The Golden Winged Of Football: Haruma Kusaka

Chapter 138 138: Friendly?

The field had been cleared for the one-on-one.Haruma stood over the ball, his face etched with concentration, his sharp gaze fixed firmly ahead.

On the opposite, stood Senji, matching that same level of intensity. The firmness in his expression left little doubt, he had no intention of treating this like an ordinary drill.

From the sidelines, Kento, Raon, Kurogami, and the rest of the team watched in silence, their attention centered entirely on the duel ahead.

Jiho's teeth remained clenched, anticipation evident in the tension across his face. Nagisa observed with his usual composure, while a faint smirk rested on Kabuto's lips.

Raya stood with his arms folded, studying the two carefully. Beside them, a trace of concern lingered in Izaya's expression.

Koujin kept his voice low, his eyes never leaving the field. "Who do you guys think takes this?"

Jotaro watched the two in silence for a moment before answering.

"Honestly... I can't tell. We've seen Haruma play. We know what he's capable of." His gaze shifted briefly toward Senji. "But Senji? We know almost nothing about his game."

Kabuto clicked his tongue. "I know exactly who's winning," he said without hesitation. "Haruma. That's not even a question."

"Yeah," Jiho muttered, his eyes fixed on the field. "We've been around him long enough… He's different."

Takezu gave a small nod. "In the end, it doesn't really matter who wins," he said. "They're both on our side."

Ryota grinned at that. "Exactly." He said before bringing his hands together, he started clapping. "Come on, guys! Let's hear it!"

Out on the field, Haruma remained still for a few moments, his eyes fixed on Senji, who stood before the open net with quiet confidence.

Drawing in a deep breath, Haruma then nudged the ball forward and eased into his approach, advancing with a controlled jog.

Senji bent slightly and began moving at the same slow pace.

Haruma shifted his pace and burst into a rush forward, the ball dancing at his feet.

Senji answered immediately, matching his speed while keeping his eyes solely fixed on the ball.

The distance between them closed rapidly, anticipation growing along the sidelines as everyone watched with held breaths.

Haruma came head-on before suddenly slowing, acting fast to shift towards the right to which Senji reacted brilliantly, quickly leaning into the same direction to shut him down.

Haruma, with the ball beneath his foot, shifted right before nudging it left, Senji reacting instantly as he threw his leg across to block, only for Haruma to pull the ball back at the last second and drift backwards with the ball still dancing beneath his feet.

Senji slowly pressed forward, his eyes never leaving the ball and the moment Haruma's foot twitched to make another move, Senji shot his foot in for the tackle.

Haruma reacted just as quickly, lifting his foot over the ball before tapping it down, causing the ball to bounce up from between them.

Before Senji could even process it, Haruma headed the ball over him and in a display of pure speed Haruma burst past almost instantly, leaving Senji shocked.

And before the ball could touch the ground,

Haruma swung his foot through the dropping ball, smashing a mid-air volley, sending a bullet of a shot which went crashing into the back of the nets.

Kento was left with wide, stunned eyes, while Raon's mouth hung slightly open.

Koujin, Jotaro, Sam, Takezu, and the others stood with jaws dropped, still struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

In contrast, a broad smirk spread across Kabuto's face, matched by Jiho's confident grin. Raya beamed brightly, Nagisa carried a faint smile, while Izaya watched with eyes sparkling with excitement.

Kurogami remained silent, arms folded across his chest, his expression serious as he kept his gaze on the field.

Haruma took a deep breath before turning towards Senji who stood rooted in place, his head lowered.

Haruma looked at him for a brief moment before moving on, walking past him as he made his way towards the gathered team.

"One more."

The voice came from behind Haruma pausing him mid-step. He then turned his head to find Senji standing, straight at him with sharp, focused eyes.

"One more," Senji repeated.

A slight furrow appeared between Haruma's brows as he held Senji's gaze for a few moments before eventually giving a nod.

"They're going again?" Gaku asked, both eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Huh. Doesn't matter," Kabuto scoffed, a smirk tugging at his lips. "The result's gonna be the same."

"Yeah," Jiho added with an obvious grin. "There's just no stopping Haruma."

Once again, Haruma and Senji took their positions on the field.

Leaning slightly towards Kento, Raon glanced at him with a hint of concern on his face.

"Sensei... should we stop them?"

Kento gave no reply. His arms remained folded as he kept his eyes fixed on the field.

Haruma then nudged the ball forward once more, moving ahead with the ball at his feet.

Across from him, Senji began closing the distance, advancing carefully and deliberately as he kept his eyes firmly on the ball.

Haruma suddenly burst into a full sprint, attempting to beat Senji down the left with sheer speed.

But Senji reacted instantly, matching his run stride for stride. As the gap closed, he drove a shoulder in and stretched a foot forward, timing his interception perfectly.

Just as the impact was about to hit, Haruma moved, and in one fluid motion, he pinned the ball beneath his foot and spun across Senji's path. Senji swept through the empty space as Haruma completed a perfect roulette, rolling the ball around Senji and emerging on the opposite side.

Fixing his sharp, focused gaze on the open net ahead, Haruma swung his foot through the ball and struck it cleanly.

And just as the shot flew off with power, Senji threw himself into its path, sliding across the turf, taking the full impact on his leg, smothering the strike and killing it instantly.

Jiho, Kabuto, and Izaya's jaws dropped.

Raya was visibly taken aback, while Nagisa and Kurogami watched with slightly widened eyes, caught off guard by the brilliance.

"Oooohohohooo!" Gaku exclaimed dramatically.

"Daaamn!" Koujin added, clearly impressed.

"That was lit!" Sam said with a wide grin.

"Superb," Takezu remarked, a bright smile spreading across his face.

Raon broke into enthusiastic applause, a proud smile on his face. Beside him, Kento joined in, carrying the same look of appreciation.

Still on the ground, Senji pumped a fist into the air, unable to hide his joy and satisfaction.

Haruma himself nodded, clearly impressed by the block. He then looked down at Senji, who immediately looked back up at him.

"Want a best of three?" Senji offered, excitement evident in his voice.

A genuine smile spread across Haruma's face. "Well, I was about to say the same thing." He then extended a hand toward him.

Senji grinned and grabbed it, and Haruma pulled him back to his feet. Giving him a light pat on the shoulder, Haruma then turned and began walking back to his position.

Smiles on both of their faces.

"Wow, I never thought this would end up making them friends," Raon said with a gentle smile.

"They're actually going for a best of three?" Jotaro said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Hell yeah, I'm down for the third one!" Koujin shouted before breaking into applause, cheering the two on.

Soon enough, Rensora, Sam, Ryota, Gaku, Takezu, and the rest joined in, clapping loudly and calling out their support.

The training ground quickly filled with applause and excited cheers.

Out on the field, Haruma wore a broad smile. And for the first time since the challenge had begun, the same gentle smile was on Senji's face.

Watching the two enjoy themselves, a smile found its way onto Raya's face as well. Joining the cheers, he began applauding along with the others.

"Yeahhh! Come on, you two, you've got this!" He cheered on

Kurogami remained still for a moment before uncrossing his arms and joining in, clapping steadily, keeping his eyes on the game.

Seeing Raya and Kurogami, Jiho and Kabuto exchanged a glance, both giving a small shrug as if to say why not? Before long, they too joined the applause, cheering the two on.

Izaya broke into bright giggles and began clapping along enthusiastically, while Nagisa watched with a faint smile resting on his face.

Back on the field, Haruma settled into position once more. The smile never left his face as he nudged the ball forward and began advancing again, the ball moving smoothly at his feet.

Senji moved forward with a confident smirk, closing the distance between them. And the moment he stepped in, Haruma smirked back and began working the ball beneath his feet. His legs blurred through a rapid series of stepovers, the movement so quick it felt like a direct challenge thrown at Senji.

Senji kept his eyes locked on the ball, trying to read the rhythm, but the sheer speed made it difficult to keep up.

"Wooo! That's fast!" Koujin exclaimed with a hint of awe on his face.

"That's his specialty!" Izaya shot back enthusiastically, a wide smile playing across his face.

For a moment longer, Haruma continued the rapid stepovers, keeping Senji locked in place before suddenly nudging the ball forward.

The ball slipped past Senji's left side, and in the next instant, Haruma exploded forward in a blur of speed, beating him cleanly and leaving him stumbling behind.

But Senji still threw a desperate leg toward the ball but he missed.

Instead, his foot caught Haruma's planted ankle and the impact twisted it violently.

A loud sharp cry of agony tore through Haruma's throat as his ankle buckled beneath him. He then crashed onto the turf, immediately clutching his twisted ankle, his face contorting with pain.

The entire field froze.

Eyes widened. Breaths caught in throats.

Kento stood frozen in horror, his eyes locked on Haruma while the color faded from his face. Beside him, Raon's expression had gone pale too, horror clear in his eyes as he stared at Haruma on the ground.

Jiho, Kabuto, Izaya, Nagisa, and Raya stood still. The cheers had died on their lips, replaced by stunned, horrified silence. Their eyes remained fixed on Haruma, shock and fear settling heavily across their faces.

Kurogami's eyes widened to their limit. For a brief moment, he simply stood there, his breath caught in his chest, unable to look away.

On the field, Senji was no different. His eyes were wide with panic, locked onto Haruma as he lay on the turf, clutching his ankle and wincing in visible pain.