Fifteen-year-old Kurogami stepped inside the hospital room, and the moment he saw Kuroto's bed his breath caught in his throat. His bed was being surrounded by few doctors who were monitoring his condition closely, their voices low and tense.

Kurogami quickly wiped away his tears and began to walk forward, each step feeling heavier than the last.

When he reached the bedside, his heart sank.

Kuroto's neck and head were wrapped in thick bandages, his face pale and swollen. His eyes were barely opened, red, glassy, filled with pain. Slowly, Kuroto's eyeballs shifted, turning just enough to see his brother standing nearby.

And the moment he saw Kurogami, tears began to slip down his cheeks. His lips quivered, struggling to form words, but no sound came out.

Seeing him like that, Kurogami couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly bowed his head, his body trembled as silent sobs broke free. His chest felt tight, his throat burning with every breath, as if each one was cutting him from the inside.

With his head lowered and eyes shut, Kurogami kept sobbing in silent desperation, trying again and again to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn't stop. They just kept on falling.

Kuroto moved, trembling his hand at Kurogami, gently touching his hand resting on the bed.

Suddenly, Kurogami's eyes snapped open. He slowly looked down to see Kuroto's fingers gently resting on the back of his hand

His sobs stopped instantly. For a moment, he just stared, until he felt movement on Kuroto's other hand.

Slowly, painfully, Kuroto began to raise his other trembling arm, every inch he was lifting was a silent battle. While Kurogami watched with his heart pounding aloud. And as the light caught it, Kurogami's breath hitched. There, resting in his brother's weak grasp, were his sleek black goalkeeper gloves.

Kurogami's eyes were wide, glistening with tears as he watched his brother weakly extend the gloves toward him.

With a trembling hand, Kuroto pressed the goalkeeping gloves against Kurogami's stomach, holding them there firmly despite his shaking arm.

Kurogami's breaths were caught in his throat, as if wasn't breathing at all.

Slowly Kurogami then dropped his gaze to the gloves resting against his stomach, his tears falling freely. After a long moment, he lifted his eyes again, only to see Kuroto's eye locked on him, with silent tears falling sliding down his cheeks.

Kurogami clenched his jaw, then slowly raised his arm. His hand closed around both Kuroto's trembling hand and the goalkeeping gloves pressed against his stomach. He held them tightly together, his grip firm, then he lowered his head in silence before giving a sharp, determined nod.

Seeing that nod, a faint smile formed on Kuroto's lips. His eyes softened, calm and at peace, as if that single gesture had said everything words couldn't.

With red, tear-filled eyes, Kurogami clenched his jaw harder. In that moment, something inside him shifted, a fierce hunger was born, burning deep within his chest as he held tight to his little brother's hand and those sleek black gloves marked KS10.

—Flash—

Inside a stadium packed with fans, a pair of hands sharply pulled on the same, now-larger KS10 gloves, snapping them tight around the wrists.

Haruma's eyes widened in stunned disbelief. His gaze trailed upward, following the figure before him which was none other than Kurogami.

Calm and composed, Kurogami's sharp eyes never wavered as he securely tightened the KS10 black gloves around his wrists, every motion deliberate and steady.

A wave of goosebumps rippled through Haruma's body. Beside him, Raya stood frozen, staring at Kurogami with wide, disbelieving eyes, as if the air had been stolen from his lungs.

Jiho kept his wide, stunned eyes locked on Kurogami, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.

The moment Kabuto saw him, his tears began to flow harder. He hastily wiped them away, jaw clenched tight as emotion swelled inside him.

Kento stood frozen in disbelief, eyes fixed on Kurogami, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out. Beside him, Ryusei watched in the same stunned silence, while in the stands, a deep furrow formed on Ayane's brow, her sharp gaze fixed on Kurogami.

With a wide grin, little Mio jumped up from her seat, her voice ringing through the stadium.

"Brother Kurogamiiiiiii!"

Her shout echoed louder than ever, cutting through the crowd.

From his seat Masaru quickly sprang to his feet.

"Yeeeaaahhhhhh" he roared, his voice joining hers.

Meanwhile, Toru sat frozen, his eyes wide, disbelief etched across his face as he stared down at the field.

From the commentators' box, a voice erupted in astonishment.

'Wait… what's this?! A shocking twist! The captain of Tokyo Wolves U-17, Kurogami Shikyo, has returned!'

The Tyrants' celebration died almost instantly. One by one, they straightened up, forming a line, every pair of eyes were fixed firmly on one guy… Kurogami.

Among them, Yohan stood frozen, his confidence cracking as a flicker of fear and panic was flashing clearly across his face. Beside him, Kazutora watched in silence, his expression serious and unreadable.

From the nets, watching Kurogami, Subaru broke into tears, he hastily began to wipe them away with his sleeve, then broke into a run, sprinting straight toward him and stopping just a step away, his chest heaving.

"I'm sorry captain… I couldn't stop them. I just couldn't…" he said, his voice trembling with emotion.

Kurogami looked at him with calm, steady eyes. Then, raising a hand to gently place it on Subaru's cheek, wiping his tears.

"Thank you," Kurogami said softly, his tone filled with quiet strength. "You gave it everything you had. I'm proud of you."

Subaru's emotions overflowed as he instantly broke into sobs, only for Kurogami to quickly pull him into a firm hug, with his one hand resting gently on the back of his head.

From the sidelines, Minato and Raon watched in silence, tears streaming down their faces. In the stands, Shiori's tears fell freely, but this time, they carried warmth.

Still holding Subaru, Kurogami slowly lifted his gaze to lock on the Kashiwa Tyrants standing before him. Their eyes met his in a charged silence. The air grew heavy between them as Kurogami's cold, burning stare was clashing with their serious, determined eyes.

Yohan's panic grew as he saw Kurogami staring straight through his soul, making his breaths go heavy. Yet he clenched his fist and jaw in a furious way.

Still locking eyes with the Tyrants, Kurogami gently moved Subaru aside and stepped forward into the field.

The commentator's voice burst through the speakers, filled with excitement.

'The captain, the young chief of the wolves has entered the fray!'

From the VIP box, Ismau broke into a proud, wide smile. Around him, the senior players shared the same expression, grinning with pride, hope, and relief as their captain returned to the battlefield.

"Now that's gonna be fun!" Daiki shouted with a bright grin, his voice filled with excitement.

Beside him, Toshiro Kujo, one of the seniors, leaned forward slightly. "Yeah… the captain who led them all the way here to finals is back… what you think Ismau? Is there anything left in this game, or is it too late?"

Ismau, still smiling, gave a calm nod. "It's football Toshiro. Ten minutes of good play can change everything."

The senior with the lazy eyes let out a quiet yawn before murmuring, "Heh… let's see just how good the captain really is." He then leaned lazily against the railing of the VIP box, his eyes narrowing toward the field below.

From the other VIP box, Shuya let out a sharp huff.

"They really think this stupid substitution will change anything? Give me a break." He turned away, his dull eyes betraying complete disinterest.

Beside him, Ameha took a slow, deliberate sip of her wine, her gaze never leaving the field.

"The original captain, huh…" she murmured under her breath, her tone calm but curious.

Down on the pitch, Kurogami was walking toward the nets where his teammates were gathered watching his approach. Their eyes wide, a mix of disbelief and awe washing over their faces.

From the stands, Keiichi remained standing, his jacket half on as he sighed.

"Come on, guys, get up. Let's go already," he said flatly, clearly done with the match.

But his friends didn't move. They stayed seated with their eyes glued to the field, nervous yet unable to look away.

Keiichi frowned, irritation flashing across his face, "Fine then," he muttered before sitting back on his seat, "You wanna stay till the end? no problem, let's see how good Kazutora will look lifting that trophy."

Kurogami's slow walk toward the nets was carrying an air of calm confidence, with his eyes stayed locked ahead, fixed on his teammates waiting for him.

Up in the stands, Masaru with his face burning with determination, was bouncing on his feet. Clapping loudly above his head, cheering at the top of his lungs, trying to ignite the crowd.

Beside Masaru, Toru remained frozen, his eyes locked on Kurogami's steady walk, which dragged him back to the All-School Cup final, to the moment where Kurogami saved his penalty. The memory replayed in his mind like a haunting flash, each frame heavier than the last.

Next to him, Rukia was watching Toru in silence, her gaze tense and uneasy as she was noticing Toru's troubled form.

With his eyes reflecting calm confidence, Kurogami kept walking with slow, steady steps toward the nets.

Behind him, Yohan clenched his jaw and took a firm step forward, his boots pressing against the turf.

"Kurogami!" he called out loud, sharply.

Kurogami stopped in his tracks with his back still turned on Yohan who was standing a little distance away.

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