He had been through a lot to reach this point. Playing for PXG, pushing through the faint ache in his chest whenever his brother’s words resurfaced in his mind. Rin had to keep going. For himself and to catch up. Prove Sae wrong. He was determined to become the face of soccer, not Isagi. Yet here he was, fresh off another win, sitting alone on the grassy turf.

He stayed there for a moment, letting the noise of the crowd fade as his thoughts swirled in the familiar way he always kept to himself. But then, he felt it. A tug. A firm one, pulling at his pinky. The glowing red string. Huh? Now?

Slowly, Rin rose to his feet, letting the pull guide him. Contrary to what people might think, he hadn’t spent much time pondering the red string of fate. If anything, it was the one thing in life that seemed to make sense. So, he followed the sensation through the bleachers, scanning the space without realizing it. Who could it be?

And then, he bumped into someone. Not hard, just a small nudge that made you glance up from where you stood on the ledge. Both of you froze, your eyes dropping to where the string had been. Now gone. Ah, he thought. There you are.

For a moment, you both stood there, expressions unreadable. Surprisingly, Rin’s mind was quieter than it had ever been. To him, finding his soulmate didn’t feel like a grand reveal. It felt… steady? Like the Universe had set up something that finally fit.

“What do people even say in these situations?” he muttered as he tilted his head slightly. Then with a soft edge, “Hope you’re not as annoying as most people I know.” His tone wasn’t as harsh like usual to many people who know him.

He turned to leave but stopped midway, glancing back and holding out his hand, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. “You coming? You’re supposed to, aren’t you?”

Through everything he had trouble accepting… this? He could accept it.