My system allows me to copy talents

662  Farewell

Naoto's brows slightly lifted before they eased. He had expected Hiro to leave the club at the end of the season. After all, the domestic league had already become small for him. So, he was expecting him to transfer. However, what surprised him was Hiro's reluctance to cash out amidst the ongoing transfer saga. It was a known fact that the big clubs were interested in him. However, despite the temptation, there wasn't any mention of his signing. Even Hiro didn't disclose anything about his signing. But now, suddenly they say that he has signed for Atletico. Hearing that, Naoto couldn't help but feel surprised. However, he immediately composed himself and answered indifferently, "I see. So, he chose Atletico huh?"

"You knew about it, didn't you?" Even when he asked Hiro, he wouldn't tell. So, right now, upon hearing Naoto's calm response, Tatsuki couldn't help but feel left out. They shared the same apartment, yet Hiro only chose to inform Naoto. This made him feel dejected. It made his heart hollow. "I didn't. I'm only finding it now from you. But I knew that he wouldn't be staying here for another season. He has already outgrown the domestic league," Naoto answered calmly. Naoto could tell that Tatsuki was left heartbroken. He must have probably felt being left out. That was the kind of person he was. So, Naoto didn't want to make the matter worse. Hence, he clarified immediately. Naoto's response was convincing and he couldn't help but feel relieved. He felt assured upon finding that he wasn't being excluded. 'It must have happened recently,' Tatsuki figured. **** ****

The news regarding Hiro's transfer had already spread far and wide, and Hiro was getting bombarded with interview requests from the curious reporters. Initially, Hiro wanted to avoid the hassle of meeting with these reporters. However, under the insistence of his manager, Hiro couldn't ignore the interview calls. Hence, he was currently inside the Kawasaki stadium. Hiro had intentionally picked this venue to bid farewell to the staff members and teammates. The news regarding his transfer had been made public a couple of weeks before the start of the new season. This news came in as a shock to many due to the timing. After all, even if he were to transfer, the announcement should have been made right after the end of the season. So, many had already assumed he'd be staying a season more here. However, contradictory to their expectation, Hiro's shocking transfer to Atletico Madrid was made public a few weeks before the start of the new season. In the previous season, he had achieved some marvelous feats with Kawasaki. Making it to the AFC Champions League semi-final, and World Cup quarter-finals, winning the league with Kawasaki, and winning the domestic cup, achieving a double feat. On top of that, he was the top scorer in the league, the domestic cup, and the AFC Champions League, and he was one of the most prominent players in the entire World Cup campaign. Despite failing to get past the quarter-finals, Hiro was awarded the Young Player Of The Tournament award for his brilliant performance in the campaign. All of this further raised his value in the international transfer market. Hiro stood before the hallway leading to the locker room, people scattered all around him, and the camera pointed at him. Right now, he was being captured. For a while, he stared at the jersey. For a while, he didn't utter a single word and kept staring at the jersey. 17:14 Nôv(el)B\\jnn

To add depth to the story, the producers decided to capture his final moment at the club. The club also wanted to use this footage to express their gratitude to him. Being here for so long, Hiro had been carved in their history and the club was thoroughly grateful to him for the contribution he had made. Hence, they wanted to do something special for this wonder kid they had nurtured in their youth academy. Hiro stared at the empty hallway as a wave of nostalgia washed over him. This hallway carried a lot of memories and right now standing here witnessing it for the final time, Hiro couldn't help but feel emotional. He had spent a lot of time here, and now he was here to bid it farewell. Hiro then slowly walked down the hallway. On his way, he encountered a few staff there. Even though he wasn't the type of guy who liked to be social, he stopped on the way to chat with them. The cameramen thoroughly covered his actions. The staff crew wished him luck in his future endeavors. Hiro graciously accepted their blessings and continued to venture. Then he came across the locker room. Suddenly, it felt like the flow of time had stopped. Hiro dazedly stared at the empty locker room. This place had witnessed countless emotions he had shared. The bond he shared with his teammates, the heated moments, Hiro couldn't help but recall those moments. He couldn't vividly recall those moments. It almost felt as if he were reliving the moments again. Hiro's heart swelled with different complicated emotions while he stood at the foot of the door, speechless. Slowly, he swept his gaze through the locker room, recalling the precious memory he had of this place. While sweeping his gaze through the locker room, his gaze fell on the locker he used. The number 10 was written in bold letters and he could see his jersey neatly folded on it. Hiro slowly walked to the locker and stood before it. Before reaching his hand, Hiro dazedly stared at the jersey. The smell of flowers wafted around the locker room. Unlike during the matches, the locker room was kept squeakily clean and fragrant by the staff members. Hiro then gently caressed his jersey as if he was recalling his precious memory with it. He held the black and blue jersey with his name on it and then unfolded it. For a while, he stared at the jersey. For a while, he didn't utter a single word and kept staring at the jersey. The camera crew was dumbfounded by his actions. "Hiro, Is something wrong?" one of them asked him, waking him from his reverie.