Chapter 482: Announcement Continues


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    Though Kaoru''s performance had been rather impressive, Hiro held some doubts regarding his selection previously. But at this moment, he felt genuinely happy for him.


    A subtle smile adorned his visage as he heard the announcement.


    ''So, you''ve made it''


    He thought while looking at him.


    Kaoru on the other hand had a look of disbelief on his face. It appeared that he was having trouble processing the news.


    However, it wasn''t just him who had the look of disbelief. Many other yers on the field were equally stunned at the announcement.


    Just how did he get selected?


    Sure, his performance had been impressive. But he was already nearing his thirties. In this generation of fast-paced games, he paled.


    Though his defending seemed rather impable, he was slow and inflexible.


    So against all those speedy ball-ying defenders, how did this old mane out on top?


    Their prejudice was mainly because he yed in the second division. It had nothing to do with his ability. After all, despite the progressing gamey, a defender''s main responsibility is to defend. What use would a defender be if he can''t defend properly?


    Sure, ball-ying speedy defenders had taken over the game presently due to the increasing intensity of the matches. But traditional defenders were still sought after even in this era of modern defenders.


    Awareness, defending, and courage.


    Any defender who possesses these abilities can be regarded as a top-notch defender. And though Kaoru might not possess other abilities of a modern defender, he possessed all those qualities.


    There was no doubt about his defending abilities.


    After enough celebration as he came to his senses, he immediately apologized to the coach for his unresponsive attitude. It wasn''t his intention to ignore his calls. But the excitement had simply outweighed him.


    Nervously, he nced in the direction of Hiro.


    One of the major factors leading to this moment was Hiro''s help. If not for his help, he might not have seeded. Hiro had gone out of his way to help him. After the regr training


    session, he had helped him individually by dueling against him.


    From their past exchange, he had learned a lot from him.


    But it wasn''t all because of Hiro either. Though he had helped him, if not for his attitude toward learning, it might not have been possible. After all, he was way older than Hiro. So precisely because he put his ego aside and kept his mind open, he was able to develop.


    It was his attitude toward learning that had allowed him to grow exponentially in such a short period. If he had rejected the criticism from Hiro simply because he was older than him then he might not have grown into the yer he was today.


    As he turned to look at him with eyes full of appreciation their eyes locked.


    Hiro nodded his head as he raised his thumb, giving him a thumbs up.


    While the two were silently exchanging gestures of appreciation, Coach Nanami proceeded to announce the names of other yers.


    ''Just what did the coach even see in him?''


    ''If such a slow yer can be selected then why shouldn''t I be selected?''


    Though there were yers who appreciated his effort and dedication some yers in the pitch right now were burning with envy.


    The more the announcement drew to an end the more they grew envious. It was to the point that they subconsciously started ming him for their elimination.


    ''Has the coach gone senile selecting such second-division rubbish instead of a first-rate yer like me?''


    They had nothing but hatred against him.


    Yet while all those malevolent thoughts were swirling inside their head they maintained a smile on their face outwardly. It was as if they were happy for him.


    If only one could read mind. s! Kaoru was too generous to suspect. Having shared the same pitch and ce for almost a week, he had bonded well with other yers.


    At first, he was pretty reserved. But as days passed and other yers began to open up, a sense of camaraderie grew in the team.


    Or that''s what he thought.


    However, it was merely a facade.


    The sweet talks,ughter, and many of the exchanges they had were merely a facade to fulfill their selfish desire.


    Amb separated from the herd is the first one to get devoured.


    As the announcement proceeded further, many yers'' faces turned unsightly from envy. Rather than analyzing their shorings, they med the coaching staff for poor decisions and envied those who got selected.


    Hiro on the other hand was genuinely happy for those who got selected.


    If one followed the progress of the yers in recent days, it wasn''t hard to figure out the yers that had the greater probability to get selected. And Hiro who had closely monitored the performance of a few of the yers close to him had somewhat guessed the yers.


    Though he couldn''t keep tabs on everyone, he had kept tabs on those who had shown remarkable growth in this limited period.


    Finally, he was called as well.


    "Takahashi Hiro, Kenji Fujimoto,....."


    Even though he had expected him to make it to the team when he heard his name called out, his heart skipped a beat nheless.


    An intense feeling of tion welled inside his heart, making his heart beat faster. At the same time, he felt light for some reason. It was almost as if something heavy had been lifted off of


    his body.


    "Let''s go, Kiddo," Kenji who was standing close to him said with a subtle smile on his face.


    Nodding his head, he responded with a smile before proceeding to step forward to join the yers that had been selected.


    As for the reaction of the crowd, it was rather mixed.


    Most of them had almost expected him to make it to the team. So, it wasn''t much surprising


    for them to hear his name.


    While few contorted their face disdainfully. A look of disdain shed on their faces as they sneered inside their heart.


    They weren''t happy about his selection.


    Though they had expected him to make it to the team, it wasn''t a pleasant experience for those of them who held a grudge against him to witness his sess.