The crowd was still locked in awe, eyes fixed on Haruma's majestic move before them.
From the sideline, his mother stood just as still, watching with the sa stunned expression
For a split second, the ball stayed balanced on Haruma's boot mid-air before he ca down first, then letting the ball fall
But before the ball could actually land, from the side, another Hanaka High player ca charging in, throwing his kick forward with full-force, aiming for a collision to break the play.
With perfect timing, Haruma lifted the ball just enough with his knee, soft, controlled, precise, popping it over the incoming tackle and slipping past the collision by a breath.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the dropping ball, Haruma took a few steps forward, and when the ball hit the grass in front of him, he swung his foot for the strike.
From the side another defender ca rushing, throwing himself into a sliding block to shut down the shot.
But Haruma never flinched.
He faked the shot, and shifted the ball to the opposite side of the slide in one smooth touch, slipping past the challenge and opening a pocket of space where there had been none.
Without hesitation, he reset his stance and swung his foot again.
As the nerves shot, the goalkeeper panicked, positioning, bracing himself for the expected shot, trying to narrow the angle before the strike even ca.
Haruma's foot ca through, but at the last instant, Masaru rushed in from the blind side, throwing his leg up in a desperate attempt to block the shot.
Haruma again faked the shot, shifted the ball on the opposite side with a sharp touch that slipped him past Masaru completely.
The montum broke Masaru's balance, his body tipping forward as he collapsed onto the turf behind him while Haruma kept on advancing forward.
Just as Haruma stepped into the box, Shino ca flying in from the right, shoulder driving into him, right foot stretching out for a last-second poke to steal the ball.
In response Haruma slightly eases his pace, giving Shino the perfect chance, forcing him to jab his foot in.
And when he did, Haruma dragged the ball back ever so slightly with his left foot, letting the tackle slice through empty space.
Clean miss.
No contact.
In the sa fluid motion, Haruma pushed the ball into the open right channel, gliding past Shino and leaving him a step behind the play.
With all the calm, he set his body and swung his foot, striking the ball with full force.
From the right edge of the box, the ball tore through the air with brutal speed, before slamming into the back-left corner of the net with violent precision.
The stands burst alive again, waves of cheers rolling across the field, hands clashing in loud applause.
"Hat trick! It's a hat trick from Haruma!" the announcer's voice rang out over the noise.
Haruma looked up toward the crowd, and with a faint smile, he placed a hand over his heart in quiet thanks.
And before the mont could settle, Jiho ca wrapping him up from behind in a tight hold. Izaya ca flying in from the side, jumping onto him, while Raya stepped in, ruffling his hair with a grin.
In the stands, Rukia was already on her feet, clapping hard, a wide, shining smile on her face as she celebrated along with everyone else.
The principal clapped with a wide grin, clearly caught up in the mont, while Haruma's mother watched quietly with a faint smile, her eyes soft with pride.
At the back, Kurogami stood near the net, arms folded behind him, expression flat, almost detached, as if none of this had surprised him.
Nagisa remained rooted where he was, his expression mirroring Kurogami's sa quiet indifference, before letting out a slow yawn, as if the tempo on the field barely held his interest.
On the other side, Kabuto kept clapping at a steady rhythm, a faint, almost forced smile lingering on his face.
"Brilliant, Haruma. Brilliant job," he called out, before exhaling and letting his arms fall. "Now let us play too, damn it."
Masaru was still settled down on the turf, watching the celebration with a small, genuine smile resting on his face…
The ga continues.
The ball rolled across the pitch and settled at the feet of a Hanaka High player, who quickly looked up, scanned the field and fired a sharp pass across.
The receiving player barely got it under control before he looked up and saw Jiho charging at him like a raging bull, closing the distance with explosive speed.
Panic flashed across the defender's face as he reacted on instinct, hurriedly knocking the ball off himself, sending it sideways to a nearby teammate.
That player collected it cleanly, lifting his head for just a split second to assess the field.
Then he struck through it.
A long, driven pass launched high into the air, soaring forward towards the attacking end.
Under the traveling ball, Toru charged in and leapt high to et it with a header.
But with explosive speed, Kabuto arrived at the exact sa mont and leaped alongside Toru, but higher.
They collided mid-air, bodies crashing. But it was Kabuto who made the decisive contact.
His header redirected the ball upward with force, sending it looping higher into the air.
Toru and Kabuto landed roughly, the duel breaking apart but the ball stayed alive in the air.
As the ball began to drop, a Hanaka High player burst in and struck it first ti on the volley, firing a rocket towards the nets.
But Nagisa reacted instantly, throwing himself back-first into its path, taking the impact squarely on his shoulder, killing the montum in a brutal block.
The ball soared up once again before beginning its drop. And Toru, once again, was already under it.
He ca bursting forward, muscles loaded, and struck the ball hard in a volley driving a sharp, violent strike straight back toward the goal.
But Nagisa wasn't done. He slid into the ball's path, and at the last instant he kicked it out mid-action, clearing it away for a throw-in.
The crowds let out a unified sigh, seeming slightly upset. While on the field Toru snapped in frustration and kicked the grass hard.
Nagisa rose to his feet and began brushing dust off his clothes with a plain almost bored face.
From his position, Haruma raised his hands and began clapping above his head, calm but approving.
Nearby, Jiho and Izaya were grinning wide, applauding hard, roaring appreciations at Nagisa's stop.
Kabuto ca jogging in with a playful swagger, letting out an exaggerated "uhhh-huhu" before giving Nagisa a sharp, friendly punch to the shoulder.
"Damn, pretty boy! I didn't know you could defend better than you pass," Kabuto teased, voice light but sharp with mock praise.
Nagisa let out a quiet sigh, expression unchanged.
"Shut up," he replied flatly, before turning and jogging back into position, leaving Kabuto behind with that sa grin still hanging on his face…
The clock was now ticking past the 36th minute, tension settling deeper into the match.
Masaru had the ball, circulating it carefully with quick one-touch passes, refusing to take any risk, playing it safe through the midfield.
A player from Hanaka received the pass and as he began to scan ahead, he felt a presence closing in on him.
Under pressure, that player quickly flicked the ball away with a rushed pass just before Jiho could lock him down.
Jiho let out a light, amused giggle before turning to Raya, he raised his arm slightly
"They really just gonna waste ti now! when are they actually gonna push?" He asked playfully.
From a distance, Raya let out a calm smile before replying. "Let's wait and watch."
Now having the ball at his feet, Shino began to scan the field for an opening. But when Izaya ca closing the space fast, Shino didn't risk it and quickly cut the pressure off with a quick pass back into the defense.
The center-back received it cleanly and imdiately shifted it left, rolling a simple pass out to the left-back.
The left-back took control, lifting his head as he scanned the field for options.
Up ahead, Shino and Masaru began walking backwards, retreating to reset their shape and create passing lanes.
Izaya stayed tight on Shino, shadowing his movent.
Jiho tracked Masaru, matching his repositioning step for step.
anwhile Raya covered the remaining threats and Haruma on the other hand kept his eyes locked on the play.
The left back took a mont longer, keeping the ball at his foot, still reading the field, pulling in steady breaths.
Just then, Haruma's brow tightened, and as he sharpened his gaze, focusing in on the left back, his eyes widened.
It was Milo.
The sa boy who had offered his own shirt when Haruma's tore in the All-School Cup final.
The white hair of Milo was gone, replaced by a sharp orange, but Haruma didn't took long to recognize the sa innocent face.
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