Football: Arsenal - Chapter 13: The More Friends, the Better (Patreon)

Kieran was racing around the edge of the pitch as though his energy would never run out.

To be fair, he'd played barely twenty minutes, and he'd spent a good part of that time resting.

The rest of the Arsenal players chased after him, using whatever strength they had left to celebrate. They waved again and again to the supporters in the stands, their youthful excitement almost tangible.

Out on the pitch, Juventus players were sprawled across the grass or sitting with their heads bowed, panting heavily. Their expressions were grim.

The difference between winners and losers could hardly have been clearer. But that was competitive sport. For every winner, someone had to lose.

Buffon leaned against a goalpost and watched the Arsenal players run around the stadium. He glanced at his exhausted teammates, scattered across the turf, and said nothing.

They would all have to come to terms with what had happened.

He had just taken off his gloves and was heading toward the touchline when a figure in red and white suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Buffon, could we swap shirts?”

After several laps, Kieran had come running back. He stood before the goalkeeper with an utterly sincere expression.

The system, which had only just gone offline, had briefly flickered back to life, thrown a task at him, and disappeared again.

[A football superstar must earn the respect of the vast majority of people, especially his opponents.

Exchange shirts with a Juventus player and earn that player's genuine respect.

Reward: A model of that player will be generated in the Timeless Training Room. The model will provide the host with one-on-one instruction.

Recommended candidate for this match: Buffon.

Each similar action in the future can earn a corresponding reward. Work hard to become a football superstar and win the admiration of your fellow professionals.]

[The system is temporarily offline. Further rewards may be obtained through “Superstar Conduct.” The host must discover how to do so independently.]

And with that, it vanished once more.

Kieran had been right in the middle of celebrating when the system dropped all this on him. The Timeless Training Room icon was already glowing, which meant he'd apparently completed the mission and received his reward.

But what exactly counted as Superstar Conduct?

Before he could ask, the system crashed again.

Could this system possibly get any more ridiculous?

Having run so many laps that he'd left his teammates behind, Kieran finally slowed down and headed toward the Juventus players.

Exchanging shirts after a match was a small but meaningful football ritual, a way to express admiration or respect for another player.

The system had suggested Buffon, but Kieran had already wanted to swap shirts with him. The task hadn't changed his plans.

People said that apart from the British crown prince, no one had a harder life than Buffon's backup goalkeeper.

You couldn't truly appreciate how formidable Buffon was until you faced him yourself and witnessed his remarkable saves.

Those last two goals had gone in off Kieran's touches, but if the ball had traveled even a little more slowly, Buffon would have saved both. His ability to anticipate where a shot would go was extraordinary.

If Juventus had already studied Kieran's game thoroughly, and he'd played the full ninety minutes instead of arriving as a fresh substitute, there was a good chance his five goals would have been considerably fewer.

Kieran had been a competitive athlete in his previous life too. He'd never been stingy with his enthusiasm when he met someone genuinely talented.

Besides, having more friends meant having more doors open to you. Making friends was hardly ever a bad idea.

Across from him, Buffon looked conflicted. After losing a match, nobody could easily smile at the very person who'd put five goals past them.

Still, Buffon couldn't deny that Kieran had displayed an almost unheard-of level of talent. Even as an opponent, he admired the boy.

So when Kieran asked to exchange shirts, Buffon hesitated only briefly before agreeing with genuine warmth.

As they traded shirts, Kieran kept talking.

“Hey, Buffon! It's an honor to have played against you!”

“Your saves today were incredible. If I'd started and played the whole match, there's no way I'd have scored those last two goals.”

“You have no idea what it was like when you were making those saves. My heart was racing so hard I thought it would jump right out of my throat!”

Kieran pulled an exaggerated, terrified face. Making ridiculous expressions was something he did very well, and this time he managed to make Buffon laugh.

He waved the goalkeeper's shirt in front of him.

“Seriously, thank you for swapping with me. When I was little, I almost became a goalkeeper myself. If I were still playing in goal, you'd absolutely be my biggest idol. You're the goalkeeper I always liked using most in video games.

“Actually, even though I'm not a goalkeeper, you're still one of my idols.”

By the end of this barrage of praise, Buffon's grin was growing wider by the second.

What's with this kid, always praising me? And how did he know that's exactly what I love hearing?

Once Buffon was smiling freely, Kieran made one more request. “I'll follow you on Twitter and Instagram after the match. Make sure you follow me back, all right?”

Then he threw his arms around Buffon in an enthusiastic, rather forceful hug.

At that point, Buffon couldn't muster the slightest annoyance.

After all, football always had winners and losers. There were worse things than being the backdrop to a brilliant debut by a sixteen-year-old genius.

In high spirits now, Buffon put an arm around Kieran's shoulders. When the photographers approached, the two of them flashed victory signs together.

Before long, Chiellini and Bonucci, who'd spent so much of the match trying to defend against Kieran, came over as well.

Bonucci had been run ragged by him and simply didn't have any anger left. He offered his hand, and he didn't turn down Kieran's enthusiastic hug either.

“Bonucci, you're brilliant at playing the ball out from the back. I've watched videos of your matches and spent ages studying how you do it.”

Bonucci might have struggled defensively tonight, but hearing an opponent recognize his greatest strength cheered him up immediately.

“You've got plenty of ability yourself. Kieran, you were unquestionably the star of the match. I can already imagine the attention you're about to get.”

If Kieran hadn't spoken with such a fluent London accent, Bonucci might almost have mistaken this exuberant, inventive young player for a Brazilian.

Chiellini, standing beside him, wasn't nearly as welcoming.

“Hey, kid! Why aren't you celebrating with your teammates? What are you doing over here? Come to show off?”

He folded his arms and frowned at Kieran.

Kieran's eyes darted mischievously. Ignoring Chiellini's objections, he immediately gave him the same enormous hug.

“Chiellini, could I have your autograph? Yours too, Bonucci, and Buffon's. I know it sounds a little strange, but I really did grow up watching you play.”

He wasn't making that up. In his memories, he'd loved watching Serie A since he was little.

Chiellini's expression softened almost imperceptibly. Even so, after Buffon and Bonucci had signed their names, he still hadn't picked up the pen.

While collecting the autographs, Kieran pressed on.

“Chiellini, I actually wanted to learn from you and become a center-back once. Your positioning and tackles are so decisive. You time your challenges perfectly, and in a physical battle you're as steady as a rock.”

“Unfortunately, I guess I just didn't have the talent for it. My academy coach couldn't stand watching me defend anymore, so he moved me up front.”

That finally broke through Chiellini's stern expression.

With a smile he couldn't quite hide, the defender said, “Learning my skills certainly wouldn't be easy. But don't get discouraged. Playing you as a striker was obviously the right decision. If you really like my tackling and defending so much, I can teach you a few things someday.”

As he spoke, he took the pen and signed Kieran's paper.

Kieran stayed among the Juventus players for a while longer, even chatting at length with the world-class midfielder Pirlo. By the time he left, he'd collected a pile of autographs and several shirts that the players had simply given him.

Armed with his treasures, he slipped back toward the Arsenal bench.

His teammates were still celebrating. They'd seen him head over to exchange shirts, but because they knew how outgoing he was, none of them had tried to interrupt.

He was the biggest hero of the match. At this point, they would have backed him up if he went over to socialize with Juventus. If he'd gone over to pick a fight instead, they'd probably have followed him and joined in.

Now that he'd finished making friends and returned with his haul of shirts, they dragged him straight into the celebration.

With their arms linked across one another's shoulders, the Arsenal players bounced and spun in circles for what felt like ages.

At last, Wenger gathered them into a line. Facing the Arsenal supporters who still refused to leave the stands on every side of the stadium, the entire team bowed deeply together.

The scene, inseparable from the result they had just achieved, was etched into the supporters' memories. For Gooners, it would be an image to treasure forever.

And Kieran, the young substitute who had made it all happen, had become a new king in their hearts. They were already looking to him to lead Arsenal through every match yet to come.