1
4:0
ONE MORE GOAL TO DETERMINE THE WINNER!
AND...
GOAL!!
THE LAST GOAL FROM NOEL NOAH!
AGAIN BASTARD MUNCHEN HAS WON THE LEAGUE WITH NOEL NOAH AS ITS MAIN STRIKER!
"So cool..." Isagi thought as he watched the live broadcast of Bastard Munchen versus Saudi Arabia FC.
His eyes were glued to the screen, reflecting the bright green of the pitch and the triumphant figure of his hero, Noel Noah, raising the trophy high above his head. The roar of the crowd filled the small room, a sound of pure victory that made Isagi’s heart pound with excitement.
He held his Noel Noah doll a little tighter, imagining himself in that stadium, scoring the winning goal.
"Yoo-chan?"
Isagi turned his head to see the owner of the voice.
"Mom!" He happily turned off the tablet and scrambled off the couch, his small legs carrying him as fast as they could towards his mother.
Isagi Iyo, seeing her adorable son trotting his way to her with a bright smile on his face, couldn't help but chuckle. Having a son this cute, who would argue? His little sprout of hair, which always stuck up in the back, bounced with each eager step he took.
"Are you excited? Our flight to France is almost here!" she smiled, reaching down to stroke her son’s soft, black hair.
"Mhm..." Isagi hummed, leaning into her touch.
For a moment, his smile faltered. He looked down at the worn-out Noa plushie in his arms, his fingers tracing the stitching on its miniature red and blue jersey.
"I'm going to miss Dad," Isagi said, his voice small as he clutched his mother’s jacket hem.
Iyo’s expression softened with a mother’s gentle understanding. She knelt down, cupping his small face in her hands.
"I know, sweetheart. But your father will visit us as soon as his work allows it. And just think of all the new adventures we’re going to have! You’ll get to see the Eiffel Tower, eat delicious croissants, and maybe even see a real French football match."
She smiled warmly, hoping to ease his worries. "Besides," she added, tapping the nose of the Noel Noah doll, "Noa is coming with us, right? He’ll keep you company."
Isagi looked at his doll, then back at his mother, and a real, genuine smile returned to his face.
Today, Isagi Yoichi and his mother, Isagi Iyo, were heading to France. His mother had received a significant promotion at her job, a wonderful opportunity that required them to relocate.
However, the job was in France, and since his father, Isagi Issei, was constantly away on business trips for his own work, they had no choice but to have Yoichi follow his mother. It wasn't that he hated the idea; the thought of a new country was exciting. It was just that a small part of him was anxious about venturing into a completely foreign land. What if the kids didn’t like him? What if he couldn’t understand anyone? Who wouldn’t be a little nervous?
Ting ni ni ning
Te ne ne ne
"Flight from Japan to France, please be ready to board your plane. The gate is located at aisle A12."
"Come! It's time for our flight!" Iyo said cheerfully, lifting her son up with a grunt.
"Ready for takeoff, Yoo-chan?" she asked, pretending to be a rocket ship as she held him on her hip.
"Ready!" Isagi giggled, his earlier anxieties momentarily forgotten as they sped towards the registration counter.
They were soon seated on the plane. Isagi, getting the coveted window seat, pressed his face against the cool glass. He stared at the sprawling city of Tokyo below, the cars looking like tiny colorful ants scurrying about. He clutched his Noa doll tightly, the familiar worn fabric a comfort in the unfamiliar environment.
As the plane began to taxi down the runway, he watched the airport terminal shrink behind them.
"Goodbye, Japan..." Isagi whispered, waving his small hand at the window as the plane lifted off, the ground falling away beneath them.
The journey from Japan to France would take around eight hours, a long stretch of time that seemed to promise a world of change on the other side.
-------------------------------------------
Attention!
This is the captain speaking! We have arrived at our designated destination, France. The weather is a pleasant 26° Degrees Celsius. We hope you enjoyed your flight and have a nice day!
"Yoo-chan~, wake up, we're here."
A gentle pat on his cheek stirred Isagi from a deep sleep.
"Hmmh..." He mumbled, his eyelids fluttering open.
Facing his mother’s gentle smile, Isagi rubbed his eyes with one small fist, the other still firmly wrapped around his Noa plushie.
"So fast..." He mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. It felt like he had just closed his eyes for a moment, and now they were already in a whole new country. He burrowed his face into his mother’s side, a little reluctant to fully wake up.
Seeing her son’s sulking expression, Iyo chuckled and simply lifted him onto her hip again, carrying him and their hand luggage off the plane. The cool, fresh air of France greeted them as they exited the airport.
After collecting their larger suitcases from the baggage claim, Iyo led them to the car rental center. She had already arranged everything prior to their move, and within a short time, she was expertly maneuvering a rental car out of the parking lot and onto the French roads, heading towards the house she had purchased for them.
The journey from the airport took quite a while. The landscape outside the window changed from highways lined with tall plane trees to smaller, winding roads that led into a quiet, charming residential neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Iyo was focused on the road, navigating with a GPS that spoke in rapid French, while Isagi was fully immersed in his own world in the backseat, playing with his Noa doll.
"I'm Noel Noa! The number one striker in the whole world!!" Isagi declared, moving the doll into a proud, chest-puffing pose.
The doll had come with a small, fabric football, a tiny accessory that Isagi cherished. He would bounce it on the seat, making the doll "run" after it, then leap to make a spectacular "volley."
He would move the doll from the seat up to the back of his mother's headrest, pretending it was dribbling past defenders. Sometimes, the doll would make its way all the way to the space next to the steering wheel, where Isagi would have it "look" at the road before quickly pulling it back, giggling to himself.
Isagi’s voice filled the car. He was loud, his imagination running wild with a full stadium crowd cheering for him—for Noel Noa. Though he didn't have enough players to make a proper team since he only had the doll, his happiness was complete.
Isagi’s idol was Noel Noa. To the six-year-old, Noa wasn't just a footballer; he was a superhero. He was the number one striker in the world, a figure of ultimate strength and skill.
How happy Isagi had been when, on his sixth birthday the previous year, his parents had given him the Noel Noa doll as a gift. It was the best present he had ever received.
The doll was a perfect miniature replica. It wore the standard #9 striped blue and red kit with white shorts, red socks, and tiny, detailed red and white cleats. The hair was a white spiky buzzcut, and his eyes were a striking yellow with a black-shaded eyelid that gave him an intense, focused expression.
Isagi had burst into tears of pure joy on the spot. From that day on, he and the doll had become inseparable.
He slept with it tucked under his arm.
He carefully placed it on the edge of the bathtub while he washed, making sure no water splashed on it.
He played with it for hours, creating entire football sagas.
And when he was sad, he would hug the doll tightly and have a therapy session with it, imagining that it was the real Noel Noa, in person, telling him it was okay and that he would one day be a great striker too.
---
Finally, the car pulled to a stop in front of a charming two-story house with a small, well-kept garden.
"Here we are, Yoo-chan! Our new home!" Iyo announced, turning off the engine.
Isagi peered out the window, his eyes wide. It looked different from their house in Japan, but it had a nice, warm feeling to it.
As his mother got out and began a conversation with the landowners about the final paperwork, Isagi was allowed to wait outside. He kicked a small pebble on the ground with the tip of his sneaker, feeling a little bit of the old anxiety creep back into his chest.
He looked around the quiet neighborhood, at the unfamiliar houses and the strange cars. He was just about to go back to his mother when his gaze landed on a garden a few houses down.
There, a flash of vibrant red color was peeking out from behind a large, leafy bush.
A friend!
The thought shot through Isagi like lightning, chasing away all his worries. His face lit up.
Without a second thought, he clutched his Noa doll tighter and took off running down the street towards the red-haired child.
"Hello!!" Isagi said excitedly as he reached the child. Without any hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the other boy’s hand, his small fingers wrapping around the stranger’s.
The child on the other hand was completely frozen in confusion. He had been quietly playing in his own garden, stacking small stones, when a tiny boy he had never seen before came running at him, shouting a language he didn't recognize.
His eyelashes, which were long and elegant, fluttered in bewilderment. His large, dark eyes, the color of rich black coffee, stared at the stranger who had so suddenly invaded his personal space.
"Do I know you?" he asked in French, his voice soft but laced with confusion. He made no move to pull his hand away, simply staring at the energetic boy in front of him.
Isagi, hearing the other party speak, felt a surge of happiness. He didn't understand a single word the beautiful child said, but the fact that he had replied at all felt like a victory. The boy’s voice was nice, like the soft hum of his mother’s lullabies.
Driven by pure, innocent curiosity, Isagi reached out with his free hand. He gently touched the other boy’s face, his small fingers tracing the soft curve of a cheek, the line of a jaw. He stroked it with such care and softness, as if he was handling something very precious and fragile, that it made the red-haired child melt into the touch, his initial tension evaporating.
"So pretty..." Isagi mumbled under his breath, his eyes wide with innocent admiration.
He then withdrew his hands, freeing the child from his gentle embrace. He took a small step back and gave his most dazzling smile.
"My name is Isagi Yoichi!!" he said loudly, pointing a thumb at his own chest.
The child, losing the unexpected but pleasant warmth of the stranger’s touch, felt a small twitch of discomfort. A faint, almost imperceptible pout formed on his lips. He then stared back at the child in front of him, his mind working.
He didn't understand a single word the boy was saying. The language was completely foreign, a rapid string of syllables that held no meaning for him.
But...
He had heard one word clearly, a word he was certain was the child's name. It sounded like "Ee-sa-ghee."
Deciding to offer his own name in return, he met the other boy’s hopeful eyes and spoke.
"Hugo..."
"My name is Hugo," he told the child, speaking slowly as if to help him understand.
Isagi, hearing the name, felt a burst of joy so powerful it seemed to radiate from his entire being. The little sprout of hair on the top of his head, which always stuck up, seemed to twitch and bounce in pure delight, as if it had a life of its own, expressing its owner's overwhelming emotion.
"Hugo!!" Isagi shouted, testing the name on his tongue.
"HUGO!!" he yelled again, louder, his grin splitting his face from ear to ear.
"HUGOOOO!!" Isagi screamed one last time, his voice ringing through the quiet street.
Hugo, despite his earlier confusion, couldn't help the smile that spread across his own face. There was something incredibly infectious about this stranger’s pure, unadulterated joy. He found himself pleased, a warm feeling blooming in his chest, every time Isagi shouted his name in excitement.
Isagi’s knowledge of English was limited to a few simple words his teacher had taught him in class. But he knew one word that felt right for this moment.
"Friends?..." he asked the boy, pointing between the two of them, his head tilted in a silent question.
Hugo heard the child utter the word. Friends.
He was momentarily stunned. The word was English, but it was a universal language among children. It was an offer, a simple and profound one.
He looked at the boy’s hopeful, sparkling blue eyes, at the worn-out doll clutched in his hand, at the silly little sprout of hair on his head that seemed to be vibrating with anticipation.
A slow, genuine smile spread across Hugo’s face, one that reached his dark eyes.
Without a word, he stepped forward and gently took the smaller boy in his arms, wrapping them around him in a hug.
"Yeah... Friends!" he replied, his voice soft against Isagi’s hair.
Hearing the confirmation, even if he couldn’t understand the exact words, the tone told him everything. Isagi smiled, a content and happy sigh escaping his lips. He nuzzled his face deeper into the crook of Hugo’s neck, the new friend’s skin warm and smelling faintly of soap and sunshine.
This action temporarily paralyzed Hugo.
His face, which had just been wearing a calm, friendly smile, suddenly erupted in a fierce blush that spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He felt like he was turning into a living tomato at this point. This boy was so... touchy! And warm! And he smelled nice. His heart was beating a strange, fast rhythm against his ribs.
"Yayyy..." Isagi mumbled into his friend’s neck, perfectly content.
A few moments later, Iyo, who had just finished transferring the final payment and shaking hands with the landowners, looked around for her son.
Her gaze scanned the front yard, then the street.
She finally spotted him a few houses down.
Oh my god.
Her son was no longer standing alone. He was securely wrapped in the embrace of a stranger—a boy with striking red hair, who was currently as red as a fire truck, holding her son like he was the most precious thing in the world.
Yoo-chan, my son, where is your dignity?! she thought, a mixture of amusement and motherly shock flooding her.
How could you hug a stranger so tightly like that?
She began to walk towards them, ready to apologize profusely for her son’s forward behavior.
But as she got closer, she saw the look on her son’s face. It was the most peaceful and happy she had seen him since they left Japan. He was absolutely content, nuzzled into the older boy’s neck like a small, happy cat.
She then looked at the red-haired boy’s face. Despite his blush, he wasn't pulling away. In fact, his arms seemed to be holding Yoichi tighter, a protective, almost possessive look in his dark eyes as he glanced up and saw her approaching.
Iyo slowed her steps, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Could it be...? she thought, her maternal instincts shifting from worry to amusement.
A potential son-in-law?!
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen3h.Co