readytorunbook Chapter 136 136: Landing In Riyadh
Chapter 136 136: Landing In Riyadh
The plane cut through the skies, steadily making its way toward the runway of the airport.Near the runway, a travel bus painted in Japan's colors stood waiting, surrounded by several sleek black Mercedes vehicles.
Alongside them were officials from the Saudi Football Federation, accompanied by a crowd of media personnel gathered to welcome the arriving squad.
Moments later, the aircraft touched down. Its wheels slammed onto the runway with a sharp screech, rubber scraping against the tarmac as the plane raced forward before gradually slowing.
Then, after a long roll across the runway, the aircraft finally eased to a halt.
The officials of the Saudi Football Board, accompanied by a crowd of media personnel, moved toward the aircraft as anticipation steadily built across the runway.
Moments later, the aircraft door opens and the boarding stairs were rolled into place, and all eyes immediately shifted upward.
The first to emerge was Kento, followed closely by Raon. Both carried calm, assured smiles as they stepped into the sunlight, representing the nation with quiet confidence.
Then came Kurogami, wearing dark sunglasses, he descended with a composed, commanding presence, his expression unreadable and his posture unwavering. Behind him followed Kabuto, Izaya, Shinji, Jotaro, Koujin, Sam, and the rest of Japan's squad, emerging one after another from the aircraft.
And then came Haruma.
Tall, composed, and carrying himself with quiet confidence, he stepped out of the aircraft and briefly scanned the airport before letting out a slow breath. He began his descent.
The moment his feet touched Saudi soil, a man in his mid-thirties swiftly stepped forward.
With a welcoming smile, he shook Haruma's hand, signaled for a staff member to take his luggage, and then pulled him into a brief embrace.
As they separated, the man's smile only widened.
"It's an honor to finally meet you, Haruma Kusaka," he said warmly. "I'm Ammar Al-Hazmi, Head of International Relations at the Saudi Football Association."
His eyes gleamed with genuine admiration. "And I must say, I'm a big fan of yours."
Haruma smiled, gratitude evident in his eyes.
"Thank you so much," he replied warmly. "It's an honor."
Ammar smiled and gave his shoulder a friendly pat.
"Welcome to Riyadh," he said. "Make yourself at home, and best of luck in the tournament." He then gestured for Haruma to move forward.
Still smiling, Haruma made his way ahead, briefly acknowledging the cameras with a wave before stepping aboard the team coach.
Inside, most of the squad had already taken their seats. Haruma walked down the aisle and settled into the seat beside Sam.
A few moments later, with the entire delegation aboard and security vehicles moving into position around them, the convoy finally pulled away from the airport…
Along the way, Haruma sat by the window, quietly taking in the sights of Riyadh. His eyes follow the bustling streets, the towering buildings. A faint smile never left his face.
After some time on the road, the convoy finally pulled up in front of a luxurious five-star hotel. The coach came to a stop.
One by one, the players began stepping off and made their way toward the entrance with luggage in their hands.
The moment they entered the hotel lobby, several of them visibly slowed their pace.
The place was stunning with polished marble floors stretched across the vast lobby, elegant chandeliers hung from above, and every corner radiated luxury.
Among them, Izaya's reaction was the most obvious. His eyes were sparkling in awe, his gaze darting from one side of the lobby to the other as he tried to take in every detail at once.
"Woohohoo! What a place!" Izaya exclaimed, his voice echoing slightly through the lavish lobby.
Koujin looked around with a wide smirk and nodded in approval.
"Hell yeah," he said. "Now this is what I call respect."
A few players chuckled at his reaction. Kento, meanwhile, turned toward the squad with a faint smile.
"Everyone, head to the lounge area and wait there," he instructed. "Raon and I will handle the check-in. And everyone is sure I have their IDs, right?"
The squad nodded in unison.
"Good," Kento replied. "Then wait there, and make sure you all behave yourselves. We are representing Japan here."
The reminder immediately straightened a few postures.
With that, Kento and Raon headed deeper into the hotel toward the reception desk, while the rest of the squad made their way toward the lounge area, their footsteps carrying a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and anticipation for the days ahead.
Once inside the lounge area, everyone began dropping onto the couches, practically melting into the cushions after the long journey.
Haruma sank into a seat and leaned his head back, settling in comfortably as he let out a quiet breath.
Nearby, Kurogami remained standing, his eyes calmly roaming across the luxurious surroundings.
Seated across the room, Sam rested his arms along the couch and spoke up with an impressed smile.
"Saudi Arabia is really spending a lot on this junior tournament."
Everyone's attention shifted toward him.
Nodding with a knowing smirk, Jiho spoke up. "Yeah, what else did you expect? Saudi Arabia is one of the richest football board around. Of course they're going to spend big."
A few players nodded in agreement, and after thinking for a moment, Jotaro added, "Hmm, true. And they'll probably make a lot of that money back as well."
"Exactly," Koujin said, leaning back with a grin still plastered across his face. "But one thing's for sure..." His smirk widened. "This year's tournament is going to be on a completely different level."
Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Raya asked,
"Why is it different?"
A wide, confident smirk spread across Koujin's face. "Because I'll be playing this year."
Raya stared at him with dull, unamused eyes, clearly unimpressed by the answer.
Meanwhile, Jiho stretched his arms before springing to his feet.
"Yo, Captain!" he called out. "When are we starting practice?"
Kurogami looked up at him. "Umm—"
"Yeah!" Koujin suddenly stood up as well. "I'm kinda feeling it. Let's play!"
"Keep it down," Rensora said in a tired voice. "We're all exhausted. We need rest, a proper sleep of seven hours before stepping back onto the field."
"What? No!" Jiho protested, immediately turning back to Kurogami. "We aren't that tired!"
Kurogami nodded firmly. "We are," he said. "Rensora's right. We need sleep."
He glanced around at the squad before adding, "A sleep of three hours."
Rensora and several of the others quickly looked up at Kurogami, surprised by his response.
Kurogami, however, remained completely serious, his expression calm and confident.
Meanwhile, smiles had already appeared on the faces of Raya, Jiho, Kabuto, and Izaya.
"Three hours of sleep," Kurogami declared in a commanding tone. "Then I want everyone in the gym."
"Three hours in the gym, followed by a one-hour break. After that, we're taking the field."
A hint of confusion crossed Rensora's face. "But, Captain," he said, "rest is important for the team. If we push too hard right after the flight, we could end up with injuries."
Staring at him with cold, unwavering eyes, Kurogami spoke.
"If you aren't strong enough to give your all in training, then you aren't strong enough to survive the ruthless aggression waiting for us from our opponents."
His words struck the room like a hammer, causing a wave of silence to immediately follow.
Keeping his voice cold and unwavering, Kurogami continued, "Make no mistake, we are not here on vacation. We are here on a mission, and that mission is to win."
The room remained silent, every eye fixed on him.
"... As your captain, I demand one thing from all of you... There should be nothing else in your minds except victory."
"And to win, we have to be the best team around. And to become the best, we must dedicate ourselves completely to our training. If you can't do that, then you have no place wearing Japan's flag."
"A lot of you might have a problem with me, but I don't care less. I'm here to win, not for myself, but for the promise I made."
"So stand with me or not. I will shed my last drop of blood standing in front of those nets."
There was a complete silence in the room, every eye slightly wide locked on Kurogami.
Just then Haruma stood from the couch and without another word moved forward, stopping directly before him.
Haruma and Kurogami now stood face to face.
After a brief silence, Haruma slowly raised his hand toward Kurogami, as if offering an oath.
Maintaining eye contact, Kurogami clasped Haruma's hand in a firm, resounding grip.
A shiver ran through everyone present, as the atmosphere itself turned heavy and cold.
Rising from his seat, Nagisa then walked forward and joined the duo, placing his hand over theirs in the clasp.
With a smirk, Jiho followed next, then Kabuto, Raya, and Izaya, each stepping in with faint smiles as they added their hands to the growing stack.
Koujin watched the scene with a wild grin spread across his face.
"I love this," he said before stepping forward, placing his hand on top, smirking as he joined them in the moment.
With a warm smile, Sam rose from his seat and moved forward, followed by Jotaro, Senji, Yuya, Gaku, and the rest.
Each moved in quietly, their expressions calm but determined, adding their hands to the collective bond.
Now only Rensora remained on the couch. He then let out a small chuckle before pushing himself up.
"I guess we're getting serious," he said before walking forward and placed his hand on top of the pile, completing the circle.
"Alright," he added with a faint grin, "now we better give it our hundred percent."
With a smile, Koujin shook his head in denial. "Uh-uh," he said. "A hundred isn't enough. We're throwing our thousand."
A wave of smiles spread across the group. Haruma smiled faintly, Kurogami remained composed but approving, Raya's face lit up with a bright grin.
Just then, two more hands joined the stack.
Everyone's eyes shifted instantly to find Kento and Raon standing, both wearing confident smiles with their hands onto the pile.
Seeing them, the smiles across the team deepened, now sharper, steadier, and filled with renewed conviction.
With a nod, Kento spoke firmly.
"Asia, get yourselves ready… because here we come!"
"YEAHHHHHHHHH!"
The entire squad roared in unison, throwing their arms up together, voices and laughter exploding through the area as the energy crashed like a wave of raw determination.