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Later, on the same day as the match against Gekokujou College, Lucas couldn't sleep.
He was lying on the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling, trying futilely to slow down the rapid rhythm of his heart. It seemed as if he was still feeling the euphoria of the game in every muscle, as if he were still on the pitch, running, dribbling, looking for the next goal.
The hotel room was plunged into darkness. The air conditioning emitted a low, constant noise which, on any other night, would have been almost hypnotic. But that early in the morning, it was insufficient.
Lucas turned over in bed, trying to find a comfortable position, but the discomfort wasn't in the sheets or the pillow. His thoughts were racing, mixed between the shouts of the fans, the sound of the ball hitting the net and the comments of his teammates. Try as he might, he couldn't detach himself from that triumphant moment.