Humorously answering their question, he kept them thoroughly entertained. By now, the stadium had already started to look empty. Still, the buzz continued as home supporters stayed behind cheering on him.

The atmosphere was still electric, fueled by the excitement of his stellar performance.

"Two assists and a goal, what do you think of your performance?" another reporter asked.

When asked such a question, he didn't hesitate even for a moment. The answer was obvious to him. But, he didn't feel like answering straightforwardly. Like how would a young player feel upon having such a marvelous performance in their debut match?

Isn't the answer obvious? Obviously, they'll feel great about it. It's a dream debut, so obviously they'll feel ecstatic. So, why was he asking such obvious questions?

He couldn't help but scoff upon hearing his question. But, he couldn't speak his heart now, could he? Present in front of so many people, he couldn't speak anything he wished. Otherwise, it'd ruin his image.

Despite his obvious annoyance, he had to remain composed and answer considerately.

Even the people present around him shared the same sentiment. It was written on their face that they were annoyed by his question.

"Well, how would you feel if you were the one to do it?" he countered with a subtle smile on his face, his tone sweet and polite.

"Yeah, what kind of question is it?"

"If you're here to waste time then allow others to speak"

Other reporters expressed their annoyance. Clearly, they weren't happy about him asking such a simple question.

Faced with everybody's annoyance, the reporter who asked him that question became extremely flustered. If he persisted on this matter, he'd probably get pressured by other reporters. So, he backed down, apologizing, "Sorry, it was foolish of me to ask such an obvious question"

It didn't take a lot for others to forget his idiocy. After a while, once again the mood around them lightened as other meaningful questions followed. As the crowd continued to thin, Hiro couldn't help but reflect on this surreal experience.

For a while, everything felt like a dream. He even tried pinching himself to test whether he was in a dream or not. The pain that followed after he attempted trying to awaken himself hurt him. Yet, it made him smile instead.

His debut had exceeded his wildest dreams, and he was overwhelmed by the support and admiration from the fans and media alike. It was such a joyous moment— one he wouldn't forget for the rest of his life.

But he knew that it was just the beginning, a stepping stone on what he hoped would be a long and successful career. So although it warmed his heart, he couldn't allow himself to get carried away. He could savor it but he couldn't allow it to get over his head.

The trial had only begun.

The interview wrapped up, and he finally had the chance to return to his team. At this time, one of the match officials brought him the trophy the MOTM to award for his excellent performance in the match.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't bring it to you sooner. I tried to bring it to you but you were swarmed by the reporters which made it almost impossible to squeeze in. So, I hope you'll understand the delay," he apologized as he handed him the trophy.

It was shiny. One he had only seen on the screen before. But now it was well within his reach. He then gracefully accepted the trophy.

Holding it in his hands, he felt really proud. For a while, he kept on staring fixedly at it. Then he vowed, 'It won't be the last'

Cameramen clicked his pictures while he stood there holding the trophy in his hands. They couldn't miss such an iconic shot.

After some more pictures, he walked towards the locker room. But just as he was about to walk inside, he noticed his parents in the stand. Their eyes were glistening with pride while they had a smile on their face.

Each appeared genuinely happy for him. Noticing their smiling faces, he lifted the trophy high above his head, addressing his parents. At this moment, the crowd erupted and it got even more noisy.

"You deserve it kiddo"

"Congratulations!"

The supporters congratulated and cheered on him as he lifted the trophy. Though they were only cheering on him, he could feel the sheer weight of expectation behind those cheerful cheers and those smiling faces.

He could tell that they were expecting great things from him. But it didn't scare him. Instead, he vowed to keep improving, to never let his supporters down.

Finally, after addressing the crowd, he was about to exit the pitch. But then again, he saw a familiar face in the crowd. Kota hadn't left the stadium yet. And, due to his small frame, he was getting tossed by the sea of supporters.

Hiro could see his struggles. So, he decided to address him for his dedication.

"Kota....," he shouted as loud as he could, trying to attract his attention.

Despite the loud cheers, he audibly heard Hiro's voice. He was calling him. But there was only so much he could do to stick out. It was almost near impossible for him to get in front. So, he could only squeeze his way to look at him.

"Thank you for your support," Hiro thanked him, his voice loud and clear, "And thank you all for your support as well" he added as he bowed his head before heading inside.

In the heat of the moment, he actually wanted to gift his jersey to him. But as he thought about it, he couldn't bring himself to part ways with his debut jersey. As much as the support of that little guy was precious to him, his debut jersey was also precious to him.

Though his actions made him seem generous in many instances. But deep down, he was selfish in his heart too.

'Sorry, I just can't give it to you. But if there's a next time then I'd gladly do so. Please don't hate me Kota' he thought as he apologized to Kota in his heart while walking down the tunnel.

He felt a little guilty about his selfishness. But, he just couldn't bring himself to part ways with his jersey. It was just so dear to him.

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