It was the day of the game. After school, Sato walked across the schoolyard, chatting with a friend, until they passed by the soccer field.
She stopped. Something felt odd—no one was practicing.
"Do you know why the boys' soccer team isn't out here?" Sato asked, curiosity in her voice.
Her friend smirked. "Why, are you interested in someone?"
Sato blushed slightly. "No, no… I just pass by here at this time usually, and they're practicing."
Just then, another girl approached them.
"Excuse me, are you going to the athletics area? Could you help carry these boxes to the storage room?"
She pointed to several boxes on the ground near a nearby door.
"Sure!" Sato's friend said with a smile.
The three of them lifted the boxes and started walking. Sato stole a glance at the empty field, thoughtful.
[Meanwhile, at Maebashi Ikuei High School.]
The boys' soccer team got off the bus at the school gates.
As the last player stepped down, Coach Ishii whispered to Coach Suzuki."I'm going to talk to the principal."
Then he addressed the team."Warm up with Coach Suzuki while I take care of this."
The players nodded and followed Suzuki onto the field, where the home team was already warming up.
Riccardo noticed a small crowd in the stands: a few students and what looked like three scouts."There are scouts here too…" he said to Nishimura.
"As usual, they're not here for us," Nishimura replied.
Coach Suzuki stopped at the field gate."Let's get permission to enter."
The visiting team stepped onto the field.
The opposing coach noticed them and approached."You must be Coach Yamamoto, right?"
"Yes, that's me. Are you Coach Ishii?"
Suzuki smiled politely, though a little confused."No, that's not me. Coach Ishii went to talk to his principal. I'm the assistant coach, Suzuki."
"I see… well, thank you for coming," the opposing coach replied, a hint of irony in his voice. "It's always an honor to play against the great and historic Shūdan-teki."
Suzuki chuckled lightly."He was great…"
The two coaches laughed, leaving the Shūdan-teki players slightly puzzled.
Suzuki quickly regained his composure."Then I'll lead the team in warming up."
After a short warm-up, Coach Ishii arrived and approached Coach Yamamoto, formally introducing himself.
Noguchi noticed him and called out."Guys, let's go to the coach!"
The team stopped warming up and gathered around Ishii.
"Coach Suzuki, they're underestimating us, right?"
"Absolutely," Suzuki said confidently.
Ishii sighed."You heard him. To them, this is just a friendly. But for us, this is the starting point. Give it everything you've got. No matter the final score, show me you can compete at their level. Remember what we say at Shūdan-teki: every challenge is more than just a game. Got it?"
"Yes, Coach!" the team shouted in unison, their energy catching even the opposing players off guard.
Across the field, Maebashi Ikuei's number 7 turned to number 10.
Number 7 was short, about 1.65 meters, with red hair and red eyes.Number 10 was slightly taller, with dark hair and deep blue eyes.
"They're really fired up…" number 7 muttered.
"Too much for a friendly," number 10 replied.
Their goalkeeper, number 1, a towering 2 meters with curly brown hair, approached."And we'll be even more pumped and crush them!"
Number 4, the team captain, stepped forward."I agree. Even if it's a friendly, we give it everything."
Number 10 smiled."Both Kobayashi and Captain Takahashi are right. We're the reigning champions—let's prove it!"
Riccardo studied the opponents, noting Takahashi's size and presence.
The usual pre-match rituals ended, and the players took their positions on the field.
Nishimura observed the opposition's formation. True to Ishii's prediction, they lined up in a 4-3-3 with an offensive twist: one midfielder had advanced into a "false attacking midfielder" role.
His gaze landed on Maebashi Ikuei's number 10.This is one of their jewels… Souta Ito. A third-year. That "false attacking midfielder" in action…
The referee blew the whistle. Maebashi Ikuei kicked off.
Number 9 passed to Ito, who immediately flicked it wide to number 7 on the left.
Shimizu closed in, forcing him back to number 6, who sidestepped Riccardo's initial pressure and passed back to Takahashi in defense.
Seeing space, Takahashi began to advance—but Riccardo stepped up to press.
Takahashi is fast… Riccardo thought.But I'm fast too!
Number 5 noticed Riccardo's approach.
Takahashi's strong, but I've got this…
He tried to pivot and shield the ball with his body. But Riccardo's strength overwhelmed him.
What the hell kind of power is this?! Takahashi thought.
He barely managed a pass to the left back, number 12, without noticing Shimizu's rapid approach. Shimizu intercepted cleanly.
Both Riccardo and Takahashi fell to the ground in the collision, with Takahashi accidentally hitting Riccardo's right leg. The referee waved play on.
Shimizu immediately picked up the ball, passed behind the two fallen players to Nishimura.
Nishimura controlled it perfectly and pushed toward the edge of the area. Number 3 charged to block him, but Nishimura passed inside to Tanaka.
The right back, number 6, tried to catch up, but Tanaka outran him and fired a powerful shot toward the far corner.
Kobayashi lunged with his long right arm and deflected it. The ball remained loose in the box.
Nishimura chased after it, one step away from scoring—but Kobayashi pounced, blocking him.
The referee blew the whistle: foul, charging the goalkeeper.
As Maebashi Ikuei gathered around Kobayashi, the spectators in the stands looked impressed.
"There it is! The first miracle from the new jewel of Maebashi Ikuei!" one observer exclaimed.
Tanaka clenched his fists in frustration."Damn it!"
Nishimura approached him."You made the right move… but we already knew their new goalie is basically a wall."
"I know… next time I won't waste your assist." Tanaka muttered.