On Monday, Riccardo arrived at school, checking his phone: 8:00 a.m."I'm really early today…"
He looked around, taking in the sprawling campus, with fields and courts dedicated to countless sports. Curiosity got the better of him."I still can't believe this is my school…" His expression shifted from calm to slightly worried. "I wonder who my father had to sell me to, just to get me in here!"
After wandering for a while, he reached a vast area designated for athletics. It was enormous.
Across the track, he spotted Sato running laps on the athletic field.
"Running… at this hour?" Riccardo murmured, intrigued.
He stopped to watch her more closely.
Suddenly, Nishimura appeared behind him, silently."I know I don't know you that well yet, but… stalking isn't really one of your traits, is it?"
Riccardo jumped back."Wah! Ma si pazz'!?" Woah! Are you crazy!?
Nishimura blinked."What does that mean?"
Yasuda approached, cheerful."Good morning, Aliberti!" He raised his hand for a high five, which Riccardo returned.
Nishimura's gaze fell on Sato."She's the rising star everyone's talking about: the 100-meter sprinter!"
Yasuda leaned in, mischievous."That's right! She won countless regional and prefectural tournaments in middle school. They say she could be one of Japan's next Olympic athletes. And, not to mention… she's beautiful."
Riccardo glanced between the two."Interesting…"
The bell rang, signaling the start of class.
"Let's go," Nishimura said, turning to Riccardo."Yes," Riccardo replied, and the two headed toward the main building, greeting Yasuda along the way.
Entering the classroom, all eyes turned toward them."Did you hear about yesterday's game?""Yes! They say Aliberti scored two goals and made an assist!""I won't believe it until I see him play. Maybe it was just luck!"
Riccardo and Nishimura took their seats as the teacher arrived.
Hours passed, and finally, the bell rang again: recess.
Nishimura leaned over."Let's go eat.""Sure. Where?"
They stopped in front of a door marked: "Students not allowed on the roof!"
Riccardo frowned."Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I eat here all the time… no one ever comes," Nishimura reassured him.
Taken aback, Riccardo followed him onto the roof.
The two sat near the fenced edge. Nishimura opened a classic bento while Riccardo unpacked a bowl of rice, tuna, and cherry tomatoes.
Nishimura raised an eyebrow."Is that all?""Should I have had more?" Riccardo replied, puzzled.
Silence settled between them for a moment.
"When did you start playing soccer?" Nishimura asked cautiously.
"I was five years old, watching my first soccer match… a classic Sunday game in Italy's top league: Napoli vs Juventus…"
Nishimura interrupted."You must have been a Napoli fan, right?"
Riccardo shook his head."No, a Juventus fan. We won 1-3 at their stadium."
Nishimura blinked, surprised."Oh… I see."
Riccardo cleared his throat."That match was intense. I didn't understand everything at the time, but I saw my father's passion in every play. That's when I decided: I want to thrill people like those players. In Italy, soccer is almost a religion. Everyone has played it at least once in some way."
Curious, Nishimura asked,"Did your parents put you in a soccer school?"
"Yes, but I didn't like it. Too much corruption in that area. So I played in the streets with my friends, expressing myself however I wanted."
"Street soccer, huh…" Nishimura nodded thoughtfully. "And you? How did you start?"
"A bit like you. Watching the Champions League… the legendary 6-1 Barcelona vs PSG. I was amazed by their style—ball possession, movement…"
Riccardo smiled, impressed."From what I saw yesterday, your touch is great. You play smart. Clearly inspired by the greats."
"Exactly. My dream is to play for them…"Riccardo's smile widened."Mine is Juventus!"
Nishimura raised an eyebrow at Riccardo's confidence.
The bell rang again. Nishimura stood."Riccardo… we haven't known each other long, but football makes it easy to make friends, especially when dreams align. I think the whole team shares that ambition. That's why this year… and the years ahead… we'll win everything, together."
He extended his fist.
Riccardo smiled, touching it with his own."Then let's do it!"