God Of football

Chapter 1002: Shedding

The next morning, it was back to the norm.

The birthday energy had thinned away now.

Izan was leaning against the kitchen island when Komi approached him.

”Can you drop Hori off?” she asked gently.

Izan blinked once, slow with sleep still creeping in around the edges.

”I can, but why?” he said, stifling a yawn.

Komi shook her head.

”I have a lot of commitments tomorrow.”

He raised an eyebrow.

”You’re kind of the boss.”

”That doesn’t mean I should slack off,” she replied calmly.

”Plus, I am working for someone too,” she said while smiling, but he shook his head.

”I am your son, so that doesn’t really count.”

He exhaled through his nose after that and nodded.

”Fine.”

Komi stepped closer after his answer and then kissed his cheek softly.

When she pulled back, her expression changed.

For a moment, her eyes lingered on his face longer than usual.

”You’re looking more and more like him,” she said quietly. ”But at the same time... not like him at all.”

The words came out softer than she probably meant them to, while Izan just smiled at her words.

Komi nodded once to herself, as if satisfied with that, before turning away.

Outside, Miranda’s car headlights washed across the front windows as Komi grabbed her coat and walked toward the door.

”Have a nice day,” she said over her shoulder, to which Izan lifted a hand in response while moving to close the door behind his mother.

Outside in the compound, Miranda waited behind the wheel, engine already running and a second later, Komi stepped into the car, but just as the vehicle began to pull away, something white darted past Izan’s legs.

”Miko—!” he called after the dog before also switching into gear.

The Samoyed sprinted straight toward the driveway like the morning had personally invited her out.

”Not today,” Izan called after her before she could make it past the gate.

A moment later, he scooped her up mid-stride, earning a startled bark as her paws flailed in protest.

”Nice try,” he said, adjusting his grip.

He carried the fluffy escape artist back inside before shutting the door.

After occupying the dog with its first meal of the day, Izan moved up.

He pushed open the bedroom door only to find Olivia in the same exact position she was when he moved down.

She was still bundled under the sheets, curled into a shape that suggested she had absolutely no intention of waking up anytime soon.

He stood there for a moment.

Then he left her to it.

In the bathroom, he brushed his teeth slowly before moving into the showers.

By the time he came downstairs again, morning had properly arrived, and Hori was already in the kitchen.

She sat at the island in her full school uniform, eating a bowl of cereal, with her other hand occupied by her phone, while Miko sat beside her chair like a loyal bodyguard.

Izan leaned on the counter.

”You ready to leave?”

Hori glanced up, finished her spoonful, and nodded.

She placed the bowl in the sink and grabbed her bag from one of the stools before the duo made their way outside.

The two supercars Izan personally owned weren’t things Hori was really a fan of on a school day, so they moved towards the black Mercedes AMG G63S that awaited in the driveway.

She slid into the front seat without ceremony, dropping her bag at the back as Izan started the engine.

And soon, they were on the road.

The drive to Barnet was mostly quiet as traffic flowed easily through the morning streets.

Izan drove with one hand on the wheel, occasionally glancing sideways at Hori.

She noticed every single time and finally turned toward him as he tried to do so again.

”What?” she questioned, but he shook his head lightly.

”Nothing.”

She watched him for another second, unconvinced, before looking back out the window.

Fifteen minutes later, the car rolled into the drop-off lane at the Queen Elizabeth’s School.

Students streamed toward the entrance in clusters, but Hori didn’t move out immediately.

Instead, she rummaged through her bag for a few seconds.

Then she tossed something small into Izan’s lap.

”Happy birthday.”

The words came out low, almost reluctant.

And before he could react, she had already opened the door.

”Hey—”

”Hey!”

He called after her, but she was already walking toward the building with her headphones slipped on.

Izan looked down at what she had thrown at him and saw a small square container.

He glanced up again and saw Hori was halfway to the entrance now, blending into the crowd.

He smiled faintly and opened the box.

Inside lay a bracelet, a silver one with almost rune-like patterning.

But there was an empty slot beside it, suggesting a pair.

He lifted it carefully, and engraved on the metal were his initials.

And on the side, smaller lettering.

Big bro.

Izan leaned back in the driver’s seat and shook his head.

”Hori...”

The car idled quietly for a moment, while outside, she disappeared into the school building without once turning around.

He slipped the bracelet onto his wrist.

Then he started the engine and pulled away from the curb, the faintest smile still resting on his face.

A few minutes later, the car merged smoothly onto the wider road heading further north instead of the way he had come from.

He had wanted to go back to Hampstead for a few things, but midway, he thought, ’Why not use the few hours to shed off whatever was left of the previous day’s celebration?’

And twenty minutes later, the familiar gates of London Colney came into view.

The security guard at the entrance straightened slightly when the Mercedes rolled up, although the car wasn’t one he saw often. However, when Izan rolled down the glass, the man relaxed instantly.

”Good morning, Fletcher.”

”Morning, Izan. Haven’t seen this one too often,” the security guard said.

Izan nodded at that with a little smile, and a second later, the barrier lifted as the other guard waved Izan through.

Inside the complex, groundskeepers were already moving across the far pitch, mowing patterns into the grass that would disappear within hours.

Most of the squad wouldn’t arrive for another hour and a half.

Izan parked at the lot reserved for the players and stepped out into the crisp air.

The building was mostly empty when he walked in.

A few staff members glanced up from their desks to exchange a few nods and ’mornings’, but that was all.

He kept walking towards the equipment room, which was unlocked, just like it always was at this hour.

Rows of boots sat neatly organised along the walls, boxes labelled by player names and sponsorship details.

Adidas had been generous with him.

His signature line already had more pairs stored here than he could realistically wear in a season.

He grabbed one of the spare pairs without thinking too hard about it before moving back into the player locker room.

There, he sat on the bench and laced them slowly before stepping back into the corridor when he was done.

When he stepped out onto the training ground, a few balls in their sacks were lying around.

”Perfect,” he muttered as he walked toward the centre circle, the new boots pressing into the turf with that satisfying firmness that only fresh studs had.

After stretching for a couple of minutes, Izan grabbed one of the many balls and began his shedding.