My system allows me to copy talents

Taking up his suggestion, Hiro proceeded to call his mother. Though he sounded extremely sad when he heard him a moment ago, he still couldn’t help but inquire. It was the right thing to do. They were running late. Yet, none seemed bothered about it. Their only priority at the moment was Hiro’s well-being. After all, how could they leave him alone in such a state? Knowing him, he’d probably have done the same thing if they were the ones in such a situation. As the sound of the ring sounded, the air around them grew thick with tension. What if his father’s condition was vulnerable? How were they supposed to console him at that time? They didn’t want the outcome to turn out in such a way, but they couldn’t rule out the possibility. Even Hiro who had finally managed to calm himself couldn’t help but feel anxious hearing the ring.

After a few rings, his mother picked up the call. “Yes, Hiro,” she said, her voice hadn’t softened yet. She still sounded sad. Hearing her, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Even so, he had to ask, “Mom, how’s dad?”

As she heard him, she glanced through the window, at her husband who lay in the bed almost in a vegetative state. The frown on her face deepened. A drop of tears rolled down her watery eyes. Then her pupils constricted as she saw her reflection on the window. She could tell that he was worried. And, he had already informed him about his date of departure. Now if she were to tell him the truth, she’d definitely ruin his chances. It was already foolish of her to inform him about the matter. Just why did she even choose to inform him of such bad news on such an auspicious occasion?

If only she’d have kept her mouth shut, she wouldn’t have ruined his day. Her husband’s condition was critical. While her eyes continued to shed tears, she forced a smile on her face. “He’s out of danger. And the doctor has said that he’d recover in a week or so,” she lied. Her tone sounded a little relieving. If only he could see her in person, he might have been able to catch her lies. But since he could only hear her voice, he had no other choice but to believe her. The phone was on the speaker. Hearing her, Naoto and Tatsuki heaved a sigh of relief. However, Hiro couldn’t eliminate the unsettling feeling. So, he insisted, “Is it so?”

“Umm,” she responded. “Right now, you can’t talk to him since he’s sleeping. But after some days, once he recovers enough, I’ll let you talk to him.”

She could tell that it wasn’t enough to convince him. So, she hastily added, “Plus, I’m here to take care of him. So, don’t worry.”

She deliberately didn’t mention anything about the camp so as not to arouse his suspicion. She was already reaching her limits. If she continued any further, she’d burst into tears. And, it was bad news. But she couldn’t hang up the call in haste either. She was in such a limbo. “Yeah, you’re right. With you by his side, everything will be okay. Even so, if anything happens don’t hesitate to call me, ” Hiro said, his tone etched with concern. “I’ll let you know,” she said warmly. “I’ve got to go now, the doctor’s here,” she added as she tried to hang up the call. “Okay, bye mom. Take care of yourself and Dad,” he bid his farewell. Beep!

As she ended the call, she couldn’t hold back her tears any further. Those watery eyes that had been desperately trying to hold back the tears burst out like a dam under pressure. Sob!! Sob!! Sob!!

She wept. “It’s exactly as she said. She’s there to take care of him. So, you should focus on your debut as well. Otherwise, you’ll only worry her,” Naoto tried to console him. “Exactly,” Tatsuki agreed. “It’s only a matter of two weeks. You’ll get to see him later. So, let’s focus on the camp for now, shall we?” he added. “Yeah, you need to be in your best form to perform against Brazil and Norway,” Naoto tried to encourage him. “Though they might not play their best players. But it’d still be a good learning experience for us. Well, we won’t be playing with our best players too.”

To prepare for the upcoming Asia Cup, the Japanese Football Federation arranged two friendly matches with other teams. “I wonder if we’ll get to play against Erling Haaland,” Tatsuki sounded as if he was wishing for it to happen. Then he snapped back to his senses as he said, “Even so, I doubt you’d get any play…,”

It was obvious what he was going to say. So, Naoto interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. They were trying to cheer him. But he nearly ruined it. “Ouch!” Getting hit by Naoto, Tatsuki wailed. Immediately, he realized that he nearly messed things up. So, he changed his tone. He made it sound cheerful, “Hahaha…, you’ll get to play. Who else would they select if not you? I mean some of our main squad members couldn’t make it due to the ongoing club matches. So, there’s a chance that you’ll get to play.”

To speak out in turn, it was just like Tatsuki. So, Hiro didn’t mind his words at all. Well, it’s not like he had expected to start anyway. But considering his recent performance in the league, he was hopeful enough to get some playing minutes. It cheered him a little. Their effort also made him grateful. He was blessed to meet such fine people in his life. Naoto was like a supporting older brother. Meanwhile, Tatsuki was like the middle child with whom he could squabble. “Well, if we don’t leave then we might not even get the chance to join the camp in the first place. So, let’s worry about the playing minutes later,” saying so, Hiro grabbed his bag. Though he was still worried about his father’s condition, the two of their conversation diverted his mind away from the matter regarding his father for a while.