before he relinquished his possession of the ball, he had thought–
What have I been doing these past 2 years?
While everyone wasted their tears, Isagi had long realized this fact: Ichinan didn’t have what it took–will never have what it takes–to make nationals with their weak philosophy.
“One for all, all for one!”
How many times has he been forced to chant the same childish phrase? Had been pressured to play along like they were kindergarteners learning to share?
Too many to count.
This was only a pretty way to say that they were too weak to win on their own. Isagi had never understood such gutless football. Why did he have to cooperate with teammates who missed a goal from 5 meters away? Why was he forced to pass when he could’ve made the shot on his own? When did he start throwing a tarp over his head just so it would level the playing field?
When did football become so dull?
He followed the slumped backs of his teammates to the locker room. Before he walked through the door, he took one last look at the field behind him.
The crowds were still cheering. Kira Ryousuke, the ‘Crowned Jewel of Japan’, was being interviewed while his adoring fans swooned at the stands. They made eye contact for the briefest of moments, curious hazel against indifferent sapphire.
Isagi was the first to break it.
His 2 years were wasted just like that.
Alone, away from the teary and defeated forms of his soon to be former teammates, in a voice that was small,
quiet,
unheard,
thus unspoken–
“I wanted to win…”
Click.
“Yocchan! Welcome home!” Iyo poked her head from the kitchen. Her smile could melt glaciers, and just her presence was enough to chase away the dark cloud hanging over Isagi’s head. “How was the game, dear?”
Isagi slipped his shoes off, carefully placing them in the shoe box.
“We lost.”
He shrugged his bag off and laid it on the couch as he passed by the living room. His hand brushed over his father’s shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze in greeting, before heading to the dining table.
Iyo pouted, placing a hand on her cheek. “Aw, that’s too bad. My katsudon will cheer you right up, dear!”
The table was expertly set. Atop the aged wood were three steaming bowls of pork cutlet. The mouthwatering aroma filled the room, and Isagi’s stomach let out a traitorous rumble.
“We’re supposed to eat katsudon the day before the game.”
Issei followed behind his son. He rubbed Isagi’s hair good-naturedly and sat down, digging into the foot with gusto. “Does it matter? It tastes delicious either way!”
Of course it did. Iyo was, in their humble opinion, the best cook in the world. Isagi’s been trying for years to replicate his mother’s dishes. At some point, he had to admit to himself that it was just a God-given talent.
“The secret ingredient is love for my boys!”
“Mom…” Isagi stuffed a pork cutlet into his mouth, trying to hide his embarrassed flush at her exclamation.
Issei placed his chopsticks down and wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh? Then I guess I’ll be falling head over heels for you.”
“Darling!” Iyo slapped Issei’s shoulder playfully, her face bright with affection.
Isagi groaned into his rice. “ Mom, Dad! Please, I’m trying to eat!”
The couple glanced at each other before falling into a fit of laughter. They interlocked their fingers and gave Isagi a knowing look.
“You’re saying that now, but in the future, you’ll understand.”
Isagi’s eye twitched.
He imagined it–him in the place of his father throwing cheesy lines and making googly eyes at a faceless woman. Him on his knees with flowers, opening his lunch box to find a sweet note from his partner, waking up to the same person he sees when he falls asleep, looking into the eyes of someone who knew what he was like unraveled in his entirety and still chose every single day to love him –
Goosebumps broke out all over his arms.
“No thank you!”
A steady chatter of clicks and clacks filled the room. The only light came from the PC, casting shadows that swallowed the various nicknacks and posters decorating the space. Isagi rested his chin on one knee while the other was folded beneath him.
On the screen, a 2D girl with large eyes and blonde hair styled in pigtails poked her fingers together. She was shyly looking back and forth between the ground and the player.
[I-idiot… Fine, I-I’ll go out with you… But only because you look so pathetic that I feel sorry for you! D-don’t you dare misunderstand, okay!]
“Hah, got you.” Isagi cracked his knuckles and leaned back, the picture of smug satisfaction. “You act so stubborn, but the truth is you were waiting for someone to break past your walls and take care of you. My eyes see all .”
He was playing Whispers of the Heart , a new dating simulator that had taken the market by storm.
It was a typical romance game where you have targets to ‘capture’ with many plotlines and endings for whichever girl you fancy–or all of them if you want. While there wasn’t anything in the story or mechanics that made it stand out from the others, it blew up due to the extreme difficulty of capturing the female love interests.
Isagi had spent a whole month grinding in his free time, but he’s finally accomplished it. He managed to capture the last girl he needed to fill the requirements of the harem ending!
“Should I post it? I don’t think anyone else has managed to get this ending.” He pinched his lower lip with his fingers.
This was definitely a momentous occasion, a victory that should be shared with the rest of the dating sim otaku community. It was frankly a crime if he didn’t post it.
“At the very least, HaruDrops will appreciate it,” he decided.
Isagi opened WeTube with the fake account, OreWaYocchama, he’d made several years ago. There were already some gaming videos dating back to when he was in middle school. Most of the videos were posted in the last year, though.
After attending Ichinan and joining the football team, Isagi had grown more and more indifferent to the sport that had once been his life blood. It wasn’t anything big that caused this change like an injury or bullying.
He just realized that… he wasn’t having fun anymore.
The only reason he stayed on the team was because the coach asked him for one more year. One of the regulars got into an accident and Isagi was the best out of the remaining, or so the old man said. Personally, Isagi thinks it has more to do with that one video that got viral–
No, it’s best not to think about it. Give it a few more years and soon no one will even remember some random first-year from a fallen football school.
Ichinan has been outclassed against Matsukaze Kokuo for years even before Isagi joined. Their fame is more so the consistency of making it to the preliminaries. Now that they have Kira Ryousuke on the team, Ichinan has less of a chance than ever to make it to the nationals.
Wait, that’s not entirely true. The fault wasn’t in the opponent’s strength but in Ichinan’s weakness.
Isagi sighed, clearing his head from trivial thoughts. It didn’t matter anymore. On the bright side, the free time he’ll gain from quitting the football club could be better used to play video games.
He finished his shoddy editing, which was basically just cutting out a huge chunk of the first 2 arcs, and then pressed the post button.
Click.
“Ah… Well, it is over 12 hours long…”
Isagi swiveled his chair in a circle, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars his father had helped him set up when he was 6. While waiting for the video to upload, he was thinking hard about what to do now that he finally completed Whisper of the Heart .
He had some games on the shelf, but they all seemed boring compared to the challenge Whisper of the Heart had given. Those other games had such obvious choices. There was no thrill of victory when the girls were basically being handed over with a bow.
Should he try the RPG game that’s been making rounds? He’s mostly been avoiding it because it’s a gacha game which was just another way to say money-grubbing. What was it called again? “Something” Clash…
DING!
Isagi blinked when a notification appeared on his screen. It was a nondescript rectangle with a simple message:
[TO OREWAYOCCHAMA,
I JUST FINISHED WATCHING YOUR PLAYTHROUGH OF WHISPERS OF THE HEART, AND I WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED BY YOUR ABILITY TO CAPTURE SUCH DIFFICULT TARGETS!! YOU ARE THE FIRST PLAYER I’VE SEEN ACCOMPLISH THE HAREM ENDING. I WONDER IF IT WAS PURELY LUCK OR SKILL.
THERE ARE A FEW TARGETS THAT I’D LIKE YOU TO CAPTURE. IF YOU’RE CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITIES, THEN PRESS THE REPLY BUTTON.
[[[REPLY]]]
P.S. IF IT’S IMPOSSIBLE, PLEASE DON’T PRESS THE BUTTON! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!
SYSTEM CHU~♡]
The first thing that went through Isagi’s mind was how this person managed to watch a video that hasn’t been uploaded yet. And even if it did, barely 5 minutes have passed. There’s no way they could have finished a 12+ hour long video in that time.
The second thing, a much stronger thought that admittedly caused all logic to leave his brain, was the audacity of this person to challenge him like this.
Isagi knew he wasn’t the best out there, but he was pretty darned good. He worked hard for this victory. Whoever this System Chu~♡ was–what kind of loser would choose a cringy name like that, anyway–they made the mistake of provoking Isagi.
“I’ll show you!”
Isagi clicked on the [reply] button with no hesitation. At first, nothing happened. And then–
Whoosh!
The letters from the message burst from the screen in a frenzy, whipping around Isagi’s frozen form like a hurricane.
“Wha–!?”
The words coalesced into a blank, inky mass that wrapped around Isagi’s neck. The wind quieted down to a whisper as the ink solidified.
Isagi’s hand trembled as he reached up, feeling the strange collar that now wrapped snugly around his slender neck. It was sleek and solid. No matter how much he tugged and pulled, it wouldn’t come loose.
“What is going on!?”
[System Chu~♡ greets OreWaYocchama-sama!]
“Ah!”
Isagi choked on a scream, falling off his chair when a blue, transparent holographic screen appeared before his eyes.
[Thank you for accepting the contract! Let us proceed to capture demons!]
Arms grappled around haphazardly, long fingers wrapping around the slender neck of the bedside lamp. Isagi held his weapon over his head. “What are you!? What’s going on!?”
[Ah! Don’t be afraid! ヾ(｡ꏿ﹏ꏿ)ﾉﾞ]
[I’m System Chu~♡, and I’ve been assigned to be your guide! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-]
Isagi slowly lowered the lamp when the strange thing didn’t immediately do anything to harm him. In fact, this situation was strangely familiar. He’s sure he’s read of situations like this in those novels his mother likes to read.
A strange System appears and forces the poor guy/girl to do things they would never otherwise do. Sometimes, it was romance related. Other times, it was filling in plot holes to ‘save the world’ or whatever.
None of those situations were any that he wished to experience.
“My guide for what ? And what did you mean about ‘accepting the contract’?”
[By pressing the ‘reply’ button, OreWaYocchama-sama sealed the contract between us! I’m so excited! This is my first time having such a beautiful Master! ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ )و✧*｡]
Isagi cursed himself.
He knew the message was strange. He shouldn’t have allowed his pride to cloud his judgement. This time, it was some strange demon possessing him, but it could have very well been some attempt to hack his computer.
“Okay… So what’s this contract about?” He paused. “Also, just Isagi is fine…”
[As Isagi-sama commands!]
[ Isagi-sama’s mission is to purge the world of demons that have made their homes in unsuspecting hearts–filling them with darkness and sucking their life!]
“Pft!” Isagi snorted, covering his lips with his hands to hold in the laughs. That was the most ridiculous mission he’s ever heard. Who knew that the computer, creature, weird holograph thing could joke.
His chuckles slowed to a stop when the System didn’t say anything.
“You can’t be serious.”
[System Chu ~♡ would never joke about such a serious matter! ( •̀ - •́ )]
“Can I refuse?”
[Of course!]
Isagi’s sigh of relief got stuck in his throat at the System’s next message.
[But a contract is a big deal! You see that collar around your neck? If you refuse, your soul will be harvested directly! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )]
“Don’t say something scary with such a happy look on your face!”
Isagi dropped on his bed, his whole body numb from this new revelation. By ‘his soul being harvested directly’, it most likely meant that , right? The collar was a guillotine wrapped around his neck.
In other words, he didn’t have a choice but to play along.
He bit his lip and sent the System a wary look.
“Why me?”
[Isn’t it obvious? Of course it’s because Isagi-sama has the highest compatibility rating with the capture targe–ahem–possessed victims! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-]
[It makes sense. After all, with Isagi-sama’s looks and pure maiden heart, you can even conquer this system. (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ]
Isagi’s honest reaction: “...”
He slumped, exhausted. There was no use fighting this System. In such a short time, he could already tell that it was a losing battle. He should use his time to get more information.
“Can you tell me more about these ‘demons’?”
[They’re evil spirits that have somehow escaped from hell. Even though they are just lowly beings, they are difficult to capture due to their unique hiding place.]
[They hide in the gaps within the heart!]
“The gaps… within the heart…”
[Yes! However, if that gap is filled, the demon won’t have a hiding place anymore! Everyone knows the best way to fill the heart is…]
[LOVE જ⁀➴ ♡]
“...”
[W-why does Isagi-sama have that expression on his face?! =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)]
[System Chu ~♡ is telling the truth!]
“That’s what I’m afraid of…”
Isagi felt his temple throbbing violently. How did he go from losing the preliminaries to being forced to romance ‘targets’ to save them from a demon possession? Even his wildest dreams never reached this level of tomfoolery. He’d almost think he was on drugs if he wasn’t 100% certain he'd never even touched Aspirin without his parent’s supervision.
He wishes he was on drugs.
“How am I even supposed to identify a possessed person?”
[Isagi-sama need not fret! (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧]
[They have already been gathered! The higher-ups pulled some strings to make the process smoother since the targets are scattered all over the globe!]
“All over the globe !?” Isagi didn’t think anything more could surprise him, but he was proven wrong. An overwhelming feeling of dread pooled in his gut. “How many are there!?”
[Erm… The number keeps fluctuating.]
[But don’t worry, someone else has been chosen alongside Isagi-sama to help split the load!]
Finally, some good news.
[𖧋𖧋-sama will handle the female targets, while Isagi-sama has the males! ヾ(˃ᴗ˂)◞ • *✰]
“Heh…”
Black fog oozed from Isagi’s slumped frame, and his arm snapped out to grab the lamp he’d set down earlier.
“If I’m going down, I’m dragging you with me.”
[I-Isagi-sama, what are you–]
CRASH!
[AH! ΣΣ(っﾟДﾟ;)っ]
“Don’t dodge!”
When Isagi finally calmed down, he resentfully spent 30 minutes cleaning up the mess in his room. All his projectiles just passed through the System screen uselessly.
It was a mystery how his parents slept through all the noise…
The next day, Isagi woke to find a white envelope on his bedside table.
He rubbed his eyes, squinting at the print. Did his mother leave it for him that morning? He doesn’t remember seeing it last night, and he knew for sure that his parents went to bed before him.
[It’s here! o(≧∇≦o)]
“Ugh, so you were real?” Isagi grumbled.
There had been the faint hope that it had all been some hallucination his tired mind had cooked up.
[Isagi-sama… (╥ᆺ╥;)]
He ignored the System’s tears the way one would wilfully become part of the wall when something uncomfortable was happening. The letter was swiftly opened and read. Isagi had to scan through the document 3 times before he finally comprehended what he was seeing.
“A special player training program? From the Japan Football Union?”
[Interestingly enough, the capture targets are all football nuts! Funny, right? ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )]
Isagi’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
[( ˶°ㅁ°) !!]
“That’s one way to put it.”
Isagi worried his lip, the pink deepening to a cherry red. He felt conflicted about the invitation.
He had no choice but to accept or literally lose his head, obviously. However, without that threat hanging over his head, he couldn’t decide on what to feel.
A part of him felt excited. Though football had gotten boring in Ichinan, this program could prove to be the spark he needed to bring back his passion for the sport.
The other part of him was apprehensive. If he goes through the program but is disappointed again, like he was at Ichinan…
The pain of growing to resent something that you once loved is a unique kind of pain. It’s not a sudden loss. It’s a slow, agonizing unraveling.
It starts with disappointment, the faintest cracks on a precious jewel that once seemed unbreakable. You polish it every day with careful hands, but those cracks continue to spread and grow. Soon, they become too large to ignore. Once a source of joy and pride–now it was only a reminder of what once was.
Even with this growing indifference, Isagi still felt the phantom warmth that he felt once upon a time. He still remembered the thrill of his first goal, the chills he got when faced with a competent opponent. The wisps of joy that he could faintly grasp onto but was rapidly slipping through his fingers like fine sand.
Isagi was afraid that, if he faced one more disappointment, he wouldn’t even have that .
[Isagi-sama, are you alright? You look sad… (´• . •`)]
“... It’s nothing.”
There was no use in having such thoughts. Regardless of what anxieties Isagi has, it won’t change the fact that he can’t refuse the invitation.
At the very least, this whole demon thing will keep him occupied.
The building looked overhead. On the gate was a plaque that read [Japan Football Union]. According to the information, the meeting place should be on the 3rd floor.
DING!
[I can sense it! The capture targets are concentrated in there! (૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭]
“How useful even is that sensor of yours? Of course they’re in there…”
[Isagi-sama, your beauty can only be matched by your ruthlessness… (╥ᆺ╥;)]
Isagi rolled his eyes, already used to the System’s antics. It had too much personality to be just a program.
After Isagi had accepted the invitation, System Chu~♡ had revealed its main functions.
One: it can sense the presence of a target and provide basic information.
Two: it could tell when Isagi reaches certain affection checkpoints with the target. There were apparently 3 – acquaintanceship, friendship, and love.
Three: When the target is captured, it will absorb the demon and send it back to hell.
These gave Isagi more questions than answers, but he wasn’t sure he had the mental endurance to hear more. It was bad enough that he was supposed to romance other men–not that he had problems with homosexuals.
Isagi didn’t care much for the gender of the other person. Bottom of the line is that he wasn’t interested in anyone .
The reason it was such a big deal that his targets were men was because he’s only ever played romance sims where he wooed female targets. The most experience he’s had with otome games is Mystic Letters, and he didn’t get to 100% the game due to his sleep schedule being completely destroyed.
However, let it be known that Isagi was no quitter.
He clenched his fists in determination–and to hide the trembling.
Whatever challenge lay ahead, he would face them with–.
“Isagi? Is that you?”
“Eh?”
Kira Ryousuke beamed. “I thought you looked familiar. It is you!”
Isagi flinched when Kira took his hands and shook them. The guy was a lot friendlier than he thought. It was almost off-putting how excited he was to meet a stranger. Was he always like this?
“Erm… it's good to see you…?”
That seemed to make the other boy happy. “I know, right?” Kira's smile became more blinding. “I can't believe we were both chosen for this special program!”
Isagi weakly tugged at his hands, but Kira had a strong grip. “I'm surprised you even know who I am.”
“Of course I do! You have an amazing game sense. The whole time we were playing, I was thinking that you'd give some crazy good passes if we were on the same team!”
Isagi felt blood rushing to his cheeks at the genuine compliment.
“Oh, thanks.”
Maybe he wasn’t that bad…
[No! Stay away from Isagi-sama! ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)]
It took every bit of strength in Isagi's body to hold back his flinch. He'd almost forgotten about the System.
[How dare he flirt so shamelessly?! A bug like him… it's like throwing a diamond in cow dung!]
Ew.
That mental image was unnecessary.
“We should enter soon,” Isagi said awkwardly, finally freeing his hands from Kira's slackened grip.
The other guy blinked out of his daze. “Ah, yes, of course! Before we’re late!” He fluttered his hands about, cheeks a pale pink.
It was a strange contrast to how he usually appeared in magazines or TV.
Isagi lagged behind Kira, side-eyeing the System.
“What is it? He's not a target?” He made sure to keep his voice low. The last thing he needed was a diagnosis.
[Well, he isn't not necessarily a person of interest if I were to say right now with some certainty of knowledge when it comes to whether he's a person that requires a level of scrutiny from Isagi-sama.]
“... What ?”
“Isagi? Why are you so far back?”
“Coming, coming.” Isagi coughed into his fist and rushed to catch up.
Scratch what he said earlier. Maybe he needs a diagnosis after all. The amount of mental damage the System just inflicted must have at least dropped his IQ to the single digits.
Kira opened the door to the meeting room and–
DING!
DING!
DING! DING! DING!
Isagi screwed his eyes shut. He barely noticed Kira taking his hand and pulling him to a quiet corner.
It took a whole minute before the loud notification sounds finally stopped.
[I-Isagi-sama! Are you alright?! .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.]
“Isagi, what's wrong?” Kira rubbed his hand between the shoulder blades. It was a warm, steadying gesture.
“Just… migraine,” Isagi grit out. “I get them often.”
Kira’s brows furrowed, but fortunately, he let the matter drop. His hand continued to absently rub Isagi’s back.
[Grrr… Why I oughta!]
The lights shut off suddenly, and Isagi finally revealed the murderous glare he’d been trying to hide beneath his bangs.
Shouldn’t that be my line? Next moment I’m alone, I’m gonna…
[Eek! W-what are you planning for me? ΣΣ(っﾟДﾟ;)]
Isagi blinked.
Can you hear my thoughts?
[Of course!]
[Heh heh, after all, Isagi-sama and I are soul bound by the contract. (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ]
[Hm? What’s this noise?]
[E-eh? It’s, hum, it’s a bit…]
[Isagi-sama, please, make it stop!! (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥) ‧º]
Isagi relaxed, his lips turning up smugly as the System continued to wail. Finally, sweet revenge.
He can’t believe it took this long for the System to reveal such vital information. Was it having fun watching Isagi desperately biting his tongue before he said something scandalous in public? Even worse, when he was having dinner with his family only to choke on something at the System’s shamelessness?
Whatever suffering the System was experiencing now was only what it deserved.
Though, Isagi wasn’t sure why “My Little Apple” by the Chopstick Brothers would have such destructive power.
“–but I can’t agree with what you said.” The crowd parted around them, and Isagi was suddenly assaulted by the peripheral attention of the room. He surreptitiously stepped further behind Kira, thankful for the height difference.
What happened? What was Kira protesting exactly? Isagi had been distracted and missed the whole entrance speech.
“For most of us, our team is our main priority, particularly those of us who’ll participate at Nationals. There’s no way I can accept those kinds of terms. I… I will not throw away my own team!”
That got an eye-roll from Isagi. He already began the process of throwing away his own team. Can’t relate.
Kira’s words seemed to have a better audience with the crowd as the other players began protesting.
“He’s right!”
“Yeah! Why should I abandon nationals…”
Ego, and Isagi finally got a good look at the man, spread his arms. “I see. You guys… are seriously fucked in the head.”
That wasn’t at all what Isagi was expecting to hear.
“A sport where you try to score goals in teams of 11 members? ‘Our bonds are important’? ‘I will play for my teammates’? Well that’s wrong. That way of thinking is exactly why Japan lacks football skills. I will show you what it's all about…”
“Football is, at its core, a sport about scoring goals even at the expense of your teammates. ”
“The best player is the one that scores the most goals. If you want to play pretend football instead, then get lost already.
“... Noel Noa… in his words: I feel better losing 3-4 after scoring a hat-trick than winning only by 1-0 with an assist! Whaddya think!? Awful aren’t they, but they can say it because they’re the best! All of them are revolutionary strikers! Their extraordinary ‘egoism’ is the one thing Japan’s football lacks.
“You will not be the best striker in the world unless you have the biggest egos for it as well.”
In spite of himself, Isagi found himself enthralled by the man’s speech.
A sport where you score goals… at the expense of your teammates? You rely on yourself and your own strength on the field. To suppress others with your own will. A kind of individualistic, selfish, egotistical football.
Isn’t that what Isagi was missing from Ichinan?
“If you desire that rebellious ‘egoism’... then step through the gate.” The large double doors slid open. Ego stood with a challenging glint in his eyes. “Your greatest joy is striking points and nothing else. You live for the excitement of that very moment. Now that’s a ‘striker’, don’t you think?”
When was the last time Isagi had felt joy playing football?
When did football become so dull?
Isagi has been chasing that excitement for the past 2 years, that moment where he truly felt satisfaction at making a goal.
Isagi sprinted forward, ignoring the shocked exclamation from Kira. Bodies moved aside as he put one foot after the other in one direction.
[That’s the spirit! Let’s go crush those demons! ＼＼\(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶//／／]
“H-hey, move out the way!”
“I’m going, too!”
“I won’t lose to anyone!”
Let this be Isagi’s last gamble.
He didn’t want to hate football, a sport that had once been the center jewel in his life. Cracks can be filled. Chips can be smoothed over.
One day, that dimness can be polished back to full luster.