A large gate came into view, seemingly belonging to a school.
Countless boys and girls in school uniforms walked through it.
After the last of the students had passed, a boy finally appeared.
He was also wearing a school uniform, with his phone in hand.
He stopped in front of the gate before looking around, his eyes settling on a rock with something carved into its surface.
The moment he saw the engraving, he carefully examined a photo on his phone.
It showed the very same carved rock.
A faint smile spread across his face before he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"I'm here!"
Adjusting the strap of his backpack over his right shoulder, he walked through the school gate.
In the background, the engraving on the rock could be seen.
Shūdan-teki.
Meanwhile, inside one of the classrooms, the students quietly listened to the teacher's lesson.
One student sat beside the only large window, which stretched across almost the entire wall.
Clearly bored, he let out a yawn before glancing outside toward the football pitch.
We've got training today... what a drag.
A gentle breeze, typical of a spring afternoon, drifted through the open window, lightly brushing his dark hair.
His half-lidded eyes looked tired and uninterested.
The lesson eventually came to an end, and the student left the classroom.
After walking through the hallways for a while, he stepped outside the building.
The moment he did, a dark-haired boy hurried past him.
The student noticed him but couldn't catch a glimpse of his face.
He's pretty tall...
He watched him for a couple of seconds before continuing on his way.
As he walked, he looked around and saw students training across the various sports facilities, from the tennis courts to the baseball fields.
What caught his attention the most, however, was the number of people standing beside every training area.
They carefully observed the athletes, taking notes while recording everything with cameras.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a fenced area containing two football pitches.
On one of them, a group of female students in training kits practiced with footballs, weaving through cones in organized drills.
As he watched them, another student approached and stopped beside him.
"Morning, Nishimura!"
Nishimura flinched slightly before turning toward the student with an expression of complete boredom.
"Morning, Shimizu."
Looking him over, Nishimura noticed the large duffel bag hanging from Shimizu's right hand.
"You've already finished your gym session?"
"Yeah. It's usually much quieter at this time."
"Lucky you. I've been stuck in class until now. By the time I get there, I'll have to stand in line forever just to use the equipment."
Nishimura's expression suddenly darkened, as though he were already imagining the endless lines.
It really doesn't take much to kill his mood...
A loud cheer echoed from the football pitch, instantly pulling Nishimura out of his gloomy thoughts.
He looked toward the pitch with something close to envy, watching the girls laugh and enjoy themselves as they played together.
Shimizu noticed where he was looking.
"The girls' team is strong again this year... maybe even stronger than last season."
After watching the players for a moment, Shimizu shifted his gaze beyond the fence.
Several men stood there with cameras aimed at the pitch, notebooks filled with observations in their hands.
"And it shows... This is only my second year here, but I've never seen this many scouts watching a single team—or even one student."
"That's normal at Shūdan-teki. It's the best school in Japan when it comes to developing future champions in every sport."
Shimizu let out a quiet sigh.
"Yeah... but that certainly doesn't apply to our team."
He looked back at Nishimura, who was still staring at the pitch.
With a grin, he slapped Nishimura's right shoulder, making him jump in surprise.
"But this year, Shūdan-teki's men's football team finally has a real Number Ten. Maybe someone capable of waking up the Demon Coach and leading us to something great!"
Nishimura's cheeks flushed slightly at his teammate's overly loud declaration.
Several students walking nearby turned to look at them, including one of the girls from the women's football team.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration..."
Nishimura turned away from the pitch and started walking off while Shimizu watched him leave.
"See you at training, Number Ten!"
Without turning around, Nishimura simply raised one hand in farewell and continued toward the building he had just left.
Shūdan-teki High School... the most prestigious high school in Japan for those who aspire to become future champions in any sport.
Eighty-five percent of the students who graduate from here become professionals.
Low, medium, or high level... it doesn't matter.
The destiny that awaits you is to live for your sport and give it your all.
Before entering the building, Nishimura let out a quiet sigh and kept walking.
Indeed, the most challenging aspect of this school, given its success rate, is the admission process.
All prospective students must not only pass written tests, but also grueling physical and athletic tests.
He shivered slightly as memories of those tests resurfaced.
These tests are used to create technical sheets, and based on the results, we're chosen by the coaches of the various sports.
Then, of course, we decide which discipline to practice.
As he walked through the hallways, he passed several students speaking with a coach.
"Coach, I'd like to update my training program!"
One of the students handed over a sheet of paper, and the coach examined it carefully.
"Alright... I'll see what I can do."
Nishimura noticed the excitement on the students' faces after hearing their coach's words before continuing on his way.
*Here, the coaches are even more important than the teachers. *
They're all young and promising... for them, too, this school can be a stepping stone to the professional level.
That's why every coach gives it everything they have, striving to bring results to the school... that's the great, flawless system of Shūdan-teki!
He stopped in front of his classroom door, lost in thought.
"Or at least... that's what everyone used to believe."
He stepped into the classroom and headed for his seat.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class, and moments later the teacher walked in, setting his belongings on the desk.
"Everyone, back to your seats."
The students did as they were told.
"Alright, let's pick up where we left off—"
A knock at the door interrupted him.
"Come in!"
The door opened, and a well-dressed middle-aged man walked into the classroom.
With slow, confident steps, he approached the teacher's desk.
The teacher gave him a slight bow as soon as he saw him.
"Good morning, Vice Principal. What brings you here?"
"Good morning, everyone!"
The vice principal smiled, stepped beside the desk, and looked at the teacher.
"I'm here to announce that your class has a new student joining you!"
The students looked surprised, immediately breaking into quiet whispers.
The vice principal gestured toward someone standing outside the classroom.
"Come on in!"
After a brief pause—
"Excuse me."
The door opened once again, and a boy entered the classroom with a backpack held in his right hand.
The whispers almost instantly died away.
He walked calmly toward the teacher's desk.
He was taller than most of the students in the class.
One look was all Nishimura needed.
It's the guy I ran into earlier...
His mind flashed back to their brief encounter outside the school building.
As the boy stopped beside the vice principal, the sunlight pouring through the windows illuminated his face.
Those weren't Japanese features.
Some of the students started whispering again.
Nishimura, however, found himself staring at the boy's eyes.
From where he sat, it was hard to tell their exact color.
They looked green, yet there was a hint of brown mixed in, giving them an unusual appearance.
The boy remained silent, waiting for the vice principal to speak.
"Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class."
"Of course."
The boy cleared his throat.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Riccardo Yui Aliberti, and I'm from Italy, near Naples. As you can probably tell from my name, I'm half Italian and half Japanese. My mother is Japanese, and my father is Italian. I hope we'll have some great years together!"
As soon as he finished introducing himself, the class broke into applause, while several of the girls immediately began whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear that? He's Italian!"
"He has such a mature, serious look!"
Nishimura overheard the girls' comments before looking at Riccardo once again.
He definitely has a strong presence, both in appearance and personality... but it's still too early to judge.
Once the applause died down, Riccardo waited for the teacher to tell him what to do next.
But no instructions came.
Instead, the teacher seemed to be waiting for something from him.
The students were doing the same.
Confused, Riccardo turned to the vice principal.
"Um... what am I supposed to do now?"
The vice principal paused to think, leaving Riccardo even more puzzled.
"Oh, right! In situations like this, everyone is usually curious about your athletic profile... but of course, you don't have one yet!"
At the vice principal's words, Riccardo turned toward the class.
The students looked almost horrified, as if he had just committed the worst possible sin.
Noticing their reactions, Riccardo forced a faint smile before looking back at the vice principal, clearly unsure.
"What exactly is that?"
Meanwhile, the entire class broke into discussion, criticizing the situation among themselves.
"Your athletic profile is based on the results of the physical tests you're supposed to take after the written exam. But you only took the written exam!"
Riccardo stared at him in disbelief.
Why does he only announce the bad news!?
A female student abruptly stood up.
"So he got in thanks for the recommendation!?"
The classroom immediately erupted into an uproar while the teacher tried to calm everyone down.
Riccardo looked around at the chaos.
"Wait—"
Before he could finish, the vice principal cut him off.
"That's correct! He was personally recommended by the principal himself. I can't tell you why... but I do know that Aliberti will take the physical tests sooner or later!"
He did it again!
The classroom grew even louder.
Seeing the students' reactions, Riccardo realized he had been placed in an awful position.
At this point, the entire class already seemed to hate him.
The vice principal pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and glanced at a notification.
"Alright..."
He slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"I've got somewhere to be. Have a great day, everyone!"
The vice principal left the classroom, but as soon as he walked past Riccardo, the latter couldn't help feeling dejected.
Thanks for all the help...
The teacher looked at Riccardo with a sympathetic expression.
"Aliberti, I'll go request a desk and a chair for you."
"Thank you, sir."
The teacher left the classroom, leaving Riccardo standing alone at the front.
Many of the students immediately began criticizing him.
"How did you manage to get a recommendation from the principal!?"
"Do you really think you're good enough to be here!?"
Riccardo looked at them without saying a word, keeping his head held high.
From his seat, Nishimura watched him thoughtfully.
I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now...
The teacher soon returned with a school staff member carrying a desk and a chair. They entered through the door at the back of the classroom and set them down there.
"Aliberti, please take this seat."
"Okay."
Riccardo walked past his new classmates, who stared at him with open hostility, but he pretended not to notice.
He sat down while the teacher returned to the front of the classroom.
"Aliberti, do you already have your textbooks?"
"Yes."
"Good. Please take out your Japanese language textbook and turn to page ninety-five."
Riccardo took out the book and opened it.