Chapter 20: The Goal That Stopped Time

Everything froze.

The crowd, the players, even the air itself—it all stopped.

All eyes were locked on one thing.

Shun.

Hanging mid-air, his body twisted, his eyes focused.

Rika's pass had been perfect—a clean through ball slicing through the defense.

And Shun?

Shun (internally): "This is it. The final shot."

He threw himself backward—

⚡ BAM! A Bicycle Kick! ⚡

The ball exploded off his foot, cutting through the sky like a meteor.

BOOM!

⚽ G O A L ! ⚽

A Moment Frozen in Time

Silence.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Even the cameras filming the match outside zoomed in on Shun, capturing the moment frame by frame.

Then—

Toru: "HOLY SH—"

Renji: "DID HE JUST—"!

And the stadium erupted.

Kaoru: "SHUN, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"

Rika: "…"

Shun stood up slowly, his breath heavy. He turned toward Rika, who was staring at him—wide-eyed, speechless.

Even her teammates, who were watching from outside, had a different look in their eyes.

Before, he was just a rival.

Now?

Something changed.