The attention of every footballing fan was fixated on the event. And almost every dia outlet was covering the news related to the event.
For this short period, it was as if the attention of the entire world was converged on the event.
Outside, there was quite a buzz regarding the event.
With the event starting soon, fans from around the world had already started to arrive, and the streets were packed with fans.
Receiving such a flood of tourists, the business close to the venue was already flourishing eve before the event had officially started.
Especially, the hotel business was much busier than before. Many of the hotels were fully booked and the ones who hadn't made any reservations before were finding it extrely difficult to find rooms.
Walking down a street bustling with people, Hiro and quite a few of the national players of Japan were engaging in sightseeing.
"Aren't there quite a lot of people?"
One of the individuals with dium-length black hair and fairly tall stature said. He wore a black hoodie and mask, making him look sowhat shady.
However, it wasn't only him. The other three guys with whom he walked looked equally shady as well. Each had their face covered, making them look like hooligans on their way to rob a bank.
Fortunately, all of them weren't dressed in dark colors.
But among them, one person stood out. Dressed in a Hawaiian floral shirt and half pants, a printed colorful mask and a black sunglass finished his looks.
Fixing the shade he wore, Hiro nodded, "Indeed, the street is flooding with people from around the world."
"Are you scared?" Kein asked with his brows knitted.
Kein who used to lead the U-23 team had already made his World Cup debut. However, Hiro hadn't debuted yet. Hence, he couldn't help but feel curious if Hiro was nervous.
Hiro gazed into the distance, staring at the flood of people before him. The streets were decorated with the flags of the participating nations.
The cheerful smile on the faces of the people. In that short period, he grasped a lot of things. Then he pondered over what Kein asked.
'Do I feel nervous?'
He asked himself. However, he couldn't sense even an ounce of nervousness. It was his first World Cup. Yet, he felt unusually calm for so inexplicable reason.
Even Hiro was surprised, 'I don't feel nervous.'
Then he turned to look at Kein and shook his head, "Not really."
Kein raised an eyebrow, recalling his own debut. That nerve-wracking tension was unmistakable, yet Hiro seed immune to it. "You're one tough kid," Kein thought with a mixture of admiration and envy.
As they continued walking, the buzz grew more intense.
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew even more intense as a deafening cacophony of excited cheers rippled through the air.
The players halted, feeling the atmosphere shift, the significance of the arrival prickling the air. Whispers spread through the crowd.
"What's going on?"
Hiro and the others couldn't help but feel perplexed. The sudden hype left them baffled. It seed that the crowd was rushing in one direction.
"Shall we check it out?" Kein suggested.
They then headed in the direction the people were headed. Upon turning a few corners, sothing ca into their sight.
A huge crowd had gathered around a slow-moving red bus. They were pacing back and forth, exhilarated and amped, a deafening cacophony reverberating in the surroundings.
Seeing the gathered crowd, Hiro and the rest couldn't help but exchange glances with each other.
"Seems like a celebrity has arrived."
Noticing the amped atmosphere, Tatsuki guessed.
Well, seeing how they were pacing back and forth, Hiro could tell that soone famous might have arrived.
With the crowd clamped before the bus, the bus was moving rather slowly.
"There's only one way to find out," Naoto said, revealing a wry smile.
"How?" Tatsuki asked with a dumbfounded look.
Naoto grinned before storming away, "By getting a closer look...."
"YOU..."
Imdiately after, Tatsuki began to chase Naoto.
Hiro and Kein, however, remained rooted at their spot, watching the two rushing. Exchanging glances, Kein said, "Shall we run as well?"
Hiro nodded before sprinting.
With the swarm of people blocking the way, it was rather difficult to move around. Yet sohow, the four managed to reach the bus.
The closer they got, the louder the crowd grew and the more cramped it beca. With limited spaces to move, finding the way to the bus was an almost impossible task.
"Portugal!"
Catching a glimpse of the flag of Portugal, Hiro beca even more excited. Upon taking a closer look, he noticed that the curtains of the bus hadn't been drawn and he could vividly see the player inside the bus.
In one of the windows, Hiro caught a glimpse of the legendary Portuguese: Cristiano Ronaldo. With his short black hair slicked behind, he was seated upright without heeding any attention to the world outside the window. It was almost as if he was contemplating sothing.
So of the players were waving their hands, greeting the flock of people following them passionately while most of them didn't seem to care about the crowd outside.
Catching a glimpse of one of the people he idolized, Hiro halted. That man despite being 41 years was still hungry for titles.
"No wonder, the people are chasing after the bus," Hiro muttered with his gaze fixated on the legendary Portuguese.
While he halted to take a look at Cristiano, people continued to pass him, chasing after the bus. But Hiro was aware that they would et soon.
So, he wasn't in any rush to chase after him. After all, they were placed in the sa group.
Though he was touched by the dedication of the legendary Portuguese, he didn't intend to go easy on him. Even though Hiro admired him, Hiro couldn't afford to be cozy with him. Both Japan and Portugal were placed in Group B alongside Colombia and Egypt. It was one of the toughest groups. However, given the FIFA ranking, Portugal was regarded as a favorite to
top the table.
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