Chapter 643: Historic Achievement
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Immediately after the final whistle, the reserve yers sprang on the field, their faces illuminated with jubtion.
They had broken through the shackle. It was the first time in their history that they had gone past the round of 16.
As unreal as it felt, they had done it. They had made it to the quarter-finals.
Only three more hurdlesy before they could wrap their arms around the much-coveted award.
The entire stadium celebrated this moment, signing and cheering. Some were in tears of happiness, and some were hugging their fellow supporters.
Finally, their team made it to the quarter-finals.
Going past the round of 16, it happened for the first time in their history. Thus, this advancement meant a lot to the Japanese supporters.
Their happiness knew no bounds. With them celebrating, the entire atmosphere of the stadium had turned festive.
However, amidst the ongoing festive atmosphere, Hiro stood alone, his head tilted and his eyes pointed at the sky.
''We''ve done it. We''ve made it to the quarter-finals.''
Hiro''s eyes glistened. Even though he could hear the buzz around him, Hiro found this moment surreal. This moment was exciting but he couldn''t bring himself to express himself.
What was he supposed to do now? Should he storm on the pitch? Should he fling his arms and run wild?
This feeling of achievement, this sensation was new to him.
"What are you doing here all alone? Let''s go celebrate with the team."
While Hiro stood alone, shrouded in disbelief, Naoto approached him. Hearing the voice of Naoto, Hiro snapped back to reality.
Hiro turned to look at Naoto and found him smiling. Those pair of pitch-ck eyes were radiating with excitement. The spark in his eyes hadn''t been this bright before.
Then an overwhelming gush of euphoria struck him.
The chime of cheers filled with happiness, the celebrating yers, the buzzing crowd, and the swarming cameramen, he could palpably feel them.
''This is real.'' Hiro thought before nodding.
Curling his lips, Hiro revealed a warm smile. "Let''s go."
From one side to another, they wandered all over the field, sharing the moment with their fans, and expressing their appreciation.
While the Japanese side was engrossed in their celebration, the opposing side left the pitch, each cast a gaze at Hiro before leaving.
Though some wanted to congratte him, they figured it wasn''t the moment.
Hence, they left without any words.
It was festive around here. However, it was even more festive back home. Thousands of supporters ran on the street, celebrating this historic moment.
The local pubs and bars were equally loud.
In many ces around Japan, people could be seen enjoying this moment alongside their fellow countrymen.
Be it in the Shibuya crosswalk or other popted ces of Japan, people could be seen celebrating. Even the metro station and inside the metro weren''t an exception.
Their advancement to the quarter-finals had be a hot topic.
And at the center of the attention was Hiro. Having scored the only goal that allowed them to advance, the media outlets around the globe were singing his praises.
Curious about Hiro, people had even started to dig into his past.
Inside a certain office space in Japan.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
A cacophony of telephone rings could be heard.
"Hello! Ah... From News-Japan. Inquiry regarding Hiro. I''m sorry but you''ll have to wait..."
"Sir, what should we do? We''re receiving a lot of inquiry requests for Hiro," a man spoke with an rm, he looked panicked.
"Hiro? We''ll let you know after."
There were quite a handful of people and all of them looked panicked. They were flooded by calls one after the other, and it seemed as if the telephone rings wouldn''t stop buzzing.
A rather old-looking man knotted his brows, "I''m happy that we are receiving attention. But it''s too much even for us."
"Ahh!"
"What happened?" Upon hearing the sudden shout, the old man asked in a panic.
He looked extremely concerned.
The employee who had let out the shout appeared extremely terrified as if he had seen a ghost.
"Sir..., we''ve gained 1.7 million followers," he shuddered.
Upon hearing him, the old man couldn''t help but widen his eyes in astonishment. However, he immediatelyposed himself, "It''s shocking indeed. But there isn''t any need to shout over it. So, focus on your work and arrange the requests ordingly."
While the telephone ring kept on buzzing, he shouted to draw their attention, "Everybody, please look here for a moment."
Hearing the hoarse loud voice of the old man who appeared to be someone of a higher position, the others turned to look at him, ceasing their action momentarily.
"I know it''s overwhelming. But I believe in all of you. So, let''s sort out this situation." The old
man continued.
The employees were naturally aware of the meaning behind his words.
''I guess, we''ll have to work overtime today.''
They immediately realized their predicament. However, none of them spoke against it. After
all, it wasn''t the first time, they had worked overtime.
"So, let''s do our best," the old man encouraged.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
With that, they returned their focus to their work in hand.
"The situation is a little hectic. But I can''t say that I don''t like it," the old man muttered to
himself, revealing a subtle smile.
"Aren''t you already a big shot now?" the old man couldn''t help but think about Hiro.
While he was happy for Hiro, he couldn''t help but frown. He knew that the end wasing. The attention they received right now was a sign of the inevitable future.
"Seems like this pool has started to be too small for you now. It''s about time you venture into the deep oceans," the old man muttered under his breath, revealing a self-
deprecating smile.
This was the scenario inside the marketing and PR department of the Kawasaki Frontale.
Having known Hiro for a long, the department head viewed Hiro highly. Hence, he could tell that Hiro would be moving soon.
Well, it was a known fact that he would move out after he became eligible to join the elites. But even he hadn''t predicted it to happen this soon.