God Of football

Chapter 1043: Round Of 32 Affairs!

While they were eating, Hori suddenly stood, picked up her plate and walked around the table before dropping into the empty chair beside Izan.

Without saying a word, she hooked her arm around his while Olivia looked over.

"...You’re copying me."

"I absolutely am."

"For what reason?"

Hori looked at Izan.

"I need money."

"Me too, but I get to work for mine. Do you want to work for yours?"

"No, I’m on holiday," Hori responded before she picked up her fork and began acting sobby!

He reached into his wallet anyway and counted four hundred-dollar bills onto the table.

Seeing that, Hori looked down and then back up.

"...That’s disappointing," she said, receiving a glare from Leo, but she didn’t back down.

"I am not saying it is bad. It’s a good start but not up to your level."

Rolling his eyes, Izan added another four notes, and immediately, Hori swept the money off the table before anyone could change their mind.

"Now you’re acting like my brother."

"Your brother when you need money. Izan when there’s no money involved."

"I know, I know," Hori said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek, only for Izan to wipe it off.

"But thanks," she added, and they continued eating her food, with a smile plastered across her face.

The meal lingered another half hour after that, and nobody seemed particularly interested in leaving until Izan eventually checked the time.

"I should get going," he said as Miranda nodded.

"Back to hiding?"

"The team lands later, so the fewer people who recognise me before then, the easier life becomes. I do not want to be facing the full brunt of fans alone as that would be like signing your life away."

Olivia stood almost immediately.

"I’ll come."

"Of course you will," Hori muttered with a snort as Olivia smiled without the slightest embarrassment.

"Get a life," Olivia said as Hori threw both hands into the air and then stopped when she turned towards Izan.

"I won’t even talk anymore," she said, letting her hands fall back down before grabbing Miranda’s wrist.

"C’mon."

"I was still drinking," Miranda said, but Hori couldn’t care less.

"Bring it with you," she said while Miranda sighed as she was dragged away.

Komi only smiled at the two of them before following after.

"Enjoy yourselves."

"We will," Olivia answered before Izan even had the chance.

Hori glanced back one last time.

"...Yeah."

"We already knew that."

The three disappeared into the afternoon crowd, leaving Izan standing beside Olivia on the pavement.

He looked at her.

"So..." she slipped her hand into his.

"So."

"I don’t suppose you’ve got anywhere else you want to go."

Olivia smiled and then shook her head.

"I already am where I want to be."

By the time they reached the hotel, the lobby was quiet enough that they slipped through unnoticed.

The lift climbed in comfortable silence, broken only by Olivia absent-mindedly tracing circles against the back of his hand.

When the doors opened, they made their way down the corridor until Izan unlocked the room.

The door had barely clicked shut behind them before Olivia turned and caught his lips.

The kiss was sudden enough to steal the rest of his sentence before it had even formed.

He smiled into it anyway.

When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead lightly against hers, still laughing between breaths.

"Didn’t you get enough of me last night?"

Olivia answered by kissing him again.

"...I’ll take that as a no."

She ignored him entirely, her hands finding the back of his neck as though words were only slowing her down.

Izan shook his head with an amused smile before sliding an arm beneath her knees and another around her back.

Without warning, he lifted her clean off the floor.

Olivia laughed this time, the sound lasting only a moment before she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist to steady herself.

"You know," Izan murmured, "you’re making it very difficult to pretend you’re not the impatient one."

She looked at him with a smile that gave nothing away.

"Who said I was pretending?"

He couldn’t help laughing again as he carried her further into the room, the door to the suite quietly swinging shut behind them.

Meanwhile...

Several miles away...

"...Would you stop?"

Dani Olmo finally snapped.

He pulled the travel pillow from around his neck and tossed it squarely at Lamine Yamal.

It bounced harmlessly off the teenager’s shoulder, who complained back.

"I haven’t done anything."

"You’ve been tapping that window for ten minutes. It’s annoying!"

"Well then put on your headphones," Lamine said and then looked outside again.

"Some people get holidays during the biggest tournament on Earth."

"Others are on a bus to the airport."

A few players laughed, but it didn’t last.

From the front of the bus, De la Fuente spoke and didn’t even turn around.

"I can arrange a holiday back to Spain if you’d like."

At that, Lamine sat upright instantly.

"...Respectfully, Mister...No!"

"I’d rather stay."

"I thought so," De La Fuente said with a smirk as the bus rolled through the airport gates.

...

All while Spain made preparations towards their game, the knockout stage wasted no time reminding everyone that reputations meant very little.

Germany were stunned by Paraguay in a match that went to penalties, and by the following morning, newspapers across Europe carried the same story.

A DISGRACE TO GERMAN FOOTBALL.

Elsewhere, Morocco sent the Netherlands home, adding another heavyweight to the growing list of casualties.

Television panels across the world all arrived at the same conclusion, and that was that there were no giants left at the tournament.

Only good teams!

When Spain reunited in Los Angeles, De la Fuente kept his word.

Training at SoFi Stadium remained light.

Izan, finding the hotel close to the centre, trekked from there and participated, but the manager pulled him aside before the session ended.

"You won’t be starting."

Izan nodded.

"I figured," he said without much qualms.

Eventually matchday arrived beneath clear Californian skies.

Rivers of red flowed toward SoFi Stadium while Austrian supporters answered in equal voice from the opposite direction.

Inside the ground, phones lit up almost simultaneously as the official lineups appeared.

After looking through, the people found Izan’s name among the bench players, with Dani Olmo standing in for him.

It might have been something to think too much about previously, but the reaction barely lasted.

Most supporters simply exchanged amused looks.

"If we need him..."

"...he’ll come on."

For Spain, that confidence had become almost routine.