Chapter 18: The Afterglow
The final whistle was a jagged, piercing sound that cut through the roar of the stadium. For a moment, the only thing that moved in Building 5 was the digital clock as it froze at 00:00.
Team Z: 3 | Team X: 2.
The air on the pitch was thick with the scent of kicked-up turf and the sudden, crushing realization of victory. Isagi was on his knees, his chest heaving as he stared at the grass. He was shaking—partly from exhaustion, partly from the sheer adrenaline of the comeback. Beside him, the rest of Team Z looked like they had been put through a meat grinder.
Except for Eshan.
He stood near the center circle, his hands on his hips, watching the aftermath with a quiet, relaxed interest. He wasn't screaming in triumph or collapsing in fatigue. He looked like he had just finished a casual afternoon session in his garden back home, his breathing steady and his expression entirely unfazed.
"We... we actually won," Igarashi gasped, collapsing onto his back and staring at the ceiling lights. "We're 1 and 0! We're not going home yet!"
"Oi! Did you see that?!" Bachira came skipping over, his energy seemingly infinite. He didn't go to Isagi first; he went straight to Eshan, his eyes wide with that chaotic spark. "That last trap! You killed the ball's momentum like it was nothing! The monster in my head was going crazy—it was like the ball wanted to be at your feet!"
Eshan turned his head, a small, easy-going smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It's just about the touch, Bachira. If you match the rotation and don't fight the ball, it stays with you."
"You say that like it's easy," Isagi said, finally pushing himself to his feet. He wiped sweat from his forehead, looking at Eshan with a mix of awe and confusion. He was staring at Eshan's feet, trying to understand the Absolute Ball Feel he had just witnessed. It wasn't just a good first touch; it was as if the ball obeyed him. "And that pass... you didn't even look. How did you know I'd be there?"
"I just... had a feel for where the space was," Eshan replied casually. His Awareness had been active the whole game, but to him, it wasn't a "power"—it was just how he saw the pitch.
Before they could say more, a shadow loomed over them. Barou Shoei was standing a few feet away, his face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated loathing. He was shaking, his muscles taut like iron cables.
"Don't get used to this," Barou spat, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "You're just a fluke who got lucky with a few touches. You didn't beat me. Team Z didn't beat me. You just got in the way of the King."
Eshan didn't flinch. He didn't even look challenged. He just looked at Barou with a calm, detached gaze that seemed to infuriate the King even more.
"You've got a hell of a strike, Barou," Eshan said. He wasn't being sarcastic; he sounded genuinely polite, which was somehow more insulting. "I'd like to see it again when we aren't opponents."
Barou's eye twitched. He wasn't used to people being that chill in his presence. He spat on the ground, turned his back, and stomped toward the tunnel, radiating a dark, suffocating aura.
The walk back to the locker room was high-energy. The team was buzzing, the shock of their first victory finally starting to settle in.
"Seriously, man," Raichi barked, slamming a locker door open as they entered. "That trap was freakish. I've seen pros mess that up, and you did it like you were playing in a park. How the hell is a guy like you ranked 290?"
"The rankings don't matter once the whistle blows, right?" Eshan said, sitting down on his bench and pulling off his cleats. He looked at the "290" on his shoulder and gave a small shrug.
In the locker room, the air was heavy with steam and the smell of sweat. Kuon was clapping everyone on the back, his face bright with relief. For a moment, they weren't just eleven strangers—they felt like a unit.
"Listen up!" Kuon shouted over the noise. "We got the win, but we can't get overconfident. We don't even know who we're playing next yet. We need to focus on recovery."
Eshan leaned back against the cold metal of his locker, closing his eyes for a second. He wasn't over-analyzing the match or worrying about the future. He was just enjoying the quiet after the storm. He felt the weight of his Absolute Ball Feel and the sharp clarity of his Awareness receding as the adrenaline cooled.
"Hey, Isagi," Eshan said, noticing the boy still staring at him from across the room. "You coming to the dining hall? I'm pretty sure a win means we get something better than just radishes tonight."
Isagi blinked, shaking off his daze. "Yeah... yeah, let's go."
As the team headed toward the showers, the digital monitors in the hallway flickered. The rankings were about to update. Eshan walked at the back of the pack, his stride effortless and frictionless. He had arrived at Blue Lock as a ghost, an unknown variable. But after ninety minutes, he had become the center of gravity for Team Z.
The "monster" had arrived, and he was the most relaxed person in the building.