NIKE -Blue Lock-

Good girl

Unbelievable...

"Literally, how did you manage to lose?"

"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?"

Nicole sighed at the childish despair of the master striker from the Spanish stratum, looking at the scoreboard now that the game was over.

In the first forty-five minutes of play, the teams had stopped at a score of 4-1, with the only goal from the Ubers caused by Otoya's distraction, who had tried to ask Nicole if she was romantically involved.

Lavinho had immediately substituted him with someone else.

However, in the second round, when the time to use the Joker Card had run out, somehow the Ubers had managed to regain control of the game and scored three goals, bringing the score to 4-4.

"And we didn't lose anyway. It was a tie." added Lavinho, sitting next to the girl with his arms crossed in front of his chest, suggesting how offended he was.

Nicole didn't even look at him when she replied, "Sounds like a loser's excuse to me." receiving a shocked look from the Brazilian.

Bachira sat on the ground, leaning against the girl's knees.

"This is so not funny, I thought we were gonna win." Bachira complained, adopting the same grumpy expression as his coach.

The three were soon joined by the master striker of the Italian stratum, his clear and calculating eyes narrowed as if he were smiling only with his gaze.

"That was an interesting strategy, Nicklaus. I didn't expect that from someone like you." he affirmed, offering his hand for a respectful handshake.

Nicole returned the handshake and shrugged.

"The defensive formation was really annoying, Marc. You certainly achieved whatever you aspired to."

Marc Snuffy looked at him closely. A slight blush tinged his cheeks, though he didn't seem mentally or physically tired at all, as if he hadn't exerted much effort in countering the Ubers' strategy.

The adult couldn't help but wonder what to expect from him when he'd finally decide to take serious actions.

Suddenly, Nicole smirked, gently tightening her hand around his before he could interrupt the contact. His clear eyes immediately lowered to the point of contact between them, then rose to meet hers.

"I hope your wit will come in handy in your next match." she stated, an indirect promise hidden behind her seemingly innocent words.

Marc Snuffy felt the corner of his lips lift slightly, and his hand also tightened its grip slightly.

"I see..." he said simply, nodding to the Italian boy and leaving, not before saying goodbye to Lavinho and receiving a childishly defiant gesture in response.

The girl locked eyes with Oliver, who was already watching her while Barou was saying something to him.

She stood up from her chair, giving Lavinho a pat on the shoulder, reciprocated despite his still discontented murmurs, and headed towards the defender-attacker duo.

Oliver straightened his back slightly as soon as he saw her approaching figure, an unconscious human reaction to appear slightly taller and healthier. Barou raised an eyebrow when he saw the boy change composure, and his red eyes shifted over his own shoulders, where he could see the blood-red-haired winner calmly walking towards them.

"Your body is heavy, you know?" was the first thing she said, addressing the Ubers' attacker, referring to the myriad of shoves and tackles with which the boy had tried to stop her.