My system allows me to copy talents

“Congratulations, Hiro.” Zidane beamed a bright smile as he extended his hands for a handshake. “You deserve it.”

Hiro shook hands as he accepted the award, “Thank you, sir.”

Though Hiro wanted to converse more, he couldn’t keep the crowd waiting. Hence, he suppressed his desire to talk. Then he proceeded to deliver a speech.

He grabbed the microphone as he stood before the lectern. Then he placed the glistening award on the lectern and looked at the crowd of people. He could spot a lot of familiar faces beaming with bright smiles.

The sheer number of people watching him was overwhelming.

“Umm…” Hiro looked a bit stiff. “If you had asked me some years ago if I would be standing here on this stage, I would have said no… But I’m here today, and I can’t help but thank all the people who have supported me in this journey.”

“The coaches, the fans, teammates, and most importantly, my parents. If it weren’t for these people, I wouldn’t be standing here. So, I’d like to dedicate this award to all those who have supported me. Thank you.”

Hiro kept his speech short, expressing his gratitude towards the people who supported him. He didn’t point out their names individually, as that would be time-consuming.

Even so, his tone was full of gratitude.

Even after he finished his speech, a still silence pervaded for a while. The crowd looked at him dazedly as if expecting him to speak some more.

Is this it?

Shouldn’t there be something more?

For the first time, a player of Asian origin has won this award.

The crowd couldn’t process. This was a huge deal. Still, Hiro’s words were few. It even seemed as if he wasn’t elated to win the award.

What’s going on?

The crowd was dumbfounded, expecting him to speak some more.

However, Hiro had concluded his speech.

Clap!

Before the hall resounded with a thunderous round of applause, it was a single round of applause that broke the silence in the hall.

“Once again, let us congratulate the winner of the best performing individual under the age of 21. Though the speech was short and sweet, I’m sure the ones to whom it was dedicated have got the message.”

The host immediately stepped in to cover the awkwardness pervading the venue.

“Don’t tell me you’re saving the best speech for the last?” Julian chuckled as Hiro took his seat.

Hiro shot a glance at him, oblivious of what he was intending to tell. He hadn’t prepared a speech at all. Even in this speech, he said what he felt.

There wasn’t a grand speech prepared.

He wasn’t even sure if he was going to win an award.

Hence, he hadn’t prepared.

Though Hiro wanted to respond, he refrained from doing so. Chatting in the middle of the event wouldn’t look good. It may appear to be an act of disruption and disrespect. Hence, he refrained from gossiping.

‘Did others not come?’ Hiro thought while clutching the award.

Hiro hadn’t spotted a single individual who had been nominated for the award alongside him. He had been wanting to meet Lucien.

Due to the new format of the league, Hiro had the chance to play against Lucien again. However, this time, Lucien had gotten the best out of him, beating them to a score of 3-2.

In that match, Hiro noticed Lucien’s improvement firsthand.

Compared to the finals, Lucien seemed like a much more versatile and complete player. He was even more lethal in attack. With new weapons under his wing, he had become much deadlier than before.

It wasn’t just Lucien who had improved.

Shun, who had transferred to Real Sociedad, seemed to have revived his form. Compared to the past season, he looked much sharper and better.

‘Everybody’s growing,’ Hiro’s eyes dimmed as he thought.

Lately, after winning the Champions League, Hiro had noticed stagnant growth. Compared to the previous seasons, where he experienced an astronomical rise in the stats, he wasn’t experiencing much growth.

It even seemed like his growth had hit its limit.

He tried pushing himself to the limit. But it seemed like he was reaching his potential. The stats wouldn’t rise.

He couldn’t tell what was happening.

Though he was doing fine even without an astronomical rise, he couldn’t help but feel troubled. This matter concerned his future development after all.

The match against Lucien only proved his concerns.

Hiro glanced at the award and frowned, ‘Just what am I supposed to do? If this continues, others will outgrow me.’

Doubt crept into his heart, and the frown in his eyes deepened, ‘Will I fade in some time?’

Despite winning the award and having an equally impressive season, Hiro couldn’t bring himself to cheer up. The concern regarding his slow growth haunted him like a nightmare.

He was even experiencing nightmares. Though he hadn’t mentioned it to others, he had been having trouble sleeping.

Seeing him lift such an impressive award that signified his achievements, the others around him were excited for him.

But Hiro couldn’t even bring himself to savor this moment.

Numerous other awards were distributed as the event progressed. The more the event drew closer to the climax, the more the air of anticipation became denser in the venue.

Though the other awards were important, the highlight of the event was the Golden Ball.

Time elapsed, and the nomination for the Golden Ball was announced. The nomination included the likes of Dembele, Hiro, and Julian.

With two of their players in the final third of the nomination, the odds were in favor of Atlético Madrid. It didn’t matter who among them won the award.

The crucial highlights of the previous season were played alongside their nominations.

Both Hiro and Julian looked calm during their announcement. However, the same couldn’t be said about Dembele. He looked tense for some reason.

Well, having come close to winning once, his anxiousness could be explained.

For sure, he didn’t want to lose again.

But considering the competitors, it didn’t look like he’d be able to get his hands on the award this time either.