Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

"I think I've joined the team."

"J-joined the team... How can you tell me that so calmly?!"

Lucas lowered his gaze, lightly kicking the ground as if trying to find the right words. "It's just that, to be honest, I don't know exactly how I feel about it," he admitted, and the hesitation in his voice took John by surprise. "I want it. I want to play for Brighton and live here in England, so that I have a better chance of becoming a professional footballer.

But part of me knows that this will mean me missing out on a big part of Hana's childhood, and I'll be far away from you and Mom."

"Of course it's quite a change, son. Living in another country, facing new challenges... You don't have to rush to find out how it feels. But I know you've worked hard to get here."

Lucas nodded, forcing a smile. "I know, Dad. And I think I played a good game today. It's just that now, with everything so close... well, the idea of a new life in England seems a bit... surreal."

"You know, son, I went through similar situations when I was younger. Insecurity is part of it, and it's okay not to have the answers now. But for now, how about we celebrate? We'll get to the hotel, and you can tell me everything calmly."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Agreeing, Lucas got on the back of the bike, and they set off in the direction of the hotel. The wind blew in his face as he enjoyed the scenery of the dark forests that flanked the long road connecting the Brighton CT region to the Brighton city center.

When they arrived at the hotel, they had a bite to eat, and John listened to everything Lucas had to say — how each stage of the trial had gone, the opponents he had met, the problems and fears.

In the end, the father gave his son some advice that reassured him. Afterward, John asked if Lucas wanted to go and relax in the spa, but Lucas said he would go back to his room and try to get some rest. Soon, night had completely fallen, and the city lit up outside. Lucas went out onto the balcony, where a light night breeze was blowing, cooling him off and swaying his hair.

Then his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Checking it, he came across a message from an unknown number.

[Unknown: Hey, Lucas! Raphael Portiolli here. I got your number from one of the club's employees. Are you busy?]

Lucas was surprised by the message from the unexpected sender. He hadn't expected to hear from Raphael so soon, let alone speak to him. He thought for a second before replying, his fingers typing quickly.

[Lucas *-*: Hi, Raphael. I'm not busy, really. I'm just at the hotel. I'm not from the city, so I don't know much around here].

Raphael: Then come to the mall nearby! You can't be stuck in the hotel tonight, can you? I need to take my mind off the results too.

Lucas *-*: Closed. Which mall are you in?]

*

Minutes later, Lucas had already warned John, got ready and was at one of the entrances to the shopping center, which was not far from the hotel Lucas was staying at.

Even though it was late at night, the place was packed, with families, friends and couples laughing and enjoying the evening.

Lucas adjusted the collar of his jacket and looked around when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Lucas turned and saw Raphael, smiling, wearing a simple black T-shirt and jeans. They were basically the same height.

"Hey, man. Glad you could make it."

"Thanks for inviting me. It's a great way to forget some of the tension of waiting for the results."

"Of course. If I stay at home, I'll go crazy. We need to distract ourselves, and this mall is the perfect place for that. There's everything here!" Raphael said as he led Lucas inside the mall, where the air was lightly scented with the classic bittersweet smell of shopping.

As they walked, the two chatted about the sifting process, with Raphael sharing his thoughts and so on. Soon, the conversation turned to experiences in soccer.

"Oh man, once I was so nervous that I lost track of time and almost didn't get on the pitch. My parents went crazy!"

Lucas laughed out loud. "I know what it's like. You can get anxious just imagining it."

"The responsibility I have as the youngest sibling between two brothers who didn't make it as players... It's quite a responsibility." Raphael said in a more serious tone. "But we'll manage. The hardest part is over."

Lucas nodded, taking the words as encouragement for himself too. After a few minutes of chatting, they stopped in front of a snack bar to order something to drink, and Lucas decided to order a sparkling water, while Raphael chose a soft drink. They paid and were walking away from the counter to wait for their ticket to be called when Lucas looked over and saw a girl who looked strangely familiar.

She was wearing sunglasses and a white cap that hid most of her face, but Lucas recognized the soft laugh. It was Lucy Griffin, the girl he had bumped into in the morning when he was looking for Brighton's training center.

Lucy saw him instantly and stopped, surprised to find him again. She waved shyly and Lucas returned the greeting. They were just over a meter apart, so he heard when her friend asked:

"Do you know each other?"

"Yes, it's the boy from the k-pop band."

Lucas laughed, a little awkwardly, and allowed himself to be intruded into their conversation — after all, it was about him. "For your information, I'm not even Korean. I'm Japanese. And I'm not in a band, but thanks for the compliment... I guess."

Lucy laughed and opened her mouth to reply, but Raphael, standing next to her, snorted slightly uncomfortably, drawing their attention.

"Excuse me, girls," he said, as he gently pulled Lucas by the arm so that they were a little further away from Lucy. "Can we talk for a second?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow, confused, but consented. Then they moved a few centimeters to the side and Raphael asked:

Stay tuned with empire

"Dude, where do you know Lucy from?"

Lucas scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Oh, we met this morning... It was kind of accidental. I was looking for Brighton's training center and, well, I bumped into her on the way. Do you know her? Is she a friend of yours?"

Raphael let out a soft, slightly incredulous laugh. "A-friend? No, Lucas, she's famous. Lucy Griffin is a swimming prodigy. She's been on the cover of almost every sport's magazine in the UK over the last few months. She's basically Britain's hope for the next Olympics."

The revelation made Lucas arch his eyebrows in surprise. He looked at Lucy, who was now chatting distractedly with a friend next to the cafeteria.

"That must be why she's wearing sunglasses and a cap. That girl is followed by fans and paparazzi everywhere." Raphael added.

"And to think I bumped into her as if she were just anyone out there. I guess I'm a bit lucky."

Surprisingly, Willow, at that moment, received a new mission.

[New Secondary Mission!]

[Mission Name: Double Date

Description: Raphael is a surprisingly shy boy and has never been on a date with a girl, just like you. As you're trying to change your life, it would be nice to help out a colleague.

Objective 1: Turn this casual outing between friends into a double date with Lucy Griffin and her friend.

Objective 2: (Complete objective 1 to reveal).

Objective 3: (Complete objective 2 to reveal).

Rewards:

+ 2 Mystery Cards].

A drop of sweat trickled down Lucas's forehead. 'This system puts me in every situation sometimes... It would be easier to do this if I hadn't discovered that Lucy is famous.'

At any other time, turning a friend's outing into a "double date" would seem insane, but he had already faced absurd situations because of the system, and somehow it always worked out. Besides, Raphael seemed like a good guy, and it might be fun to help out his new friend.

He scratched the back of his head, mentally rehearsing how to propose the idea: 'Just act naturally.'

"Hey, man, how about we invite the girls to join us? You know, the night's only just begun and... well, it could be fun."

"Invite them? Like that... to go out with us?"

"Why not? It's just a casual outing. And, who knows, maybe we can count it as a way of dealing with the anxiety about the results."

Raphael glanced at Lucy and her friend, who were still talking near the cafeteria, laughing at something her friend had said. "Okay... okay, but you talk to them, I can't!" he whispered, his face slightly red.

Lucas approached the girls again, and Lucy noticed him and stopped the conversation with a curious smile.

"Girls, I'm sorry, but you're from around town, right?"

"Yes." Lucy agreed.

"As you know, Lucy, I'm new here. I was wondering, would you like to join us? It's a great night, and my friend and I don't know anything."

Lucy exchanged a quick glance with her friend, who gave her an excited smile.

"Oh, it'll be fun, Lu," said her friend, nudging her lightly with her elbow. "You don't meet nice guys like that every day."

Lucy laughed, turning to Lucas. "Well then, why not? That would be great."