An imposing gate stood before a school. Numerous boys and girls dressed in school uniforms passed through it, making their way inside the building.
Once all the students had gone through, another boy approached the entrance. He was wearing the school uniform as well, and he had his phone in his hand.
He stopped in front of the gate and looked around until he noticed a rock with an inscription carved into its surface.
He compared it with a photograph on his phone, which showed the exact same rock.
A faint smile crossed his face before he put his phone away.
"I'm here!"
He adjusted the bag over his right shoulder and walked through the gate.
Behind him, the inscription on the rock displayed the school's name: Shūdan-teki.
Meanwhile, in one of the classrooms, the students were silently following their teacher's lesson.
One of them was sitting beside an enormous window that occupied almost an entire wall. Looking visibly bored, he yawned and glanced outside, toward the football pitch.
We've got training today... What a pain.
A gentle spring breeze drifted through the open window, slightly ruffling his dark hair. The boy continued staring at the pitch, his eyes half-closed and his expression weary.
When the lesson ended, he left the classroom and walked down the corridor toward the outside of the building.
As soon as he stepped outside, a dark-haired boy hurried past him. He only managed to catch a glimpse of him, without getting a look at his face.
He's pretty tall...
He followed him with his eyes for a few seconds, then continued walking.
Along the way, he looked around. Numerous students were training at the school's various sports facilities, including the tennis and baseball courts.
What caught his attention, however, was the number of people gathered near each facility. Some were carefully observing the training sessions while taking notes, while others were recording the activities with cameras.
A little farther ahead, he reached a fence separating him from two football pitches.
The girls' team was training on one of them. Dressed in their sports uniforms, the students were performing drills with the ball, weaving through a series of cones.
As he watched them, another student approached and stopped to his right.
"Good morning, Nishimura!"
Nishimura flinched slightly and turned toward his classmate with a bored expression.
"Morning, Shimizu."
Taking a closer look, he noticed that Shimizu was carrying a sports bag in his right hand.
"Have you already been working out?"
"That's right. The gym is less crowded at this time of day."
"Lucky you. I've had classes until now. I'll have to deal with those endless queues for the equipment later."
Nishimura suddenly looked gloomy, as though he could already picture the scene.
It doesn't take much to ruin his mood...
A cheer from the pitch caught his attention again, making him forget about his troubles for a moment.
He watched the girls playing and enjoying themselves, wearing an almost envious expression.
Shimizu noticed.
"The girls are strong this year too... Maybe even stronger than last year."
After watching them for a few moments, Shimizu shifted his gaze to the other side of the fence. Several men were carefully following the training session, with cameras pointed toward the pitch and sheets of paper in their hands.
"And you can tell. I'm in my second year, and I've never seen this many scouts showing interest in a team or an individual student."
"That's normal for Shūdan-teki. It's the best school in all of Japan when it comes to developing future champions in every sport."
At Nishimura's words, Shimizu couldn't help looking slightly discouraged.
"Exactly... but that doesn't apply to our team."
Shimizu looked at his classmate again, who was still watching the pitch. He then gave him a pat on the right shoulder, making him flinch.
"But this year, Shūdan-teki's men's football team has a proper number 10! Maybe someone capable of awakening the demon coach and helping us achieve something important!"
Nishimura blushed slightly. Shimizu had said those words far too loudly.
A few students passing by turned to look at them, including one of the girls playing on the pitch.
"Those are some pretty big words..."
Nishimura moved away from the fence while Shimizu continued watching him.
"See you on the pitch, number 10!"
Nishimura waved a hand in farewell without turning around and headed back toward the building.
Shūdan-teki High School... Japan's most prestigious school for anyone aspiring to become a champion in their chosen sport.
Eighty-five percent of the students who graduate from here go on to become professionals. Whether at a low, medium, or high level... it doesn't matter. Your destiny is to live for your sport and give everything you have to it.
Before entering the building, Nishimura let out a sigh.
Of course, with such a high success rate, even getting accepted isn't easy. Every prospective student must pass not only written exams but also exhausting physical and athletic tests.
He shuddered for a moment, remembering his own tests.
Those tests are used to create a technical profile for every candidate. Based on the results, the coaches of the various sports can select the students best suited to their teams. Then, of course, we're the ones who decide which sport to pursue.
As he walked down the corridor, he passed a few students talking to a man.
"Coach, I'd like to make some changes to my training plan!"
One of them handed a sheet of paper to the coach, who examined it carefully.
"Alright... I'll see what I can do."
Nishimura noticed the excitement on the students' faces at the coach's response, then continued on his way.
The coaches here are even more important than the teachers. They're all young and promising... This school could be a stepping stone toward a professional career for them as well.
That's why they all give it their best, striving to achieve results and bring prestige to the school. That's the great and flawless system behind Shūdan-teki!
He stopped in front of his classroom and paused for a moment.
"Or at least... that's what people used to think."
He entered and returned to his seat.
A little later, the bell rang, signalling the start of the next lesson. The teacher entered the classroom and placed his belongings on the desk.
"Everyone, take your seats."
The students followed his instructions.
"Good. Let's pick up where we left off..."
Someone knocked on the door, interrupting him.
"Come in!"
The door opened, and a middle-aged man dressed elegantly stepped inside. With slow, deliberate steps, he made his way toward the teacher's desk.
At the sight of him, the teacher gave a slight bow out of respect.
"Good morning, Vice Principal. What brings you here?"
"Good morning, everyone!"
The vice principal smiled, stood beside the teacher's desk, and addressed the class.
"I'm here to announce the arrival of a new student!"
The students looked surprised and began whispering among themselves.
The vice principal gestured toward someone standing outside the door.
"Come on in!"
After a brief moment, a voice answered:
"Excuse me!"
The door opened again, and a boy entered the classroom, holding a bag in his right hand.
The murmuring stopped almost immediately.
The newcomer walked toward the teacher's desk at a relaxed pace. He was tall, noticeably taller than most of the students in the room.
One glance was enough for Nishimura to recognize him.
He's the guy I passed earlier...
He remembered their brief encounter near the entrance.
When the boy stopped beside the vice principal, the light coming through the windows illuminated his face.
His features were clearly not Japanese.
Some students started whispering among themselves again, while Nishimura focused mainly on his eyes.
From that distance, it was difficult to make out their exact colour. They seemed green, but there was also a brownish tint that made them unusual.
The boy remained silent, waiting for the vice principal to give him the floor.
"Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class."
"Of course."
He cleared his throat.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Riccardo Yui Aliberti. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm from Italy, more specifically from the beautiful city of Naples. I guess you can tell from my double surname. I'm half Italian and half Japanese, with a Japanese mother and an Italian father. Other than that, I hope we'll have a great time together!"
Once he finished introducing himself, the class applauded. Some of the girls, however, immediately began chatting among themselves.
"Did you hear that? He's Italian!"
"He has such a serious, mature look!"
Nishimura listened to their comments before turning his attention back to Riccardo.
He certainly has a strong presence, both in his appearance and the way he carries himself... But we'll have to wait and see.
When the applause died down, Riccardo waited for the teacher to tell him what to do next.
But nothing happened.
In fact, the teacher seemed to be expecting something from him.
Confused, Riccardo turned toward the vice principal.
"Um... What am I supposed to do now?"
The vice principal thought for a moment, leaving him even more puzzled.
"Oh, right! In these situations, everyone is usually curious to see the results of your technical profile... But, of course, you don't have one yet!"
At those words, the class was practically shocked, as though Riccardo had just committed one of the gravest sins imaginable.
The boy noticed the students' reaction and, with a faint smile, looked back at the vice principal, visibly hesitant.
"What is that?"
Meanwhile, the students began discussing the situation more heatedly, voicing their complaints.
"The technical profile contains the results of the physical tests you were supposed to take after the written exam. But you only took the written exam!"
Riccardo was taken aback by the situation unfolding around him.
Why does he keep shouting only the negative things!?
A girl stood up, adopting an arrogant attitude.
"So he got in through a recommendation!?"
The classroom grew even more agitated, while the teacher tried to restore order.
Riccardo attempted to intervene.
"Wait—"
But the vice principal spoke before he could.
"Yes, that's right! He was recommended by the principal himself. I don't know the reason... but I do know that Aliberti will take the physical tests sooner or later!"
He did it again!
The class became even more furious.
Riccardo realized he was in a rather uncomfortable position. By now, it seemed as though all his classmates hated him.
The vice principal pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and checked a notification.
"Alright..."
He put his phone away.
"I have some business to attend to. Have a nice day, everyone!"
He left the classroom, but as he passed Riccardo, the latter couldn't help giving him a disheartened look.
Thanks for all your help...
The teacher looked at the newcomer sympathetically.
"Aliberti, I'll go and get a desk and chair for you."
"Thank you, sir."
The teacher left the classroom, while Riccardo remained standing in front of his new classmates.
Several students began asking him questions in a hostile tone.
"How did you get the principal to recommend you!?"
"Do you really think you're good enough!?"
Riccardo looked at them without reacting, keeping his head held high.
Nishimura, sitting at his desk, watched him thoughtfully.
I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now...
A little later, the teacher returned accompanied by a school staff member carrying a desk and a chair. The two entered through the door at the back of the classroom and set everything up.
"Aliberti, come and take a seat here!"
"Alright."
Riccardo walked across the classroom, passing between his new classmates, who continued staring at him with hostility. He pretended not to notice.
He sat down, and the teacher returned to his desk.
"Aliberti, do you already have your textbooks?"
"Yes."
"Good. Take out your Japanese language textbook and open it to page 95."
Riccardo took out the book and opened it.
The lessons came to an end, and the teacher left the classroom.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Riccardo stood up and walked toward the teacher's desk, once again drawing the attention of his classmates.
"Before you leave, there's something I want to clear up."
The students turned toward him.
"I ended up in Japan because of my father's work, and I don't even know how he managed to get me this recommendation. If your problem is that I haven't taken the physical tests required to get in here, it's only a matter of time. I'll take them!"
The class didn't seem particularly convinced by his words.
Nishimura stood up from his seat and looked at him.
"So you're a recommended student... Who's to say you'll pass the physical tests if you fail them?"
The other students seemed to share his doubts.
Riccardo looked at him for a few moments.
"I can't argue with that... But, as I said, it's only a matter of time."
The class looked at him with even greater irritation.
Nishimura took a step forward.
"What do you mean?"
"If I can't convince you with words, then I'll have to do it through my performances. Because a true athlete doesn't need to convince others of what he's worth. He has to prove it on the pitch."
After finishing his statement, Riccardo returned to his seat to pick up his bag, paying no attention to the hostile looks directed at him.
Then he headed for the exit.
Nishimura followed him with his eyes before letting out a sigh.
I wonder why I reacted to his words... That's not like me.