Emily Scott stopped shouting and muttered under his breath, “Are you out of your mind? Soccer is nowhere near as fun as PUBG.”

He sat down right next to Olivia Lee, actually pulling out two of the latest smartphones from his school uniform—one he set aside, the other he held in his hand and started playing with, head down.

“Bang bang bang!”

“Rat-a-tat-tat!”

“Boom!”

“Damn! What the hell kind of shot was that?!”

Down on the field, a soccer match that would determine the honor of two classes was underway. The students were all cheering for their own class teams, but Emily Scott paid no attention, completely absorbed in his game.

Olivia Lee realized then that this deskmate of Ryan Howard really didn’t like soccer.

※※※

The match between the two classes ended with Class Two’s victory.

Kevin Carter not only scored a hat trick in this match, but even netted four goals, making him the biggest contributor to Class Two’s win.

Every time he scored, he would run to the stands to celebrate, his eyes searching for that graceful figure in the crowd. Seeing her smile made him even happier than scoring a goal.

But that graceful figure, most of the time, seemed distracted, her gaze often drifting to the lonely figure standing at the edge of the field.

He watched from the sidelines, completely focused, even though the match had nothing to do with him.

※※※

When Ryan Howard arrived at his secret base on his bike, he saw that the open area in the middle wasn’t flooded, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had made a special trip here before school that morning just to check the condition of the field.

He’d seen some puddles of various sizes, so he’d used an old, discarded broom—who knows who left it there—to sweep away all the water, hoping the day’s sunshine would evaporate the rest.

Because of this, he ended up being three minutes late.

Now, seeing the field, Ryan Howard felt that even if he had to run three penalty laps, it was worth it.

No more puddles—he could play soccer.

He tossed his bike aside and headed straight for the patch of grass where he’d hidden his soccer ball yesterday.

But when he parted the grass, he didn’t see the ball—the spot was empty!

It was like that spinning top on the table that just keeps spinning and spinning, never stopping—Ryan Howard suddenly broke out in a cold sweat down his back...

Just then, a girl’s voice sounded behind him: “Are you looking for this?”

Ryan Howard stood up and turned around, and at the entrance to his secret base, he saw a girl in a Dongchuan Middle School uniform, standing with his soccer ball under her foot, looking at him.

Chapter 8: Give Me the Ball, I Want to Go Home

“Are you looking for this?”

A girl, also wearing a Dongchuan Middle School uniform like Ryan Howard, stood at the entrance to the secret base, her foot on the soccer ball, looking at Ryan Howard.

Ryan Howard didn’t look at the girl first; instead, his eyes went straight to the soccer ball.

He recognized it—it was definitely his ball.

Only then did his gaze move to the girl’s face, and he realized it was the new transfer student, Olivia Lee, who had just joined their class today.

“Give me back my ball,” Ryan Howard said, pointing at the soccer ball under Olivia Lee’s foot.

Olivia Lee smiled and said, “Sure, as long as you can take it from me.”

Hearing this, Ryan Howard grinned. “Let me tell you, I’m really good at soccer. Don’t say I’m bullying you just because I’m a boy…”

He spoke as he walked toward Olivia Lee, his steps normal at first, not too fast or slow.

But just as he was about to reach Olivia Lee, and still talking, he suddenly lunged and tried to poke the ball away from under her foot!

“…a girl! Huh?”

His surprise move didn’t touch the ball at all—he just swiped at thin air.

Olivia Lee was like a falling leaf; with his swipe, not only did she not lose the ball, she actually drifted past him and appeared behind him.

Ryan Howard turned to see the ball drop from the air and land back at Olivia Lee’s feet.

“Wow, you’re sneaky! Good thing I reacted fast!” Olivia Lee exclaimed, her face lit up with an excited smile. Then she beckoned to Ryan Howard, “Come on, try again!”

Ryan Howard turned and lunged at Olivia Lee… or rather, at the ball under her feet.

But this time, he still couldn’t get the ball.

Olivia Lee first feinted a retreat, pulling the ball back with her right foot, but then suddenly knocked it behind Ryan Howard—the ball slipped right between his legs!

At the same time, Olivia Lee hopped lightly to the side, dodging Ryan Howard’s challenge, then took off again, circling around him to chase after the ball.

“Come on, come on!” Olivia Lee shouted excitedly.

She’d been busy transferring schools and moving all summer, and after arriving in a new place where she didn’t know anyone, she hadn’t played soccer with anyone in a long time.

Now, with the ball at her feet and someone to spar with, she felt every cell in her body singing with joy—the thrill and excitement of being set free after being cooped up for so long.

Ryan Howard turned to look at Olivia Lee, his expression growing serious. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—I’m going all out now.”

Olivia Lee nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m telling you, when I get serious, even I’m scared of myself!”

“Then bring it on!” Olivia Lee got into position too.