The Golden Winged Of Football: Haruma Kusaka

Chapter 139 139: Big Blow

Still down on the grass, Haruma was clutching his ankle. His eyes squeezed shut, his face twisted tight against a heavy wave of pain.The whole field was still with terrified silence. Then, Kurogami grit his teeth and took off, sprinting straight for him. Kento, Raon, Jiho, and Kabuto quickly joined, running just after him.

Kurogami dropped hard to his knees right beside Haruma, his hands immediately going to the injured leg to keep it still.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Kurogami said, his voice shaking a little. "Just don't move."

Kento and Raon threw themselves down at the exact same time, their hands moving fast, as they checked the ankle.

Everyone quickly crowded around Haruma to check on him, but Jiho didn't look down. Instead, he marched straight up to Senji, standing face-to-face and staring him down with a silent, fierce heat in his eyes.

Senji stared back at him but with a slight frown creasing his brow. His face was a messy mix of concern, confusion, and panic as he looked at Jiho.

Before anything could happen, Raya and Izaya stepped in, grabbing Jiho by the shoulders and pulling him back away from Senji.

"It's not his fault, Jiho! It's not his fault," Raya kept saying firmly, trying to break the tension. But even as Jiho was forced backward, his fierce gaze stayed locked dead on Senji.

Kabuto was matching Jiho's fury, trying to push his way toward Senji, but Nagisa and Jotaro were holding him back.

Down on the grass, Kento's face was tight with panic as he tried to inspect the injury, but Haruma was in too much pain to even let anyone touch it, flinching away every time a hand got close.

"Damn, that's bad," Kento muttered through gritted teeth. "We need treatment, right now!"

Raon looked on, his face pale with fear and concern. "I'll call the best doctor around," he said, already pulling out his phone.

Rensora quickly pushed through the crowd. "Step aside, let me help him get to bed."

Rensora then helped Haruma up, when Kabuto jumped in right away to help.

And Together, they draped Haruma's arms over their shoulders, lifting him onto his good foot. Haruma limped heavily between them, keeping his injured leg dangling in the air, not letting it touch the ground for even a second as they carried him out…

Later on, Haruma was lying back on the bed in his room, the whole team silently crowding around him. The doctor was there, carefully wrapping a tight compression bandage around his ankle.

The doctor finished and stood up, turning to Kento who quickly looked at him, clearly eager to hear his word.

The doctor finished up and stood up, turning straight toward Kent who quickly looked back at him instantly, his face tight, clearly desperate to hear what he had to say.

"It looks like a mild sprain," the doctor began, keeping his voice calm. "But we'll need to send him to the hospital for proper scans to know for sure."

The faces of everyone in the room instantly dropped. The air grew heavy, thick with a sad, helpless silence. But no one looked more broken than Senji, who stood near the back, completely unable to lift his eyes to face anyone.

Kento's face was serious, with a hint of sorrow behind. "So we take him to the hospital right now?"

The doctor nodded. "Not right away, but yes, sometime today. Let him rest for a few hours first, then you can go."

Kento nodded in understanding and gestured for Raon to see the doctor out. Raon stepped forward quickly and guided the doctor out of the room.

The moment the door closed, a heavy, suffocating silence filled the space. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. The whole team just stood there, completely quiet, while Senji kept his eyes glued to the floor.

Kento turned and fixed his eyes on Haruma,

folding his arms across his chest.

Haruma remained still on the bed, looking down, his face quiet and dead serious.

"It's fine, Haruma," Kento said in a steady tone, his expression serious. "Things happen. Rest up, focus on recovery. Tonight, we'll visit the hospital."

He shifted his gaze.

"Kurogami, Raya,you two are coming with us."

Both nodded immediately, no hesitation.

Kento then turned to Haruma, gave a firm pat on his shoulder, then turned and left the room.

After a few moments, Jiho looked up at Haruma and with a cheerful tone he spoke.

"Come on, Haruma, nothing has happened yet! I promise you it'll be nothing serious. You're going to get right back up and play with us!"

"Yeah!" Izaya added enthusiastically. "I know you aren't this weak! You'll be back before that first game, and we're playing together!"

A heavy silence followed their words. Everyone watched Haruma, whose eyes remained low, his face completely still and empty of any emotion.

Haruma's reaction disheartened everyone even further. A single tear trickled down Senji's face as he clenched his fists, trying everything he could to hold himself back from crying.

Just then, a small smile appeared on Haruma's face.

"You guys are right," he said.

His voice cut through the quiet room, causing everyone to look up at him instantly. The heavy look on his face was gone, replaced by a faint hope.

"I know I'm fine," Haruma declared, his eyes bright. "This little injury ain't stopping me. I'll play."

A massive wave of relief washed over the room, and smiles broke out across everyone's faces. Izaya grinned brightly, Jiho smiled with renewed confidence, and Raya finally let out a relieved breath, smiling right along with them.

"That's my wolf!" Kabuto exclaimed, punching the air. "Kick this sprain's butt and get back on the field!"

Nagisa nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah, because if you aren't on the field, who am I supposed to pass to? I definitely can't trust this meathead Jiho to finish."

The room broke into soft laughter, the light giggles instantly easing the heavy tension.

"Hah?!" Jiho snapped, turning on Nagisa with an angry shrug. "What did you just say to me, you lazy ass jerk? You tryna pick a fight, huh?!"

Raya giggled, stepping between them. "Alright, alright. Let the boy rest up. We should all leave."

Kurogami nodded, moving forward to sit on the edge of the bed. He placed a comforting hand on Haruma's shoulder.

"Don't you worry, Haruma," he said, his tone warm and reassuring. "Take all the rest you need. You don't need the training anyway, so just put all your mind and focus on your recovery."

Haruma simply nodded in agreement. Kurogami gave his shoulder a final, encouraging pat before getting up from the bed.

Next, Jiho stepped up, leaning in with a confident grin. "I know it's nothing but a little twist. You'll be better in no time, ready to kick some serious butt."

Haruma giggles softly, nodding in agreement.

Next came Kabuto, leaning over the bed. "I know you're the man! So fuck this twist and get your ass ready for a hat-trick in that opening game!"

Haruma smiled confidently, nodding right along with him.

Izaya stepped up next, looking at him earnestly. "I really won't enjoy playing without you, so you better be ready before the game."

"Sure thing," Haruma said, nodding.

Finally, Nagisa came over and offered a fist bump, which Haruma met softly with his own

"Better get ready," Nagisa added, pulling his hand back. "Playing with you is way too much fun."

Haruma nodded, a genuine smile touching his face.

Raya stepped up next, meeting Haruma's hand with a quick, solid dab. "Forget about this, it's Japan that needs you, they won't believe, without you out there. So do it for the people, and do it for the country."

Haruma's eyes instantly locked in, filled with sudden determination and focus as he nodded firmly.

Next came Koujin, meeting Haruma with a strong fist bump. "Get well soon, bro. I really want to play alongside you."

Then Takezu stepped in, dabbing Haruma's hand quickly. "Get well soon, man."

One after another, the rest of the guys offered their wishes and words of courage, filling the room with support. Finally, only Senji was left.

He stepped forward slowly, stopping right before Haruma's bed with his face lowered, completely unable to look him in the eye.

The rest of the team paused at the doorway, turning back to watch the exchange in absolute silence.

"I—I'm so sorry, Haruma," Senji choked out, his eyes still glued to the floor. His voice took a desperate, shaking turn. "It was all my fault. I was reckless. I should've been careful, I—"

"Senji!" Haruma cut him off firmly, stopping him right in the middle of his sentence.

Haruma then smiled warmly. "It's not your fault. How could it be your fault? It's a game of football, things happen. And honestly, I was really enjoying it. And once I'm back up, we're finishing our duel. Until then, the results are on hold."

The tension finally broke, and faint smiles appeared on the faces of everyone watching from the doorway.

A faint, almost painful smile appeared on Senji's face, his shoulders trembling as he fought with everything he had not to burst out sobbing.

"Hmm," he mumbled, nodding quickly.

He turned and practically ran out of the room, pushing past everyone at the door. And then one by one, the rest of the team followed him out, softly clicking the door shut behind them.

Haruma was finally left completely alone in the quiet room. For a few seconds, the warm smile stayed on his face. Then, slowly, the smile began to fade.

Once it was completely gone, a pale, cold look took over his face, dead silent, and totally empty of emotion.

He leaned back against the headboard and threw an arm over his eyes.

For a long moment, he just stayed like that, frozen in the quiet room. Then, slowly, his jaw began to tighten with a sudden, building fury.

He pulled his arm away and looked down at his bandaged ankle, his eyes burning with pure frustration and rage.

"No matter if you're just a sprain! A torn muscle, or a fucking fracture!"

The words echoed in his brain, hard and cold as ice.

"I'm not stopping here!"

"This game… This tournament...!"

"I'm fucking breaking it all!"

"Even if I have to play on one broken foot, I'm playing! I'll score! I'll keep scoring! In this tournament, and in the tournament after this... I'm scoring... And I'm winning it all... everything!"

"I'll win it all. I'll make it to the World Cup, and I'm fucking conquering that too!"

His eyes burned red with pure fury. His teeth ground together, locked in a brutal clench, and his fists shook against the sheets as he glared down at his ruined foot.