Coach Suzuki called out the team led by Kaneko.
"All right, guys, we'll stick with our usual formation: 4-3-3. Goalkeeper, Yamauchi. Right back, Takeda. Left back, Kuwahara. Central defenders, Aoki and Aoyama. Defensive midfielder, Tamura. Central midfielders, Ono and Enomoto. Left winger, Tanaka; right winger, Nakamura. And finally, our striker, Kaneko."
The players moved into position, their movements precise, almost automatic. A small crowd of students had gathered along the sidelines, curiosity etched on their faces, eyes subtly tracking Riccardo.
A girl strolled along the edge of the field, gym bag in hand.
Noticing the crowd, she stopped, scanning the field. She was tall—around 1.70 meters—with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and piercing blue eyes.
"Sato!"
She turned at the call. A fellow student approached her.
"Hey, Yuzuki!"
"Finished practice already?"
"Surprisingly… yes." Yuzuki glanced at the gathering. "But why is everyone here?"
"The Shūdan-teki men's soccer team is about to play an intramural practice match. And, honestly, the real reason people want to watch…" He nodded toward Riccardo. "The new guy just joined the team."
Sato's eyes scanned the pitch, searching.
"The new guy… the principal's recommendation?"
Yuzuki pointed directly at Riccardo.
"Yeah. That's him."
Sato's gaze lingered. He's stepping into a storm. From hated student to the school's weakest team… this team isn't just bad, it's fractured.
"Exactly… and that's on the coach. No one here likes him, yet he's stayed for ten years, untouched. Not even nationals. Ten years wasted."
The referees entered the field, and Riccardo took note, impressed. Referees for a practice match? This school really is elite…
Both teams took their positions. Kaneko stood poised for kickoff. The whistle blew.
Kaneko passed the ball to Tamura, who immediately shifted it to the left flank. Tanaka received it and immediately faced Shimizu. With a burst of speed along the sideline, he pushed past, exchanging a rapid one-two, leaving Shimizu chasing him.
Ueno lunged to intercept, but Tanaka, still sprinting, executed a perfect nutmeg, sliding the ball between Ueno's legs and continuing forward.
Riccardo watched, quietly impressed. He's already making incisive runs, right from the first minute…
As Tanaka approached the goal line, he looked up. Kaneko positioned in the center. A precise cross, measured. Kaneko contested Noguchi in the penalty area, managing to edge the ball toward goal. But Andou, alert, made a clean save.
Sato's breath caught. "That number 7 is… a bullet."
"Yeah, but not as fast as you," Yuzuki teased, her smile playful. "Future 100-meter champion!"
Nearby students turned, glancing at her comment. Sato's face flushed.
Meanwhile, Andou spotted Hamada free near midfield, passing him the ball. Hamada controlled it and slid a pass to Shimizu moving up the right wing.
Enomoto pressed him, but Shimizu didn't panic. With a fluid movement, he shifted the ball from his left foot to his right, a subtle Croqueta, leaving Enomoto off balance and behind.
Kuwahara closed in. Shimizu's eyes darted across the pitch—Yasuda on the far flank, unmarked. Without hesitation, he sent a precise cross-field pass. Yasuda received it but struggled to control the ball. Takeda lunged to intercept.
"Yasuda!"
The winger saw Nishimura closing in. He slid the ball to him with the inside of his left foot. Nishimura controlled it calmly, scanning the field. Three opponents converged: Tamura, Ono, and Kaneko.
Risky… but necessary.
Nishimura threaded the ball into the tight space between Ono and Tamura. All three defenders hesitated. Riccardo, positioned between the two center backs, read the play instantly.
Aoki stepped up to challenge. Kaneko barked: "Go, Aoki!"
Riccardo didn't flinch. He noticed Shimizu making a sharp cut into the box, exploiting the space Aoki had left. Almost instinctively, Riccardo redirected the ball with the outside of his right foot, a subtle yet precise touch, sliding it perfectly into Shimizu's path.
The pitch fell silent for a fraction of a second—then Shimizu controlled the ball. Kuwahara closed fast. Shimizu slowed, maintaining composure under pressure.
Glancing quickly, Shimizu saw Riccardo moving into the center, both defenders trailing too far to cover him. Without hesitation, Shimizu sent a tight, low pass to Riccardo.
Yamauchi, the goalkeeper, rushed to intercept, but Riccardo, with explosive acceleration, reached the ball first. Stretching his left foot, he guided it neatly between the goalkeeper's legs as Yamauchi fell. The ball rolled into the net.
The field and sidelines erupted into stunned silence.
Shimizu sprinted toward Riccardo, practically leaping on him.
"Incredible! Did you see that?"
Teammates flooded in, praising the chemistry between the two. Nishimura and Kaneko remained still, absorbing Riccardo's composure and skill.
After a moment, Riccardo stepped back, patting Shimizu on the shoulder.
"Nice pass. Keep 'em coming next time."