It was Haruma Kusaka's Hanaka High jersey, preserved in the fra, still torn, the old blood stains left untouched.
A wide smile spreads across Haruma's face as he takes it in his hands.
The principal looks up at him with a warm smile. "We thought this might an sothing to you."
Haruma lets out a soft, breathless laugh and nods quickly. "Yeah… it really does. Thank you, sir."
The principal's smile widens further. "Owh and one more thing." He turns again, and this ti an authority hands him sothing heavier.
He steps forward and presents it.
It was a silver, gleaming trophy, sculpted in the image of Haruma Kusaka himself, capturing the exact mont of his roar after the finals win, frozen in sharp detail. His figure stands firm on the base, intensity etched into every line, with Haruma 22 marked on the back.
Haruma Kusaka's eyes widen as he takes in the trophy, standing in silence, caught in the weight of it.
And beneath it, engraved into the base:
"A wounded soldier who never stopped believing. Haruma Kusaka."
His eyes begin to shimr, tears slowly forming as his vision blurs, the mont settling deep within him.
Haruma Kusaka's mother smiles warmly, while Masaru, Shino, and Toru watch him with quiet smiles of their own.
A little further back, Kurogami stands with his arms folded, observing in silence, the rest behind him sharing the mont with soft smiles.
Haruma tightens his grip on the trophy, then turns toward the crowd and raises it high above his head.
The response hits instantly.
Applause surges, cheers rise louder, the entire atmosphere charging with energy as the stadium erupts around him.
Haruma keeps the trophy lifted, a steady smile resting on his face as he takes it all in…
Monts later, the crowd stays in a frenzy of cheers and noise as Haruma Kusaka moves along the edge of the stands, signing jerseys, boards, anything the fans push forward.
On the other side, Kurogami, Raya, and Nagisa were doing the sa, while Kabuto, Jiho, and Izaya were knocking the balls into the stands and handing out jerseys as gifts.
With a security guard close by, Haruma keeps moving, smiling as he signs one jersey after another before shifting to a large photo fra of himself, pen already moving.
A flood of items cos rushing toward Haruma, their hands stretching out from every direction as the noise of the crowd surrounds him. He signs as much as he can, moving quickly from one to the next before shifting forward.
"Haruma! Haruma! Haruma!"
A girl calls out, her voice cutting through the noise, desperate to be heard.
Haruma turns slightly toward her.
She beams, quickly raising a handkerchief toward him, holding it out with both hands.
Haruma Kusaka leans in, reaches out, and begins signing it.
The girl keeps her eyes locked on him, giggling under her breath. "Haruma… do you rember ?" she asked.
Haruma glances up at her, a light smile forming. "All the faces around here feel familiar."
She brightens instantly. "You hit with a football once, during practice."
Haruma lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head slightly. "Well I'm sorry about that."
The girl giggles and raises her hand. Haruma Kusaka ets it with a quick shake, then moves on, leaving her behind, still bubbling with joy.
Haruma keeps moving along the line, signing one item after another, when suddenly a wrist is held out in front of him, offered quietly for a signature.
Slightly taken aback, Haruma pauses before looking up and finds Rukia.
Her eyes were soft, a faint smile resting on her face, with a quiet hint of affection lingering beneath it.
Haruma Kusaka lets out a faint smile. "Rukia?"
Rukia nods quickly. "Nice to see you again." She extends her wrist a little closer, silently asking him to sign.
Haruma gently steadies her wrist and begins signing.
Rukia watches him closely, that sa soft smile lingering on her face.
"I really enjoyed watching you play," she says in a warm tone.
Once he finishes, Haruma looks up at her with a small smile. "Thank you."
Rukia smiles softly, her voice carrying a slight nervousness. "Haruma… do you have ti? Can we… can we talk?"
Haruma Kusaka pauses for a brief mont, a little awkward, then answers gently.
"Umm… not right now. But soon. We will. All of us will." He gives her one last small smile, then turns and continues moving down the line, signing and greeting the others.
Rukia stays where she was, watching him go, keeping her affectionate eyes and soft smile locked on him, even as the distance slowly grows…
After an eventful evening of catching up with classmates, teachers, and revisiting the school grounds, Haruma was now leaving.
The crowd in the stands were on their feet, clapping in a steady, unified rhythm, every face lit with admiration and pride.
Haruma was standing at the center of the field, waving toward every corner of the field, then bows repeatedly with a genuine smile resting across his face.
"BEST OF LUCK HARUMA."
The chant rises in unison from the crowd, echoing across the stadium in a steady, thunderous wave.
Haruma offers one final bow, lifts his hand in a last wave, then turns away and begins walking forward, his team following closely behind him.
On the pitch, the Hanaka High players line up near the stadium exit, forming a guard of honor, applauding with steady smiles as Haruma approaches.
Haruma then walks through them, exchanging quick dabs with each player, and once he reaches Masaru, they share a dab before pulling into a brief, firm hug, then Haruma moves on and exits the field.
Stepping out of the stadium, he finds the principal, his mother, and several authorities gathered near the cars, waiting for a proper send-off.
Haruma then cos forward and pulls his mother into a warm hug. She holds him tightly, while behind him Kurogami and the others shake hands with the authorities before beginning to settle into the vehicles.
Haruma gently pulls back, a soft smile on his face, and leans in to kiss his mother's forehead. She closes her eyes for a mont, holding the emotion in.
He then turns to the principal and shares a brief, respectful hug before stepping back.
With a final smile, Haruma bows one last ti toward everyone, then moves toward the vehicle and settles inside.
The engine roars to life as the principal and the authorities wave them off, their voices carrying wishes of luck for the Tournant ahead.
Haruma Kusaka's mother stands still, tears glistening as she presses a hand lightly over her mouth.
The vehicles begin to roll forward, tires cutting through the silence, then slowly pick up speed.
One by one, the cars move away from them, fading into the distance until they disappear completely…
Inside the car, Haruma Kusaka sits quietly with the silver trophy resting in his hands. He was studying it in silence, a faint smile forming as the mory of the match replays in his mind.
Suddenly, the vehicle brakes hard, jolting everyone inside.
Kurogami leans forward slightly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What happened?" he asks, voice steady but alert.
The driver keeps his eyes forward. "Hold on a second," he replies, reaching for the radio and linking up with the lead vehicle carrying the bodyguards.
And as tge both cars got linked, a crackle of static cuts through before a voice cos through clearly.
"There's a girl standing there, blocking the path."
A brief wave of confusion passes through the car.
Jiho shrugs, leaning back slightly. "Ah, co on. It's probably a fan. Just make her move."
The driver honks repeatedly, but there's no response. The figure ahead doesn't move at all, making it clear she's refusing to step aside.
Izaya clicks his tongue in mild annoyance, then lowers the window and leans his head out to check.
His expression changes instantly.
"Oh shit!"
He pulls back inside the car just as quickly, snapping everyone's attention toward him in confusion.
Kurogami looks ahead, still confused. "What?"
Izaya turns his attention toward Haruma, who was just as puzzled as the others.
Keeping his gaze fixed on Haruma, Izaya explains, "It's a girl you know. The one who visited our camp before… she's usually with Toru and Masaru."
Haruma's eyes widened slightly. "Rukia?" he asks, the surprise clear in his voice.
Izaya nods.
Kabuto exhales sharply. "What does she want now? Didn't you already give her the autograph?"
The driver presses the horn again, longer this ti, the sound echoing down the road in frustration.
"Stop."
Haruma Kusaka's voice cuts through the car, firm and imdiate, causing the horns to die out at once.
A crackle cos through the radio from the lead vehicle. "Sir… what should we do?"
Kurogami turns to Haruma Kusaka, his expression steady. "You should go and talk to her."
Haruma pauses for a mont, thinking it through, then gives a small nod.
"And be quick," Kurogami says firmly.
Haruma exhales, then opens the door, and steps out.
The mont he does, he sees Rukia standing in the middle of the road ahead, completely still. Her expression remains calm, eyes locked directly onto him without wavering.
Haruma looks at her with clear confusion, trying to search in her stare. He then closes the door behind him and begins walking toward her.
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