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With their eyes chasing the ball, the two spectators were both speaking as fast as the wind and unconsciously holding their breaths.
"Isagi! It's Isagi!!!"
"A pass from Kaiser on the right wing!"
"Will he finish it?!"
"Isn't the corner too crowded?"
"He got through it!"
"Yes! And ... And ... G O A L ! ! ! ! ! !"
The excited voices of the spectators confirmed it.
"Isagi Yoichi makes it 3–2!"
"The end for Berserk Dortmund! Officially the end!!!" they shouted in pride, like they were Bastard München's fans themselves.
"Let's watch it again with me! Here! Right here! This was the moment when Isagi was ON SIDE!!!!" Now they had already switched from shouting to screaming. "Congratulations to Bastard München for their 34th Bundesliga Championship!!!!"
In the ground-shaking chant of “Mia San Meister” filling the stadium, Isagi immediately sprinted towards Kaiser. His face was drenched in sweat, but his eyes still burned with enthusiasm.
Not waiting for him, Kaiser also rushed forward.
Before any other teammate could reach Isagi, Kaiser had already pulled him into his embrace.
"I did it, Micha! I did it! That's my goal! Did you see it?!" he said, still panting, tears of happiness trickling down his cheeks.
Kaiser nodded frantically. Between heavy breaths, he planted quick kisses all over Isagi's face. "Of course! Darling! Wonderful! You're the best!!!" And he repeated those words again and again.
Then they started bouncing on their feet, hands held tight, like children with innocent joy while their teammates joined the celebration. Everyone in the crew poured onto the turf, running like maniacs, hugging each other, tousling soaked hair, and even pushing one another straight to the ground for deep hugs. Isagi was eventually drowned in a pile of teammates and coaches.
After finishing his interview as the captain of the team, Kaiser casually jogged back to where Isagi was standing with Mensah, Ness, and their coach, Noa. Joy spilled from the corners of their eyes.
But before reaching them, Kaiser made a turn towards the bench. He whispered something in a staff member’s ear. After she slowly nodded with an understanding smile and retreated into the tunnel, a mischievous smirk started to appear on his lips.
Feeling someone poke his shoulder, Isagi turned around. Seeing nothing, he darted his eyes about. Still, he saw nothing. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his shorts. Only then did he look down.
Surprise immediately hit him. It nearly made his jaw drop. His eyes widened, glittering like he was looking at the most precious thing on Earth.
Indeed, it was. His most precious someone.
A baby with blond hair was standing in front of him, tilting his head up with big puppy eyes.
Isagi blinked rapidly, like he couldn't believe his eyes.
Not waiting for Isagi to calm down, Yoka had already leaned towards him, tightly wrapping his arms around Isagi's knees. His fluffy hair brushed against Isagi's skin.
Isagi froze for a beat before bending down. With an affectionate smile, he softly patted his son's back. He giggled because Yoka showed no intention of loosening his grip.
"Are you scared, darling?" Isagi murmured by Yoka's tiny ear while continuing his rhythm of gentle pats.
Half a minute passed. Yoka finally tilted his head up again to face Isagi. His dark blue eyes gleamed with admiration and excitement. Isagi was surprised once again.
"Papa! Amazing!!!" he said.
Even though the crowd was still blasting their victory songs, none of them made their way to Isagi’s ears. Only this adorable voice could. It even reached his heart. Then it made him melt.
But it was nothing unusual. That was just Yoka's impact.
Yoka, like his name, shone brightly like the sun. Isagi might never have come here without him.
He wanted to have a family with Kaiser. He wanted to have a baby. They were all his sincere wishes. Still, the journey was full of challenges.
Giving birth to a child changed his life as a professional footballer forever. It took him months to get back to his previous shape. Nevertheless, it was extremely hard to return to top form like he used to.
Even with all the help from Kaiser, his friends, his teammates, and even the club manager, his way back to the position of a top striker still looked impossible.
Sometimes, the stamina training alone already overwhelmed him, let alone the drills. Even though he tried with all his might, he did not manage to keep up with the team's average speed.
The first season after giving birth to Yoka ended with him playing only 7 matches out of 34, scoring only 2 goals.
Time passed too quickly. The second season was around the corner, but virtually no improvement was recorded.
Comments on social media all expressed worry. Some even urged Bastard München to sell him as soon as they could.
Bit by bit, things suffocated Isagi.
One day, his last thread of reason snapped. The gloomy sky with gray clouds pressing heavily down on their heads made it even harder. All of his shots were either easily blocked by the goalkeeper or, even worse, not on target. By the time the morning drills ended, Isagi had to be transferred to the infirmary for nausea.
That evening, no matter what Kaiser said, Isagi refused to eat. He locked their bedroom door from the inside, burying himself under the thick duvet. He did not cry. Maybe the thoughts swirling in his mind like a tornado already prevented him from feeling anything clearly.
Everything became a dilemma. No one saw even a single way out. The atmosphere was thick like glue.
Just as the next day looked like it was about to run down the same track, faint knocks woke Isagi up.
He refused to open the door. But the knocks were persistent. They went on, not rushed, just even. Faced with such cold treatment, they stubbornly refused to back down.
With his patience drained to the last drop, Isagi stomped out of bed. He furiously yanked the door open, ready for a fight, only to see Kaiser sitting on the ground in front of the door, holding Yoka in his arms. And... in his large fist was Yoka's tiny one.
Isagi stared at them for a full minute.
Then he quietly joined them on the ground. His head dropped low. His shoulders slumped. They just sat there, doing nothing. Yoka was strangly understanding. He did not take his eyes off Isagi for even a second. He also did not try to wriggle free from Kaiser's lap.
Outside, the birds kept chirping.
The sun kept pouring its golden rays through the windows.
Then, after what felt like a century, salty tears trickled down from Isagi's puffy eyes. He hiccupped as words finally found their way out: "I... I'm sorry. I just... don't know how to deal with... this."
Not wasting a second, Kaiser drew him into his embrace. His broad hand evenly patted his husband's back. Loving kisses rained on Isagi's hair.
"It's okay. It's okay," Kaiser's warm voice was muffled by his dark hair.
While they were pressed together, a small hand clutched at Isagi's sweater. He slightly parted from Kaiser. His eyes flicked to Yoka.
Then, with slow but steady movements, Yoka climbed into his lap, his little face pressed against his father's chest.
Isagi looked at him, utterly confused.
They remained completely still for a while, until Yoka tilted his head up, looking straight into Isagi's eyes. His tiny mouth parted, and he said, "Papa!"
Both Kaiser and Isagi were shocked.
Their mouths gaped.
They looked at each other, astonished, before looking back at Yoka.
That was Yoka's very first complete word.
Like a bolt, Isagi hugged Yoka, and Kaiser hugged Isagi.
Yoka’s bubble eyes were still wide open, but soon he broke into a gleeful smile, his eyes curving into rainbows.
Somehow, since that morning, Isagi changed completely. He listened to Noa's advice and made regular visits to the club's therapist. He learned to let go of some of the pressure. He also no longer let overtraining worry Kaiser.
Every now and then, his mood went down, but Yoka and Kaiser were always there - by his side. They waited for him to have dinner no matter how late it was. Their laughter reverberating from backyard wiped away most of his burden. When he cried, Yoka would curl up in his chest, quietly accompanying him. No sorrow lasted for more than a day. By the next morning, Isagi always woke up with a smile and a new burning determination.
At the end of the second season, his performance showed incredible progress. Harsh criticism on the Internet started to fade. Compliments rose like waves.
And now, he was standing here, the Man of the Match in Bastard’s decisive game.
Everyone recognized his effort. Everyone said his recovery and journey to the top were incredible. They looked at him like they were looking at a god.
Only Isagi knew how much he relied on Kaiser and Yoka - his husband and his son.
Scooping Yoka up in his arms, Isagi gently rocked him along to the loud music and the cheers of their fans. The fans were all delighted to see Yoka. This was the first time his baby had ever appeared in public.
As Kaiser approached them with a fond expression, Isagi called out to him: "Is this your idea, Micha? I mean, bringing Yoka here with us."
With a smug smirk, Kaiser nodded proudly. Poking at the top of Yoka's nose, making his eyes squeeze funnily and his nose scrunch, Kaiser said before bursting out laughing: "Uh-huh. We knew you would pull it off."
Hearing that, Isagi stood still, letting Kaiser freely take Yoka away from him. Yoka had always been Kaiser's favorite teddy bear. His reactions never failed to serve as a source of entertainment for Kaiser.
As Isagi was still deep in thought, Kaiser suddenly pushed him. Finally pulled out of his world, Isagi glanced over mindlessly, until ...
His eyes widened in surprise again.
"Hello, Yocchan!" His mother waved her hands energetically.
"Do you miss us?" Right next to her, his father smiled brightly like the sun.
He blinked rapidly.
Then, "Mom! Dad!" Happiness reached his eyes. He called out loudly.
They hurriedly walked over. Iyo was holding two Japanese flags, one big, one small. Issei was similar, waving two German flags in his hands.
Isagi curiously asked, "Why did you bring four flags?"
His mother blinked with amusement but did not say a word. She seemed really eager to carry out whatever conspiracy she was planning.
Having no other choice, he shook his head while still smiling fondly. Then Isagi and Kaiser started wrapping their countries' flags around their waists.
That night, Yoka made his debut on Isagi and Kaiser's Instagram accounts.
In the photo they both posted, baby Yoka was smiling sweetly at the camera, raising his hands with great excitement. Tied around his right wrist was a small German flag, while his left wrist had a Japanese one. The glittering Meisterschale his papas and their teammates had just won stood proudly in front of him.