Chapter 191 Playmaker
Kan confidently stepped out of the crowd, announcing, "Kan!" He approached the ball, setting it up for the free kick, then stepped back, exhaling heavily.
Aware of the challenge in finding the right shot power, Kan contemplated how much force to apply. Too much power might lead to an off-target shot, while too little would make it an easy save for the goalkeeper. He stood still, eyeing the ball, moments before Coach Nami blew the whistle.
As the whistle blew, Kan swiftly ran to the ball and executed a powerful kick, ensuring it was struck precisely on the side, just like he did with the bottle. The ball went airborne, following a curling trajectory from left to right as it neared the goalkeeper.
However, Kan noticed that the ball was higher than intended, soaring close to the goalpost. The goalkeeper leaped to intercept, even though the ball eventually sailed well over the bar.
A solo laughter erupted among the players, led by Alfred, known for his teasing banter. "You could have killed a bird flying through this direction with that shoof yours, you know," Alfred joked, still laughing. "It's not too late to be a Hunter," he added, maintaining his jest.
Undeterred, Kan acknowledged where he went wrong. He acknowledged the need to reduce the shot power, understanding the adjustments required. The ball was returned to Kan, and he repositioned it for another attempt.
As Kan prepared for his next free kick attempt, he heard Hela's voice in his head.
[Look how helpless you are without me. I decided to give you some space, and you're doing awfully nice.] Hela said.
Kan scoffed, replying, "I'm doing just fine by myself, you see."
[You think? You plan on applying 75.0N on the ball when you're supposed to apply 75.7N.] Hela said.
"That's almost the same!" Kan retorted.
[Nope, the 0.7 unit can make the ball not go perfectly. Try it. Make sure you kick it slightly with the top side of your foot for a new and better experience.] Hela added.
"New, better experience? What's that?" Kan inquired.
[Try it and see.] Hela responded.
Kan smiled, approached the ball, and as he got closer, a menu appeared before him:
[Applying 75.7N]
He kicked the ball with the top side of his foot, and it went airborne, curving from left to right in the air as anticipated.
Surprisingly, the ball changed trajectory again in the air, this time to the left. The goalkeeper, unprepared for the sudden shift, couldn't stop the ball from finding the back of the net.
Shouts of surprise erupted from the players, even catching Alfred off guard. Coach Nami, pleased with the unexpected display, clapped happily.
Kan, trying to mask his own shock, walked back to the group, receiving random handshakes from teammates. Alfred approached, curious about Kan's technique.
"Yo dude, how did you do that? Do you mind sharing?" Alfred asked.
Kan smiled and replied, "It just comes naturally."
Alfred laughed, "Some things are better kept confidential, I believe," he said, patting Kan on the back.
"The Star Kid does it again!" Emily exclaimed as Kan approached her. When Emily questioned his motivation, Kan playfully responded, "These things you carry are my motivation," with a sly grin.
Emily pushed his hand away, cautioning against love-making on the football pitch. Kan laughed and adjusted his stance, eager to see what the other players had to display.
The other players showcased their skills, but none managed to change the ball's direction in the air or hit the target. Lacking the necessary shot power, some didn't even reach the goalkeeper.
Emily, confident in their discovery of the perfect player, opted not to attempt.
After several unsuccessful tries, Coach Nami concluded the training session. She approached the players and began announcing their individual performances, starting from the least to the highest. Those who struggled weren't surprised to hear their names in the lowest spot.
"....On the third spot is Wick with 70%, on the second is Alfred with 80%, and on the top spot is Kan with 90%," Coach Nami declared. The players erupted in joyful shouts, as it aligned with their predictions.
"That's all for today. You can go out and train individually at your homes. If you don't have a ball, you can choose to pick some and train with it," Coach Nami announced before dismissing the players.
"Today's training is just the beginning; try your best to prove yourself next time," she added, and the players dispersed.
Kan was ready to leave when he heard Coach Nami calling him. He responded and walked over to her.
"Your free kick today came as a surprise to me. I never thought any of you could figure out the real logic behind it this fast, but you did. You're quite a smart kid. You have the potential to do more; keep it up," Coach Nami praised.
"Thank you, Coach," Kan replied with a smile.
"You can go," she said, and Kan took his leave.
As students headed to the changing room, Kan noticed it was crowded and decided to wait until it cleared.
As Kan waited, Emily emerged from the dressing room dressed in her school uniform, approaching Kan on the reserve bench. "Why are you sitting here?" she asked.
"Just waiting for the crowd to reduce before I go in to change," Kan replied. Emily sat down beside him, focusing on buckling her school shoes.
"Why didn't you try the free kick? And why is your mom stopping you from taking?" Kan inquired, having noticed her absence during the training.
Emily paused in her shoe-buckling, letting out a heavy sigh before continuing. "Ever wondered why my sister and I aren't in the same school or city?" she asked Kan.
Kan, puzzled and curious, replied, "Not really. Why is that?"
Emily wanted to explain more when her mum, Coach Nami, called her, "Emily, Emily, where are you?" Emily had no choice but to go. "I'm here, Mum, I'm coming," she answered.
"We'll chat next time," Emily said to Kan before standing up. Before departing, she placed a gentle kiss on Kan's forehead and added, "take care of yourself for me."
After a few people had changed and left, Kan decided to go in and change too.
After the day's classes, Kan returned home. As he opened the door, the room was empty. "Mum? Dad?..." he called out, but there was no response as usual. He made a confirmatory check, going from room to room, but his parents weren't at home.
Stopping at the kitchen for the day's meal, he opened the pots he could find. After opening all the pots, he couldn't find anything to eat. The pots were empty and clean. Realizing his parents didn't cook for the day, Kan sighed.
"Now time for Snack Hunting," Kan said after noticing there was no food in the house.
He took a few steps through the kitchen, scanning around for anything available to eat. Opening the small boxes, he found nothing in the first three.
"Where is these snacks? Fuck!!" Kan hissed and complained as he kept looking for anything he can eat.
Out of frustration, he opened the last box and was relieved to find a few snacks. He smiled and picked two, considering how hungry he was. After placing the boxes back, he headed for the door.
As he reached the door, he changed his mind, "eating this with my hands will not be nice; I will place them on a plate," Kan said as he turned back to get a plate for the snacks.
As he carried the plate, he opened the snack and placed it on it. Moving to where the spoons were kept, he picked one up. As he moved closer, he looked at the picture on the kitchen wall.
As he turned, he looked toward the picture on the wall that led to the secret room in the kitchen. While staring at it, Hela's voice came to him, saying, "there's a slight change in the picture from the way you left it."
Kan stared at it for a few seconds before saying, "I can see no difference between how I left it and now."
[It is slightly tilted to the left, go check it out] Hela added.
Kan dropped the snacks on the table and walked to the picture. He removed it and pressed the button; suddenly, the door opened, revealing the interior.
As the door opened, there was a gentle dust that came out of the room. This wasn't there when he first opened the door the other day.
He used his hand to blow the dust away. After the dust settled down, he walked into the room to observe what was inside and maybe find out what was in the black books he saw the other day.
As he stepped inside, he was surprised to see something really astonishing—something he had never expected to find.
Kan, filled with curiosity, questioned, "What the heck is this?"
"How is this even possible?" he wondered aloud.
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