I have a life simulator.

Under this pressure, the opposing goalkeeper clearly lost his composure and hastily chose to abandon his goal, allowing the technically gifted Hirata Yosuke to easily dribble past him and score into an empty net.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, with wave after wave of shouts.

Yosuke Hirata, who scored the goal, excitedly spread his arms and sprinted towards Ryo Kitagawa. He lunged at Kitagawa, who was ready to catch him, but was disdainfully pushed away by the latter in less than two seconds.

"Alright, the game has just started, save your energy."

Five minutes after the game resumed, Hirata Yosuke, who had feigned a cross, delivered a cutback pass from the right wing. Kitagawa Ryo, in full attacking form, once again appeared like a ghost at the edge of the penalty area, with no opposing players within two or three meters of him.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Kitagawa Ryo supported himself with his right foot and swung his left foot back directly at the rapidly rolling soccer ball.

With a muffled thud, the ball, its trajectory altered, was launched like a cannonball by Kitagawa Ryo's powerful shot. The hastily turned opposing defenders offered almost no resistance, and the black and white ball flew rapidly towards the top left corner of the goal.

Such a close-range shot left the goalkeeper with almost no chance to react; before he could even make a save, the ball had already plunged into the snow-white net.

"The ball is in!"

The commentator on the podium shouted with great enthusiasm:

"In the tenth minute, Kitagawa Ryo received a pass from Hirata Yosuke and unleashed a high-quality long-range shot from just outside the penalty area. In just ten minutes, Kitagawa Ryo had already helped the home team take a 2-0 lead with a goal and an assist!"

Accompanied by passionate commentary, Kitagawa Ryoya smiled and jogged slowly to the stands in front of his school's spectators, pointing to the school emblem on the soccer team's jersey and saying:

Welcome to our school!

The freshmen, who had only been in school for one semester, were instantly excited. These boys and girls, who were only about thirteen years old, felt that the junior high school they had chosen was simply too interesting. They gave their most enthusiastic response to their former senior, Kitagawa Ryo, who had already graduated. Perhaps on this day, many freshmen made up their minds to join the soccer club.

If I score a goal in front of so many classmates, will the person I have a crush on start to like me back?

Kitagawa Ryo, of course, had no idea what these young boys were thinking. He casually high-fived his teammates and then went back onto the field.

In the latter part of the first half, the opposing team also realized the threat posed by Kitagawa Ryo. With the opponent's strength being quite formidable and Kitagawa Ryo intentionally or unintentionally throwing the game, the score was temporarily tied at 2-1 at halftime.

"Senior, have some water."

As a result, Kitagawa Ryo, while sipping water from the bottle handed to him by Hirata Yosuke to quench his thirst, turned to Hirata Yosuke and asked:

"I remember our school didn't have a cheerleading team before."

"It was indeed added this year."

Sitting next to him, Hirata Yosuke looked at the school's cheerleaders in bright blue uniforms cheering on the field and winked at Kitagawa Ryo, saying:

"How about it?"

The short skirt, slightly shorter than the usual school uniform, fluttered in the wind, revealing her fair waistline with every jump. As Kitagawa Ryo leaned back in her seat and watched the performance, she inexplicably thought of Ichinose Honami, and the image of her wearing this cheerleading outfit suddenly appeared in her mind.

"Cough cough..."

Kitagawa Ryo coughed a couple of times, looking a bit embarrassed, and then casually picked up his phone, which was lying to the side. He happened to see a text message from Ichinose Honami saying, "I'm off work, I'll be right there." He replied to the message casually, and then he was drawn to the sudden burst of noise on the field.

Looking up, I saw that the cheerleaders from the opposing school were just taking the stage. Their bright yellow outfits, which contrasted sharply with our school's bright blue cheerleading uniforms, were particularly eye-catching. The fitted vests paired with white knee-high socks drew the attention of even our own students.

"Ok?"

Having noticed a detail, Kitagawa Ryo was puzzled. He frowned and asked Hirata Yosuke:

"Don't you think there's something off about the girl on the far right in the second row?"

"where?"

Upon hearing Kitagawa Ryo's words, Hirata Yosuke's eyes widened, but due to the distance, he could barely see anything except for a patch of white thighs.

"Never mind, maybe I'm overthinking it."

Kitagawa Ryo stared intently at the somewhat unusual figure for a moment, then patted Hirata Yosuke on the shoulder:

"Get ready, the second half is about to begin."

-------------------------------------

When Honami Ichinose walked alone through the campus to the sports field, it was close to dusk. The sweltering heat had subsided somewhat. Honami Ichinose quickly got his bearings and headed towards the east gate of the sports field.

She and Kitagawa Ryo did not attend the same junior high school, but they were very familiar with each other's campuses. They had walked and recognized each other's campuses together, from the location of the classrooms and playgrounds to the daily menu in the cafeteria. Because there was a soccer match today, the gate was not open, and Ichinose Honami quickly walked to the soccer field.

Honami Ichinose's athletic ability is outstanding among her peers, but she has not really played football. However, thanks to Ryo Kitagawa, she is familiar with the basic rules of football. Although she had to stand in the aisle because she arrived late and had to stand on tiptoe to barely see the situation on the field, Ichinose still noticed the score and time displayed on the large screens around the field immediately.

The score is 4-4, and the time is 91 minutes and 03 seconds. In other words, this friendly football match has entered the final moment of stoppage time.

Ichinose tiptoed and looked toward the field, just in time to see the opposing team's striker attempt a shot. Amidst the cheers, the school's goalkeeper dove to his right and caught the ball.

Noticing the opportunity, Kitagawa Ryo immediately moved to the left to create space to receive the ball, and raised his hand to the goalkeeper to signal for the ball to be thrown to him.

Our school's goalkeeper had already played many matches with Kitagawa Ryo before he graduated, so he naturally understood and bypassed the opposing player blocking his way. With a quick run-up, he forcefully flicked the ball with his right hand, which was gripping it tightly, and threw it to Kitagawa Ryo.

It's worth noting that Kitagawa Ryo had already contributed two assists and two goals throughout the match. When the opposing team saw that Kitagawa Ryo was about to receive the ball, the three closest players almost instinctively ran over, trying to use their numerical advantage to steal the ball.

Faced with this situation, Kitagawa Ryo simply passed the ball directly to the unmarked Hirata Yosuke.

Realizing they had been tricked, the opposing player could only stop and turn abruptly, while Kitagawa Ryo, who had just passed the ball, also suddenly started moving and dashed into the opponent's half.

Hirata Yosuke moved the ball that Kitagawa Ryo handed him to his right side, made a slight adjustment, and then launched a long pass with his right foot.

While his long pass skills are not as good as Kitagawa Ryo's, they are definitely not prone to significant errors.

The football soared into the air and flew straight towards a striker who was already prepared in the middle. The opposing team's players, who were exhausted from the passing, almost used their last bit of strength to catch up with the striker after he had advanced the ball thirty meters. Both teams, who had played the whole game, were showing signs of exhaustion. As the striker with the ball slowly slowed down, the defenders following him also breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, he saw the other person smile slightly and push the ball towards the center with the instep of their left foot.

"Awoooo ...

A deafening roar, like a tsunami, filled the entire stadium.

The opposing captain only noticed Kitagawa Ryo, who had suddenly surged forward at high speed, as the ball moved, and his heart skipped a beat.

As the team captain, he suppressed the screams in his throat and lungs, trying to steal the ball, but his speed was at least two levels slower than Kitagawa Ryo's, and the distance between them only widened.

All that was left in front of Kitagawa Ryo was a defensive back and a goalkeeper.

The defender, whose stamina was relatively intact, reacted quickly and lunged sideways, trying to interrupt Kitagawa Ryo's attack by committing a foul. However, Kitagawa Ryo, who was running at full speed, used the outside of his left foot to stop the ball and lay down, only managing to run five meters away before speeding off to catch up with the ball again.

The opposing goalkeeper once again rushed out of his goal, knowing that this was the decisive goal of the game. Kitagawa Ryo chose to kick the ball out of his goal before following up in order to get around the defender. If he were fast enough, he could have saved the ball directly in front of the penalty area.

However, he overlooked the fact that it takes time for a goalkeeper to accelerate from a standstill. By the time he had taken a few steps, Kitagawa Ryo, who was running at high speed, had already received the ball, leaving the goalkeeper with no choice but to retreat.

Under extreme pressure, he made a near-fatal mistake—he abandoned his attack and retreated halfway through.

Kitagawa Ryo naturally wouldn't let his opponent's mistake slip by. Seeing that the opponent's right goal was wide open, he adjusted the ball slightly to the left front, put his right foot on the ground to support his body, and kicked the ball directly to the bottom with the inside of his left foot.

"Loop shot!"

The teacher, whose voice had become hoarse from giving a full-length commentary, was almost frantic.

The football, flying in a parabolic trajectory, swooped down and finally crashed into the unguarded empty goal.

"Five to four! The game is over! With a final, spectacular pass and lob shot, the score is now five to four!"

The stadium instantly transformed into a sea of ​​screams and cheers. People always love to see last-minute, game-winning goals. In this frenzied atmosphere, Kitagawa Ryo saw his team's striker, the boy who passed him the ball in the final goal, running towards the stands.

It seemed a classmate had been arranged to meet them. The boy who received the bouquet of roses leaped onto the stands, knelt down on one knee, and shouted to a girl on his right:

"Sakagami-san, I like you! Please go out with me!"

After a brief silence, the entire playground erupted in a unified shout:

"Promise him! Promise him!"

Under the gaze of thousands, the girl blushed and shyly accepted the rose, then lowered her head to kiss the boy's cheek.

The next instant, the striker, who had just successfully confessed his feelings, ran wildly around the entire stadium like a runaway horse, shouting thank you to all the spectators.

Kitagawa Ryo, with a hint of amusement, put his hands on his hips and retorted to Hirata Yosuke:

"He still has this much energy after playing a full match. I feel like he could play another full match without getting tired."

Yosuke Hirata also wiped the sweat from his forehead:

"Senior, I think I just heard someone say they saw Ichinose."

Thinking that Ichinose Honami had just witnessed his decisive goal from the stands, Kitagawa Ryoya suddenly felt a childlike sense of pride. He raised his right hand, made a heart shape with his hands, and ran towards the stands.

Kitagawa Ryo, who only wanted to show off to Ichinose Honami, did not expect the stands to suddenly fall silent.

Kitagawa... is senior looking for someone to confess his feelings to?

Having served as the student council president and soccer club president for three years, and with connections to the school board, Kitagawa Ryo has been the subject of much discussion over the past three years. Given the previous confession by the pioneer, almost all students subconsciously assumed that Kitagawa Ryo was also planning to confess.

All eyes were on the figure who had won the MVP award today, watching him rush towards the right-hand stands. Was Kitagawa's sweetheart sitting there...? Well, he turned left again.

Kitagawa Ryo was quite confident in her eyesight, and Ichinose Honami was the most eye-catching girl even in a crowd. However, after running around the entire area somewhat awkwardly, Kitagawa Ryo still couldn't catch that glimpse of gold powder in her field of vision.

Aside from a few girls who stood up and shouted things like, "The senior likes me!" or "He just couldn't find me!", most students ultimately accepted that this was the senior's greeting to his juniors after graduation.

"Hey, Fanbo."

Feeling a bit annoyed, Kitagawa Ryo missed his chance and, while changing out of his soccer team uniform, made a phone call to Ichinose Honami.

"Hey, sorry Ryo, Maki called me just now, but there were too many people, so I went outside to answer the phone. But I still saw Ryo's last shot, and the girls next to me were screaming."

The clear, melodious female voice carried Ichinose Honami's usual vibrancy, and the tone coming through the microphone carried a hint of apology:

"Maki said her cat hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days and wants you to take it out to get checked out."

"I'm a bit busy these days and it's not convenient for me. Here's a pet hospital's phone number. You can take Maki and the cat there when you have some free time."

Kitagawa Ryo calmly filled in the hole that Ichinose Honami had dug for herself. One of the main reasons he moved out of the house opposite Ichinose's last year was that Kitagawa Ryo sensed that Ichinose Maki, the little sister, seemed to have feelings for him. Too lazy to deal with such things, Kitagawa Ryo simply nipped the other person's thoughts in the bud. As for whether Ichinose Honami had noticed it or not?

Kitagawa Ryo never underestimates his childhood friend.

"By the way, I'll be going out through the east gate in a bit. Will you wait for me outside?"

Kitagawa Ryo packed his things, nodded and smiled at his juniors nearby as he walked toward the door.

"Oh, I'll wait for you here at the East Gate. There are so many people, it's so hot."

"Okay, see you later."

"See you."

Kitagawa Ryo turned off his phone and stuffed it into his pocket. He then patted Hirata Yosuke, who had dodged away earlier but had come closer now that Kitagawa Ryo had finished his call.

"So? Have you decided which high school you'll go to?"

Yosuke Hirata flashed his usual cheerful smile:

"We'll talk about that later. After all, I'm not like my seniors who have family fortunes waiting to be inherited even if they don't go to school."

The two chatted idly about school and friends until they bumped into a group of people—or rather, a group of people coming from the opposite direction.

"Hello, what's the matter?"

Hirata Yosuke took the initiative to talk to the group of girls who surrounded them. He didn't think they had any ill intentions. After all, the people coming towards them weren't some big, burly men, but the cheerleaders from the opposing school whom he had seen during halftime.

"Hey, get out of here."

A rustling sound came from the crowd over there; the girls were winking and making faces, like a flock of chattering sparrows.

"Kitagawa Ryo... Kitagawa-senpai, right?"

The girl in the lead was fairly good-looking, but perhaps because her lipstick was a bit too heavy, her slightly thin lips made her look somewhat mean.

She practically grabbed a girl hiding behind her, shouting as if shooing her away:

"My... friend."

She heard giggling behind her and glared back at them.

"She was planning to confess her feelings to you."

The girl stumbled forward as Kitagawa Ryo swung her right hand, almost falling to the ground. Without thinking, Kitagawa Ryo stepped forward and supported her arm.

"Um, are you alright?"

However, the other party seemed to ignore Kitagawa Ryo's words. Her honey-colored bangs hung down, and her head was buried very low, almost into her knees, making it impossible to see her expression. All that could be seen was her trembling, almost bloodless lips pursed, as if she wanted to say something.

"I...I like you, please go out with me."

Kitagawa Ryo frowned as she heard this incoherent and broken confession, her eyes as cloudy as the girl's lifeless blue glass beads.

"Okay."

The next second, Kitagawa Ryo responded by reaching out and placing his hand on the other person's shoulder, looking directly at him and smiling:

"I promise you."

Chapter Seven: Fake Love (Part Two)