Chapter 73 Football 73 Extra Chapter
On a winter afternoon, sunlight filtered through dappled leaves and spilled onto the hospital corridor.
Nagi Seishiro held the basket full of fruit steadily in his left hand, while his right hand was raised somewhat stiffly and waved gently to greet Amano Minaka, saying, "Good afternoon."
"Nagi?"
Amano Minaka's eyes widened slightly, his face filled with surprise.
Perhaps due to the principle of same-sex repulsion, the relationship between Amano Minaka and Nagi Seishiro was not particularly close. Most of the time, their seemingly harmonious relationship was merely due to Reio Mikage.
"What's this?" Ten no Minaka's gaze slowly shifted downwards, only then noticing that Nagi Seishiro was still tightly holding a bright green aloe vera plant in his arms.
The thick leaves of the aloe vera are covered with tiny thorns, which shimmer slightly in the sunlight.
Nagi Seishiro scratched his head and mumbled, "The internet says you should bring flowers and fruit when visiting a patient, but I think aloe vera, which is easier to care for, would be better than a bouquet."
He gently shook the aloe vera in his arms, his eyes full of seriousness, "If you're alone here with no one to keep you company, you can talk to it."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and added, "I also often talk to Xiao Jian."
"Scissors" is the name of Nagi Seishiro's cactus.
When Amano Minaka and Mikage Reio were talking, the conversation would occasionally turn to Nagi Seishiro. They would inevitably mention that Nagi Seishiro would talk to cacti when he was home alone.
Nagi Seishiro carefully placed the fruit basket gently on the bedside table, then steadily lifted the aloe vera with both hands and handed it to Amano Minaka. Receiving no response for a while, he quickly looked up, his gaze meeting Amano Minaka's slightly narrowed pupils.
Only then did Nagi Seishiro realize that he had said the wrong thing.
"Feel sorry……"
Saying something like "easier to raise" in front of a patient is extremely inappropriate.
Amano Minaka was taken aback for a moment, but his slightly furrowed brows quickly relaxed, and he regained his usual composure. A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he slowly took the aloe vera from Nagi Seishiro's hands, his eyes full of appreciation.
"A very pretty little guy."
The aloe vera is a vibrant green, with thick leaves that gleam with a crystalline sheen, radiating a lively vitality.
"But you're not the kind of guy who would spend ten points to come all the way out just to bring me a pot of aloe vera, are you?"
Amano Minaka tilted his head slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of mockery as he stared intently at Nagi Seishiro.
"Tell me, is there anything I can do to help?" he said, while pulling the hospital gown draped over his shoulders tighter, as if he felt the room was a bit cold.
"My consultation fees are very expensive. If you can't afford them, you can burn them for me later."
He looked at Nagi Seishiro's stunned expression, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and the smile on his lips grew even wider.
"Just kidding."
Tenno Minaka couldn't help but chuckle softly, the sound echoing in the quiet ward.
After a moment of silence, the outsider voiced his question.
"...I have no goals anymore."
Nagi Seishiro stood by the bed, his figure tall but slightly forlorn. His deep, abyss-like eyes stared straight at Tenno Minaka, his gaze filled with confusion and emptiness, as if he had lost his former brilliance.
"what do I do?"
His voice was low and hoarse, as if it were being forced out of his throat, carrying a hint of weariness and helplessness.
"Ever since that shot at Je, it seems like all the motivation has disappeared."
Nagi Seishiro lowered his head slightly, and the stray hairs on his forehead fell down, obscuring his eyes and making it impossible to see the complex expression on his face.
The passion gradually faded, the goals became blurred, and even the motivation to continue playing football was gone.
"I watched that game, it was great."
Tenno Minaka sat on the hospital bed, intently fiddling with the aloe vera in his hands. His slender fingers gently stroked the thick leaves of the aloe vera, his eyes revealing a sense of leisure.
"But there was something wrong with your form. If the goalkeeper had been a better player, you wouldn't have scored that goal."
He slightly raised his head, looking at Nagi Seishiro with gentle eyes and a faint smile on his lips.
"But that shot was really good. I thought you might be able to beat Bach with that goal, but unexpectedly, England was completely dismantled."
Upon hearing this, Nagi Seishiro's body stiffened slightly, and the muscles on his face instantly tensed up.
He remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together, the lines of his lips becoming exceptionally distinct, as if he were trying his best to suppress his inner emotions.
This was indeed the reason he came to visit Ten no Michū.
Since scoring that momentous goal, his value skyrocketed in the New Hero Tournament rankings. But in just one week, he was mercilessly dragged back to his original level by the core of Bacha, who consisted of Suoh Koki, Kira Ryosuke, and Hiraku Kai, and even fell to a lower position.
9:0
This huge score difference was like a heavy hammer blow to the England team.
It not only lowered the asking price of the entire England team, but also shrouded the future of English football in a thick gray veil, leaving no glimmer of hope.
Perhaps the original BOSS has been defeated, or perhaps the newly appeared NPC is more powerful.
Seishiro Nagi's mind is not on football.
He has lost all enthusiasm.
Defeating the boss is not the main storyline of the game, and encountering more powerful NPCs will not be a condition for completing the game.
No matter the form, it made it impossible for him, the protagonist, to make a move.
He didn't know what to do.
Seishiro Nagi once considered Kiyoichi as the end of the main storyline, but now he realizes that this is not advisable.
The game wasn't over; in fact, the difficulty increased.
I want to find my passion, but I have no direction.
I feel dizzy and distended, depressed and frustrated.
He thought of the limited-time boss from before—Amanomichi.
Having once been a fellow "passionate" person, I'm sure I can provide the answer I want.
People without goals are attracted to those who have goals; the more a person lacks something, the more they will gravitate towards that thing.
In particular, Amano Minaka once wandered aimlessly before finally finding the goal he desired.
So Nagi Seishiro came with questions.
Nagi Seishiro lowered his head slightly, his light brown eyes seemingly veiled by a faint gloom, intentionally avoiding Tenno Minaka, who was sitting on the hospital bed.
But can he really give himself the answer he wants now?
Silence, still silence.
Tenno Minaka gently picked up a nearly round pomelo from the basket full of fruit. He squinted slightly, as if examining a rare treasure, and then gently patted it with his hand.
“Ling Wang once told me that you seem to be able to stop anything.” He casually fiddled with the pomelo in his hand.
Under Amanomi's manipulation, Yuzu suddenly lost control, tumbling and rolling forward on the ground with a clattering sound.
Yuzu rolled all the way towards the ward door, about to roll out of the room. Nagi Seishiro stepped forward and firmly blocked Yuzu with his foot. He frowned slightly, a hint of doubt on his face, and looked at Amano Minaka with puzzlement, only to see the other party walking unhurriedly to the ward door and locking it behind him.
"Um?"
Nagi Seishiro's eyes were full of surprise.
"We have half an hour before the nurses' rounds, let's play a game."
When he met Nagi Seishiro's worried gaze, Amano Minaka seemed to guess what he was thinking and quickly explained, "Don't worry, this amount of activity won't make my condition worse."
Although Tenno Minaka's face was slightly pale, the upward curve of his lips revealed an undeniable confidence.
Nagi Seishiro had no choice but to follow his advice. He stretched out his foot and gently touched the imperfectly round pomelo, which then rolled forward with a "gurgling" sound.
The pomelo had no elasticity; it rolled dully after hitting the ground without any sign of bouncing. And the field where they were "playing football" was nothing more than a hospital room with a bed and curtains.
The cramped space made it impossible for Nagi Seishiro to move around freely; he felt like he was playing a childish game of make-believe with Amano Minaka.
Looking at this meaningless scene, Nagi Seishiro felt a sense of loss.
It seems I won't get the answer I want.
He frowned slightly, his lips moved as if he wanted to suggest leaving.
Amano Minaka's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he pushed off with his toes, sending the rolling Yuzu flying like an arrow, instantly appearing in Nagi Seishiro's line of sight.
The pomelo whizzed past his ear, carrying a gust of wind, and hurtled towards the locked door. Lacking any springiness, the pomelo crashed into the door and fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud.
This sudden turn of events left Nagi Seishiro completely stunned.
How did you do that?
His eyes widened in shock and confusion, and his neatly combed white hair fluttered slightly from the force of the impact.
Even though a pomelo has no elasticity and can't be lifted like a soccer ball, how did he manage to shoot so accurately and powerfully?
Amano Minaka looked at Nagi Seishiro, who was standing there dumbfounded, his expression calm, but his eyes revealed a sharp insight that seemed to see through everything.
You won't get any answers from me.
He paused slightly, shifting his gaze from Nagi Seishiro, as if pondering how to phrase his words.
"Unity, mutual assistance, and domination and restriction."
"Someone like you who advocates a laissez-faire approach would definitely not like any of the above methods, right?"
Amano Minaka looked at Nagi Seishiro again, his eyes now filled with gentle admonition: "Since you can't find your goal, try everything. As time goes by, you'll know what's really bothering you." He narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "In other words, the more you lose, the more you'll know what you've lost."
"After falling to the bottom, carry that belief and find what you've lost again."
"Although I don't like the core principles of Blue Prison, you, who have passed the first round of selection, are definitely more suited to their ideals."
At this point, Amano Minaka's eyes suddenly hardened as he stared directly at Nagi Seishiro and said, word by word, "Go and become a demon."
Despite wearing a hospital gown, Tenno Minaka still exuded an aura that was impossible to ignore, as if every word he spoke carried an undeniable power.
"Go and become a selfish egoist who only cares about himself."
...
Seishiro Nagi sat in the car, gazing absently at the crystal-clear pomelo segment in his hand, while the scenery outside the car window flashed by like a slideshow.
The vehicle's destination was Blue Prison, but Nagi Seishiro's target was still a blank slate.
Perhaps he found the answer he was looking for.
Should we give it a try?
Slowly, Nagi Seishiro broke open the pomelo in his hand and put it in his mouth, as if he wanted to swallow all his confusion and bewilderment. He chewed the pulp bit by bit, his movements somewhat mechanical, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly with each chew.
"It's so bitter!"
Nagi Seishiro couldn't help but let out a soft cry, a look of pain instantly appearing on his face, his features slightly distorted by the sudden bitterness.
It's definitely because it wasn't peeled!
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Author's note: I'm adding a side story to lighten the mood of the competition.
Goodnight, goodnight, going to sleep now.
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