After School – The Training Ground
Rika thought practice would be normal.
She was wrong. Again.
Because the moment she arrived at the field—chaos.
The boys' team was arguing.
Tetsuya was yelling. "THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN DO A BICYCLE KICK FROM HALF-FIELD!"
Renji shouted back. "IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE, THEN YOU HAVE NO DREAMS!"
Meanwhile, another player, Yuuto, was standing on the side, shaking his head. "I'm telling you, Renji, if you try that in a match, you're gonna end up in the hospital."
Coach walked in, whistling. "Alright, idiots, listen up."
The team froze.
Coach smirked. "I've got a little surprise for you all."
He stepped aside—revealing a clipboard with a tournament bracket.
THE WINTER TOURNAMENT.
Silence.
Then—"IT'S HAPPENING!"
Renji: "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT!"
Tetsuya: "WE'RE GONNA BE FAMOUS!"
Yuuto: "I just hope we survive."
Shun, arms crossed, eyes focused. "Who's in our group?"
Coach grinned. "You'll find out soon enough. But for now, we train like hell."
The team cheered.
But Rika?
She noticed something.
Shun's expression wasn't just focused.
It was serious.
Like he was already thinking about something deeper.
Chapter 7: Who's the Mysterious Player?
That Night – The Locker Room
After practice, Rika was packing up her stuff when she overheard something.
Renji and Tetsuya were whispering.
Renji: "Did you hear? A new player is joining the tournament."
Tetsuya: "Yeah. They say he's insane."
Rika raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Renji turned. "Oh, you didn't hear? There's some player joining the Winter Tournament from another school. No one knows his name, but apparently…"
Tetsuya continued. "He's a dribbling monster."
Rika frowned. A dribbling monster?
For some reason, her eyes drifted to Shun.
But he was silent.
His expression unreadable.
And then—
Coach walked in. "Alright, you morons, go home."
The discussion was over.
But Rika couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Whoever this new player was…
It felt personal.