My system allows me to copy talents

While the rest of his teammate rose from their seats, Taki, however, remained seated in his seat even after hearing the halftime whistle. His team had survived such a difficult challenge from the opposing side, yet there was no joy in his face.

Instead, he appeared rather stoic.

His calm and composed eyes were fixed on the field, but there was something about them that held a strange glimmer of determination.

The air around him felt heavy, almost as if he were in a different zone. It was such an inexplicable feeling, but for some reason, he seemed to be in a world of his own.

A moment ago, Manager Haruki was still hesitating to make his decision. But, as he looked at him, that strange feeling which was preventing him from making his decision waned away.

"Let's do this," he muttered as he gave himself a decisive nod.

☼☼☼☼ ☼☼☼☼

A rather silent yet heavy atmosphere permeated the locker room of the Japanese side as the players remained seated in their respective seats with their mouths shut.

Many sweat-drenched jerseys lay scattered around them as many of them remained topless.

Though they had somehow managed to retain their lead, yet there wasn't even a spec of joy flashing in their faces. Instead, it seemed as if time seemed to be frozen in this place.

Breaking the silence, Manager Haruki and his coaching staff entered the room while discussing some tactics with each other. They weren't talking that loudly, yet due to the silence in the room, their voices could still be heard.

But, none paid any heed to it as all of them remained lost in their world, completely isolated from their surrounding.

Though the scene at the locker room was rather unlively, it was still better than seeing them quarreling with each other.

Before speaking, Manager Haruki swept his gaze toward Shun to reaffirm his decision. Having played him continuously without any break, he was aware of the burden he had put on that tiny frame.

Yet despite the suffering, he had always delivered. Even in that previous match, despite the barrage of shots shot toward him, he had made countless saves, torturing his body to stand after each fall without any complaint.

He had pushed his body to the brink of collapse, yet hadn't complained once. But, the toll from those previous matches was starting to become noticeable.

And, even today, he didn't have it easy.

"Ahum....," Manager Haruki harrumphed and said albeit in a rather appreciative tone, "You all have done well, persevering against the pressure put forward by the opposing side, and I'm proud of you all for that"

"But, we still can't continue this way. So, I hope that you all won't think negatively of the decision I'm about to make. And, keep this in mind, it has nothing to do with your performance," he continued.

Sure enough, just by hearing him, they could tell that he was about to make some big changes. Subconsciously, however, upon hearing Manager Haruki's words, many of them couldn't help but look at Hiro.

Was he going to substitute Hiro again? Or, is he injured for real?

They couldn't help but wonder. Just from the mention of difficult changes, they all subconsciously linked the changes with Hiro.

But, the next word that escaped Manager Haruki's mouth left them stunned. It wasn't the kind of change they were expecting. Rather, it was completely unexpected.

"Shun, you've been nothing but fabulous until now, and I know you'd still do the same in the second half, but I'm resting you in the second half," Manager Haruki announced bluntly without any hesitation.

Upon hearing the news, for a moment Shun was left utterly speechless as he couldn't bring himself to digest the news. With a stupefied look on his face, he just stood there staring fixedly at Manager Haruki.

Then, before Manager Haruki could continue, he snapped, "But, why coach? What did I do wrong?"

Yes, Manager Haruki had already informed them about the difficulty of the decision. Yet, he couldn't take this decision peacefully.

Sure, he had asked them to be considerate of his decision. But, having done nothing wrong, he just couldn't help but feel wronged upon hearing such a harsh decision. If his performance hadn't been satisfactory, he'd have obediently taken this decision without any complaints.

But, how could he expect him to take this decision obediently when he had done nothing wrong? Preventing all those shots, he had been nothing but fabulous until now. If anybody could be attributed for the opposing team's failure to find their back of the net then it would have been Shun without any questioning.

However, even after delivering such a magnificent performance, now his manager was telling him to walk out. He had put his body on the line for the team, but how was he getting rewarded for his selfless effort; by being taken out of the game when he still could do much more?

Just, how in the world does he expect him to agree with this decision without any resistance?

Even when faced with Shun's tantrums, Manager Haruki however remained unfazed. And, it didn't seem like he was going to change his decision under any circumstances. He seemed determined to make this change, regardless of anyone's objection.

"I've said it already Shun. You've been nothing but impressive," Manager Haruki replied calmly.

"Then why coach?" Shun raised his voice, asking for an explanation.

Even so, Manager Haruki didn't budge. Instead, he answered briskly, "Because, we need you in perfect condition in another match"

"Then the more reason I...,"

Just as Shun was about to argue more, Hiro stepped forward, interjecting him, "You might not feel it because of your desire to perform, but you're starting to show signs of fatigue Shun. And, he's only being considerate of your feelings for not bluntly speaking it in front of everybody. So, why can't you just accept his decision?"

Shun wasn't expecting such an attitude from his friend. But, more than anyone, he trusted Hiro. After all, he wasn't like others who would lie to please somebody. Most of the time, he had always been blunt.

Thus, he didn't continue arguing further on this matter. Instead, he just accepted the decision without much resistance.