Chapter 585: Farewell!

Inconspicuously dressed in black, Hiro and the rest arrived at the airport. At the moment, alongside Naoto and others, Hiro was inside a taxi.

The taxi was stuffed and they had to squeeze inside the taxi like a pig squeezed inside a cupboard. With them squeezed together, there was hardly any space to move.

Filled with uncomfortable grunts and complaints, the inside of the taxi was rather chaotic. Even with the AC, it was hot inside.

Hiro, who was seated at the window seat at the back was finding it equally hard. Normally, the back seat could only fit three players. But due to the presence of jacked members, he was finding it rather uncomfortable.

Previously, he had suggested that they book three different cabs. However, due to one person’s clumsiness, the situation led to this.

Just as they arrived at the airport, Hiro heard his phone buzz.

Feeling the vibration, he tried to reach out to the phone in his pocket. However, due to the limited space, he found it extremely hard to reach his phone.

“Argh! Can you all shut up,” Hiro yelled furiously.

If the lack of mobility wasn’t enough, they had to add fuel to the burning fire by being damn noisy. Can’t they shut up for a while?

At once, Yutaka, Ehara, and others quietened. Even the driver felt startled by the sudden yell and he couldn’t help but steal glances at the backseat looking at the rearview mirror.

Naoto who was seated at the passenger seat, smiled sheepishly. He was sharing the seat with Kenta.

Sharing the pitch in the youth leagues, they had met after a long while.

If it wasn’t for Shun who was leaving the country, the reunion might have still been postponed. At this moment, inside the cab, there were five pro players.

The driver, however, was completely unaware of it. However, from the content of their conversation, he was aware that they were footballers.

But he didn’t have the slightest idea that he was hosting three national players.

If he hadn’t been offered the lucrative sum those bunches were offering, he wouldn’t even have taken on their offer. After all, he had exceeded the amount of people he was supposed to be hosting.

However, those bunches had convinced him that they’d bear the fine if they were to be caught. Also, they promised him more money than the initial fare.

It was a shady deal but the pay was great.

Reaching out to his pocket, Hiro, somehow managed to reach his phone. The call was from Shun. Probably, he was waiting for them.

After all, the flight was departing soon. So, he must have felt worried that they hadn’t made it to the airport until now.

“Where are you guys?” Shun was exasperated, frustration and impatience evident in his voice.

Hiro responded in a soothing tone, contrasting the frustration he had shown a moment earlier, “We’ve just arrived at the airport. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Hearing him, Shun’s expression lightened. He felt at ease, “Hurry up, guys. The flight will be leaving soon.”

The cab then swerved a corner and stopped. Immediately, Hiro opened the door. He couldn’t stand any longer sitting there with his legs squeezed.

Upon exiting the cab, he exhaled deeply, “Huff!”

The rest followed suit. However, while exiting the cab, Tatsuki and some guys stumbled. Falling on the ground, they whined and complained.

“Argh! Ehara get off my leg,” Tatsuki billowed.

Even leaving the cab was proving to be stressful. Well, from how they had squeezed tightly inside the cab, it was to be expected.

Grumbling, they got out of the cab. Then Naoto handed the driver his promised bill. He even added a few thousand more yen because he felt sorry for him.

After all, he had to keep up with their rants all this time.

Shun was already surrounded by a few other people but when he noticed the sight of Hiro and others, his face brightened.

“Why are you so late?” He asked.

Though he was elated to see them, he was also frustrated at their lack of punctuality. If they had been late even fifteen minutes more, he’d have already boarded the plane.

Faced with his question, almost every single eye turned to look at Tatsuki. Those eyes were clearly saying that it was all thanks to him.

Just from their gesture alone, Shun could tell that it had something to do with Tatsuki. So, he didn’t press further on the matter. Rather he was happy that they could make it.

Seeing all his teammates together, he couldn’t help but feel exhilarated. The sight of all his friends with whom he had spent his early years made him nostalgic.

He felt as if those moments had happened only recently.

The moments of camaraderie, the fights and disagreements in the squad, the moment they conquered the league together, and all those moments of sorrow and joy, he began to recall all those events.

For a while, he couldn’t even bring himself to respond. Lost in his reverie, he remained silent while the people around him congratulated him.

Though he remained lost in his reverie, he was smiling. It was as if he relieving those moments of joy at this very moment.

Some had dressed inconspicuously while some had dressed casually.

As they waited alongside him, they chatted about their present life and past moments. Relieving those beautiful moments together, they shared their story. Laughing and chatting, they expressed their happiness.

Some had even quit football while some were struggling. Some had achieved huge success while some had hung their boots.

The passerby upon hearing and seeing the commotion couldn’t help but steal glances at them. Some found it weird while some found it refreshing. Seeing the passion those youngsters

shared brought smiles to the faces of many older generations.

They could tell that they had gathered to send one of their friends.

“Sir, can you tell those kids to quieten down?” one of the people complained to the security personnel, pointing at the group of kids that were being loud.

“Yes, sir. Even if they’re here to send their friend, they should respect the privacy of others. They can’t just be making noise like this, disturbing others,” another old lady chimed in.

Heeding their complaints, the security guard said before heading in their direction, “We’ll do something about it, esteemed customers.”

The ones who complained seemed rather opulent. They were dressed luxuriously, hinting at the abundance of wealth they possessed.

So, he didn’t disobey their request.

As for those youths, they didn’t seem like any important figure. And even though there wasn’t

a rule stating that you couldn’t rejoice inside the airport, he didn’t want to offend those important figures over some youths.