My system allows me to copy talents

Despite his evident displeasure, he acquiesced to Hiro's decision without further protest. Sinking into his seat with a begrudging acceptance that belied his discontent, Shun then sat down.

"Thank you, captain" Manager Haruki acknowledged Hiro's help with genuine gratitude.

Manager Haruki felt truly appreciative of Hiro's help. Because of him, he didn't have to spend much time, convincing Shun. It saved him quite the effort and time.

With a nod of appreciation towards Hiro, Haruki then redirected his attention to Shun once again, his tone softened in an attempt to assuage the lingering tension. "As Hiro pointed out, we're a team. And, just because you're not playing doesn't mean that you're not involved in the game. There's still much you can do. So, I hope you all can have faith in your teammates," he reassured, his words imbued with a sense of understanding and encouragement.

But even so, Shun remained unmoved, his gaze fixed firmly ahead as he nursed his wounded pride. Though he refrained from causing a scene, the shadow of his dissent loomed large, casting a pall over the room despite Haruki's efforts to console him.

☼☼☼☼ ☼☼☼☼

After a short break, players from both teams started to make their way out of the tunnel, and onto the field to resume the match.

Just at the threshold of the tunnel, Taki who was going to step out of this tunnel, onto the field for the very first time as a player who was going to play instead of warming the seats of the reserve box, felt his heart pounding upon hearing the sounds of cheer coming from the outside.

He had heard this sound many times, but right now, he just couldn't help but feel nervous upon hearing this familiar sound as he felt an invisible barrier enveloping him, preventing him from moving ahead.

Though he remained frozen at his place, both the opposing players and his teammates walked past him one by one without any care, almost as if he was invisible at the moment.

"So, they're changing their keeper huh?"

"Who's he?"

"Are they being serious?"

Opposing players while passing him were making many comments. But, since they spoke in their mother tongue, he couldn't get any of it.

Well judging by their glances, he could somewhat guess their intentions. But, even so, he didn't have any luxury to worry about their comments. They might be looking down on him, and it was only natural for them to do so since it was his first time stepping onto the field. But so what?

With Shun's extraordinary performance casting a towering shadow of expectation, the pressure on Taki was nothing short of immense. Registering more than 15 clean sheets in a span of 45 minutes, he had delivered a never-before-seen performance.

And, if he failed to fill in his shoes, he'd only get criticized by the fans. The sheer weight of the expectations placed upon him was so heavy that even though he had fortified his mind, he still couldn't help but feel nervous.

Clutching tightly onto his gloves, he drew in deep breaths in a desperate bid to steady his nerves. Yet, despite his efforts, a persistent tremor of anxiety persisted, refusing to be silenced.

It did help him feel better, but still, it didn't eradicate his nervousness.

Then all of a sudden while he was drawing deep breaths to stabilize his heart, he felt a sudden touch from behind him. That abrupt touch startled him as he startlingly jerked his body.

"Woah..., you seem quite tense," witnessing Taki's reaction, Hiro commented.

Only after confirming that it was Hiro who had tapped his shoulder did he release a sigh of relief, finding solace in Hiro's presence, "Huff...., It's you"

Just from a glance, Hiro could tangibly sense his nervousness. After seeing such a state, one might be worried about entrusting such a big responsibility to someone so nervous. Yet, Hiro had no such worries.

If he were worried about Taki's performance, he wouldn't have stepped forward earlier in the first place. The reason why he supported manager Haruki's cause was solely because of his faith in Taki.

Having dueled him early in the morning, he knew what he was capable of. And, right now, all he needed was a light push for him to show what he had shown him earlier in the day.

"You know what; if Endo were here, he wouldn't have been tense like you," Hiro mumbled casually, attempting to trigger him.

By deliberately mentioning Endo's name, Hiro was trying to get on his nerves so that he would forget his nervousness and instead focus his attention on trying to prove him wrong.

And, it seemed to work as well, as right after the mention of Endo, Taki started getting flustered.

"If he was so great then he'd have already made the team," Taki responded raising his voice.

"Sure, he may not have your talent, but his mentality is still better than yours," replied Hiro, without paying any heed to Taki's reaction. He then started to walk out and added, "Still, don't take forever to come out. We still have a match to play."

No, he didn't hate Endo or had any inferiority complex. In fact, he looked up to Endo.

But, as much as Taki looked up to Endo, he still was someone who wanted to become the best and was somewhat complacent. And, because of such personality traits, he used to get triggered often when someone compared him to somebody close to him.

"Bastard!" Taki gnashed his teeth as he shot a furious gaze toward Hiro.

Stomping his feet, he then started to head out. Taking wide steps, he walked out with a newfound determination to prove Hiro wrong.

And, just as he walked out of the tunnel, he was besieged by the electrifying roars of the people present in the stand. Slowly, while sightseeing, he made his way toward the post. And, as he got to the center of the field, he was mind-blown.

The view from the center of the field was much different than from the stands.