Ryusei hugged him tighter, arms wrapped firmly around Haruma, holding on for a long second.
He pulled back quickly, hands still on Haruma's shoulders, looking straight into his eyes.
"Woohhhh!"
The cheer burst out of him, bright, unrestrained, full of genuine happiness.
"Haruma, congratulations! Man, you rocked it! Goal after goal… you were everywhere. You absolutely nailed it. You won, Haruma."
His eyes started to well up with tears as he looked at Haruma with calm eyes, and a small, quiet smile on his face.
"You really won, Haruma."
The words came out soft this time, stripped of the earlier excitement, carrying pride, relief and the quiet weight of everything it took for him to reach this point.
Keeping that small smile on his face, Haruma stepped forward and pulled Ryusei into a quiet, soft hug. Ryusei with a smile responded instantly, holding him.
Around them, their teammates watched in silence, each having smiles on their faces.
