Riccardo arrived at school and crossed the enormous outdoor courtyard, admiring the facilities dedicated to practically every sport imaginable.
Damn, compared to yesterday, this school seems even more elite!
As he looked around, he noticed several students giving him curious glances.
Word travels fast around here...
He entered the classroom through the back door, near which his desk was located.
He put down his bag and sat down.
Looking around, he noticed that everyone was chatting in small groups.
School only started a little over two weeks ago, and they've already formed their own friend groups.
Then he noticed Nishimura, sitting alone while looking at his phone.
Shortly afterward, the teacher entered the classroom.
"Good morning!"
Nishimura put down his phone and noticed Riccardo watching him.
Riccardo greeted him with a wave.
The other boy, however, seemed a little confused and looked away.
[Hours later]
Once classes were over, Nishimura quickly left the classroom.
Riccardo followed him with his eyes.
He sighed, then stood up.
First, I have to stop somewhere... the club supervisor told me to.
He left the classroom.
Meanwhile, Nishimura reached a door and walked inside.
"Excuse me."
The locker room was already full of boys getting changed, surrounded by chatter and the sound of sports bags being opened.
"Good morning, Nishimura!"
Shimizu walked over to him.
He was already wearing his training kit, with his cleats on.
"Good morning, Shimizu."
"Get ready! It's Friday, so we've got our usual scrimmage with the whole team!"
"I know. That's why I'm fired up!"
Shimizu smiled, noticing his teammate's enthusiasm.
"Good. I'll head out to the pitch, then."
He opened the door and left the locker room.
Nishimura reached his spot, placed his sports bag on the bench, and began opening it.
"Hey, Nishimura! I heard there's a new guy in your class!"
A voice made him turn around.
The speaker was a particularly tall boy with a physique sculpted by countless hours at the gym, filling out his training kit.
His black hair was interrupted by a striking blond fringe that fell over his forehead, while his orange eyes gave him an unforgettable look.
"What do you think of him?"
"I don't know yet, Noguchi."
Noguchi sat down beside him.
"This is my final year, and I've never seen anyone get in here through a recommendation. Right, Kaneko?"
Nishimura followed his gaze.
A little farther away, Kaneko was sitting on a bench, tying his cleats.
His sturdy build, forged through years of training, made him look even more imposing.
He stood up calmly, running a hand through his dark hair.
Then his green eyes settled on the two boys.
"Noguchi... I've already told you I'm not interested in this. He's probably just a failure if he got in here through a recommendation."
He then left the locker room, under the watchful eyes of Nishimura and Noguchi.
The latter sighed slightly.
"Same old Kaneko..."
He stood up as well.
"I'm heading out too. Don't be late."
But Nishimura was already making his way toward the door.
"I'm ready."
Noguchi looked surprised.
"You're really eager to play today, huh...?"
Meanwhile, everyone was already warming up on the pitch.
Nishimura walked onto the pitch and looked around, confused.
"Where's the coach?"
"The coach isn't here, as usual..."
Nishimura turned toward the voice.
A boy, shorter than most of his teammates, was stretching near the touchline.
He had short brown hair and brown eyes that conveyed an almost indifferent calm as he met Nishimura's gaze.
"Yeah, I know that, Tanaka. I meant Coach Suzuki."
Shimizu, who was warming up nearby, turned toward Nishimura.
"Speak of the devil..."
Someone clapped their hands, drawing everyone's attention.
A middle-aged man walked onto the pitch.
"Come over here, guys! I have something to tell you!"
Everyone approached him, curious.
"I would've preferred Coach Ishii to be the one giving you the news, but we all know he's not here. So... you'll be getting a new teammate."
The enthusiasm on Nishimura's face immediately vanished. He put a hand to his forehead, looking exasperated.
Oh, no... not here too...
"Come forward, Aliberti!"
Riccardo stepped onto the pitch under everyone's gaze, wearing his training kit.
He stopped in front of the team, beside Coach Suzuki.
"Good morning. My name is Riccardo Yui Aliberti. I'm a first-year student, and I mainly play as a center forward, although I can fill other positions as well. I hope we can win a lot together!"
Once his introduction was over, everyone looked at him with hostility. Riccardo tried to maintain a neutral expression.
They hate me here too...
Riccardo looked around the team and noticed Nishimura.
He smiled at him, but his teammate immediately looked away.
"Thank you, Aliberti. Now go join the others so we can finish warming up."
Riccardo walked over to his teammates.
A little while later, the team finished warming up.
Noguchi approached Nishimura and whispered:
"So that's him..."
"Yeah..."
"He seems like a nice guy, too..."
He watched Riccardo stretching, noticing his impressive physical condition.
"Looks like he trains quite a bit."
"Being in good shape doesn't mean you know how to play football."
Coach Suzuki blew his whistle.
"That's enough! Now grab the balls and cones. We're doing a dribbling and shooting drill!"
Some boys picked up the balls, while others collected the cones. Then everyone gathered around the coach.
After placing the cones near the center of the penalty area, Coach Suzuki took his position at the end of the course.
"Everyone, grab a ball and get in line. One at a time, you'll dribble through the cones, pass the ball to me, and shoot immediately after receiving my return pass. I'll vary the position of the return pass, so you'll need to react quickly and adjust to the situation, even if it means using your weaker foot. The goalkeepers will take turns between the posts and try to save your shots."
Everyone grabbed a ball and lined up.
"Aliberti! Get to the back of the line so you can watch how the drill works!"
Riccardo looked at him, puzzled.
"All right..."
Do I really have to watch how such a basic drill works...?
He made his way to the back of the line.
Coach Suzuki checked that everyone was in position.
"All right, let's get started!"
He blew his whistle, and the first boy took off.
He dribbled through the cones at a decent pace, then passed the ball to the coach, who returned it to his right.
The boy struck the ball with his right instep toward the far post, but failed to hit the target and sent it wide.
As he went to retrieve the ball, Shimizu rested his elbow on Nishimura's left shoulder.
"Look, we've got some fans."
The two looked beyond the fence surrounding the pitch, where several students were watching them with anything but friendly expressions.
"More like potential haters... and we both know why."
The other boys continued taking their turns, but many either missed the goal or had their shots saved.
Eventually, it was Tanaka's turn. He got into position and waited for the whistle.
As soon as he heard it, he took off.
He dribbled through the cones in an instant, moving at an impressive speed.
Riccardo was impressed.
He's really quick, but precise, too...
Tanaka passed the ball to the coach, who returned it to his right.
With a precise right-footed shot using the inside of his foot, he placed the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.
"Excellent work, Tanaka!"
The boy retrieved the ball and headed back toward the end of the line. Before reaching it, however, he noticed Shimizu getting ready to start the drill and gave him a challenging smile.
Shimizu and Nishimura noticed.
"Is he challenging you again?"
"Yeah. He's a first-year, but he's really good. We also play similar positions, so I can understand why he wants to surpass me. But..."
Nishimura interrupted him.
"But you won't let him."
Shimizu got into position, ready to start.
"Exactly!"
As soon as he heard the whistle, he sprinted forward.
He dribbled through the cones a little slower than Tanaka, but with great technique and elegance, alternating between the sole and the outside of his foot.
Then he passed the ball to the coach, who returned it to his right.
With a powerful and precise left-footed shot using the outside of his foot, he sent the ball into the top corner.
"What a goal, Shimizu!"
Shimizu retrieved the ball and returned to the back of the line, standing behind Tanaka, who watched him with a frustrated expression.
"Always showing off..."
"What can I say? Being this good comes naturally!"
Riccardo turned around and saw the two bickering.
These two are really interesting...
Then he looked back at the pitch, just as Nishimura was getting ready to shoot.
Oh... I missed his dribbling!
That's when he noticed a man entering through the pitch entrance.
Nishimura struck the ball with his right instep, giving it a dipping trajectory toward the far post.
The goalkeeper was completely caught off guard and couldn't react in time. The ball nestled just inside the post.
"Good morning, Coach Ishii!"
At those words, Nishimura turned toward the entrance and spotted Coach Ishii.
The man approached the pitch with a determined stride.
He was tall and still had an athletic build. He looked to be in his early thirties.
He wore a tracksuit, while his short, neatly styled dark hair framed two stern black eyes.
Coach Suzuki walked over to him.
"Are you all in the mood for training today?"
"Very funny, Coach Suzuki..."
Coach Ishii turned his gaze toward the team, who returned it with cold, disdainful looks.
Then his eyes settled on Riccardo, who was watching the situation with a puzzled expression.
"That's enough training! It's Friday, so grab the bibs and let's have a scrimmage. Split into two teams, but there's one condition: Aliberti and Nishimura will play together in a 4-3-3!"
Nishimura was stunned.
"What?"
Kaneko grew irritated.
"Why are you taking away my best player and making me score without him?!"
Coach Ishii looked at him disapprovingly.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
Kaneko snorted, furious.
"More than one..."
He turned toward Riccardo and gave him a challenging look.
"But it'll be fun tearing the new guy apart!"
Riccardo returned his gaze with a puzzled expression.
Why does everyone on the school staff seem determined to turn the other students against me!?
Coach Ishii watched the scene carefully.
"I'll be in charge of the team captained by Nishimura, while Coach Suzuki will oversee Kaneko's team. You have five minutes to decide on your lineups!"
Nishimura approached Riccardo.
"Do you have your uniform?"
"Yeah."
"Try to follow my movements and never get caught offside."
"Got it."
Riccardo took off his training shirt, revealing the number on his jersey: 24.