The soccer practice started shortly after.
The three friends had been playing together since they were kids.
They knew each other so well that their movements seemed choreographed.
So many years of local tournaments, school championships, and trials for professional youth teams had turned them into more than just teammates.
When they played together, they moved like a perfectly synchronized machine.
Cris took the left flank, always ready to recover the ball.
Tai was the midfield link, the brain connecting every play.
And Ray… Ray was the star forward.
The one who finished everything.
As the match continued, the three exchanged a look only they could understand.
It was the moment.
Without saying a word, they decided to execute their signature move. One as simple as it was deadly—the same one they had perfected since they were kids playing in the streets of their neighborhood.
And if everything went as usual…
no one on that field could stop them.
Cris ran down the wing and delivered a perfect pass.
Tai controlled the ball and looked up.
—"Ray!" he shouted excitedly.
A gentle touch placed Ray right in front of the goal.
All he had to do was kick.
But then he looked up.
Behind the opponent's goal, he saw a familiar figure.
Hana.
Her light brown hair, streaked with violet, fluttered gently in the wind.
For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Her walk was calm, confident… as if every step were perfectly calculated.
She passed by there every day on her way home.
Ray blanked out for a moment.
Dazzled by Hana's beauty and the way she moved, it took him a second to remember where he was.
He kicked reflexively.
But his foot missed the ball.
It hit the ground hard, and he fell to his knees, scraping against the dirt of the field.
—"Ray!!" Tai and Cris shouted. "Are you okay?"
Hearing the commotion, Hana ran over.
She knelt in front of him.
She pulled a damp handkerchief from her pocket and began cleaning the wound.
—"You need to be more careful… you're like a wild animal," she said as she wiped his knee.
Ray couldn't say a single word.
Just as he was about to murmur "thank you," she looked at Tai and Cris.
—"What are you waiting for?" she said. "Take him to the nurse's office before it gets infected."
Hana stood up and walked away with a smile.
There was concern on her face, but also the same kindness she always carried.
She wasn't doing it for Ray in particular.
She just… was that kind of person.
A good person helping someone in need.
As they walked toward the nurse's office, Cris broke the silence.
—"What were you thinking, Ray? First you skip practice, now you miss a goal… or worse, you didn't even touch the ball."
Tai laughed.
—"It's true. You ruined a perfect pass. Next time, I'll score it myself… maybe I'll even take your 'scorer' nickname."
Ray lowered his gaze.
—"Sorry, guys… I just miscalculated."
Cris and Tai exchanged a look but said nothing.
—"Alright," Tai finally said. "Go get patched up. We'll wait for you outside."
Ray entered the nurse's office and sat on a cot.
The school nurse examined the wound.
—"Let's see…" he said as he cleaned the knee. "Are you sure this was a soccer accident? Looks like you rubbed your leg against sandpaper."
While the nurse cleaned the wound with alcohol, Ray barely reacted.
Instead of pain, his face showed a calm expression.
Almost… happy.
His mind wasn't in the nurse's office.
Nor on the sting running through his knee.
It was on Hana.
On how she had knelt in front of him.
On her hands cleaning the wound.
—"Are you okay?" the nurse asked. "You seem miles away. Did something happen you can't forget?"
Ray smiled.
—"It's nothing, sir. Thank you very much for helping me."
When he left the nurse's office, Tai and Cris were waiting.
Ray walked toward them with an entirely different energy.
As if he had made an important decision.
—"Guys…" he said.
They looked at him.
—"I'm going to do it."
Cris frowned.
—"Do what? Score more goals to win the championship? That would be helpful."
Ray shook his head.
—"No."
He looked at them with determination.
—"This year… I'm going to tell her."
Tai and Cris exchanged a glance.
They both knew exactly who he was talking about.