The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 41

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== Family Comes First, Familiar Faces ==
Saturday April 27
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Shortly after the Manchester derby
After the match was over, Miwa Shibata, who stood as Kakeru and Nana's agent, got on her way down to the Manchester United dressing room. She had to deliver urgent news to Nana as soon as they could meet after the post-match interviews.
"Nana, I had a call from your father in Kamakura." Miwa said.
"What is going on?" Nana asked.
"It's your mother... There has been an accident. It is serious." Miwa replied.
When the words "your mother", "accident", and "serious" came out of Miwa's mouth, Nana's heart froze almost immediately.
"What... How... How bad?" Nana stuttered.
"Your father said that she was hit by a driver who was asleep at the wheel and... she has not regained consciousness since the accident." Miwa replied.
Nana's mind went almost blank before she dropped down to her knees, screaming her lungs out in a wail of sadness.
"WHYYYYYYY??!!!" Nana screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Kakeru quickly rushed on his knees as well before he held her by the shoulders with both hands.
"Hey! I'm here. We don't know everything yet." Kakeru said to Nana before he turned his gaze towards Miwa. "Is there a number that Nana's father left so we can reach him immediately?"
"Yes. It's the phone number at the hospital; I have it." Miwa replied.
Then Matthias, who heard Nana screaming, came to inquire about what was happening outside the dressing room.
"Witch? Lads, what is going on?" Matthias asked.
"It's her mother. There was an accident in Japan, and we just learned about it." Yusuke replied.
"Is she OK? How bad is it?"
"Can't tell yet, Skipper. All we know is that she is in a coma." Yusuke said.
"Oh... is there anything I can do for now?" Matthias asked.
"We will try to get more details by calling in Japan from the Gaffer's office. I want you to keep everyone in the dressing room for now so that everyone can learn the news at the same time. We must make sure that not a word comes out of the dressing room unless Nana says so." Kakeru replied.
"OK. Will do." Matthias said.
"Come on, Seven. Let's call your father now." Kakeru said to Nana.
"Of course... I will call Dad now." Nana replied.
Nana finally gathered enough strength to get back up on her feet with Kakeru's help. Wiping away as many tears as she could, Nana finally got on her way in the dressing room and straight in Andrew Butler's office at the stadium. Kakeru, Yusuke, Matthias, and Miwa followed Nana on her way.
"Hey, is everything OK?" Nikolaj asked.
Nobody answered Nikolaj's question at that time. A handful of minutes later, what was known about the situation was outlined by Miwa to Andrew. Then Matthias and Yusuke walked outside of the office so they could make sure none of the players would leave on the team bus yet. Meanwhile, Nana dialled the long-distance communication to reach her father in Japan.
"Nana?"
"Dad... Please tell me: how did Mom get that accident? What really happened?" Nana asked.
"Your mother... in the evening before the match, she came to visit Mrs. Miyabe. She is a senior who lives around 7 blocks away from our house."
"I know about Mrs. Miyabe; Mom told me about her job of checking in on senior citizens who live alone. But was that supposed to be done earlier?" Nana asked.
"The thing is that Mrs. Miyabe didn't answer the check-in phone call around 9:45 PM or 10:00 PM, so your mother went to check in. She found Mrs. Miyabe down injured with a broken hip; the poor old lady wasn't able to reach for her phone. Your mother called the ambulance for Mrs. Miyabe. The old lady was taken to the hospital, but your mother had to stay for a while in order to answers a few questions to the police officers about how Mrs. Miyabe was found in that position." M. Mishima replied.
"What happened next?"
"From what I could understand, the cops offered your mother a ride home. It was a little over 11:15 PM, but she declined by saying that she would walk on the main street instead since she had plenty of time before your kickoff time. She was on her way home, but then..."
Nana could hear her father sobbing at the other end of the communication. He was gulping before he carried on with the telling of the facts.
"Then... she was hit by a truck. The police officers came knocking at the house around 12:15 AM... to tell me about the accident after they looked at her identification papers. They said that the driver was asleep at the wheel. As soon as I was told where she was taken, I rushed to the hospital. Then the doctors have told me she has multiple leg fractures and... a traumatic head injury. Her condition is... critical."
Nana's heart froze again when she finally grasped the full timeline leading up to that accident.
"Mom... Why? Why did it have to happen like this?" Nana asked.
"I wish I knew, Nana. She always wanted to help others, but she mostly wanted people in a position of helping others... to not get worried about her." M. Mishima replied.
"What are the physicians saying about Mom? Will she wake up?"
"They have taken her into an emergency surgery at the trauma center in Kamakura General Hospital right now. The medical staff are working hard, but I could read on the face of one of the doctors that he is genuinely worried. I... I really can't say either. She would have loved to watch you play today."
Nana took a few moments to ponder on what decision to make next. On one hand, she wanted to fly back to Japan. But on the other hand, she didn't want to let her teammates down with big matches coming up. Finally, she made up her mind for what was going to be a difficult decision.
"Nana? Are you there?" M. Mishima asked.
"I'm going back to Japan." Nana replied.
Kakeru and Miwa were the first people reacting to what they just heard Nana's words. They were shocked, but not exactly surprised as they know how important Mrs. Mishima was in Nana's life.
"Are you sure about this?" M. Mishima asked.
"I wish I didn't have to do this, but Mom is more important to me than anything else. My family comes before anyone or anything else. I will tell the manager about it, and then I will fly back to Japan tomorrow." Nana replied.
"OK. Please let me know around what time you will arrive."
"I will. Please stay strong, Dad." Nana said, sobbing a little.
Then Nana ended the long-distance communication.
"Whatever you will choose to do, I know that you will make the right decision. The decision is yours, and I will support you at 120%." Andrew Butler said.
"I wish there was another way to say it, but I see none." Nana replied.
"Fine. Out with it, Mishima."
"I wish I could play against Bayern in 3 days. It is my dream to take this team to the Champions League final, so it is painful for me to throw it away now. But I can't help the team if I can't be mentally ready for this now that I'm not sure if my mother will ever wake up again. That's why... I have to go back to Japan. Right now, my family comes first before anything else." Nana said.
There was a silence in the office for a few seconds. But then Andrew came forward to put a comforting hand on Nana's shoulder.
"I understand, Mishima. Take as much time as you need until you feel ready to come back and help us on the pitch." Andrew said. "I know how it feels. It's a tough thing to go through as a person."
"Thank you, Boss." Nana replied.
"I will make sure that the club will get a private jet ready at the airport by tomorrow morning before it takes you and Miss Shibata back to Japan." Andrew said.
"Thank you, M. Butler." Miwa replied.
"Oh, and one more thing: please make sure that not a word slips to the media. You can tell them that I'm absent for personal reasons, but nothing more than that until I decide I want to talk about it. I don't want the media to invade our privacy." Nana said.
Andrew nodded in response.
"OK. I think it's time to let the other lads know about your decision." Andrew said.
"Let's do it, Seven. I'm right with you in this." Kakeru said, to which Nana nodded.
Then Nana, Kakeru, and Andrew walked out of the office. A few minutes later, the other players were given a complete explanation about what happened, about Nana's decision, and about the need to keep everything in-house at all costs. The players were shocked by the news more than anything else.
"I know that this Champions League is a dream that we pursued together this season, which is why it is painful for me to leave you like this. I really feel sorry for failing all of you now, but I cannot put aside my family." Nana said in front of the players, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
Then Matthias stepped forward to speak to the whole team.
"Lads... Witch really wanted to play on Wednesday. She's really gutted about missing out upcoming matches so late in the season, but here is what I know: we can defeat anybody when we work hard together to replace anyone who can't make it. We can do it again, yeah?"
"Yeah!" the players replied.
"I have said it before: it's for players like Witch and Nicky that we keep on fighting. They are warriors when they can play out there. We must all do the same out for them, and the real job starts tomorrow. OK, lads?"
"YEAH!!"
"Take as much time as you need to feel better, Witch. We will do what it takes to get over the line." Matthias said. "We will carry you with us in our hearts, in Munich." Matthias said to Nana.
"Skipper... Thank you." Nana replied.
After that, all players each took their turns to give Nana a few words of support before the team left the stadium a little later. When Kakeru and Nana got home, their friends Noriko, Sarah, and Taeko were informed of the situation. The 3 women were shocked, but showed great understanding towards Nana's decision to return home. On that night, Kakeru and Nana went straight to bed after they finished packing Nana's bags. Even though Kakeru held Nana to comfort her, she sobbed for some time before she finally fell asleep.
Sunday April 28
Manchester Airport, Manchester, UK
8:01 AM BST
On the following morning, Nana and Miwa were set to embark on a trip back to Japan. In order to protect Nana from unwanted media attention, Manchester United had chartered a private jet – an Embraer Legacy 500 medium jet to fly both Japanese women home. Nevertheless, Kakeru, Yusuke, Noriko, Sarah, and Taeko came to see Nana off at the airport.
"I really wish it didn't come down to this, but I guess nothing will change your mind after all." Taeko said.
"Nothing. My mother was the first person to ever believe in me. I have to be there with her." Nana replied.
"I see and I understand that." Taeko said.
"If there is something you want us to do in your absence, tell us. Anything, Nana." Sarah said.
"Supporting the team through thick and thin would be more than enough. They will need it."
"Make sure you come back to us stronger when you feel it is the right time." Noriko said.
"Sure. I just hope Mom will wake up first." Nana replied.
"There is always hope for as long there is still something to hang on."
Nana gave a goodbye hug to each of her female friends. Then she turned towards Kakeru but, first, towards Yusuke.
"If this accident didn't happen, I would have given anything to play against Bayern with you as my midfield partner." Nana said.
"I know, but there is nothing more important than family. We will do our very best until you make it back, I swear." Yusuke replied.
Yusuke gave Nana a brief goodbye hug before the latter moved towards Kakeru at last but not the least. However, Kakeru and Nana kept their gazes fixed at each other for a few seconds before one of them broke the silence.
"I'm... I'm going to miss you being around me." Kakeru said.
"Yeah, me too. But we will keep in touch every day, I promise." Nana replied.
"On every day, I will pray for your mother."
"Thank you, Kakeru. She will need all the prayers and the support she can get. Just think about the match, Kakeru." Nana replied.
Then Miwa felt the need to warn Nana about making their way forward.
"It is time, Nana-san." Miwa said.
"OK."
Then Nana gave Kakeru a goodbye kiss before she hugged Kakeru very tightly. Kakeru also returned the hug, not wanting to let her go. However, both lovers realized that time called for them to part ways at that moment.
"Come back stronger, Nana! On the day you will come back, I will be the first to meet you here, at the airport. It's a promise." Kakeru said.
"I know you will." Nana replied as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Now go." Kakeru said.
Then Nana and Miwa made their way to the security point, disappearing from Kakeru and his other friends' line of sight.
"We have to hope that her mother can wake up. I don't want to imagine how Nana would take it if..." Sarah said.
"I really feel sad about all of this. Her mother is a really nice person. I still remember when I stopped at their house to talk about Nana joining Nadeshiko Japan." Taeko added.
"Even if the odds are not good, we have to keep praying and hoping that Nana's mother will pull it through." Noriko replied.
"Just as the players said yesterday: we can defeat anybody when we work hard together to replace anyone who can't play. It's the only thing that Kakeru and I can do now." Yusuke said.
"I know. Let's do this for her and for her mother." Kakeru replied before he switched to his thoughts, almost like praying to his departed brother. 'Nii-chan... If you're still there somewhere, please watch over Seven. She needs everyone's support more than any of us does right now.'
Over 16 hours later – Monday April 29
Kamakura General Hospital, Kamakura, Japan
8:50 AM Japan time (12:50 AM BST)
Nana and Miwa's flight took off at 8:30 AM from Manchester Airport. The plane flew for nearly 6 hours between Manchester and Astana, Kazakhstan. Then after a full refuelling at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, the plane took off towards Haneda Airport, Tokyo for a journey that lasted less than 7 hours. After the plane landed, Nana and Miwa took a car with a private chauffeur for a 58-minute drive from Haneda Airport to Kamakura General Hospital. Miwa advised Nana to find a place to rest in order to get rid of the jet lag, but Nana insisted to see her mother at the hospital instead.
"Is it going to be only the two of us?" Miwa asked.
"No. Dad should be already at the hospital as well." Nana replied.
"He's not working?"
"His current boss is far less of a jerk than the one he had for years, especially in the days when we had to travel back and forth between Japan and America. So Dad has been granted compassionate leave." Nana said
Then the car arrived in front of the hospital's main entrance. It was 8:50 AM local time.
"I only hope that the media in the country have not caught wind of the situation." Nana said.
"So far, the police and the medical staff are keeping a very tight lid on sensitive details about the accident. They made sure that nothing transpires to the media." Miwa replied.
"I have to make sure I get in there without catching unwanted attention though." Nana said before she put sunglasses and a baseball cap on.
After Nana got herself ready, she and Miwa got out of the car before they made their way into the hospital. Just as Miwa said, there were no reporters nor photographers in the area. The sensitive elements of the accident were definitely kept away from the public thus far. Minutes after Nana and Miwa got in, they finally met M. Mishima at the trauma center.
"Dad." Nana said.
"Nana. You finally came." M. Mishima replied as he hugged his daughter.
"As soon as I could, Dad."
"Thank you for making this quick flight possible, Shibata-san."
"You can also thank Manchester United for charting the private jet as well, Mishima-san." Miwa replied to M. Mishima.
"Where is Mom?" Nana asked.
In response, M. Mishima led Nana to the room where Mrs. Mishima was. When the Little Witch finally saw her mother, the sight in itself was staggering. Mrs. Mishima was still lying unconscious on the bed, she needed a ventilation machine and a tube to help her breathe, and she was connected to intravenous bags on a pole. Nana's mother had the upper half of her head wrapped with bandages as a result of an emergency surgery. Several machines were also monitoring her vital signs.
"Her condition has not changed at all since you called me from England." M. Mishima said.
"Mom..." Nana was at loss for words.
Then a middle-aged physician came to meet with Nana and her father.
"You must be Nana Mishima." the physician said.
"Hai (Yes), but who are you?" Nana asked.
"I'm Dr. Tetsuya Kanno; I'm a traumatologist and a surgeon in this department. I was the one who led the surgery team when your mother was brought in to us."
"My father told me that her condition is critical. What's the damage?" Nana asked.
"We managed to keep her stable so far, but she is not out of danger at all. We had to work hard in order to repair a number of blood vessels on the brain. Those were ruptured upon the impact. Other than that, she has 3 fractures to her left leg and one to her right leg. The impact was a violent one."
"What are the odds that she would wake up?" Miwa asked.
"And you are?"
"Miwa Shibata, Kanno-sensei. I'm Nana Mishima's agent and, by extension, a very good friend to the family. I have travelled all the way from England to Japan with Nana-san in order to support her. So I'm begging you: please be honest with all of us."
Dr. Kanno took a moment before he chose the right words to provide as faithful of an assessment as possible.
"For now, the most optimistic instinct would be to say that it is a flip of a coin now – 50/50. However, I'm afraid that the odds that she would wake up are lesser than 40% based on my experience. And even if she wakes up, I cannot tell how far the extent of the damage to her brain is."
When Nana heard the doctor's words, her mind went almost blank. When her father said that one of the doctors who were operating on Mrs. Mishima was really worried, it was something that Nana didn't want to be true. But unfortunately, the situation was indeed really bad for Nana's mother.
"I'm sorry. I wish there was another way, but we did everything we could to save your mother, Mishima-kun. From there, it's up to her now." Dr. Kanno said.
"Can I... can I have a moment alone with my mother, Kanno-sensei?" Nana asked with a cracking voice.
"Please do."
Dr. Kanno, M. Mishma, and Miwa left the room altogether to provide Nana this moment alone with her mother. Still distraught by the traumatologist's words, Nana took a chair before she sat down on it next to Mrs. Mishima's bed. Then Nana took Mrs. Mishima's hand before she started speaking.
"Mom... I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm right here next to you. I know what happened that night... so I came back to Japan as quickly as I could."
Nana's eyes were starting to be filled with tears again.
"I really... I really wished you could make it home to see our last game. Kakeru and I... we took our revenge against Bernardi in the best of ways out there. Kakeru scored twice... and I scored a goal that put the game away. We are so close of winning many things, and yet... it would feel so empty thinking that you may never..."
Overwhelmed by the emotion, Nana couldn't hold her tears any longer.
"Please Mom... You have to keep fighting... I'm not... I'm not ready to lose you."
Nana sobbed for a few minutes before she wiped the remaining tears out. Mustering enough mental strength to let go of her mother for the time being, Nana walked out of the room.
"I'm really sorry that you and your family have to go through this." Dr. Kanno said.
"You did your best, Kanno-sensei. It would have been very unfair to everyone if I started blaming the medical staff when I know how it feels to work as a health professional myself." Nana replied.
"Do you have some contact number where we could reach you if something new comes up, Mishima-kun?"
"You already have my father's number, but I will give you my cell number as well." Nana replied to Dr. Kanno.
"We will keep you informed as soon as we have something." Dr. Kanno said.
"Do you think I can come back tomorrow and visit my mother?" Nana asked.
"I would not say 'no', but I would advise you to take a good rest first and foremost. You travelled a long way to be here, so I can imagine you would be tired after the long flight and now this." Dr. Kanno replied.
"You're probably right, Kanno-sensei. Please make sure no one leaks anything about my presence here." Nana said. "It's important for my family to enjoy our privacy at this time."
"We will be very, very careful, Mishima-kun. Have a safe ride home."
"Thank you, Kanno-sensei." Nana said.
Then Nana gave her mobile phone number to the chief nurse, who added it as another means to contact the Mishimas in the case there are new developments on Mrs. Mishima's status. A few minutes later, Nana was driven home by her father while Miwa was following in the car that took Nana from the airport to the hospital earlier. Before Nana and Miwa were set to part ways, the latter took time to leave on a few words.
"I guess I can leave you from here. I will be on my way." Miwa said.
"So where are you going then?" Nana asked.
"I'll be working from my old office, I guess. I always kept my old office in Kamakura whenever I need to work from Japan." Miwa replied.
"I see."
"Please call me on my phone if any of you two need anything." Miwa said.
"I will." Nana replied
"Again, thank you for doing this." M. Mishima added.
"When I take care of my clients, it also means taking care of their families as if I'm a part of that family myself. It is never about the money."
"Thank you, Miwa-san." Nana said.
"Stay strong, Nana-san." Miwa replied.
Seconds later, Miwa's car drove away. Meanwhile, Nana took her luggage and followed her father inside the Mishimas' family house. Although it was in the context of negative circumstances, Nana made her way home at last.
"Home sweet home." Nana said with a sad tone.
"Yeah, it's still the same and more. Your mother never stopped collecting pictures and newspaper articles about you. She even framed a picture of you celebrating that late goal against Liverpool back in January." M. Mishima replied. "She... she said that you really looked happy after that goal... more than ever before."
"Mom..." Nana said as she felt the tears coming up as well. "I think I need a moment alone. Sorry, Dad."
"It's okay, Nana. I'll be buy a few groceries and come back later."
"Thanks, Dad."
Then M. Mishima walked outside the house, leaving Nana on her own. The young woman then looked around at the large collection of framed pictures, framed newspaper articles featuring Nana's exploits, and framed soccer shirts that were worn by Nana at various moments in time. As the young woman continued looking at the memorabilia, she felt like traveling back in time as she started to look at increasingly older pictures of her from when she started to become an established player against men, from when she started her professional career alongside Kakeru, and then from the days at Enoshima High School.
"You always followed me every step of the way, Mom." Nana said out loud.
Then Nana looked at older family pictures on a different bookcase. But when Nana saw a framed picture of her and her mother from the time when Nana was in elementary school, she picked it up.
"That was around the time I started going to school with Kakeru and Suguru-san."
At that moment, Nana saw something slipping away from the picture frame and dropping onto the floor.
"That's an... omamori?"
Nana picked up the Japanese amulet, which looked like any good luck charm found in any Shinto shrine. She realized that it was put inside the frame for a reason. Then she looked inside the omamori, where she found a misanga - a good luck charm shaped as a bracelet made from knotted embroidery thread.
"Could it be?"
Then very old memories came back to Nana's mind as she looked at the misanga.
Flashback - Many years ago
Nana recently joined a new elementary school in Kamakura. Mrs. Mishima also signed the papers allowing Nana to join the school's boys' soccer team. Mrs. Mishima was confident in her daughter's abilities, but Nana was feeling a little insecure about her own chances as she was about to leave for school on that particular day.
"I know you're a little nervous because it's your first day with the team today, that's all." Mrs. Mishima said.
"What if I'm not as good as they are?" Nana asked.
"I know you are a very good player, Nana-chan. You already are far better than all girls of your age." Mrs. Mishima replied before she reached for her pocket. "Here, I have something for you."
"What is it, Mom?"
"It's a misanga. I keep it on me as a good luck charm through good times and bad times alike, but I think you're old enough to have it now." Mrs. Mishima said before as she put the misanga around Nana's left wrist.
"Mom..."
"This will remind you that I'm always with you no matter what. Everything will be okay." Mrs. Mishima reassured Nana.
Taking a deep breath, Nana decided to go forward.
"Mom... I'll do it. Thank you."
"Show the boys everything you learned in America." Mrs. Mishima said with a big smile before she gave Nana one last hug and then let her go to school.
A little later that day, Nana joined the boys' soccer team in the midst of their training. The team's coach ordered all the players to gather around so he could introduce Nana.
"Starting today, we have a new member. A girl. Aren't you guys glad?" the coach said before he laughed out loud.
The boys didn't look particularly amused, especially the team captain.
"Um... hello. My name is Nana Mishima. Nice to meet you." Nana formally introduced herself.
"You guys get along now." the coach said.
"YES!" the boys replied.
"Coach!" the captain with the raven and spiky hair asked.
"What's up, Suguru?"
"Her name... might be a problem." Suguru replied.
"Hmm?" the coach hummed, signalling a question.
"What?" Nana asked.
"We already have a Mishima on our team, and a Nanase." Suguru replied.
"Hmm, that's true. What should we do?" the coach said before he turned towards Nana and asked her: "Do you have a nickname?"
"No." Nana replied.
The boys started chatting among themselves about potential nicknames, some funnier than others. But then a small voice in the group came up with an unexpected and yet brilliant idea.
"Seven..." a small boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes said. "What about Seven?"
"Seven?" the boys asked altogether.
Suguru laughed before he said: "'Seven' as a translation of 'Nana.' I get it."
"How about it?" the coach asked Nana.
"Oh, okay." Nana replied.
The small boy with dark brown hair was teased by his teammates. Then Nana started learning all of her teammates' names.
"Welcome, Seven." the small boy said.
"Thank you. What is your name?" Nana asked.
"Aizawa... Kakeru Aizawa."
The rest became history. Mrs. Mishima's misanga later inspired Nana to make two misangas of her own as farewell gifts for both Kakeru and Suguru before Nana and her family left for the United States.
Present time
"You knew I could do it, Mom. You always did. Thanks to you, ...I met Kakeru on the first day. Then he and I made all of this way together in soccer and in life... from here to England."
Nana then started sobbing.
"You did so much for me, Mom... and I may never be able to thank you enough. Why did it have to be like this?"
Nana couldn't stop the tears from coming out for a couple of minutes. Then, at last, she wiped her tears away.
"What should I do now? What would you tell me if you were here, Mom?"
As much as Nana desperately wanted to have an answer to that question, that was not something she would find at that particular moment. Then Nana walked up the stairs with her bags until she walked into her old bedroom, which was preserved and kept clean in the same state as it was at the time when she used to live with her parents.
"Always nice to see this room in this condition. I really feel like I never truly left."
For a couple of minutes, Nana wrote and sent a text message to inform Kakeru about her arrival to Japan and about her mother's current status. Then Nana felt a strong sensation of fatigue hitting her; it was the jet lag combined to the mental fatigue of seeing her mother in such a helpless state. Instead of unpacking her stuff, Nana dropped on the bed and let herself drift into sleep.
Around an hour later, M. Mishima came back home with the groceries.
"Tadaima." M. Mishima said.
Not hearing any reply from Nana, her father looked for her on the ground floor and then on the upper floor until he found her asleep in her bed.
'That was a very tough day for you, Nana. You deserve all the rest you need. Let's hope that we will have better news soon.' M. Mishima thought.
M. Mishima came up to cover Nana with her coat as an improvised blanket for the time she would remain asleep. While Nana was more concerned about her mother's health, her teammates were training hard ahead of a difficult match in Munich.
Tuesday April 30
Mandarin Oriental, Munich, Germany
6:00 PM CEST (5:00 PM BST)
On Monday, the Manchester United team flew to Munich in the afternoon after the usual morning training session at Carrington. Then United spent their training session inside Bayern Munich's home stadium on the following day in order to get familiar with the environment they would need to tame in order to gain an advantage in the semi-final. After the training session on the pitch and the video session that followed, the players were allowed some free time and visit Munich for as long as they would all come back in time before the 10:00 PM curfew. Instead of going too far outside of the hotel, Kakeru and Yusuke decided to go to the main restaurant at the hotel itself for dinner.
"What do you know about this restaurant, Yusuke?" Kakeru asked.
"It is one of 8 restaurants that are owned by the Matsuhisa family. The owner is a Japanese celebrity chef, Nobu Matsuhisa. What this place does best is to blend traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients." Yusuke replied.
"Why Peruvian?"
"Because Matsuhisa was not able to find certain ingredients when he opened up his restaurant in Lima, Peru back in the 1970s. He had to improvise, but he then managed to develop this unique cuisine that became his trademark."
"Sounds like you know a lot about Chef Matsuhisa's story." Kakeru said.
"I remember watching a documentary feature about him once. It was fascinating." Yusuke replied.
"We'll see about what they have to offer."
"The good thing about this restaurant is that the staff all speak Japanese."
Then Kakeru and Yusuke arrived at the restaurant.
"Konbanwa (Good evening)." the host greeted.
"Konbanwa." Yusuke replied. "A table for 2, please."
"Right away."
"Make that a table for 4 instead." a familiar voice said behind Kakeru and Yusuke.
Surprised at first glance, Kakeru and Yusuke turned around to find out who just said those words. They were even more surprised when they recognized the man who once nicknamed as "Koutei" (The Emperor) and now a leader for the Japanese National Team: Toru Asuka.
"Asuka-san!" Kakeru and Yusuke said altogether.
"That's quite a surprise." Toru replied.
Looking behind Toru, Kakeru also recognized Mina Meier – arguably Nana's biggest rival in the women's side of the game and another female player who broke through the gender barrier between men and women. Hence Toru and Meier currently are teammates at Bayern Munich.
"I see you brought Mina Meier with you." Kakeru said.
"She was in for some Japanese food." Toru replied. "So what do you say? Are you in to join us?"
"I'm in." Kakeru said.
"Yeah, me too." Yusuke added.
"Very well." Toru replied before he turned towards the host. "A table for 4 please."
"As you wish. Please follow me." the host replied.
The host led Kakeru, Yusuke, Toru, and Meier towards their 4-seat table. Then Kakeru and Yusuke sat on one side of the table while Toru and Meier sat on the opposite side.
"I was expecting Mishima to be here with you. Where is she?" Toru asked.
"She has to take care of some personal issues; she's not with the team." Kakeru replied.
"You really don't want to say more?"
"Nope." Kakeru said.
Then Meier started to speak, addressing herself towards Yusuke.
"Yusuke Saeki... Ehemaliger Akademiespieler der Borussia Dortmund (Former Borussia Dortmund academy player)." Meier said.
Yusuke looked at Meier sitting right in front of him.
"Es fällt mir schwer zu verstehen, wie Borussia Dortmund einen Spieler Ihrer Qualität verlieren könnte. (I have a hard time understanding how Borussia Dortmund could lose a player of your quality)." Meier said.
Yusuke did not reply. That reaction prompted Meier to test Yusuke again.
"Verstehen Sie mich, Herr Saeki? Kannst du Deutsch sprechen? Oder haben Sie einfach nicht genug Zeit aufgewendet, um die Sprache zu lernen? (Do you understand me, Mister Saeki? Can you speak German? Or you just didn't spend enough time to learn the language?)"
Yusuke took a few seconds before he finally gave his reply... in German.
"Ich war nicht lange in Deutschland, aber ich war lange genug dort, um Deutsch zu lernen und zu sprechen. Sie wären überrascht, wenn Sie wüssten, wie fließend ich bin (I didn't stay in Germany for long, but I was there long enough to learn and speak German. You would be surprised if you knew how fluent I am)."
"Interessant (Interesting)." Meier said.
"Ich habe auch gelesen, dass Sie vor Jahren angefangen haben, Japanisch zu lernen. Daher müssen Sie inzwischen ziemlich fließend sprechen. Nicht wahr? (I also read that you started studying Japanese years ago. Hence you must be quite a fluent speaker by now. Isn't that so?)" Yusuke asked.
"I am." Meier replied in Japanese. "I see you did your homework."
"Studying my opponent is something I always do when I can already guess who could be standing in front of me." Yusuke said.
"I have to say that I'm disappointed that Mishima isn't here. I really wanted to face her before our match."
"She would have wanted to be here, Meier-san. But this is something out of her control." Kakeru said.
"Right." Meier replied.
"Quite an impressive season for you so far, Aizawa. You scored 40 goals in all club competitions – 26 in the Premier League, 6 in the FA Cup, and 8 in the Champions League. Those are numbers on par with some of the very best goalscorers out there."
"Are you looking to become a statistics guy?" Kakeru asked.
"No. It's one thing to get good numbers done against English clubs, but it's different in Europe." Toru replied.
"Kakeru has scored against big European teams with some of the best defenders in the game too, Asuka-san." Yusuke said.
"Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane, Virgil van Dijk, Ricardo Bernardi, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci. They're all good, but they don't exactly offer what Karl von Seckendorff and I do for a living." Toru replied.
"We have the best defensive record in all of Europe, mostly thanks to Karl and Toru." Meier added.
"Are you trying to intimidate us?" Yusuke asked.
Then the adversarial intensity went eye-to-eye between both sets of opponents.
"We are just very different from anything else you have faced so far. Not to brag about it, but we are really good at stopping teams and at killing dreams." Toru said.
"I do what I do best: scoring goals. You do what you do best: trying to stop guys like me." Kakeru shrugged.
"When I first saw from the Champions League quarterfinal draw that there was a chance for our 2 clubs to meet each other in the semi-finals, I was praying for this opportunity to come up." Toru said.
"Well, we're here." Kakeru replied.
"This will be the third time that we play against each other. The first time, you humiliated me before you collapsed all of a sudden. On the second time, you found a way to improve upon your own trick to run past me and score the equalizer. My motivation has been to get ready for the day we meet again on the pitch and then make sure that I beat you for real. The third time will be the charm. Years of hard work and team building won't go to waste because of you or your tricks again."
Kakeru took a few seconds to absorb everything Toru just said.
"I'm no longer that kid who was easily impressed by you. I no longer need to perform special tricks so I can make a difference. When I step on that pitch, I trust my teammates to make the right decisions, I find my spot, I assess the best routes that lead to a goal, and I adjust myself consequently. I am only a single wolf in a pack of 11 wolves." Kakeru replied.
Then both Kakeru and Toru looked at each other. The adversarial intensity in their eyes was reaching a higher notch between them.
"You know. We're sitting here... like a bunch of regular fellas. You do what you do. I do what I have to do. And now that we are here, face to face, let me tell you this: Bayern Munich will get in the Champions League final no matter what it takes. If you stand between me and Bayern's objectives, I will take you down. I don't like to set the stage up like this against someone that I respect, but that's my job."
Time appeared to be frozen as Kakeru and Toru continued that staredown. Yusuke and Meier were looking at Kakeru, waiting to see what he was about to say next.
"There is a flip side to that coin. What if I was the one who has to take you down because you stand in my way? I went hard against Bernardi, but that wasn't the first time I had to grind my way at a defender until he made a fatal mistake. We've been face to face, yeah. But I won't hesitate to make you eat the grass. Not for one second." Kakeru replied.
All eyes then turned towards Toru. The Japanese defender made a wry smile, knowing that the challenge was definitely on.
"Maybe that's the way it will be. Or... who knows?" Toru said.
"Maybe. I expected nothing less." Kakeru replied.
"I'm looking forward to meet you on the pitch tomorrow night." Toru finished.
When the dinner ended some time later, Toru and Meier left the restaurant while Kakeru and Yusuke made their way back to their own hotel room. Fueled by a strong sense of mutual respect, both pairs of opponents knew fully well that the upcoming confrontation fits the paradox of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
Toru and Meier walked their way back to a different hotel where their other teammates would spend the night.
"I wonder how Aizawa and Saeki will perform tomorrow without Mishima. On one side, I would say that we have a big advantage. But on the other hand, they could come out with a strength born out of desperation." Meier said.
"I know. As much as Aizawa became a better player because he practiced with Mishima, the same could be said about Mishima being where she is because of Aizawa. Either way, we have to make the most of our opportunities tomorrow." Toru replied.
"Right"
"But as much as a lot has been said about Manchester United's attacking ability, playing without Mishima can't work against a team like Bayern. We have very solid players at all positions. Our regular midfielders would have given Mishima a tough time." Toru said.
"Even if I have to start as a substitute, I look forward to make a big difference tomorrow night. That would be my statement as the best female footballer out there." Meier replied.
"Wir werden dieses Spiel gewinnen (We will win this game)." Toru finished with a smile.
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