บท 188: Conclusion (2)

He took the water bottle from her and took a small sip before tipping the remaining contents over his head. It ran down his hair and cooled down his face, bringing him back to reality.

He flashed a grin and handed her the bottle.

Perhaps it was because he was elated from their win, or maybe Yuta had enough of waiting, but he felt rather bold in that moment. Taking a page straight out of Tatsuya's handbook, he looked Yuko in the eyes.

"Hey Yuko, we should go out sometime." He said casually.

"Eh?"

On another part of the field, Kazuhiro clutched his left wrist and walked back to the dugout. He stopped right in front of Carlos and let out a small sigh.

"Sorry, I wasn't strong enough."

He placed his hand on the teen's shoulder and continued on his way, feeling tears of frustration well up in his eyes.

It wasn't only him. Shinji also mumbled his apologies to Carlos before retreating, leaving the stunned youth rooted in place.